When Paris had told Ben he could call him any time he needed a hand with something he hadn’t thought it would be so soon. Curious to see more of the strange Italian businessman with suits nearly as fine as Paris’ own the vampire agrees to meet Ben to discuss the favor over a dinner.
At a candle-lit table in one of the finest bistros in Adams Morgan Ben divulges to him that the Hope Diamond has been stolen less then twenty four hours prior. Although the theft has not yet been publicized, Ben explains the FBI are searching frantically for the priceless jewel, but he is trying to locate it for his benefactor. Ben promises Paris would be rewarded if he were able to help, but Paris shrugs it off, “Are you kidding me? The biggest diamond in the world’s gone missing? Getting caught up in a heist like that is a reward of its own. Besides, I owe you a favor, don’t it?”
“Now,” Paris breaths, leaning in conspiratorially, “how exactly may I be of service?” When Ben explains that he has a lead connecting the diamond to a woman who is known as a wealthy art dealer with ties to the black market, Paris begins to see why he was called.
“So if you try to contact her, she’ll see you coming and slip away or stow the diamond, but I have a better chance of getting close to her, is that it?” Paris smiles, as Ben nods. “Well, this woman is an art dealer, I’m a painter, it shouldn’t be hard for me to come up with a pretext for approaching her.”
The very next day Paris follows through with his promise and approaches the art dealer Ben had specified in her gallery. Initially she refuses to look at Paris’ paintings but is soon one over by his charm and animal magnetism. As he shows her slides of his sensuous nudes he painted in Paris, the vampire Paris begins complimenting and praising the woman on her beauty and grace, finally ending with a gentle, longing request to paint her while touching her shoulder, arousing feelings of lust deep within her.
“Alright Paris,” she says, “I want you to paint me like one of your French girls.”
Paris smiles, and takes her hand, allowing her to lead him back to her penthouse apartment. When they arrive she excuses herself to go get gussied up while he sets up the paints. Moments later, however, Paris hears a scream and a crash from the bedroom and goes in to find the woman murdered and the diamond gone. Judging by the bleeding wounds on her neck Paris can easily tell what it was that attacked the unfortunate black market dealer and rushing to the window he shifts into his wolf form and leaps down three stories, deftly landing on soft turf and dashing after the scent of the other vampire, one from the Red Court.
Paris follows the trail through a series of dark allies and eventually rounds a corner just in time to see the other vampire duck into a van and drive off. Realizing that attempting to pursue the van could be futile, and would give away the fact that he was on their trail, Paris instead wrote down the license number of the van and called Ben right away to pass the information on; information that would eventually lead to the showdown in the Pennsylvania mine.
Subject: Ben Ferro: The Hope Diamond 
Tue Jun 25, 2013 2:37 pm
