Chameleon Talisman (eBook)

Lisa Moreno (Autor)

eBook Download: EPUB

2025 | 1. Auflage
320 Seiten
Bookbaby (Verlag)
9798317813321 (ISBN)

Infos

The Chameleon Talisman jettison's ahead from where The Red Diamond trails off. Talya Solomon is now faced with a new conundrum. After attending Iwan Kowalski's funeral, a note presumed to be a condolence card is handed over to her by an unfamiliar man of Indian descent. She slides the unopened envelope inside her purse. Later, at the reception, she finds herself alone still haunted by best friend, Clarissa Stanford's murder. Upon opening the note, she realizes things aren't what they seem. A different diamond now has a new mark, Anna Pinsky, who has mysteriously disappeared with a green diamond called the Chameleon Talisman. Amit Pinsky has beseeched her with written words, 'lives are at stake!' to help him locate his sister. This challenge takes Talya and partner, Tomas Anderkvist through the corridors of England, then onward to India, in search of Anna. Unfortunately, Talya and Tomas are in the crosshairs with countries vying for the Chameleon Talisman at any cost. Much is at stake as this diamond transgresses all concepts of faith with its hidden treasure.

Lisa Moreno grew up in Southern California. In 2019, she and her husband, Richard Moreno, moved to Hawaii where she spends most of her time writing, gardening, and enjoying their two poodles, Marie-Chantal and Mai Tai. Ms. Moreno has authored two anthologies, The Human Condition, and Dreams, Imagination & Destiny. She has been honored by The City Of Hope for her hospice poetry. She has also appeared on stage in Las Vegas reciting her poignant poetry. Chameleon Talisman, the sequel to her well-received novel, The Red Diamond, becomes her sixth novel. She claims writing murder mysteries pushes her limits to understand what motivates criminality. Chameleon Talisman takes the reader through the corridors of history back to biblical times offering new perspectives on the beginnings of faith, superstition, and lore. At the center of this intrigue is a unique green diamond that has answers locked inside its storied past. Readers will be driven to keep reading. Ms. Moreno weaves truth and supposition as if one.

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Chameleon Talisman takes over where The Red Diamond leaves off. Talya Solomon and Tomas Anderkvist face a new conundrum regarding Iwan Kowalski's private auction in Zurich of his famous green diamond, Green with Envy. Unforeseen events occur that leads to Kowalski's death and establishes the platform for the Chameleon Talisman to surface. Still faced with remorse over best friend, Clarissa Stanford's death, Talya hopes to stop more bloodshed as she and Tomas travel to London, and then fly over to India to try and find Anna Pinsky who mysteriously disappeared from London supposedly with the Chameleon Talisman. Desire to covet this unique diamond have multiple countries vying to find and obtain it at any cost. Can this crusading couple get beyond the tentacles of various intelligence agencies like England's MI6; Pakistan's ISI; Russia's NCB; and Israel's Mossad to find and save its rightful owner, and possibly change the course of biblical thinking regarding faith? Only God knows for sure.

Textauszug

CHAPTER 1

THE PRIVILEGED GUESTS appeared at Iwan Kowalski’s Presidential suite Saturday night to enjoy the pre-auction party and view the competition. The jewelry each wore sent its own message of intimidation. It was psychological warfare at its best.

The edgy host received a text update from his loyal bodyguard, Tomas Anderkvist, advising him of their status. Pending no unforeseen problems the trio would make their entrance soon. The Polish industrialist was impatient to see his young partner alive and well after the ordeal she had just endured.

When Cinnamon arrived at her room, a security guard was stationed out front. When she walked inside, a box containing the ruby and diamond ensemble belonging to Iwan’s deceased wife, Roza, was sitting on the bed. The gemologist wondered if she would ever find someone to love and cherish her that deeply. It was time to clean up. The combatant did her best to eliminate visible signs of the bruising on her face. Her repair job looked adequate to pass scrutiny. If not, a phony story about a revolving door hitting her in the face would suffice.

A short time later, several taps at the door sounded as Tomas stood in the hall. He was well- dressed sporting a formal dinner jacket. The Swede’s face radiated excitement as he gazed at the sensuous woman standing before him. For a moment the two exchanged unspoken words. Neither one knew if their physical encounter just days before was purely impulse.

“You look magnificent,” he said.

“Thank you! Please come in, I need you to fasten this necklace on me.”

Tomas took the extravagant piece of jewelry and placed it around her neck. He could smell jasmine as he got close, and it made him hunger.

“Let’s go,” she whispered sensing the sexual tension between them.

As they walked down the hall, neither one knew what awaited them at the party. They couldn’t assume news of Dmitry Novikov’s death hadn’t reached the savvy, colored diamond collectors. Despite the elusive collector being known only as The Russian, all serious gemstone collectors knew he was a formidable rival. News of a Russian oligarch’s death and raids within Interpol and government agencies across the globe had gone viral.

Furthermore, Alain Trotter, head of the General Secretariat of Interpol in Lyon, was found dead with a self-inflicted bullet through the head. A confession letter apologizing for his disgraceful behavior was left behind. As divulged, Trotter was Dmitry’s insider within the agency. Trotter’s daughter, Birgitta Nilsson, worked as an undercover agent. The stunning blonde was found murdered the day before due to a sting operation gone awry. Trotter knew Dmitry was responsible. He couldn’t live knowing her death was due to his duplicity.

The C.I.A., Interpol, and National Central Bureau Moscow had worked in concert to find and expose the phantom crime lord. Trotter had done nothing to help in the investigation but use stall tactics. Now law enforcement agency heads understood why. Talya Solomon had done their work for them. Captain Peter Zolkin, head of the National Central Bureau in Moscow, made the decision to keep Solomon and her alias confidential as she was ultimately the person who took Dmitry down. The last thing the captain wanted was a problem with an Israeli-Russian American, whose father was ex-Mossad. The mysterious redhead was written off as an unidentified prostitute of Dmitry Novikov’s—case closed.

 

ONCE THE PAIR passed through Kowalski’s security detail and strolled into the opulent suite, all eyes were on the stunning redhead and handsome escort.

A troubled guest approached the couple.

“Hello, I am Rüdiger Hoffmann. Herr Kowalski has been engaging us with your gemological knowledge. Could we have a private conversation?”

Cinnamon knew exactly who this man was, the gem broker from Frankfurt.

“I’m scheduled to give my presentation shortly. Can it wait until I’m finished?”

Hoffmann wasn’t in the mood for civility. Facing a nasty divorce and probable bankruptcy, the 5% commission riding on winning this auction was his key to freedom. With a five-million-euro start bid, Kowalski’s green diamond would fetch millions. Each player was financially viable.

The savvy businessman had heard the news about an unnamed, highly valued crime lord being killed in an explosion in Moscow. The victim was somehow linked to the wave of dirty insiders being exposed in Interpol and across the pond to government agencies in the United States. The incidents were too coincidental not to be connected. The National Central Bureau was keeping a tight lid on information.

On the surface, it looked like the Russian mob was just cleaning up their murky business before the feds could intervene. Yet, the explosion occurred close to where Dmitry’s penthouse office suite was located. Hoffmann had tried repeatedly to contact his Russian financier after the news broke but was unsuccessful. Fear sent jolts through the gem broker that their shady arrangement had fallen apart.

Through inside sources, the frantic man learned that the decedent’s name was Boris Petrovskii. The German was convinced Petrovskii and Dmitry were the same person.

He responded, “Please, I may have to bow out of the auction.”

Tomas glanced at Cinnamon. It was clear Hoffmann was Dmitry’s shill. The man’s anxiety was a tell. Kowalski would have one less person to bid on Green with Envy. The shrewd gemologist didn’t want other bidders dropping out. She’d hear his lame excuse.

“You have five minutes. Let’s go to my suite.”

The gem dealer nodded, “Thank you!”

Minutes later, the three were alone in Cinnamon’s quarters. Rüdiger Hoffmann’s demeanor changed. The troubled man went on the attack.

“Who are you really? Your background check does not add up.”

Cinnamon responded defiantly, “Who are you to question me? Mr. Kowalski learned about your soon-to-be ex-wife not honoring a substantial check you issued to Sotheby’s. Bounced checks and unstable financials destroy credibility within our community. You could only be here as a shill bidder. Surely, you cannot meet the five-million-euro entry bid.”

It was enough to unbalance Hoffmann. He knew his wealthy clients wouldn’t trust him to handle their gemstone acquisitions if this story became public. Sotheby’s wouldn’t expose the information if he righted the problem. The commission earned tomorrow would have cleared up his obligations.

“It appears we are at an impasse. Until this privateevent was hastily arranged, there was no indication that Kowalski would auction his coveted Green with Envy.

“I thought to myself why would he do this? Health reasons for a man nearing ninety did not make sense. Then I considered another motive—maybe this auction was simply a ruse to uncover someone. Well, Ms. Clément, did you already achieve your goal?”

“What are you intimating, Herr Hoffmann? My goal is simple; I’m here to assist my dear friend. Since you’re no longer a bidder, I think it best that you leave now! If you plan to disrupt the auction, I’m confident particulars about you and your young lover would delight your wife’s lawyers.”

The woman before him had done her homework. He had one parting shot.

“I understand an unidentified redhead, rumored to be a prostitute, was linked to a crime lord that was murdered in Moscow. I recommend covering up those fresh injuries on the backs of your legs.” With that, the agitated businessman left.

Tomas chuckled, “I guess Herr Hoffmann is a butt guy. He was so focused on your ass he noticed those bruises. The bastard did us a favor.”

Cinnamon ran into the bathroom and applied more concealer. Once they were satisfied all exposed areas had been masked, the couple returned to the party. The ruse she and Iwan had invented played out the rest of the evening. The gemologist gave an informative talk on colored diamonds reporting all the latest breakthroughs in gemological science. Then the knowledgeable phony Texan hobnobbed with the anointed guests, complimenting each on their amazing jewels. Iwan looked exhausted as he passed telling glances at his young confidante.

Something inexplicable nagged deep in the woman’s soul that things weren’t as they appeared. Regardless, she needed to be well-rested for tomorrow’s big event. Tomas read her right. He escorted the weary gemologist back to her suite without making any advances. No doubt he recognized the continuing torment in her eyes from the deadly ordeal. A kiss on the forehead was his silent goodnight.

With a pillow tucked between her arms, Talya stretched across the king-sized bed visualizing Clarissa Stanford, still alive and beautiful. Tears streamed down her cheeks.

“Clarissa, you know I keep promises. Sleep tight, best bud, your murderer is dead.”

Frightening thoughts shot through the woman’s conflicted mind. Was Cinnamon Clément’s identity in jeopardy? Everything about her former self had been scrubbed from the internet. Her distrustful father saw to that. Yet, anyone from the party could have recognized...

Produkt-Details

• Erscheint lt. Verlag: 1.9.2025
• Sprache: englisch
• Themenwelt: Literatur ► Krimi / Thriller / Horror
• ISBN-13: 9798317813321 / 9798317813321