The Tulip Terror

by C L Bauer

  Lily shook her head. Deflection must be an artform in Europe too, heck all over the world.

  Ari had found them a small table where they could eat and drink, and watch everyone go by.

  “I won’t get into all the nasty details, but our dear tulip was at the base of a love story; lovers separated, never in the same place at the same time. Oh and there was intrigue, murder, and deception. We Arabs do have our stories.”

  Lily nodded nicely, but said nothing. Geez, the story sounded like her relationship with Dev. The tulip could become her new favorite flower. No, she still loved lilacs.

  He pointed out the president of France, a prime minister of some European country, a countess, and a princess. An elderly gentleman made his way over to them.

  “Hello, my dear. You are so beautiful tonight. Were we not married at one time?”

  Lily almost choked on her food. The gentleman grabbed her empty hand to kiss it gently. “I’m sorry, sir, but sadly we were not.”

  “Then you must remind me of my dead wife. She was an actress.” He smiled and leaned down to Lily. “Actually, I met her at the Moulin Rouge. She was a dancer. She was magnifique. A lively one she was. She so enjoyed being my duchess. That’s when our dear Charles was president. He is such a wonderful man.”

  “And you, sir, are?” Ari questioned.

  “I am the Duke of Burgundy, well one of them. I believe I’m actually the illegitimate duke, but I have a castle nonetheless. Charles and I are so close. I talked to him just the other day.”

  “You mean Charles de Gaulle, your grace?” Ari was standing now out of respect for the elderly man.

  “Of course. Do you know him?”

  “No, I’m sorry, I haven’t had the pleasure.”

  “Shame. Good man. Enjoy your evening. Madame, you are a vision tonight.” He turned and walked away to another group of people.

  “Great, a man tells me I’m beautiful and he thinks de Gaulle is still the President.”

  Ari returned to his seat and his vodka. “Well, I have been remiss. Lily, you are absolutely breathtaking. I was right about that jewelry. I hate to admit it, but I’m slightly jealous of your husband tonight. Dev is a lucky man.”

  “How many of those vodkas have you had?” Now who was the one deflecting?

  “Can’t take a compliment, eh? Interesting. Who was he?”

  Lily finished her last bite of a crab roll. “Who was who?”

  “The idiot who left you behind? The idiot who made you feel less?”

  She tried to stare into his deep eyes, but it was difficult. She felt like he could see her soul, see everything about her. “Less than what?”

  “Less than beautiful, less than smart, less than anything?”

  “He was an idiot, well he was the last idiot. Then I just shut down, until one day.”

  “Until Dev walked in?”

  Lily looked away. Ari had seen too much of her; she felt naked in front of him. What a talent he had, and how did he acquire it? “Yes.”

  He raised his glass. “Good for Dev. I’m proud of him for seeing the real, true you. Many men only see mirror images with the perfect filters of makeup, hair dye, perfect shoes and clothing. A real man sees beyond the window dressing to the soul of the woman, her true texture, her lifeline. Your heart and soul are beautiful.”

  Usually, silence was not Lily’s strong suit, especially when she was nervous or out of her element. She took a minute to take a deep breath. Deflect, Lily. “Now, I’ve had a crazy duke and a super agent tell me I’m beautiful. It’s been the perfect night.” She leaned her chair back slightly, and the tall column holding an urn of tulips began to move. “Oh no.”

  Ari quickly moved to save her from disaster. Lily was standing next to him in awe. “Great move.” She touched the column. “We need to get it straight again.” She touched the column again and realized it wasn’t solid.

  “I would’ve thought a party like this would have heavy columns. This is resin. We use these on weddings all the time.”

  “Is that unusual?”

  Lily moved the pillar back in place and saw a white powder below. “No, but for a gala like this I would’ve expected something better, heavier. Could you pick up the urn?”

  “I’ll try.” He brought his hands around the base and lifted it up easily. “This isn’t heavy at all.”

  By now, Lily was crouching on the floor. She touched the white substance at the base. “What the heck is this?” Hopefully, it was from a packet of flower preservative, but as they moved the column in place, more was dropping out. No, please. Flower preservative packets had gotten her into trouble two years ago when the substance was actually drugs. She brought up her finger for Ari to examine. “Surely, they’ve dusted. It sort of looks like my house after a few weeks,” she joked.

  Ari crouched down beside her and brought some of the powder onto his finger. He tasted it. “Mon Dieu.”

  “Oh, that can’t be good. Do not tell me that it’s what I think it is!” She reached for a napkin to wipe off her hand and the edge of her dress.

  “Fine, I won’t tell you that it’s cocaine.”

  Their faces were only inches away from each other. “It is, isn’t it?”

  “Yes.”

  “Merde.”

  Ari smiled. “Lily Pierce, you’ve gone from duchess to guttermouth in a matter of minutes.”

  “We need to tell Dev.”

  “Must we? He will get all DEAish and then the night will be ruined. He’ll insist we call the police or INTERPOL. He is such a boy scout. Worse yet, they’ll shut down the open bar, and they’ll remove the buffet. I wanted to go back for the lobster tails. And he’ll blame me. Somehow it will be my fault.”

  “Is it your fault? Are you involved in this too, whatever this is?” She stood up suddenly and looked down on him. “If you are involved in this, you know he will not be happy.”

  His face looked up at her as though he was a small boy being reprimanded by his mother. “I swear to God, Allah, Buddah, anyone that I have nothing to do with this. Lily, don’t ruin this night. There is nothing, nothing Dev can do about drugs in the Louvre in France.” He finally stood up in defiance.

  “I’m going to go find him.” Lily stood up and gave Ari her napkin. “You do whatever you do, whatever that is.”

  “I do things and I know things. This can wait. Waiting is an attribute and is a skill you should acquire. I want nothing to do with this. It will only lead to trouble.” Ari’s voice became deadly low. Lily stared at him. Staring down at him was so much easier than seeing eye-to-eye.

  “How do you exist with your vacant conscience?”

  Ari smiled. “I learned very early to be very careful where I stick my nose. My mother was Jewish and my father Muslim. I have walked a delicate, dangerous line since the day I was born. I have learned patience and how to live in the darkness. You should sit down and I’ll get us dessert. Perhaps you have low sugar.” He smiled charmingly. He was stalling, hoping his partner would finally arrive and take the heat off of him.

  Lily smirked at him. “I’m not you. I have a funny feeling you are up to something, maybe this, maybe something else. Suddenly, I don’t trust you.” She waved him off and headed in through the throng of people. Ari didn’t follow, instead choosing to wait for his accomplice.

  She’d have to be subtle. She couldn’t just scream out that her new friend, and she had just found cocaine. Mon Dieu, indeed.

  Lily reached the main room and saw her husband by the bar. She wrapped her arms around his back. “Mr. Pierce, I am having such a good time. I feel like a princess. Come dance with me, and we can talk about something.”

  “It’ll be my pleasure.” The man’s voice was similar to Dev’s. The stranger turned to face Lily.

  “You’re not my husband.”

  “No, but I am Mr. Pierce.” He held two glasses of champagne and offered one to Lily. “We should toast.”

  Lily took the glass, but took a couple of steps back. She
examined the man carefully. “It seems champagne gets me in trouble, besides, what are we toasting?”

  “Who. We are toasting to you, princess.” He lifted his glass. His eyes twinkled. His smile reminded Lily of her husband’s when he woke in the morning and turned his head to say good morning. He needed a shave. His eyes weren’t as bright as Dev’s. Their light grey color was unusual with flecks of gold. He did have Dev’s lashes. It seemed to be a family trait.

  She lifted her glass to his, her eyes never leaving his as she took a sip. This man could be Dev’s brother. Great, he couldn’t make it to the wedding, but he shows up on our honeymoon.

  He could tell what she was thinking. His smile slowly faded with the new frown that was born on her brow. “You know,” he said as he pointed to her face, “if you do that too much you’ll end up with wrinkles on that pretty face.”

  “Mr. Pierce, are we related?” Lily finally asked. “I’m not very fond of games right now, nor do I have the time to play them.”

  He nodded, soft hair falling into his eyes. When he looked into her eyes again, he brushed the errant strands away. “Actually--”

  “He’s my brother.” Dev was standing next to her, his hand protectively placed around her waist. “Hello, Jackson. I’ve been wondering when you would finally pop up. I’ve been trying to contact you.”

  “Hello, Devlin. Your wife and I were just getting acquainted.”

  “Were we?” Lily asked, tilting her head suspiciously.

  “Well, I thought we were. Congratulations, you two.”

  “You missed the wedding,” Dev answered calmly. He tightened his hold around Lily’s waist. She looked up to see his face, his very calm face, except for one pulsing vein in his neck.

  “Dad was supposed to tell you I’ve been working here in Europe for months for the FBI.”

  “He did.” Dev examined his brother. His little brother was too calm. He doubted he was just working for the FBI. “Do you need to fill me in on something?”

  Jackson Pierce smiled. “Perhaps. Maybe you already know about it.”

  “Maybe I do, and I don’t approve, at all.”

  Lily watched the verbal ping-pong match and was becoming dizzy.

  “Alright, you two, enough with the brotherly word-master contest. I need to talk to my husband, alone. Wonderful meeting you Jackson. See you at the next family gathering.” She grabbed Dev’s hand and pulled him to the dance floor. When did she stop caring about rude behavior? Gretchen must be rubbing off on her.

  “Well that was a bit unusual for you.” Dev smiled slightly as he held her in his arms.

  “I needed to talk to you. I’m not sure what all that was with your brother, but I was in a hurry. Sorry.” She looked up at him with a look that melted his heart.

  “What is it?”

  “You aren’t going to believe this, but I found drugs in one of the columns. I almost dumped the urn of flowers off of it, and the column moved and surprise, I found drugs, again.”

  Dev laughed out loud. Stoic French couples glared at his impudence.

  “That’s funny.”

  “I’m not laughing. I’m serious. I’m not sure what is going on in the universe, but I’m like a dog-sniffing drug magnet. Ari said it was cocaine.”

  Dev’s facial muscles straightened. “Ari? Where? Show me.” The puzzle was coming together. His patience was vanishing.

  Lily led her husband off the dance floor and to the table. Ari was still sipping a glass of champagne, and he had found the lobster tails.

  “Oh wonderful,” he sighed. “You brought the boy scout to ruin the night. Lily, the desserts will be out any minute, and you know the French and their desserts.”

  Dev ignored him, moved the column and knelt down to view the white residue. “Boy scout? Yippee.” In a matter of minutes, Devlin Pierce went to work. He removed the urn and tipped the column over to see bag after bag stuffed in the core of the structure. He tapped on the urn and suspected it was filled with drugs as well.

  “Now, what, Mr. Agent Man?” Ari had turned to watch his friend’s examination. “Who are you going to call? The Ghostbusters or Bruce Willis?”

  “Neither for now.” Dev removed his phone and began to take photos of the drugs and the column and urn. “I’m sure there is more than just this one. What are you and my brother up to?”

  “Your brother is here? How nice. Why don’t you go check the tulip bowl over there?” Ari pointed to the centuries-old clay artifact setting in the middle of laser sensors and armed guards. “Let Lily look and she might find the drugs for you.”

  Dev’s look bored a hole through Ari. “So you are using the bowl as bait. I knew it.” He stopped. “Are you two using me too? Am I bait for Khalid?”

  Ari took a drink from his glass. “I never knew that was an option.”

  “What was last night all about then?”

  Lily sat down in one of the chairs away from the two men. Although they were handsome men, she was becoming bored with the “save the world” thing they had going on and who was after whom. Her head was whirling as Ari and Dev continued to verbally attack each other. Only two years ago, this wasn’t her world. Her world was work, flowers and repeat again the next Monday. She hadn’t expected much more than that. Now, she was at a divine party with dignitaries, in Paris, at the Louvre, after hours, watching two drop-dead gorgeous men decide what they were going to do about the drugs SHE found. Holy Moly.

  “Claude, and I’m not sure who else, are funneling drugs in and out of various countries. We talked about this. I wasn’t sure the operation was this large. I just knew about the drugs in the frames and in some of the paint of forgeries. But Devlin, my boy, you need to tread carefully. You have no jurisdiction here, and I just saw one of our old friends pass by. Remember Agent Brad Keeting? He just took a look at the old bowl. As for Jackson’s operation, it is none of your business.”

  “You made it my business when you placed my wife in jeopardy.” Keeting? The last time I saw the man was while I was working on the Notte drug case. This just keeps getting worse.

  Ari shook his head and smiled. “Dear boy, you said Khalid was on your plane coming over here. He was in your country flying into Paris. You were already on his radar, or you are one unlucky man.”

  Dev ran his hand through his hair. “I don’t know who to trust in this mess. I’d talk to Remy, but there’s something off with him.”

  “On that we can agree,” Ari lamented. “Dev, please just take the night off.” Ari looked over at the unusually quiet Lily. “I told you he would ruin our party. The lobster tails were amazing, by the way.” He threw his napkin down on the table. “Well, come on boy scout. Let’s go save the world. Let’s get this ironed out. We go to Claude first.”

  Lily just naturally followed behind Dev. His hand reached back and she grabbed it. “Come on. You’ll be safer with us than on your own. God knows what this one and my brother have planned.”

  “I’m thinking it isn’t a wedding gift for us, maybe some pottery?” Ari turned back and offered Lily a limp smile.

  As they walked through the crowd, Ari asked several museum officials if they had seen Claude. He was directed to Claude’s office.

  Albert and his wife were standing at the beginning of the long hallway. “Lily, is everything going well?”

  Lily came to a halt which made Dev stop in his tracks. “Actually, Albert, we are going to visit Dr. Barbin. Could you possibly grab a couple of security guards, ones who have guns? Give us five minutes and then come down to her office, please?”

  Albert’s eyes grew as big as plates. He smiled. “Surely, this is an American joke?”

  Lily grabbed his hand. “This is very important. Something may be very wrong in the museum. Please do this.”

  Dev began to pull her away. “We can handle it. Don’t involve him.”

  “Albert, please.” She followed after her husband.

  Albert’s wife was perplexed. “Is everything well with that woman?”
>
  “I’m not sure.” He thought about Lily’s request. Several other staff members were acting strangely this evening. Dr. Barbin’s assistant Henri was speaking with one of the United States Embassy officials. They were whispering about a shipment. There were no shipments into the museum this night, nor many other nights. He knew. He had been in charge of incoming deliveries years ago. “I think I will do what she asks. There is no harm in being careful.”

  Ari knocked on Claude’s closed door. He heard voices, one was Claude and the other was a man. Perhaps it was Remy, the little man who attempted to push Dev around last night? He nodded back at Dev as he opened the door. “I believe we have everyone in there.”

  Claude stood behind her desk. She was pale. She was looking toward the other side of the room.

  Dev and Ari saw Claude, Remy, and then they followed her glance. There was another man in the office. It was Khalid. Everything had just changed.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Dev shoved Lily completely behind him serving as a barrier between her and the others. It was too late to leave her out in the hallway. Khalid had just lit a small cigar.

  “Ah, please come in. We can have our own party here,” he said softly.

  Dev couldn’t take his eyes off of Khalid. It was like seeing the devil in the flesh. His attention was soon drawn away by the Embassy official with the gun.

  “Close the door, Agent Pierce. You really shouldn’t be here, but now it is too late,” he commented cooly.

  “So, you have it under control, Remy?”

  Ari shook his head. “Always the boy scout,” he muttered.

  Dev understood, but it didn’t make it any better. Shit. I knew Remy was involved. So he’s double-crossing Claude. He probably got a better offer from Khalid.

  “Oh, I have it under control. Claude was just about to give me the diamonds she owes me, and the other gentleman was overseeing the transaction. Then, I’m off to Switzerland.”

  Ari took a few steps ahead and sat casually on Claude’s desk. “That’s not very bright. Oh sure, you’ll be able to sell some diamonds and gain access to your bank account, but I believe the United States and Switzerland have extradition agreements. I would’ve picked some other place, maybe somewhere warm. Brazil is nice this time of year, and you could enjoy Carnivale in just a few months.”