A man wearing a smart suit was grunting and struggling with the tie around his neck. The overall appearance of the man was quite remarkable. He was six feet one inch tall with piercing brown eyes and brown hair which was speckled with grey, and this was one of the most prominent signs of his age. Although the man was not very old, around forty-five, but he made no attempt whatsoever to look younger, as many would do. In fact, he believed that his age was an indication of his wisdom and experience, the two things he was extremely proud of.
After a struggle of five more minutes, the man had still not succeeded against the tie. To his relief, he saw the reflection of a beautiful woman in her mid-forties, his wife, Martha Brown, enter the room and he turned towards her, arms spread in an act of defeat.
The woman laughed a little and assisting her husband with the tie, she said, “I have lost count of the years since you are trying and failing, to learn to tie this thing properly.”
The man looked at his reflection in the mirror and proudly adjusted the perfectly knotted tie that sat around his neck. “No big deal. It is said that Einstein didn’t even like tying his own shoelaces.”
The woman folded her arms and said, “Maybe. But he didn’t have to outwit murderers and crooks for a living.”
The man turned towards his wife with an alarmed expression and said, “Oh please! I work for the FBI, but you make it sound like I am a thug!”
The woman laughed again. “All right, Special Agent Jefferson Brown, don’t forget your wallet.”
The man patted his pocket and said, “Of course not…Where is it?”
His wife held it up and the man took it and put it in his pocket gratefully. He bid goodbye to his wife and was soon sitting in his car, en route to his office. As he saw the people on the streets of New York, he could not help but wonder what a fantastic city he lived in. Everyone was focused on themselves, some were working, some were on the phone, while others were just hurrying along. When looked upon individually, these people did not seem to be special, but when viewed as a whole, they were responsible for making NYC the splendid city that it was.
Agent Brown reached his office and exchanged a few friendly words with his colleagues. Everyone respected him and most of the younger agents idolized him. This was due to the fact that the Agent had a stellar record. Never in his career had he come across a case which he could not bring to a successful conclusion. Although each case of his was a success, but his most renowned one was one of his earliest cases. It was a case that had tested him to his limits and after the completion of which, there was little doubt to the abilities of the man. In fact, people quoted that incident to emphasize the point that nothing was impossible. From then on, sky was the limit and Jefferson had become a part of the FBI’s best agents.
Jefferson entered his office and sat down on his desk. There was a lot of work to be done and a lot of bad guys to be caught. He dove into the files which were stacked in a neat pile on one corner of his desk and was soon engrossed in the details of the case.
There are three types of people in the world- the ones who work to earn money, the ones who work to pass the time and the ones who work as they love what they do. Jefferson was one of the rare people who fell into the last category. Since as early as he could remember, he had always wanted to pursue a career in law enforcement. He was the first in his family to have chosen to be an officer of the law and it was evident that it was a phenomenal choice on his part.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door of Jefferson’s office. After receiving the permission to enter, a smart young man with blond hair and blue eyes entered. Jefferson recognized the man instantly as Samuel Reed. He was one of the young men whose presence assured everyone that the future of the bureau was in safe hands. Agent Reed was disciplined, focused, fearless and had a practical and methodical mind, that is to say, he had all the qualities that assured a successful career with the FBI.
Agent Brown looked at Reed and said, “Good morning, Sam. What have you got for me?”
Sam shook his head and said, “How many times have I requested you not to call me Sam?”
“Why not?” asked Jefferson innocently, although he knew the answer to his question very well.
“Because Sam makes it sound like I am a little child, not an FBI agent,” said Sam as though he was tired of repeating it.
Jefferson chuckled. “Very well. now, tell me what brings you to me.”
Sam did not answer. Rather, he looked as though he was about to say something that he did not want to. After a while of uncomfortable silence, however, the young agent mustered up courage and decided to speak up.
“We’ve received an anonymous tip,” said Sam.
Jefferson raised an eyebrow and said, “About what?”
“About a robbery. They say a specific set of diamonds is going to be stolen.”
“They?” asked Jefferson.
“Could be a man or a woman, an untraceable call was received early morning today and the voice was mechanically disguised,” explained Sam.
“Which set of diamonds?” asked Jefferson.
Sam was silent once again. His eyes expressed a lot more than what was possible using words.
“Which set, Sam?”
Sam looked at Jefferson straight in the eyes and said, “Les morceaux de lumière.”
Les morceaux de lumière, widely considered to be one of the most precious and purest diamonds in the world. Their name, which translated to “The pieces of light”, was the aptest name for the diamonds. They reflected light with such intensity that it appeared as though they were radiating light. The five diamonds were cut with utmost precision and dated back to the times when even the sight of diamonds was a privilege that could only be enjoyed by the very rich. Throughout the years, they had ended up in one private collection or another. Some owners were smart, and they did not boast, nor did they announce what they had acquired, others freely advertised their pride and thus, they were under the constant fear of the diamonds being stolen. However, except once, this fear had never taken the form of reality, as the security measures taken to protect the diamonds were the best. But the reason, why Sam was so nervous and why he expected Jefferson to react strongly to this piece of news, was that this set of diamonds held a special place in the agent’s life. Les morceaux de lumière were at the very center of the case which had laid the foundation for what Jefferson had achieved.
Jefferson had not replied. His face had gone lax, and his eyes seemed to go out of focus for an instant. Seconds later, he regained his composure and laughed. Sam looked at him incredulously, his expression conveyed the message that he had a slight suspicion that the man in front of him had lost his senses.
Jefferson noticed Sam’s expression and said, “Why are you looking at me with that expression on your face?”
“How can you laugh at something like that?” asked Sam.
“Oh, come on! If I claim that I will be robbing the Swiss bank tomorrow, that does not mean that I can,” said Jefferson in a matter-of-fact way.
“Are you telling me that you think it’s a hoax?”
“To be quite honest, I am quite surprised that you believe such claims. You know as well as I do that the security of those diamonds is impenetrable.”
“But as I recall, someone came very close once.”
Now Jefferson’s smile faded. “And as I recall, they are behind bars now.”
Sam said, “Very well, as you say.”
After precisely twenty-seven minutes had passed, there was another knock on Jefferson’s door. There was a parcel for him. There was no name on the package and according to the delivery man, it had been left at the entrance of the building with Jefferson’s name on it. A metal detector test had been done and the package had undergone the scanner. Jefferson opened the package. There was a single chit of paper within it, the chit had a single line printed across it and when Jefferson read it, he crumpled the paper and took a sip of water. He ran a hand through his hair and sat down on his desk. The single line had forced Jefferson to reconsider a decision of his.
Outside Jefferson’s office, in the bullpen, Sam was sitting in his cubicle. A file was open on the desk in front of him, but Sam was staring at the screen of his computer. He was researching about Les morceaux de lumière. Suddenly, Jefferson entered the cubicle and looked at Sam’s screen.
For a moment, Sam was flustered, then he said, “What’s up?”
Agent Brown said, “We need to inspect the security of the diamonds.”
“Why the sudden change of heart?”
In reply, Jefferson handed Sam a crumpled piece of paper. There was only a single line printed on the chit, but it was enough to make Sam realize the gravity of the situation. The line read – Les morceaux de lumière will be stolen soon.
Aurum Regium 