by L. B. Simon
"Welcome to the Ruslan." Nikita had his father’s engaging smile. After shaking hands and exchanging a few pleasantries, the son rushed off.
"I now, completely understand why Savannah showed up unexpectedly," Mélisande said to Aidan as he came up to her, a few moments later, making him laugh.
"Vlad is known for his creativity, and that is what has kept him alive, in his wilder days."
"These are your friends?" She watched the different characters crowding the living room.
"Yes, this is my crew. They have been my most trusted friends for a long time now."
"Hey, mate! Give us a hand here? Or are you above getting your hands dirty with such mundane tasks as setting a table?" Philip hollered.
"If you’ll excuse me," Aidan bowed his head, "I am needed…" Smiling he walked away.
Mélisande was about to follow when Veritas pinned her with a glare.
"Where do you think you are going, young lady?"
"To help."
"Out of the question! You are our guest this morning. You can help next time." The woman squeezed her arm reassuringly and returned to the table with more plates.
There was another knock and Mélisande decided that answering the door was the least she could do. She swung it open and her blood froze. Detective Lachance was looking at her.
Chapter 24
"Bonjour!" Said the cheerful detective.
Mélisande’s heart dropped to the floor, all blood draining from her face; she was still wearing her bracelet. How could she hide it before the man noticed?
"Mmm! I see I’m just in time for breakfast!" He stepped in, closing the door behind him, and grabbed her adorned arm.
She couldn’t breathe.
"Ah! Beautiful bracelet. This is what we were searching for yesterday, isn’t it?" The man studied her face, unblinking.
"I…" Mélisande was at a loss for words as the room began shrinking and swaying around her.
"Mélisande!" Lachance’s tone was harsh. "Don’t you pass out on me!" He shook her arm. "Seeing how this particular bracelet was not insured, I can choose not to arrest you. But don’t let anyone else see it!"
"You are not going to arrest me?" She swooned on her feet, air finally filling her lungs.
He shook his head.
"Why not? You yourself said that it was what you were looking for yesterday, and it is not insured?" She had thought that all the jewels were part of the contract with Europa United Insurance.
"No. Your father was probably planning to destroy it, the first chance he got. He wouldn’t want to see this bracelet, that is for sure." The man whispered, leaning in closer so that only Mélisande could hear his words.
"How so?" Mélisande’s face clouded with confusion.
"I believe this was a gift to your mother… from another man."
Mélisande scrutinized him a long moment, comprehension setting in slowly. Another man? Had her mother worn jewelry from other men? What was happening to her world? Nothing anymore made sense.
"Let’s join the others, shall we?" He offered his arm, and she passed hers through his.
"Come!" Veritas called, smiling as she watched them approach. "Sit with us." She filled each plate with a few flattened cakes and a little jam. "Syrniki, the world’s best cottage cheese pancakes!" She said proudly.
Lachance walked Mélisande to the table and pulled out her chair. Once she was seated, his eyes moved to the closed bedroom door and he froze.
"Thank you, Veritas! You are a goddess!" Aidan declared just as he finished chewing his first bite of the delicious lemon-infused pancake.
"I’m sorry! I am a bit confused here," Mélisande said. "Are you part of Aidan’s team, Commandant Lachance?" She watched the man, who seemed to shake himself out of his reverie and made his way to an empty seat.
"On occasion," admitted Lachance, "we work together on jobs here and there… I have to be at the office soon, so let’s get down to work." He pulled out a file. "Here are the lists of guests and staff present at the event." He handed it to Aidan. "I've set up an access for you to the shared folder in the cloud, Savy. There are a few files for your perusal. We had subpoenaed your bank records, Mademoiselle Belmont, and there is a large payment that has been made out to the two thieves."
"From my account?" Mélisande paled. "But it is impossible! I do not know those two men. Why would I be still in town instead of across the ocean if I were involved? And if it is the case, how come you are just sitting here chit-chatting instead of arresting me? Is this another favor for Maman?" Mélisande got up, her cheeks ablaze, angry, and frightened.
"Calm down!" Aidan raised a hand.
"Never tell an angry woman to calm down!" Hissed Vlad under his breath.
"Why are you all so nice to me?" Tears blinded the heiress. "If all evidence points to me…"
"We tend to trust our hearts," Vlad spoke kindly. "And my heart, regardless of who your mama was, tells me that you are being set-up."
"This has nothing to do with where you are from or how rich you are. I had been a cop for forty years now, and I can smell crooks from a mile; you don’t have that stench." Lachance cut up his pancakes, smearing jam on each piece.
"But then again, if it quacks like a duck, and looks like a duck, it just might be a duck," Savannah muttered. Everyone glared at her and she raised her hands. "Hey! She was just complaining about you all being nice to her. Well there you go; I’m not so nice!"
"Hey, Savannah! You cara rota! You shameless, witch!" Isa raised her voice. "Don’t start trouble where there is none, mi amiga!"
A tear ran down Mélisande’s face.
"Sit down, dear!" Veritas touched Mélisande’s hand. "Do not jump rashly to conclusions before hearing everyone out."
"Who has access to your bank account?" Isa probed.
"My father, and my accountant, Toussaint Villeneuve. Toussaint is a trusted friend, and I can not see him stealing from me." Mélisande groaned, hearing the childishness of her own words.
"Toussaint Villeneuve?" Aidan added the name onto his list.
"This is good information, but irrelevant to this situation. The bank informed me that it was Mademoiselle Belmont who called in to request the transaction."
Chapter 25
Lachance raised a hand stopping Mélisande’s protests before she could utter a sound. "I have not yet been able to get the warrant for the bank’s call center logs." Lachance faced Savannah. "If Savy would be kind enough to do her part of the work, I thought you guys could get it faster."
"Great, Lachance! Thank you." Aidan nodded. "Savy will be happy to deal with the bank."
"Got it!" Savannah said, apparently, she had a laptop on her lap while eating. "Speakers please…"
"You fast girl!" Isa handed Savannah a small ball-shaped box that the girl plugged into her laptop.
"I’m efficient at all times. But I had been working on hacking the bank most of the night and I had downloaded all the files related to the account including phone call recordings for the past six months… So, it’s really no big deal." She retorted as she pressed the play button.
"Banque Internationale de France, how may I assist you?" Isa translated the French conversation for Aidan and Savannah. "I am Mélisande Belmont; I would like to make a money transfer. – Of course, Mademoiselle. May I first ask you a few security questions, please? – Is this call recorded? – Yes, Mademoiselle, we record all our calls unless the client instructs us otherwise. – Please stop the recording, then. – Yes, Mademoiselle, right…" The recording cut off.
"Fifi…" Mélisande whispered, her eyes washing over with utter confusion.
"Uh-huh, that’s what I thought too." Lachance nodded soberly. "Savy, do you have a voice comparison app?"
"Of course!"
"Open the folder I set up for you. You will find there an audio file. Run them through your program, will you?"
Savy gave a sharp nod and began typing.
"She has a bite, but she is a genius!" Isa said to
Mélisande squeezing her hand reassuringly.
Everyone watched Savannah working, as silence fell across the table, waiting for the results.
"Analysis complete. It’s a match; ninety-five percent." Savy stated frostily.
"So, it is Fifi Montpassant; the maid." Lachance glanced at the flip chart on the wall. "The one sleeping with Belmont."
"I am not sure about that…" Mélisande blushed vividly. "I just…"
"Running a record check on her next; phone and financials. Moved her to the top of the list." Savannah interrupted Mélisande. "She is an employee, so she could be doing this at anyone’s bidding." Savy stared pointedly at Mélisande. "I intend to be the bad guy here until the heiress is proven hundred percent innocent. So, suck it up; all of you!" Added the tech wiz, before anyone could reprimand her.
Vlad’s phone pinged at that moment.
"Press conference now." He said, and Phil reached for the remote control.
Belmont appeared on the screen with his lawyer by his side. The man’s features were drawn.
"A tragedy befell my family twice this week," Isa translated once again. "First my home was robbed and now my daughter, my only child, has vanished."
Aidan glanced at Lachance who visibly tensed, obviously unaware of this media event.
"My late wife’s family jewelry were stolen the night of our annual reception, and yesterday my daughter did not come home from her run. I beg whoever may have my baby to please return her to us unharmed. If you can hear me, Méli ma chérie, come home. Everything is all right. Anything can be forgiven…"
Philip jumped to his feet grabbing a marker and began jotting down points from the speech.
"The past few years have been hard for my baby; she has been struggling with her mother’s loss and the responsibilities she inherited along with the house. If you have any information, please, I beg you, please contact the authorities immediately." Belmont stepped away from the mic and his lawyer took his place.
"I specifically told Belmont not to make the robbery public, and he had not contacted me about your disappearance…" Lachance got to his feet, angry and menacing. "I’m going to give him hell…"
"That is the least of our problems!" Philip ran his hand over his hair. "But I am not sure Mademoiselle Belmont should hear this."
"I am not going anywhere!" Mélisande clenched her jaw in sheer determination.
"Then, I will refrain from speculating." Philip bowed his head. "Isa and I read up about your family history on our way here, and I think we learned a few things that may apply to this speech, but before I say anything further I want to see the terms of your inheritance. Lachance, can you get me a copy?"
"Hm, I think that shouldn’t be a problem in light of this situation. Give me a second, Phil." Lachance pulled out his phone. "Is Lacharité still your family lawyer?"
Mélisande nodded, wondering how he knew that. The detective dialed a number and spoke in French.
"Hi Marie-Carmen, this is Commandant Lachance, can I talk to Lacharité, please?" He paused as the person on the other end of the line spoke. "This is an emergency. I need to talk to him immediately. It’s about the Belmont heiress," another pause. "Thank you." Lachance nodded to Philip. "Lacharité, bonjour! How are you? I am well, thank you. Do you still work for the Belmonts? Uh-hum… Wonderful. I don’t know if you heard but Mélisande Belmont is missing. I am working on the robbery that took place at her house. Her disappearance is suspicious, and I fear for her safety. Could you send me a copy of the terms of her inheritance? I need to see if there is something in the document that might motivate kidnappers." Another moment. "Uh-huh… Thank you! Your cooperation with the investigation is greatly appreciated. Can you email it to me? I need it yesterday, yes. Thank you, again. Au revoir!" Lachance hung-up. "He will send it once it’s scanned, I’ll upload it to the cloud as soon as I have it. Savy, please keep an eye out for it!"
"Thank you, Lachance!" Aidan pushed his chair back and stood up. "Do you know anything about the bank robbery sprees, by any chance?"
"Not at this time, but I will look into it." The detective shook hands with Aidan, said his goodbyes to the rest of the crew and departed.
"I am reviewing the finances of the suspects, will add Villeneuve to my search and I am running all the phone records through a data analysis app that will flag any connections between our suspects. I have no phone records for our pros, but I doubt they use anything other than disposables." Savannah told Aidan as he sat back.
"Social media is abuzz with speculation following the press conference. Nothing good," Vlad added, "princess gone bad or insane, that sort of rubbish. Nothing of value to us. I will continue watching."
"Thank you. Isa, did you find anything interesting?" Aidan turned to the young Latina.
"Yes, but I would like to keep my meager findings to myself until Phil can confirm what he needs." Isa winked at her husband.
"Okay! Everyone, do what you need to do. I will return in the evening and we will share what we have found out." Aidan said goodbye and after a reassuring look at Mélisande took off.
Breakfast was finished shortly after that. Having received the document he wanted, Philip returned to Aidan’s room to peruse it. Isa followed him, and Savy crashed on the couch, with her headphones on.
"I have a wonderful idea!" Veritas smiled happily. "How about a makeover? It is my specialty to give Vlad’s clients a new outer shell while my husband gives them a new identity and life. What do you think?"
"I guess, that would be okay. Seems like my old life is no longer mine anyway… Is it just me or was my father’s speech rather odd?"
"Oh, dochen'ka!" Veritas darkened as she squeezed her hand tenderly. Calling the heiress daughter, was her best way to convey the depth of her feelings. "Belmont has always been a strange man." Veritas hesitated, then got to her feet. "I will go get my supplies." With expert hands, she got the plates into a pile, then placed most of them into her cart’s hidden compartment. "Nikita will get the rest." And she rolled the cart out into the hall.
"Do you know my father too?" Mélisande asked Vlad.
"Not in person. We only knew your mother."
Mélisande frowned but chose to drop the subject.
"Thank you for having faith in me." Mélisande throat tightened with tears.
"Nonsense," the man said. "It will all work out. Ace is really good at what he does, and so is everyone on this team."
"But Savannah…"
"Savannah is a good girl. She is always the sober, cold voice; keeping us from being blinded by one idea and makes sure we all maintain an open mind. That is what makes her the foundation of this team. She doesn’t necessarily hate you or thinks that you are guilty. But it is too early in the investigation and we can’t write you off as innocent just because we like you, in doing so we might miss something crucial. You will see, there is a genius in the way she works…" The man patted her hand gently. "I have to go back to work now. Veritas will be with you soon. Have faith; truth has to prevail!"
"Thank you, Vlad!"
Chapter 26
Mélisande sat in silence for a long moment. Her head was swirling with all that she had discovered this morning; Lachance not arresting her even though he caught her with the bracelet, him working with Aidan, her father’s strange press conference full of insinuations… She could not have heard it correctly! Yes! That must be it, she was just too tired and was reading too much into things.
A soft rap at the door interrupted Mélisande’s dark thoughts, and she turned away from the window. Veritas entered and froze in her step, suddenly unsure of who she was seeing; the daughter or the mother. The woman blinked a few times and then with a heavy heart walked into the room. Mélisande forced a smile on her face, but Veritas could tell that she had been crying.
"Can I help?" The heiress offered, as the woman laid out her materials on the washroom counter.
Veritas was about to say no, but seeing the pained expression on the young heiress’ face,
she thought better of it.
"Brush out your hair, dorogaya moya. And make a ponytail right here at the back of your nape, a tight one." The woman gave her a brush and an elastic.
"What does it mean, what you just said?" Mélisande studied Veritas, as she ran the brush through, her long, auburn locks.
"It means my dear." The woman lay two pairs of scissors on the jacuzzi’s edge. "You are so much like your mama… She would be so proud of you if she was here."
"On the contrary, there is nothing much to be proud of." Mélisande bent her head down, hiding the fresh tears that ran down her face.
"There is a lot to be proud of!" Veritas squeezed the young woman’s shoulder, her voice vibrating with emotions. "The last ten years weren’t kind to you, I can guess. I saw the notes Ace made; you were being forced to marry, but you stood your ground!" The woman looked at Mélisande. "I only heard a few stories about your father, but none of them painted him as a man who is easy to live with. I think that you being still unwed and in possession of a bracelet that you were not supposed to have, qualifies as something to be proud of!"
"I broke into my own vault," Mélisande whispered.
Veritas took the brush and helped her fix her hair.
"Could you have gotten the bracelet by any other means?" Veritas scowled at Mélisande, who just shook her head. "Well then! And think of it this way, if you would not have taken it, someone else would have. You would never have seen this bracelet again! Don’t you agree?"
Veritas was right, there was no denying it. Mélisande sighed, accepting the truth.
"Why is this all happening to me?" Mélisande implored.
"You are what? Twenty-seven or twenty-eight?"
"Twenty-eight," Mélisande replied.
"Well, in astrology, every twenty-eight years or so, Saturn returns to the same place it had been when the person was born. If you are not fulfilling your destiny, if you are meant for something greater, Saturn wreaks havoc on your life and rips it apart. Hang in there, dorogaya, you will see soon things will fall into place. Now, did you ever have short hair?"