by Ju Ephraime
As they drove farther into the northern part of the island, she was struck by the beautiful landscape that spread out before them. As they climbed farther and farther into the mountainous terrain of the island, she was surprised to see dense forests, rivers, cascades of waterfalls, and, everywhere, riots of colors. Beautiful flowers grew in abundance as far as the eyes could see. This was truly a beautiful island.
Chapter Seven
Very soon, they were pulling up to her hotel. It was a three-level colonial-style building set on beautiful landscaped grounds, surrounded by flowers of so many colors that she felt as if she was in a garden of paradise, walking up the driveway from the vehicle. The outside of the building was surrounded by a terrace that extended from the second floor.
She had picked this hotel because there was a good restaurant on-site, and a world-class gym. These were two priorities with her, any time she had to book a hotel in an unknown country.
“This is beautiful, Raymond. I think I made a good choice in selecting this place. Are we closer to your brother’s place?”
“Yes, we are. I have a couple of errands to run before we leave. I’ll pick you up on my way back, so we can go to Wolfe’s from here. Is that all right with you?”
“It has to be. I've got no other choice but to wait,” she replied.
“It won’t be long. I have to tour a place I found on the Internet. It’s just a quick tour—location, conveniences, and the layout of the place. I also have to test drive a vehicle I might be interested in buying. It shouldn’t take long. I should be done by early evening. Relax for a bit, and I’ll be back before you notice I’ve been gone.” I feel like a heel. Wolfe has put me in a difficult position because of his need to go over the coat.
“You don’t understand. I need to have my coat. It’s a very expensive one, and I want to make sure I get it back.”
“Are you accusing me of being a thief?” he asked, very softly.
“No, I’m not. That wasn't what I meant. It came out wrong. But go ahead and take care of your business. I’ll see you later. Now that you've got your phone back, and I've got mine, let’s exchange numbers so we can get in touch with each other if anything changes.”
“I’ve got your number, remember? I used your phone to call mine. Here, let me program mine into yours.
*****
Raymond got back into the rental car and drove away from the hotel like a bat out of hell. Why the hell did she have to go and practically accuse him of hijacking her coat? She’d had his money and all his belongings, for crying out loud, and he hadn’t gotten paranoid about it. He hated proving Wolfe and Foxx right, but it seemed there was something going on with this coat that was more than met the eye.
He was going to go over this coat again before returning it to her. Something was off kilter here, but, first things first. He needed to rent one of those fully furnished apartments on the south side. He liked the south side, near Trois Îlets. It was the busier part of the island, and he wanted to be close to where he wanted to set up business.
He was in luck, and was able to rent a beautiful, two-bedroom villa right on the water. It was so well appointed that even the pots and pans were included. He told the leasing agent that he would provide his own linen. He had a problem using other people’s linen. Hence the reason he didn’t do hotels much. The apartment was in tiptop shape. He didn’t anticipate any problems living there.
That done, he went to the Jaguar dealership and spent a few hours test-driving the two models he was interested in. In the end, he settled on a red XFR. The vehicle looked potent, and with a 5-liter engine, it practically purred when he drove it. He was promised delivery in two days.
Now he would go visit Wolfe. He wasn’t taking Gabrielle with him on this trip. He wanted to talk with his brother about two ideas he’d been looking into, now that he was back home for good. He wanted to open his own investment firm, but since he had done most of his work in Paris, he thought he should familiarize himself with the business sector here before opening his own business. He’d been given the option of working for the firm he’d worked for in Paris; they had a branch here. He thought this would give him the opportunity to get the feel of the business environment before he made his final decision. Wolfe was the man to discuss these things with. He had a lot of strong business contacts. Foxx did, as well, but Wolfe had a head for business that couldn’t be matched.
He arrived at Wolfe’s restaurant just after the lunch—le déjeuner—crowd had quieted down. He sat at a table in the back that was reserved for the family. He had not sat down for more than two minutes before Wolfe came striding through the restaurant toward him.
“How did you know I was here?” he asked. “Do you have supernatural powers now?”
“Yes, did you only just realize this?” Wolfe answered.
“No, seriously, Wolfe, how did you know I was here?”
“I have surveillance cameras on the entire place, but I also have a sensor in this booth that is triggered any time someone sits there.”
“Why? Is that really necessary?”
“Yes, would you like to come to dinner with your girlfriend and have to wait? Remember, there’s always a waiting line.”
“Now that you put it like that, I see your point. Can we talk here, or do we go into your office?”
“We can talk here. Matter of fact, I needed a break, so this is as good a time as any. What would you like?”
“I’ll have whatever you’re having. I do want a nice, tall cool lime squash. I missed them when I was in Paris.”
Signaling over one of his wait staff, Wolfe introduced Raymond to the young man before ordering their food. He was new, and Raymond had not met him before.
After the waiter had brought over their drinks, Raymond took a sip and expressed his appreciation of the excellent flavor of the drink.
“You still make the best lime squash on the island.”
“That’s because you are biased. I’m your brother, and you have to say that.”
“Don’t kid yourself, Wolfe. If this squash was lousy, I’d be the first to tell you. You wouldn’t get away with selling food that was below par.”
“So now you're a food critic?” Wolfe asked him, giving him a wolfish grin as he sipped his drink of choice, cognac.
“You're still drinking this stuff? I thought, being married and all, you’d have moved on to bigger and better things.”
“What else is bigger and better? It's because I’m married that I have to ratchet up my cognac drinking. It keeps me in shape for my wife.”
“Not that again. Don’t blame your wife for your vices.”
Their food arrived, and he was pleased to see what Wolfe had ordered for them. It was herb-roasted pork on an open-face sandwich to be eaten with a fork. It was delicious, and Ray told him so.
“My compliments to your chef, Wolfe. This sandwich is excellent, just right for lunch, not too much to put me to sleep during the midday break, but just enough.”
“I aim to please, mon frère. What did you want to talk about?”
“Well, it will please you to know I’ve secured an apartment and bought myself a vehicle. My next task is whether or not I should go into business on my own or take the position with European Inves Bank-Martinique. They gave me the option of working at the local branch here.”
“Did you accept their offer?”
“Not firm. I told them I’d think about it. So, I bought myself two weeks playtime.”
“What do you feel in your gut you want to do? Going into business on your own is a very daunting task, especially if you’ve never done it before. The success or failure of the business lies with you. Do you think you’re ready?”
“Oh, I’m ready. I’ve been ready since before I left and went to university. I was a math major in high school and A-level college.”
“What’s A-level college?”
“It’s a junior college and is enough for anyone who doesn’t want to go away to university, but
I wanted to please Maman et Papa, so I did the university thing. The reason I’m a bit hesitant is that all my professional experience has been in Paris. I want to get acquainted here before I took the plunge.”
“I think you've answered your own question. You need to get reacquainted with the residents again before they’ll give you control of their money. Although with the advanced technology of today, you could have clients all over the world.”
“True, true.”
“If you decided to wait to open your own place, where would you work?”
“I’ve already told you. Are you listening?”
“I’m sorry. Tell me again. It’s just all so fascinating.”
“I’ll work with the same firm I worked with in Paris, European Inves Bank-Martinique. They've got a branch here. That was one of the reasons I secured a position with them while I was at university.”
“Well, in my opinion, that’s the way to go. It will give you an opportunity to scope out the lay of the land—see where the best location for your business should be.”
“That’s exactly what I’ll do. I've got a couple of weeks to make up my mind whether or not I start work. Now that I’ve pretty much decided, I’ll fax in my acceptance to the company tomorrow. That reminds me. I need to get some supplies to set up a small office at my apartment. I usually work a few days from home, and I want to have the place set up.”
“I’m impressed with you, Ray. You've grown into a man I admire.”
“What did you expect? I had great role models, you and Foxx and, of course, Maman et Papa, but mainly you. In everything I did, I thought about how you’d approach it, and found I was never wrong in my judgment.”
Laughing out loud, Wolfe gave him a playful punch. “Much as I’d like to take credit for this, I’ve got to tell you that this is all you, Ray. Just continue on the path you’ve started, and you’ll do fine.”
“I know I’ll be fine, Wolfe. With you and Foxx in my corner, what’s not possible? Talking of which, where's the coat? I left in such a big hurry I forgot to get it from you.”
“Guess what. It’s at the house. I’d taken it out of the car when we got home. I don’t leave things lying around in my car. I can’t stand the clutter.”
“Well, I’m beginning to think there is more to my having this coat in my possession than meets the eye. I got my stuff back from Gabrielle.”
“Gabrielle? Is that her name?”
“Yes, but get this. I thought she flew here to get her phone, which had all her contacts in it, but I’m beginning to think she came for the coat.”
“What’s wrong with that? It’s her coat, right?”
“Yes, it’s her coat, but she wanted to come here to collect it. Even when I told her it was safe, she kept insisting she needed it. I found that a bit weird because she certainly didn’t need the coat to wear while she was here in the hot climate of the Caribbean.”
“Come on, Ray, when Foxx and I were insisting you search the coat, you were offended and accused us of being suspicious. Now who’s the suspicious one?”
“I’m just saying that my having the coat might not have been an accident as I first suspected. I want an opportunity to go over it a bit more thoroughly, that’s all.”
“Well, you’ll have to wait until tonight, unless you want to drive all the way back to my home and explain to my wife your urgency to collect your coat.”
“I’ll wait. You are too much. I’m sure both you and Foxx would like to be there to help me. You just can’t help your controlling natures.”
“I am what I am,” he admitted, grinning unrepentantly.
“In the meantime, I’ll have to find a way to stop Gabrielle from demanding I return her coat immediately. I've got to go back to her hotel. She’s staying at La Suite Villa.”
“La Suite Villa? She’s got some money?”
“She must have. She's a model and is currently working a gig on St. Barth, but she’ll be here for a week. I’ll see what I can do to persuade her to remain longer. I like her a lot.”
“The same woman you suspect of having planted her coat on you? You are too much, Ray.”
“I’m just saying I want time to go over the coat, Wolfe, so I’ll use a ruse to delay giving it to her tonight. I didn’t accuse her of anything. For all I know, she’s just attached to her coat, although, somehow, I don’t believe it.”
“You're some piece of work, Ray. I thought I was bad. You are ten times worse than me. I insist on your bringing her to dinner here tonight.”
“I fully intend to. Please don’t have Daphne or Therese here, only Foxx. I need him here; he’s good at smelling a rat.”
“Now she’s a rat? What’s going on with you and this woman, Ray?”
“Don’t put words into my mouth, Wolfe. I didn’t say Gabrielle was a rat. I’m just saying, if she’s not being truthful, Foxx will be able to tell quicker than me or you. I’m too close to this, and you don’t have his skill for worming things out from people without them knowing you’re doing it.”
“Okay, Ray, tonight then.”
“Yes, tonight.”
He couldn’t very well admit to Wolfe the effect being around Gabrielle had on him, that he was incapable of thinking straight because all the blood left his brain to pool in his groin. He couldn’t wait to see their reaction to her.
Chapter Eight
Driving back to La Suite Villa, he made good time. The midday break was still on, which meant the traffic was very light. Walking into the hotel’s lobby, he wasn’t surprised to find Gabrielle seated at one of the tables. There were two men and a woman in heated conversation with her. He immediately felt his hackles rise. He didn’t like her being close to any other man, which was silly, considering he knew nothing about her. For all he knew, she could have a husband in Paris or St. Barth. He had to tell himself to back down, so, pasting a smile on his face, he approached the group.
“Hi, Gabrielle.” This time he greeted her in the normal way, kissing cheeks. She returned the greeting in the same manner. This was more commonplace than handshaking. She then introduced him to the others at her table. He deliberately held out his hand and shook their hands before taking a seat at their table.
As he’d suspected, one of the men was a native Martiniquais, and the other man and the woman were tourists from Quebec, staying at the hotel. He was soon to find out that she attracted people like moths to a flame.
He wanted to get her alone to invite her to dinner, but her newfound companions were not leaving. In a rash move to stake his claim, he took a hold of her hand and began creating small circles in the palm of her hand. It was a sign that he was interested, and if she didn’t rebuff him by withdrawing her hand, that would be a sign that she was interested in him also.
He participated in the conversation, but his entire being was focused on her. Very soon, the couple must have gotten the message because they excused themselves and left. The single male was a bit more difficult to get rid of. Without appearing to be rude, Ray got up to leave, hoping she’d get the message and leave with him.
“Chérie, I’ll have to leave now.”
“Wait, I’ll come with you,” she responded.
It was music to his ear. He had a grin on his face that he made no effort to hide. Holding out his hand to her, he said, “Come on, then,” and taking her hand, he gave a brief nod to what’s-his-name and walked out to his vehicle with her.
Thank God, his gamble paid off. Now he had to deal with her.
“What was all that about?” she wanted to know.
“It’s called making a statement.”
“What statement is that?”
“I needed to get you alone, but your friends weren’t leaving.”
“Well, now you’ve got me.”
“I’d like to invite you to dinner at my brother’s restaurant.”
“Will I get to meet the famous Wolfe? Will Foxx be there also?”
“Yes to both questions. So, can I take this as a yes?”
>
“Yes, you can. I can’t wait.”
“Okay. I’ll pick you up in a couple of hours. It’s a long drive from here, and we’ll have to leave with enough time to get there before the dinner crowd.”
“Okay, is it formal?”
“Semi-formal is good. There're always a lot of tourists there, so I’m sure whatever you wear will be fine. I need to go to my parents’ to get a change of clothes. I’ll also have to pick up a few items for my new digs.”
“You were able to get new digs so easily?” she said, with a somewhat skeptical look.
“You can if you know where to look.”
“Okay, if you say so.”
“I do say so. Not only was I able to get a nice apartment not too far from here, I was also able to buy a car.”
“Now I know you're pulling my leg.”
“I’ll take you for a spin when I pick it up in a couple of days. Now, I have to run. What’s your room number?”
“Why?”
“So I can call you to let you know I’m on my way.”
“565. Were you able to get the coat?”
“It’s at Wolfe’s home. We’ll pick it up tonight, d'accord.”
“D'accord.”
*****
Gabrielle was in a panic about not getting her coat from Raymond. She needed to get the coat; otherwise, she’d be in deep shit. But she didn’t want him to suspect how important the coat was to her because then he’d go ripping it apart, and she couldn’t have that. For one thing, she was beginning to like Raymond a lot.
He made her feel hot all over when he was around her. When she’d met him earlier today, she had chalked it up to nervousness about the coat, but she had felt that way again the minute he had walked into the lobby. She had been sitting with Jean Paul, the man who shared her table, together with the husband and wife, and she’d felt nothing—not even a tingle—but Raymond arrived, and she was on fire.