Two people came out of a building. What a pair. A high-heeled middle aged woman in a tweed coat clicked down the stairs as a stout balding man scurried after her.

“Listen,” she snapped, “I told you, my mother left me this ring; I am the one keeping it safe until we find a buyer.”

She had no intention of entrusting him with the ring. The man who managed to lose keys, misplace readi...