All That Glitters

by Ruthe Ogilvie

  “What!? Who is accusing you of such things?” Fran asked. “Has anyone been hurt?”

  “No one was hurt, but would you come here and get us out of this mess? We need someone to vouch for us.”

  “How did this happen?” Fran asked him.

  “I can’t discuss it right now,” Zack replied. “Please come.”

  “Couldn’t Francois help you?” Fran asked. “He’s closer than I am. Why don’t you call him?”

  For a moment Zack was silent. “I think it’s better if you come,” he said. “Oh—please don’t tell Lilli why I called you. This is very important. I’ll explain everything later.”

  Zack’s request didn’t surprise Fran. His suspicions of Lilli were deepening, although he was trying hard to deny them.

  “I’ll have my private jet ready in fifteen minutes. It will take a couple of hours to get there. Is that all right?”

  “Yes, that’s fine. Thank you. We really appreciate this.”

  Fran hung up and went out to the garden to find Lilli.

  She was on the cordless phone, visibly upset, talking to Francois. She hung up abruptly when she saw Fran approaching.

  That’s odd, Fran thought. Why did she come out here to talk to her son? Was there something she didn’t want me to hear?

  Lilli turned to him, all smiles. “What is it, cherie?”

  “I have to leave immediately,” he told her. He tried to sound casual and unconcerned. “It’s urgent business,” he went on to say. “I’ll be back in time for dinner.”

  Fran arrived in Paris as he promised in just under two hours. He strode up to the Chief. “What is this all about?” he demanded.

  The Chief recognized him immediately. “Sir,” he said, “there are some people here who claim that you can vouch for them. I will call them and you can tell me if you know them.” He turned to one of the gendarmes. “Bring them here, s’il vous plait.”

  Hildy, Jay, and Zack were the first to enter the room.

  The minute Fran saw them, he embraced them. “What is going on?” he asked the Chief. “These are my friends. Surely you know who these people are! This is Hilary Stuart, famous composer. And this is her husband, Jay Stuart, a well known producer from America. And Zack Davis, a highly respected detective from the States. Why were these people arrested?”

  The Chief was all apologies. “I’m sorry, Sir, but there was an explosion at the Chateau here in Biarritz, and your son told us that they set the bomb and kidnapped the Countess.”

  Fran was astonished. “These people are her parents! Why in the world would they kidnap their own daughter?”

  Just then Cammie came in from the other room with Jeremy, and Fran held out his arms to her. “Cammie!” he exclaimed. “Thank God you’re all right!” As he hugged her, he held out his hand to Jeremy. “How good to see you again!” he greeted him. “Where did you find Cammie?” he asked Zack.

  “It’s a long story,” Zack replied.

  Fran was even more surprised to see Jenny and Peter with them. “I thought you went back to California!”

  “We ran into Jenny and Peter at the airport,” Zack was quick to explain. “They made some phone calls to California and decided to join us. I’ll tell you all about it later.”

  “Have you called Francois and told him you’re safe?” Fran asked Cammie. “He’s been worried sick!”

  Cammie opened her mouth to say something, but Zack sent her a warning look.

  “No, not yet,” she told Fran. “I want to surprise him.”

  “Oh.” Fran looked puzzled as he turned to Zack. “You were going to explain something to me. What was it?”

  Zack hesitated. “I can’t tell you here.”

  “Well,” Fran said, “I would suggest that you fly back to Amboise with me, but the plane is a little small to accommodate all of you.”

  “Thank you,” Zack replied, “but we’d just as soon take our time and drive back to Amboise. I’ll explain everything when we get there. We’ll see you in a few days. Thank you for coming to our rescue.”

  CHAPTER XXXIX

  As Zack drove the limousine in the direction of Amboise, Jay, sitting in front with him, couldn’t help noticing the grim expression on his face. “It’s a tough situation, isn’t it?” he said. “I hate to hurt Fran,” Zack sighed. “He’s such a gentle soul.”

  Jay nodded. “All the more reason for him to know the truth as soon as possible,” he admonished Zack. “The sooner, the better. For all we know, he may be in danger because of Francois and his mother. The longer you wait, the harder it will be. He’s put his trust in a murderer all these years. And he bestowed the title of Count on a ruthless man who didn’t deserve it.”

  “I know,” Zack agreed. “It has to be done. I just don’t know the best way to do it yet.”

  They drove along leisurely, taking their time, enjoying the countryside. They had been motoring for a couple of days, stopping at various inns and points of interest, relaxing after the terrible ordeal they had all been through.

  The day before they were due to arrive at the Chateau in Amboise, they stopped off for dinner and lodging at Au Moulin Neuf, the same restaurant and inn they visited before when they traveled on the barge.

  They sat there eating dinner, watching the beavers swim by, and drinking in this incredible beauty and peace. What a difference from the past few weeks! For the first time since Cammie announced her intentions to marry Francois, they could relax.

  * * *

  Cammie and Jeremy decided to go for a walk by this picturesque river. The moon was shining brightly, and the frogs in the nearby pond were busily croaking their delightful music. From the inn, the beautiful, heart-moving strains of Rachmaninoff’s Second Piano Concerto wafted through the air with all its deep swells of emotion.

  Jeremy took Cammie in his arms. He looked down at her and lowered his lips to hers.

  Cammie clung to him as though her very life depended on it. She pressed hard against him, wanting to become part of him.

  He kissed her deeply, passionately. As he held her tightly he found himself uttering words that he had never before been tempted to utter to anyone, but now it all seemed so natural. His voice was scarcely above a whisper as he spoke.

  “Cammie,” he said, “I’ve been looking for you all my life. I love you. Please say you’ll marry me.”

  With tears of joy she answered him. “Oh, yes! Yes! Yes!” she whispered back.

  She buried her head in his shoulder, and wondered how she could ever have thought she was in love with Francois. Nothing she felt for him could possibly compare with what she was feeling now for Jeremy. Gone were her childish dreams of becoming a Countess. She just wanted to spend the rest of her life with this wonderful man, Jeremy Douglass.

  He looked down at her and smiled. “Let’s get married right away,” he pleaded.

  “Oh, yes!” she whispered. “After all that’s happened, time is so precious. We can’t afford to wait.”

  “Let’s go and tell your folks!” he said.

  He took her hand and pulled her along the path leading back to the inn. It seemed that their feet barely touched the ground as they hurried along. Hand in hand they approached the others.

  “We have something to tell you,” Cammie said. She looked at Jeremy, then back at them, her face radiant with happiness. “Jeremy has just asked me to marry him, and I said yes! I’ve never been so happy!”

  Hildy jumped up from the lounge where she was sitting and embraced them both.

  Jay and Zack hugged Cammie, and shook Jeremy’s hand.

  Jenny and Peter were stunned. “Goodness!” Jenny exclaimed. “That was fast!”

  “Does this mean you’ll be in my new film?” Peter asked eagerly.

  Cammie looked at Jeremy. She hadn’t yet had a cha
nce to ask him how he felt about continuing with her career.

  “I don’t see why not,” he replied to her silent question. “Why should she stop her career just because she’s getting married?”

  “This calls for a celebration!” Zack declared. He motioned to the waiter. “Please bring us your best bottle of champagne. We’ll have it out here by the river.”

  After toasting the happy couple, they retired for the night, ready for the remainder of the drive to Amboise tomorrow. Zack had warned them not to reveal what they knew about Lilli and Francois until he had a chance to speak to Fran in private.

  Finally, after several nights and days of driving, they reached Amboise. Zack drove the limousine down the long, winding driveway leading up to the Chateau.

  Fran greeted them at the door and led them inside to the drawing room. He was alone. Lilli and Francois were nowhere in sight. As soon as they were seated, he turned to Zack. “What is this all about?”

  As Zack tried to figure out where to start, Lilli and Francois came down the hall to greet the guests. When they saw who they were, they turned abruptly to leave, but it was too late.

  Zack knew he could no longer put this off. The time had come. “Fran, is there any place where we can talk in private?”

  Lilli put her hand on Fran’s arm in an effort to detain him.

  “It won’t do any good to try and stop me, Lilli,” Zack warned her. “The truth has to come out.”

  Lilli appealed to Fran. “Don’t listen to him, Cherie!” she begged. “He is a liar just like the rest of them. I wanted to tell you before, but I hated to disillusion you.”

  Fran looked from Zack to Lilli. After a moment, he nodded to Zack. “Let’s go into the library,” he said.

  * * *

  Panic was written all over Lilli’s face as Zack and Fran disappeared. Her eyes darted around the room, but there was no escape.

  Francois started toward the door, but Zack had locked it from the outside on his way to the library with Fran.

  When the door refused to open, Francois turned around and faced the others, livid with rage. “You can’t treat us this way!” he yelled. “Who do you think you are?”

  Cammie snorted. “How does it feel to be locked in, Francois?”

  He lunged toward her. “You cheap showgirl!” he yelled. “You’ve ruined everything!” He tried to grab her arm, but Jeremy, with a quick move, placed himself between them.

  “Don’t you touch her!” he ordered. He pushed him into the nearest chair. “You’d better sit down, too,” he told Lilli. “There’s no way you can escape now!”

  CHAPTER XL

  Finally, Zack was alone with Fran. He motioned for him to sit down.

  His mind was in a turmoil. How can I tell Fran without hurting him? He bowed his head in resignation. There is no other way.

  Fran broke the silence. “Thank God Cammie is safe! I can’t imagine who would bomb the Chateau. I guess people in high places have enemies. But why did Francois accuse you? Does this have anything to do with the ransom call that Andre made? I can’t believe Andre would do such a thing.” He shook his head in disbelief. “He was always so trustworthy. Sometimes you think you know someone, and he turns out to be just the opposite.”

  Zack could no longer avoid the issue. He looked directly at Fran as he spoke. “Has it ever occurred to you that it wasn’t Andre who made that call?” he asked Fran.

  Fran was confused. “But he said—”

  “It wasn’t Andre,” Zack interrupted. “It was Gabe, disguising his voice.”

  Fran gulped. “Gabe? Are you sure? But why?” he asked in astonishment.

  Zack looked away for a moment. Then he turned back and faced Fran. “I’m sorry I have to tell you this, Fran, but it’s time you knew the truth. I have to warn you—this is going to be another terrible shock, but you have a right to know. Francois is the one who kidnapped Cammie. Lilli dreamed up the whole scheme, and Gabe was an accomplice.”

  Fran gaped at Zack. “What?!”

  “Lilli believed Gregory Wilcox when he told her that Hildy stole ‘The Ginger Jar’ and ‘La Fleur Rouge’ from him. Just the opposite was true. Greg stole them from Hildy.”

  “But why did they kidnap Cammie? What does she have to do with this?” Fran asked him.

  Zack rose and started to pace nervously, while a stunned Fran sat glued to his chair.

  Zack spoke hesitantly. “Lilli and Francois thought they could force Hildy to confess that she was the guilty one by kidnapping Cammie.”

  Fran opened his mouth to say something, but was unable to utter a sound.

  Zack walked back to where Fran was sitting and put a comforting hand on his shoulder, as he continued with what he knew he must tell him, no matter how much it hurt. “Lilli has had a vendetta against Hildy ever since Greg was shot in the court of law where she and Roger Fielding were suing him for stealing their musicals. I was there and saw the whole thing. I don’t blame Lilli for believing his lies, but I do blame her for the kidnapping.”

  Seeing how upset Fran was, Zack spoke as gently as he could. There was no backing down now. “Francois thinks Hildy is to blame for Greg not returning to marry Lilli, but Greg was planning to marry Hildy until she found out what kind of man he was. Francois believed Hildy had robbed him of his real father, and he planned to get even with her by robbing her of her daughter. He planned to kill Cammie as soon as Hildy made the confession he was demanding.”

  Fran started to rise from his chair, but Zack stopped him. “That’s not all,” he told him. He hated to hurt him even more, but the whole truth had to be told. “We have reason to believe that Lilli and Francois hired a hit man to shoot Andre. We found him on the road near the Chateau in Biarritz, almost dead. We rushed him to a hospital just in time to save his life. Andre couldn’t have made that ransom call.”

  Fran turned and looked at Zack. “Are you sure Lilli and Francois did this? Why would they want Andre dead? We thought he was dead!” He shook his head in disbelief. “There must be some mistake. I can’t believe I’ve been living all these years with a murderer.”

  Zack was silent for a moment, then continued. “Lilli and Francois were afraid that Andre would tell you the truth. They decided to silence him once and for all.”

  “But when Andre disappeared years ago he didn’t know about Cammie being kidnapped! She hadn’t even been born! I don’t understand.”

  “That’s not what they were trying to keep him from telling you. There’s a lot more to this.”

  “Did Andre tell you why he disappeared?”

  Zack’s eyes narrowed. “One day Lilli asked him to kill someone. He left so he wouldn’t have to.”

  “What?! Who did she ask him to kill?!”

  “Andre wouldn’t tell us. He said someone would be in danger if he did.”

  “Mon Dieu! Mon Dieu!” Fran exclaimed. “Is there anything else?”

  Zack reached into his pocket and pulled out the diary that Andre had entrusted to him. He thumbed through it till he found the page with the corner turned down.

  As he held the diary, for a moment he felt as though time had stopped. How can I tell him?

  Before he could come to a decision, Fran, enraged by what Zack had told him, jumped up from his chair and headed toward the drawing room.

  Zack pocketed the diary and followed him.

  Fran confronted Lilli. “Is what Zack just told me true?” he demanded.

  Lilli looked with pleading at Fran. “Cherie, please understand. I had to find a way to make Hildy admit her guilt and clear Gregory Wilcox’s name.”

  Fran’s face was red with anger. “You and Francois have disgraced the name of Dubonnet!”

  Up until now Hildy had kept silent. But she suddenly snapped. She stepped forward and confronted Lilli. “Even if you
believed Greg’s lies, Lilli, that didn’t give you a license to kidnap and plan to murder my daughter!” Her voice shook with anger. “I wrote ‘The Ginger Jar’ six months before I ever met Greg. He stole my musicals, not the other way around. This was proven in a court of law years ago!” She threw her hands up in a gesture of futility. “Where does this stop?!”

  Fran glared at Lilli and Francois with disgust. “How could you have kidnapped Cammie?”

  “I wish I could say that was the worst thing she did,” Zack interrupted. “But you have a right to know what really happened to Vivienne. Do you remember that Lilli and Vivienne went horseback riding the day Vivienne was killed? No one else was with them, so it was easy for Lilli to say that Vivienne was killed from falling off her horse. But that’s not the way it was.” He looked at Lilli. “Shall I tell him the rest, or do you want to?”

  Lilli looked frightened. “Vivienne was riding too fast and her horse tripped. She hit her head on a rock. By the time I got to her to try and help her she was dead.”

  “No, Lilli,” Zack said calmly, “that’s not what happened. You deliberately tripped Vivienne’s horse so she couldn’t help falling off. When you discovered she wasn’t dead, you hit her on the head with a rock. You reported it as an accident. And you did it just so you could marry Fran and give your son the title of Count.”

  Lilli was defiant. “Where did you hear such a ridiculous story?! You can’t prove that! You weren’t there. You don’t know what happened. She fell from her horse.”

  Without a word, Zack reached into his pocket and pulled out the diary. He opened it again to the dog-eared page and held it out to Fran.

  “My diary!” Lilli exclaimed, and tried to grab it out of Zack’s hand, but he stopped her.

  Fran took the diary from Zack. There was no mistaking the handwriting. It was Lilli’s.

  When Fran finished reading it, he looked up and stared at her as though he were seeing a stranger. “I trusted you! You killed my wife! My beloved Vivienne!” His voice shook with outrage. “I took you into my family! I gave you my name and was a father to your son! How could you have done this? Didn’t it matter at all what it would do to me?” He put his head in his hands, hiding the tears that rushed to his eyes. “Dear God, how could this have happened?” he whispered under his breath. He rose and walked over to the desk, unable to look at his wife or stepson as he spoke. “Lilli—Francois—I want you out of my house and my life. Now!” He reached for the phone and called the police.