by Katie Penryn
I closed up the Book of Spells and laid it carefully back in the Chinese box for the next time. Felix offered to take it back upstairs for me and I let him because I was anxious to see if Audrey’s attitude had changed.
Felix turned left up the stairs, and I turned right into the kitchen.
Audrey looked up from the salad she was preparing. She tilted back her head and threw a beaming smile my way.
“I’ve been thinking over what you said. There’s no reason on earth why I can’t learn to do whatever is necessary to make a success of The Union Jack. I passed my exams at school with a good grade, and my fellow students liked me. Now, I’m ready to find that woman again.”
“Of course, you are,” I said. “You’ll see. It’ll be fun.”
*
“I hope we’re not in for another official lecture,” said Felix as we walked through the front door of the gendarmerie at five to three.
Fortunately, his misgivings were unfounded. Inspector Dubois greeted us with a welcoming smile.
“So you made it. I have great news for you, but first would you like a coffee?”
“Yes, please,” we both answered and took our seats after shaking hands with Dubois.
Dubois rang through and placed the order.
As he put the phone down he said, “Madame Munro — I will use the courtesies when it’s business, yes? And keep Penzi for when we are alone?” and he winked at me.
Felix bridled in his chair beside me.
“Down boy,” I whispered.
We made harmless small talk while we waited for the refreshments. That is, Dubois and I. Dubois ignored Felix; treated him as if he were invisible or a lackey. Even when Felix asked a question Dubois pretended he didn’t hear.
The coffee arrived as the smoke began to come out of Felix’s ears.
“May I open a window?” I asked.
Anything to dispel the rising level of testosterone in the room. What was it with men?
Dubois jumped to his feet and flung open the window behind his desk. Immediately, the atmosphere in his office lightened as fresh air and light entered. Even Dubois noticed. He licked a finger and ran it down the outside of the closed window. He held his finger up to show us the grime.
“A cleaning is long overdue. Monsieur Bonhomie needs a push to get his council working more effectively.”
“To be fair, Dubois,” I said. “The mayor’s been busy with his private life for the past week or so. I’m sure he’ll be back chasing up the council employees soon. By the way, has he spoken to you about an injunction for our friend Audrey Malan?”
“That’s one of things I wanted to talk to you about. The papers have been prepared and the case will go before the Tribunal next week. There’s little doubt that the injunction will be granted, but she should not rely on it. Injunctions of this kind often serve only as provocation to the husband.”
“It might make him more dangerous?” I asked.
“Exactement.”
“We’ll see about that,” said Felix. “If he tries anything—”
“Monsieur, I beg you not to attempt to deal with him yourself should he step out of line. There are limits to how far I can stretch the law for the sake of my friendship with Pen— Madame Munro.”
“Calm down, gentlemen. I’m sure between the three of us we can make sure Audrey is safe. What was the other matter, Inspector?”
He stood up and squared his shoulders, adopting a military stance. He stroked his mustache, taking his time about answering.
“Inspector?”
“Madame Munro, I have the best of news for you.” He condescended to make a slight bow in Felix’s direction. “And for you, monsieur.”
Felix shrugged and looked at me. I shrugged back.
Dubois took a deep breath. “I have to announce that we have arrested Sean Morrison, the criminal who escaped to England. He is now in custody awaiting trial for the manslaughter of the baker Tidot.”
“That’s great news,” said Felix. “I hate loose ends.”
“But … I have a message for you from Madame Fer-de-Lance, our noble prosecutor.”
Here it came.
“Grateful as she is that the case of the baker has been satisfactorily closed, she never wants to hear of you anywhere near one of her cases again.”
“Suits me,” I said. “The role of investigator was thrust on me. I didn’t seek it out.”
Dubois touched his finger to the side of his nose. “But … what she doesn’t know need not bother her, eh?”
“What do you mean, Inspector?”
“Why, that two— I mean three,” he said casting a glance Felix’s way, “—brains are worth more than one. But it will be our little secret, no?”
“No,” I said firmly. “We aren’t interested. We need to get on with our own lives. Now, if you don’t mind, Inspector, we have to leave. We have another appointment.”
Felix shook Dubois’s hand with unnecessary vigor. “Good job, Dubois. Good job.”
“What was all that for?” I asked Felix as we stepped down the corridor.
“Keeping on his good side. Never know when we might need it.”
As we turned the corner to descend the stairs, Dubois hailed us. We turned to see him holding a laptop in the air and waving it.
“It’s Gardner’s,” he said. “Do you want it?”
Felix got there before me and took it out of Dubois’s hand. “Thanks mate,” he said.
I reached up and gave Dubois a real kiss on the cheek, not a mere buss of greeting.
“Wow! Dubois,” I said. “You’re a darling.”
He clapped his hand to the spot and a dreamy look came into his eyes.
“Oh, Pen— Miss Munro. It will be useful to your young friend Audrey, no?”
“Absolument. But don’t you need it for Gardner’s trial?”
“Our forensic department has the original hard disk. This has a copy with the incriminating data removed.” He chuckled. “So you will not be able to repeat Gardner’s evil order for rohypnol.”
“As if…,” I answered as I sashayed a couple of flirtatious steps backwards before turning round to retrace our steps out of the building.
As we passed out under the tricolore, Felix remarked on how kind that was of Dubois.
“We can access all Gardner’s suppliers, stock records and his accounts. It’ll be a great help in setting up Audrey’s business. We won’t have to start from scratch.”
I agreed. “He’s a nice man, old Dubois, when he’s not being pompous or answering to Madame Fer-de-Lance’s whip.”
Chapter 9
We found Audrey pacing up and down outside The Union Jack and checking her watch.
“I thought I’d got the time wrong,” she said. “Do I look all right?”
She’d tied her freshly shampooed blond hair back in a loose bunch. A dazzling white T-shirt, jeans and red espadrilles completed her look. She looked fresh and businesslike, and I told her so.
“Thank you, Penzi. I spent ages deciding what to wear. I nearly dressed formally but decided that would be too much. I need to look as if I can get my hands dirty.”
“Look what Dubois gave us. Gardner’s laptop. It holds all his business secrets,” said Felix putting it into Audrey’s hands.
“That’s good?” she asked.
“A wonderful surprise,” I said perching my bum on the shop front sill. “I hope Madame Desert hasn’t changed her mind. She’s ten minutes late.”
I took my phone out to call her, but she arrived in a rush in time to forestall me. I hadn’t met her before. I took her to be middle aged but chic with an elegant blond chignon and a linen two piece in a deep sage green. As soon as she saw Audrey she said she recognized her. Audrey had been at school with one of her daughters.
Good. That would help.
“I haven’t been in the shop since Monsieur Gardner left.” She unlocked the front door. “Shall we go in?”
As she opened the door a blast of foul smel
ling air hit us in the face. I rushed to open all the windows stepping over the spilt packets and boxes and the toppled tins spread across the floor. Gone was Keith Gardner’s spotlessly clean provisions business. In its place we had a retail nightmare.
Pools of rat urine and droppings both rat and mouse sized lined the walls. A frightful odor of rotting meat overlay the smell of dead vermin. Felix opened the door to the storeroom at the back of the shop and ran through to open the back door crushing more mess beneath his shoes. He took a few hurried breaths of fresh air outside and plunged back into the miasma to throw up the lids of the freezers and open the fridges.
“This is trop dégueulasse,” Madame Desert shrieked, rushing back out onto the front pavement and shaking her skirt to get rid of the pong.
“She’s right,” Audrey said. “It is gross. Disgusting.”
“Outside everyone,” ordered Felix. “This place is a health hazard. The rat inspector would go ape if he saw this lot.”
“No one is going to enter that hell of a shop,” said Madame Desert. “We can leave it open to air while we retire to the first table on the Esplanade. From there we can keep an eye on the entrance.”
She pulled out a chair and sat carefully. That’s when she noticed her shoes, her beautiful and stylish high heeled sling backs. Some excrescence be it animal or vegetable oozed up the sides. Goodness knows what she’d trodden in. She kicked her shoes off quickly.
Oh no, she was going to knock our idea on its head, but I was wrong. Madame Desert was French and therefore practical and money conscious — a devastating combination. I could almost see her brain working.
Audrey remained standing, wringing her hands together. I gave her a nudge and said, “All is not lost. Sit down girl.”
Felix disappeared to order iced tea for us all, and the silence stretched until he returned.
Madame Desert sipped her tea, but still she said nothing.
Felix bent over and whispered in Audrey’s ear. Audrey smiled and nodded and left the table to walk over to the nearest tourist shop. I raised my eyebrows at Felix to say what the hell?
He picked up his glass and sipped his tea, and so I followed suit.
When Audrey returned, she handed a brown paper packet to Madame Desert who looked up in surprise.
Audrey smiled down at her. “Ouvrez-le, madame,” she said. “Open the packet.”
Madame Desert obliged and pulled out a pair of espadrilles, blue ones.
“Bonne idée,” she said, slipping her feet into them. “I can see you are a resourceful young woman. I have a proposition for you — if you can clean the shop up in one week, I will let it to you and give you one month rent free. How does that sound?”
Audrey sat down with a thump. Now was her chance. Would she accept the challenge or not?
Audrey looked at Felix and me for help, but I shook my head and nudged Felix not to answer Audrey’s plea for help. Audrey had to make a commitment. It would build her character and self-confidence.
“Is that a no?” asked Madame Desert.
“Audrey?” I said sharply.
Her eyes flew wide open.
“You can do it?” I said.
Under my breath I muttered the words of the sit confidentia spell and conjured up the images of the symbols. Although we had no mint and lemon balm with us I intended to reinforce the spell I had already cast back home. Somehow it worked. Audrey stopped looking helpless.
“I accept your challenge, madame,” she said in a quiet but confident voice. “I know my friends will help me.”
“Bon.”
Madame Desert rose to her feet, picked up her soiled shoes, chucked them in the rubbish bin and walked away, an incongruous figure in her smartly tailored suit and beach espadrilles.
“Phew,” said Felix. “That was close. But then she would never have got anyone to clean up that mess for free, would she?”
I turned to Audrey. “I’ll wait here while you run back to Les Dragons and put on working clothes. Bring all the cleaning materials you can find, not forgetting rubber gloves. Felix will buy several rolls of bin bags. If you start now, you can get rid of the worst of the rotten meat and the spoiled food before dark. I’ll see that Gwinny takes care of your children.”
Audrey and Felix left to attend to their tasks. I called Sam explaining the situation and asking him if he would be prepared to help Audrey for the evening. Felix and I had paperwork to do. He agreed and said he would help Audrey carry the materials back to the shop.
“Boss, you surprised me,” said Felix as we walked back up the street to our house. “I expected you to stay and help Audrey.”
“I was torn, but the place was disgusting. I’m salving my conscience with the thought that it’ll be good for Audrey to stand on her own two feet. Cleaning she can do. It will give her confidence for what’s to come.”
*
Felix and I’d had a busy day, and the three children had been cooped up in the house with Gwinny for most of it. We changed our shoes and took them all for a long walk along the cliff edge behind the house. By the time we reached home again the last of the stink from the abandoned shop had been blown away from our clothes by the healthy ozone laden sea breeze.
Gwinny fixed supper for us and made up a basket of sandwiches and drinks for the brave couple tackling the war zone at The Union Jack. Jimbo delivered it, having been warned that if he stepped one foot inside the shop, he would have no pocket money for a week.
Felix and I retired to the study with a couple of beers to watch television and found a film we hadn’t seen. Gwinny must have seen the children to bed and retired early herself for the kitchen was empty when I went to fetch some more beer at the end of the film. A second film started. Halfway through my cell phone rang. Monsieur Bonhomie, the mayor. At eleven thirty at night.
He didn’t waste time on courtesies but dived straight in with, “Is Emmanuelle with you, Penzi? She hasn’t come home; hasn’t checked in by phone. Did I miss something?”
“No, monsieur. She hasn’t been with us since she left this morning. She said she wanted to spend some time at home after being away for several days at the festival.”
“She has an eleven o’clock curfew. She’s a good kid. Never breaks the rules.”
“I’ll call Sam. He isn’t at home at the moment.”
I swiped off the call and got hold of Sam. Emmanuelle hadn’t said anything to him about staying out late.
He said, “We’re close friends, Penzi. If she was planning on anything out of the ordinary, she would have told me about it.”
“Stop what you’re doing and come home. It’s late, and you should be here until we know she’s safe.”
I passed the information on to the mayor.
“Monsieur, you should phone Inspector Dubois. He has the staff to check the bars and make inquiries until we find her.”
I was about to finish the call when I thought of GPS. “Did she have a GPS app on her phone?” I asked.
“Yes.”
“Well, it’s easy then.”
“Penzi, her phone is by her bed. She didn’t take it with her.”
Alarm bells began to ring. What teenager leaves her phone at home when she goes out?
One who doesn’t want to be traced.
Chapter 10
Felix
By the time Audrey had closed up the shop and returned to Les Dragons, Dubois had called to say his men could find no trace of Emmanuelle. She hadn’t visited any of the bars in the town. Sam had come running straight home after Penzi called to ask if he knew where Emmanuelle was.
“I haven’t been able to reach her by phone since five o’clock. She hasn’t answered my texts or my calls,” he said.
Penzi told him Emmanuelle’s phone was by her bed. She had gone out without it.
“Could she have been kidnapped?” Sam asked. “She and her phone are inseparable.”
“It would have to have been from her bedroom,” said Penzi. “That’s possible, of course, but
unlikely. I think we have to assume she either forgot it or didn’t want to be traced.”
Sam paced up and down the kitchen, kicking at the chairs as he passed. “What can we do? I feel so helpless. I’d feel better if we took action instead of hanging about waiting for news. There are so many strangers here at this time of the year. Anything could have happened to her.”
“Think,” said Penzi. “Who’s she been in contact with in the last few days?”
Sam stopped pacing. “Jonny Sauvage and his band? Someone she met at the Festival? Marie or Joliette?”
“Not a chance,” said Penzi. “Those two were anything but friendly to either of us.”
My feline intuition had been nagging me ever since we first heard Emmanuelle was missing. “Marie wasn’t so bad, but what made Joliette so hostile?”
Penzi gave me a searching look. “You’re not thinking Jonny, are you? Joliette was nasty to me because she thought Jonny was after me. She must know what he’s like.”
“Jonny and Emmanuelle were dancing mighty suggestively at the Palais des Blues, Penzi. Don’t you remember?”
Sam burst in. “And he has a dreadful reputation. But would he go as far as to try to pull Emmanuelle? He knows she’s sort of my girlfriend even if we haven’t slept together.”
Penzi poured herself a glass of water and sipped it slowly. She put it down on the draining board and turned back to us.
“I’ve been so blind. I thought Jonny was after me, softening me up, flattering me, but all the time he had his eye on Emmanuelle. I feel so stupid. If I’d had my wits about me instead of my vanity, this would never have happened.”
“So you think Jonny’s taken her?” Sam asked. “I’ll murder him.”
Audrey spoke up, “Don’t say that word in this house.”
Penzi frowned. “I don’t think taken is the right word either. I’m afraid she went voluntarily. She left her phone behind. She acted like a girl with a crush. Staring at Jonny all the time with big baby eyes. And that Jonny — he is so damn sexy with those tight leather pants and his guitar. He probably only had to ask her in that come hither southern drawl of his.”
