Pocketful of Diamonds Read online

  “Those diamonds were priceless. I could have finally built a hospital.”

  Gerard rolled his eyes. “You already built a school, a library, and a clinic. And guess what? It’s all been destroyed. Sierra Leone cannot be saved by one man, no matter how many diamonds he has.”

  Ian sat back, avoiding Gerard’s blue gaze. They had been tight friends ever since Ian hired him to oversee the mine. The man had a canine nose for sniffing out the best spots to dig. But now even Gerard couldn’t help him. They were at the limit of his property. The village that depended on him would now be left in the hands of a failing government and angry rebels locked in a deadly power struggle.

  “I’ll put my house up for sale,” Ian said.

  Gerard frowned. “Who would want that dilapidated shack?”

  “Not the house here. The one in the U.S.”

  “But that’s your retirement.”

  “It stores a few knickknacks and nothing more.” Ian shrugged. “It’s not like I’m ready to retire anyway.” After all, he’d just joined the thirty-something crowd recently.

  Gerard crossed his arms. Muscles from long, hard days of mining bunched. “It’s a bad idea. If you have to sell the house, then use it to invest in something else. Don’t waste your money here.”

  It was a conversation they’d circled many times before. Ian shoved back from the desk. “I need to walk.”

  “Bring the gun,” Gerard said.

  “I’m not leaving the property.”

  “Bring the gun or I’ll have one of the men go with you.”

  Ian propped his hands on his hips but then thought better of arguing with Gerard. Gerard would have made the point that his land was already raided once, there was a good chance it would be again. But more than that, there was the wildlife. More than once he’d come face–to-face with an animal that was higher on the food chain than he was. But nothing scared him more than the snakes.

  Ian took the shotgun from the wall and slung it over his shoulder. On the way out, he snatched his weathered cowboy hat off the hook.

  He would not turn his back on Njamba. He’d finally found something worth fighting for, and he wouldn’t let the people down.

  * * *

  The sun settled low, cracking the sky with oranges and pinks, when Ian decided to head back home.

  Home.

  He had wandered from continent to continent and had never once been drawn to a place longer than a few months. Normally he left before visas became an issue. But then he arrived here, his account nearly depleted, and he knew he had found something special.

  The beauty was barely visible on the outside. Between the poverty, Ebola outbreaks, and wars, it was beat up and tired. But if you looked a little deeper, polished a little longer, the beauty shown with a clarity he hadn’t seen before. The lush village of Njamba was like one of his rare diamonds straight from the mine.

  He had so many hopes for it.

  The door was open when he arrived home. He kicked off his trail-dusted boots and ducked inside the thatched hut.

  “I smell something good,” he said.

  Jala turned from the stove and smiled at him, then gestured him to sit. He dutifully sat at the small kitchen table and waited for the elderly Mende woman with the twinkling dark eyes. He hadn’t been sure if she would be here tonight since he had traveled for so long. But she was, and that made him supremely happy.

  “You always spoil me with your cooking,” Ian said.

  Jala didn’t speak a word of English, and, unfortunately, Ian’s Mende accent and word usage was so terrible that she’d look at him as if he spoke gibberish. She could be correct for all he knew. Mende did not come easily to him. Thankfully, the majority of Sierra Leone spoke English. But he tried for Jala, who still spoke only in her native language.

  Jala set a platter in front of him, heaped with rice and eggplant. A bowl of pepper soup accompanied it. And from the cutting board, he saw pineapple would be his dessert.

  “It looks wonderful.” He touched the seat next to him. “Eat with me.”

  She didn’t sit down but smiled at him again, revealing two missing teeth, and patted his head as if he was no more than four, which was always the age he felt around the maternal woman.

  While he employed her entire family, over twenty in all, Ian couldn’t bear to watch her work. At some point osteoporosis had taken over and she was limited. Since she refused to stop working, even if he paid her retirement, he asked what she’d be comfortable doing. Now, he had excellent cooking to look forward to every breakfast and dinner.

  “Where is Manni?”

  Jala whistled and the tiny tan monkey poked his head out from a bowl on the counter. When Jala held her arm out, Manni jumped on and settled in the crook near her neck. She gave Ian one last pat on the head before leaving.

  Ian didn’t waste any time digging into the meal. He was famished from his long walk. He had hoped to clear his mind on the dirt trail, but he only came up with more questions.

  One thing had become clear to him, however. His thoughts always returned to Gwen. Even though he’d promised himself to forget about her, it was as if she was infused in his soul. The only person suffering was himself. Even the villagers had moved on from the attacks much more quickly than he had from Gwen. Sadly, they were used to it. Living in Sierra Leone was bad enough, but operating a diamond mine was like living with a target on your back. Too often, the stones funded wars.

  “Ian!” Gerard called from the door.

  Gerard never knocked anymore since the last time he had broken the door. It wasn’t really his fault. The door had been rotting from the inside. The amount of rainfall made an enemy of anything wooden.

  “Come in.”

  Gerard ducked into the hut armed with a pitcher of poyo. “It’s fresh. Jala said I should come here with it.”

  “How come she speaks to you but not me?”

  “She said you speak like a mongoose.”

  “I can speak six languages. How is it possible to completely butcher Mende?” Ian rose to retrieve two glasses and a plate from the cupboard. “Care to join me?”

  Gerard nodded. “You try too hard.” He took the glasses from Ian and generously poured the white poyo. After passing one to Ian, he took a large drink from his.

  While Gerard had settled in as if he were a local, Ian still had a few glitches. Snakes were one. Poyo was the second. The lightly fermented palm wine was something his taste buds hadn’t acquired yet. But since it was the favorite at local canteens where men came to talk and debate, it was something Ian decided he’d learn to like.

  He took a sip, trying not to wince.

  “Still don’t like it?”

  “How is it you have a bare tolerance for Sierra Leone and yet you slip right in as if you were born here, and I love the place yet I still jump when a snake slithers by?”

  “You scream like a girl too.” Gerard grinned.

  Ian frowned but didn’t comment. There were too many witnesses to side with Gerard.

  “Don’t worry about it. I think my taste buds died in college.” Gerard shoveled rice onto his spoon. “Did you rethink selling your house?”

  Ian shook his head. “I’m going to sell it.” Jala and her family depended on him. What would they do without the income? It wasn’t as if jobs were plentiful here. “It will keep us in business for another year while I look for more land.”

  “You don’t have to look for more land. The diamonds are near us. The river to the east brings them down. What we need is access to the dried riverbed at the bend. I guarantee there are more.”

  Ian sat back in awe of his friend. “Why are you here?”

  Gerard raised a brow. “Because I’m hungry.”

  “No, why are you helping me? Your talents are needed everywhere, and others can pay you more. Heck, you can afford to buy your own land. Why stick with me?”

  “Who else will save you from the snakes?” Gerard grinned.

  “I’m serious. I value y
our help more than I can say, but why stay?”

  “It’s not always about you,” he said. “I have my reasons.”

  Ian studied him. It wasn’t as if Gerard was a closed book. If anything, Gerard shared too much. But Ian had a feeling Gerard was purposely not telling him something.

  So, instead of prying, Ian let the subject drop. “I’ll go to the riverbed tomorrow and take a look.”

  A dark shadow darted through the room.

  “Did you leave the door open?” Ian asked, standing to retrieve his gun.

  Gerard looked up from his food. “Maybe.”

  “There’s something in here.”

  Gerard gave a low whistle. Manni scurried over and jumped on Gerard’s lap then proceeded to help himself to the food.

  “He must have stayed behind for dinner.” Gerard patted him on the head with a gentle finger. “Smart little guy.”

  Ian sunk back into his chair, willing his heartbeat to regulate. Why wasn’t he used to the wildlife yet? Especially Manni. The little monkey was as adorable as he was sneaky. Of course he’d stay for the food.

  “You look a little pale,” Gerard said to Ian.

  Manni leapt to the cutting board and eyed the pineapple. Gerard reached over for a chunk and handed it to the very happy monkey.

  “I’m fine.”

  “Still thinking of Gwen?”

  Always. “No, I put her out of my head for good. I have to focus on the mine.”

  “I’m glad to hear that.” Gerard stood, the chair scratching along the rough floor. “Should I take Manni with me?”

  “Please.”

  Gerard chuckled and walked to the door. He gave a short whistle for Manni to follow. But the little monkey remained, looking expectantly at Ian.

  “You’re predictable,” Ian muttered and grabbed some pineapple for Gerard to take with him. Manni followed the food, chattering happily.

  “By the way, it’s good to have you back,” Gerard said. “When the rebels took you I feared you were dead. We all did.”

  Ian nodded. “It’s good to be back.” And he would lie until it became the truth.

  Gerard tossed the chunk of pineapple up at Manni, who caught it and brought it to his mouth. “Good night, then.”

  “Good night.”

  Ian closed the door behind them and secured it. After a long walk and a full belly, bed called to him. While he might not be used to some animals at close range, he did love falling asleep to their night sounds. They were as crisp and clear as if every single creature was outside his window, singing him to sleep. He would finally have a good night’s sleep.

  Tomorrow he would scout the riverbed, and hopefully all of his worries would be alleviated.

  Chapter 3

  The next morning, Ian awoke to the sound of scratching. He cracked open his eyes and settled them on the screened window where Manni peered back at him.

  It had been a long night, one filled with sounds that normally comforted him but now kept his heart racing. Within the wildlife songs came rustling and movement. He had never noticed it before. It kept him awake, thinking that rebels were moving right outside his hut, coming for him. And while he didn’t think it was true, it kept his senses on alert. It wasn’t until the night sky had lightened several shades that Ian had finally fallen asleep.

  With a yawn, he sat up and unlatched the screen, allowing Manni to scurry in.

  “Why are you here?” Ian asked the pesky monkey. “I have no food. Jala isn’t here and Gerard took the pineapple, which I’m sure you ate.”

  “He ate the entire plate,” Gerard said.

  Ian jumped, startled at the voice, then turned to glare at Gerard who was looking in the window that Manni had arrived at only seconds ago.

  “What are you doing here?” Ian asked. “I already told Manni I don’t have any food.”

  Gerard tossed a small cloth bag through the window. “Take a look.”

  Ian opened the bag and peered inside. “Where did these come from?”

  “The mine, of course.”

  Ian poured out the bag and spread the diamonds on the bed. They still needed to be cut and polished, but he could tell they were exquisite.

  “Where did you get them?” Ian asked. “I thought we were dry.”

  “Foday and I revisited a spot we originally overlooked.” Gerard glanced behind him. “He should be along in a moment. But this is just the beginning.”

  Ian held the diamonds with a feeling of new hope. “We can rebuild the village.”

  Gerard laughed. “You could rebuild the village ten times over if you wanted to.”

  “Let me get dressed. I want to see the site.” Ian dropped the stones back into the bag and tossed them to Gerard. “I’ll meet you at the office in a few minutes.”

  Gerard nodded and called for Manni. As soon as they were gone, Ian hurried to change into serviceable clothes: cropped cargo shorts, a tank top, and his cowboy hat. If his family saw him in the fields, they’d laugh, especially his tailored-suit loving brother. But after mucking in mud for a day, he’d learned quickly what clothes worked and didn’t work. And jeans definitely didn’t. By the time the sun set, he’d be caked with twenty pounds of mud.

  As soon as he dragged a comb through his thick, dark hair and brushed his teeth, he raced out of the cabin. Finally, something was changing for the better.

  Foday met him on the trail. The fifty-something-year-old walked with the pep of school kid.

  “Gerard told me the good news,” Ian said.

  Foday smiled widely. “It didn’t take long for Gerard to find the spot last night.”

  “Last night?”

  “He knocked on my door after midnight and insisted I come with him.”

  “Did he happen to have a bottle of poyo?”

  “No, that was long gone.”

  “I’m sorry he woke you so late.”

  Foday shrugged. “Gerard works hard. I help him when I can.”

  “Thank you.” He clapped the man on the shoulder. “Will you do me a favor and let your mom know I’ll skip breakfast today?”

  “She will not be pleased.”

  “That’s why I’m asking you to give her the message.” Ian smiled.

  Foday chuckled. “I will tell her, but you owe me.”

  “Anything.”

  “I will hold you to it,” Foday said, retreating down the trail to Ian’s cabin. “She will be to your house soon. I will go now.”

  “Thank you. I’ll see you later at the mine.”

  Ian jogged down the trail, thankful for Jala and her family. Foday, her son, was one of the hardest workers at the mine and acted as a supervisor for the rest of his family, which included brothers, sisters, children, nieces, and nephews. They were all there, all working. Even Jala’s great-grandchildren worked.

  Ian had put a stop to it during school, but Foday had insisted that some light work would help them grow into strong men and women. So, they negotiated. Ian allowed them to help while not in school, and he set aside a college fund for them.

  And if there was ever a reason to set aside work to play with the kids, Gerard would be the one to find it. Soccer was always a highlight. Jala insisted that she keep score because Gerard was not to be trusted with the task.

  When Ian flew into the office, Gerard teased, “What took you so long?”

  “I can’t believe you woke up Foday in the middle of the night. His wife will shoot you one day, and I wouldn’t blame her.”

  “I didn’t want to wait. It was only a few hours until morning anyway.” Gerard shrugged. “Besides, Manni was quite insistent.”

  “More like the poyo affected your judgment.”

  “Judgment that was correct, I might point out.”

  Ian glanced at the monkey now picking through Gerard’s hair. “What’s with the two of you?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “He seems rather attached.”

  “He knows a good human when he sees one, which is probably why he�
�s not overly fond of you.” Gerard scratched Manni under the chin. “Who’s a good little fellow?”

  “Just don’t let him get into the poyo again.” Ian sat down at his desk where the small bag of diamonds sat. “I nearly felt sorry for the critter.”

  Gerard laughed. “He was having a good old time. Can’t fault him for that.”

  Ian remembered it well. He also remembered the cleanup. For a tiny monkey, he could do some serious damage.

  “I’ll lock the diamonds in the safe for now,” Ian said. “But I want to sell them before we run into trouble.”

  “Still fearful of the rebels?”

  “And the government. It wasn’t just the rebels after the diamonds the last time. The government sent agents after me as well. They lied to my family, saying I was the thief. I don’t trust them any more than I do the rebels.”

  “I can help you polish as soon as we get back from the mine.”

  “Thank you. It will be a load off my mind once we have funds in the account.”

  Or . . .

  No, it was a stupid idea, one that would come back to bite him. But the more he tried to push the idea out of his mind, the more it came back at him.

  He could use the diamonds as bait for a certain blonde who couldn’t seem to keep her hands out of his pockets. It’d be easy enough to let slip that the stones were worth millions. It was a lie, of course. The stones were probably only worth a few thousand. However, the Matahari necklace she had stolen was worth over fifteen million. A few more gems worth the same could turn her eyes to him once again. Only this time he’d be ready for her.

  “What are you thinking?” Gerard asked. “You have the most peculiar expression. If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were dreaming of pizza.”

  Pizza. His stomach growled just thinking of the heavenly pie. “You don’t suppose there is a pizza place in the city?”

  Gerard laughed. “There might be, but I doubt it tastes like home.”

  “I think I might have to take a trip out today.”

  “For pizza? Are you serious? It’s a few hours’ drive to the city.”

  “I want to speak to a buyer about selling ridiculously expensive diamonds. Might as well stop for pizza too.”