Page 2 of Claimed Gem
The other man was slightly older and given his coloring, most definitely Greek as well. His dark hair belied his age, his face telling the story of decades of living. He seemed to be controlling their conversation at the moment and she wondered if the two men were related in some way.
As she observed them from beneath her lashes, the older man accepted an elegant vase from the young man. Stephanie gave a start. She knew the design of that piece. It was an ancient Macedonian vase – or a very good replica of one. Although it looked ordinary and even run-down on the surface, it had to be over a thousand years old.
The older man took the vase, turning it this way and that way…
Wait! Isn’t it the same vase that was stolen from the museum in Olympus last week?
Stephanie moved around the table, getting a closer look at the vase without drawing unwarranted attention to herself. Itwasthe very same vase. A priceless artifact that - up until a week ago - was placed in a secure glass museum enclosure. It was worth millions of dollars and was one of only a handful of artifacts that had been recovered from a specific time period.
Thanks to her art history background, Stephanie knew how important such a piece was to the history and cultural identity of Greece. No one had claimed responsibility for the stolen artifact nor had the authorities been able to find a culprit.
The older man tucked the vase into a cardboard box and handed over a bulging envelope to the younger man. He opened the envelope and pulled out a stack of bills, thumbing through them before nodding his head and tucked the envelope into his bag.
Stephanie’s heart was racing as she took the dirty glassware back to the kitchen. She just witnessed a crime but she wasn’t sure who to tell. She thought about getting Tomas’s attention but then she saw the younger man walk up to the bar and share a laugh with him.
She looked around the bar, hoping to see one of the police officers that sometimes frequented the bar. She spied one of them standing outside on the sidewalk and headed that direction.
“Excuse me,” she announced her presence.
The police officer turned around and then smiled at her while giving her body a once over. “Can I help you?”
“Yes. I just witnessed a crime. Inside.”
The officer frowned and looked back at the bar and then back at her. “A crime, you say?”
“Yes. That robbery that occurred last week at the museum? Well, I just saw a man hand one of the stolen pieces to another and then they exchanged money.”
The police officer raised his brow in disbelief, “And you saw this out in the open? Two people committing a grievous crime and they didn’t even attempt to conceal their actions?”
Stephanie heard the words and took a moment to consider if what she’d seen was real, and nodded. “Yes. That’s exactly what I saw.”
“Miss, what is your name?”
“Stephanie Harris. I work here at the bar.”
“Miss Harris, I assure you that you have not witnessed any crime. Where are these men you saw?”
Stephanie turned and looked back toward the now empty table. She looked for the younger man, but he wasn’t at the bar any longer. “Since they haven’t come out of the bar, I assume they are still inside.”
“You can’t see them?” the police officer asked.
“Not right now. Their table is empty…”
“I think maybe the heat and humidity has gotten to you. Maybe you should take a small break before resuming your duties,” the officer told her patronizingly.
Stephanie shook her head and asked, “Aren’t you even going to come inside and question the men?”
“Question who? About what? It’s not a crime to give a gift to someone.”
“It wasn’t a gift. It was a priceless vase that was reported stolen in the papers last week. And it was purchased. With cash. A lot of cash.”
“There you go, it was a business transaction. That doesn’t seem like a crime to me.” He paused for a moment and then asked, “Stephanie, you like working here. Correct?”
“Sure, why?”
“Well, I think Tomas and his grandfather might question their decision to employ you if they knew you were acting hysterical and accusing their clientele of committing crimes. Tell you what? I won’t say anything about this. You’ve obviously been on your feet for a while tonight and aren’t thinking clearly.”
Stephanie’s fists clenched in frustration. Another officer arrived and the one she’d been talking to looked at her dismissively. She stared after them, unable to believe that the officer wouldn’t even try to find the men she’d seen.