Parisian Affair Page 29

  'Do you know where that is?' he asked.

  Allegra shook her head. 'No, but we'll find it.'

  'How?'

  'Rent a car first thing in the morning and head to the forest of Fontainebleau. Drive around till we find it. You know, stop and ask. Say we're lost. Tell people we're invited there for lunch or something and lost our direction.'

  'You really think that'll work?'

  'Sure,' she said. 'People in that neck of the woods will know exactly where the princess's place is.'

  'Maybe. Maybe not,' he answered.

  'You game?' she asked.

  He winked. 'I'm in.'

  Ram took a puff of one of the Cuban cigars he occasionally allowed himself, held the smoke briefly, then blew it out in a long blue gray streamer into the dimly lit magnificence of his library. The hotel particulier on the rue Elzevir was quiet tonight, the servants either out or retired to their private quarters, and after the exertions of the previous night with the young street hooker and his activities earlier in the day on the rue des Rosiers, he felt both exhausted and paradoxically energized. His dream was coming closer to a reality, and that thought alone was enough to create a tension in his loins that must be released.

  He fleetingly thought to call one of his girls and pay another visit to the rue des Rosiers. But no sooner had the thought come to mind than he nixed it. He didn't want to be in the vicinity when Solomon Weiss's body was discovered, if it hadn't already been. He knew that neighbors regularly looked in on the old man and that the delicatessen across the street provided him with meals. He didn't think anyone would suspect foul play, but he didn't want to make himself available for the idle questions of a nosy neighbor.

  Then again, tonight would be a good time to visit the apartment again. Not only for another night of satisfying his erotic desires but to retrieve the emeralds, settings, and photographs that had been stored for so many years in the little safe hidden away in the apartment.

  Over the years, he'd considered removing them to the jewelry store, but had always decided against it. The store was sometimes a beehive of activity and offered too many opportunities for a slipup. What if he neglected to put his keys away and inadvertently gave one of his employees the opportunity to see what his private safe contained? For the same reason he'd never brought the cache to rue Elzevir.

  Now, however, with his scheme coming so close to its inevitable end, it was time. Time to bring the emeralds, settings, and photographs here to rue Elzevir. He could take one of the girls there, then dismiss her and bring back the treasures to the hotel particulier, where eventually—perhaps in the next few days—he would himself reset the stones in their original settings.

  He took another puff on the cigar, relishing its rich flavor. Yes. He could have Kadar check out the situation on the rue des Rosiers when he had finished his shift at the hotel. Most likely, the body had been discovered and carted away, and everything in the old building had returned to normal. Besides, he needed to talk to Kadar to get an update on the Sheridan woman and her boyfriend.

  He picked up his cell phone and pressed in the number.

  Kadar picked up on the second ring. 'Hello.'

  'Can you talk now?' Ram asked him.

  'Just a moment,' came the reply. Then, 'Let me call you back in a minute.'

  'Hurry,' Ram said.

  'Don't worry,' Kadar said.

  Ram pressed the END button and sat waiting. In anticipation of the upcoming night, he flipped through the Hermes address book on his desk.

  Who will it be tonight? he asked himself. Which one of the beauties will have the privilege of my company? Then he saw the name: Josette Clement. Perfect, he thought. She was pale, strawberry blond, tall, and slender. She's much like the American, Allegra Sheridan.

  His cell phone rang, and he picked it up. 'They keep you busy there, I see,' Ram said.

  'Yes,' Kadar replied. 'They work us like dogs in this palace.'

  Ram chose to disregard the negativity of his reply. He had gotten him the job there, and although he understood Kadar's plight, he would prefer to hear his gratitude rather than his gripes. 'Are the Sheridan woman and her boyfriend in their suite or have they gone out?' he asked.

  'They went out a little while ago,' Kadar said. 'But I told you that tonight it will be impossible for me to get into their suite,' he added impatiently. 'It will have to be tomorrow. This manager—'

  'I haven't forgotten,' Ram interrupted. 'Tomorrow night is fine. In the meantime, I have a little errand for you to run tonight when you get off work.'

  'What?' Kadar asked.

  'Take a run down to rue des Rosiers,' he said. 'Then call me and let me know if there are any police around or any activity in the building. Anything out of the ordinary.'

  'I'll go straight from here,' Kadar said.

  'Good,' Ram replied. 'Then tomorrow morning before you go on duty, I want you to come by here and pick up something for the Sheridan woman and her boyfriend.'

  'What time?' he asked.

  'Oh, say about eleven. How's that?'

  'Fine,' Kadar said. 'I'll be there.'

  'See you in the morning,' Ram said. He pushed the END button on his cell phone. Then from a drawer in the desk at which he sat, he took a single piece of very heavy ecru vellum writing paper and an envelope. He had one bit of business to take care of before he called Josette Clement.

  Picking up his gold Jules Levant fountain pen, a gift for special customers, he began writing. This will do it, he thought with satisfaction. Kill two birds with one stone.

  Cameron flipped through the drawings slowly, examining each one, his eyes bright with intensity. Jason anxiously sat next to him on the couch, only glancing at them when Cameron remarked on something in particular, but kept his eyes averted for the most part.

  He had been greeted as a returning hero when he got back from Brooklyn with the drawings and the precious stones he'd taken, though Cameron's face had fallen when he realized that Jason had not helped himself more generously to Allegra's store. Cameron, however, had recovered quickly and reiterated his praise of Jason's accomplishments. Then he'd drawn him into the bedroom, where he had slowly taken off Jason's clothes, removing them almost as if they were engaged in a sacred ritual, before he slipped out of his own.

  'Look at this,' Cameron said enthusiastically, pointing to a drawing of a cockerel. 'Why didn't I think of that? It's so simple but so brilliant. Everybody has done them, but not like this. Of course, to mass-produce it, we'll have to change the specs. All the precious stones become fakes or semiprecious. The eighteen-carat gold has to go. Ten carats at best. More likely, gold tone.'

  Jason looked down at the drawing and could remember the first time he'd seen it. He and Allegra had been working alone in the atelier, and when she'd finished it, she'd asked him what he thought. 'I love it,' he'd said. 'It's so ... you. Lighthearted and fun, but elegant.' Allegra had been thrilled with his response and had kissed his cheek.

  'What's with you?' Cameron asked. 'You're so quiet.'

  Jason shrugged. 'Nothing,' he said, looking at his lover. 'I'm fine.'

  'I don't think so,' Cameron said. 'I think you're having second thoughts. Are you feeling guilty?'

  Jason shrugged again. 'No, not really,' he lied.

  'Well, don't,' Cameron said, pointing a finger at him. 'It's not permitted.' He laughed, and Jason attempted a smile. 'What you did is admirable,' Cameron went on. 'She's been ripping you off for years, paying you peanuts for all your hard work, and this is the least you deserve.'

  He paused, seeing how Jason was reacting. 'Besides, she probably won't even recognize her own work once it's mass-produced.' He laughed again, but stopped when he saw that Jason was not really amused.

  Sliding an arm around his shoulders, Cameron pulled him toward him. 'Listen to me,' he said. 'You're with me now, you hear? We're a team. We'll set the world on fire together. Just the two of us.' He kissed his forehead.

  Jason felt himself falling under his lo
ver's spell again, as surely as if Cameron had given him some kind of magic potion that made him irresistible. 'Do you really mean that?'

  'You have to ask?' Cameron said. He shook him. 'Don't be insulting. This is me you're talking to.' He pointed a finger at his own chest. 'And I don't lie. I don't cheat. Not on my man.' He smiled. 'And that's you.' He pointed his finger at Jason, then kissed him again.

  'Now, what do you say we go out tonight?' he said. 'I want to show you off. Show everybody what I've got. What we've got together.'

  Despite the guilt eating away at him over betraying Allegra, a new sense of pride surged through Jason. 'Go where?'

  'Out to dinner,' Cameron said, 'then out to a couple of bars, maybe a couple of clubs.'

  The thought of being seen out as a couple would have thrilled Jason under different circumstances. He'd envied other couples for so long. Now he would be seen out with a star hunk. Handsome, built, and brilliantly intelligent. And he knew everybody who was anybody. But Jason didn't know if it was possible for him to enjoy being out with Cameron now.

  'I... I think I'd like that,' he finally said hesitantly, compounding his guilt by lying.

  'You've got it,' Cameron said, ruffling his hair. 'It'll be like shouting it from the rooftops.' He leaned over and kissed Jason again.

  Jason returned the kiss because he felt it was obligatory, but without enthusiasm.

  'Hmmm,' Cameron murmured, drawing him closer and running his hand down Jason's torso to his thighs. 'We've got plenty of time, hours even, before we have to get ready. Let's make the best of it.'

  CHAPTER 21

  The car they leased was a tiny dark blue Renault. Allegra had the map the rental office had provided spread out on her knees, while Todd was tucked in behind the steering wheel, his long legs surprisingly accommodated by the car. Their route looked simple enough. From the Porte d'ltalie, they took the A6 to the N7, which would take them to Fontainebleau, about an hour's drive from Paris, they were told.

  'All you know is that her place is somewhere near Fontainebleau,' Todd said as they whizzed down the highway through the Ile-de-France.

  Allegra nodded. 'I saw it in a magazine once, and it was mentioned in the auction catalogue,' she said.

  'From the looks of the map, that covers a huge territory. I don't know if we have any kind of chance of actually finding it,' Todd said skeptically.

  'We'll find it,' Allegra responded with confidence. She glanced at him and smiled. 'I bet all we have to do is have a glass of wine in Fontainebleau or one of the nearby towns and ask around.'

  'It may take quite a few glasses of wine, huh?' Todd joked.

  'And lunch and stopping for gas and who knows what else?'

  'The lunch part sounds good to me,' he said. 'My stomach's already growling.'

  'Mine, too,' Allegra confessed. After getting up late, they'd had a quick breakfast of buttered croissants and coffee, so they could get on their way.

  When they arrived in Fontainebleau, they discovered that restaurants and cafes abounded, lining the main street and the side lanes.

  'What if we park and look around,' Allegra said.

  'Fine with me,' Todd replied. Since it wasn't the tourist season, the streets were practically empty and parking was easy. They got out of the car and strolled down the rue de France hand in hand, stopping to look at menus posted in windows and on chalkboards out of doors. Finally, they decided on Croquembouche, a moderately priced and attractive restaurant.

  'There are quite a few people,' Allegra said, 'and lots of waiters and waitresses.'

  'Which means we'll have a lot of people to ask?' Todd said.

  'Exactly,' she replied.

  Their waitress, a hip-looking young woman with wildly dyed hair, took their wine orders, and before she left them to look over the menu, Allegra stopped her. 'I saw that Princess Karima has a place near here,' she said.

  The young lady looked at her with lifted brows that were plucked into narrow lines. 'Yes?'

  'I thought you might know where,' Allegra tried.

  'Non,' she replied, shaking her head slowly. 'This Princess Karima, she is famous?'

  'Oui,' Allegra said. 'Very rich and famous.'

  The waitress shook her head again, a grave expression on her face. Then suddenly her eyes lit up. 'Ah,' she said, 'Guy will know. He knows everything. Especially if it's anything to do with rich people or famous people. I will send him to you.'

  Before she returned with their wine, one of the waiters sidled up to their table. He was about eighteen, Allegra thought, with hair that was gelled up into little blond-tipped spikes. 'Fleur says you want to know about Princess Karima,' he said in heavily accented English.

  'Yes,' Allegra said. 'I heard that she has a house near here.'

  'Yes,' he said. 'She has even been here to eat. She is so beautiful,' he went on, 'but you can tell she has had the cosmetic surgery.'

  'So she must live close by?'

  'It's not far,' he said. 'An old mill converted into a house. It's magnificent. In the forest with lots of gardens.'

  'Do you know how to get there?' Todd asked.

  'Of course,' he said, sounding offended. 'You have to go to Melun, then from there toward Meaux.' He looked at them and sighed. 'But you are American. You don't know the area. I will draw a map and bring it to you.'

  'That would be wonderful,' Allegra said.

  'I'll be back soon. We're busy, so I have to go.' He hurried off.

  'He's starstruck,' Todd said.

  'And we're in luck,' Allegra replied.

  They were nearly finished eating before the waiter returned. 'Here,' he said, handing Allegra a slip of paper. 'This is it.' He pointed down to a star he'd drawn on a penciled map. 'You can't miss it.'

  'Thank you so much,' Allegra said.

  Todd had already taken a ten-euro note out of his pocket and discretely palmed it into the young man's hand.

  'Thank you, monsieur,' he said, and he hurried off again.

  They finished eating and paid the tab, anxious to get on their way. In less than half an hour they'd reached Melun and turned onto the N36, headed northeast toward Meaux.

  'I hope she'll let us in,' Todd said.

  'She'll let us in,' Allegra said. 'Once she finds out who I am.'

  Princess Karima's cell phone rang, and she picked it up. 'Hello?'

  Marcus noted the quick change in her demeanor, from smiles and laughter and a languid pose on the silk-velvet-upholstered chaise to the wrinkled forehead of a frown and stiffness as she suddenly sat up. Rapidly slipping her feet into the tapestry mules on the floor at the side of the chaise, she got up and, ignoring Marcus, swept out of the conservatory, the caftan she wore fluttering behind her. In her wake, Marcus detected the scent of the Golconda perfume she perpetually wore.

  The mysterious telephone calls didn't seem to stop, and if there was one thing Marcus hated, it was a mystery. He rose to his feet and approached the French doors that led out to the garden. He thought he might have a walk about the elegant parterres, but even as he put his hand on the door handle, Princess Karima glided back into the conservatory.

  'So sorry, darling,' she said, all breathless cheer. 'I had to take a call from one of my dreary accountants. You know how they are.'

  'I do indeed,' he said, turning to her. 'Dull and unimaginative. Always want to spoil the party.'

  Karima laughed. 'Exactly.'

  From behind them, they heard Mimi's heavy tread. 'Madame?' she said.

  'Yes, Mimi,' Karima asked. 'What is it?'

  'There is a call from the gate,' she said in a grumpy voice, as if the call had disturbed her. 'A woman wants to see you.'

  Karima looked at her in surprise. 'What? Here? Who is it?'

  'She says her name is Allegra Sheridan,' Mimi replied.

  'I know no such person,' Karima said huffily. 'Send her away.'

  'She said she bought your emerald ring at Dufour,' Mimi replied, 'and that she needs to speak to you about it.'

&nbs
p; 'What?' Princess Karima and Marcus exclaimed in unison. They exchanged glances. 'What on earth is she doing here?' Karima wondered aloud.

  Marcus shrugged. 'Who knows? Maybe she simply wants to meet you and is using the ring as an excuse.'

  Princess Karima lit a cigarette and paced the limestone floor thoughtfully before turning back to Mimi. 'Tell her I can see her briefly.'

  'She has her fiancé with her,' Mimi said.

  'Wouldn't she just?' Karima replied. 'Show them both in.'

  Mimi turned and left, and Karima looked at Marcus with a puzzled expression. 'How on earth do you think this American woman found me?'

  'I've no idea,' Marcus responded, 'but it's certainly no secret that you have a place here. I warned you about allowing magazines to publish pictures.'

  'But who would ever expect something like this? The audacity to simply arrive on my doorstep.'

  'She's American,' Marcus said. 'You know how they are. So aggressive. So uncivilized.'

  'That's one of the things I like about them, actually,' Princess Karima replied. 'They're not weighed down with all that European snobbery and obsession with ancient bloodlines. Some of them have been very nice to me over the years.'

  'You're right, of course,' Marcus said. 'I was speaking in a general sense. I can think of several delightful Americans we know. Very rich ones, naturally.'

  Karima laughed. 'Well, in any case, I'm glad you're here with me to face this . . . this creature who got the ring.'

  Mimi shuffled back into the conservatory with Allegra and Todd following behind her. 'Mademoiselle Sheridan,' Mimi said, 'and Monsieur Hall.'

  Princess Karima and Marcus looked them up and down, and Allegra felt as if she'd been appraised by a couple of shrewd horse buyers, examining her for potential track or breeding abilities.

  'I apologize for being so rude,' Allegra said, 'barging in like this, but I was dying to meet you and your number wasn't listed.' She had decided to play the starstruck fan, one of the devotees of Princess Karima's beauty, wealth, and style. She put out a hand to shake. 'I'm Allegra Sheridan, a jewelry designer from New York City, and this is my fiancé, Todd Hall.'