by L. B. Simon
"You want my help, princess or not? If you do, then be quiet!" Savy hissed, icily. "Look, she goes in; her outfit is tight enough to see that there is a square in her pocket. It is still there when she leaves, as well as a brick like shape that I assume is the cash. She’s in there only a few minutes."
Isa nodded encouragingly at Mélisande and went to the couch.
"That is the photo frame," Aidan confirmed, having seen it the night before.
"Look at how her clothes fit; I doubt it that she could have had that sheet on her." Isa tapped her nails against her elbows, as she too studied the screen, her arms crossed. "In any case, it would have gotten wrinkled."
"I’ll run the rest of the footage. Maybe there will be something else." Savy’s tone was not hopeful.
Aidan placed his hands on the back of the sofa, his fingers digging into the fabric, leaning forward, waiting, and watching over his sister’s shoulder as she worked.
"Isa! Please believe me! I did not do this!" Mélisande dropped to the floor and Isa returned to sit next to her, stroking her hair.
"Shhhh… Let's see what Savy finds. I think what she is not saying is that this duck is way too ducky even for her!" The woman held Mélisande tight as the heiress tried to swallow her sobs.
"It’s almost the whole tape." Aidan groaned straightening. "There is nothing. God! I can’t believe this…" He felt doubt and suspicion rising in his heart, at the same moment as disappointment overcame him.
Mélisande choked up as she met his cool gaze. She averted her eyes, but not before Aidan glimpsed the pain of utter betrayal gleaming in them.
"Hold on!" Savy stopped the footage. "I think I might have something, after all."
Chapter 29
Aidan focused on the screen and Lachance rushed to the couch.
"Hey, Princess! Did you need to show I.D. before getting access to your box?" Savy stared at the heiress over her shoulder.
"Yes, of course! The bank staff checks I.D.s, and there is a sign-in book." Mélisande forced herself to swallow her tears and dried her face. "What did you find?"
"I saw her signature in the ledger," Lachance confirmed.
"It’s two minutes before closing," Savy pointed to the time stamp on the footage. "This guy is not signing in, and no one is checking his documents."
"Holy cow!" Aidan swore.
"Look, he goes straight into the vault, after talking to the woman," Lachance scowled.
"Can you zoom in?" Aidan was leaning in now, his hands joined as if in prayer.
"That’s the best I can do. There is still not enough of the face seen for a positive identification," Savannah sighed in frustration.
Isa squeezed Mélisande’s hand then got up, and went to join the rest of the team.
"Keep running the footage!" Lachance didn’t dare to blink for fear that he would miss something.
"That pocket handkerchief, it’s askew. Can you pull up the image before he goes in?" Aidan asked Savy who nodded and placed the two images side by side.
"It was meticulously folded, and set with care, before his trip to the back! He had the damned earrings in his breast pocket. And the list could have been in his inner pocket for all we know." Lachance growled, straightening up, his face flushing. "Fils de…" He swore, but then caught himself before finishing.
"And check out his ass!" Isa leaned in, making all gape at her in astonishment. "Oh, God! I didn’t mean it that way! Gross! Look at the suit jacket, it looks like he has his pant pockets full!" And she was right, the impeccable outfit was no longer fitting the man to a T. "What a pompous arse!" She fumed. "No pun intended! If I get my hands on him…"
"Arse? Hands? You do what, love?" Philip walked out of Aidan’s room.
"Mélisande’s bank safe deposit box has been checked by the police and they found one of the missing earrings, plus an incriminating list." Isa wrapped her arms around her husband. "This guy waltzes into the bank then comes out with his pockets full and handkerchief crooked, minutes before closing. Mélisande left some savings, now they are no longer there," Isa finished.
"Bloody hell!" Philip frowned.
"Good girl. This is enough to throw doubt." Lachance squeezed Savy’s shoulder, then smiled at Mélisande. "You are okay! At least in my book you are!" The man’s voice quivered slightly. He cleared his throat. "Phil, can you compare these two handwritings?" Lachance handed Philip the evidence bag and a note that Mélisande recognized as her own. "I will have this analyzed at the office, but I want a second opinion."
"Seeing how I am first to look at it, wouldn’t it be the first opinion?" Philip noted, as he pulled out a key fob magnifying glass from his pocket and began perusing both sheets. "Very interesting." He smiled after a few seconds. "Definite forgery, but a very good one."
"Are you sure?"
"Ninety percent sure," Philip confirmed. "This list was written in a too slow and steady hand. Too perfect to be someone’s natural handwriting."
"Can you do anything with this footage?" Aidan balled his fists, turning to the detective.
"I will try, but that Fedora and the angle at which he holds his head, always away from the camera, will make it hard to identify him." Lachance heaved a sigh.
Mélisande’s head snapped up at the mention of the hat. She rose on shaky feet and walked to the couch. She stared at the screen, wordlessly.
"What does this mean for me?" She finally glanced at the detective.
"You, stay put!" Lachance spun to face her. "Do not leave this room, not for a second! And you do not open the door! You are done! We will have Vlad get you out of the country, and start you on a new life."
"I am not going anywhere!" Mélisande stepped up to the man. "I will not cower and hide like the thief that they try to make me out to be! I know you have no reason to believe me, but I did not do this! I did break into the vault, that is true, but I only took this!" She held up the bracelet still adorning her arm. "I am neither a thief nor a fraudster. I will have my name cleared, and I will make whoever is behind this pay for what they are trying to do to me! I have never wronged anyone, at least not deliberately; I cannot live knowing that my name is being dragged through filth unjustly!" Her voice was sharp as a blade, dangerous; determination oozing from her.
"But then I can’t protect you!" The man admitted. "There will be a warrant for your arrest, and…" His voice broke and he fell silent.
"I do not need your protection!" Mélisande bit back. "Veritas and Sasha gave me a good start for now. I will stay out of sight and off the streets. You will do what you need to do, and I will do likewise. I am a Belmont and we do not run."
"Exactly what your mother had said, and look where it got her!" Lachance’s face paled then twisted with anger.
"What is that supposed to mean?" Mélisande narrowed her eyes furiously at the man.
"Just what it sounds like! If she weren’t so damn stubborn and holding fast to her pride, your mother would still be alive!"
Mélisande gasped in shock.
Chapter 30
"What are you talking about? Maman’s death was an accident." Mélisande glared at the detective.
Lachance suddenly regretted his outburst, but it was too late.
"If only it was true," he turned away, putting an end to the conversation.
Mélisande’s hands were trembling, she had gone deadly pale. The crew exchanged glances, and Isa slipped next to her, in case she was going to fall apart. But the heiress took a deep breath, glanced at the laptop where the image of the man in the Fedora still filled the screen, and reined in her inner storm. She stood up taller, defiance brightening her cheeks.
"Thank you, Savannah, for finding that information, regardless of your feelings towards me. I appreciate it." She briefly stopped her eyes on Aidan saying without words how his lack of trust in her hurt, then focused her attention on Philip. She couldn’t wait to be in her room, but there were things that she needed to know before she could go. "You had some information this morning that you co
uld not share. Can you now?"
"I hate to be the bearer of more bad news…" Philip adjusted his collar.
"I doubt there is much worst than what has already happened this evening!"
"Okay, but you better sit down." Once everyone was settled comfortably, Philip began. "Well, there are a few very interesting things regarding your inheritance; a few generations ago there were two chaps born in your family who shaped all future terms to the inheritance contracts. One was a Hector Belmont, who had become insane after contracting syphilis; he had tried his best to swindle the family fortune as well as burn down his family estate. To protect against this, he was disowned promptly and any reasonable doubt to an heir’s mental wellness became grounds to cut him or her off. Then a few decades later a Renoi Belmont, became the center of a scandal that involved a police investigation. He too was swiftly removed from his position and the stipulation was added to the terms that any police inquiry was grounds for disinheritance. Renoi was later proven not guilty but his status was never returned. With the announcement made by your father today, mentioning police and your fragile emotional state, I think it is safe to assume that you are about to lose your home and wealth. I am sorry."
"That is truly the least of my worries right now. It is family and love that matters in this life, not money and possessions." Mélisande shrugged it off, but Aidan noticed that there was a slightly bitter intonation to her words.
"Well, there is one more very interesting discovery I made." Philip was now more at ease, seeing that Mélisande was taking this all rather well. "The clause about your marriage was added by your mother, just a few months before her death."
Mélisande stood up and walked to the window, having trouble getting air into her lungs. Lachance too seemed at a loss.
"I found out quite a few things too!" Isa chimed in, talking fast. "François Renaud has been married for three years now to a Sandra Moro. They eloped and have never made their wedding public. I believe that they are expecting their first child." Isa paused for a breath.
Aidan straightened and scrutinized Mélisande; he was sure that she had known this all along.
"And I have found several people claiming to be half siblings of Mélisande’s mom. The grandfather was a serial womanizer, who had prayed on staff too. One of the children he may have fathered to a teen maid is named Samuel Janvier, as in the butler." Isa finished.
"The butler…" Aidan muttered, then let out a groan. "I should’ve known! Why didn’t you tell us?" He whirled on Mélisande, confronting her head on.
"Tell you what? Samuel and François’s secrets are not mine to tell." Mélisande kept staring out the window.
"You could have told us, instead of wasting our time getting the information." Savannah challenged.
"I think there is more here than you think Savy." Isa retorted. "François can lose a lot if the marriage is discovered. And as for Samuel, his story is rather a sad one."
"We all have sad stories, and I think it is safe to assume that the fiancé’s secret is out anyway," Savy groaned.
"Yes, the marriage has most likely been uncovered." Mélisande retorted, rejoining the group. "It has been always our agreement that Sandra’s well-being comes first. I suspected that something was wrong, lately, he had been acting peculiarly. I know that whatever he did, he had no other choice."
"Oh, and now she makes excuses for those who backstab her!" Savy snarled.
"I told him to go ahead and get married; Sandra is the love of his life and an amazing woman. They were meant to be together. I knew what it entailed, so I can only blame myself for his part in this mess."
"You know Sandra?" Philip inquired.
"Yes, we met on a few occasions. In another life or under different circumstances we would have been friends." Mélisande tightened her jaw, then went on. "As for Samuel, his life doesn’t concern either one of you!"
"I beg to differ." Aidan had trouble keeping his anger at bay. "He can easily be involved in this!"
"Samuel loves me! He would never hurt me!" Mélisande straightened to her full height.
"We don’t know for sure what is going on, therefore we are going to look at everyone, whether you like it or not," Aidan stated crossly. "We are here to solve this enigma or would you rather we just stop at the first obvious suspect? Because in that case, you are on your way to jail!"
Mélisande sat down, pressing her lips together, letting the fight go, but she wasn’t going to help him incriminate her loved ones.
"I think Samuel’s mother was raped." Isa gazed apologetically at Mélisande. "Delphine Belmont, the grandmother, moved Adeline and Lise Janvier out of the family house once she discovered that the maid was pregnant, and to avoid a scandal the patriarch of the family agreed to let Adeline take over the mansion, though she was still quite young. Lise committed suicide when Samuel was three and Delphine became his legal guardian. Delphine’s will had provided for him generously and he had pursued a career in medicine, until Adeline’s death at which time he dropped out and took the position of butler."
"There is one more thing," Lachance mused. "Samuel too is convinced that Adeline was murdered. We were unable to prove it, but there are reasons to believe that Belmont wanted her gone. Their relationship had hit the rocks a year prior to her death, then six months before the accident, Belmont suddenly changed his attitude and their marriage became all lovey-dovey."
"Did you investigate her death?" Aidan’s brow furrowed.
"I was not the lead on the investigation, but I had assisted on the case."
"Okay, thank you, Lachance. That is a motive. Samuel seeking vengeance on Belmont. Hit the man where it hurts; attack his only child." Aidan added the notes to the flip charts. "Isa, can you investigate Adeline and Karine’s deaths."
"Of course! I have some info on Mathilde Eklund. She resides in Sweden with her super rich husband. She is happily married as far as I could discover and has no connections to the family. Céline Blanche is single and lives right here in Paris. I did not find any other contenders for the inheritance."
"Céline Blanche? Isn’t she a Belmont?" Aidan queried.
"Apparently not. Her mother was not allowed to give or keep the Belmont name upon her marriage to a Laurent Blanche. I will dig further to find out what happened." Isa nodded.
"I don’t suppose the heiress would know?" Savy shrugged as Isa glared at her.
"No, not this heiress!" Mélisande retorted in the same tone.
Chapter 31
"Thank you, Isa. Excellent work. What about you, sis? What do you have for me?" Aidan stared down at Savy.
"Lots actually. I have not been able to connect Fifi through phone records to anyone else on our suspect list but seeing how she is in the house all the time, maybe they are communicating in some other way. However, I checked her accounts and she gets regular bonuses, hefty ones, plus she got a raise just three weeks ago. I also noticed regular small amounts that are paid from Mélisande’s account, someone has been siphoning money little by little. They are issued weekly and are just a couple of hundred euros, nothing to elicit suspicions, but I tried to track down DMT, the company who gets the dough, and it's nothing more than a front."
"Who manages payroll and bill payments?" Aidan probed.
"My accountant, but Papa monitors him like a hawk, and Toussaint is a stickler for doing everything by the book." Mélisande stopped short and covered her face with both hands. "Oh, my God! What in the world is going on? Is everyone in my life just an illusion?"
"It’s going to be all right!" Lachance walked to her and laid his hand on her shoulder.
"Good work everyone." Aidan inhaled sharply. "Except that we are just getting more entangled in this web."
"I have more!" Savy offered. "Céline and Belmont talk a lot on the phone, almost daily, often late at night. And there is this number that Céline called once, but I am sure I have seen it before. Do you recognize it?" Savy raised a paper with a number on it.
"Lachance!" Aidan pale
d and the detective hurried over.
"Huh? Kárpáti?" Lachance frowned. "What the hell is he got to do with this circus?"
"Curiouser and curiouser; as Alice would say," Aidan added Kárpáti to the suspect list drawing an arrow between him and Céline.
"Talking of Kárpáti, I looked up the insurance policy and Belmont doubled the premium in order to move the jewels into the house." Philip glanced at his notes.
"Okay, so why is little miss Céline calling Kárpáti? When was this call placed?"
"Six months ago, there was the one time only." Savy stared at her brother.
"Let’s leave this hanging for now. Excellent work everyone! Keep digging, guys. Phil, see if there are any loopholes to keep Mélisande as the heiress. I need the details on both Karine and Adeline’s deaths, Isa, first thing in the morning, please."
"Consider it done, Ace!" Isa said and Philip concurred.
"I looked into those bank robberies." Lachance glanced towards the flip chart. "There were five heists in the past three months across the country. I contacted local authorities and they are looking for two men. There are no leads, but it looks like the same perps committed them all. The little description I got made me wonder if these jobs were pulled by the Germans."
"Interesting," Aidan frowned.
"Wait!" Savy studied the detective. "If the Germans burglarized the vault, is it not unlikely that they did the bank jobs too? Don’t thieves specialize in a specific area? It’s a big leap from houses to banks… Even we, stick to specific niches; recovery of stolen items, investigate art robberies and assess security."
"Not necessarily. They could keep an open mind about venues, or maybe they hire out their services. Keep me posted, Lachance, if you find out anything else." Aidan turned to the detective.
"Will do. All right! I will see what I can dig up at the bank. I want to bring in that woman who talked to our mystery visitor on the footage and see what she got. Fifi is also coming back for an interview, hope I can shake something out of her." Lachance looked pointedly at Mélisande. "I will have an arrest warrant for you by morning, so please stay put."