by David Adkins
“I did not know she had disappeared,” I lied. “There has been a cooling in our relationship.”
“And yet you are very protective of her.”
I shrugged. “I still have feelings for her.”
“Her disappearance is not the only oddity.”
“Really,” I replied.
“Max Lucas has disappeared too.”
“Has he?”
“I have been searching for both of them without any luck. And then there is you, Mr Coulson.”
“I have not disappeared.” I was feeling a little uneasy.
“Cassie Mitchell has resigned from her job at the Gaiety Theatre and you have resigned from your job at Butler and Robinson. Cassie by all accounts had theatre in her blood and you had been a dedicated worker for Butler and Robinson since the war and yet you both resign after the trial. We have many coincidences here.”
“You have been busy, Mr Sugar.”
“I can smell a story, Mr Coulson.”
“If you cannot find Cassie and Max Lucas then I can only assume you have not looked hard enough. Perhaps Cassie has found a new job in another theatre elsewhere. As for me I needed a change after five years working for the same company.”
“It is not the only change you seem to have needed.”
“What do you mean?”
“There is a picture of your house up for sale in the window of the Estate Agent at the bottom of your road. If I were a suspicious man I would say you were planning to disappear too.”
“You are barking up the wrong tree and what I do is really none of your business.”
“You are getting angry again. You must see that from where I am standing the movements of the players in this strange case are dubious to say the least.”
I made an effort to remain calm. “Frankly I do not care what you purport to see. I told the truth in court. Cassie Mitchell never even met the woman in question. I cannot speak for Max Lucas except that he was found not guilty of the charge levied against him. The mystery woman killed Nesterman and you should find her. There is no other mystery here and now I think I have given you enough of my time.”
“All right, all right. I won’t give up on this though, and the other angle I believe presents me with a better chance of success.”
“If you wish to waste your time it is up to you.” I stood up and indicated he should leave.
“If you know where Cassie Mitchell is you should tell me. You may wish to forego a handsome payment for a story but why should you deny her such an opportunity.”
“I repeat she cannot help you and I do not know where she is.” I was finding his persistence very irritating.
“Thank you for your help, Mr Coulson.”
I was relieved to close the door behind this annoying and tenacious newsman. I could not help feeling pleased that I would soon be in Monaco and out of reach of such bothersome questions. He did not realize he was playing a dangerous game and he could be in trouble with the Secret Intelligence Service if he ever linked the Nesterman murder with the Deepdale murder. For one horrifying moment I realized that if he did then he might also be able to link me with both murders using the Mayfair Hotel guest list. It would be yet another coincidence for him to wrestle with.
I put Colin Sugar out of my mind and started to pack my suitcase. It was difficult to know what to take as I did not know how long I would be spending in Monaco. I decided to err on the side of caution and take enough clothes for a week. In the morning I would inform those who needed to know of my pending departure on a week’s vacation and I would also book a room at the Metropole Hotel. It was hardly a holiday and it could be a fraught week but I was also looking forward to finding Cassie and to a change of climate. If Lucas was with her then I would confront them both, but at this moment in time I did not know what I would say or do.
Chapter 16
Wednesday 14th to Tuesday 20th March
I watched out of the window as the plane lifted up into the afternoon sky above the London Airport at Heathrow in West London. It was only my second time on a plane and on this trip, despite the confrontation that may be waiting for me, there were none of the dangers of the first time. My only previous flight had been on a British Transport aircraft during World War II. So I relaxed and availed myself of the drinks and snacks accessible on this short flight. The flight passed quickly and I tensed a little as the plane came into land but it was a smooth landing.
I had to get a bus into the city centre from the airport. It was a tedious journey into the centre of Nice and the railway station and then I had a half hour wait for a train. It was 9 pm by the time the train trundled into the Gare de Monaco-Monte-Carlo. As I stepped on to the platform at Monte-Carlo I was sweating. The case was heavy and the temperature must still have been about 70 degrees even at this time of day. It was quite a shock to the system after leaving a cold and dreary London.
I then had to wait outside the station for a taxi. I was not sure how far the Metropole Hotel was from the station, but however far it was I had no wish to walk there with a heavy suitcase. That would not do for a man of ample means, though being so affluent was a situation I found difficult to get used to. The temperature was now falling under a clear sky and I mopped my brow. I was glad I had packed some light clothes for the temperature during the day must have been in the mid-seventies.
It was ten minutes in the taxi from the station to the hotel and I eventually reached my destination at 9.30. The Metropole was an impressive hotel, perhaps not as splendid as the Mayfair in London, but grand just the same. I checked in at the spacious and ornate reception and was shown to a fine room on the second floor. I tipped the bellboy for carrying my case to my room and then picked up a menu list from the desk in the corner of my large room. The bed was big and comfy and the menu extensive. I ordered a meal via room service and settled down for the evening. I was hungry and tired and the hour was now late and so Cassie would have to wait until the next day. I finished my meal and climbed into the large comfortable bed. Now that I was in Monte-Carlo I needed to think about exactly what I was going to do. I had come here with no clear plan but simply a mission of discovery and to once again see Cassie. Was she in another room of this hotel and if so was she alone?
Then my thoughts went surprisingly to another beautiful woman, the dark-haired woman of mystery who seemed to dwell in the twilight and who so many people were hunting for. I smiled at my fanciful image of her and I hoped they would never catch her. Her work was bloody and ruthless and yet I considered it to be necessary though some might disagree with me. I could not help wondering why she had tipped her dinner over the poor unsuspecting waiter. Surely it had been an accident but then there was the outrageous flirting in Pete’s Bar. The Jenna that I knew usually had a purpose in what she did but what it was I could not fathom. I must have fallen asleep thinking of these two enigmatic women.
I was awake before dawn and I went down to reception early the next morning. The hotel guests were mostly still asleep in their rooms and there were, as yet, only a few early-birds in the breakfast room. I reasoned that the two lovers, if indeed they were lovers, would also still be in each other’s arms. I had to be sure before I condemned Cassie but I could feel a seething anger from deep within me. It certainly looked as if I had been played for a fool. She had used her wiles to recruit my unpaid help for her boyfriend. What I could not understand, if that was the case, was why she had slept with me. She had already achieved her goal at that point.
“Bonjour, monsieur.” the receptionist smiled.
“Do you speak English?” I asked for I had little knowledge of the French language.
He pointed to a young lady who shared the reception desk with him.
“Good morning, sir,” she said.
“I believe I have some friends who may be staying at the hotel.”
“What are their names, sir?”
“They would be registered either as Lucas or Mitchell.”
She looked through the
guest register. “We have a number of English guests. Let me see. Yes we have a Mr and Mrs Mitchell.”
“May I ask you their room number? I would like to surprise them.”
“You are staying at the Metropole, sir?”
I showed her my key. “I am staying in room 213, Mr Coulson.”
“Thank you, they are on the floor above you in room 309.”
“Merci beaucoup,” I replied making use of almost my entire French vocabulary. “You have been a great help.”
I did not go to the breakfast room but returned to my own room and ordered breakfast on room service. I assumed that the couple in 309 were Cassie and Max but I could not be entirely sure for Mitchell was not an uncommon name and I had not seen the surname on the letter that Laura had been sending to Cassie. I also wanted time to reflect on my course of action. Why was I here? Was I seeking Cassie to get her back or was I seeking revenge? What possible good was a confrontation going to do? In the end I decided it would give me some degree of closure on my relationship with Cassie and on the entire Lucas business. It seemed likely I had lost Cassie but there was much I could gloat about and I was curious as to how they could afford this luxurious hotel in one of the grandest resorts in Europe.
I spent the morning wandering around Monte-Carlo and taking in the sights. The famous Casino was only a five minute walk from the hotel and as I studied the grand building I realized why Monte-Carlo would appeal to Max Lucas. The man was a compulsive gambler but the Casino was a wealthy man’s hobby and Max was not wealthy. It was yet another mystery. I walked down to the beach and had lunch in a beachside restaurant. The temperature was still in the low seventies and the sky almost cloudless. The clear blue Mediterranean sparkled under the warm rays of the afternoon sun. I continued walking and exploring and enjoying the climate. It was about 5pm when I returned to the Metropole Hotel. The time for the confrontation had arrived.
I knocked on the door of Room 309.
“Who is it?” a voice shouted from within and I thought I recognized it as belonging to Max Lucas.
“Room Service.” I tried to manufacture a French accent.
“I did not order room service,” he said as he opened the door.
I pushed the door open and stepped inside the room, closing the door behind me. He took a step backward and stared at me in disbelief.
“More luxurious than Pentonville,” I commented.
He shook that mane of jet black hair. “Coulson, what are you doing here?”
“I was looking for you and Cassie. I don’t like to be made a fool of. Where is she?”
“She is in the shower. We are getting ready to go out for the evening.”
“Who is it?” It was Cassie’s voice.
“It is your ex-boyfriend Steve Coulson. He has, no doubt, come to beg you to take him back.”
Cassie emerged from the bathroom with a towel wrapped around her wonderful body and her beauty once again quite took my breath away. Her wet blond hair fell provocatively across her bare shoulders and her shapely legs were perfection. I was captivated all over again despite myself. Lucas must have realized it and was grinning broadly.
“Why did you do that to me?” I gasped at Cassie.
“It was nothing personal, Steve. I wanted to make sure that Max was acquitted and you were a means to an end.”
I could not believe the coldness in her words.
“What about that evening in your flat?” I asked.
Max intervened. “Yes, I was most unhappy about that but she insisted that you should have some reward for your services so in the end I agreed.”
“Is that all it was Cassie, a reward for services rendered?”
She nodded. “I did like you… but I love Max. I knew how badly you wanted me so I gave you one night before we left for Monte-Carlo.”
“She cast you a crumb, Coulson, and if you don’t mind we were getting ready to go out.”
“I have not finished yet.”
He shrugged. “Get it off your chest if you must and we can go our separate ways and hopefully yours will be straight back to London.”
“Did you both plan this right from the beginning? Did you Cassie contrive to meet in that Tea House in the Strand with the sole intention of recruiting my legal assistance and then send me off to Pentonville to see Max and take on his case?”
Lucas was still grinning broadly. “The penny has dropped, Steve. I always said that she was a magnificent dancer with those great pair of pins but she has even more potential as an actress.” He looked lustfully at her long legs.
“I did” Cassie now replied. “Go back to London and forget about me.”
Lucas was now enjoying my humiliation. “Look at him Cassie. He is still infatuated with you. The pathetic fool is still your slave. Have we any more errands we want from him? Can we make any more use of him?”
I could not believe Cassie had been so cruel. I stared at her in disbelief and then I shook myself from my stupor. “Where did you get the money for this hotel?”
“That is none of your business, Coulson,” Max replied.
“Perhaps I will make it my business. I would hazard a guess that you came about the money illegally. It costs a lot to support such a life style in Monte-Carlo.”
“Perhaps you should keep your nose out of things that don’t concern you.” He stood up to his full height.
I matched him. “You are my concern, Lucas. I have not finished with you yet.”
Cassie pulled Lucas away. “Just go, Steve and forget about me.”
“I cannot forget about you Cassie. I have not finished with you either.” With that I walked out of their room and slammed the door behind me.
I did not return to my room but instead went down to the spacious reception area. I bought a newspaper, found a comfortable armchair in a secluded corner and hid behind the paper. I was both distraught and seething. I tried to calm down and tell myself that I should not be surprised, for the confrontation had played out much as I expected. However, Cassie’s cruelty and Max’s contempt had got to me. It was made worse by the fact that their words were true. I loved Cassie and was still besotted with her. I also wanted revenge for the way they had both played me but not just me for I had put James and Butler and Robinson at their disposal and had not asked a penny for their services. I thought they were broke but now they are here living the good life in Monte-Carlo. My fury was such that I wanted some sort of revenge particularly on the gloating Lucas. To think I had saved him from hanging. He might not have killed Rupert Nesterman but I could willingly put a noose around his neck myself.
I waited for about half an hour before they emerged from the elevator and exited the hotel. I had resolved to follow them and find out their destination. Cassie was a picture of unbelievable elegance and looked every part the Monacan beauty. Even Lucas was smartly dressed and did not look out of place against the affluent Riviera background. Finding out their destination was probably of little consequence but I did feel that I would like to speak with each of them on their own. I might be able to goad Lucas into some answers for there were still things that puzzled me. I might also be able to find out Cassie’s true feelings without Lucas there to encourage her into cruel behaviour. I was perfectly well aware that I was probably kidding myself when it came to Cassie but I did need to speak with her privately.
I followed them to Monte-Carlo’s greatest landmark. It seemed even more impressive lit up at night. The lights seemed to emphasize the grandeur of the building and to display in spectacular fashion the lawns, flower beds and palm trees of the surrounding gardens against the dark background. I watched as they went inside looking just like the many other wealthy patrons who were entering this most famous gambling den. I had no wish to follow them inside and I did not wish to be seen. I turned around and made my way back to the Metropole Hotel to lick my wounds.
It was a question of spending a lot of time behind a newspaper in the hotel reception waiting for an opportunity to present itself. The
first opportunity came the next day when I spotted Cassie emerge from the lift on her own. Instead of heading for the ornate front entrance to the hotel she exited through the smaller doors at the rear that led to the hotel gardens. I surreptitiously followed at a discrete distance and entered the attractive gardens. I looked around but at first I could not see her. It puzzled me for a moment but then I saw her sitting on a bench behind a sycamore tree overlooking the hotel pond. She was watching the ducks as they swam aimlessly around their watery home.
Without being noticed I approached her stealthily and sat down next to her. She was wearing a short floral patterned lightweight dress, ideal for the warm weather. She looked at me in a resigned fashion. “Are you stalking me, Steve?”
“Do you blame me after the way you and that reprobate have treated me?”
“Live with it and go home,” she recommended.
“I will go home when I am ready.”
“I don’t know what you expect to achieve. I know you are infatuated with me and have been since you first set eyes on me but even you must know it is a hopeless cause.”
“You are so modest.”
She smiled. “I speak the truth and you know it. I have used you and because I did like you I chose to reward you. For one night you acted out your fantasy and you had your dream woman. It was never going to be more than that, so go home and forget me.”
“I thought that might be the case and the fact you liked me now seems by the by. What intrigues me is where you both got the money to stay in a place like this.”
“It is Max’s money. He won it gambling in London and now we are in Monte-Carlo to turn it into a fortune. The process started last night when he was rather successful at the Casino.”
“Come now, Cassie surely you don’t believe that. He was broke and in Pentonville. He had only been out for a few days and you are telling me he won it.”
She shrugged. “It doesn’t matter where he got it. What matters is that it is a stake for making more.”
“He will lose it,” I scoffed. “I think I might return to London soon and find out where he got it. If you remember I am good at finding things out when the incentive is high enough. I got him out of prison and now I would very much like to put him back in.”
