Diamonds. A girls best friend? – Part 2
If you haven’t already, you might want to read part 1 before reading this post.
Before continuing, I think I’d better clarify that all the diamonds in question were totally legal and above board. Only my aunt would have known why she chose to sell them this way. It would very likely have been because, let’s face it, your average person knows nothing about the diamond trade! How do you explain how you, a working class lady, came to own a large quantity of loose diamonds? Where would you go to sell them? I don’t think the diamond merchant gave too much thought as to how my aunt would exchange them for cash, when the time came. She chose to sell them privately. Makes sense, I suppose, given her lack of knowledge.
Part 2
With my dad’s words “Don’t get involved” imprinted on my mind, I arrived at work the next day. I mentioned the fact that my aunt had some diamonds that she wanted to sell. Most of the girls were not interested. They probably assumed they would be far too expensive, but one girl said she would ask her husband if she could have one.
This particular girl (Shirley) had invited me to her home and fixed me up with a chap called Pete. We had dated for several weeks and although he was a very kind, sensitive man, who lavished me with attention and gifts, he was a lot older than me, and more worldly wise. We ended it because we were worlds apart. I was cute enough to realize that the little stops he made on our journeys out were a bit ‘cloak and dagger’. I had realized that the very plush car and expensive clothes were very likely not bought from the wage of a ‘nine to five’ job. He was a classy man though, not a cheap thug, or a ‘hands on’ criminal, but I was never cut out to be a moll :O) Shirley’s husband, on the other hand was not classy, and I wasn’t keen on him. I soon discovered that they were not friends of Pete, and I was much later to realize that they used me to gain favour with him, in the hopes of moving up the criminal ladder. It didn’t work and I was well out of it all.
Shirley arrived at work the next day and said that her husband was going to buy her a diamond. The girls were in awe of this. At this point, I had no idea that her husband was a criminal. At just nineteen, I was naive enough not to have worked that one out. I did as my dad had advised, and gave her my aunts phone number. No more was said on the subject.
The next day, Shirley didn’t arrive at work, but she was often late, or took days off. Nothing unusual there. However, later that day, one of the ‘big’ bosses came in and said that there was a phone call for me in his office. This was unusual! The ‘big’ bosses never entered the lowly offices.
I picked up the phone and what I heard stunned me. It was the C.I.D (Criminal Investigations Department). I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. A gang? Masked men? Guns? This doesn’t happen in real life. Only in the movies.
It seemed like I had no sooner hung up the telephone than the C.I.D had arrived and been allocated my boss’s office to interview me, and get my statement. I must say, they moved very quickly.
It transpired that my aunt had arranged for Shirley and her husband to come and choose a diamond. He had told her that he had a large amount of cash to spend and requested that she get several of her best and more valuable diamonds out of the bank. My aunt, being gullible and, lets face it very silly, agreed. They were to come that evening.
Around lunchtime, there was a knock on the door. Some workmen asked if they could come through her house to get to the back in order to work on something. My aunt said “Of course you can dear” and let them through. What followed must have been unbelievably frightening for her.
The men burst in, grabbed my aunt and forced her on to her bed at gunpoint. She had two tiny dogs, who were barking. I don’t know what they did to the dogs but I know, from the court transcript, that my aunt kept crying out “Don’t hurt my dogs, please” They were not happy at the amount of diamonds, and kept shouting for my aunt to tell them where the rest were. Finally, after a lot of shouting and waving the gun about, they accepted that there were no more diamonds and left with their haul.
Thankfully, my aunt hadn’t been totally stupid. She hadn’t got all of her diamonds out of the bank. Even more thankfully, she hadn’t been physically hurt either.
The C.I.D. left with my statement, along with Shirley’s address details from the company files, and said they would be in touch. I returned to work, although not a lot more work was done by any of the girls that day.
Now I waited.
Stumble it!
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Jaffer
| 23 October 2008 at 2:50
OMG ! This is getting juicier ! What did you get yourself into that too at nineteen !
Jaffer´s last blog post..Backyards by the track…
chat blanc
| 23 October 2008 at 3:36
wow! that’s an amazing story. I’m so glad you aunt was okay. crazy stuff!
chat blanc´s last blog post..A whole lotta nothin’
natural
| 23 October 2008 at 3:41
wow, reads just like a movie or book. i was holding my breath.
Kathy
| 23 October 2008 at 11:14
Diamonds are not a girl’s best friend! Holy moly, Babs! This story is incredible!!!
Kathy´s last blog post..A Winner and What’s That? Wednesday
Omer
| 23 October 2008 at 13:28
An incredible story indeed – seems like a tense novel..couldn’t follow the link to read ur earlier post but it sure is getting interesting..
beetle
| 23 October 2008 at 13:36
Jaffer: Strange but I kind of took it in my stride at nineteen. I wouldn’t now!
Chat Blanc: In general, people didn’t seem to be quite as physically violent back then. It may have been a different story if it had happened now.
Natural: I suppose it’s the stuff book and movies are made of ;O)
Kathy: I don’t actually like diamonds much. Would you believe it? I almost forgot this incident when deciding what to blog about!
Ivanhoe
| 23 October 2008 at 13:54
Oh my! This is just like from a movie.
)
BTW: Stop by my place when you have a minute. I have something for you
beetle
| 23 October 2008 at 14:02
Omar: Sorry about the link. It’s fixed now.
Ivanhoe: So far I hadn’t been personally involved in much. That does change though
Popping over now!
Shinade
| 23 October 2008 at 22:03
oh Babs this is getting better and better and I usually don’t stop to read stories. but you’ve got me hooked.
Now I am waiting too!:-)
beetle
| 23 October 2008 at 22:16
Shinade: Only one more part to go. Glad you’re enjoying it
Heather
| 24 October 2008 at 2:02
That’s crazy! What an amazing story. What else happened?
Swubird
| 24 October 2008 at 4:57
Babs:
Wow! Something tells me we are going to be reading a lot about you – in the literary press!
Diamonds are always trouble.
Happy trails.
Swubird´s last blog post..APOLLO!
DrowseyMonkey
| 24 October 2008 at 5:25
Oh my goodness! That’s frightening! I hope your aunt wasn’t injured, but even without physical injury that would be so traumatic!
DrowseyMonkey´s last blog post..Uber Grateful
beetle
| 24 October 2008 at 12:50
Heather: All be be told in part 3.
Swubird: Oh the things we get embroiled into through naivety.
Drowsey: She must have been effected quite badly by it. Don’t forget, this was the UK. In those days guns were only seen in the movies!
Jay
| 24 October 2008 at 17:52
Oh, how terrifying for your aunt – and for you, too! I do hope they didn’t hurt her little dogs.
Is there going to be a part three? I need to know if anyone got caught and if your aunt was in trouble! You too!!
beetle
| 24 October 2008 at 19:23
Jay: Oh yes! Definitely a part 3. That’s when I get involved more
JD at I Do Things
| 24 October 2008 at 22:16
Oh, my gosh!
I would never have imagined the story taking that turn. And I can’t wait for part 3! (I’m so glad your aunt AND her dogs were OK!)
JD at I Do Things´s last blog post..I Know Fred so you don’t have to
Sandie
| 24 October 2008 at 23:38
This must have been kept fairly quiet, because I never knew the ins and outs of this story! I am really enjoying it:0)
Sandie´s last blog post..Rummaging
beetle
| 25 October 2008 at 3:10
JD: We never know, in advance, the twists and turns life takes. Probably just as well!
Sandie: I think with such a large family, there is always too much going on to keep up with everything. Nobody would know details of my private life though ;O)
Lauren
| 25 October 2008 at 5:01
You have the most wild stories.
Lauren´s last blog post..James T. Harris
OregonArtGuy
| 25 October 2008 at 5:38
My experience was not so dramatic, but scary to a 17 year old. In the area where I grew up , there was a canyon with a nice stream running thru it that I frequented with my friends during summer. One day the newspaper ran a story about a girl that was murdered near there. They had a composite drawing and one of my friends said hey – that looks like you. Of course it didn’t and wasn’t and I gave it no more thought until about a month later when there was a knock at the door. I opened it to see two men in suits. They identified themselves as being with the FBI. They asked me where I was on June 30th. I had no idea – and thats what I told them. I was really scared. I never heard another word about it, but I was scared that they would come back for quite some time. It turns out one of my “friends” had called them as a prank. I was NOT amused.
OregonArtGuy´s last blog post..As promised – For People of The Pacific NW
Ana
| 25 October 2008 at 9:29
OMG Babs, what a story! Well be excited for part 3
Ana´s last blog post..Thankful Thursday
beetle
| 25 October 2008 at 14:03
Lauren: I had a quiet life as a teenager really. At least I thought so ;O)
OregonArtGuy: Now that would be very scary! I would not have been amused either! Sometimes pranks are not as funny as they are intended to be!
Ana: The funny thing is, I had forgotten all about it, until something woke the memory up ;O)
Hilary
| 25 October 2008 at 15:34
As said by everyone else … your story is gripping. I’m looking forward to part 3.
Honestly, after reading both installments abd I had a moment to reflect, it dawned on me your writing style is very, very good. Are you a published author? Your writing reads as good as any I’ve read.
Hilary´s last blog post..Pearly Crystal Earrings
beetle
| 25 October 2008 at 17:02
Hilary: Well thank you so much! No, I have never written anything aside from my blog material
granny grimble
| 26 October 2008 at 1:17
I knew Aunty ‘D’ had been burgled and that it was something to do with someone you knew, but I never knew all the details, and didn’t know you had been to court about it. I also didn’t remember her having two dogs, what sort were they? It’s all very exciting and I can’t wait for the next episode. It’s going to be a hard blog to follow, all else will be very tame after all the drama of this one!
granny grimble´s last blog post..MONOLOGUE BY A VERY SENIOR CITIZEN
beetle
| 26 October 2008 at 1:53
granny grimble: I seem to recall they were Jack Russell dogs.
You lived in London, and we lived in Kent at the time. I suppose you missed a lot of what went on in our lives in those days. Most of you were married and had your own family lives. Only Gill and I were still at home at this time.
*lynne*
| 26 October 2008 at 3:23
yikes that really is a scary situation to be in… glad you were involved only peripherally, and that your aunt didn’t get assaulted as “payback” fo rnot having the expected amount of diamonds…
*lynne*´s last blog post..while we were in line at the grocery store the other day …
Shinade
| 26 October 2008 at 13:28
Oh goodie I didn’t miss anything yesterday. I started feeling like my little bug I have been sick with was coming back yesterday so I spent the day resting.
And while resting this story was on my mind…you have got me hooked!
I’ll be dropping over at the other places today too…can’t wait to see your pictures.:-)
Babs - beetle
| 26 October 2008 at 15:10
Lynne: Yes, it was all scary. Luckily at nineteen, I wasn’t as phased at things as I would be now. I bet my aunt was though!
Shinade: I hope you are feeling better today. The final part will be posted in a few days. I have a bit of light humour next ;O)
Babs – beetle´s last blog post..Diamonds. A girls best friend? – Part 2
Shinade
| 28 October 2008 at 3:07
Awww Babs than you so much. Yes I am better today but I fell asleep early before noon. I didn’t wake up until 3PM. So now I am racing like mad to do drops, stop and say hello to my favorite people, such as you, and then get a post done.
And I never said this okay? It’s a secret. If I get tagged or receive anymore awards this week I am going to scream. What am I thinking? I already did scream!
LOL…I promise not to tag you or add to your load either.
I want you to have time to finish writing the next part.
Have a good night Babs!:-))))
Jenn Thorson
| 28 October 2008 at 19:30
Much excitement there– perhaps too much for your poor aunt!
Jenn Thorson´s last blog post..The Real America Athlete Shindig ‘n’ Snack Stand
Michael
| 18 July 2009 at 2:15
Yes, really it is best to not get involved.
Here you have some particularly nasty thugs. The veneer coating may look nice but make no mistake, underneath criminals are criminals.