Chasing Lies

by Sara Claridge

  “What the hell do you think you’re doing?”

  “Kissing you?”

  Her eyes narrowed at his innocent tone. No way was she going to believe that he hadn’t realised what he was doing. She tugged at the papers, but his hand still held them flat against the table.

  “Let go.”

  She pulled at them again. For a moment he was tempted to continue to thwart her attempts at retrieving the documents just to keep that spark of anger in her eyes, but annoying her further wouldn’t get him what he wanted.

  He lifted his hand, and an uneasy feeling crossed him as the papers slid along the table towards her. Since when had he been more disappointed about ending a kiss than missing out on obtaining information?

  Kate snatched up the papers and deposited them in her bag, well out of his reach. Turning back to the table, she cleared her throat and reopened her laptop.

  “So, are we partners or not? Because even though I have no idea what the chansons are telling us yet, I do know that they are still a bargaining tool.” She glanced sideways at him. “Both with you and whoever stole the painting.”

  Once again she was all business, focused on the task at hand. His gaze roamed to the curve of her neck, and a sigh of regret formed on his lips. He had a pretty good idea what the text would say, but now wasn’t the time to start divulging what he knew. Not unless it became necessary.

  “Partners. I’m guessing whoever has the painting is going to head towards Montségur. And for the record, as far as I know only my grandfather ever tried to sell my grandmother, but he always said the Moroccans drove too hard a bargain, so he was stuck with her.”

  The look of incredulity on Kate’s face made him smile. “I’m serious. If you’d met them, you’d understand.”

  A frown marred her brow. “He tried to sell her, and they’re still together?”

  “Sadly, no. She died a long time ago, and Papi more recently. But he always said that not selling her showed how much he loved her.”

  Shaking her head in astonishment, Kate broke their gaze and focused her attention back on the laptop in front of her. “Well, now I know where your craziness comes from.”

  If you’d met them? In what world was that ever going to happen? She was right about him being crazy.

  What he needed to do was to get the files off her laptop and ditch her long enough for him to escape. Because if he was right, there was only one way this adventure would end. She was a nice girl who, by her own admission, was running around in a world she wasn’t prepared for. It would eat her up and spit her out barely alive if she was cursed.

  Dead, if luck was on her side.

  He rose up. “I just need to step outside for a moment.”

  “Okay.”

  Etienne walked across the room, feeling the heat of her gaze on his back, and swore. He’d never had a conscience before. Not even a glimmer of regret had shadowed his heart when he’d taken the necklace from Evie in the summer. So why did guilt sit uneasily on his shoulders now? Shrugging the thought aside, he lifted his phone and dialled.

  KATE HAD TROUBLE standing upright as people jostled around her. She looked up at the screens. There was still another twenty minutes until their train was called and no sign yet as to which platform they needed.

  Etienne had disappeared ten minutes ago, promising to return shortly. He had their tickets, but she still had the poems, so she was fairly confident that he hadn’t ditched her, though she’d been expecting it any minute.

  Aiding and abetting a criminal. Her mother would turn over in her grave. She’d given her life to protect Kate from her father and his connections, and here she was following Etienne on a path that was sure to intersect with Mercier’s. A shiver ran across her shoulders.

  She didn’t care what Etienne thought. There were no grey lines in her father’s world. Just a darkness where the light was too scared to shine. Perhaps Mercier wouldn’t remember her. It had been over fifteen years ago.

  Her gaze scanned the concourse, and she breathed out a sigh of relief as she recognised Etienne’s tall form weaving through the crowds. At the same time, she sensed a commotion behind her and saw the people in front of her draw away.

  “Madame Jackson?” a deep voice questioned.

  Kate turned and a chill swept through her. Two armed police stood on either side of her.

  “Oui?”

  The taller one spoke in English. “Could we see inside your bag, please.”

  She passed it to them. “Yes, of course. It just has my laptop and a few clothes. Is something the matter?”

  “Just routine, madame.”

  Her heart was pounding in her ears as he reached for the clasp. Everyone was staring and she could feel her cheeks start to flush. Her hands shook with a guilty tremor even though she had nothing to fear.

  He opened the flap and flicked through the contents. After a moment, a look of recognition flashed across his face. She’d seen that face before. It was the same one the police gave her cousin right before they arrested him for shop-lifting.

  “I’m afraid you will need to come with us.”

  “What!” Despite a sixth sense of knowing her fate was sealed, a part of her still desperately wanted to deny it. “Why?” It had to be a mistake. What could he possibly have found? Had he mistaken the poems for something else? “It’s not what you think. I’m an insurance investigator.”

  He looked surprised by her admission for a second and then pulled out a miniature cameo.

  “This was reported stolen earlier today from a Paris museum. Can you explain how it came to be in your bag?”

  She opened her mouth and then closed it again. No, she couldn’t. But she’d lay money as to who had the real explanation.

  “Place your hands behind your back, please.” She did as the policeman asked, and he clamped cuffs on her with a deftness that came with years of experience.

  Her gaze met Etienne’s as he walked towards them, ignoring the stares of commuters craning their necks to see what was happening.

  “Help,” she mouthed at him. She didn’t know which stung more. The humiliation of being arrested or the fact that, deep down, despite asking for his help, she knew he was behind it.

  Just as she was about to give up, Etienne came forward and asked if there was a problem. Her shoulders slumped as a wave of relief coursed through her, but the policewoman to her right regarded him dismissively, indicating he should step aside.

  A conversation she didn’t fully understand ensued. Etienne pulled out his wallet and removed his carte d'identité, handing it over as if it was a platinum get out of jail free card.

  Kate’s suspicions were confirmed when the policeman handed the card back after just a few seconds. “Thank you, Monsieur, you can go.”

  “What!” A protest of her innocence and his guilt was on Kate’s lips, but Etienne leaned forward and silenced her with a swift kiss.

  “Au revoir, princesse.” He turned and disappeared into the crowd just as she heard the announcement for their train called.

  Her breath caught in her throat. She hadn’t thought they were a team, but she couldn’t believe he’d stopped her so effectively.

  She could forget any kind of promotion now. She’d be lucky to still have a job after this farce was straightened out. How could she have been such a fool? Etienne said she wasn’t cut out for field work. Perhaps he was right.

  The handcuffs jarred against her skin as she was escorted outside the train station, and anger kicked in. Au revoir, princesse! Fucking, au revoir, princesse. Who the hell did he think he was? So above the law that one glance at his identity was enough to send him on his way.

  Kate turned to stare at the policeman next to her. His expression gave nothing away. She’d never been on the wrong side of the law. No matter how bad things were, the one thing her mother had impressed upon her was that once she crossed the line to criminality, her father’s friends would never let her go.

  It was advice she’d never forgott
en. Along with the image of her mother lying on the kitchen floor, a needle sticking out of her arm. An accidental overdose, officials said, but her mother had quit. She’d been clean for several months. Kate’s objection to their conclusions had fallen on deaf ears.

  If it hadn’t been for someone in the drugs squad who realised exactly who Kate was, she might never have escaped the same inevitable fate. But he’d arranged for her to vanish with a new ID and a foster family miles from anyone who might know her.

  With a sigh, she allowed herself to be placed in the back of the police car. She had no doubt that this mess would be sorted out at the station, but by then Etienne would be long gone.

  She’d been well and truly fucked over. This wasn’t just the end of her job. It was the catastrophic finale of her career. The industry was too small for her to ever work again.

  She blinked back tears of frustration as the vehicle pulled away. The streets and buildings turned into a watery, kaleidoscopic blur as she gazed out the window.

  And the only person to blame was her.

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  ETIENNE STEPPED OUT of the way of the relentless barrage of people who walked across the station concourse. He looked up at the departure screens to see if the platform had been listed yet.

  He’d told Kate they were going to Toulouse, but he’d bought a ticket to Avignon. There was still another piece of the puzzle that needed to be placed together to ensure that Mercier would take the bait.

  He glanced over his shoulder. People scurried out of the way as Kate was led towards the main doors. Perhaps it was overkill to get her arrested, but he needed her out of the way for a few hours with no clue as to where he was heading next. By the time she reached Montségur, he should have made contact with Mercier and be well on his way to retrieving the painting.

  A flash of guilt weighed heavy on his chest, and his jaw clenched. If she’d been a man, he wouldn’t have thought twice. He pursed his lips. If she’d been any other woman, he wouldn’t have worried, either.

  Fuck, he screwed up. Now the taste of her lips, gently parted in surprise, were etched in his memory. He ran a hand through his hair. Ever since he’d caught sight of her following him that first day, he’d been attracted to her. Something in her eyes when he’d handed over her passport drew him in, and yet, with all the gaps they discovered in her background he should have no hesitation, in walking away.

  Except he never could resist a puzzle.

  As he reached into his pocket to pull out his phone, his mouth twisted in a wry smile. He hadn’t lost his focus. The touch of the USB drive beneath his fingers was proof of that. While she’d gone to the bathroom, he’d taken advantage of a rookie mistake and downloaded the files from her laptop, even managing to get a peek at those papers she so jealously guarded.

  He just had to blot out the relief he’d seen in her eyes that he was still there when she returned to the table.

  Head down, concealed by the other travellers around him, Etienne stepped onto the train. He preferred the train. It was the easiest way to get from A to B without being noticed, and with speeds of over three hundred kilometres an hour, the TGV was faster than a car. Airports always lured press photographers hungry for a snapshot of the latest celebrity. He’d learnt early on that the train allowed him a certain amount of freedom, and with the reduced security he could travel without hindrance.

  As the train wound southward, he stretched the kink out between his shoulder blades and closed his eyes. When he stepped out of the station at Avignon, the warmth of the late afternoon sunshine was a welcome relief from the gloom and rain of the north.

  Etienne glanced at his watch. He’d promised to meet Didier, but there was just enough time to find a room for the night and a shower before discovering what they’d done with Kate.

  Seated at the back of a cafe fifty minutes later, Etienne thanked the waitress for his coffee. By now Madame Morrier would have ensured Kate’s release. He could only begin to imagine how angry his princesse would be. Her brown eyes had blazed with a hint of gold after he’d kissed her. By now she would have realised exactly what he’d done. Instinct said he should be wary of that fiery gaze, but all it seemed to do was warm him up.

  “What’s brought that smile to your face?”

  Etienne glanced up and held out his hand in greeting. “Didier. Good to see you. How’s life?”

  “Wishing I had a nice desk job instead of chasing around the country after young guns like you.”

  “You’re getting soft in your old age.” He leant back in his seat while the waitress took Didier’s order.

  As she walked away, Didier turned his attention back to Etienne. “So what’s new? Word is you’re a man with something to sell?”

  Etienne gave a dismissive wave of his hand. “Nothing I’m sure that OCBC would be interested in.”

  “That’s probably true. We’re watching the bigger fish at the end of the line. And no, it’s not you.”

  “I’m glad to hear it.”

  It fucked with his mind that he and Didier were on the same side, probably even working for the same central office. Only Madame Morrier and a couple of other people knew of Etienne’s existence. A condition she’d insisted on when offering him a job. He had to hand it to her. She’d been right when she said to him that his family’s wealth would open doors that would otherwise remain closed to them.

  What had started as a mercy mission for his grandfather had become addictive. The excitement, the chase, and the adventure. The supposed double life of playboy and criminal amused him. Nothing had ever been proven against him, and in the social circles he moved in, no one took any notice. Hell, some of them even propositioned him to steal things.

  Didier rested his head in his hand. “I take it this isn’t a social visit?”

  “I wanted your opinion. Someone I know has a copy of an original Occitan poem, and who better to help understand it than someone that speaks the language?”

  “It’s been a while. But I’ll try my best.”

  The waitress returned with more coffee, and Etienne watched with amusement while Didier flirted shamelessly with the woman. Was it his imagination or did his friend seem a little tired?

  He and Didier had met a long time ago and developed a curious friendship based on their interest in art. Didier warned him when someone was getting too close to Etienne’s activities, and Etienne fed him information that led to stolen art being recovered and criminals caught. Over the years, it had helped him maintain his cover.

  As the waitress returned to the bar, Etienne flipped his phone around to Didier. “She thinks that they might be a link to some forgotten treasure.”

  “So it was a woman?”

  Etienne frowned at him.

  “That put the smile on your face.”

  Etienne shrugged. “You know.”

  “Leave them alone. That’s what I know.”

  “Ain’t that the truth.”

  Didier took his phone and scrolled slowly with his finger. “Okay. I’m a bit rusty, but I think she’s onto something. It looks like there might be a line missing.”

  “That’s what she thought. We got a hold of another copy to check.”

  Etienne reached for his phone and opened up the file manager. There was nothing on the screen with today’s date. He was certain he’d grabbed all the files.

  “Fuck.” He released a breath he hadn’t even known he was holding. “She held back on me.”

  “Do you think she realises what you’re after?”

  “I think the fact that the one file we retrieved today is missing is a pretty good indication.”

  Didier laughed and slapped him on the back. “Maybe you’ve met your match. It’s good to see someone getting one over on you for a change, Etienne. Normally it’s me having to explain to my boss that sometimes things don’t work out the way you plan.”

  Etienne leaned back in his chair and downed the rest of his coffee. Un-fucking-believable. “Bordel. I’ve just left he
r in Paris.”

  “I’m always telling you, my friend, that your love them and leave them lifestyle is going to run you into trouble.” Didier chuckled as he threw some euros onto the table and stood up. “Looks like karma is about to catch up.”

  “It wasn’t like that.”

  “No? So why is there a look of doom on your face?”

  Etienne shook his head in disbelief and raised his eyebrows. “I can’t even begin to explain.” He was going to be facing that angry gaze a lot sooner than he’d anticipated.

  Merde. He shouldn’t have been planning on seeing her again in the first place.

  KATE REACHED OVER to the table next to her and grabbed the sachet of sugar someone had left behind. She shook it before ripping open the top and adding it to the already sweet coffee. No amount of sweetener was going to calm her nerves, but she was determined to try and send herself into a comforting sugar coma.

  They’d let her go thirty minutes ago, and she put as much distance between herself and the police station as she could before stopping to catch her breath at a bar.

  It had been enough of a shock getting arrested, but when all they did was stick her in a room for a couple hours, she’d gone through every emotion from anger at Etienne to panic that they were about to phone her boss. Just when she was convinced they’d forgotten her, the door opened, and someone in plain clothes told her in perfect English that she was free to go and handed her bag. Minus the stolen miniature, she noted. If indeed it even was stolen.

  Kate had no idea how he’d orchestrated it, but she was certain Etienne was behind her arrest. How far did his corruptive influence stretch?

  She gulped down the coffee and caught the eye of the waiter to order another, along with a shot of whiskey. Who cared that it was only late afternoon? She needed the fortification to face the wrath of her boss.

  The feel of the burn as it travelled slowly down her throat melted the emotions she’d held in check since her detention, and her cheeks warmed as anger settled over her.

  How dare he. She’d expected him to ditch her at some point, but to get her arrested? The humiliation of being dragged away like a common thief in front of all of those people. She might not make the news, but she’d definitely be the star attraction on someone’s social media feed, judging by the number of camera phones she’d seen aimed at her.