The stolen gold coins! This coin in the display case certainly was one of them!
The jeweler’s description of Ramon Garcia fitted Raymond Duke to a T. Ramon was Raymond in Spanish! And El Duque was The Duke! Raymond Duke had an import business with offices in both Tampa and Havana!
She remembered Mr. Curtin saying on the morning that the theft of the gold coins had been discovered: “The thieves could never sell the antique coins. It’s the gold itself they wanted!”
She remembered the row on row of souvenir ships on the shelves in Eaton-Smith’s house.
She remembered what French sand was. It was used by metal casters to make molds!
The ship the peddler had tried to sell them a few minutes ago! It really had been solid gold!
It all sounded too crazy to make sense. She didn’t quite see how all the pieces fitted together. But deep down in her bones she knew they did!
That little ship that the peddler had offered them was made from gold melted down from the coins that had been stolen from Flight 17!
She had to have that gold ship!
“Mr. Curtin,” she said, and her voice was so urgent that it trembled, “please come outside.”