by Robin Caroll
While they needed to speak to the princess regarding her tiara, Beau also wanted to be able to watch the reactions of those being interviewed by Zach. He also didn’t want the young detective, no matter his rank, to have to face Pampalon alone. “Marcel, why don’t you go interview the princess since you’ve already spoken to Mr. Pampalon?” Beau closed his notebook and looked at Zach. “If you don’t mind, I’d like to go with you on your interviews this evening. It will help me to hear the conversations.”
Zach smiled. “I don’t mind at all, Detective. Let’s start with Mr. Pampalon senior. I understand he doesn’t live onsite.”
Marcel tossed Beau a knowing grin before leaving them. Beau waited, willing to let Zach take the lead, but the young man didn’t move. “Do you know where Mr. Pampalon is?”
“Oh. Yes. His office. This way.” Zach meandered toward the hallway where Addy’s office was housed. Claude’s office was around the corner from Addy’s. As they passed her office, Beau noticed no light shined from under the closed door. She did live onsite, but there was no way she’d be in her apartment already. More than likely, she’d be working the situation long after everyone from the police department left.
One of the many things that made Beau love her.
6
Dimitri
“I’m sure I don’t need to spell it out for you how imperative it is for Katerina’s tiara to be recovered and returned to her, posthaste.” Edmond Jansen had lost all premise of politeness now that he had left his fiancée in the hotel room with Adelaide and stood in the hotel hallway facing Dimitri.
“Of course I understand the importance.” Dimitri chose to ignore the man’s accusing glare and tone. Edmond had every right to be upset. Dimitri couldn’t help but put himself in Edmond’s place if the situation were reversed and it was Adelaide who’d been robbed. Of course, he and Adelaide weren’t engaged, weren’t even a couple— yet—but he could understand Edmond’s emotions all too plainly.
Edmond took a step closer, invading Dimitri’s personal space. “I hope that you do, and quickly. I would hate for my father to arrive this weekend for your father’s parade and the tiara still be missing. My father would be most displeased, and I’m certain his displeasure would be made clear to your father.”
Dimitri straightened, reclaiming his personal space. “There’s no need for veiled threats, Edmond. We will continue to cooperate with the police in the investigation, as we would for any guest.”
“That’s just it, Dimitri. Katerina is not just any guest. She’s a princess, a royal who deserves more than just your cooperation with the police. Her stature demands that the focus of the investigation and your efforts be centered on finding her tiara and returning it to her quickly.”
If it were Adelaide . . . “Of course we are doing everything in our power to return the princess’s property to her.”
“As we explained, those jewels are priceless.”
Dimitri nodded. “I understand.” Although he couldn’t under- stand why the royal family would allow such valuables out of their country.
“I hope that you do, Dimitri. I think our fathers have a very mutually beneficial business association. I would hate to see that connection severed.” Edmond Jansen’s eyes were as hard as the cut- ting edge of his words.
There was no response Dimitri could make that would smooth the man’s ire, so it was best just to hold his tongue in check.
Edmond, however, still had plenty to say. Or perhaps he just needed to release his frustration. “I’m beyond disappointed in your ability to secure such valuable belongings. We were told the hotel’s vault and safe were impenetrable, otherwise we would have never left Katerina’s tiara in your custody.”
Dimitri just nodded, not pointing out that even though their own armed guard and bodyguard accompanied the princess, the royal family hadn’t seemed to put too much emphasis on security of their crowned jewels.
Until they were stolen.
The anger in Edmond’s eyes shimmered under the harsh lights of the hotel hallway. Dimitri could almost touch the man’s emotions, and in spite of his frustration he empathized. How horrible to not be able to be in control when he was clearly accustomed to being so. How awful to not be able to protect the prize of the woman he loved. “We are doing—and will continue our efforts to do—whatever it takes to recover the princess’s crown.”
“See that you do, Dimitri.”
The door to the hotel suite swung open, and Adelaide stepped into the hallway like the breath of fresh air she always was. Despite the circumstances, Dimitri couldn’t stop the smile that instinctively slipped across his face. “Are you finished?”
She nodded at him but moved her gaze to Edmond. “Again, Mr. Jansen, on behalf of the Darkwater Inn, I apologize. Please know that we will do all that we can to rectify this awful situation. As I told Katerina, the police will be here soon to interview you both. While their questions might seem redundant, please understand they must gather as much information as possible, no matter how minute it might seem to you, in order to do their best on the investigation.”
Dimitri stood at the ready, just in case Edmond decided to give Adelaide any of the rudeness he’d displayed a few moments earlier. It looked like he just might when he opened his mouth, eyes still hard. But then he glanced at Dimitri and paused for a moment before he spoke to Adelaide.
“Thank you for coming to tell us in person, Ms. Fountaine. Katerina and I will await the police’s arrival.”
She smiled her response, then headed toward the elevator. Dimitri gave Edmond a curt nod before following her. As soon as they were safely in the elevator, Adelaide told the attendant they were going to the main floor, then leaned her head against the wall and closed her eyes.
Dimitri sent up a silent prayer for her as he reached out and took her hand. Her eyes shot open and she stood straight.
He didn’t release her hand, instead caressing her knuckles with his thumb. “It’s been a long day.”
She smiled. “For all of us. It isn’t going to be over anytime soon, either, I’m afraid.”
The elevator door opened, and she pulled her hand gently from his. “Thank you,” she said to the attendant as she stepped out of the car.
Dimitri fell into step alongside her as they crossed the polished marble floors of the lobby. She stopped just before she reached the front desk, her gaze wandering over the massive space. He could almost hear her assessment: good traffic flow for the guests. The location made for easy entrance to the streets of the French Quarter, yet the Darkwater provided a private courtyard for quiet evenings. There was just something special about the hotel that pulled Adelaide to her. Dimitri would forever be grateful for that.
Adelaide slowly started toward her office. Dimitri moved with her, sensing the enormous weight making her shoulders sag. He pulled out his cell, sent a quick text to his sous chef, then followed Adelaide into her office.
“What do you make of that story about the missing jewels of the Romanov family?” She stood, grabbing notes from her desk, scanning them then absently sorting them into different piles across the desktop.
Dimitri took a seat at the little sitting area in front of the windows of her office. “If it’s true, I can’t help but wonder why the royal family would allow the diadem to leave the country.”
She nodded, still sorting. “That’s what I was thinking. And if I were Katerina, there’d be no way I’d wear something so valuable.”
If she only knew how valuable he found her, Adelaide, to be. She’d asked for space and he’d given it, but that had been nearly a year ago, and his feelings hadn’t lessened or changed. If anything, they’d only grown stronger.
“They did bring a guard to watch over the crown, but still . . .” Adelaide tossed the last scrap of notes onto the desk and came to sit on the little loveseat across from him. She kicked off her heels and curled her legs under her, making her look more like a young college student than the woman of almost thirty years that he k
new her to be. “Katerina said they would take care of notifying the royal authorities, but I can’t stop thinking that we should also call the embassy in the morning. Just to cover our bases. And we’ll need to call our insurance agent as well to start a claim.”
She leaned her head back against the loveseat, closing her eyes and pinching the bridge of her nose. “There’s so much that we’ll need to start on. And I need to go visit Leon’s family in the morning after the police notify them of his death. It’s almost overwhelming.”
It was, and Adelaide wouldn’t delegate any of the responsibility of any of it. That wasn’t who she was. She would bear the weight of it all.
“We’ll go to Leon’s home first thing in the morning. The hotel will, of course, provide all the financial support they need for the funeral. I’ll have Lissette get with HR to assist Leon’s wife in processing his life-insurance claim.” Dimitri moved to sit beside her and gently pulled her feet into his lap, where he kneaded the heel, the pressure point for the lower back. “Relax, mon chaton.”
She sighed and closed her eyes again. “That’s heavenly.” She rested her head back once more. “Did your father say what he had in the safe?”
He didn’t want to talk about his father, but he also didn’t want anything to interrupt her allowing him to comfort her. “He said he had nothing in there.”
Her eyes shot open. “He did have something in there. It was like a tube in a black velvet bag in the bottom of the drawer.”
“You must be mistaken. He said there was nothing of his in there.”
She shifted to sit up. “There was. I saw it myself when I put the princess’s tiara in the drawer. It was a black velvet pouch, about, oh, maybe a couple of feet tall, kind of tube shaped, that was maybe three or four inches thick. I’m positive it was in there.”
Dimitri rubbed the ball of her foot a little more forcefully, trying to ease her into relaxing. “Well, it must not have been too important if he forgot.”
She eased back against the sofa again. “It was important enough to have in the safe, so it had to have some value. I’ll speak with him tomorrow before we contact the hotel’s insurance agent. I’m not sure how we’ll file the claim for the princess’s crown.”
“I’m sure the embassy will instruct us.” He moved the pressure up her foot to the outer sides of the heel, the reflexology point for her sciatic nerve.
The signs of tension on her face lessened as he kneaded. “Yes. Did Marcel give you any indication of how the investigation would be handled?”
“From what I gathered from listening to the detectives and the cyber-crimes officers, they have jurisdiction over the investigation, and the embassy personnel would be more supportive than active on the case.”
“Good. I know Beau doesn’t appreciate when other agencies interfere in his investigation.”
Dimitri didn’t reply, just kept rubbing her feet. He really didn’t have anything against Beauregard Savoie. The man was honest, hardworking, dependable, and very much ethical and honorable.
But he was also in love with Adelaide and shared a common past with her that Dimitri could never compete with.
Not that she ever made him feel like she compared the two, but how could she not? Both he and Beauregard had declared their feelings for her, albeit at an inconvenient time for her, and stated their interest in furthering their relationship. Talk about overwhelming. With everything she’d been dealing with then, she’d needed space and told them both she couldn’t think about a romance with either at the time. But now . . .
A gentle knock rapped against the office door.
Adelaide’s eyes popped open, and she shot upright, then to her feet. “Come in.”
One of the room-service attendants rolled a cart into the office. He smiled at Adelaide, then straightened as he spied Dimitri. He carefully lifted the plate covers from the steaming food. “Tonight we are serving red beans and rice with handmade biscuits and house-made butter.”
The enticing aroma filled the office, and Dimitri smiled to himself, allowing that brief moment of ego to fill him with pride. While his father had groomed him from birth to take over the operations of the hotel, learning every aspect of the business, his heart had led him into the kitchen and hadn’t let him go yet.
He was a good chef. Excellent, actually, and he wasn’t just being vain. He had a natural bent to adding just the right mix of unusual spices to create masterpieces. Food critics agreed he not only knew how to prepare exotic and savory meals guaranteed to make taste buds stand up and take notice, but he knew the history of the cuisine he made as well.
The Crescent City teemed with culinary wonders, but one of her most intriguing assets was the inviting and delectable Cajun cuisine as well as that of the Creole foods. Although both types of cooking were suffused in French tradition, the two were not the same. Creole, derived from the Spanish word criollo, was more of a reflection of the area’s multicultural heritage—a combination from France, Spain, West Africa, and the Caribbean. On the other hand, Cajun delights were more connected to the French Acadians who, after being expelled from Nova Scotia in the mid-eighteenth century, had found sanctuary in southwest Louisiana.
Dimitri knew the differences between the two types that would forever be entwined with New Orleans and had perfected his ability to cook within the boundaries of both. Eating at the hotel restaurant to sample his culinary creations was a big draw for the Darkwater Inn.
He stood and crossed Adelaide’s office. “Thank you.” He grabbed the ticket, scrawled his name, then handed it back to the young man, who took it and made a hasty retreat.
“Yes, thank you, Dimitri.” Adelaide’s face had lit up, and the worry lines seemed to have smoothed.
Dimitri smiled. The woman so appreciated food, which spoke directly to his very heart. They were, for many reasons, perfect for one another. “I figured you’d forget to eat.” He wheeled the cart closer to the sitting area and then moved the platters to the little glass table between the available seats.
“I shouldn’t be able to eat with everything going on, but oh, this looks and smells divine.” She took a seat in front of where he’d set one of the platters.
He sent up a silent grace as he finished setting their food and drinks on the table.
Adelaide took a bite and smiled behind her pressed lips before she chewed, then swallowed. “Oh, this is perfection on a spoon, Dimitri.”
He nodded, then lifted his own spoon. They ate in comfort- able silence. He couldn’t help but wonder if their life would ever get uncomplicated enough that they could enjoy simple evenings of eating alone.
Another knock on the door dispelled that notion.
Adelaide stood as Lissette stuck her head around the door. “I wondered where you two went.” She stepped inside. “That smells great.”
“Have some,” Adelaide offered.
“I’ll get some later.” Dimitri’s sister glanced at him, accusations beaming in her eyes. “How did it go with the princess? I’ve been waiting for an update.”
He should’ve called her. He stood. “I’m sorry. We were—”
“It went fine.” Adelaide cut him off, taking control of the situation as she filled Lissette in on what they’d learned from the princess. He observed quietly. There was still a level of distrust from Adelaide toward Lissette. He couldn’t really blame her. Lissette had, after all, put voodoo curses and hexes on both him and his father, not that he believed in any of that nonsense. Maybe he should be flattered that Adelaide cared enough about him to be cautious around his sister because of her actions toward him.
Then again, Lissette seemed a bit resentful of Adelaide, almost jealous at times, for the way she’d had to claw her way into the Darkwater while Adelaide was already established.
Once Adelaide finished bringing Lissette up to speed, she grabbed her water bottle and took a long drink.
Lissette nodded. “Well, at least that’s that. The cyber-crimes unit finished speaking with Claude, who sa
id we should call him at home with any updates. The detectives need to speak with each of us but have asked to do so separately.” She turned to Dimitri. “They’ve requested to speak to you first. They’re waiting in my office.”
Of course they had. Beauregard would save Adelaide for last— out of deference, of course, but also so he could spend more time with her. Nothing he could do about it, though.
With a nod, he left Adelaide and walked with Lissette toward the office that had once been his. Lissette stopped him in the hall with her hand on his arm. “Look, I’m not real sure what they’ve already found out because they aren’t giving me all the information, so if you can get them to tell you, please do.”
“Why do you think they know more than they’re telling you?” Police normally didn’t disclose more than required, but if Lissette knew something . . .
She shrugged. “Gut feeling, I guess.”
Dimitri stared into his half sister’s eyes. Maybe Adelaide’s caution and wariness was justified. “You aren’t talking about voodoo or hoodoo, are you, Lissette? You said you were done with all that.”
“I am. I am.” She flushed. “Mostly. Look, I can’t help if the spirits can’t accept I’ve changed.”
Detective Savoie stepped into the hallway. “Am I interrupting?”
In more ways than he knew. Dimitri whispered to Lissette, “We’ll finish this discussion later,” before smiling at Beauregard. “I’m sorry to have kept you waiting. I was having dinner with Adelaide.”
The look on Beauregard’s face was as priceless as Princess Katerina’s tiara.