“And you’re saying that my father was complicit in all of this?” asked the Sheikh, who still looked stunned.
“I don’t know if he was complicit, or if he simply didn’t want to know what was going on, but he certainly didn’t listen to my mother, and didn’t arrange for her to be taken to safety, or punish the people conspiring against her,” said Loretta, who’d folded her hands in her lap, and was telling her story serenely, clearly glad to finally get it out. “So my mother had given birth, and had watched my cradle day and night, to prevent anything happening to me, and the day finally arrived that Craig and Kenneth were to smuggle my mother out of the palace, along with me, but something went wrong. Both men were arrested and subsequently deported. Also, my mother had become violently ill during the night, and had to be taken to the hospital. She died later that day.”
“I’m so sorry,” said Odelia.
“But Craig and Kenneth had arranged for a palace servant, one of the rare ones loyal to my mother, to set the plan in motion regardless of what happened to its protagonists. And this brave servant managed to smuggle me out of the palace, and drove me out of the country, across the border into Khamsin, and from there I was flown to safety in America, where Craig proceeded to hand me to my grandmother and grandfather. They were devastated to learn of the death of their only daughter, but happy to be able to take care of me. And they raised me,” she said simply.
“And told you the story of what happened,” Odelia supplied.
Loretta nodded.“They told me on my eighteenth birthday. Until that moment I had no idea who my mother was, or even what had actually happened to her. My grandparents had always told me they were my parents, until they decided the time had come to tell me the truth.”
“But… what happened to the Pink Lady?” asked Gran.
“My mother, before she became ill, had fastened the ring to my diaper,” said Loretta, “so when Craig’s contact person at the palace smuggled me out, unbeknownst to her she also smuggled out the diamond. It was actually my grandmother who discovered the stone when she changed my diaper for the first time, after I’d arrived in New York. And since it was such a famous diamond, they were at a loss what to do with it. So it was decided that Craig would keep it safe until I’d come of age. Unfortunately Craig died before he could tell my grandparents where he’d hidden the diamond, and so it stayed in his safe at the bank all these years until two crooks burgled the bank and this whole rigmarole with the stone began.”
“Which is why you decided to take possession of it,” said Odelia.
“It is rightfully mine,” said Loretta with a touch of defiance. “It belonged to my mother, and she intended for me to have it. It’s the only thing of hers I have.” She now regarded the Sheikh sternly. “It certainly doesn’t belong to you, sir, since it was by your father’s hand, or one of his wives, that my mother died.”
The Sheikh blinked at this, and a slight flush of crimson crept up his cheeks.“Are you accusing my father of murder?”
“Craig told my parents that rumor had it that my mother was poisoned,” said Loretta, “and who else than a person with access to her could have done that?”
“Look, this is all ancient history now,” said Sharif, stirring for the first time. “And frankly I think you should ask yourself, sir, why this person suddenly comes up with this story so many years after the fact?”
“I didn’t ‘come up’ with the story,” said Loretta. “This is the story as it happened.”
But the Sheikh nodded thoughtfully.“Go on, Sharif.”
“I think,” said Sharif, “that Miss Gray here is not your father’s daughter, sir, but a fraud and a con artist. And the only reason she’s telling this preposterous story is to get her hands on the diamond.”
“There’s an easy way to decide whether Loretta is telling the truth or not,” said Odelia. “Do a DNA test. If it’s positive, you’ll know that she’s your half-sister, Bab.”
“Oh, this is simply ridiculous,” said Sharif. “Of course she’s not your sister, sir. Please don’t listen to these people.”
“No, but Mrs. Kingsley is right, Sharif. A DNA test won’t take long, and it will decide this matter one way or another.”
“I strongly advise you not to subject yourself to a test,” said Sharif emphatically. “It can only lead to rumor and innuendo. The mere fact that you agreed to a test would cause people to give credence to this woman’s words. They’ll think that where there’s smoke, there must be fire. Miss Gray will be able to feast on these rumors for years, appear on talk shows, get book deals, start a podcast…”
“Look, I don’t care whether you believe me or not,” said Loretta. “All I want is the Pink Lady. It’s the only memory of my mother I have, and she wanted me to have it.”
“The Pink Lady wasn’t your mother’s to give,” said the Sheikh. “It belongs to the people of Khemed. Your mother had no right to give it to these American operatives.”
“Exactly right, sir,” said Sharif, gloating slightly. “Now let’s end this matter once and for all and return home. Our mission was to retrieve the stone, and we have accomplished that, so let’s not waste any more time with this adventuress.”
The Sheikh regarded Loretta for a moment, then said,“No, I want to get to the bottom of this. I want to do the DNA test.”
“But, sir!”
“It’s done, Sharif,” said the Sheikh, and his tone brooked no contest.
“Very well, sir,” said Sharif, who clearly knew when he had been overruled. “I’ll arrange it.”
Our audience with the Sheikh was at an end, and so we all filed out of the suite, Loretta to return to her own room, and the rest of us to go home. But before we left, Loretta had something to say.“I owe you an apology, Marge,” she said as we stood in the hallway waiting for the elevator to take us down. “I lied to you about who I was, and about the reasons for me to write the book.”
“And I want to apologize to you, Loretta,” said Marge, “for the subterfuge. I followed you after you received the Pink Lady from that insurance man and then made up an excuse to see you and keep you busy while my daughter searched around for the diamond.”
Loretta smiled.“I knew it must have been you who took it. At first I thought it was the cleaner, since she came in shortly before you arrived, and I blamed myself for not hiding it better. But I didn’t have time, and besides, I didn’t think anyone would suspect me of taking the stone.”
“That was very clever of you, arranging things with Dwayne Late and Oscar Godish,” said Odelia.
“Well, I had to do something. After I discovered the stone had been found, I wanted to get my hands on it before the Sheikh and his cronies did.” She sounded bitter all of a sudden.
“You really think your father had your mother killed?” asked Chase.
“Yes, I do. Craig thought so, too. She was in excellent health, and then all of a sudden within the space of a few hours she died? And just before she had arranged to escape the palace? Craig was absolutely certain she’d been poisoned, and most probably by my father or one of the other wives.”
“I talked to Kenneth, and he told me a different story,” said Odelia. “He said they met your mother, and were immediately kicked out of the country afterward.”
Loretta smiled.“He told me you’d sent him a message through Skype and wanted to talk. He wanted to know what to tell you, so we made some alterations to the story.”