Cast An Evil Eye

by Ruthe Ogilvie

  Cammie and Jeremy got into bed as quietly as they could, making sure they didn’t wake her.

  CHAPTER XX

  It was a beautiful day in Paris. Zack rose at six o’clock. He showered, dressed, made himself a cup of coffee, and sat down to think.

  He had a big job ahead of him, but there was a rainbow across his cloud of despair—Renee. She was there to help him. His heart leaped, and he found himself wondering—is there such a thing as love at first sight?

  Impatient to see Renee, he decided to go down to the restaurant and wait for her there. He sat and watched between sips of his coffee.

  She arrived at La Grande Veue Hotel at eight o’clock sharp, and went immediately to the dining room where breakfast was being served.

  Zack was seated at a table by a window that looked out on the River Seine. He looked up as she approached, and smiled.

  “You’re feeling better this morning!” Renee observed as she sat down opposite him.

  “I was very encouraged that Gus remembered something yesterday,” he told her. “I know it wasn’t much, but I’m grateful. I had my doubts for a while, but now I fully expect him to remember everything.”

  “It was very promising,” Renee agreed, “but we mustn’t expect too much too soon. It may take some time, and we should be prepared.” She picked up the menu. “Have you ordered yet?”

  “No. I was waiting for you.”

  “What looks good to you?” she asked.

  Zack gazed at her. “You do,” he replied. He reached across the table and took her hand in his. “Have I told you how grateful I am to have you in my corner? I’ve never met anyone before who fully understands my keen sense of intuition. I don’t have to explain it to you. You know. It’s like finding a soul mate. Between the two of us we should be able to figure out how to solve this mystery. Thanks.”

  Renee blushed and seemed a little flustered under his steady gaze. “Don’t mention it,” she said as she lowered her eyes to study the menu. “I think I’ll have some plueberry bancakes,” she said. She looked up at him, startled. “What did I just say?”

  Zack laughed. “I think you got your p’s and your b’s a little mixed up.”

  “I can’t believe I said that.” She tried to cover up her embarrassment by motioning to the waiter.

  Zack peered at her over his menu. Does she feel the way I do? he wondered. I feel tongue-tied. I haven’t been able to get her out of my mind from the time I first laid eyes on her. Stop it! he warned himself. We have work to do. Serious work! We need to stay focused. “I’ll have the same,” he told the waiter. “Bring plenty of maple syrup.”

  Renee looked at him in amazement. “I was just going to say the same thing!” she declared. “Restaurants never serve enough syrup. We must be on the same wave length.”

  “A hearty breakfast is just what we need,” Zack remarked. “That’ll give us plenty of fuel to go on. We have a lot of work to do after we pick up Gus and drive him to the airport.”

  “Have you decided how you’re going to tell Gus about his sister?” she asked.

  Zack’s face sobered. “I guess the best way is to tell him right out. We don’t have much time. When his sister heard that Gus had been injured she said she’d take the next flight. She’s due in at Orly Airport at eleven o’clock. That gives us just time enough to eat and pick up Gus. The doctor said he’d have the dismissal papers ready when we got to the hospital.” He looked up as the waiter arrived. “Oh, here are our plueberry bancakes,” he teased.

  Renee laughed that musical laugh that Zack found so delightful. “I’ll never hear the end of that, will I?”

  “Nope!”

  She grinned at him. “I’m just glad to hear you laugh at something. You’ve had a rough couple of days.”

  Zack looked at her with gratitude. “It hasn’t been easy, that’s for sure,” he agreed. “You’ve been a big help. I honestly don’t think I could have made it without you.”

  “Oh, you’d have made it,” she said. “I’m just glad I could help.”

  As they ate, the same music that was played years ago floated softly over to them. Debussy’s “Claire De Lune.” The same musician, much older now, was seated at the piano beside the waterfall, situated in the center of the room. It was peaceful and uplifting. It reminded Zack of the times he and his dear friends in the States dined in this same room together. After saving Hildy when Gregory Wilcox, Sr. kidnapped her! And again after saving Cammie when Gregory Wilcox, Jr. kidnapped her! It seemed like yesterday.

  By the time they finished breakfast both Zack and Renee felt a peace and optimism they hadn’t felt since they found Gus in that alley. With renewed strength they were ready to tackle the task that lay before them.

  Zack insisted on paying the bill. “It’s the least I can do,” he told her. “You’re here to help me.”

  Renee protested. “I’m also here to solve an attempted murder that took place in my precinct.”

  But by this time Zack had signed the bill and charged it to his room number.

  “I’ll get it next time,” Renee told him.

  Zack just smiled and looked at his watch. “Let’s go,” he said.

  Together they walked through the lobby and out to the patrol car that was parked in front of the hotel.

  Twenty minutes later they arrived at the hospital.

  Gus was fully clothed, sitting in the upholstered chair next to the window. He had already signed the release papers that the doctor had brought to him. Gus Johnson. That’s what Zack told him his name was.

  “Good morning, Gus,” Zack greeted him. “How are you doing?” He held his breath, hoping that Gus had remembered who he was and the many years they had worked together.

  “Good morning, Zack,” he replied. A flicker of recognition flashed into his eyes. With a sharp intake of breath he uttered, “Zack! I remember you!”

  Zack’s spirits rose. “Thank God!” he exclaimed. “Anything else?”

  The look of recognition vanished as quickly as it had come. Gus shook his head in bewilderment. “Why can’t I remember more?”

  The doctor had come into the room to do a last minute checkup. “You will, mon ami. It will come in bits and pieces. You must be patient.”

  Gus started to rise from his chair, then sank back again. “Where are we going?” he asked. “I don’t know anyone in Paris, do I?”

  Zack sat down in the chair opposite him. “Gus, I have something to tell you.” He paused, then continued. “Do you remember that you have a sister?”

  Gus looked blank. “No. Does she live here?”

  “No. She lives in Westport, Connecticut.”

  Gus paused for a moment, trying to figure it out. “Does she know what happened?”

  “Yes. I talked with her last night. She’s on her way here. Her plane is scheduled to land at Orly Airport in an hour and a half. She’s going to take you back to California so she can take care of you till you completely regain your memory. You can keep in touch with me by phone.”

  “Are we going to the airport now?”

  “That’s right.” Zack rose from his chair. “We’d better leave. It’s an hour’s ride. I want to be at the gate when she arrives.”

  “How long has it been since I’ve seen her?” Gus asked. “Is she married? Does she have a family?”

  “She’s a widow,” Zack told him. “Her children are all grown and away on their own. It will be just the two of you. You’ll have a nice quiet place to recover.”

  The nurse helped Gus into the wheelchair and pushed it to the exit and out to Renee’s patrol car.

  They arrived at Orly Airport half an hour before the plane landed, and they found seats near the ramp where the passengers would be entering the airport.

  Gus fidgeted nervously with his fingers.
/>   Zack reached over and put his hand over Gus’ hand to stop the fidgeting. “There’s nothing to be nervous about,” he said, trying to comfort him. “She’s your sister. You grew up together. She’s home cookin’.”

  The plane got in early. Gus looked anxiously as the passengers, one by one, entered the building.

  Suddenly Gus spied his sister. “Helen!” he exclaimed. He rushed over and embraced her.

  She looked startled. “Gus! I thought you lost your memory!”

  “I did, but I remember you!” There were tears in his eyes as he turned to Zack. “My God, I remember!”

  To say that Zack was more encouraged than ever would be putting it mildly. He was ecstatic! “Gus! Do you remember what happened to you? Any of the facts that you uncovered about Manny?”

  Gus gave Zack a vacant stare. “Manny? Who’s Manny?”

  Zack’s spirits, which had been soaring, plunged like a rollercoaster. Never mind, he thought. He’s remembered a lot. The rest will come.

  After Zack introduced Helen to Renee, they all made their way to another gate where the plane waited that would take Helen and Gus back to Los Angeles. It was scheduled to leave in half an hour. As soon as they reached the gate, the announcement came for them to board.

  Gus shook hands with Zack and Renee, and he and his sister walked down the ramp that led into the plane, chatting and laughing as they had when they were children.

  Zack felt a great sense of relief as the plane left the gate and headed for the runway. He and Renee waited until the plane lifted into the sky, banked, and headed east out over the ocean. Then the two of them left the airport to begin the cumbersome task of uncovering the facts that Gus had already uncovered, but couldn’t remember.

  CHAPTER XXI

  It was seven-fifteen in the evening in New York City when Nate and his wife, Julia, entered the theatre. As Nate approached the “will call” window where his tickets were waiting, he looked furtively around to see if Manny was anywhere in sight. He didn’t see him. He realized it was probably too much to hope for that Manny wouldn’t come at all.

  There was no line at the window, and in less than two minutes he had the tickets in his hand. He quickly ushered his wife across the lobby to the elevator that would take them up to the mezzanine where the Stuart’s private box was located.

  Jeremy and Cammie were there waiting for them. Jeremy was dressed in one of his simpler Count’s uniforms, and Cammie wore a mauve evening gown with matching evening shoes and purse. On her head she wore a modest tiara.

  “Glad you could make it,” Jeremy greeted them.

  “I guess you know why we came early,” Nate said.

  “Very wise,” Cammie agreed. “Welcome to our private box. You’ll be safe here.”

  “I don’t think you’ve met my wife, Julia,” Nate said. He spoke with pride and tenderness as he introduced her.

  Julia, a tall, dark-haired exotic lady with a dancer’s figure, wore a chic, black cocktail dress that graced her slim figure. She carried a beaded evening purse, and a gray cashmere stole with just a hint of sequins was thrown casually over her shoulders. She smiled and extended her hand, first to Cammie, then to Jeremy. “How nice to finally meet you!” she greeted them. “Thank you for inviting us. What a beautiful box!” she exclaimed. “I feel like royalty!”

  “Nate tells us you were a featured dancer in one of the night clubs where he worked,” Cammie told her.

  “Yes. But that all ended on the lucky day when I met him,” she replied.

  Nate smiled. “I always tell her that I was the lucky one. We’ve been married now for twenty years, and every year gets better.”

  “I also met Manny there,” Julia continued. “That wasn’t so lucky. He wasn’t Manny then—he was Carlos Mantilla. We dated a few times, but I was looking for a way out when I met Nate.” She gazed up at him with deep admiration and love.

  It was seven-forty-five, and the audience had begun to arrive. The orchestra could be heard tuning their instruments, and voices raised in crescendo added to the happy laughter and the festive air of excitement.

  Julia and Nate sat down in the two chairs at the back of the box so they would be as inconspicuous as possible.

  Cammie and Jeremy sat in front of them to conceal their presence.

  As soon as they were seated, Nate picked up a pair of binoculars located in the side pocket of his seat. He scanned the orchestra level, and saw Manny enter and sit down.

  Nate shivered and put the binoculars back in the side pocket. “Did you see Carlos—uh—Manny?” Julia asked him.

  Nate nodded. “Let’s hope he doesn’t see us.”

  Soon the conductor raised his baton and the orchestra struck up the opening chords of the beautiful, melodic strains of the overture to “Déjà Vu.” As the final notes of the overture rang out, the curtain went up, and the play began.

  Courtney sang the first few notes of the opening number off stage. As she began to enter, she faltered.

  Cammie stiffened. Something’s wrong!

  After a moment’s pause, Courtney continued her entrance, and it went smoothly through the final scene of the first act. But it was clear to Cammie that Courtney was making a tremendous effort for control.

  Nate leaned forward and spoke to Cammie. “She has a voice comparable only to yours,” he told her. “It’s beautiful. But—why did she hesitate before making her entrance? Probably no one else noticed, but she seemed a little uncertain.”

  Cammie nodded. “You noticed it, too? What do you think is going on?”

  Nate was quiet until intermission. Then he spoke to them. “Is there any way we can go to Courtney’s dressing room without being seen by anyone in the audience?”

  “Yes, there’s a back elevator,” Jeremy told him. “We have fifteen minutes. Let’s go!”

  “Why don’t I go to the ladies room and meet you back here?” Julia suggested. “I need to freshen up.”

  “Don’t go down to the orchestra level,” Nate warned. “I don’t want Manny to see you.”

  “There’s a rest room up here, right next to our box,” Cammie told her. “You can use that.”

  Julia picked up her purse and cashmere stole and headed toward the ladies room.

  “We’ll see you back here in fifteen minutes,” Nate called after her.

  Jeremy led the way to the elevator. In two minutes they arrived on the back stage level and went immediately to Courtney’s dressing room.

  Glen was there, very concerned. He looked up as the three of them entered.

  Courtney turned and faced them, her face streaked with tears, and a look of utter fright in her eyes.

  Cammie put her arms around her. “Honey—what’s the matter? Your performance was beautiful, but you seemed a little nervous? Can we help?”

  Courtney began to shake. “I don’t know what’s wrong,” she sobbed. “I can’t seem to control myself. My heart is pounding and I’m afraid I might pass out. I’m not sure I can do the rest of the show.”

  Glen put his arm around her. His eyes were pleading, and he looked utterly helpless.

  Nate dragged up a chair and sat down in front of Courtney.

  Jeremy nodded to Glen and Cammie, and they exited the room, leaving Nate alone with Courtney.

  They waited outside for five minutes. They couldn’t wait any longer. The curtain was scheduled to go up again shortly.

  Glen was extremely disturbed. “Do you think Nate can help her?”

  “We certainly hope so,” Cammie responded. “He did before.” “It’s a long story, Glen, but I think you have a right to know,” Jeremy told him. “We’ll discuss it later. There’s not enough time now.”

  The door to the dressing room opened, and a smiling Courtney walked out, followed by Nate.

  Glen put h
is arm around her. “Are you okay?” he asked.

  She looked up at him with a radiant smile. “I’m fine!” she declared. “Come with me to the wings. It’s almost time for my entrance.”

  Glen turned to Nate and shook his hand. “I don’t know what you did, but thanks! We’ll see you after the show.”

  CHAPTER XXII

  Julia Drake walked out of the ladies room on the second floor of the theatre. She looked around to see if Manny was anywhere in sight before going back to the Stuart’s private box. So far, she hadn’t seen him. She knew he was perfectly capable of hypnotizing Courtney from the audience. She had seen him work in the night clubs in Paris, hypnotizing patrons and stealing their money. She also was aware that Nate was the only one who could undo Manny’s dirty work. What if Manny finds out that he’s already done that? Will he try to harm him? Or me? Or both of us! Suddenly she felt a deep sense of foreboding, as though something terrible was about to happen.

  As she approached the private box the floor was deserted, and she realized that Nate, Cammie, and Jeremy hadn’t returned from seeing Courtney.

  She pulled aside the curtains that provided privacy from anyone in the corridor outside. As she entered, she was startled to see a man standing with his back turned to her. “Who are you?” she asked.

  He spun around so fast she didn’t have a chance to get away. Manny!

  This was the last thing she expected. “What are you doing here?” she demanded. She tried not to sound frightened.

  He pulled out a gun and stuck it in her ribs. “Do just as I say or you know what will happen!”

  She trembled. “Are you crazy?! This is a public place! Someone will see you!”

  “Not a chance! We’ll wait till the patrons have gone back to their seats.” He looked at his watch. “Five minutes to go. Sit down, Julia.”

  She opened her mouth to scream.

  “Don’t even think about it!” Manny snapped.

  It seemed forever, and yet far too soon, when three minutes had passed.

  Julia felt safe as long as she could stay here in this private box. But what was Manny planning on doing once they were away from the theatre, and alone?