CHAPTER 10 – YOU'RE THE 'MOLE' OPERATION

She walked with them head held high as several people stood and watched her lead away in cuffs. She smiled when someone took a photo. Sitting now in a room in the airport she refused everything they offered her. When they were through quizzing her she posed some questions of her own and the cursory explanation she had received from both of the men failed to provide her with any satisfactory answers.

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She wanted to question Thorpe herself, but inexplicably he seemed to have withdrawn himself from her or was withdrawn by force. His manner was courteous but cold and to the point. There was no glimpse now of the laughing, teasing character who had dogged her footsteps during her sojourn in the Swiss country. Where had that person gone to? Why was he hiding him behind this grim façade of this steely blue eyed stranger sitting in another private room on the opposite side of a desk which separated them like Moses parted the sea all the way to the other side?

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"I am sorry that you had to be brought in Ms Lara," he said at last "however there are a few more questions we have to ask you."

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"My I feel like we're having an orgy all of you taking turn's on me, but I too do have a few questions of my own for Mr. Thorpe in particular."

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"Ok, but are you sure you don't want to call your lawyer?" he asked

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"Before I get through with Mr. Thorpe what I would like Detective Fusco is for you to explain what's going on?" she said sharply… "And when can I go home?"

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Fusco asked the other officer to leave so he could speak with Ms Lara alone…"Look Carter_" he spoke low enough for only her to hear, "this is not some game, your sister is seriously in police custody, and I didn't know that you had a twin Carter. Then this guy john…"

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"Sorry who…?"

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"I mean Mr. Thorpe shows up and explains something's to me, so you're just going to have to pretend to be Lizzel a bit longer, if he's positive about these guys watching your sister, so yes you are seriously under federal arrest so you can't go home yet, unless you co-operate fully with us."

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"Gotcha- you ready…"

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"When you are partner,"

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"And like I told them I am telling you I don't know what you all are talking about, I don't know about any drugs and I don't know about any gems."

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His lips moved into a small smile without changing its semi hard yet soft expressive lines of his beady eyes.

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"And I don't believe you don't know, so you will have to be patient."

Jocelyn sniffed despairingly and shifted in the straight back chair, the moment signifying her annoyance with this unsatisfactory state of affairs. She thought for the moment it would serve no purpose to argue and allowed her gaze to move nervously about the well-furnished office on the top floor of this building in the heart of New York where she longed to be alone somewhere else.

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But like a fast approaching tide, she had the impression that events were shaping themselves about her and forming a constricting prison from which there would be no hope of escape if she didn't play Lizzel's role well. She heard the door opening behind her and glancing at the new comer behind her she saw it was the third gentleman who had been there earlier on when they were reading her, her rights. He was the more senior looking of the lot. He nodded curtly at her and she just stared back. As he handed a sheaf of paper to Detective Fusco and then sat down.

"Ms Lara, we are to believe that you have a diamante doll cat in your possession?"

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"I don't."

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"Where is the cat Ms Lara?"

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"I said I don't have anything like it."

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"Ms Lara I am reminding you again this is not a game."

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"And here I thought you all loved playing games."

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"Ms Lara the doll please,"

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"What doll?" she said looking at him incredulously_ "why should you be interested in a souvenir doll, your other friend Mr. Thorpe didn't return the doll to me so I am assuming he still has it."

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"Ms Lara unlike the first doll, the one in your possession is no ordinary souvenir I assure you." He said smiling again there was still no real mirth in his expression. His round glasses and thick mustache couldn't even soften his hardened lips as he repeated himself again

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"Where is it please?"

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"I don't know."

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"Ms Lara please, don't make this to be some kind of joking matter, you must realize you have been arrested and in order for me or any of us to help you, you have to help us now where is it?" he gritted.

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"Okay you want me to talk, I will after you answer my questions, who are you? Who do you work for?

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"My Names agent Emerson, I'm with the FBI and we have been tracking Mr. Thorpe as well as the Loviro twins you know them as Charlie and Elias and for the past two weeks we have been following you Ms Lara, so please help us this is the last time I will ask you again. Where is it Ms Lara?"

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"Go fuck yourself I ain't telling you a damn thing, if you were following me as you say then you surely must know where it is."

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"We thought having a familiar face, that of your sister's partner here would get you to co-operate, but ok if it's so you want to play," he said as he nodded his head in the direction of Fusco. He disappeared from the room and returned a couple minutes later with her luggage in tow. He brought them to the table and placed them both on the table.

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"Keys please?" Emerson said

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"Do you have a warrant to search my cases, customs declared it and they were fine."

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"Well we have reason to suspect that you may have stolen merchandised in your case and we have been patient enough."

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"Produce your warrant and then you may have the keys until then I ain't handing over anything."

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"Why do you make this harder on yourself?'

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"Who says I am making anything harder on myself, I am just trying to follow protocol as should you wanna be federal shit heads, I got a few police friends and they keep me posted on the law and my rights."

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"Ms Lara I assure you I am the real deal ask Detective Fusco, I am a federal officer covering a sting that you are a part of unless the Intel we received from Mr. Thorpe and your sister Detective Jocelyn Carter was all fake,"

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"Ha! I'd like to see you prove that- I don't have a sister, she's dead to me, the traitorous bitch is dead to me and that's my story?"

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"Ms Lara… Ms Carter's life depends on how you help us."

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"Right and I…. am supposed to know this Ms Carter you speak of?

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"You should- we have her in custody right now."

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"And I should believe you right?"

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Fusco opened the drawer and took out the remote he switched on the TV behind her. "Look for yourself."

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She turned around and her breath caught in her throat. Lizzel looked like she wouldn't last another day in there, she looked scared.

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"So Ms Lara do you see how serious this is?'

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"That could be something you made up."

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"Fine then don't hand us the key, we can throw you in a cell likewise and you both can have your day, but think will Ms Carter survive another night in those cells, she's a good cop, was a good soldier, she's a mother, do you want to ruin her career for good, are you so heartless to take that away from her?"

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She was about to say something smart then stopped. She had to believe that, that was Lizzel and that she needed her help and the only way to help her was to do as they asked. "Ok fine," she said "the key is in my purse."

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"Thank you."

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"Fuck off."

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Jocelyn was conscious of her resentment of their intrusion into her belongings. Agent Emerson lifted it out and then as if not entirely satisfied, he put it on the table and flicked through the rest of the contents of her suitcase. Thank god she took pride in the neatness of her packing, but this did not lessen the humiliation of prying figures searching amongst her personal possessions. She glared indignantly at Fusco. He knew that wasn't her in the other room or wherever they had Lizzel.

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She had to continue this act… "How dare you open my case and dig through my personal stuff, if it was only the fucking cat, you wanted I could have given you it myself."

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"Sorry but I just wanted to make sure you had only the one item." He said nodding for Fusco to close her case and open the other.

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"I could have told you that too."

He moved to the next suitcase as Fusco opened it she gasped when a tiny sachet fell out. He opened the inside flap and pulled out the contents. They counted each sachet of white substance.

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"Ms Lara how far were you planning to go with these seventeen sachets containing no more than an ounce each of coke?"

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"What? I don't know anything about that, that wasn't there when I packed my cases for all I know your guys could have planted that there."

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"Really and how would we do this?"

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"I don't know but you just seem like you would."

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"I assure you it isn't me. So tell me who your contact in customs is?"

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"What I don't know what you mean."

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"Ms Lara you were almost out the airport had we not stop you on a hunch, who is your contact?"

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"I don't have or know any fucking contact ok, I don't know."

Thorpe watched and listened to everything that was going on, he felt something indescribable about the way that fed guy and Fusco were grilling Carter, all for the benefit of flushing the Loviro twins out. They had tracked them to the states, but they needed to find the main hideout, so knowing that they had a few cells in the airport working for them, who would report back to them, they had to play the waiting game.

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Lizzel was hidden away safely for now, but if all went as planned, then the part about Elias posing as a cab driver and his brother as a porter would be the next step to blowing this case wide open making the agent and Fusco look good at the end.

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"Ms Lara it would not do to put on the pretense of innocence, you have been found with at least a hundred and forty thousand street value worth of coke and on top of that you have stolen gems."

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"What stolen gems?"

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"The cat…? Did you think it was just like the last? Of course you did."

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"Look Agent Emerson or whatever and who ever you are working for I know this is a set up I ain't do anything wrong and neither did Detective Carter, its clearly a case of mistaken identity."

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"So then who put it there…?'

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"You did, you're the crook. You're trying to frame me, for all I know."

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"Ms Lara, I will have you know that we wouldn't plant this little bit of evidence if we were setting someone up. Just tell me where you got it and the doll? Who gave it to you?"

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"What? That's not mine and how the fuck would I know. I left my luggage at the receptionist desk while I waited for my taxi. I went to the seaside. When I returned the receptionist gave me a parcel… the doll you have now. He said some gentleman enquired about me and left the parcel for me. That's all I know."

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"Ok, good I would like you to have a look at these pics tell me if you have seen any of them while there?"

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She pointed out two pictures from the stack.

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"The old gentleman is the one who left the parcel for you?"

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"Yes, I met him the night… um … the night I talked to Lizzel and when I was leaving today."

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"Ok and this guy where did you meet him?"

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"I met him at a party, Elias I think his name is?"

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"No that's Charlie; he was pretending to be his twin Elias."

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"Why?"

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"He was trying to pull the wool over you Ms Lara and it so happened that your sister Ms Carter came along with a little brains and foiled it for him, he couldn't tell the difference between you two."

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She blinked back the tears. What had she gotten herself into?

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"Ms Lara the previous cat that you gave to Mr. Thorpe was a fake this one however is worth five million. I want to believe that you are innocent like Ms Carter and I hope to god you are telling me the truth."

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She at least had to clear Lizzel name and so she told them the story from the start. She explained that she was indeed Detective Carter and the person that they have in custody was actually Lizzel. Emerson and Fusco's expression remained the same, tolerant, bland, at one point she thought she saw Fusco's soften as she stumbled and tripped over her words as fear build within her. She became conscious of the note of entreaty which was creeping into her voice. She fought against it unwilling to allow either, men to catch even a glance of the perturbation rising within her.

After a few minutes of teeth cracking silence, Agent Emerson said

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"Well Ms Carter, your story checks out, we did speak with Ms Lara earlier and her story is almost like yours, except Ms Lara was not arrested she was taken into protective custody. And you we had to make sure that even though she called you to act in the role as her double unknowingly, we had to make sure that Ms Lara was innocent throughout this. We knew about the coke and the jewels being in your suitcase, but like I said we were making sure this wasn't some brilliant thought out plan by Ms Lara and her friends the Loviro twins, though there is a twist to it that I guess she can explain best to you."

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"What are you saying?"

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"We're saying that without you the mole this operation success would not have been possible. And we are saying that you both are free and innocent, no charges have been made against either of you. Ms Lara informed us of who was at the party that you attended dressed in disguise as her. Elias was not there he was called away and his brother decided to get greedy and set him up. Ms Lara has neither met Mr. Henin, the head of this small elite crime smuggling mob, but he has seen pics of you or really Ms Lara. It is why he approached you the first time on the seaside that night and the next. Because you were set up to be the mule…"

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"You must be mistaken; no one would plant diamonds on me."

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"They would if they had found the right person and if they were also stolen in Portugal and smuggled across the Swiss en route for a diamond merchant in this country."

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"But I still don't understand?" she said holding her head in mock disdain trying to make sense of what he was saying

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"What don't you understand?"

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"Well the fact that the jewels and drugs would have still been with me in New York. What advantage would that be to whoever stole them?"

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"Doubtless, you would have had a burglary within a few days of your arrival home. The doll would have been stolen.

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"What about the coke?"

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"It is mainly there to provide a distraction, for when you would have called the police and reported a burglary, they would find the coke and then…."

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"Still how would they know where to find me? Lizzel doesn't even live in New York."

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"But Lizzel knows where you live."

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Jocelyn felt cold disbelief at what he was saying.

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"Lizzel what does Lizzel have to do with it? And where do you come into the affair?" she demanded sharply. "I just don't understand how you know so much about it."

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"Ms Carter it is my job to know about everything. Your sister got mixed up with a bunch of rather unsavory crowd in Kefalonia and information gained anonymously led us to believe that they were trying to involve her in a plan to get the diamonds through customs using her."

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"Not Lizzel? I don't believe you." She cried holding her chest and hand over her mouth in a silent scream. Jocelyn felt herself being pulled into a vortex of disbelief, espionage, betrayal; she couldn't understand what to make of it yet. This all had to be a dream and soon she would wake up from it, this nightmare and know that none of it happened, that none of it was true. But somehow even as she hoped for this, she felt her heart slowing as the words sunk in with forceful blows.

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"She was merely a pawn in the game, and she sought help before and after she had gone and gotten you involved, she confessed to everything... Ms Lara was the link inside, it was a risk leaving her in there but when you came along we slowly pulled her out and left you alone in the picture it had to be believable for everyone. But you always had protection no matter what."

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"How…? From whom…you…You mean….?"

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"Yes he's one of our inside men when dealing with cases like these and the two receptionists at the hotel also work with me."

He hated his job at this very moment. Hurting her like this was the hardest thing he ever had to do and lie after lie on top of everything else was killing him, but he was a professional and he was doing his job. But no one told him that he would fall in love with the job. He just wanted to hold her and comfort her and make it all go away like it was some bad dream. He wanted to assure her that she had someone in her corner, him in her corner and he didn't sleep with her because it was his job, he had crossed the line by becoming involved with her and he took a big risk by asking them to let him do it his way.

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God she must think he used her to get close to the Loviro brothers. That he didn't care about her. Oh how that was far from the truth. The truth was he wanted her not just for the physical and furthermore, she knew him as Hamilton Thorpe. Would she care to know his real name, his feelings for her and that he was not in love with Lizzel, much less professed any sort of feelings for her. He hadn't met Lizzel till they took her into protection after she talked to Jocelyn the very night he made love to her into the next day over and over and over again. If she would only give him a few minutes of her time he could explain everything to her in full details in private.

As much as she liked everyone to believe she was tough he knew she was frightened at the very moment by everything even though she got unintentionally involved,

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"So he knew all along and that she wanted nothing to do with these people?"

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"Yes. But I'm afraid it did not stop her sending for you to do her dirty work for her though." He said dryly

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"No!" Jocelyn felt suddenly faint but fought against the weakness. "…Oh no." she finished as color drained from her face, her limbs going lifeless. He continued to watch as she was weakening with each blow.

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Lizzel may have come clean in the middle, but she had called Jocelyn in because she was a coward, because she was selfish. He thought. He fought against going to her and holding her till it was all over, but he was a professional doing his job. He could not let his emotions or involvement with her jeopardize anything till it was over.

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"Lizzel would do this to me?"

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He nodded "I'm afraid so…. because of your strong resemblance to each other, she wanted them to believe that she would be bringing the jewels to the states and I think had she not gotten us involved she would have gone ahead with it. Ms Lara was afraid of the repercussions if she refused to cooperate, it's why she hit on the idea of getting you to act as a scapegoat for her while she hid out with friends." Emerson said in disgust.

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"How could she do such a thing to me?" Jocelyn said not realizing she had spoken her thought loudly

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"Quite easily with the aide of an accomplice…." His eyes flashed with sudden anger. "Which is what perhaps I find to be the most distasteful part of the whole affair?"

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"And what about you…. You seem to know so much Mr. Emerson?" she said again

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"I told you…"

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"But why do you assume I am innocent and that I am not playing or acting this out?"

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"We didn't at first. That is why we were keeping a very close eye on you through a mutual friend."

Jocelyn felt her heart sinking lower as though she was suddenly drowning; gasping for air, with one last kick to the surface. Hamilton Thorpe was never interested in her. Never, all that he had whispered were lies. He was doing his job all along getting close to her to get to Lizzel, her friends the Loviro Twins, to bust up a drug smuggling ring and in the end to protect... no in the end he got the job done by any means necessary.

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"When did you all change your mind? When did you all realize I knew nothing of what was going on? Was it before or after your guy slept with…?"

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"Carter come on- don't do this, you did a good thing, whether you knew the whole deal or not," Fusco said nodding for Emerson to leave.

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"How could I be so stupid to_?" she was cut off by the door opening and his presence filling the room.

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He motioned for Fusco to leave before taking up the seat across from her… "Joce don't do this, it wasn't like that I swear, I realized you were innocent when you got on the damn plane and even more so when you handed over the first doll to me even though you distrusted me, the one which had been hidden by Giovanni on my behalf. He is one of us and was the one working from the inside to keep a watch on the Loviro twins and their many friends. If you had been a party to the plot by his brother Charlie you would never have mentioned it to me at all."

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Jocelyn nodded her understanding.

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"That's why you were insistent I give it to you… and also why you were at the hotel the night of the ball."

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"Yes."

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"And it was one of your men who searched my room?" she hazard a guess.

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"Yes. We were checking to see if we could find any links with you and Lizzel and the criminal fraternity, since you had been hub nobbing with one of the heads of that particular crowd."

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"You mean with Charlie who was supposed to be Elias." She said

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"Yes." he answered with a smile. God she was all so innocent in this.

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"How did you know what you were looking for?" she asked next.

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"We gave the Police in a lot of countries information so that they could set up a watch at all ports of entry for these diamonds. A replica was brought through customs by one of our people a week ago. It was the same one we gave to you. It was allowed to pass as though undetected because we knew that the haul was incomplete, that they were watching. We knew that they'd try some time again soon, since they believed it had worked successfully."

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"I see." She hesitated a bit now as she wanted to know what happened next.

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"Lizzel! What is going to happen to her?"

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"Very little… Detective Fusco said they shall try to keep her or you both out the eye of the public as we all believe these men are dangerous and since their heist has been foiled they will come after her or you even though it was Lizzel who gave them up not to mention Mr. Henin will no doubt be out for revenge when they find out about the double cross and that the majority of their cells have been locked up. There are still a few at large we don't know about but we'll get them in time."

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Jocelyn felt her heart twist inside her. Of course he would protect Lizzel. They were in love with each other, weren't they? She felt the on rush of that stupid pain she didn't want to name, it was over and she must learn to accept what is.

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"So the main crooks are locked up right?"

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"I would think so, since we let Ms Lara go an hour ago and the proper authorities and they have now apprehended the Loviro twins… so yes they are. They have the diamonds and it will soon be restored to their rightful owner. Everyone's part in this matter is finished." He smiled kindly at her.

Jocelyn felt the rise of sudden tears to her eyes. She knew that she was being foolish but now that the mystery of the events had been brought out into the open she felt herself strangely drained and depressed. It was the anti climax of it all, she told herself fiercely. It had nothing to do with Hamilton Thorpe or her sister. Nothing…

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The urge to escape him, to put further distance between was back and stronger than ever. She really hoped this time she would never meet him again. She rose in the state of shock she has been rendered since they arrested her. Soon the pain would overwhelm her, would break all the restrictions she had placed upon it. She wanted to be alone when that moment arrived