Chapter 4: Botched smuggle
Crystalyn had all the final evidence she needed during her little trip to the Metropolitan Museum and subsequent surveillance on the diamond smugglers. They were working from the inside; two were security guards and the ringleader was the visiting curator for the Imperial Russia Jewelry exhibit in the museum's costume and accessory wing. Crystalyn had spent the earlier part of the day in a dark wig and glasses, professing to be a stern representative of the company that provided the security system for the museum. It was no easy task, but she was eventually given a short tour and discovered that simple motion detectors around the case secured the large diamond and it was roped off to prevent constant alarm tripping.
It was after hours at the museum and Mac had never showed up. He wasn't home, and when she tried to call the studio, Dani's assistant Rick told her she couldn't interrupt the photo sessions. Crystalyn wanted to twist her new partner into a pretzel. The smugglers were planning to flee the country after obtaining the hefty diamond. Once they escaped with the fake, Henry and a whole slew of armed officers would be waiting to make the arrests at the airport. The Outrider division was ordered by the Russian Consulate to not let them get away with the real diamond at any time, so Mac and Crystalyn decided to beat the thieves at their own game and they devised a plan to replace it from inside the museum.
Mustering up every stealth skill she had, Crystalyn made her way through the stuffy, wide air vents until she found herself directly over the 'Imperial' room. She looked at her watch. The guards and curator were not due to infiltrate the diamond for another twenty minutes and hopefully they didn't change their arrangement. She cautiously removed the vent grating and peered down into the darkened area. The silhouettes of the eighteenth and nineteenth century dresses and uniforms were standing upright in their cases without bodies to fill them. The scene creeped her out, but she had put aside her boogieman fears long ago.
Making sure the rappel line was secure; she lowered herself down cautiously. The echo of the nylon threading seemed deafening to her, but no one came running. She unhooked herself and crept toward the diamond case with her flashlight, stopping within two feet of it. She placed a molded face-mask over her nose and mouth and put on a pair of goggles. She pulled out two spray bottles from her knapsack, one filled with ammonia, and one with acetic acid.
"Here goes nothing…this silly trick better work or else I'll really twist Harper backwards and forwards."
Crystalyn sprayed the two chemicals in the air and it formed a warming mist. She immediately jumped through it. The alarm wasn't triggered. She approached the case with her flashlight, momentarily admiring the stunning, chiseled facets that reflected the light.
"Oh great! There's probably an incendiary alarm on here. You're CIA, not a cat-burglar!" She scolded herself and got on her knees to look for any other alarm attachments. She was about to give up and cut into the glass when she noticed a panel shift on the display stand. She ran her hand over it and it slid to the right, leaving a hollow opening.
"Those tricky devils! They didn't trust themselves with the alarm systems either."
The space was long enough to put her arm through and reach up into the case. She pulled the phony diamond from a soft pouch in her bag and made the transfer as swiftly and precisely as possible. The curator would know how he placed the diamond on the velvet pillow. She drew her arm out carefully and put the real diamond in the pouch, then secured it in her knapsack. Three angry voices reverberated from the opposite side of the foyer and they startled her. She darted from her spot, but her arm hit the case and then suddenly an alarm blasted in a series of loud bells.
"Real smooth, Mrs. Delancey. You already forgot about the motion sensors!" She muttered.
She lunged for the rappel rope but didn't stop to tie it around her properly. She began a hasty climb. The thieves ran into the room.
"Stop her!" The curator yelled. "She's trying to steal the diamond!"
"No she didn't it's still there!"
The curator raced to the display. "No! She switched them! Hurry! Grab her!"
The two burly security guards raced forward and attempted to reach for her. Crystalyn kicked them, managing to strike one in the face with her boot heel, and he fell. She couldn't get up fast enough before the larger of the two grabbed for her waist and yanked her off.
"You're not going anywhere, girlie!" He rasped loudly.
"Get off of me!" She writhed under his tight hold.
Crystalyn elbowed him in the gut and when he doubled over she pulled out the bottle of ammonia and sprayed him in the eyes.
"Damn! That burns!" He shouted among other infuriated oaths. His hands flew to his eyes and he staggered around the room, knocking into costume displays and sending off more shrill alarms.
Crystal was about to race out another direction when she heard an ominous click behind her. The curator had a gun aimed directly at the back her head.
"Put your hands up where I can see them and face me." He snarled.
Crystal raised her hands and turned slowly.
"How dare you break into the museum like this and attempt to steal my diamond!" His voice shook angrily with an ersatz European accent, and his watery gray eyes bulged. She realized he was so close to accomplishing his own heist and she had put a big wrench in his escape plan. She could only try and talk her way out of being shot down.
"It's not your diamond! Hey, I'm…I'm just a…a…stupid cat burglar! Never did this before in my life, and thought I would get a big thrill. Look, why don't you call the police and just have me arrested, there's no need to wave that thing around."
The curator laughed. "I'll wave it wherever I please. I can't just let you go, you surely overheard us!"
Crystalyn's eyes grew bigger with fright. "No! I didn't hear anything. I mean that."
"Too late! I haven't worked and planned for this long to get the Imperial diamond, only to have some amateur screw me up!"
"No! Stop!" Crystalyn squeezed her eyes shut and waited for him to pull the trigger. However, it never went off. There was a loud 'Ooomph!'and a hard thud. When she opened her eyes, the curator lay flat out on the shiny floor, unconscious.
"I'd thought I'd drop in!" Her rescuer announced.
Mac Harper used his momentum on the rappel rope and swung backwards, turning his body and legs toward the other two who tried to lunge at him. He landed on the big one's shoulders and they stumbled around the room. The guard thrashed his arms above his head, but he was unable to get Mac off him. Mac suddenly flipped off, bringing him crashing to the floor. Crystalyn came out of her initial shock and pulled her weapon on the last one standing.
"Don't you move a muscle!" She threatened. The weasel-looking guard slumped his shoulders and put his hands up, then kept very still.
The room flooded with lights and Henry and a team of police rushed inside, immediately dragging the smugglers up and cuffing them.
Crystalyn opened her bag and removed the diamond, putting it in Henry's hands.
"I believe this needs to go home."
Mac tossed the fake one from hand to hand. "That's right. It belongs in a museum…back in Russia."
"Right, not here to be stolen by amateurs." Crystalyn said bitterly.
Henry wiped his brow with relief. "Thank you both! Job definitely well done. They'll be very glad to have this returned. What a trip it had. Stolen from the Hermitage museum, sold on the black market for millions, then it winds up in the hands of this shady curator who wants to steal it for himself. Returning this will surely improve our relations with the USSR." Henry complimented them and then went to clear up further matters with the police.
Mac came alongside Crystalyn and put his hand mildly on her shoulder. "Hey, Are you okay? That went well, didn't it? That little chemistry lesson I gave you worked, right?"
Crystal turned and glowered at him. "Went well? You left me to do this all by myself. I nearly got killed, but of course once you swept in and saved the day with your corny entry lines, everything is fine, right?"
Mac should have known she would not be happy over the turn of events. When he realized the immediate danger she was in he felt awful. "Crystal, I can explain. I got caught up with Dani and we finalized everything for tomorrow at the modeling agency and then I was…"
"What? Posing for the GQ swimsuit issue? I called the studio, but they wouldn't put me through. I heard you plenty in the background though, having a grand old time! Just like the old Outrider days."
"That wasn't planned, Dani needed a male model at the last minute for a big layout and with Jack gone I'm the only filler."
Crystalyn refused to hear any lame excuses. "That has nothing to do with us and our assignment! We were supposed to work this out together. You didn't even have the respect to call me and tell me you'd be late or that you wouldn't be here at all. These guys would have gotten away and you would have found me on the floor with a bullet in my head!"
Crystal shoved him out of her way and stormed off toward the main entrance. Mac was straight on her heels as she bounded down the stone steps outside the museum. He caught up to her and forced her to face him.
"Crystal, I'm very sorry. You're right! It was completely irresponsible of me. I knew you'd be impulsive enough to go in alone, that's why I had Henry and the cops make the bust right from here. Believe me, I was always two-steps behind you in this."
Crystalyn frowned and poked him in the chest. "Is that supposed to make me feel better? Because you think you know me? Because you're so proud and cocky that you thought you had the diamond and my life in the bag? You could have told me this! I'm CIA, but I never did much covert work on this level before. I needed you…I needed you to help me and you weren't there!"
Her eyes filled with tears, and she couldn't control them. For a brief moment she thought of her father. He trusted his partner Jordan with his life and then not only was he left to fend for himself, but his partner betrayed and killed him. Mac would never do that to her, but for a short while she did feel a small sense of betrayal.
She softened her tone. "Mac, I know I'm not Dani. I'm the new gal here, just coming in and throwing your entire operation for a loop. Nobody likes that, but I'm sorry. I'm here now and we are supposed to work as a team, you made the decision to do this too. If you don't want to be my partner, if you want things back to normal, just tell me, and I'll put in for re-assignment."
"That's not what I want, Crystal." There was no denying the facts. If he had been any further behind her, she would have been dead. It was one thing to play stupid heroics with his life, but another to endanger hers. He held out his arms to embrace her. At first she resisted, but then settled in his grip. He brushed his fingers through her hair and nuzzled his cheek on her head.
"I never should have done this to you. We had a job to do tonight and I blew it. It was highly unprofessional on my part. I'm going to explain all of this to Henry and…"
Crystalyn pulled away and quickly shook her head. She stroked his face, sensing his genuine remorse. "No. I don't want you to say anything. It's over, and they're caught red-handed. Next time you want to play male model, let me know first so I won't look like an idiot."
Mac nodded, though still shamefaced. "Stop. You're not an idiot. You're a terrific agent that just needs more covert training…and you'll get it with me. Please let me make it up to you. Come on, I'm starving. We'll have some dinner and settle out the plan of action for tomorrow."
"It's nearly midnight and I'm tired. Maybe another night?"
Mac stroked her arm and then surprised her with a gentle kiss on the lips. "I got a better idea, why don't we go back to my place and work this all out?"
Crystalyn eyed him passionately, but with weariness. "No, Mac. I want to go home and just…think. I'm a little discombobulated right now."
Mac drew her closer again. "I can make that go away."
"No, you can't. Because every time I look at you, I'm constantly reminded that we're partners on the job, and right now, looking at you makes me want to clock you one big time…nothing more." She admitted freely.
Mac backed away and shrugged. "I won't argue with a lady. What happened to all that sweet stuff between us right after the Stinger case? We weren't talking about jobs then."
As his clear, unwavering eyes stared her down, Crystalyn blushed. "I realized how highly unprofessional I was being, and I explained it to you once, it's just…it's just too complicated right now. It will make working for the greater good much harder if we can only think of each other in a romantic capacity." She said resolutely, trying to control the quivering in her voice.
Mac tossed his hands up and folded his arms. He glanced down at her dryly. "Got ya, Mrs. Delancey, partners on the job only. I guess I've always been right about myself. I'm really best alone."
"Mac I didn't mean we could never…"
Mac inhaled sharply. "I had a girlfriend here once, a civilian, just a lovely lady I met in the supermarket. It was really nice. Hearts and flowers for a bit, but who was I kidding? I felt torn; I didn't have a chance to tell her my real job. She thought I was just Dani's model. I didn't even think I wanted her to know the truth and technically, it wasn't allowed. Dani's husband didn't even tell her he was an Outrider."
Crystalyn was intrigued. "Where is she? Did she find out and leave you?"
"No. She was murdered, right in her neighbor's apartment and under my nose. I got the rap for it because I found her."
"I'm so sorry, Mac. I didn't…I didn't know." Crystalyn felt terrible, but she struggled to find the right words of comfort, so she let him continue. She tenderly grasped his hands and Mac smiled and caressed hers.
"Don't be sorry, how could you know? It was a big mess for a while, but thank God for Henry pulling whatever strings he pulls. Still, Dani and I had to get involved. Cindy was an innocent victim of circumstance, and it unraveled a much larger conspiracy. Crystal, I guess the point I'm trying to make is, I'll probably always be alone. Some Outriders can have it all and juggle two lives, but not me. When I go out with regular girls I'd always be lying to them and putting them in harm's way. And I understand why we can't be together either. I'll respect that and I'm sorry if I ever made you feel compromised."
Mac turned aside from her and stared out across Central Park. He couldn't meet her affectionate, brown-eyed gaze. Crystalyn reached up and hugged him from behind, placing her face against his back. Mac savored it. She turned him around and they clung to one another for a final time.
"You never made me feel compromised. I enjoy being with you no matter what. For now, it just is what is, right?"
Mac swallowed hard and nodded as they pulled apart. "Right."
Crystalyn slowly left him and started walking in the direction of her van. "Want a ride home?"
"Nah. I got to finish up some stuff with Henry. You get home safe. Let's meet up around eight-thirty. We'll have breakfast and my appointment with agency is at eleven. Sound good?"
Crystalyn stared carefully at him. Eventually, she hoped these tumultuous feelings they shared for each other would pass. "Yes, it's fine. Come to my place. I live closer to this studio. Goodnight, Mac."
"Goodnight, Crystal."
Mac went to find Henry to clarify any reports and tell him the truth about what happened tonight. It would have eaten him up inside to not say anything and take all the credit. He may be incorrigible, but he had integrity.