“Sheikh Jamshidi.” The man nodded at Khizar as he slid into the booth and laid a folder on the dark wood table.
“James, what do you have for me?”
“Bauer was estranged from his family. He apparently hadn’t had any contact with them in decades.”
Khizar nodded. “He mentioned his brother, Jack, a few times, and how they didn’t talk; their parents died when they were quite young. His brother died several years back, shortly after I met Bill.” Khizar thought. “I believe Jack had a child, as well.”
“Correct. Jack and his wife had one son, Robert. Robert married and had a daughter.”
Khizar thought, putting the pieces together. “That would make the daughter Bill’s great-niece. He never mentioned her.”
James pulled a photo out of the folder. It showed a man and woman standing together, his arm wrapped around her as she held a girl. The girl’s arms were wrapped around the woman’s neck and her head rested against the woman’s shoulder.
James tapped the man’s image. “This is Robert.” He tapped the woman’s face. “His wife, Jennifer. And their daughter, Jacqueline.”
James pulled another photo out of the folder, this one showing the aftermath of a terrible car accident.
“I’m not sure Bauer ever knew about the girl. Robert and Jennifer died in a wreck shortly after that picture was taken. There’s nothing I can find that indicates Bauer went to the funeral or ever had contact with the girl. She was in and out of foster homes for about a year, then adopted. She’s 26 now.”
“Do you know where she lives?”
“Milwaukee, Wisconsin. She owns a small bakery there. I’m getting more details on her now.”
“Thank you, James. Deliver the information to me tomorrow at the airport; I’m flying to Milwaukee first thing.”
James nodded once, and silently left his boss to ponder what he’d learned.
True to his word, James had put together a folder with more information on Jacqueline Bauer and was waiting when Khizar stepped out of his car at the airport. The driver carried his bags onto the private jet while Khizar received the folder, which included personal and professional details about the young woman, along with James’ analysis.
Khizar bounded up the stairs and onto the jet, which was painted with the royal-purple logo of Jamshidi & Company. The pilot greeted Khizar as the door was closed behind him.
“We’re ready for takeoff, sir.”
The Sheikh nodded. “Thank you. Let’s go.”
He settled into a deep leather chair, laying the folder on the mahogany table in front of him, and waved one hand at the hovering steward, who brought him a cup of steaming hot tea.
The plane accelerated down the runway and then glided smoothly into the air. Khizar drank his tea and read through the information James had found, impressed at the level of detail contained within.
As James had mentioned the night before, Jacqueline Bauer owned a small bakery in Milwaukee. The store was in a part of downtown that was seeing a resurgence in business, but more business in the area hadn’t seemed to help Bauer’s bakery.
The landlord had raised the rent on the building four times over the last five years, and the stores on either side of the bakery had seen high turnover. Studying the financial data, Khizar wondered if the landlord was trying to push Jacqueline out by making it more expensive for her to stay there.
Khizar pulled out his computer and opened the thin case. He typed a few search terms into the web browser and read through the results. Jacqueline’s business had received good reviews—though, in his opinion, not enough of them to make much of an impact. The bakery didn’t show up in any local newspapers or magazines; it hadn’t been written up or had any local press cover it.
He studied pictures of the bakery online. The store was tiny, but bright and cheery. The blue and yellow décor wasn’t understated, but it wasn’t garish, either. It looked like the small front space had four or five tables where patrons could eat, and a counter running across the room topped a case filled with cupcakes, small pies, pastries and cookies.
Khizar read through the menu, and wondered how Jacqueline was getting by charging those prices. No wonder her store wasn’t turning a profit.
If Jacqueline had the diamond, she might be thinking about selling it. The money would give her more than a comfortable life, and if she wanted to continue running a bakery, it would give her the freedom to move to a better store, or even buy a building of her own. She could expand and not have to worry about financing ever again. Or turning a profit, for that matter.
If the diamond was in her possession, which was a long shot, Khizar was sure he could convince her to sell it to him. But if she didn’t have it, maybe there was something in her family history that would give him a clue to where it might be.