Ian's Ultimate Gamble - Brenda Jackson [45]
Brooke drew in a deep breath, surprised that Malcolm had called. Their agreement was that he would hear from her only if she had something to report. Within a few days her two-week stay at the Rolling Cascade would be over, and so far, as she'd known he would, Ian was running a clean operation.
"Things are going tine, Malcolm. Why are you calling?" "I happened to overhear something today that might interest you." "What?”
"Prince Jamal Ari Yasir is planning a birthday party for his wife there and he plans to present her with a case of diamonds that's worth over fifteen million dollars."
Brooke folded her arms across her middle. "I'm aware of that."
"And how did you come by that information? Not too many people are supposed to know about the diamonds."
"Ian mentioned it. I'm sure you're aware that the sheikh's wife is his first cousin." ".And Westmoreland trusted you enough to tell you about the diamonds?"
Brooke thought about what Malcolm has just asked her. Yes. he had trusted her enough. "He probably thought it wasn't such a big deal. It's not like I'm going to go out and mention it to anyone. And what do the diamonds have to do with the Bureau?"
"Probably nothing, but one of our informers notified our major theft division of a possible heist at the Rolling Cascade this weekend. And the target is those diamonds."
Brooke shook her head. "That's going to be hard to pull off since Ian's security team is top-notch. I’ve seen their operation. Besides, the jewels arrived this morning and are in a vault that's being monitored by video cameras twenty-four hours a day."
"That might be the case, but we're dealing with highly trained professionals, Brooke. The informer's claiming it's the Waterloo Gang."
Brooke sucked in deeply. "Are you sure?" The Waterloo Gang was an international ring who specialized in the theft of artwork and jewelry and had a reputation for making successful hits. The group was highly mobile, moving from city to city and country to country, and had been on the FBI's most-wanted list for years. Their last hit, earlier this year, had been a jewelry store in San Francisco where over ten million dollars in jewels were taken. Six months ago they had hit a museum in France where artwork totaling over thirty million was stolen.
"We're not sure if our informer's information is accurate. But the Bureau doesn't want to take any chances because such a theft might have international implications. Although Prince Yasir is married to an American, he's still considered a very important ally to this country and we don't want anything to place a strain on that relationship."
Brooked nodded. "I can see where having his wife's birthday present— especially one of such value— stolen might be a lot to swallow."
"And you're sure you haven't noticed anything unusual?"
"Not really. I'd say strange but not unusual. There are some obsessed gamblers, adulterers and someone with a split personality," she said, thinking about the woman she had bumped into while shopping last week. She'd briefly run into her a few times, and certain days she would be friendlier than others; a regular Dr. Jekyll and Ms. Hyde. "Just the kind of characters you'd expect to find at a casino," she concluded.
"Well, notify me if you notice anything. The reason the Waterloo Gang's hits are so well
orchestrated and planned is that they have their people in place well in advance, mainly to study the lay of the land, so to speak."
"Will Ian be advised of any of this?"
"Not until we determine if our information is accurate."
Brooke frowned. "That's not good enough, Malcolm. By then it might be too late. He should be told so that he can take the necessary precautions. Don't ask me not to tell him."
For a long time there was a pause, and Brooke hoped Malcolm wouldn't pull rank and demand that she not mention anything to Ian. She was determined to warn Ian what was going on regardless of what Malcolm dictated. If she was fired because of it, then that's the risk she would take.
"Something else you should know is that Walter