Chapter 12: Dinner Under The Dinosaur

Maxine had proved herself an ingenious and athletic sexual partner. Gregg, with his very limited experience of sexual congress found her techniques simultaneously stimulating and satisfying. After satisfying orgasms for both of them — his as a result of her skill, experience and research; hers as a result of his youthful vigour and abandon — the two sank back in sweat soaked exhaustion.

Maxine leant across him. "There's only one thing," she said with a conspiratorial air. "I'd like you to help me with something."

Gregg at first looked suspicious of Maxine's proposal but as she outlined her determination to get her revenge on of her boss, Gregg found himself more engaged. Revenge was a desire he could understand and the actions she proposed appealed to his newly acquired enthusiasm for anarchy.

In the control room for the CCTV network that Aaron Rodwell had installed after the theft of the emerald, the guard was sitting with his feet on the console. He was feeling that there was little to be done tonight while Rodwell and the Trustees were dining in the Museum's hall. It was an opportunity for a quiet shift watching something more diverting on his PC. He didn't notice the way in which the CCTV cameras were swinging around without his involvement and he certainly didn't see how it was being done as the cables that ran from them responded to some unseen hand and snaked around the camera's, pulling them out of line until they were no longer pointing into the hall.

Gregg and Maxine were standing in the shadows at one end of the great hall of the museum. At the other end of hall, Aaron Rodwell was holding forth to a group of the trustees and their wives as they sat at dining tables clustered around the feet of the museum's reconstructed Tyrannosaurus Rex fossil. "Welcome," he said in a booming voice, that echoed through the cast iron girders of the museum's ornate, early twentieth century roof. "Welcome to this year's Dinosaur Dinner," he continued. "I hope that you have all enjoyed the meal and now I hope you will excuse me if I say a few words of thanks to you all."

It was all Maxine could do to keep herself silent as Rodwell went on. "Your wealth endows the museum," he said, patronisingly. "And I must say the presence of your wives here tonight graces the museum too — bringing with them as splendid an exhibition of jewellery as the museum has ever exhibited." His audience laughed politely. "I trust that we have now overcome your concerns about the security here in the museum. I can assure you that they were the result of the irresponsible actions of one of our staff who is no longer in her post. This is the start of a new era for the museum."

Gregg looked at Maxine who was scowling at Rodwell's ingratiating tone and the fact that it was her that was being blamed. "It certainly is," Gregg said. "Let's crash the party," he went on as Aaron Rodwell began moving between the tables offering brandy and port to the assembled group.

Aaron Rodwell's first sight of Gregg and Maxine was as they emerged from the shadow of the great dinosaur skeleton. Gregg commanded immediate attention in his swami's turban with the great red jewel and the magnificent gold kurta he wore over his pajama trousers. Beside him stood Maxine in her lehenga choli, a shawl drawn over her head and across her face and wearing the Heron emerald in her navel.

"What do you want?" Rodwell said. "Who are you and what are you," he pointed at Maxine, "doing with that emerald?"

"Please do not trouble yourselves," Gregg responded in his most placatory tone. "Perhaps I should explain myself to you all."

The assembled diners turned towards him. As each caught sight of the Swami's great ruby in Gregg's turban they felt a curious calm fall over them and a sense that time itself had slowed to a snail's pace. The group, including Rodwell, fell silent, gazing at Gregg blankly.

"Oh, now that is a good trick," Maxine exclaimed realising that the group was completely under Gregg's influence. "Can you really do anything with them that you want?"

"I think so," Gregg smiled, "but first I think you want to relieve these ladies of their jewellery."

"Of course. Since Mr Rodwell believes he has solved the problems of the museum's security, I think we should show that he is wrong. Purely in the interests of a scientific demonstration, of course."

Maxine giggled as she moved to the tables, going to each woman in turn, stripping them of necklaces, bracelets, rings, watches and jewelled hair grips.

The women sat quite still, staring at where they had first seen Gregg's ruby, silent and passive as Maxine went from one to another. She followed that with a pillaging of their handbags, removing credit cards, cash, some highly expensive mobile phones the occasional jewelled lipstick case or the small gold, enamel or engraved boxes that no doubt held a recreational line or two of coke. The pile of her spoils grew in the middle of the table as she turned to the men, removing their wallets, cash, Rolexes, gold money clips and the other trappings of wealth. She finished with Aaaron Rodwell who was standing motionless beside the dinosaur skeleton.