Parisian Affair Page 26

  'I know,' he replied, trying not to sound irritated. Hilton was getting tired of listening to her. She just wouldn't let up. But he was still determined to save his surprise. He wanted to give the ring to her next week and propose at the same time. If he told her about it now, all of his plans would be spoiled.

  'Dufour wouldn't tell me who got the ring,' Kitty said, 'but I know that you could find out.'

  'Why would they tell me?' he replied in a nonchalant voice.

  'You know very well, Hilton,' she said. 'They'd tell you anything you want to know, with your money and power.'

  What she said was accurate, of course, but he had to use a delaying tactic. Even though he was quickly growing weary of this game—and her obsession with the ring—he needed something to distract her. 'Maybe I'll give them a call,' he said. 'I can't call until Monday, but I'll see what I can do.'

  'Would you really?' she asked enthusiastically, her hips pressing against him.

  'For you,' he said, 'you bet I will.' He kissed her again and slid his hands inside the kimono.

  'Oh, Hilton,' Kitty said in a breathy voice, 'you're so good to me.'

  He knew what she said was true, but he was beginning to wonder if she deserved it. His hands stroked her breasts tenderly, then his fingers thrummed her nipples until they were hard. 'Hmmm,' he said, kissing her in earnest now, 'why don't we get back in the sack, Kitty. You don't have anything you have to do this morning, do you?'

  She shook her head, her hands stroking his rounded buttocks in circles. 'No, Hilton,' she whispered. 'Nothing. Nothing at all.'

  He drew her toward the bed. Even though he was becoming bored with her childish antics, he still enjoyed her beautiful, voluptuous body. But he was beginning to ask himself if the physical pleasure she gave him was worth all the expense and irritation. Nobody had ever satisfied him physically as Kitty did, but he was starting to realize that he wanted more. And Kitty was incapable of giving more.

  He heard the buzzer and slowly pushed himself out of his chair and went to the button on the wall panel near the front door. It's Maurice, he thought. He's brought me something for my dinner. A little early today, but who can complain? The people at the delicatessen across the street had been wonderful to him since Elisse's death, bringing him food, helping him up and down the stairs when he had to go out—a venture seldom risked of late—picking up and doing his laundry. It was nothing short of a miracle these days, he thought. This sort of kindness and generosity. It restored his faith in humankind.

  He unlocked the door to his apartment and heard the sound of footsteps on the steep stairs. Leaving the door ajar, he slowly shuffled down the hallway and returned to his chair. He turned the radio's volume down a notch. Faure's Requiem, such a sublime piece of music.

  He heard the screech of his door opening all the way, then heard it close. He called to the young man, 'I'm in the salon, Maurice. You're early today.'

  He sensed rather than heard movement at the doorway leading into the salon and turned his head in that direction. Behind the thick lenses of his glasses, his eyes narrowed. 'You!' he exclaimed, his voice barely above a whisper. 'What are you doing here? What do you want?'

  The man stepped into the room and stood over Monsieur Weiss with a smile on his lips. 'How are you, Solomon?' he asked.

  'As if you cared,' the old man replied.

  'You've got that right,' the man replied. His gaze swept around the room before he crossed to the old tapestry-covered sofa and picked up a throw pillow, then retraced his steps to Monsieur Weiss. He stood with his legs spread wide, and looked down at the old man sitting in his leather- upholstered chair. The visitor's face was blank, devoid of emotion.

  Solomon Weiss looked up at him, then allowed his eyes to rest on the pillow. 'So this is what it's come to, is it?'

  The man did not reply. He took the glasses off Solomon Weiss's nose and put them on top of the radio. Then he brought the pillow up with both his hands, and brought it down hard on Weiss's head, pushing him against the chair's back. Weiss emitted a whimper that was quickly muffled, and began to struggle against the pillow. But it was useless. The younger man held it against his face with such force that Weiss could hardly fight against it. His arms and legs flailed pitifully at the air for a few moments, then went limp. A few moments later, his body slumped in the chair.

  The younger man removed the pillow from his face and returned it to the sofa where he'd found it, fluffing it up a bit. Then he picked up the old man's glasses from the top of the radio and put them back on him. He felt for a pulse, but there wasn't any. He turned the radio up slightly and removed his latex gloves, shoving them in the pocket of his jacket.

  He turned and left the room, walked down the hallway, opened the door, and let himself out, then closed the door behind him.

  CHAPTER 19

  'The first thing we have to do,' Allegra said, pacing the Savonnerie rug of the bedroom in their Ritz suite, 'is to try to talk to everyone on the list you made. All of these people who've bought those emeralds from Jules Levant over the years.' She took a sip of the champagne that had been awaiting them, courtesy of the management, when they returned to the suite.

  'Why?' Todd asked from his perch on the silk-draped bed. He'd taken off his suit and was spread out in his Jockey shorts. 'What difference does it make?'

  'I want to know if they still have them,' Allegra said. She was wearing one of the hotel's robes, and she adjusted the tie.

  'But why?' Todd persisted. He sipped his champagne and set the glass down.

  'Ramtane Tadjer is trying to get them all back,' she said. 'I don't know why, except for the obvious worth they'd have if they were reunited, but—'

  'Wait. Hold up a minute,' Todd said. 'You say 'reunited.' You can't be sure they were ever part of a set, Ally.'

  'You're right,' she said, 'but because of their distinctive similarities, my professional opinion is that they were together at one time. Then they were split up for whatever reason, and sold separately over the years.' She didn't want to tell him yet that she had a very good hunch about why. Todd might decide that they should stay out of the whole affair.

  'And now this Tadjer character is trying to get them all back,' Todd stated.

  'Exactly,' Allegra said.

  'Why?' Todd asked.

  'They'll be much more valuable that way. A huge matched number of emeralds. And they may have an extremely important provenance.'

  'So that would make them even more valuable,' Todd said.

  Allegra nodded. 'Yes. They could've belonged to Marie Antoinette or somebody as famous. You can imagine what that would do to their value. You saw what people were willing to pay for Princess Karima's ring alone.'

  'But I wonder why Tadjer sold them off in the first place if that's the case,' he said, his practical mind at work.

  'He wasn't in control then. Jules Levant was.'

  'A small detail that I forgot,' Todd admitted.

  'But the number one reason that they were sold separately was that Jules Levant got them by some irregular means.'

  'Stolen?'

  'Maybe. Or whoever was selling them didn't want anyone to know,' Allegra said. 'Anyway, I'm going to get started on the telephone. Using the hotel switchboard will be easier, if more expensive. But since we're not footing the bill, why not? The Vicomte de Rabe is right here in Paris. I'll see what I can find out there.'

  She picked up the receiver at the bedside and dialed the switchboard. 'This is Mademoiselle Sheridan,' she said. 'I would like to be connected with the Vicomte Philippe de Rabe's residence, please.'

  'One moment, mademoiselle,' the operator said, without missing a beat.

  Allegra put her hand over the receiver. 'They're so used to important names at the Ritz, the operator didn't give it a second thought.'

  Todd grinned.

  The number began ringing, and Allegra removed her hand from the receiver. The phone was picked up on the second ring. 'Bonjour,' a female voice said.

  '
Bonjour,' Allegra replied. 'Le Vicomte de Rabe, s'il vous plait.'

  There was a momentary silence, then, 'Le vicomte is deceased,' the voice said.

  'Oh, my, I'm terribly sorry,' Allegra said. 'Is it possible to speak to the vicomtesse?'

  'Who should I say is calling?'

  'My name is Allegra Sheridan,' she replied. 'I'm doing an article and research on jewelry, and one of the pieces that I'm writing about belongs to the vicomtesse.'

  'One moment,' the woman replied.

  Allegra crossed her fingers and held them in the air for Todd to see. Todd responded by crossing two toes and holding them up for her to see. She almost laughed aloud.

  'Madame Sheridan?' The voice bespoke cultivation, sophistication, and glamour ail in those two words.

  Allegra wouldn't correct her for saying madame. 'Oui,' she said.

  'I can speak English,' the vicomtesse said. 'What is it that you want to know, madame?'

  'I'm doing some research for a magazine on emeralds,' Allegra replied, 'and I saw the magnificent emerald necklace that the vicomte purchased several years ago from Jules Levant,' she said.

  'Yes?' the vicomtesse replied.

  She's not going to make this easy, Allegra thought. 'I hope I don't appear to be nosy,' she said, 'but I wondered if the necklace is still in your possession. You see, I'm tracing the provenances of several very important emerald jewels as part of the article. If you don't want your name mentioned, then I'll certainly honor your request.'

  'I see,' the vicomtesse replied. She cleared her throat before continuing. 'I'm afraid, madame, that you've called the wrong party.'

  'Excuse me?' she responded.

  'My late husband did not buy the emerald necklace for me, madame,' the vicomtesse said. 'He bought it for his mistress.'

  Oh, my God, Allegra thought with horror. What have I done? 'I—I'm sorry,' she said. 'I had no idea.'

  'Of course not,' the vicomtesse said. 'Why would you? Should you want to pursue this further, I suggest you call Danielle Dandois. If you'll wait a moment, I'll give you the number.'

  'Thank you,' Allegra said.

  There was silence for a few moments; then the vicomtesse came back on the line. 'Have you a pen and paper?'

  'Yes,' Allegra replied, quickly taking the pad and pen from the bedside table.

  The vicomtesse gave her the telephone number. 'I wish you luck,' she said afterward. 'I'm afraid Danielle is . . . shall we say she is not always terribly responsible about things.'

  'I can't thank you enough,' Allegra said.

  'Think nothing of it,' the vicomtesse replied, then hung up the receiver.

  Allegra turned and looked at Todd.

  'What?' he asked.

  'I'm mortified,' she said, and told him what had transpired.

  Todd couldn't help his laughter. 'Jesus, this is really opening a can of worms, isn't it?'

  Allegra nodded. 'I suppose so. No, I know so. Well, on to the next call.'

  'How about a kiss first?' Todd said. He didn't know whether it was the champagne or simply Allegra's allure or his own body's greedy lust, but he felt incredibly horny.

  'How about it?' she replied.

  He took her into his arms and kissed her passionately. When he drew back, she sighed. 'Ah, such a temptation. But first things first. Let me make this call.'

  He slipped an arm around her waist again. 'Okay,' he said, 'but try to hurry, huh?' He kissed the back of her neck. 'I've got a monster in my pants.'

  Allegra laughed and slapped his arm playfully, then dialed the number the vicomtesse had given her.

  The telephone rang four times before it was picked up. 'Danielle Dandois Antiquaire,' a male voice answered.

  Allegra was momentarily flummoxed. She hadn't realized she was going to reach a business. 'Madame Dandois, s'il vous plait,' she said.

  'Who is calling, please?' the man asked.

  'My name is Allegra Sheridan. I'm afraid that Madame Dandois doesn't know me. The Vicomtesse de Rabe gave me her number.' Allegra was certain that the vicomtesse's name would get her through to Madame Dandois.

  'In regard to?' the man asked with a nasty tone.

  'It is a personal matter, monsieur.'

  'Hold, please.'

  After a moment a woman's voice came on the line. 'Yes, this is Danielle Dandois. How may I help you?'

  Allegra gave her the same pitch she'd given the vicomtesse. When she was finished, Danielle Dandois burst into gales of laughter. 'Sorry, Madame Sheridan,' she said. 'I can't help it. The vicomtesse will be stewing about this for weeks to come.' She laughed helplessly again. 'But I'm afraid I can't help you,' she finally said.

  'Oh?' Allegra said, her heart sinking.

  'No, madame,' the woman replied. 'You'll have to call that bastard Ramtane Tadjer. He owns Jules Levant Joaillier. He bought the necklace from me when Philippe died. I got a good price from him, too, even though the bargaining went on for weeks.'

  'I see,' Allegra said. 'So he has the necklace.'

  'As far as I know,' the woman replied. 'I never cared for it, really. Not to my taste. I only wore it for Philippe. So Ram, the awful bastard, actually did me a favor taking it off my hands.' She laughed again.

  'Thank you very much for your help, madame,' Allegra said.

  Allegra replaced the receiver in its cradle. She turned to Todd, who looked at her quizzically. 'Ramtane Tadjer bought the necklace from her,' she said.

  'That's great,' he said.

  He hugged her, then kissed her lips. 'Why don't you take a break and I'll make the next telephone call?'

  'You don't have to do that,' Allegra said. 'I started this and—'

  'I'm here to help you,' Todd said. 'Remember? Here, give me the list, and I'll try to get one of them.'

  Allegra handed it to him, and Todd looked it over. 'What if I try the Greek. Costas Stephanides. I always loved that actress he shacked up with. What's her name?'

  'Marina Koutsoukou,' Allegra replied. 'But you're not going to be able to get hold of Stephanides, because he died several years ago.'

  'You're positive about that?'

  Allegra nodded. 'Yes, so we have to try to get hold of Marina Koutsoukou somehow or other.'

  'Were they ever married?' Todd asked.

  'I don't think so,' Allegra said. 'I know he had this huge place on Mykonos, the Greek island. It used to be in all the magazines.'

  'I guess I could start by seeing if I can get a number for a Stephanides on Mykonos,' Todd said. 'Here. Why don't we change places. You spread out while I make this call.'

  'You're a sweetheart,' Allegra said, giving him a kiss. She climbed onto the bed from the edge and propped herself against the pillows.

  Todd scooted over to sit on the side of the bed, then picked up the telephone receiver and dialed the switchboard. 'I want to place a call to the residence of Costas Stephanides in Mykonos, Greece,' he told the operator. 'I don't have the number.'

  He turned and winked at Allegra.

  The operator came back on the line. 'The number is ringing, monsieur,' she said.

  'Merci,' Todd replied, then turned to Allegra. 'It's ringing,' he said with surprise.

  The phone rang and rang and just when Todd had about given up, a woman picked up. 'Kalimera,' she said.

  'Kalimera,' Todd replied, using one of the five Greek words he knew. 'Do you speak English?'

  'Of course,' came the reply in what was almost a snarl.

  'Hi. My name is Todd Hall, and I'm writing an article on important emeralds,' he said. He was glad he'd had the champagne. It made lying so much easier.

  'So?' came the impatient reply.

  'I was trying to get in touch with someone in Mr. Costas Stephanides's family, because—' he began.

  'I am Arianna Stephanides,' the woman said. 'His daughter.'

  'Wonderful,' Todd said enthusiastically. 'Perhaps you can help me. Your father bought a very important emerald brooch from Jules Levant Joaillier several years ago, and—'

&nb
sp; 'Get to the point,' the woman said in a rude voice.

  'Sorry,' Todd said apologetically. 'The brooch is to be featured in my article along with other emeralds, and I wondered if you still have it.'

  'Why would I tell you?' the woman snapped. 'You could be a thief for all I know.'

  Todd, fearing she would slam the telephone down, quickly spat out a rush of words. 'I'm only a writer. A simple student, really. I'm calling from New York City. I couldn't steal it if I wanted to. I'm just doing an article on emeralds. And this brooch is—'

  'I don't have the emerald,' the woman said in her harshest voice yet. 'My father's whore has it. Call the bitch.'

  She slammed down the receiver with a bang that reverberated in Todd's ear. He turned to Allegra. 'Je-sus, I'm great with the ladies,' he said.

  'What happened?' Allegra asked.

  He told her.

  'Then we have to try to locate Marina Koutsoukou another way,' Allegra said. 'I wonder if she still lives in Mykonos?'

  'One way to find out,' Todd replied, and he dialed the switchboard again. He gave the operator the instructions.

  The phone was picked up after the second ring. 'Kalimera.' It was a man's voice.

  'Kalimera,' Todd said. 'Do you speak English?'

  'Of course.' The reply was almost a snort of derision this time.

  'I'm trying to locate Marina Koutsoukou,' Todd said. 'I'm writing an article on important emeralds, and one of them is a brooch that Costas Stephanides gave her. I won—'

  'Madame Koutsoukou is not here,' came the snapped interruption.

  'Do you know where I could locate her?' Todd asked politely. 'This article is—'

  'Madame is in London.'

  Todd took a deep breath, wondering how he got involved in this. But any misgivings he had were swept away when Allegra ran a hand down his back and tickled his butt.

  'Is it possible to get her number there?' Todd asked. 'This is very important.'

  'Madame's number is not given out to total strangers,' the man said with satisfaction.

  'But Costas Stephanides's daughter gave me this number,' Todd said. 'She realized how important this is, and—'