Chapter 32

Chapter 32—Sid in Switzerland

11:05 a.m., Saturday, December 24

Sid was faithful, and he was smart. When he first received Allison’s message, he correctly surmised what she had in mind for him. And he suspected that she would be in a hurry. So, immediately after he received the message requesting a meeting, he booked two seats on a flight to and from Zurich. Whenever he made trips such as this, he always took a diplomatic courier with him to render physical help. Sometimes he took two. Not knowing what would be the specifics of this trip, he opted for one helper. Had he to do it over, after learning about the magnitude of the operation, he would have taken two.
He and his courier left New York Wednesday afternoon from Kennedy, and arrived in Zurich Thursday morning just as the banks opened. They spent a total of six hours there, and then caught a return flight Thursday afternoon (Zurich time). Sid slept on the plane, arriving back in New York later Thursday afternoon, New York time.
His plan was then to call Allison, and receive her instructions for delivery. And that is exactly how it turned out, except he called Allison as he was boarding his plane in Switzerland, and requested that she meet him at his New York apartment Monday afternoon. Sid was fully aware that Allison had specifically told him that she did not want see or touch the gold. But the more he thought about this, the more apprehensive he became. There were a number of items that he knew Allison particularly liked, and some of those pieces were among those he was bringing back to the States.
“I said I did not want to be personally involved.” She said. “Has something changed?”
They never used names when they were conversing—whether in person, or on the phone. Sid had always insisted on having it that way.
“We’ve got time. And I would really feel more comfortable if you helped me pick out the drapery. It would please me greatly if you would be willing to help me with that”
“Of course, if you consider my input important enough to warrant it. What time should I be there?”
“How does one p.m. work for you?”
“That will be just fine. See you then.”
It was actually not going to be a problem for her. In fact, she was looking forward to spending a little face time with Sid. He always had good advice to give her. And if he wanted to see her, if he thought that she needed to go through the pieces he had picked up, then she would be happy to accommodate.
Between the time she talked to Sid by phone on Wednesday, and the next morning, Allison enjoyed a considerable level of satisfaction. She knew that Reginald was about to receive payment in full, and that of all the people she knew, Reginald was by the far the most single-minded and resourceful person she had ever worked with. Now that the payment was on its way back to New York, she was confident that she would not disappoint him. In Allison’s eyes, all was going very well.
Before noon on the following Monday, Allison made a brief appearance outside her bedroom, and met with her aides. Then explained to them that she still was not feeling well, and that she was going to go back to bed. She then went up to Bernadette’s apartment, and exited the building.
Again, the doorman received his twenty, and she took a taxi down to Sid’s West Village apartment.
Even though she arrived twenty minutes early, she proceeded directly to his building, and rang the bell. Neither Allison nor Bernadette liked to shop in the West Village.
“Hello, my friend. How was your trip?”
“Exhausting, as usual.” Neither of them had much to say, until they were in his apartment.
“I really appreciate your coming down to meet with me. I know I will feel much better once you have had a chance to see what I brought back.”
Sid then opened up several large trunk-sized crates that were setting in the middle of his living room. He had already broken the packing seals, and loosened the covers. Inside the crates were dozens of the most exquisite pieces of antique gold a person could imagine.
“I brought these in for you to take a look at,” he told her. “The more pedestrian pieces remain in storage. But some of these I have a question about. This is what I would suggest. If there are any of these pieces that you do not want to part with, then assign them to me as part of my payment. I will return them to the vault, and exchange them on my next trip.”
Allison knelt to knees over the treasure, and began to examine them, refraining, of course, from actually touching any of the pieces. “Here,” Sid said to her, handing her a pair of latex gloves, “you must not touch any of them.”
“Thanks,” Allison said, slipping on the gloves. One by one, she picked up the pieces, and examined them. She had seen them all before, but it had been years. “My God!” she exclaimed, as she picked up a gold mask. “I totally forgot about this one. It was one of my favorites, for sure.”
She stared at the mask for several moments. Finally she picked it up, stood to her feet, and then walked over to a wall mirror. Holding the gold mask in front of her face, she looked at her image in the mirror. She was, however, careful not to allow the mask to touch her skin. She then turned to Sid, and said, “You know, there was a time that I imagined myself being buried in a mask like this. But that was a thousand years ago.”
“Shall I put it aside and return it?”
“No, it’s fine. I’m sure that I could find a hundred pieces that I like just as much as this one. But isn’t it beautiful?”
“Exquisite, I like it as well.”
“Then you should keep it.”
“No, I would prefer to stick to the plan. … But thank you.”
Allison then stood, removed the gloves and put them in her purse. Sid had taught her to do that as well, because inside the gloves would be not only her fingerprints, but possibly DNA as well. They exchanged a few more words, and Allison prepared to leave. “I’ll call with the final word on where and when, okay?”
“I will be waiting to hear from you.”
With those parting words, Allison headed back to Bernadette’s apartment. And, as in the case of her last meeting with Sid, and for the same reasons, Allison did not record her recollections of this meeting.