Gemscentric

Written by Julian Robov


Twenty One


Rudy woke up at five. The alarm clock had gone off prematurely. He cursed himself, and then went off to sleep, but couldn’t. Then the telephone rang.
“Are you still asleep?” Potch asked affectionately.
“You said that,” said Rudy. He pulled over the blanket, and got up to check the papers he had left before he went off to sleep. They were still there. “So what’s up?”
“I have redesigned your new residence. It looks gorgeous. You’ll like it. I want you to know when will you be free so that I can give you a guided tour before you move in,” Potch said.
“Can I call you back?” Rudy remarked.
“Are you still chasing those dangerous men?” she asked.
“It’s not yet over,” he commented.
“Well, I have a very close business friend of mine coming from China. To be precise—Hong Kong,” she continued. “She may need your help.”
“What do you mean by help?” he asked, puzzled.
“She wants to buy some good blue sapphires. She asked for my opinion, and I gave her your name. What do you think?” she asked.
“Wow! Thank you,” he said, while holding his breath. But he had other more important things to handle, but didn’t want to disappoint her. He had learnt a long time ago how to compartmentalize his problems.
“When do you think your friend will be arriving Bangkok?” he queried.
“She is already in Bangkok,” she replied laughingly.
“Really—that quick?” Rudy knew events were just taking him to unexpected territories.
“Okay, call me back tonight when you are free. I don’t want to interrupt your work,” she said and hung up.
He tried to call James, but the line remained engaged. Rudy called again.
“James, how is Meechai?” Rudy asked frantically.
“He is snoring. I feel sorry for the guy. So what happened?” James asked, sensing the urgency behind the call.
“I had a call from Potch,” he continued, “she wants to introduce me to one of her close clients.”
“I can handle Meechai, but first nail Seri, the sonofabitch, before we can celebrate in peace. Are they in Bangkok?” James asked.
“Yeah! I know.”
“In that case, don’t offend Potch. I’ll take care of the situation,” James said.
“Thanks, buddy.”