Shelby Nichols Consulting

As most of you know, I work for a mob-boss. Because of that, there are some days that can get quite exciting. Uncle Joey is dependent on my mind-reading skills to help him in his business dealings, so I get to meet all kinds of people. Most of them are just trying to make a buck, and hoping to get Uncle Joey’s backing. I kind of feel sorry for them, since working with a mob boss isn’t ever the best way to go. There are always strings attached and once you’re caught, there’s no escape.

Of course, Uncle Joey isn’t quite like most mob bosses because he has a heart, at least where I’m concerned. But that isn’t true for everyone. One thing I learned at the beginning of our relationship is that Uncle Joey doesn’t like people who run or grovel. I tried running once, but Ramos showed me the error of my ways, and now look at me. I’m still here helping Uncle Joey however I can. On the other hand, I’ve grown quite fond of Uncle Joey as well as Ramos, so what can I say?

Back to my point. Yesterday, I accompanied Uncle Joey and Ramos to a special meeting. It was held in an exclusive club, quite high-class, and full of important people. I found out that once you pay your fifty-thousand dollar fee, you can use the facilities as a special meeting place. It’s exclusive enough that even a mob boss can meet with a politician and no one would even blink an eye.

Usually, Uncle Joey keeps me out of that side of his business, mostly because I have connections to the police and do consulting work for them. That’s why I was somewhat concerned about being in this setting with Uncle Joey in his official capacity as a mob boss, but I shouldn’t have worried. Like he told me, what happens in the club, stays in the club. But since I can read minds, I picked up that he really wanted me there because something wasn’t right and he wanted me to get to the bottom of it.

That made me smile. There’s just something about the challenge of figuring out the truth behind what people say that motivates me. I’m like a dog on the scent, and it’s a challenge I’m totally ready to take on. What can I say? Finding the lies, and confronting them about it, gives me a thrill.

We entered the club and were immediately escorted upstairs to a private room. The man we were meeting was already there and stood to greet us. He had a deep golden tan, with brown eyes and hair that had been streaked by the sun. “Hey mate. It’s nice to finally meet you.” He held out his hand to Uncle Joey. “Hudson Kramer at your service.” He spoke with an Australian accent, and immediately reminded me of Crocodile Dundee.

“You as well.” Uncle Joey gave him a firm handshake before turning to me. “This is my niece, Shelby Nichols, and my second, Alejandro Ramos.”

“It’s a pleasure.” After shaking our hands, he motioned to the chairs at the round table. “Shall we get started?”

We took our places and Hudson handed Uncle Joey a folder. “Thank you for meeting with me. That folder contains all the information you need about me and my company. As you know, I’m looking for investors in my mine. I’ve had a turn of amazing luck in finding a substantial deposit of black opals in the Lightening Ridge of Northern Australia. I have full claims and rights to this mine, which I own outright. So far, the opals we’ve excavated are some of the purest ever seen. I brought a few to show you.”

He turned on an LED desk lamp, with the light directed onto the table. Opening his suit coat, he unfastened the buckle of a small, black pack that circled his waist. He pulled it off and set it on the table. The hard case had a combination code which he entered before flipping it open. A smaller case sat inside and he opened it to pluck out a black velvet square of material which he laid flat on the table in front of us. Next, he took out a plastic bag and dumped four black opals of various sizes onto the black velvet fabric.

“This is a sample of what we have discovered.” He placed them in a row, and moved the light to shine on the gems. “Black opals are the most valuable form of opal – due to their dark body tone and the resulting vibrant play of color. A top of the range gem quality black opal can fetch prices up to $15,000 per carat. However, just because an opal is black doesn’t make it valuable. There are many factors including brightness and pattern which determine the overall value of opal as you can see here.”

He pointed out the differences in the opals and gave us the value of each one. The largest one he showed us was worth over fifty grand, a staggering amount. “All of these came out of my mine, and I’m sure there are more, but as I said, the cost of the mine has depleted my resources, and I’m looking for an investor such as yourself to continue operations.”

He went on to talk about the terms of the investment, and I had a hard time discerning if he was lying or earnest in his proposal. “The main reason I decided to approach you was because of your recent investment in the lost Taft Mine. I have a much better proposition to offer you, since our mine is not lost, and we have already struck gold, as it were.”

“Very impressive,” Uncle Joey said, picking up the largest stone to examine it more closely before setting it back on the fabric. “Your terms are quite high, but I might be willing to negotiate based on a percentage of the profits. How do you feel about that?”

Hudson’s pulse jumped, and he was thinking that now was his chance to sweeten the deal. “I am agreeable to that. If we could set up a steady stream of capital into the mine, I’m sure the outcome would more than triple your investment. How does an initial amount of ten million sound to you?”

Uncle Joey’s brows rose, that was higher than he’d expected, and it gave him pause. He had checked Hudson out, and believed he had the rights to the mine he spoke of, but the high price seemed extreme compared to the risk. “You’d have to find a lot of opals for me to make a profit.”

Hudson realized his mistake and cursed in his mind, thinking he should have stuck with the five million he’d been planning on. But the way I’d admired the stones made him go higher. He was glad I was there since it was easy to see that I liked them. If he played to my vanity, my influence alone could get Manetto on board.

“What do you think, Shelby?” Hudson asked. “Do you like the stones?”

“Oh yes. They’re absolutely breathtaking.”

He nodded. “It’s the black that brings out the colors.”

“Yes, I can see that.”

Hudson glanced at Uncle Joey. “You’re right about making a profit.” He pursed his lips. “Would you be interested in co-ownership? That way we would split the profits fifty-fifty.”

Uncle Joey nodded. “After my initial investment was re-paid, I would consider a fifty-fifty split.”

Hudson kept his face devoid of emotion, but inside he was jumping up and down. He might pull this off after all. If Manetto signed on for ten million, he could use up to three for the mine and pocket the rest. The mine would never pay out that much, but Manetto had to know it was a risk, and could hardly complain.

Hudson let out a breath, feigning indecision, like it was hard to give up half of the mine. “I can have the papers drawn up for you to look at and you can give me a decision tomorrow? Will that work?”

Uncle Joey glanced my way, and I smiled. “I love the opals. They’re so colorful.”

Uncle Joey nodded. “So what do you think about this one?” He picked up one of the smaller opals. “It would look great in a necklace.”

“It sure would.” I turned to Hudson. “But here’s the thing. Your proposal sounds good, but I think investing in your mine would be a losing proposition. You’ve done a good job with the presentation, but you went too far in your asking price. Naturally, Uncle Joey checked you out before the meeting, so we know you own the mine, but you haven’t had a lot of success with finding the opals you’re pushing.”

I shook my head. “Hudson, you’re playing a dangerous game. Cheating a mob boss out of his money is unwise. Just because you live in Australia doesn’t mean you’d be exempt from retaliation. You might think you could pocket the bulk of the money, but believe me, you’d be paying back every cent with interest for the rest of your life. Is that what you really want?”

Hudson had grown pale, and his eyes rounded with shock. “This is a legitimate enterprise. I’m not trying to swindle anyone out of anything.” He glanced at Uncle Joey. “Believe me, I respect your reputation. If this isn’t something you’re interested in, then just say so. I approached you first, but I have others who would be grateful for the chance to get in on the mine.”

He began to gather the opals, putting them back into his case and zipping it up. Before he put the case around his waist, Uncle Joey stood. “Hudson… Let me give you a word of advice. Never cross a mob-boss. Now… If you know what’s good for you, you’ll go back to Australia and we’ll forget all about this incident. Otherwise, I will spread the word about this grift you’re playing, and it won’t go so well for you.”

Hudson flushed. How had it gone so badly? “My business is legitimate, but I’ll take your advice into consideration.”

Uncle Joey held up the opal he still had in his hand. “I’m keeping this for my niece. What’s it worth to you?”

He was thinking five grand, even though it was only worth two. I turned to Uncle Joey. “He probably wants five grand, but it’s only worth two.”

Uncle Joey smiled. “I’ll give you one, and we’ll call it even since you wasted my time.” He glanced at Ramos, who pulled out a wad of hundred dollar bills and counted out ten of them. Ramos stepped over to Hudson, and stuffed them into the breast pocket of Hudson’s jacket.

I wanted to say, Keep the change, you filthy animal, but kept my mouth shut and just smiled instead. Hudson bolted to his feet, and hurried out the door, thinking that all his hard work had just gone to hell, and he’d messed up. But how? What had given him away? I lost track of his thoughts and shook my head.

“Did he learn his lesson?” Uncle Joey asked.

I shrugged. “Beats me.”

Uncle Joey nodded, and held the opal out to me. “This is for you. Consider it an early Christmas present.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Take it to Dale, at Brinkman’s Jewelry and have him set it for you. Black gold would look amazing.”

I couldn’t hold back my smile. “Thanks Uncle Joey. I will.”

We left, and never heard of Hudson Kramer again, so I guess he took Uncle Joey’s advice.

On another note, now you can see why I don’t mind working for Uncle Joey. I’m picking up my necklace tomorrow, and I can’t wait to wear it. I’ll see if I can post a photo next time.

Until then…

XOXO

Shelby