Mike slowed down. “Whoa, close one. I need to get out.” He pulled off the road onto a side street and stopped, getting out of the car. Heather did the same. They both turned and watched as the car that almost crashed into them finally moved into the correct lane. Luckily, it was late at night and there wasn’t much traffic. The car was still hurtling way over the speed limit when it disappeared.
“Let’s walk a bit. I need to get rid of the adrenalin shakes,” Mike said, swinging his arms around and shaking his shoulders. He took hold of Heather’s hand firmly and they moved across the street to a grassy area and long pathway that ran parallel to the Ala Wai Canal and Ala Moana Boulevard. It was a favorite jogging place that ran along the northern boundary of the tourist part of Waikiki. They started walking briskly down the path.
“I’m so sorry about your car,” Heather said.
“As long as you’re okay?”
“Just a little shaky,” Heather said. She was thinking about the strange thump from the glove box, then the door falling open, almost like it was providing a distraction from what would have been a deadly head-on crash if Mike hadn’t had such fast reflexes. She wondered about the diamond necklace. Could it really be cursed?
Mike shook his head. “I’ve got to report this to the police. Should have done it immediately. That driver could cause an accident. Did you notice the color or make of the car?”
“The bright lights blinded me,” Heather said. “It was a dark color. An older sedan, I think.”
Mike pulled his cell out of his jacket pocket and called 911. He reported what happened, standing outside his car. Then he swiftly called his insurance carrier. As he was doing this, Heather got in the car and pulled out her own cell. She wanted to let Michelle know they’d be back in about ten minutes and she could come and get the diamond necklace.
When they got to Heather’s building, Heather opened the glove box. She didn’t see the necklace.
“We’re not supposed to touch it,” Heather said to Mike. “I don’t see it.”
“Maybe it fell on the floor when the door fell open.” Mike said. He got out of the car and looked under his seat. “Why can’t we touch it?”
He didn’t wait for her answer, but ran around the car and opened the door on Heather’s side. She got out and he looked under the seat. “There it is,” he said, and reached for it.
“Wait!” Heather said.
“Ouch,” Mike said, holding it up. “Sharp facets. Almost felt like it bit me.”
“Put it down,” Heather said sharply. “On the car seat.”
Mike looked at Heather, saw she was serious, and put the necklace down.
“We need to wait for Michelle. It’s a long story, about the diamond. Michelle saw the guy who gave it to her today—and you know the stories about big diamonds bringing bad luck?”
Mike nodded.
“It’s something like that.”
Mike looked a little surprised, but said. “I’m open-minded. I’d like to hear.” Then he added, “You don’t mean to say it’s a real diamond?”
“I’ll tell you later. Here she comes,” Heather said with relief, noting that Michelle was hurrying around the circular drive in front of the condominium toward the car.
Heather introduced Mike.
“Nice to meet you,” Michelle said. They shook hands. “I’ve seen you dozens of times on TV. I hope you both had a good time tonight.”
“It was wonderful,” Heather said. “The dinner was great and Mike bought a beautiful sculpture at the auction. I’ll come over, usual time tomorrow, and tell you all about it.” She gestured to the car. “The necklace is on the seat.”
Michelle leaned over and picked up the necklace. When she straightened up she winked at Heather and said, “Keep him,” under her breath, very softly, so Mike wouldn’t hear.
It was the exact same thing Heather had whispered to Michelle the first time she met Rod.
***
When Michelle got back inside her apartment she sat down at the table, put on disposable polyethylene gloves, and went through the opposite process she had gone through earlier that day, taking the necklace apart to free the diamond. She liked having the stone, it was so beautiful, but she had noted Heather shaking slightly tonight. She didn’t think it was because of Mike. She knew something had happened. Something evil and dangerous.
Michelle didn’t trust Omar one bit. The gloves were probably unnecessary and she was being paranoid, she knew, but just suppose Omar had coated the diamond with some kind of poison? She wouldn’t put it past him. On the other hand, it had been in the bonfire on the beach on the island of Kauai. Omar hadn’t touched it after that. The fire would have burned off any possible chemical, she thought.
Now she wanted the gem gone—away from her. It was a link between her and Omar. If Professor Vincent Middleton believed Omar had supernatural power, she had to take it seriously. Vincent was a teacher of the occult and had demystified many bogus psychics and charlatans who claimed to perform genuine séances and contact beloved dead relatives, milking people of money with their proclaimed supernatural powers. Yet even Vincent couldn’t explain the things he saw Omar do.
Omar claimed he was a Necromancer, able to speak to the dead. He had witch covens all over the world, proclaiming himself a warlock. He seemed to have the ability to affect electrical phenomena as well. Michelle well remembered how the properties she managed were affected. Elevators stopped working, air conditioning systems went down, the lighting in whole high rise buildings went wonky, blinking on and off. Even the computers went haywire. It caused horrible disasters when emergency sirens went off unexpectedly. A bank in one building was robbed because the vault was suddenly accessible to thieves. Omar’s acolyte, Samson Stoker, had
