“As a matter of fact,” she said, “it’s only one jewel. A diamond.”
“Oh.”
“We’ve lost it. And it doesn’t belong to us.”
‘That could be embarrassing,” Simon admitted. “But why should I know where to look for it?”
“It’s been stolen.”
“Not by me.”
“This is a perfect blue stone,” said Mr Upwater, sitting down heavily, “as big as the Hope diamond. It’s worth half a million dollars in your money.”
2
“I work for a very exclusive firm of jewelers in Bond Street, in London,” Mr Upwater explained, in a ponderous and painstaking way. “I’ve been with them myself for thirty years. The stone belongs to one of our clients. It is a magnificent gem, with a rather romantic name — the Angel’s Eye. But being an old stone, it isn’t too well cut. Our client decided to have it re-cut, which would improve its appearance and even enhance its value. As the oldest employee of the firm, it was entrusted to me to bring here, to one of the best cutters in Amsterdam, to have the work done.”
“And somebody swiped it from you on the way?” Simon hazarded.