Notes: At the end of this chapter is background information for those new to the Caffrey Conversation series.

Chapter 1: The King of Diamonds

Ellington Mansion. Tuesday, October 7, 2008.

"You've kept your news a secret long enough," Neal told Sara, placing the tray of Manhattans on the table. "I want you to know that my expectations are high since you insisted on waiting till we'd assembled in the game room."

Sara had returned to the mansion after spending the afternoon with a client. Luckily June and Mozzie were at home or she might have forced him to wait for them.

"Please don't tell us Janet needs to be here," June said. "She won't get home for hours."

Sara made a show of pondering the idea before shaking her head. "As an auxiliary member of the Red Diamonds, her presence isn't essential. I'll fill her in later."

Mozzie's eyes lit up at the mention of their crew. "Diamond Lil reached out to you!" he guessed, referring to their nickname for their so far unknown quarry.

Sara winced. "If that had happened, we'd break out the Dom Perignon. This isn't that exciting but it will undoubtedly inspire our master treasure hunter." She paused to raise her glass to Mozzie. "Harry Winston, Inc. reached out to Win-Win. They want us to upgrade the security at their flagship store on Fifth Avenue. Ellen and I met with them this afternoon. Assuming they accept our proposal, the measures will also eventually be implemented at their other locations."

Neal was especially excited for Ellen. This would be a plum assignment for the software and surveillance systems expert. Harry Winston was probably her most prestigious client since she joined the firm two years ago.

Sara turned to Mozzie. "The manager gave us a tour of the store. They have an impressive vault in the basement." She arched her eyebrows. "Who knows what gems lie within?"

"For them to admire and us to pilfer, if only fictitiously?" he replied, the breadth of his smile indicating their mastermind was already sorting through possibilities.

"Perhaps we could weave a tale around the founder, Harry Winston," June suggested. "Byron and I visited with him at his store on numerous occasions. Harry was known as the King of Diamonds. He was the broker of many of the most famous gemstones."

"I'd researched him in the early stages of our con," Mozzie said. "At various times in his life, Harry owned the Hope Diamond, the Portuguese Diamond, and several other famous gems. He was particularly known for his colored diamonds. Some of the most famous ones he either donated or traded to the Smithsonian. I doubt there are any famous diamonds currently in the vault ..."

"But that won't stop us from dreaming one up," Neal pointed out.

"Exactly. Perhaps a previously unknown twin to the Graff Pink."

The Graff Pink was one of the largest and most expensive diamonds in the world. Winston had sold it to an anonymous private collector in the 1950s. Had he retained a twin for a rainy day? Or perhaps the Red Diamonds would find information in the vault leading them to discover the identity of the collector and steal the gem.

The flow of ideas reminded Neal of the Arkham Files Round Table sessions that June used to host in her dining room. These days she was an eager and welcome participant in Red Diamonds plotting. June was an avid reader and many of her ideas were sparked by incidents in detective mysteries.

Neal was rather fond of the idea that occurred to him out of left field. "Doesn't the name Winston provoke speculation?" he asked the group.

"As in Harry Winston?" June asked, her brow furrowing.

A smile broke out on Sara's face. "And Martin Winston, the co-founder of Winston-Winslow."

"It's an odd coincidence that may have potential," Neal suggested.

"It's more than a coincidence," Sara declared. "While I was working at Win-Win in Baltimore, I asked Sofia about it." When Neal chuckled, she added, "You know me. I couldn't let a possible connection to jewels go unnoticed. Sofia told me that Harry and Martin were distant cousins. The two branches of the family didn't socialize. Martin's parents were socialists and didn't approve of Harry's lifestyle."

"June, did Harry ever mention anything about his parents?" Neal asked, the potential of a link continuing to entice him.

June considered for a moment as she sipped her Manhattan. "I remember that his father immigrated to the States from Russia during the Tsarist era. I believe his name was Jacob."

"Do you know why Jacob and his family moved to New York?" Mozzie asked.

"Not specifically, but they were Jews. Perhaps they thought conditions would be more favorable in the States."

"Harry was born in New York City in 1896," Neal reported after making a quick search on his laptop.

Mozzie rested his chin on his fist, reminding Neal of Rodin's famous statue. Ever since Neal entered Columbia, Mozzie often adopted the pose. Understandable since a copy of The Thinker was displayed on the lawn outside Philosophy Hall at the university. "Nicholas II was crowned tsar in 1894," he mused. "Jacob probably left late during the reign of his predecessor, Alexander III. Antisemitic policies were a hallmark of the tsars. Alexander III intensified them after the assassination of his father when Jews were wrongly blamed for the crime." He nodded slowly. "The idea's potential is high, but more research will be needed."

"Ellen and I will return to the store tomorrow," Sara said. "The visit may provide fresh inspiration."

#

What was Mozzie plotting? The next morning, Janet told Sara that he'd worked in the game room throughout the night and then left early in the morning for Columbia University and more research.

Sara started her workday at Harry Winston's Fifth Avenue store with Ellen and Ellen's assistant Javier. The manager signed the paperwork for them to overhaul their security systems. Sara refused to dwell on what the manager would think about the previous evening's discussion.

Once the agreement was signed, she headed to the office while Ellen and Javier began the preparatory work. She'd received a text message from Henry to join him, Peter, and Neal in the sky-themed huddle room. During the taxi ride, she speculated about what the subject would be. The puffy white chairs and cerulean-blue murals were ideal for creating another fantasy caper for the Red Diamonds.

When she stepped into the room, one look at Peter's worried expression made her scratch out her guess. "What did I miss?" she asked, taking a seat next to Neal.

"Julia called me this morning," Henry said. "A hacker tried to penetrate the server's firewall at headquarters. As you know, that's nothing new. Random hack attacks occur daily, but this was a much more sophisticated attack."

"Did it trip Aidan's Azathoth Protocol?" Peter asked.

Henry nodded. "It's the first instance since Aidan installed it."

"What's the Azathoth Protocol?" Sara asked, her mind already churning out troublesome scenarios. Rolf Mansfeld, the cybercriminal foe who'd bedeviled them for years under the moniker of Azathoth, had supposedly been killed during a rocket launch. Everyone had been so certain he couldn't have faked his death. Was that simply wishful thinking?

"It's an update Aidan made to the security software ..." Peter thought for a moment. "He announced it when you and Neal were in Kenya. You'll have to ask Aidan for the technical description but its basic purpose is to trap the kind of tunneling Rolf used to hack software. The invading worm is presented with what appears to be genuine server files, but in reality they're false doors. Every time the worm tries to penetrate a door, the activity is recorded."

"After Aidan's had a chance to review the data, he'll provide an update," Henry said. "The reason I went ahead and called you in is because of the doors that were targeted."

"Neal's file," Peter guessed, his expression bleak. His thoughts must be turning to Rolf as well.

Neal gave Sara's hand a reassuring squeeze. He didn't appear concerned. Was this a sign they'd caught Diamond Lil's attention?

"Neal's wasn't the only one," Henry said. "All the members of the Red Diamonds were—mine, Sara's, Diana's, Mozzie's." Henry paused to make a face. "Probably best not to tell our shadow skulker that he has a file at Win-Win. In any case, the worm couldn't penetrate the protocol. Peter, you and Jones were also targeted even though you two haven't been closely connected to Red Diamond activities."

"The De Beers case might have provided sufficient incentive," Neal said. "Jones and Anna were in Cape Town at the same time Sara and I were. Was Anna's file also attacked?"

Henry nodded. "It was, but no other Win-Win investigators were. This increases the probability that Diamond Lil was engaged in a fishing expedition."

"We've long speculated that she has an expert hacker on her crew," Neal said thoughtfully.

"There's an added wrinkle," Henry said. "My mom and her parents were also targeted."

Peter stared at him. "I can understand why Noelle might be a person of interest since she's on the Win-Win board." He shook his head slowly. "But a former ambassador and his wife? What's the motive?"

Sara agreed that on the surface it didn't make sense. Irene and Edmund Caffrey weren't involved in any manner with Win-Win. She doubted much was in their files.

"I'll bring Tricia into the loop," Peter offered. "She's keeping Rolf's file active until there's definitive evidence of his death." He winced. "I'd teased her about it, but the joke may be on us. If this is the work of Diamond Lil, with or without Rolf, she may have tried to access our files at the Bureau. Tricia should be able to find out if there's any evidence of tampering."

"Ask her if she can request our files be removed to one of the Bureau's safe servers," Henry said.

"Safe server?" Sara asked.

"They're the equivalent of safe houses," Henry explained. "Highly confidential files are removed to a server that isn't part of the Bureau's network. Since they're essentially in cold storage, the chance of a hacker getting to them is exceedingly remote."

"John Hobhouse needs to order something similar," Neal said. "Although I imagine securing Interpol's approval won't be as easy. Now that Win-Win has partnered with Interpol, they undoubtedly have files on all of us."

Sara listened with half an ear to the exchange. The search for information on Irene and Edmund Caffrey was a persistent bee buzzing in her head. And then she realized what it was trying to tell her.

"Sara?" Neal asked. "You thought of something?"

"Someone," she amended. "What Henry found out just increased the odds of Adrian Tulane being Diamond Lil."

Peter snapped his fingers. "Of course! The Anastasia con. Neal, don't frown. We already discussed this could happen."

Henry nodded slowly. "Neal told Tulane he was pretending to be a long-lost Caffrey heir in order to mooch off us."

"Let's assume Tulane is Diamond Lil," Sara suggested. "And that the Red Diamonds have become too tempting to ignore. He could think Neal is the weak link who could grant him access. After all, Tulane couldn't just show up and request we join forces with him."

"So what you're saying is that Tulane is looking into our backgrounds to find something he can hold over Neal's head?" Peter asked.

"That's right." Sara checked for Neal's reaction, and it was as she'd hoped. Rather than being upset, he looked intrigued by the possibilities.

"Assuming you're right, this confirms he has an expert hacker working for him," Peter said. "We investigated Tulane during my time at the Bureau, and he doesn't have any programming expertise."

Henry tossed Neal a smile. "Tulane is hoping to find some dirt to use as leverage. We can't let such diligence go unrewarded."

"I agree," Neal said happily. "Between Aidan and Mozzie, our hackers will run rings around his."

"Hang on," Peter said. "Before you get too carried away, are you sure this won't come back to bite you?"

"I don't see how," Neal said. "We've been wanting Diamond Lil to reach out to us. Now she has. And Sara's right. Most likely that's Adrian Tulane who is peeking out from behind the dance hall gown."

Sara looked at the cloud murals on the walls. Never had those blue skies seemed so enticing. She was determined not to let any threatening cyber storms darken their strategy.

"Why force Tulane to scrounge for evidence when we can provide it for him?" Henry said. "Aidan's back doors can develop cracks of our choosing. Perhaps a personal memorandum of events not matching Neal's fictitious account. I'd prefer the findings to be in my file. Then I could appropriate that trip I made to Ireland in 2004. What if I went there because I already harbored doubts about Neal? The evidence wasn't conclusive, but I recently found something that appears to confirm my suspicions."

"That's when you brought me in," Peter said, a half-smile crossing his face. "We decided to keep close tabs on Neal. Since we're monitoring his every move, if Tulane does try to pull something, we'll know about it."

"Next thing I know, you're going to insist on my wearing an anklet," Neal huffed.

"Actually we might want to do something similar," Henry said. "Does anyone have a recording of what Neal told Tulane?"

Peter shook his head. "I don't. I extracted the bits about Adrian for further investigation and destroyed the rest of the recording."

"I expect Mozzie has a copy," Neal said. "Not that he needs it. He was there and has a photographic memory."

"Where is Mozzie?" Sara asked. "Nobody's better at planting fake evidence than him."

"He's probably still at the university library," Neal said. "I'll give him a call."

Meanwhile at the Burkes' townhouse.

"Thank you for coming to my rescue!" El said as she greeted Mozzie at the door. "Danny and I both are very grateful."

He'd received her call just as ideas were beginning to coalesce. "The timing was propitious," he assured her. "I'd finished my research at Lowe Library and need someone to brainstorm with. Danny is an excellent strategist as I discovered during previous sessions."

El chuckled, assuming he was making a joke but that was hardly the case. He was looking forward to Danny's insights. Is it not said that much wisdom comes out of the mouths of babes?

When El told him about the event emergency—her assistant Yvonne had come down with a stomach virus, he was happy to assist. He was also relieved that the Burkes now lived so close to the university.

"Danny's asleep in his crib," El said. "I just changed him so I doubt you'll need to. There's leftover apple pie in the kitchen and an open bottle of wine in the fridge. Help yourself to whatever you'd like." She traded her Crocs for the turquoise heels waiting by the front door. "I hope to be back in less than two hours."

"Take as long as you need," he said airily. "We'll be fine."

She smiled at him. "Danny's very lucky to have you in his life. We all are. Thank you again!" After a quick hug, she picked up her portfolio and dashed off.

Home alone with Danny and Satchmo ... He helped himself to a slice of pie and placed it, along with the bottle of wine and a glass, on the tray El had thoughtfully provided. Danny's room was on the second floor adjacent to the main bedroom. Satchmo followed him upstairs, wagging his tail at a new adventure.

Personally, Mozzie preferred the interior decorating of Danny's room to any other room in the house. Mobiles of planets and galaxies shared the airspace with flying dinosaurs. Richard and Travis had contributed a mobile with space aliens. Instead of murals, Neal had painted large panels in bright acrylics that could be easily switched as Danny's tastes changed. Mozzie's favorite was the one of two bears swinging baseball bats at bright stars. The stars they'd already hit formed the Baby Bear constellation in the night sky.

He placed the tray on the dresser. Danny was still fast asleep in his crib. Or so he seemed ... but the toddler was already radiating psychic energy. Once he woke up, Mozzie would place him in the playpen. But there was no need to wait till then for the plotting.

He poured himself a glass of wine, pulled the rocker closer to the crib, and settled in to finalize what would no doubt be the Red Diamonds' most brilliant con to date.

Notes: Penna swears she wasn't thinking of Harry Winston, the King of Diamonds when she picked the name of Winston-Winslow. But I couldn't leave that kind of coincidence alone especially since so many of the characters have displayed a particular fondness for the sparkly stuff.

Although Danny has been referenced in earlier stories, this is his first appearance. In canon, Mozzie had a special rapport with Diana's child Theo. With Danny, the connection is even stronger.

Background on the Caffrey Conversation AU for new readers: The series was created by Penna Nomen and begins with her story Caffrey Conversation. Our blog has a list and short summaries for all the stories. The primary initial difference from canon is that Neal was never sent to prison and the characters are several years younger. Peter recruited Neal in 2003 when he was 24. In the fall of 2004, he entered Columbia University's graduate program in art as a part-time student. In October 2006, he left the FBI and began working at Henry's company, Winston-Winslow. He and Sara were married the following month. At the beginning of January 2007, Peter moved into his new role at Winston-Winslow. In February 2007, Diana Berrigan and Clinton Jones left the FBI to work at Winston-Winslow.

Main non-canon characters:
Henry Winslow: Neal's half-brother. His husband is Eric Vasquez.
Travis Miller: tech and electronics expert.
Neal's friends from Columbia University: Richard Carlisle, Aidan Phillips, and Keiko Nakahara. Richard's husband is Travis. Aidan and Keiko are now married.
Janet Dodson: Mozzie's girlfriend and soulmate.
Klaus Mansfeld: master art thief.
John Hobhouse: leader of the Interpol art crimes task force, headquartered in London.
Marcel Jauffret: the French representative of the art crimes task force.

Blog: Penna Nomen & Silbrith Conversation
Visuals: The Red Diamonds board on the Caffrey Conversation Pinterest site