Unknown (39 page)

"I see," said Holmes,
"where the confusion lies. The
title
of Ali Pasha has thrown researchers off the track."

"Exactly," agreed
Streeter. "The Albanian Ali Pasha
was
a ruler of some historical significance. Known as
the
tyrannical 'Lion of Janina,' he wielded such power
that
the Sultan of Turkey sent an emissary to bring him
back
to Constantinople to curb his excessive ambition.
Ali
Pasha resisted and there was an exchange and he
was
fatally wounded. The Lion of Janina requested permission to die
in his own throne room, in his own fash
ion,
and this wish was granted."

At this point in his narration,
Streeter almost preened himself. "Now, Mr. Holmes, I can give
you information
that
is not common knowledge at all. As the eighty-
year-old
Pasha lay dying, he summoned a trusted sol
dier
of fortune, Captain D'Anglas . . ."

"D'Anglas?" I asked.
Holmes looked at me with irri
tation
and I subsided.

Streeter continued as though he
had not heard me.
"The
Pasha ordered his aide to destroy his two most
precious
possessions: the Pigott Diamond and his wife,
Vasilikee.
Captain D'Anglas crushed the diamond be
fore
the Pasha's eyes and he died. According to legend, his wife was not
killed by the French mercenary."

"You say 'according to
legend,' " . said Holmes, thoughtfully. "If the Pasha's
wife survived, might not the diamond have as well?"

"This was in 1822, Mr.
Holmes. Since that time
there
has been no trace of the Pigott."

At Streeter's mention of 1822,
Holmes threw me a knowing glance. His eyes then returned to the crown
jeweler.

"How is so much known about
the stone?"

Streeter was amused by Holmes's
question. "Man's
obsession
with great diamonds is nothing new, Mr.
Holmes.
The Pigott was well-known. Lord Pigot ac
quired
it in 1763. He died in 1777 and his family disposed of it via
the lottery in 1801. At one tune it was
owned
by Madame Bonaparte, the mother of Napoleon.
There
is a model of the stone which was made here in
England
and still exists. It was an oval-shaped gem of
the
finest quality."

As he had been recounting the
history of this famous
gem,
Streeter had been observing Holmes's manner.

"Do I sense that this is the
information you are
searching
for?" he asked.

"You have certainly opened up
avenues of thought," replied the sleuth. "Let us pose a
hypothetical situation. Let us say the Pigott still exists. Who would
it belong to?"

"To whomever holds it in his
hand, Mr. Holmes."

"But it would be recognized?"

"A stone of that quality
could not be ignored. We are speaking of one of the great diamonds of
the world. An
expert
would immediately identify it by its shape and
size.
But proving it is another thing. Why, sir, if you
had
it, you could wear it on your watch fob and no one could say you
nay."

Holmes had secured the information
he wished. Soon thereafter, the crown jeweler took his leave. Of
course, I was bursting with ideas.

"I say, Holmes, you struck a
rich vein there! And
the
name of the French mercenary in the employ of the
Ali
Pasha
..."

"D'Anglas—the same name
as our client." Holmes
had
the satisfied look of a cat who had consumed cream.
"D'Anglas's
grandfather served the Albanian but did
not
follow his dying orders. The Frenchman had the Pi
gott
and the ruler's wife, Vasilikee, as well. They had to
be
in it together. Note our client's first name—Vasil, in memory
of his grandmother. The conspirators secreted
the
diamond in the Golden Bird and gave out the word
of
its destruction. They planned to secure the statue lat
er
and retrieve the prize within, but the Bird eluded
them.
Somehow the story got out, for Jonathan Wild
heard
of it. Through him, Harry Hawker, as well. Since
1822,
the Golden Bird has had a value far in excess of
its
original worth. It has been a loadstone, a magnet for
all
who knew its secret. Barker left us the clues, ol'
chap.
First the year—1822. Then, recall that in the book on Jonathan
Wild's career, Barker ran a line
through
the reference to the Pasha of Egypt diamond. I
mistook
it as underlining, but he meant that the mention
of
this famous gem was incorrect."

"How did Chu San Fu learn the
secret of the dia
mond?"

"We may never know the answer
to that. But observe
that
Basil Selkirk seized on the clue I gave him, the year
of
Ali Pasha's death and solved the mystery."

Holmes's recreation of events
covering more than
half
a century was interrupted by Billy, who informed
us
that an Oriental gentleman requested a few moments of Mr. Holmes
time.

My friend cocked an eye in my
direction. "My letter to Chu San Fu has prompted a rapid
response. Show the man up, Billy, by all means."

When the page boy ushered a squat
Chinaman into our chambers, my manner was frigid indeed. Nor was
my
friend a model of hospitality.

"Ah, Mr. Holmes—my name
is Loo Chang. I am a
solicitor."

He passed the sleuth a business
card, which Holmes
dropped
on the desk without looking at it. Chang bowed in my direction. He
was quite short and somewhat over
weight,
which may have contributed to the perpetual
sheen
on his face. His mouth was drawn in a constant
smile
and I wondered, for no particular reason, if it was present when he
slept.

"I am here, Mr. Holmes,
representing a client."

"We can," said Holmes
severely, "dispense with eva
sions.
You have been instructed by Chu San Fu to con
tact
me relative to a certain piece of property, which he is interested
in."

The Oriental's hands were spread,
palms up, as
though
to indicate that he carried no weapons. "I do not
know
the object involved but I am empowered to nego
tiate
a fee for its recovery. My client is a most generous
man
and will pay one thousand pounds for its return."

Holmes sighed as though his
patience was being
sorely
tried. "You client's generosity is imaginary. Ten
percent
is a standard fee for lesser talents than mine.
The
price is fifteen thousand pounds based on the last valuation of the
object. The thousand pounds you men
tion
is to be paid in advance to cover possible expen
ses."

Chang looked shocked. "My
client did not antici
pate
. . ."

He was allowed to go no further.
"I do not haggle in matters of this kind." Holmes's right
hand indicated the door. "Begone!"

"But, Mr. Holmes."

"Out!"

The sheen on Chang's face was more
evident. He fumbled in his coat pocket, extracting a bulky envelope,
"I will leave this thousand pounds as a retainer, Mr. Holmes. If
my client agrees to your terms, he will notify you."

Placing the envelope on the desk,
Chang backed to
ward
the door with short, rapid bows to Holmes and
myself.

"I bid you good day,
gentlemen."

"One moment," commanded
Holmes, and Chang
halted
by the door. "When your client agrees in this ar
rangement,
instruct him to return to me the statue.
When
he does so, six members of his organization will
reappear."

"The statue will be in your
hands within the hour,"
the
lawyer said, with a defeated air and then departed in
haste.

The solicitor departed in haste.

"Holmes," I said, as
soon as the man was gone, "you
don't
intend to give the Pigott Diamond to Chu San
Fu."

"I intend to break him,"
was Holmes's grim response.

He crossed to the window with
rapid strides, peering through the drapes. What he saw seemed to give
him satisfaction for he gave vent to a chuckle.

"Loo Chang is departing with
Slippery Styles, the hu
man
shadow, on his trail. Sooner or later the solicitor
will
return to his office. 'Tis then that Slim Gilligan will
enter
the picture."

Noting my blank look, Holmes
continued. "Both
Alex
MacDonald and Wakefield Orloff are very interested in the names,
locations and income derived from Chu San Fu's various enterprises.
The Chinaman is very
businesslike
and organized and there should be more re
vealing
information in the files of his lawyer."

I did not question this matter,
realizing that Holmes
was
taking full advantage of his unofficial status and following a line
of investigation not open to the authori
ties.

Holmes reverted to the matter of
the diamond.

"By now, Chu must realize
that Basil Selkirk has the
stone.
Rather than have him attack Selkirk's residence
or
involve himself in some similar skullduggery, it is
best
to let him think I'll secure the diamond. Besides,
with
Vasil D'Anglas arriving tomorrow from Berlin, I
need
the statue. That was our original commission, if
you
recall."

"But D'Anglas will expect the
diamond to be in the
statue.
He, of all people, knows the secret of the Golden
Bird."

"We have a touchy point
there, Watson. The last le
gal
owner of the gem died sixty years ago. Who does
own
it?"

"Streeter was definite on
that point. The possesser in
this
case, Selkirk, is the owner."

"But we know something that
the crown jeweler did
not.
My theory is that D'Anglas's grandfather secreted
the
stone and married Vasilikee, Ali Pasha's wife. The
oretically,
Vasilikee owned the stone upon the death of
her
husband, the Lion of Janina. Which makes our
client,
Vasil D'Anglas, the man with the best claim on
the
gem."

"We are stretching things a
bit, are we not?"

"My blushes, Watson. The fact
is that I was commissioned to secure the Golden Bird at the time when
the diamond was still concealed within it. Therefore, I intend
to honor the interests of our first client, Vasil D'Anglas."