Spoils of the Game

by Lee Lamond

  “Oh, yes. I have a number of documents for you to sign, but once that is done, everything will be complete. I received the bank transfer, so all we need is your signature.”

  “I should be available tomorrow. Could you bring the documents around four? I will sign whatever I need to.”

  “Four would be fine. I will see you then.”

  “Great, and thank you.”

  It was coming to an end. This whole piece of insanity was coming to an end. Madeline was going to be a little disappointed, but perhaps not. Now he could look a little farther into the future.

  Chapter 12

  Antibes

  “Hey, Madeline, it’s me.”

  “Whose is me?”

  “Mr. Austin Clay, to you.”

  “I’m sorry, I never heard of you,” she teased.

  “Well, I have heard of you, and the word on the street is that you are pretty hot.”

  “Oh, now I know who you are. You are that American that makes me want to pull my hair out. You’re that American that dragged me into a treasure hunt that almost got me killed, and who still owes me for the shoes I ruined.”

  “That’s me.”

  “So what are you up to today, Mr. Clay? Do you now want me to be chased by headhunters, or perhaps swim with crocodiles?”

  “I got space on the plane to Nice. Can you pick me up?”

  “Well, I will have to check my schedule. I am very busy.”

  “Please. I think it lands at a little after seven.

  “I’ll be there. Are you going to tell me how things went today or not? I mean, how many millions will it be?”

  “When I tell you what happened today, you will be amazed.”

  “Well, I can hardly wait.”

  The plane landed on time, and Madeline was waiting at the curb. The drive to Antibes took only a few minutes, and Madeline was dying to learn what had happened, but Austin was trying to be cool and put her off. The delay in learning the outcome of Austin’s trip to Zurich did not settle well in her mind, and she did not like Austin’s silence on the topic.

  “I thought tonight we would stay in and count the money. Did you get the doctor info you wanted in the e-mail I sent you?” asked Madeline, trying to get any information she could from the reserved Austin.

  “I got it, but I may have a better idea. Let’s get back to the house, and we will go through all of the details.”

  As they drove up the road to the house, Austin was confirming one of the plans in his head. He had to be careful in the next few hours to keep Madeline’s head under control and to assure her that the big promise of helping her nephew was still on track. Madeline parked the car in the drive and ran to open the door. She was full of excitement. It was clear that she had recovered from her trauma.

  The table on the terrace was set, and the warmth of the summer evening made for a perfect environment to break the news. In his own mind he was at peace with the status of everything. If he could pull it off, life could move forward. Austin left the terrace and went into the kitchen, where Madeline was placing a casserole in the oven.

  “Well, it looks good, whatever it is.”

  “Oh, you will love this. And if you don’t, just tell me that you do.”

  “I love it already.”

  “Look in the refrigerator.”

  “Wow, look at that cake. Did you make that?”

  “No. I am a good cook, but I am not a magician. I saw it in a shop in the village, and I knew you would like it.”

  “Where is the wine?” said Austin, knowing that it might come in handy.

  “Look in the bottom of the refrigerator. There should be two bottles. So when are you going to tell me?”

  “Let’s get dinner out of the way so we can concentrate on the facts. My visit to Zurich was very interesting, and it turned out differently than I thought. The ABI bank people I spoke to were very helpful, and in the end I think the results we achieved will be the best.”

  Dinner was all that Madeline had advertised. She looked great with candlelight on her face and the last glimmer of the sunset behind her. When dinner came to an end, Madeline rose, took some of the dishes to the kitchen, and brought out the second bottle of wine.

  “It is not good news, is it?” said Madeline, catching Austin off guard.

  “It’s not all bad.”

  “Austin, I know you, and when you hesitate to tell me something, you are trying to control the conversation. It is a control thing with you. So are you going to tell me?”

  “Okay. Let’s start with the good news. I had a discussion with a doctor friend of mine at the Mayo Clinic in the States. This is a guy that I know through my business relationships, and he is connected to all of the neurological technology in the world. If this guy doesn’t know it, no one does. He wants us to e-mail your nephew’s medical records to his office. If he thinks that there is something to be done, I will fly the boy to the United States and we will get the situation resolved, if it can be. I do not know why I did not think of the approach before, but I just didn’t. If we can get the records e-mailed in the next week or so, we should know something a few days later. So independent of the money, that is good news. Now, about the money. The coins were fakes.”

  Austin’s comment was a shock and caught Madeline unprepared.

  “Fakes!”

  Austin reached into his pocket, pulled out a small bag of coins, and poured the contents onto the table.

  “Madeline, I was dumb. I should have studied the coins in detail before we got involved with plans for a fortune. To be honest, I felt like a fool in Zurich. The bank arranged for a coin expert to look at the coins, and he knew in a few seconds that the coins were fakes. There won’t be any money. If you want to talk with the coin guy or the bank guy, here are their cards.”

  Madeline looked past Austin, toward the ocean. She was silent for about a minute before saying, “I am not unhappy. I am not unhappy at all. I told you that the money was cursed, even if it is fake. If you think that your contacts in the United States can help Benjamin, that is all I ever really wanted.”

  “I think I have Benjamin covered. Dr. Bill is the best there is. Madeline looked at the ocean again. It was becoming clear to Austin that something else was bothering her. He took the opportunity to reach for the small box he had hidden under the table.

  “Here, I got you a present.” He was sure that this would distract her for a few minutes.

  “Oh, I love presents. What is it?”

  Within seconds she had removed the wrapping paper and opened the watch box.

  “Oh, my, this looks so expensive. It is beautiful.”

  “I just couldn’t go to Switzerland without getting you a watch.”

  She loved the watch, but it wasn’t the confirmation that she wanted. She wanted to know that Austin wasn’t going to be fake in her life. She wanted to know that she was going to be a big part in his life. Was he giving her the watch to make up for the last week, or was there more to it? Madeline rose from the table, went over to Austin, and sat on his lap. She kissed him, and he kissed back. That told her what she wanted to know. Austin picked Madeline up and took her over to the cushions on the terrace. He continued to kiss her while he slowly undressed her. In the warmth of the summer evening, they spent the night on the terrace.

  Morning came with the heat of the sun. By eight, Madeline was up and had gathered some orange juice and toast from the limited food she had at the house.

  “This is not exactly breakfast in bed, but if we push a few of the cushions together, we can make the best of it.”

  “I would have breakfast with you on a bed of nails.”

  “Just for saying that, you can have the toast that I did not burn.”

  “I have another surprise for you,” said Austin, who wanted to recharge the atmosphere.

  “Another surprise?”

  “Anyone who can make toast this good deserves another surprise.”

  Madeline laid her naked body next to Austin.
“I bet I can get you to tell me.”

  “Oh, no, this is a big surprise, and I want you to be dressed by four, because that is when it is being delivered.”

  “Delivered. Is it a car?”

  “No, no. How much money do you think I have?”

  “If you wanted to buy me a car, you could.”

  “Well, maybe, but it is not a car. It is not that big a deal. I should not have told you anything, because now you will be disappointed.”

  “Okay, I’ll wait, but I know it’s a car.”

  Austin went to get showered and dressed. From the front window of the house he saw a car drive slowly past the driveway, and a few minutes later, the same car drove past again. It seemed strange to Austin, but it was no big deal. He knew that the person making the delivery was not due until four. He also knew that it wasn’t the police. When he returned to the kitchen, Madeline was busy cleaning up, and she asked Austin to take the trash out to the road. The road that went past the front of the house was little more than a gravel country lane. To the right he saw the same car he had seen earlier. After placing the garbage in the pickup bin, Austin started to return to the house, but he realized that whoever was in the car was opening the car door. Austin stepped behind a large tree and watched as a well-dressed woman with an olive complexion and long black hair exited the car … with a handgun.

  Damn, Austin said to himself. This was not what he expected. The healing of the last few days was going well, and he did not need this crap. And there was also a chance that someone was going to get killed. As the woman slowly walked down the road toward the house, he changed his position so that he could continue to hide while watching as best he could. Tears were streaming down the woman’s face. She stopped, turned around, and began walking toward her car; then she stopped again. For about a minute she stood and did not move, and then she began walking toward the house again.

  As she entered the end of the drive, Austin saw his opportunity and jumped toward the woman, who was caught totally by surprise. He took control of the gun and ripped it from her hands, tossing it toward the road. The woman tried to kick and scratch Austin in anger, but it was clear that she was not skilled in fighting, and she was no match for the former linebacker. Austin grabbed her from behind, put his arm around her neck, and forced her toward the road.

  “So who might you be, madam?” he asked.

  The woman did not answer. He applied a little more pressure to her neck, and she began to cough. Austin did not want to hurt the woman, but a woman that brought a gun got his attention and his encouragement to have her answer a few questions.

  “Do you have a problem with me?” said Austin, trying to determine why he had been so lucky as to have her visit. Across the road and out of sight of the house, Austin threw the woman on the ground. Then he placed his knee on her stomach.

  “Now let me repeat myself,” he said and applied his weight.”

  The woman gave up the fight and began to cry uncontrollably.

  “Madam, let me repeat myself. What is your problem, and who the hell are you?”

  The nameless woman continued to cry and did not answer. Austin stood and rose over her, waiting for her answer, which she finally provided between sobs.

  “I am Carmella Basset, the wife of Simon Basset. You killed my husband, and I came here to kill you.” The woman continued to cry. “I have never killed or hurt anybody, but I loved my Simon. He was my life, and I came here determined to kill you.”

  “Carmella, I did not kill your husband. Your husband and I had a disagreement, and I am afraid I may have hurt him, but I did not kill him. A man that he was working with killed him.”

  “I was told that he was killed by the man from the museum, and that is you.”

  “Your husband was killed by a man named Badeau, and I am not from the museum, he was. Mr. Badeau is also dead, so I am afraid you cannot hurt him now.”

  Carmella rolled over in the grass and continued to cry. “I am so sorry. I loved him so much, and now I don’t know what I am going to do.”

  Austin walked back toward the drive and picked up the automatic pistol. He pulled the clip and pulled back the slide to eject the one round in the chamber.

  “Carmella, I can call the cops, and they can discuss this with you in more detail and perhaps tell you that it is not a nice idea to walk around with a gun. Or we can just let this little discussion be between us and forget about it. I hesitate to let you drive out of here in your condition, so I will make a deal with you. I want you to promise me that you will wait thirty minutes before you go, and then you can just drive out of here. Or, if you want, I will take you to town, where you can get a bus.”

  Austin waited about five minutes for Carmella to reply.

  “Simon was a very good husband and a great father. I never knew him to be cross with anyone, and he was always so kind to me and his mother.”

  Austin did a quick audit in his mind. The Simon he knew was a cold-hearted thug. Apparently he’d missed Simon’s softer side, but he didn’t think so.

  With Austin’s help, Carmella rose from the ground and headed for her car. “I will be okay. I will wait, as you ask. I am so sorry and so embarrassed. Thank you so much. I have two children at home, and I was so close to messing up everything. Thank you.”

  Carmella got into her car and waited, as she’d promised. Austin headed back to the house and Madeline.

  “Where have you been? I was looking for you, and you were gone,” said Madeline.

  “Oh, there was a lady out at the road that had a problem with her car. I fixed her car, and she should be gone soon. We have time before your four o’clock surprise, so I want to go down to the beach and get rid of the few coin samples I showed you last night. Is that okay with you? I really, really want to get even the fake gold out of our life.”

  “Sure.”

  “I will even buy you lunch.”

  The weather was perfect, and a good, slow walk to town was a great idea. As they came around the bend in the road, Carmella’s car passed, and Austin let that small chapter in his life drive away forever. Before formally throwing the coins in the ocean, Austin invited Madeline into Sid’s, a small bar that had the only cheeseburgers worth eating on the Riviera. Madeline was in a good mood, and the expectation of a new car had her very excited. Sid’s had a great view of the ocean, and the breeze eliminated the need for air conditioning. Austin and Madeline had just been seated at a corner table when two men approached them.

  “Mr. Clay, my name is Antonio Duva, and this is my associate. May we join you?”

  Without waiting for a reply, the two men seated themselves. Madeline was startled, and Austin was concerned. It was only a few minutes ago that a woman was planning on killing him, and now two men that looked like they belonged in a gangster movie were confronting him.

  “Mr. Clay, I must apologize. I believe that you may have been contacted by a gentleman named Simon. Simon believed that you represented an opportunity to offer our services with respect to a treasure that some believed you might have found. Our associate Simon perhaps lacked a business style appropriate for the type of people with whom he was trying to build a business relationship. We do not believe that he was successful in selling the benefits of doing business with our organization.”

  Duva may have been right. As rough as Simon was, Duva provided a more polished appearance. His hands were manicured, and he wore a large diamond in a pinky ring. His impeccable suit, social polish, and tan helped define a man who, if he was a gangster, was at least a gangster with some refinement.

  “Mr. Duva, let me interrupt you, if I might,” said Austin. “First, I do not appreciate your interrupting our lunch. If you want to talk about poor style, then I suggest that you look at yourselves. Second, we never believed that your help was needed, and we also did not know that there was any treasure. We got caught up in chasing a fable with no idea what might be found. Your friend Simon was a thug, and he was not a team player. He was interested in
our efforts for himself and not as a member of your organization. He got faked out by a man that took exception to having his reputation and life destroyed … and who, as the newspapers suggest, blew Simon’s head off just before he killed himself. Now, if you are interested in what you call the treasure, I will make you a deal. I can arrange that you receive all of the gold that we found. It currently resides in Switzerland, and you can have it all. Because, Mr. Duva, we all got fooled by a Venetian who ransomed his two boys with counterfeit coins that may have fooled people temporarily at the time, but they have not fooled the experts that have recently seen it.”

  Austin reached into his pocket and pulled out the small bag of coins destined for the ocean.