by Robin Caroll
Tracey smiled. “Girl, you know I’m always up for good food. Unlike you, I don’t get to eat gourmet every day.” She took another bite and made smacking noises. “I do love me some hot boudin.”
Addy chuckled and shook her head. “I don’t get to eat gourmet every day.”
“You could if you wanted. Dimitri would cook you up anything you wanted, anytime you wanted. You know that.”
Addy glanced around the restaurant. Cochon Butcher Restaurant sat nestled next to Cochon’s in the Warehouse District of the city. It was a sandwich and butcher shop with a wine bar that specialized in house-made meats. Not as delectable as the culinary creations Dimitri whipped up back in the Darkwater Inn kitchen, but Addy was quite partial to Cochon Butcher’s smoked turkey sandwich. The spicy meat was served on grain bread with avocado, sprouts, and basil aioli. Perfect for a lunch out of the hotel.
“Hey,” Tracey tapped Addy’s hand. “I saw the noon news. I’m so sorry this business was leaked to the news. I can’t even imagine how they get their information. How’re you doing? Especially since you really just got back and into the swing of things again.”
“It’s so frustrating because it’s all factual, so we can’t dispute the report, but we can’t tell the whole truth either.” Addy shrugged, running her finger along the rim of her glass of tea. “Beau’s leading the investigation, and I have no doubt he and Marcel will eventually solve the case, but that won’t bring back Leon or Rubin. And who knows about the princess’s crown.”
“Okay, that whole deal is just crazy. I can’t fathom that they were able to leave her country with it without anyone knowing.”
“I know. You’d think they’d have a checkout policy or some- thing.” Addy still couldn’t believe Katerina had, in essence, pilfered the crown jewels. And now they’d been stolen under Addy’s watch. What a mess.
“I kinda respect her.”
Addy’s eyes widened.
Tracey laughed. “Come on, Ads, you have to admit, that’s a pretty gutsy move on her part. To have such gumption . . . I’m impressed.”
Addy chuckled. “Okay, okay. I’ll admit that I think it took a lot of guts for her to take it and leave, but I also think that says a lot about the security of her country. I told you what the rumor is about that tiara. Who in their right mind would risk it? Forget the possibility of it being stolen—a stone could have come loose and gotten lost.” She shook her head and wiped her mouth. “A gazillion things could’ve happened to it. Something did happen to it.”
“I’m sorry, sweetie. What happens now?” Tracey took a swig of her sweet tea and balled up her napkin and tossed it on her empty plate.
“Lissette will file the insurance claim as soon as we get the paperwork. The royal family’s court jeweler, according to the princess, will be bringing the appraisal of the crown. We wait and see what our insurance policy will cover.” Addy let out a heavy sigh. “I did a little research about the missing crown jewels of the Romanov family. I have to tell you, Trace, I’ve got a gut feeling that Katerina’s tiara is the undocumented diadem in the picture. I saw it with my own eyes. Hey, I’m the one who actually put it in the drawer in the safe.”
“What if it is?”
“Then our insurance policy isn’t going to be enough to cover what the tiara is worth.”
Tracey finished off her tea with a final swig. The ice cubes rattled against the glass. “You said it wasn’t considered part of the Russian crown jewels.”
“The Kremlin doesn’t recognize it as being so.”
“Then the value of the tiara can’t be based on it being part of the collection, right?”
“That’s what makes sense, but still.” She finished off her own glass of tea. “Even if it’s not considered part of the Russian crown jewels, it’s still extremely valuable. I mean, they’re sending the court jeweler with the appraisal.”
“I don’t even know what a court jeweler is, but it sounds pretty impressive to me.” Tracey gave Addy’s hand a gentle shove over the table. “Come on, Ads. I know this is bad for you right now, but you have to admit, it’s intriguing as all get-out too.”
Her bestie always did know how to just lay everything out in the open. “It is, and just the story behind the tiara would be enough to have me in total awe if it hadn’t been stolen from my hotel.”
“Okay. So, Beau’s working the case, right? He and Marcel are awesome at their jobs, yes?”
Addy nodded. “They’re very good. Beau’s so good that he was promoted not too long ago by his captain.”
“See. Then stop stressing. Let Beau and Marcel do their jobs.” Tracey threw some bills on the table before standing. “You need to get your mind on other things.”
Also standing, Addy added a five to the table. “Unfortunately, I don’t have time to think of anything else. And now our other security guard was found dead at his home this morning. Murdered.”
“I hate this for you, girl, I really do, but again, that’s a police matter. Let Beau and Marcel do their jobs.”
Tracey linked her arm through Addy’s as they stepped out onto Tchoupitoulas Street. The early afternoon sun beat down on the Big Easy, but the crispness in the air kept the temperature cool. “Tell me how you’re feeling toward Dimitri and Beau, now that you’ve had several weeks to get back into your routine,” Tracey said as they turned toward the parking lot.
“There’s not much to tell. I’ve been busy getting back up to speed on what’s been happening at the hotel, preparing for the carnival season, then all this happened.”
Tracey stopped and spun, facing her. “Adelaide Fountaine! Both of those men let you know they had romantic feelings for you almost a year ago. Both of them asked you out.”
“I know. I know.” Addy shook her head. “I told them I needed time to figure out what I wanted.”
“Again, this was almost a year ago, before you decided to head off to Europe.”
“I needed to get away. To think. To clear my head. And the opportunity to study at that hotel was awesome.”
“Yes, but you’re back now.” Tracey gave her a little shove. “You can’t just leave them hanging. I’ve seen the way both of them look at you. It isn’t fair to them. You need to do whatever it takes to decide if you want to be with either of them.”
“How do I do that, exactly?” Addy hated to think of hurting either man—they were both so important to her. “It’s so very complicated.”
Tracey started walking slowly toward the parking lot again. “Life is complicated, Ads. It’s never going to be simple. You should decide what you want in the midst of chaos, because that’s when you realize who you really want on your side.”
Addy strolled alongside her best friend. “I hate the thought of hurting either one of them.”
“Or do you hate the idea of giving either of them up?”
Oh, her best friend did have a way of cutting to the heart of the matter. “I don’t really know.” Tears burned her eyes. “I don’t know what to do, Trace.”
“Oh, honey.” Tracey pulled her into a tight hug. “Look, I’m by no means a love guru, but here’s my simple advice: be up front and honest with both of them about how you feel, but let them know you want to see how the romance between you goes.”
“Both of them?”
“Honey,” Tracey grinned, “that’s called dating. People date to get to know one another on a romantic level to decide if they want to get serious. You date more than one person to decide who you want to pursue a monogamous relationship with.”
“You’re suggesting I date both of them, at the same time?”
Tracey looped her arm through Addy’s again and gently tugged her toward the parking lot. “Yes. People do it all the time. That’s what dating is.”
“With our history . . . I mean, I know them both so well . . .”
“Not romantically, Ads. Knowing a man as a friend, coworker, whatever is totally different than knowing him romantically.” Addy’s heart raced just to think about B
eau and Dimitri romantically. “But won’t it be more complicated to date them both?”
“However will you know who you should be with, or if you should even be with one of them, if you don’t date them?”
True, but still . . . “I guess.”
“Look, just let each of them know that you would be willing to go out on a real date, then let them decide. If they’re still interested, they’ll ask you out.”
Sounded almost too simple. “But there are two of them.”
“Yep, you let them both know. Dating is your business, so you don’t have to announce that you’re seeing the other one too. But be honest. If asked, tell him. Don’t let either of them believe you’re only dating him unless that’s the truth.”
Tracey made it sound so easy, but it wasn’t. Addy knew how convoluted the situation could be. “I’ll think about it.”
Tracey laughed as they headed to their cars parked side by side. “You need to do more than think, Ads. You need to decide.”
Addy pulled out her keys and shook her head.
“Ms. Fountaine!” Addy turned to see the dreaded older woman with curly hair and face devoid of makeup. “I don’t know if you remember me. I’m Allison Williams from WDSU Channel 6. I’m following up on a report of the murder this morning of another of the Darkwater Inn’s employees, Jackson Larder. Would you care to comment?”
What? Addy scrambled to cover her surprise that the woman knew details so quickly. “I remember you, Ms. Williams.”
The woman smiled. “Good. Do you have a comment about Jackson Larder’s murder?”
That it was awful and horrible that another man was dead? “Perhaps you should share with me what you already know, Ms. Williams.”
“New Orleans crime scene unit and coroner are currently at Mr. Larder’s residence. My sources tell me that Mr. Larder was shot. Would you care to comment on the connection between his murder and that of the other two men at the Darkwater Inn?”
How did the woman have such accurate information? “I’m sorry, Ms. Williams, I can’t comment at this time.”
The woman frowned. “That all three people were associated with the hotel is more than mere coincidence, Ms. Fountaine. What is the hotel’s statement regarding the safety of everyone connected to the hotel?”
“Statement? We have no statement. No comment.” She turned back to her car, unlocking it with the remote fob.
“Surely you can spare a word or two, Ms. Fountaine. To put the public’s mind at ease.”
Intent on ignoring the reporter, Addy opened the driver’s door.
“She told you she had no comment.” Tracey’s tone left no doubt that the conversation was done.
“We’re running the story with or without a comment from the hotel.” Allison lifted her voice.
Addy slipped behind the steering wheel.
“It’ll be without a comment.” Tracey winked at Addy, then shut the door to Addy’s car.
Addy started the car and jammed it in reverse. She couldn’t get out of the parking lot and heading toward the Quarter fast enough. Her thoughts raced as fast as she could drive.
How did the press know so quickly that Jackson Larder had been murdered?
12
Dimitri
“Have you hired a private investigator?”
Dimitri looked up from the macque choux he was preparing for dinner tonight in the Darkwater Inn’s restaurant. He didn’t know whether he was more shocked that his father had lowered himself to enter the hotel’s kitchen or that he’d sought out Dimitri to ask for an update. Neither were common actions of Claude Pampalon.
He set aside the corn he’d removed from the cob and reached for the onions and bell peppers to chop. “Not yet. I’ve spoken with a couple, but haven’t hired one.”
“Why not?” Claude’s face tinged red, but he kept his voice lowered.
“Because I didn’t think either of the ones I spoke with were right for this particular job.” To be honest, Dimitri didn’t know exactly what he was looking for but knew he needed to hire someone who wouldn’t step on the police’s toes nor cause an international incident. His chopping was automatic, but his father didn’t take the hint and leave.
“Then you should be searching for the right person instead of—” Claude waved his hand over the kitchen prep island. “—whatever it is you’re playing at here.”
Dimitri resisted the urge to sigh and slam the knife into the butcher block counter. They’d gone round and round with his being a chef and with his father’s unwillingness to accept that fact, and he’d thought he’d finally gotten his father’s acceptance with Lissette wanting to take over the CEO position. Apparently not.
“I’m cooking, Father. That’s what chefs do.”
“You’re no more a chef than I am a pauper, Dimitri. I’ve indulged your whim, but I warn you, you’re on the edge of my generosity.”
Dimitri mixed the chopped bell peppers and onions with the corn and dumped it into the stock pot simmering on the stove. He eased the wooden spoon around the pot before placing the lid on slightly askew and facing his father. “You should ask Lissette to hire someone. I’m sure she’s got more contacts and probably a much better gut feeling.”
Claude’s face turned a deeper red. “Come with me.” He turned and headed out of the kitchen.
Dimitri let out a sigh and followed.
His father, scowling as usual, stood in the hallway near the delivery door. “That girl is incapable of hiring a private investigator. I thought you understood that her time here at the Darkwater is short.”
“She’s your daughter, Father.”
Claude’s eyes narrowed into slits. “I told her mother to abort her fetus when she told me she was pregnant. I even gave her the money for the procedure. She refused. A man should not be expected to support a child that he never wanted. As a man, you should understand that.”
How did the man live with himself? Dimitri had never been more ashamed of his father than he was at that moment, yet he reined in his emotions. “Not taking into consideration the moral obligation, you know there is the legal one.”
Claude smiled that humorless smile of his. “Ah, yes. The forced-heirship governing laws only in the state of Louisiana.”
Just what Dimitri’s attorney had told him and Lissette about last year before they confronted Claude. Even though Claude might want to cut Lissette out of his will, Louisiana operated under a unique system of laws set forth to prevent a person like Claude from disinheriting his legal children. These laws, which were derived from the Louisiana Constitution, placed restrictions on a person’s ability to leave his property to someone other than their legal children.
“That’s right, Father. Like it or not, you’re legally obligated to include Lissette because of the forced-heirship laws.”
Claude grinned wider. “Did your second-rate lawyer inform you that the laws only cover offspring through the age of twenty-three? That once a person turns twenty-four, they are no longer considered covered under the silly forced-heirship laws?”
Dimitri felt sick. Lissette had turned twenty-three a few months ago. That meant she’d turn twenty-four before the end of the year.
Claude chuckled. “Ah, yes. I see you’ve done the math. That girl’s time at the Darkwater is limited, and there isn’t a thing she or you or any attorney in the state can do about it.”
How could his father look at himself in the mirror every day? The man had no heart. Certainly no conscience. “Be that as it may, Father, I’m not turning my back on Lissette.”
“The issue you should be worrying about, Dimitri, is getting back into my good graces in hopes that I forgive and forget this little whim of yours I’ve allowed you to indulge.”
He would not go back to being miserable.
“You may think you care about what happens to the little witch, but you should care about what happens to you.”
Dimitri squared his shoulders. “I’m not like you, Father. I won’t put myself before
others.”
“Really? How about putting one person ahead of another?” Claude crossed his arms over his chest, looking as if he were truly enjoying himself. “What about Ms. Fountaine?”
“What about Adelaide?” But Dimitri’s pulse had already begun to race.
“Are you willing to put the little witch before Ms. Fountaine?” Claude ran a finger along the side of his nose. “I wonder, dear boy, who would you fight to keep? Your half-mix sister or Ms. Adelaide Fountaine?”
Surely his father wasn’t that cruel . . .
Claude chuckled. “Ah, I see you have a dilemma.” He stopped laughing. “It would be in your best interest, son, to do as I wish and do so well. Lissette is already on the way out, whether you want to accept that or not. Your actions from now on determine if Ms. Adelaide Fountaine is on her way out as well.”
Dimitri couldn’t even think with the blood rushing in his head and ringing in his ears. He couldn’t pick one over the other, but by what his father was saying, Lissette was already gone, but he still had a chance to save Adelaide.
If he did as his father instructed without complaint. There was always a rub with his father. Always.
“Ah, perhaps you are more like me than you care to admit, my son. That a woman can get under your skin and make you do things you abhor.”
“Adelaide doesn’t make me do anything. You’re the one trying to make me do things I detest.”
“Either way, a woman is a weakness. Don’t worry, you’ll learn soon enough.” Claude straightened and met Dimitri’s disgust-filled stare. “See to it that you hire an investigator soon, Dimitri. They stand a much better chance of finding who hacked our system and robbed us.” Claude gave him a final glare before turning and striding down the hall, away from the kitchen.