Scorpios and Sapphires

by L. B. Simon

  "I guess you have a plan?" Aidan arched his eyebrow, a smirk playing at the corner of his lips.

  "Mm-hum," she let out a little laugh, "but I will need Lachance’s help…"

  "I think he’s game. He hates the man with a passion."

  "I was wondering," she leaned her head against his shoulder. "Have you thought of who my father could be? I have been thinking a lot about that lately."

  "I’m not sure," Aidan tensed. "How could I know? I never knew your mother and I was on the other end of the world, still a child when you were conceived."

  "Yes, but I think Vlad and Veritas know. It is a hotel, why else would my mother come here if not to meet a man?"

  "You should ask Vlad than," Aidan suggested.

  "Veritas will kill him if he would even consider telling me; you saw how she reacted the other day when Samuel showed me his discovery. And, honestly, I’m not sure if it is necessary; I think we have all the clues. Lachance is a friend of Vlad’s, his mother stays here, he knows that the Scorpio bracelet was a gift from another man, and had you noticed that first morning, how he stared at the bedroom door? Vlad told me that this was her favorite room… Not to mention how doggedly Lachance pursues the idea that Maman was killed. I think he was in love with her, and he was the one who gave her the bracelet… How else could he know for sure that it was a gift?"

  "You know what?" Aidan spoke after a long moment of consideration. "You might be onto something! Not necessarily that he is your father, but yes, I think they could have been lovers. It makes sense. And who said life has no sense of irony? What do you want to do with this information? Do you want to talk to him?"

  "Oh, God no! It would be too embarrassing if I am wrong. And if I am right and he was to reject me… No, I just can’t do it… Not yet anyway… Maybe after I am gone…"

  "Gone?" Aidan spun around, his heart slamming against his rib cage. "Where to?"

  "I don’t know yet." The shadow of sadness passed over her features. "I was so caught up in this plan, I had no time to think of what’s next… And I don’t want to tonight, either."

  She shifted slightly, drawing Aidan’s attention to the lingerie she was clad in, the very same that Sasha had gotten her. His breathing sped up, as his eyes ran down her body.

  "Lord, have mercy!" He groaned. "You are even more beautiful in it than I had imagined…"

  She leaned in and kissed him, first hesitantly then with more confidence.

  "Do you still think that I am going to betray you?" She sat back, scrutinizing his face.

  "No," he pulled her to him. "I am sorry I said all those things." He kissed her, hungrily as if he had longed for this moment for ages.

  "I’ll pretend to believe you… Just for the moment’s sake…" She whispered breathlessly as he ran his lips down her neck.

  "Well, then I will just have to convince you!" He chuckled as he undone the clasp.

  Chapter 63

  "Wake up you two!" Shouted Lachance from the other side of the door as he banged loudly against the wood; jolting Aidan and Mélisande from their sleep. "The day is getting older by the minute!"

  Aidan felt relieved that Lachance did not know there was a chance that Mélisande was his daughter, seeing how the man had a gun and all. Mélisande let out a giggle as she jumped out of bed grabbing her clothes from the floor before going to get fresh ones.

  "One minute!" She called and hurried to the washroom.

  "Have you seen my socks?" Aidan asked, putting on his shirt, as she reappeared, dressed casually.

  "No!" She laughed and began searching for the garment.

  "Uh! Just forget it." Aidan caught her, kissing her hard and long. "Why do they have to be here, now?" He breathed into her ear. "I just want to stay in bed the whole day with you, and repeat last night again, and again!"

  "Me too!" There was longing in her eyes. "But you know we can’t." She hugged him. "Come on, let’s face the world, together!"

  He nodded and with their fingers intertwined, they went out into the living room.

  "Hurray!" Isa shouted, clapping loudly. "I thought we would have to lock you two in a vault with no secret exits!"

  "I’m pretty sure I heard you two in my room. Feel bad for the folks on the floor below," Savy teased.

  "Shut up! Mélisande is not used to your inappropriate banter." Aidan admonished his friends. "What is going on?"

  "Well, first of all, I don’t suppose you have seen this morning’s news?" Lachance handed Mélisande a newspaper folded open on an article. "This town is not safe anymore I’m afraid…"

  "A man’s body was found last night; he was brutally murdered and his identity is unknown at this time." Mélisande read aloud.

  "I doubt that we will ever identify him." The detective shook his head, his expression schooled. "Sad business… Not much left of him."

  Mélisande’s heart skipped a beat and she paled.

  "I just thought you would like to know; what goes around comes around." He went to the couch and sat next to Savy. "I got a warrant for Belmont’s filing cabinet, as well as for Fifi and Toussaint’s arrests. They are being picked up as we speak, and the accountant’s office is being searched. So, I have very little time here. I am sorry to inform you, though, Mélisande, that my men have already found evidence that Toussaint was in on it too; after all, as the accountant, how could he have not known what was going on? There are boxes full of fake invoices, that explains how the eight million just vanished from your account without anyone noticing. Worst of all is that we discovered that Toussaint is actually the half-brother of Renaud’s. Their mother made a fortune out of marrying rich men. I guess she taught her boys well. I think we will find many more interesting things in his office." Lachance’s expression was somber.

  "Holy cow!" Savy grimaced. "What kind of a family is that?"

  "A very rich one!" Sighing, the detective focused his attention on Isa. "Thank you, for the photos, by the way; Élodie was none too pleased to see the prints of Céline and Fifi screwing Belmont. The time and date stamp were a nice touch. She is singing like a bird! So is Céline; she too gave up Belmont the instant that she saw the images from the hotel. Apparently, she did not appreciate Belmont being with another woman fifteen minutes after she left. She also admitted to having sold the jewelry to a fence from Amsterdam." He puffed out his chest. "Ah! What a beautiful day!"

  "But this is rubbish; why did she go on board with this plan in the first place?" Philip frowned. "I mean she had it all; fortune, a good life. Why risk it all?"

  "It turns out that the Belmonts are a bloodthirsty family, I am sure this comes as a shock to you all, having been around our gentle and peaceful Mélisande," Lachance winked at her. "Well, it seems that Adeline had somehow wronged Céline’s mother, Trista Blanche. It had been over some boyfriend; I think that he had jilted Trista when he met Adeline. Trista never got over it, and things went downhill for her from there on. Her next beau and future husband, Laurent Blanche, was a self-made millionaire, not a true-blue blood and Trista could not keep the Belmont name. To add even more insult to injury, she received only half of the money that she was to inherit. I guess Trista spent the rest of her life blaming Adeline for her misfortunes and raised her daughter in the same spirit. This whole thing, for Céline, was all about taking away everything from Mélisande, as Miss Blanche, believed Adeline had done to her mother. Even worst, Céline blamed Adeline for her mother not loving her."

  "Wow!" Isa looked astonished.

  "Quite sad if you ask me. I will recommend that she gets some therapy; she needs it," Lachance sighed. "Do you have a copy of the statement of the account in the Cayman’s?"

  "I do, but it’s from a few days back. There is nothing left on it now." Savy batted her eyelashes innocently.

  "Don’t say anything more!" Lachance raised a silencing hand and Savannah handed him a sheet, grinning. "Thank you, Savy. I have charged the German thieves with the robbery at the mansion as well as several bank heists. I’m trying to est
ablish if there is a connection between Belmont and the men, but so far the Germans are not being very cooperative on the matter."

  "Have you considered that it might not be Belmont who hired the thieves?" Savy asked with a self-satisfied gleam in her eyes.

  "You have any other theories?" The detective raised his brows.

  "Maybe…" The girl leaned in. "Have you looked at Renaud’s visa card activities?"

  "I am working on a warrant. Until now we had no legal reason to look at his finances."

  "Well, he had used his credit card in Strasbourg."

  "There was a heist there."

  "That’s right; and he was there that same day, just a few blocks from the crime scene, in fact!" Savannah smiled.

  "So, he might have met them there either by accident or by design… Hm… very interesting!" Lachance rubbed his chin thoughtfully.

  "But unless one of them confesses, this will be yet another mystery that will be left unsolved," Aidan remarked. "What about the rest of the band, what is happening to them?"

  "Well, so far Belmont has been charged with conspiracy, accessory to crimes that were committed, obstruction of justice, tampering with evidence, perjury and subornation of perjury. Céline and Renaud will be charged with most of the same if not all. Though if the books are still in the cabinet the two scam artists will have a lot more coming their way. I have these for you, by the way," he handed Mélisande a small evidence bag with the diamond ring and the emerald earrings. "These are yours to keep. I had commissioned replicas, so no one will know that these are missing from our evidence room."

  "Thank you!" Mélisande took them. "This ring needs to be reset and re-shaped; it belongs to Sandra Renaud. I will have to get it to her, somehow… How is she? Do you know?"

  "I had a car escort her to the hospital as soon as the arrests were made. She had the baby this morning. A girl. And I believe she was named after a beloved cousin; Mélissa. Both are doing well."

  Mélisande’s eyes filled with tears.

  "She recognized me, you know? She saved me when a guard stopped me. I barely knew her and I was always right smack in between her and François, and she helped me." Mélisande choked up and Aidan passed his arm around her.

  "She’s a charming young woman," Lachance nodded.

  "Can I ask for one last favor?" Mélisande tensed.

  "As long as it’s legal; yes."

  Chapter 64

  Mélisande, Lachance, and Philip arrived at the station a half hour later. The detective went ahead, to set things into motion, while Mélisande put on her earrings and Philip stayed behind, loitering in the main hall, a bag with a few clothes to disguise the former heiress at his feet.

  "The actress is with me!" Lachance said and she was let into the interview area. "Stay here."

  The detective moved to the interrogation rooms, making eye contact with the officer who appeared behind Mélisande. Lachance went to one of the doors and swung it open.

  "Belmont! We appreciate your patience! It has been a very busy few hours, lots of interesting interviews and we are still rounding up people." The detective sneered, stepping in, just as the officer called to Lachance. "One minute, please." The detective faced away from Belmont and holding the door ajar, spoke to his colleague.

  Mélisande removed her sunglasses and moved down the hall. She trained her dark malachite stare on Belmont, pushing her hair behind her ear, revealing the emeralds, just as she came into her father’s line of vision, and smiled.

  Belmont’s eyes protruded from his head as recognition struck him. He jumped to his feet, pointing a finger at her, but she was already gone. Lachance re-entered the room and sat down.

  "Hm, I’m sorry for the delay." The detective uncapped his pen.

  "Mélisande! She is alive! Did you see her? She just passed by you!"

  "I’m sorry Belmont, but an insanity plea will not work in your case," Lachance scoffed sardonically.

  "You saw her?" Belmont grabbed his lawyer’s arm, shaking it vigorously.

  "I’m sorry, I was looking at my notes." The sharply dressed man blinked like a deer caught in the headlights.

  "She wore the emeralds! They are missing from your evidence!" Belmont shouted, becoming more frantic with every second.

  "Antoine!" Lachance addressed the officer who had followed the detective into the room. "Go, see the evidence and bring the emeralds, that is, if they are still in our possession."

  The man nodded and left. Lachance tapped his pen against his notepad.

  "Might be you saw her ghost, seeing how you had her framed for the break-in, had her kidnaped and killed."

  "I did no such thing!" Belmont hollered, jumping to his feet. "I loved my daughter! I never did anything to hurt her!"

  "Sit down!" Lachance yelled. "I have a pair of birds that say that you had planned the robbery, had one dispose of the stolen items, the other helped you plant the earrings in your daughter’s safe deposit box, and the third, she’ll be singing in minutes. Yes, Belmont, women don’t like to be played! And you had played three at once… Tsk-tsk-tsk. They are very unhappy, to say the least."

  Antoine re-entered.

  "The earrings, Commandant," the young man held up the evidence bag.

  "You see, they are right here. Ghosts are nasty creatures, Monsieur Belmont, very nasty…" Lachance’s tone was ominous.

  Belmont fell back in his seat, ashen, his whole body trembling.

  Chapter 65

  This was the end. Officially the first book of Mélisande’s life was over. A new book was opening in front of her, with blank pages and no past.

  Time had come to make plans. The future could no longer wait, and she could not stay here forever, no matter how happy and safe she felt. Her friends were leaving too. The job was done, there was nothing keeping them here anymore.

  She sat down with Isa, Savannah, and Veritas, weighing her options. Her friends turned out to be surprisingly resourceful.

  Evening found them back in the suite’s living room, joking, and laughing.

  Lachance sent Savy a few still shots from the interview; all of Belmont’s bewildered expression after having seen his daughter. The images were priceless.

  Mélisande kept on a happy face, satisfied with her revenge. Inside, though, she felt like crying. The unknown future ahead was scarier than anything she had faced till now.

  Aidan joined them, all smiles. Mélisande’s heart skipped a beat. How sneaky love was, she thought, watching him walking towards them. She didn’t realize at what moment the thief had stolen her heart, but he had. It just made everything so much more difficult now.

  "Imagine that; Europa United Insurance had offered me a job." Aidan sat down on a chair right across from her.

  "What?" Hope fluttered in her chest before realization dawned on Mélisande; she could not possibly stay in Paris.

  "They fired the inspector who had surveyed the work done on your vault, as well as Kárpáti, for unethical behaviors. The woman was most likely involved with Belmont, that is why she failed to notice the obvious design flaws. As for Kárpáti, he had after all written a report in which he stated that you were the culprit. Now it turns out you were the victim and that his lady friend, Céline, was in on the plot. He’s lucky if he doesn’t get jail time! Poor guy! I know how he feels." Aidan thought bitterly how Céline was so much like Gia.

  "Well? What did you say?" Savannah stared at her brother as if he had grown a second head.

  "Yeah, did you accept the offer?" Isa frowned at him.

  "Me at a desk job? Please!" He waved his hand dismissively. "And besides; I make more money on contracts than I would as a permanent staff while keeping my independence to do whatever I want," he winked at Mélisande. "I’m a free spirit, and I sure do have more fun!"

  Mélisande tried to project sincerity into her stormy eyes but wasn’t sure if she was successful. Her heart was breaking into two.

  "Well, free spirit, look at these!" Isa handed him the photos, and he burst o
ut in laughter.

  "Oh boy! The man looks like he saw a ghost…" Aidan turned to Mélisande, then cleared his throat. "May I invite you for dinner?"

  "Of course," she nodded, smiling. "Where are we going?"

  "Just put on the fanciest dress you got," Aidan grinned, "the rest is a surprise…"

  Mélisande slipped on the only special occasion dress that Sasha had gotten her; a deep green cocktail dress, falling just below the knees in wavy layers of different lengths. The top had a modest V-neck and it had short sleeves, hugging her upper body like it was poured on her. She slid on delicate silver sandals and grabbed a matching clutch. She did not wear jewelry, but her features were altered by makeup and the hazel contact lenses hid her eyes.

  Aidan was taken aback when she came out, as always mesmerized by her beauty, but missing her natural look. He just hated the alterations she made to hide the real her.

  Nikita drove them to the La Romance restaurant where they were shown into one of the private chambers. There was a beautifully set table, tall candelabras casting a warm glow all around, and red velvet seating. Mélisande’s heart melted.

  She had never been invited to this particular restaurant, which was a favorite of lovers, because of their rooms that provided guests privacy on top of mouth-watering food. She squeezed Aidan’s hand as they walked in. The waiter pulled out a chair for her and left them to peruse the menu.

  They laughed and talked through the dinner as if they had forever ahead of them. They returned to the Ruslan and stayed in Aidan’s room, making love into the wee hours of the night.

  Mélisande watched him as he slept, tears rolling down her face. The only regret she would ever have about her former life, would always be meeting him, for the pain that tore at her heart as she kissed him goodbye was unbearable. On her bed, she left her Scorpio necklace and a note simply saying: ‘thank you for everything!’

  Picking up her suitcase, she threw one last longing look at Aidan’s door and walked out into the hall. Joe Dassin’s Salut Les Amoureux song in her head, kept the tears rolling down her cheeks as she went down to the lobby; ‘it isn't easy to say goodbye to each other… for tomorrow that always comes a little too fast… come on little girl, we have to go, and leave our memories behind…’