Scorpios and Sapphires

by L. B. Simon

  The group headed back to the cars waiting for them and made their way to the main gate where a crowd of media stirred eagerly. Belmont and Lachance headed to the makeshift podium with several other men. Aidan stayed in Kárpáti’s car but rolled down the window to hear.

  "Thank you all for coming!" Belmont began. "It is with a heavy heart that we are announcing today that I buried the remains of my only child, Mélisande Camille Belmont. We ask you, please, to let us grieve in peace. It is a heartbreaking loss regardless of the reasons that lead to this tragedy. No matter what happened, she will always be my little girl! It is a devastating loss to us all, but particularly for myself and my daughter’s fiancé. Thank you for respecting our privacy." Belmont choked up as he stepped away from the mic, ignoring the questions that were hurled at him.

  "Thank you all for being here today." Lachance took over. "Mélisande Belmont’s body was found last week. She was the victim of homicide. At this time, all we have is assumptions such as that she was kidnapped, most likely by the same people who had robbed her home. How and why she died is still unclear."

  Aidan noted the slight tightening in Belmont’s jaw; the man was not happy with Lachance’s statement.

  "No further comments."

  "Let’s get out of here!" Kárpáti got back into the car. "What a mess." The man started the engine and tried to get away from the crowd. "This whole case just went out the window."

  "What do you mean?" Aidan’s brow furrowed.

  "Well, because now we will never know what really happened. Our best lead to solving this crime is dead. I think she was in on the robbery all along; she joined her cronies, they got greedy, something went wrong and they disposed of her. It’s a no-brainer!" The man shook his head. "It is a shame though, she seemed like such a sweet girl. Too bad she got mixed up with the wrong crowd. A white girl has no business hanging around gypsies! That my friend is the sad truth."

  "Excuse me?" Aidan had trouble believing what he had just heard.

  "That butler, he’s a gypsy. You saw how close those two were. Bet you, he was in on the robbery too; not that we will ever be able to prove it now. That’s how they are. They seem nice and charismatic, but they are always seeking the next scam."

  "Are you for real?" Aidan felt anger bubbling up inside; he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

  "You don’t know how they are. You live in Canada, where there are very few of them. In Hungary, they are swarming like flies. Stealing here, cheating there; I grew up surrounded by them, trust me, I know exactly how they do things!"

  "Wow! I’m speechless." Aidan shook his head. "I never heard you stereotype before."

  "I am just stating the facts, my friend."

  "So, it’s that easy? Guilty girl, killed by her own crew of thieves?" Aidan studied Kárpáti carefully.

  "All the evidence points to that. My case is closed." Kárpáti nodded. "It was a pleasure working with you! You will head back to Toronto now?"

  "Not yet; seems like I have another job lined up here."

  "Oh! Another robbery?"

  "A museum. Wants to assess their current security and see what improvements can be done." Aidan lied smoothly. "So, you will write this off as a case of fraud then?"

  "Yes, that will be my recommendation." Kárpáti nodded. "She did it, that is obvious."

  Aidan couldn’t stop himself from wondering what was the point of having Kárpáti on the take if it were not to secure the insurance payout.

  Chapter 49

  Aidan returned to his room, having received a cheque from Kárpáti. He had made a show at the front desk to have the room payment transferred to his visa card.

  He took out the envelope Isa had handed him in the morning. He had given it a cursory glance then, but now he wanted to examine the pictures more carefully.

  Isa had used a hi-end camera that captured perfect images of Chez Rafik, the middle-eastern restaurant, where Belmont had sat close to the window with Élodie.

  The bank manager was trying her best to cheer up the grief-stricken father. There were snapshots of the two holding hands, kissing, talking, and eventually even laughing. The candid photos were display worthy. The two seemed really in love.

  Then Fifi appeared. One frame showed her standing across the street glaring at her employer. In the next image, Fifi was passing by the restaurant, hoping to be noticed, but Belmont had eyes for Élodie only. The shot was perfect, though, as all three were caught in the same frame.

  Aidan replaced the photos into the envelope, hearing commotion in Mélisande’s room.

  He joined the crew in the adjoining suite, as Vlad handed a blushing Mélisande a small gift wrapped in silver paper. Fingers awkward, she struggled to undo the packaging. She finally got the paper off and opened the box; her new passport, identity card, and driver’s license were inside. She stared at her new name; Clara Moreau, born in Belgium, two years earlier than she actually did, on July 10.

  "Today Mélisande Camille Belmont was laid to rest, and Clara Moreau gets to begin her new life!" Veritas raised her glass of champagne when the young woman regained her composure. "To a long and happy life, Clara!"

  "To a long and happy life!" Everyone raised their glasses.

  Laughter and good-natured banter filled the room. Mélisande, now Clara, strained to be happy. Aidan came up to her and peered at her I.D.

  "Lovely photo!" He remarked, before clinking his glass with hers. "To new beginnings!"

  "To new beginnings," Mélisande whispered. "How was the funeral?"

  "Good that you weren’t there!" Aidan laughed sardonically.

  "It was that bad?" Her features were drawn, her thoughts unreadable.

  "Worst, I’m afraid. I’m sorry." Aidan squeezed her hand. "I honestly feel happy that you are with us! I would have no regrets about leaving that life behind if I were you."

  "Maybe so, but this will not last. You will be done here soon, and I will be once again, all alone. I don’t know what to do with my life after I am done with getting even." Mélisande tried to keep her voice from trembling and her tears from spilling.

  "It will be all right." Aidan touched her arm. "This is not where your life ends. We are your friends and you will not be left alone."

  Mélisande forced a noncommittal smile on her lips, but before he could add anything more, Lachance arrived.

  "Ha! No one invited me to this party! What are we celebrating?"

  Vlad shared the happy news with Lachance.

  "To Clara! May you find true happiness!" The detective stared her straight in the eyes.

  Mélisande nodded gratefully.

  "Anything at all for me?" Lachance rubbed his hands, hopefully. "Ace, brighten my day, son. I just got lectured by my boss, and it wasn’t pretty."

  "More coming tomorrow," Aidan said handing the detective the envelope with the photos. "What happened?"

  "Kárpáti is pushing to have the case closed." Lachance’s words threw the room into silence. "He paid you off, I hear." The detective scrutinized Aidan, who just nodded. "The insurance investigator had the gall to meet with my supervisor telling her that he is closing the case and based on the evidence, I should too. Since when does an outsider tell the police how to run an investigation?" Lachance tightened his jaw.

  Mélisande’s heart began thrashing against her ribcage. Was the end here? Right now?

  "I was just thinking of this on my way here; if Kárpáti is on the take, what is his role?" Aidan wondered. "He is not paying out the insurance money, so what was the point of getting him involved?"

  "Simple; stop us from digging further and uncover the identity of the third party who is behind all this."

  "So, he is involved and he knows what he’s doing?" Philip leaned back in his seat.

  "Um… Not necessarily! He is most likely a pawn." Lachance noted. "But here I am ruining your party…"

  "No, not at all," Mélisande straightened. "What now? Aidan, are you leaving? Is the case closed?" She put on a brave face,
but all could see that she was terrified.

  "I’m not going anywhere! All right?" Aidan took her hand into his. "I’m seeing this through to the end, like we agreed, remember?"

  "We all are!" Lachance added and everyone nodded.

  "We are like a bunch of three musketeers, all for one and one for all." Savannah batted her eyelashes comically.

  "I do have great news!" Vlad wore a broad grin, as he puffed out his chest. "Two of my close acquaintances have secured the Céline contracts. It looks like we are in."

  "Great! Who are the contractors?"

  "Sergei Lebedev owner of Cygne Nettoyage, or Swan Cleaning in English, and Svetlana Naumova owner of the catering company Traiteur Naumov. We helped both to come to France, so they can’t refuse us this favor." Veritas added with unwavering confidence.

  "Good. We are a go as soon as we confirm that they are both on board. We still have the last bit of business of getting Céline and Belmont on film, I trust Isa you will have no problems with that." Aidan turned to his friend.

  "None at all! Phil got me the room number and I have a clear shot from the Eiffel Tower." Isa beamed.

  "The Eiffel Tower? Will you be able to get clear images?" The detective scowled.

  "The camera and lens, which I will use, are such a powerful duo that I can take photos of the craters on the moon if I wanted to…" Isa said smugly.

  "I can’t wait to see! Do I want to know what else you have planned but haven’t shared with me?" Lachance directed his attention back to Aidan.

  "I think it’s best if you don’t." The thief flashed his toothy smile.

  "I see! All right. I just hope you will not get into trouble."

  "So, do we!" Savy sighed dramatically. "You know how Ace is. Pray for us if you get a chance!"

  Lachance gave her a playful smack on her head before opening the envelope with the pictures. He seemed pleased by what he saw and nodded approvingly.

  "Hm, these are excellent! I think we could use these to set the cats against Belmont." Lachance seemed lost in his thoughts. "Any chance Fifi will visit him? It would be great to get images of her too."

  "We will try. She had promised to drop by. Oh! And apparently, Belmont left his books at the house," Aidan added. "Did I tell you that he told Fifi he has four million euros on his Caimans account? I wonder what her reaction would be if she found out the real amount."

  "Mmm, that is a very juicy tidbit! Thank you, Ace! And you Isa! You are amazing! Okay, I’m out of here!" Lachance went and hugged Mélisande. "Welcome to your new life! And I am so sorry, I did not consult you on my decision about the body we have found." He held her hand. "Don’t think for an instant that by passing the girl for you, her death will be forgotten and her killer will walk free. I promise you that she will have justice!"

  Mélisande studied him for a long moment, then suddenly feeling bitter and angry, she pulled her hand free.

  "Like the justice, you had gotten for my mother?" She stared into his eyes, unblinking.

  "Hm, I never said, little Scorpio, that justice will come overnight. Sometimes you must wait decades."

  "You say this as if you have something to do with what is happening now." She raised her eyebrow, challenging the man.

  "Ha! I can not take credit for Belmont’s stupidity." Lachance inhaled sharply. "I do not regret my decision, not for a second! I should have done what I believed was best for your mother too, but didn’t, so now she is dead. I learned from my mistakes. I have done what I must to keep you alive. And it was the medical examiner who had seen the girl and assumed it was you. I’m sorry if this sounds heartless to you, but I saw an opportunity and took it. The girl is dead… At least now she didn’t die totally in vain. She had a grand funeral and has a splendid spot in the cemetery; far more then she would have had, was she to remain a nameless victim." He stepped away. "Good night, Clara!"

  Mélisande watched him head to the door, her mouth agape, as he said his goodbyes to the others.

  "I will go too and get the photos from today processed. There are a few great shots. I especially love the one of Kárpáti answering Phil’s call…" Isa hugged Mélisande and then kissed Philip, before following Lachance out.

  Mélisande’s mind had gone numb. There was just too much going on, too many secrets unraveling around her without her getting a chance to process them properly.

  Chapter 50

  "How much do you trust your friends?" Aidan question Vlad and Veritas, once the room quieted down.

  "Completely!" Veritas confirmed. "Sergei doesn’t need to know much, right? You just want to see the house. So, there won’t be any issues with him."

  Aidan nodded in response.

  "Sveta, on the other hand, will need some explanation, a rock-solid story seeing how you will need her to access the house for the job. We can’t just expect her to risk her business without a good cause."

  "That won’t be a problem," Aidan said.

  "I want to meet her." Mélisande straightened, her lips rigid with resoluteness.

  "Out of the question!" He scowled at her, straightening defensively. "We just got you passed for dead, you want to jeopardize that?"

  "I can’t have a stranger take part in something that will potentially land her in hot water if we get caught, without meeting her. She needs to know whom she is risking her business for…" Mélisande persisted.

  "Ace, I think it is a good idea. We won’t tell her who Mélisande really is, but she needs something concrete, otherwise, forget the plan, she won’t help us." Veritas concurred. "You can trust her! If we tell her part of the truth of what really happened, she will go the extra mile to help. Her father sold out her mother to the KGB, so Sveta won’t tell anyone. She knows how to keep secrets."

  "Plus, we saved her life. We got to her in the nick of time as mafia members were hunting her and her husband. Oleg Naumov didn’t survive, we were too late to help him. He was executed in the next room, as Sveta hid in a secret hole in the wall. And one of the boys who was helping to extract her was shot dead too, during the getaway. She owes us a whole lot!" Vlad added.

  "No!" Aidan began pacing the room nervously. "We can’t risk your new identity!"

  "It’s okay!" Mélisande interjected. "I must do this. I need to have a leading role in this venture. It is my decision; my life. You need to stop making choices for me. I trust Veritas and Vlad; if they say she is trustworthy, then I believe that she is. Aidan, let me do this, please."

  "I don’t like it! What if she recognizes you?" Aidan’s pulse picked up.

  "Believe me, I don’t like many things too, but I have to live with them, anyway. I am going to do this whether you approve or not, Aidan." Mélisande touched his arm. "It is going to be okay. I need to be involved in this, this is my battle, after all!"

  "Okay," he whispered, squeezing her hand. "Okay!" He repeated with more conviction. Nodding, he stepped away from Mélisande and turned to his team. "Savy, I need a business front to cover Miss Naumova. We need to come up with a good story for her, and one she can relate to the police if I screw-up. Also, if we have the cooperation of Lebedev, sis, you will join the cleaning crew. You had been cooped up in here long enough. And you will be my eyes on the night of the party, so you need to know the house and the layout."

  "Sure thing, Ace! I’m thinking job placement agency. Maybe piggy ride on a real business, just create a flyer with our phone number on it. As far as anyone will know it will be legitimate. Even if someone googles the company, it will be clean. No one will be suspicious about a different number." Savy’s mind was whirling.

  "Sounds good to me!" Aidan looked at his friends who all nodded. "Go for it!"

  Savannah got to her feet, a faint blush brightening her cheeks and her eyes alight with delight. She was no longer a child but her brother’s approval still meant the world to her.

  "You need a camera on me?" She asked and Aidan confirmed with a nod. "I’ll see if we have anything on hand."

  "Check my office if you can’
t find anything in your stash." Vlad threw her his keys; she grabbed them mid-air and left.

  "Vlad, I will need storage for the gold, if we do find it at Céline’s. Can you take care of that for me, please?" Aidan began counting off the tasks.

  "Consider it done, Ace. I think I have just the thing right here in the building!"

  "Vlad, you are the best! Veritas, please, get Mélisande ready for passing off as a waitress. As I hear, it won’t be too hard. I will need you, Mélisande, at the house, as well as Isa and you, Phil." Aidan raised his glass. "But tonight, let’s celebrate Clara!"

  Isa returned an hour later, placing a pile of pictures on the coffee table and the prints were passed around. They all examined the photos, hoping to find something that Lachance could use for his case, but there was nothing.

  Savy studied an image of a devastated Samuel being comforted by a stunning model-like woman with dark skin and a thick afro.

  "Ah!" Mélisande noticed the photo. "That is Naomi Itumeleng. I have not seen her in a long time. Samuel is probably staying with her. God, I never even asked who he was going to live with…" Mélisande let out a frustrated groan. "I am so selfish."

  "You have really much bigger problems right now." Savannah shook her head. "Don’t be so hard on yourself! Is she his girlfriend, or something?" Savy added offhandedly.

  Mélisande examined the younger woman for a long moment.

  "I think they dated briefly, ages ago, but now they are just really good friends," Mélisande replied and Savy moved on to the next print, a mask of indifference on her face.

  Mélisande studied the shots of her friends and family. The lack of concern, the crocodile tears, the hypocrisy that she sensed, tore at her heart. Only Samuel, François and Naomi showed genuine sadness over their loss. She watched the people in the room; her new friends.

  They stood by and protected her, but most of all they were willing to risk their futures and even freedom to get her justice, or rather revenge. If Aidan’s plan failed and they were to get caught all of them could get arrested! She felt a wave of guilt wash over her. But if all went according to plan, then once the job was done, they will return to their lives and she…