Under the auctioneer's persuasive prompting, this diamond salvaged from a shipwreck in the Atlantic had already become an unparalleled treasure.
Even the dazzling diamonds in Queen Elizabeth's crown could not compare to it.
Moreover, the auctioneer had successfully drawn everyone's attention. Quite a few people with no intention of bidding had been stirred up and were preparing to win the diamond just to admire it.
For example, Miss Kate Kane of the Kane family, who had an arm around a beautiful companion and made the old master of the Kane family cover his face, rubbed her fingers together as she considered taking the diamond.
She had no interest in diamonds. Her home was full of such glittering things, and her agent mother, who worked for the CIA, had even less interest in appreciating them.
What interested her was the master thief drawn here by the diamond—the thief who roamed the city at night, quietly stealing treasures. That dashing legend was exactly to her taste.
Of course, Miss Kate had her own little scheme. She knew that this jewel thief was a woman, and a very beautiful woman at that. She even felt like falling in love.
This diamond would be her token of affection. Yes, Miss Kate was a woman, and the eldest daughter of the Kane family.
But she liked women—fragrant, lovely girls. Of course, she liked handsome ones too. By modern terms, she was homosexual. A lesbian.
Unlike male homosexuality, relationships between women might have been more readily accepted, but... that was in the future.
Now, although the hippie movement had brought sexual freedom, liberation, and rebellious behavior that ran counter to tradition, such forbidden love was still difficult to speak of.
At least for now, homosexuals were despised, considered even more unacceptable than AIDS patients. If parents