Chapter 1

As soon as Nicholas Blue opened the door to his house, the aroma of spicy Mexican sauces hit him. Sure signs that his Aunt Joyce was working her magic in the kitchen. Tonight Nicholas and his father Daniel were celebrating Daniel’s TV announcement.

          Daniel invited Jerry Goldman over for dinner. Jerry was an art historian on Daniel’s museum staff.  Daniel had been supportive of him since he hired Jerry five years earlier. Somewhat Daniel saw himself in Jerry.

          “Long time no see.” Jerry gave Nicholas a big hug. “Sorry I couldn’t make it to your 13th birthday party.” His usual cheery face saddened for a moment.

          “That’s OK.”

          “So what’s new with you, pal?” Jerry asked Nicholas.

          “Not much, I guess.” 

          “Jerry, he got straight-A’s on all his report cards this year,” Aunt Joyce said, “All right you three. Enjoy your dinner. I’ve got to get home. My husband and I are leaving for a trip to Europe tomorrow morning.”

 

 

It didn’t take long for them to polish off the last of Joyce’s enchiladas.

          “Your Aunt Joyce still knows how to cook.” Jerry leaned back in his chair and patted his stomach. Jerry’s eyes twinkled. “Do you still want to become a curator like your father?”

          Nicholas shrugged and looked down at his plate.

          “Every object of historic art has its own story behind it,” Daniel said. “And when you discover the story, you really appreciate what you have in your life.”

          Oh, no, Nicholas thought, here he goes again.  

          Daniel gave lectures on archeology at California colleges and universities a few times a year. And Nicholas was the first person to listen to his father’s lecture about his new subject.

          “The story of our magical purple diamond is a good example.” Daniel said, “Following an earthquake about two-and-a-half-years ago I discovered the diamond by accident. The size of it is the size of a large cherry. There is a legend behind these powerful gems and it was passed on from generations to generations for 500 years in the village of Chiesa, Italy. The legend is ‘the magical diamonds bring great fortunes and social powers to the owner.’  In fact, the owner significantly thrived but one day the gems were stolen from the owner. And shortly after, the owner’s family and the land were devastated by a mysterious curse—black clouds shrouded the land and nothing could grow and thrive there.  Today in the result of the curse the dark gray sky is as good as Chiesta gets. Their population has decreased.”  

          “Supernatural stuff,” said Jerry, “in those days folks were pretty gullible, Nicholas. Although I guess there are still people today who believe supernatural diamonds can work miracles.”

          Daniel nodded. “Lots of them, Jerry. And many of them are deadly serious.

​

​

Later that night, Nicholas shivered in his room as he changed into his pajamas. He turned on the old radiators in his room, but it took an hour for the heat to warm up the room. Nicholas wished that his father would have decided to move into a modern house rather than living in this old and cold Victorian house. Somehow Daniel had been procrastinating it for years.  

          Nicholas went to the living room to say good night to his father. “I’m going to—”

          Nicholas stopped at the sound of the doorbell.

          “Who could that be, Dad?”   

          It was almost ten-thirty.

           “I don’t know.” Daniel went to the front door and looked through the peephole. A well-dressed man was standing on the porch, someone Daniel had never seen before. He looked back at Nicholas and shrugged. The security chain on the door was fastened, and he cracked the door open as far as it would go. “Can I help you?”

          In the glow from the porch light, the stranger’s pale gray eyes gleamed hypnotically. “Pardon me, Mr. Blue,” the man said. “I hope you’ll forgive me. I realize that dropping in on you unannounced at this hour may be inappropriate. I’m Vix Tower, president and CEO of the Oxford Insurance Company in downtown San Francisco.”

          He passed his business card through the crack. “You see, I heard about the magical purple diamond on today’s news. I was busy all day and didn’t get to it until this evening. But I’m very excited to know more about it. It’s really important to me, and I couldn’t wait until tomorrow to see you.” 

          Magical purple diamond!

          The words sounded like a beautiful melody to Daniel’s ears. He looked at the business card.

          “I recognize your company, Mr. Tower.”

          “What I want to tell you, Mr. Blue,” Tower said, “is that the legend is true. The purple diamond is one of the three magical diamonds—and it belongs to me.”

           “Are you sure, Mr. Tower? We actually discovered the purple diamond in an ancient cemetery in Italy.”

          “The cemetery of the Adamo Balducci family. Am I right?”

          “Well, yes, it was, but—”

          “I’m the last descendant of the Balducci family,” Tower said. He smiled. “The other two diamonds also belong to me.”

          “This is amazing!” Daniel said. “For two-and-a-half years we haven’t been able to find any information on the other diamonds.” He unfastened the security chain. “Please come in, Mr. Tower.”

          Nicholas felt a little embarrassed about being in his pajamas in front of a stranger. He ducked behind the kitchen door. It was partially open, the light was off, and he peeked at the man through the space between the hinges.

          Tower was a little taller than Daniel. He appeared to be in his mid or late forties. Like Daniel, he looked fit. His jet-black hair was combed back sleekly, and in the light from the living-room floor lamp it looked almost blue.

          Daniel sat down on the couch, and set the business card Tower had given him on the coffee table. “Please sit down,” he said.

          “No thank you,” Tower said. He stood near the lamp, his hands clasped in front of him. He looked toward the kitchen, and for a moment Nicholas wondered if he could see him through the space between the partially open kitchen door and its frame.

          He turned back to Daniel, and Nicholas noticed that his shadow on the rug—like his hair—seemed oddly dark.

          “To start with,” Daniel said, “could you tell me where the other two diamonds are?”

          Tower shook his head. “That’s the problem. I’ve had my people searching for the three diamonds for years. Thanks to your efforts, I know where one of them is. Now I need to know where the others are, and you seem the most likely person to find them. When you do find them, of course, I’ll loan all three to the museum for your exhibit.”

          I can’t tell you how excited I am about this,” Daniel said. “But at the same time it’s a too serious matter for me to go into right now. Why don’t we discuss it further at the museum tomorrow?”

          Tower frowned. “There’s nothing more to discuss,” he said. “I want you to find the green and the pink diamonds and then bring all three diamonds to me before midnight December twentieth. That will be a night of miracles. You’ve got two weeks to complete the job. Needless to say, I’ll provide you with a generous incentive for that.” 

          Daniel stood up. “This is ridiculous,” he said. “Maybe you think there’s nothing more to discuss, but that’s not my opinion. First of all, you haven’t shown me any proof of ownership for the purple diamond. And second, you say you don’t know where the other two are now. Even if I could find them, it would surely take more than two weeks—maybe a lifetime. I do my job at the museum because it means a lot to me and it is important work. But I don’t do my job just for money. You’re asking the wrong person."

          “Mr. Blue,” Tower said, “I’m a wealthier and more powerful man that you can imagine. I’m offering you a golden opportunity to work for me. And believe me, the rewards will be enormous. You can visit my empire, tomorrow. I think that will change your mind.”

          “I tried to make it clear that I’ve pledged my life to my work,” Daniel said. “And frankly, to me, it’s richer than all your assets.” He looked up at the clock. “It’s getting late, Mr. Tower. I’m sure you need your sleep as much as I do.” He crossed the room and put his hand on the doorknob.

          “Not so fast,” Tower said. Although he stood still, his shadow grew larger, spreading up the walls and across the ceiling until it enveloped the entire room.

          Nicholas couldn’t believe what he was seeing. He looked away for a second. His back accidentally pushed the serving cart behind him. A wine opener fell off from the cart and clacked the kitchen floor.

          Tower turned his head, trying to locate the sound. He looked toward the kitchen, then turned toward the front door as a municipal bus rumbled by. He muttered something under his breath and looked up toward the center of the shadow.

          “Now!” he said.

          The Dark Shadow disintegrated into black particles that floated in the air and then gradually formed into the giant face of an angry man. The giant face and Tower spoke in overlapping, threatening tones that echoed throughout the house: “You will bring the three diamonds to me by midnight December twentieth or you will die.”

          The shadowy face moved toward Daniel, opened its mouth wide, and swallowed him.

          Daniel tried to break free, but the face wouldn’t let him. Nicholas watched his father struggling within the shadowy figure and tried to cry out to him, but no sound came out. Paralyzed with fright, Nicholas turned his face away from the scene.

          Tower scooped up his business card from the coffee table, took a few steps toward the front door, and stopped. He turned toward the kitchen and sniffed the air

          Nicholas held his breath, tried to be silent, though his body was trembling.

          Tower walked across the room and stepped into the kitchen. He flicked on the light.

          Crouched behind the door, Nicholas closed his eyes, wishing that if he couldn’t see Tower, Tower wouldn’t be able to see him—knowing it was childish and useless.

          He opened his eyes just as the kitchen light went out. He held his breath and heard Tower’s footsteps cross the living room. He peeked through the space between the kitchen door’s hinges. The shadow, now its normal size, followed Tower to the front door. Tower opened it, took a last look at Daniel’s figure—now stretched out on the floor—and stepped into the night, slamming the door behind him.

          Nicholas resumed breathing, but cautiously. He waited awhile, fearful that Tower might be playing a trick—might come storming back into the house. The silence was broken by the shriek of an ambulance’s siren. When the sound finally faded out, Nicholas rushed into the living room.

          Daniel lay there, gasping for breath. His eyes were open, but only the whites showed.

“Dad! Dad!” Nicholas cried out.

His father didn’t respond.