A retired Scotland Yard detective is called out of retirement to try to solve a case that might damage the prestige of the Royal family.
The detective has a young daughter studying to be a detective at the Yard and is selected to join her father in the recovery of an enormous diamond which had been given to Britain.
With economies and other financial problems, the Royal Family agrees to sell the diamond with the buyer remaining mum as to the purchaser.
The detective and his daughter travel to Hong Kong and Dubai in an attempt to switch the fake glass replica with the original.
Excerpt:
Akeem Abdel el Qadir, ultra rich Dubai business man, aged 47, never married.
Bryce Withward, retired British investigator with Scotland Yard, age 46, divorced.
Andreena Withward, recently graduated from Scotland Yard majoring in Criminal Investigation, and who wished to follow her father’s career as an investigator for the Yard. Age 21, single. Andreena is an exceptionally beautiful young woman with flaming red hair, the whitest of skins and eyes an emerald green.
It was a beautiful, warm Saturday morning and Bryce Withward, a retired British investigator had made plans with his two similarly aged friends to spend the next three days in the woods fishing, drinking some good ale and relaxing before they returned home doing nothing until the notion came to go to the woods again. After all, once retired, the idea is to make plans so that there is always something to take the boredom out of life. On that Saturday morning, the Post came to hand deliver an envelope with the Scotland Yard return address. Bryce’s first reaction was a jolt of fear. Had something come up that was faulty with his work before he retired? He knew it was not a solicitation for any kind of funds for former agents who might be in need or ill. With what they pensioned him, they could hardly expect that he would have enough to donate to some cause. Holding the letter, he definitely felt a discomfort and so going into his kitchen, he poured himself a large cup of strong, black tea and opened his missive.
To his surprise, the letter began in a most cordial way and that lessoned any fear of what was to follow. He was greeted with their hopes that he was enjoying his most deserved rest and then the letter came right to the point. The Yard, in recalling his special investigative expertise and was requesting that he avail himself of his experience. The matter was one of importance and of considerable concern for the Royal Family. The letter went on to say that in all probability, he would be required to travel to Dubai and Hong Kong. It could mention no more since the investigation was considered “Hush-Hush” as they termed their sensitive matters during World War II. Would he consider the matter very seriously since the work was so sensitive. He was asked to “Please refrain from discussing the subject with anyone”. He was told, that he could have someone to work with. The time of the meeting would be in one week and that he come to see the Head Inspector in his office. At Scotland Yard A cordial ending and that was that. Well, that gave him a 4 day period to think about the assignment. The most difficult part was not being able to discuss the matter with his friends to ask their opinions or advice. However, he was used to keeping information secret. What could be so sensitive and to the Crown as well. His old investigative juices were rapidly filling his mind. Besides, vacation and retirement sounds great; swinging in a hammock with a nice cup of tea and watching the clouds roll by. But he thought, it’s not so. Throughout his entire life, he had been active and looked at the challenges that were presented as just that, a way of gauging himself when the pressure was raised.
He loaded his car and sat down to wait for Andreena, his daughter to come since she was going to house sit for him and feed Maggie, his female bloodhound who was just as intractable as Margaret Thatcher. Bryce had named his bloodhound after Margaret Thatcher. Actually, he was a great admirer of the former Prime Minister and thought she had more guts than many of the males who succeeded her and some who preceded her.
I shall have to ask Andreena whether she can take Maggie to her house since I don’t know how long this assignment will be but the letter did say Dubai and Hong Kong. Hong Kong I know something about but Dubai, I only know that it is one of the wealthiest countries that make up the U.A.E.
If Andreena can’t take Maggie, I guess I will have to put her in a dog kennel and I am going to demand that the Government pay for her stay. I wish I had someone to talk this over with. But I had better just keep calm until I know what this is all about. Andreena came by shortly and gave him a send off and told him to relax and enjoy his time with his friends. You can have some porter or ale but no women, understand, she joked. In her own mind she wondered what would happen with her father. He was only 46 years old and if he had not worked for the Government, he would have had to work until his mid sixties. At 46, he still had time to marry and raise another family. “I am sure he would be happier having someone at his side. And who knows, I might find someone and want to get married but if I am honest with myself, I would rather wait until I am 30 so that I might have opportunity to practice my career and at the same time, be young enough to have a child.”
