by L. B. Simon
"What bracelet?" Lachance narrowed his eyes with sudden interest.
"She didn’t tell me. Something that her father never allowed her access to. I need the list of items in the vault. I memorized the identification numbers of the safe deposit boxes she had the codes for; only two. Her fiancé was with her, and talked her out of taking some earrings."
"Kárpáti has the list. Hm, are you buying her story?" The detective lit a cigarette.
"I don’t know. In a twisted way, it makes sense, why otherwise memorize two codes when all you had to do is flip a switch, and why were the Germans here? Well, they could be a distraction or to lead us astray, but it just makes no sense to me."
"Hm, François is most likely the spy, don’t you agree? What did you think of Belmont’s three hundred and sixty degrees’ switch?" The man inhaled cigarette smoke.
"Yes, I thought the same about François," Aidan admitted. "As for Belmont, he thinks that I am a complete idiot for failing to find the switch panel and that I am no longer a threat to him."
The detective nodded approvingly.
"What about you? What have you not told us?"
"Don’t get smart with me, young man!" Lachance brandished a warning finger at Aidan, then heaved a heavy sigh. "Warden signed a rock-solid gag order. Couldn’t tell us much. But I am sure that he didn’t have anything to do with this. Besides, he and his entire team were in the U.S. working on a contract, since last month. He brought photocopies of all his men’s passports, and he doesn’t employ any administrative staff. I will dig into their backgrounds see if there are any connections to indicate that any of them were involved, but I don’t think this will lead us in the right direction." The man observed the rising smoke from his cigarette. "There is one more thing." He waited for a beat, surveying their surroundings. He placed his hand with the cigarette in front of his lips and squinted as if inhaling. "Forensics found evidence that she was in the vault."
"That is no surprise. It is her home and jewelry after all." Aidan remarked.
"Well, apparently, she does not enter the vault and the jewelry was cleaned prior to storing. There was a hair caught underneath a safe deposit box, and according to witnesses, it shouldn’t be there unless she broke in. There was also a red fiber strand, caught in the fan. It’s the same color and material as the dress she wore at the soirée. I am stalling on these, but can’t for long. I got a bad feeling, Aidan." The man exhaled smoke and repeated his gesture to hide his mouth. "Belmont is a… Well, he’s not to be trusted."
"Red fiber? Are you kidding me? Do you really think that she crawled around the vent system in her dress? Look at me, I’m a mess, from our trip in the tunnels. Her dress was spotless that morning." Aidan watched the detective who seemed impassive.
"Like I said, I’m stalling on these details. It is, after all, just circumstantial evidence. Also, my men found a damaged shrub along the far end of the garden. A guard went to investigate some noise he had heard and said that he found an inebriated guest who had stumbled into it."
"But you think otherwise?"
"To me, it looks like a heavy-set man climbed the fence and fell when he got caught in the branches. Not that I can prove it…"
"You think it was where the Germans gained access to the grounds?" Lachance only shrugged in response. "I see… So, what do you want me to do?" Aidan balled his fists.
"Uh," the man seemed thoughtful for a moment. "I leave it up to you. I trust your instincts. Get these back to Samuel, will you?" He handed Aidan the staircase key. "And here are the pictures you asked for." He pulled out a USB key from the glove compartment of his car. "Something stinks here if you ask me."
"I agree. I’m just afraid that we might rush in, one or the other way and screw up," Aidan admitted reluctantly.
"Hm… You are afraid to be led by your… How should I say delicately? Man parts?" Lachance stated bitterly. "Especially after what happened five years ago; I understand. And we are all afraid of that, mon ami, when the prime suspect is a gorgeous woman. But I trust that this time I won’t have to arrest you!" He winked and got into his car. "I will see you tomorrow. Take care!" And the detective drove off.
Aidan stood there for a long time, unsure of what to do with the information he got. Once in the library, he got the list of jewels and the box numbers containing them from Kárpáti’s files. The numbers corresponded to the items Mélisande mentioned; a Scorpio bracelet and a pair of emerald earrings.
Aidan went through the images and though he couldn’t say for sure, he had a feeling that he knew exactly how the jewels left the house, he just needed a picture that was not from the night of the reception to confirm his suspicions.
While his eyes scanned the photographs, his mind whirled the data that they had gathered so far; his feeling of unease mounting.
"I think we can get out of here shortly." Kárpáti strolled into the room. "I got one last interview, and we can go."
"Sure thing!" Aidan agreed. "Meet you here when you are done?"
The man nodded and left.
Chapter 15
Aidan couldn’t just leave like that, he had to see Mélisande one last time. He went to the servant’s stairs and up to the fourth floor using Samuel’s key. He tried her parlor but it was empty. He was about to go to the next chamber when a door opened further down the hall on the opposite side. He just had time to slip back into the room, before someone entered the hall. Aidan waited a moment then went to the entrance and knocked softly.
"Oui?" Came Mélisande’s voice over the soft hum of music.
Aidan entered her bedroom.
"Is everything all right?" She asked in a shaky voice.
"I came to return this. I used the stairs to get up here, and left both doors unlocked." Aidan held up the mortice key.
She got up from her vanity, putting down her hair brush, turned off Dalida singing Parole Parole with Alain Delon, the actor, and crossed the room to Aidan.
"Merci." She scrutinized his face, unsure of him, as she took back the proffered object.
Aidan studied her too, then glanced at the brush that had just a few strands of hair caught in its teeth, and made up his mind that instant.
"Do you have the bracelet in the house?" When she nodded, he went on. "You shouldn’t. If you want I will keep it for you."
"You told me not to trust anyone…" She arched her eyebrow.
"And you shouldn’t. Not even me. But if you keep it here, I think it will bring you more trouble than you already are in." Aidan couldn’t tell her the details of the investigation.
"What are you talking about?" She frowned.
"I have a feeling that if you are telling the truth, then someone might be trying to set you up for the robbery. You already played into that trap, you get caught with the bracelet, and that’s it."
She closed her eyes and inhaled sharply, then walked to her window seat and lifted the cushion.
Beneath it, in a cavity made in the wood, lay a wide gold bracelet with a scorpion in the center. It was a perfect complement to her Scorpio necklace, with the creature standing on the bright yellow metal, made of diamond shaped links.
"Please keep it safe. It means the world to me."
Her hand trembled as she held it up for him, having trouble letting the piece go. Tears glistened in her eyes, as she gazed up at him.
"I promise you, that you will have this back as soon as it is safe." He clasped her hand and squeezed it tight. "Thank you for trusting me. I will not let you down."
She nodded but didn’t seem convinced.
"What changed your mind? Why are you helping me now?" She studied him undecidedly.
"I’m not sure," he confessed.
There was a knock on her door. She pointed to a second exit and he hurried to it.
He caught a quick glimpse of her room; painted a soft spring green, with a queen size bed covered with a quilt, and a small sitting area near the window.
He disappeared into the ensuite bathroom, which was a s
terile white from tiles to the ceiling and slipped out yet another door as he heard Samuel address the heiress. Hurrying to the private staircase, Aidan returned to the main floor.
"Ah! There you are!" Kárpáti was in the library, frantically packing. "We have to go now! I have a witness who thinks she saw the jewelry in the house this morning. I am taking her to see Lachance. It seems that this is a case of fraud; we need to clear the premises immediately!"
Aidan nodded and began gathering his things. He felt the bracelet press against his leg, where it hid in his pocket; he hoped that he had made the right decision.
Chapter 16
Mélisande was woken by a thunderous ruckus in the hallway. Men were shouting and stomping outside her room. A loud banging shook her door.
She got up and threw on a pair of athletic pants, a peach vest sports bra, and a gray long sleeve top, that she had laid out the night before for this morning’s jog.
She was angry to be awakened at six thirty in the morning and to have strangers invading her private quarters. She flung the door open, just as a young officer was about to strike his fist against the wood. The man was taken aback by the glare in her eyes and gulped.
"C’est quoi tout ce vacarme?!" She demanded to know what all this noise was about, as she barred access to her bedchamber with her body stretched out to its full height.
"Pardon, Mademoiselle…" The man was no longer so sure of himself.
"Faucher!" Lachance roared from down the hall. He had obviously just arrived. "You were supposed to wait for me! Get out of here!"
The officer reddened and scrambled away.
"Beg your forgiveness, Mademoiselle! We have a search warrant for the premises." The detective held up the paper and continued speaking in French. "I have to ask you to step out, immediately, from your room."
"Can I at least put my shoes on?" She arched her eyebrow.
"Where are they?"
She pointed to the pair of Nikes by the door with the socks tucked in them.
"I need to check them first." The man lifted the shoes and ran a metal detector around them. He placed them out in the hall. "Please step out of your room. I need to check you too."
"What is going on?" She asked, her brow furrowing.
"We received a tip that one of the missing jewelry from your vault has been seen in your chambers. Forgive me!" He moved the sensor around her body. "I thought this would be less humiliating than patting you down."
She scoffed.
"Please bear with me. All right, all clear!" His words boomed loudly through the hall for all to hear. "Where is your necklace?" He asked.
"On my vanity table." Mélisande’s eyes widened. "But it was never stored in the vault!"
"I know; I will hold on to it while your room is searched. Thomas, please escort Mademoiselle to the breakfast room. Morel, go." Lachance entered her room.
Mélisande glimpsed the female officer, named Morel, heading straight to the window, and lifting the pillow. The heiress’ heart skipped a beat. Someone had known exactly where she hid the bracelet and had informed the police. The realization was like ice water on a hot summer day; a shock to the system. Mélisande glanced around and saw that the entire floor was crawling with officers, each door was open, every inch of her private space was being violated.
She carried her shoes downstairs and walked barefoot to where she was to be held. The officer accompanying her didn’t utter a word as they made their way across the house, which was a good thing as Mélisande could not emit a single sound.
The young man waved Mélisande into the empty dining room, across the hall from the library and stood guard by the entrance. He let Beatrice, the cook, in as she brought a plate of croissants and a mug of hot chocolate on a tray, and watched until the woman left, then closed the door leaving Mélisande alone.
The heiress stared blankly at the roll. She could not take a bite, just the thought making her gag. It was as if her life was crumbling around her. Nothing in the room felt like hers anymore. She felt friendless, lost, and betrayed. She fought back tears, refusing to give whoever was behind these events the satisfaction of seeing her shatter. She lowered her eyelids, taking deep breaths, trying to center herself.
Chapter 17
That is when Mélisande heard it; voices arguing in the library. Both rooms shared the same ventilation line and so, the sound carried through the duct. Mélisande could not make out words from where she sat, so she got up. Above one of the bare buffet tables, the vent cover stood just below the ceiling. She hopped on the table and rose on tiptoes, opening the vent all the way.
"Forensics found her hair in the vault and a red fiber strand," Kárpáti stated. "It places her at the crime scene, on the night of the theft. Lachance, there you are! Did you find anything?"
"So far nothing. The tip didn’t pan out. There was nothing under the window seat."
"That’s impossible! The witness was adamant that it was there!" Kárpáti persisted.
"Well, it’s not! I have the rest of the rooms searched." Lachance rebuked.
"Maybe someone tipped her off!" Kárpáti added bitterly.
"Are you accusing me of something?" Aidan asked incredulously.
"When I returned from interviewing the witness, you were not here. Where were you?"
"You got to be kidding me!" Aidan sounded offended. "I went to take a piss, or is that not allowed anymore? And if I recall correctly, we left together immediately after you informed me of your findings."
Aidan was a convincing liar, she realized, suddenly doubting that she had done the right thing entrusting him with the bracelet. But if she hadn’t, where would she be now? She swallowed hard, dread creeping up her spine.
"Enough!" Lachance roared and there was a loud bang, like someone’s fist slamming against a desk. "Back to our subject! We got a witness account implicating Mademoiselle Belmont, a red fiber, and a hair in the vault. All signs point to her as the culprit, however, the tip we got didn’t get us anywhere, so far…"
"Her hair in the vault means nothing and there is no way that she climbed into the vent tunnel in her fancy dress!" Aidan stated. "For Christ’s sake, the vault was filled with jewelry that she wore! It is natural that her hair was there and the fiber could have been left behind when she went to get or to return the earrings; it is weightless, air movement could have swept it up into the fan. Besides isn’t this her house? Isn’t it expected to find traces of her, on the property?"
"That can’t be so!" Belmont declared, chilling Mélisande’s blood. "She does not enter the vault at all. She doesn’t even have the passcode, I am the executor of her property and so I alone enter. She did not wear the jewelry since the vault was installed. Besides we had the jewels cleaned prior to storing them. There is no way that your so-called evidence was there! You must be mistaken!"
"Ah! But she did wear the sapphires for the première of Terrence Hawthorn latest movie, two weeks ago!" Aidan exclaimed.
"I’m sure that it was before we transferred the jewels here." Belmont persisted.
"Give me a laptop. We can easily verify this! Google, my friend, what did Miss Belmont wear for the London première of Shuddering Breath? Oh! Look at that! Correct me if I am wrong, but aren’t those the missing sapphires? The date of this post was the sixth of this month; like I said, two weeks ago. The necklace chain is made of white gold cubes that could have easily trapped a hair strand!" Aidan’s tone was triumphant. "Furthermore, there is no way she could have done the robbery in the time that she was away from the party. Not to mention that she had triggered the alarm in less than thirty seconds of entering the vault."
Mélisande sighed heavily at the recollection.
"Here is the photo of her standing with François, at 11:57 p.m., close to the foyer, I will assume that this is when they go to have their fight in the library, which by the way, several people had overheard. So, let’s say the fight was recorded and played back on the gramophone; here is the happy couple at the party again at 12
:52 a.m. Which means they had less than an hour to stage the fight, go up to the second floor, remove two sets of vent panels and covers, a fan, slip through two tunnels, disarm the security, enter forty-five codes, remove all jewels, secure them, then retrace their steps, hide the jewelry, and look impeccable. Impossible! Both, Mélisande and François, are photographed repeatedly throughout the night, so they had no other opportunity to finish the job. Let’s say for argument’s sake that the butler was in on it too; even he is showing up on images consistently. If we were talking about one or two items only, they could have done it, but not forty-five!"
"Aidan! My God! She got you by the balls! I must say I am disappointed in you. Have you not learned anything from your last fiasco?" Kárpáti tried to interrupt.
Mélisande’s heart was pounding, as she listened, eyelids shut tight, holding her breath.
"Allow me to finish! On the other hand, we have here two professional thieves," Aidan continued. "They are found through a few pictures from 10:50 p.m., up until 1 a.m., after which time there is no trace of them until 3:30 a.m. when they are seen leaving the premises. I would like to direct your attention to this shot, from airport security of the two Germans. They are what? One is about hundred and seventy pounds, the other maybe two hundred, both lean, and athletic… Here they are at the reception. They say that the camera adds five pounds, but these two seem to have gained fifteen in the two days that they have been in France. Gentlemen, unless these two got hooked on steroids or have spent two days binge eating; they are wearing body suits with memory foam pockets for safe transportation of small items! You got your perps. A pampered heiress, could not have pulled off a robbery of this caliber, these two had the opportunity, the skill, and the time to do it. I rest my case! As for you, Kárpáti, I am disappointed in you too. I always thought that you waited for solid and irrevocable proof before you wrote people off as guilty."
"The kid has a point!" Lachance cut in before Kárpáti could respond and the situation got ugly. "Come in!" There was a long moment of silence, then the investigator spoke again. "All is clear! The stolen items are not on the premises, and there is no sign of them. I think Aidan is right, we are concentrating on the wrong suspect. If you'll excuse me, I have to see Mademoiselle Belmont."