The Maharaja's Sarpech: A Prezly/Paladino Investigation, #4

By Sandy Raschke

PIs ELVYRA PREZLY AND CHUCK PALADINO HAVE BEEN HIRED TO HELP RECOVER THE SARPECH OF THE MAHARAJA OF PATALIA, A $3 MILLION PIECE OF JEWELRY MISSING FROM THE SAFE OF A LAS CRUCES COUPLE.

 

The sarpech, bought decades ago through an estate sale, is presumed stolen. The insurer, Silverton Insurance Company of New York, sends their investigator Uma Deet, an expert on Indian jewelry, to meet with Chuck and Elvyra.

 

They interview Padma Chauhan, the spouse of Samara Jadeja, an interior designer now confined to a memory care facility due to advanced Alzheimer's disease. Padma suggests Chanelle Forester, Samara's personal assistant, might be implicated in the theft, as she had access to the safe. Chanelle disappeared before the police arrived and hasn't been seen since. Elvyra and Chuck conduct an extensive background check and discover Chanelle Forester is an alias. The woman is a grifter and prostitute wanted by the police in New York for theft, attempted murder, and second degree murder, for crimes committed against two ex-boyfriends and a client who paid her for sex.

 

They find evidence of her systematic looting of Samara's business account, theft of her jewelry and, through DNA analysis, determine she has an accomplice.

 

Their investigation is complicated by the poisoning of Samara at the memory care facility and the theft of her wedding ring. Will the surveillance cameras reveal who did it and why? 

 

After Samara is hospitalized, Chuck and Elvyra re-analyze the situation, find gaps in Padma's story and return to ask more questions; but this time her answers are evasive. What is she hiding? Has she diverted their attention to conceal her role in the theft?

 

A stunning confession brings them closer to recovering the sarpech, but the crash of an FBI jet challenges their views about culpability and the meaning of justice.  

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sandy Raschke
• Release date: Jul 6, 2021
• ISBN: 9798201993238

Book preview

Chapter 1

February 15, 2080, the Prezly-Paladino twins’ second birthday. The party with close friends and family ended at 1400 hours. Chuck and Elvyra finished cleaning up in the kitchen and returned to the living room to find the twins sprawled on the floor, asleep. They had been playing with their gifts: puzzles, picture books, and a building set.

Look at them, Elvyra said. Worn out, overwhelmed by the food and the gifts they received.

She and Chuck carried them up to their bedroom for a nap.

Elvyra looked at her watch and yawned. 1500 hours. I could use a nap, too. Want to join me?

You have to ask?

She winked. It’s the polite thing to do.

He followed her into their bedroom. She kissed him—and his handheld buzzed. Should I send it to voicemail?

Tempting, but it could be something important.

Chuck opened the link and sat down on the bed. Prezly-Paladino Investigations. How may we help you?

My name is Theta Ramash, the woman said. I am Senior Vice President of Loss Prevention and Security for the Silverton Insurance Company in New York. We’ve had a theft and our affiliate in Las Cruces recommended Prezly-Paladino Investigations to help us find the stolen item.

And what was stolen, Ms. Ramash? Chuck asked.

The Sarpech of the Maharaja of Patiala.

Could you explain that to us?

A sarpech, or aigrette, is a bejeweled pin that Indian royals use to keep their turbans secured in the front—a hatpin would be the closest description.

Chuck nodded. It obviously has value. I’ve seen photos of Indian royalty and the jewelry they wear.

This piece, Ms. Ramash said, was made for the Maharaja in 1920 by Cartier. At a Christie’s auction in June 2019, it was purchased by a bidder for $1.5 million dollars. In May 2050, it came up again as part of an estate auction. A couple bought it online at a Los Angeles auction for $2 million. One of them is now in a memory care facility because of Alzheimer’s disease. She sighed. The spouse, Padma Chauhan, is beside herself with worry. Someone must have found out where their safe was, obtained the entry code and made off with it.

Elvyra did a quick calculation. May 2050. Are they an older couple?

Early seventies. They met as children in Jamnagar, a province south of the Gulf of Kutch in India. Padma’s mother was a live-in tutor to Samara Jadeja, the spouse in memory care. Samara is a descendant of a royal family. Padma and Samara grew up together and never parted, even when Samara went to university at age sixteen and obtained three degrees. Padma went with her as her servant.

While Ms. Ramash’s eyes drifted downward for a few moments, as if she were looking at a file, Chuck and Elvyra glanced at each other and mouthed Servant?

Theta Ramash went on. "They immigrated to the U.S. in 2030 and became naturalized citizens in 2035. They were married in 2040, shortly after their first child was born. They have two adult children, a daughter, age forty, and a son, two years younger.

Padma, age seventy, is still healthy and active. Samara is seventy-two. I’m afraid someone has taken advantage of them.

Has this theft been reported to the police? Chuck asked.

Yes, about two weeks ago. Detective Mattias Donal was assigned to the case. After the detective failed to find the sarpech or any prime suspects, he and our local affiliate recommended your agency. We did a thorough background check on your professional backgrounds, the cases you’ve handled, and the awards you have received. With your Marine Corps background in intelligence and knowledge of several languages, and Ms. Prezly’s Masters’ degree in Psychology, along with her military service and what we’ve been told is her uncanny ability to find missing people and evidence, we believe you are the right investigators to help us locate the jewel.

Elvyra laughed softly. You were thorough in vetting us. Usually we do the background checks. Ms. Ramash gave her a polite smile. Are there photos of this piece?

Dozens of them, she said. It’s a famous sarpech, part of Sheikh Hamad Bin Abdullah Al Thani’s vast collection. He was a member of Qatar’s royal family and passed away a number of years ago, shortly after he retired as CEO of Qatar Investment & Projects Development Holding Company or QIPCO. The Christie’s catalogue contains several photos of the sarpech.

We aren’t experts on Indian jewelry, Chuck said.

But you have solved a number of cases that began with flimsy evidence, or so we’ve been told, Ms. Ramash said.

So you know something about how we work, Elvyra said.

We do, and also your civic involvement with the Community Scholarship for Recovering Addicts. It tells us how deeply you care about your community. She flipped through some papers. Although we have our own investigators and the police helping us, they have reached a dead end. Because of the nature of the theft, we’re looking for discreet, intuitive, successful PIs, and you fit our profile. As for the finder’s fee, in this case it would be 15% of the current value of the sarpech, $3.15 million.

Where can we meet to discuss this further? Chuck asked.

One of our agents in New York has been sent to Las Cruces to work on the case. Uma Deet is an expert in Indian jewelry and is trained to identify fakes. She will be contacting you to set up a meeting, that is, if you are willing to participate.

We’d like to discuss the matter and get back to you, Elvyra said.

I’ll give you the link to my New York office and our affiliate, Security Property and Life. Uma should be there tomorrow. You can speak with her directly if you decide to take the case. Otherwise, link to me if you feel it’s not a good fit for your talents.

Elvyra laughed slightly. Security Property and Life is our insurance company.

I know that, Theta Ramash said with a sly smile. I think you’ll find this case most interesting. She terminated the link.

CHUCK AND ELVYRA LOOKED at each other with questioning eyes. This would be the most exotic case we’ve ever investigated together, Elvyra said. It would make last year’s recovery of our client’s $75,000 diamond necklace and tennis bracelet look puny in comparison.

And we knew who had it and only needed to find out where, he said. This case would be a real challenge for us. Elvyra nodded in agreement. Are you interested? Put aside the $450,000+ finder’s fee.

I’m stunned that this large, New York firm would even think of us southwestern hicks, when they have not only Ms. Deet, an expert in Indian jewelry, but access to well-known investigators with more experience in stolen property than we have.

"But the crime occurred here, he said. And we know Las Cruces and El Paso from one border to the other and in between. What would a PI from Houston, Austin, or New York know about this area, Ms. Deet included?"

Not as much as we do. She licked away a dollop of icing clinging to the side of his mouth. I see where the twins get their love for sweets. His eyes widened as she licked him again, then French-kissed him. Yum. It and you taste delicious.

Chapter 2

Their lovemaking was cut short by Isabella and Ryan’s urgent call for Mama! and Daddy! Chuck got up, shrugged into his robe and rushed to their bedroom, with Elvyra close behind. The twins had vomited all over their cribs, themselves, and were crying.

Elvyra gasped. What a mess. Did they eat too much birthday cake?

Don’t know. They’ve never done this before.

I hope they aren’t sick.

They removed the twins’ clothing and carried Isabella and Ryan into the lavatory, where Chuck gave them a bath. Elvyra went back to the bedroom and stripped away the sheets and blankets and took them and the twins’ outfits down to the laundry room.

When she returned, Chuck had dried and powered them, put on their training pants and fresh jumpers. I’m at a loss, he said. Maybe we should call their pediatrician.

Or Lillian, Elvyra said. She took care of scores of children before she shifted her interest to senior care and our dads.

Okay, if we need to we’ll link to her first. He took them downstairs to the sitting room. He and Elvyra watched them for a few minutes to see if they were going to be sick again. They giggled and laughed as if nothing happened.  

Elvyra shrugged. Now that they are older, maybe they became over-excited by all the attention—the food they ate, and the gifts they tore open...

We need to watch them closely for a while before getting Lillian involved. He kissed her cheeks. Later, I’ll have another piece of that cake and you can lick the icing off again. I rather enjoyed that. He gave her a pat on the butt.

They sat down on the couch. Still worried, Elvyra leaned against him and he put his arm around her and squeezed. Isabella looked up, giggled then returned her attention to Ryan. She handed him a piece of a puzzle: he inserted it into the slot and laughed. Then the two busied themselves by completing the puzzle, laughing and pointing every time a piece fit.

They are behaving as if nothing happened, Elvyra said.

We’ll see what happens at dinner.

After, we can decide whether we want to take on the investigation.

Chapter 3

Elvyra prepared dinner while Chuck made a salad and got out the wine. He poured a glass of Italian Sangiovese and handed it to her, then sat at the table sipping wine while the pasta boiled and the aroma of garlic, basil, fennel, and the oregano of Elvyra’s late mother’s spaghetti sauce wafted through the kitchen.

Isabella and Ryan came running. Pasta! Isabella said.

Yes, pasta it is. Chuck helped them to wash their hands then lifted them into their new booster seats. They had donated their highchairs to a women’s shelter.

I like pasta, Daddy, Ryan said.

Me, too, Mama, said Isabella.

Who doesn’t? Elvyra thought of her mom and how, as a child, she watched Noemi gather the ingredients—fresh Roma tomatoes, sweet