by Robin Caroll
Two Mardi Gras parades were scheduled today. One was Claude’s, at noon today. Princess Katerina would ride on the float he’d spared no expense in having created. Claude’s krewe was the Krewe of Aion, who was the Greek god of eternity. Claude had designed the back of the float to be a huge zodiac wheel with a naked Aion standing in the center as if holding it up. Katerina would sit on the throne beside the depiction of Aion. It would be quite the sight to see.
Too bad Addy would miss it.
She was so thirsty again. She wanted to ask for water, but she hadn’t heard anyone for a while. Had she fallen asleep? Surely not. If only she—
Her captor spoke, off in the distance. Wait. She couldn’t hear him clearly, so he obviously wasn’t talking to her. If not her, then who was he talking to?
Her heart thumped. Should she try to call for help? She opened her mouth, then stopped. He hadn’t gagged her, so he must be pretty certain no one would hear her if she yelled. He was probably just on the phone. Yelling probably wouldn’t be her smartest move.
Maybe whoever he was on the phone with would hear her. Not likely, though. Addy tilted her head and used her shoulder to rub against the tie of the blindfold. Why she hadn’t considered doing it before . . .
It moved an inch!
She moved her shoulder frantically and bobbed her head. She pinned the blindfold fabric with her shoulder and jerked her head quickly to the side. Part of the blindfold lowered, just enough to drop below her right eye.
She blinked against the light from the lamp on the table. It was so much brighter than she remembered.
“Don’t worry. She’s fine. She has no idea who I am or why she’s here.” His voice was closer than before.
Shuffle, shuffle, step.
“Come peek in at her and you’ll see she’s okay.”
Addy froze. There were two of them, and they were going to look in on her. She could turn her head and duck it and maybe they wouldn’t notice the blindfold had slipped.
Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.
That was the sound of a woman’s heels. A woman was involved in her abduction. Addy couldn’t believe it. Didn’t want to. Who?
The footsteps stopped outside the door. The door creaked. Addy ducked her head and held her breath.
A minute passed.
Shuffle, step. Tap. Tap.
Addy opened her eyes and used the wall to slide up. She wobbled to a stand and looked out the open door.
A big man with shoulders the width of an LSU blocker stood with his back to her, talking to a woman, blocking her from Addy’s line of vision. He stood with most of his weight on one side. Must have an injury, which would explain the dragging when he walked.
As he talked, he moved, affording Addy a clear image of the woman involved in her abduction.
Addy sucked in air and felt her heart free fall.
Lissette Bastien!
Beau
Beau strode across the lobby of the Darkwater Inn toward the elevators. While Luca hadn’t said another word during the rest of their interrogation, Beau hadn’t missed the man’s expression when he’d been asked how Princess Katerina knew Larder had killed Hassler. Katerina had been the one to tell Luca, no question, and Beau intended to find out how the princess knew that. While Marcel finished processing the paperwork on the Liechtenstein guard, Beau was determined to get answers from the princess, and probably her fiancé too.
“Beauregard!”
Stopping just outside the elevator bay, Beau turned to Dimitri. He’d always detested Dimitri’s habit of calling people by their full name. It was annoying.
“Thanks for waiting. She’s not up there.” Dimitri shook his head. “I haven’t been able to get in touch with her in hours. I’m guessing you haven’t either.”
“What are you talking about?”
Dimitri wrinkled his forehead. “Adelaide, of course. That’s why you’re here, yes? Because calls are going straight to voice mail?”
Beau’s gut tightened into a ball. “When was the last time you talked to her?” He immediately began trying to remember the last time he’d spoken to her. Earlier that day, when they were all in the gemologist’s suite?
“I haven’t spoken to her since we left Yaromir Orlov’s suite.”
“That was about, what—” Beau did the mental calculations back past the interrogation of Luca Vogt. “—four or so?”
Dimitri nodded.
“How many times have you tried to call her?”
“Five or six at least. Every time, they go straight to voice mail.”
Indicating it was turned off. Beau pulled out his cell. He had to try himself. His call, too, went straight to voice mail.
“I’ve banged on the door to her apartment, but there’s no answer.”
Beau stared at him. “Do you have keys to it?”
“No. I mean, security has master keys to every door in this hotel, but . . . I checked the parking deck. Her car isn’t here.”
Where was she? It wasn’t like her to just go off the grid. Someone usually always knew where she was. If not work, then . . .
“Hang on.” Beau called Vincent, who answered on the third ring. “This better be important, son. I’m knee deep in autopsies for researching.”
Beau struggled to keep his tone even. “Sorry for interrupting. I was just wondering if Addy was there.”
“Here? No. Why?”
“She’s just not at the hotel, so I thought you might have called her.”
“No, I didn’t. I talked to her early this morning, but I haven’t this evening. Is something wrong?”
“No.” The denial burnt Beau’s tongue. While he didn’t know anything was wrong, every instinct in his detective psyche screamed that there was. “I just wanted to ask her something. She’s probably out jogging or something. I can catch her later.”
“Are you sure? I can try to call her for you.”
“No, that’s okay. If you see her tonight, just tell her to call me, okay?”
“Beau, are you sure nothing’s wrong?”
He forced the laugh. “Well, there’s a lot wrong with my caseload and piling up of laundry if you’d like to help me with that.”
Vincent chuckled. “I’ll take my autopsies, thank you very much. I’ll let Addy know you were looking for her, if I hear from her.”
“Thanks. ’Night.” He disconnected the call and shook his head at Dimitri, who had been staring at him. “He hasn’t heard from her.”
“Jogging?”
Beau nodded. Addy sometimes went running, mainly when she wanted to clear her head because something was weighing on her. This case would definitely do that, not to mention that they had a date coming up. He glanced at Dimitri. She might have a date with him too. Maybe she was just in Jackson Square getting fresh air, a little exercise, and her thoughts in line. Maybe—
His cell phone vibrated. He checked the display before he answered the call. “Hi, Tracey.”
“Hey. Do you know where Addy is?”
Was that the question of the night or what? “No. Why?”
“I just got a call from Elise Hubert. Her aunt is the Pampalons’ housekeeper.”
“I know who she is.” Beau narrowed his eyes as he stared at Dimitri. “What did she want?”
“She said that Dimitri was worried because his father had an appointment on his calendar set with her at six, but Claude said he didn’t have one.”
Why hadn’t Dimitri told him that himself, if he was so worried about Addy? “I’ll call you back.” Beau ended the call and glared at Dimitri. “What’s this about Addy having an appointment with your father?”
Dimitri’s face reddened. “There’s an appointment written on his desk calendar saying he was meeting Adelaide, but Father swears he has no idea how that got on his calendar. He’s at home and has been there for some time.”
“Why didn’t you tell me this from the beginning?” Beau marched toward the hallway of executive offices. “You should have told me that immediately.”
/>
“I wasn’t trying to keep it from you.” Dimitri matched Beau’s stride.
“But you didn’t tell me. In my line of work, that’s called a suspicious action.”
Dimitri opened his father’s office, flipped on the light, and went to the desk.
“Your father doesn’t keep his office locked?” Beau followed him.
“Rarely. He doesn’t keep anything in here.” Dimitri turned the desk calendar schedule around so Beau could see it. “Except his schedule. He checks it several times a day because his assistants add appointments as they are scheduled.”
Beau read the notation Dimitri pointed to: Adelaide 6pm. It was written in nondescript block letters.
“That’s it? Nothing else?” Beau set the book back on the desk.
Dimitri shook his head. “That’s all there is.”
Beau flipped a couple of pages and read the other entries.
“What?” Dimitri moved closer.
“Well, all the other entries are in the same format: time, location, and person or detail. This one has the name first and the time second. There’s no location.”
“That is odd. Father is particular about consistency. He has instructed his assistants and secretary on the format to use on his schedule entries, I’m very sure.”
That feeling in the pit of Beau’s stomach spread, filling all the space in his gut. “Does Addy have a calendar like this?”
Dimitri shook his head as he straightened the calendar back to its place on the desk. “She uses an app on her phone exclusively. I know this because I’ve heard her assistant complain that she has to give Adelaide messages to make changes or updates.”
“Can you call her assistant? See if she remembers anything about this supposed meeting?”
“Yes. Come on, let’s go get her number.” Dimitri led the way to his former office, now Lissette’s. “We keep personnel files in both Adelaide’s office and here.” He pulled open the file cabinet and began flipping through folders.
Beau looked around, his gaze taking it all in and logging everything. The framed picture on the desk of Lissette and an older woman, hugging and all smiles. The piece of pottery on top of the credenza behind the desk beside more photos of Lissette and the woman Beau could only surmise was her mother, a picture of Lissette and Dimitri at last year’s Mardi Gras ball, and a little weird figurine. It was made of black stone or something and was the shape of an old man. Two feathers stuck out the top of his head, one a two-tone blue and the other a deep wine. The body had small shells glued on it and little . . . What were those—pins?
“Vicky, this is Dimitri Pampalon.”
Beau glanced over his shoulder to see Dimitri leaning against the file cabinet, his cell pressed against his ear. “I apologize for calling this late, but I need to know if you recall any appointment Adelaide might have had this evening.”
Beau went back to surveying the desk. Pens stuck in a cup, some with lids, some without. Perfume bottle missing a lid. Desk calendar. Beau turned that around and studied the month at a glance listing.
“Thank you, Vicky. I’ll look into that.” Beau straightened and faced Dimitri.
“No, there’s nothing else. Thank you.” Dimitri slipped the phone into his pocket and shut the filing cabinet. “She said she didn’t make an appointment but saw a message about an appointment this evening sitting on her desk when she set some papers on Adelaide’s desk around four.”
Beau tapped the desk calendar. “Look at this.”
Dimitri moved behind the desk and studied it. “What? Lissette doesn’t have an appointment with Father or Adelaide listed.”
“Look at the format. Name, then time. No location or other information. Most all of her appointments are like that.”
Dimitri was silent, but Beau didn’t miss the slight micro-expression nuances.
“Is there something I should know about Addy and Lissette?” Beau couldn’t help but feel his frustration growing along with the knot in his gut.
Dimitri sighed. “Lately, Lissette has been showing signs of jealousy regarding Adelaide. Little things.”
“Like what little things?”
“Just little snide remarks here and there. Comparison comments.” Dimitri shrugged. “Simple things like that.”
Jealousy was a funny emotion: lots of things could trigger it, and it was never the same for different people. One thing Beau did know from experience, though, was that it was never simple. Nor it did ever bode well for the focus of someone’s jealousy.
“What was Lissette jealous of Addy over?”
The tips of Dimitri’s ears reddened. “Lissette overheard a conversation I had with our father. It seems that his legal obligations of forced heirship to include Lissette in his estate will expire on her birthday later this year. He was informing me of this, and when I argued with him, he also pointed out that it was within his power to fire Adelaide.”
“I’m not following. He’d fire Adelaide for what?”
“To hurt me.” The red crept up Dimitri’s neck and across his face. “Father used Adelaide to keep me in line. If I don’t do as he wishes, he’ll fire Adelaide.”
“Wow.” What a class A jerk.
Dimitri nodded, as if he’d heard Beau’s thoughts. “This time, Lissette heard the threat and jumped to the conclusion that I would agree to her being ousted to save Adelaide’s job.” He shook his head. “That was not the case, of course, because Father will oust Lissette simply because he doesn’t want her here, period. Lissette didn’t want to understand that.”
Beau didn’t know whether to feel sorry for Dimitri for the way his father treated him or to think less of him for not standing up to his father. It didn’t really matter at the moment. Neither emotion would help Addy. “Basically, she felt like you would throw her under the bus to save Addy’s job?”
Dimitri hung his head. “Yes.”
Beau let out a sigh. “So, let’s say she’s jealous of Addy and believes you’ve chosen Addy over her. She’s angry. She obviously makes a bogus appointment for Addy with your dad. Why?”
Dimitri shrugged. “Maybe she wanted to talk to her and was afraid Adelaide wouldn’t meet with her? She knows Adelaide wouldn’t miss an appointment with my father.”
“Doesn’t sound like Addy. She’ll try to work things out with just about anybody.” Another reason Addy had his heart. “Have you called Lissette?”
“I tried calling her earlier, but she rejected the call. Let me try again.” He made the call, placing it on speaker. It rang three times, then went to her voice mailbox. Dimitri pocketed his phone. “I didn’t really expect her to take my call since she’s pretty upset with me. We had an argument.”
“About Addy?” Beau’s uneasy feeling was getting stronger.
Dimitri nodded. “She told Father that Adelaide had been telling everyone he was a liar about having something in the safe when it was stolen. Father wasn’t pleased.”
“That’s irrelevant now since we recovered the money and the crown and didn’t find anything else.”
Dimitri’s eyes widened. “Did you know what you were supposed to be looking for?”
“Just a black pouch, that’s all Addy said. Why?”
“Oh, it’s very relevant, and you should know what you should be looking for.”
24
Addy
Lissette left the warehouse, her heels tapping the cadence of her departure.
Addy let herself slip down to the floor, leaning back against the wall. Her mind wouldn’t accept what her eyes had seen. How could Lissette be involved in this? What had she ever done to Lissette? This was crazy.
She played everything over in her mind. The conversations she’d had with Lissette for the last day . . . week . . . month. Nothing stood out as to why Lissette would do this to her. Sure, she hadn’t been as enthusiastic as Dimitri about her coming on and jumping up the ladder to become CEO of the Darkwater Inn, but surely that was understandable.
Shuffle, shuffle, shuffle, s
tep.
Addy did her best to slip the blindfold back in place. She wasn’t scared anymore, but the more she thought about Lissette’s involvement . . .
Shuffle, step. The door creaked open.
Addy lifted her head, pretending she hadn’t known he was on his way. “Hello?”
“I brought you some more water.”
“Thank you.”
They went through the routine again. The water was cold and refreshing but did little to cool the anger burning in her chest.
The lid twisted back on the bottle.
God, if this is the way You’re helping me . . .
“Look, I know you don’t want to tell me what’s going on, but can you at least just talk to me?” Maybe if she got him talking, he’d give away more than he’d intended. She had to try. Besides, the silence was killing her.
“Talk?”
He came across as a bit simple to Addy. Maybe she could use that to her advantage.
“Yes.” Addy knew women who could play the damsel in distress card at the drop of a dime. She never had, but perhaps now was as good a time as any to learn. “I’m scared and in the dark. I don’t even know what time it is.”
His breathing caught.
Addy held her breath. Dare she continue? Would it do any good?
“It’s ten twenty-one.”
“Thank you.” An open door was an open door was an open door, as her Daddy always said. She’d step through. “So, are you going to the parades tomorrow?”
The single chair’s legs scraped against the floor. The wood creaked as the big man sat down. “I usually don’t.”
“I do. I love the parades.” She needed to keep him talking. Build a rapport. “My boss has his own krewe, and this year he brought in a real princess to ride on his float.”
“Get out!”
Despite herself, Addy smiled. “No, he really did. Then again, my boss is Claude Pampalon who owns the Darkwater Inn hotel. Do you know him?”
“You work at the hotel?” The question was loaded.
Addy realized he had no idea who she was. If he didn’t know who she was, did he realize who Lissette really was? “Yes. Yes, I do. I’m the general manager there, actually. Have you ever been there?”
