Scorpios and Sapphires Page 8

"Why would your father and his friend need the alliance? Any financial problems?" He flipped to a blank sheet, starting a suspect list.

  Mélisande’s name was first up with access, entry, and evidence under it. Then he wrote Samuel and François’s names. Her heart tightened with pain and disappointment. The Aidan from the vault, angry and suspicious, was gone; he had helped her the previous day and had defended her this morning, so she had let a glimmer of hope grow. Now it too shattered.

  "I believe that the Renauds are rich, Karine was an heiress too, they were provided for at her death. I think it is more of a convenient arrangement than anything else." She sat down on a chair, wearing her poker face.

  "When did your mother pass away?"

  "Twelve years ago."

  "Why are you still unmarried? It has been a very long engagement."

  "It came to light that there was a stipulation to my inheritance; if I were to get married before I turned twenty-one, all my money would have been frozen, including my father’s allowance."

  "Allowance?" His eyes met hers with sudden interest.

  "Yes, each month he gets an amount of money until I am married at which time he will receive a very generous lump sum." She clarified.

  Aidan studied her a long moment, feeling puzzled by the dynamics of the Belmont family.

  "I see," was all he said.

  "Non! It is nothing like that, Papa doesn’t need the money! He has a winery that is very successful. He might be worth more than me!" Mélisande protested, and Aidan groaned internally, at her naiveté.

  "And how does he feel about you still being unwed?"

  "By twenty-one, I had grown confident enough to stand my ground, and things between me and François had… changed. Papa is most unhappy with me, hence the power struggle over the jewelry. I guess it’s his way to force me to do his bidding."

  "Not very successfully," Aidan remarked approvingly, then changed the subject. "You will forgive me, but I am adding your father to the suspects list. I mean it is only fair, as your name is on it too! Now, if something was to happen to you, who would benefit?"

  "I have no idea. I guess one of my cousins, Mathilde or Céline, could be next in line for the house and estate, seeing that I have no children of my own… I never cared much for these details, so I never bothered looking into it." Mélisande confessed as Aidan kept on lengthening the suspect list.

  "How long has Samuel been working for you?"

  "Since Maman died, but he has lived with us long before that. His mother was working for Grand-mère then Maman."

  "And there is still the mystery of the party crashers." He tapped the marker against his thigh, as he stared at the lists. "But my best bet is that they work for a third party. It’s too much of a coincidence that they showed up at your event and visited the vault after you were done." He noted the dark cloud that passed over her face and went to her. "We will figure this out." Aidan placed a hand on her shoulder.

  "Thank you for standing by me," she whispered, touching his hand with her fingers, "even if you do not trust me."

  Aidan was about to say something but the sound of a cough made them glance behind.

  Chapter 21

  "Sorry, hate to interrupt…" Both Aidan and Mélisande stared at a young woman who stood in the foyer, next to the adjoining room. "But the door was open, so I figured I will come in and say hi. Hi!"

  She did not seem sorry at all, Mélisande observed, rather on the contrary she was very happy with her timing. The girl seemed to be in her early twenties. She had raven eyes, pale skin, and spiky blue highlights over black hair.

  "Hello, Savannah! I was expecting you tomorrow. I don’t think your room is ready yet." Aidan’s tone was cool.

  "Caught an early flight, and yes, I was told that there are no rooms for me, so I got a key card for yours, Ace."

  The girl addressed Aidan by his nickname, one he had earned as a child. He had always been lucky and had the uncanny ability to get out of trouble. And so, his friends put his initials together and named him after a card. The nickname had stuck ever since.

  "It’s not like we will be sharing a bed for the first time." The newcomer batted her eyelashes at Aidan. "And this must be our heiress in distress." She observed Mélisande apprehensively. "I am Savy, the team tech." The girl walked into the room, dressed in ripped skinny jeans and a black crop top with cut out shoulders, holding her right hand out, while the left held her laptop carrier. "Heard a lot about you…" She said as the two women shook hands.

  "Good things I hope." Mélisande was disconcerted by this stranger and by the realization that this was Aidan’s lover.

  "That is quite a list you got there, Ace." Savannah examined the charts from where she stood. "You broke into your own vault?" She scrutinized Mélisande taking her measure. "How did you do it? The vents and all is simple, but how did you get past the laser? Was it off?"

  "No, it was working perfectly." Mélisande stared at the younger woman unblinking. "I did ten years of gymnastics. It was a piece of pie…"

  "Piece of cake," Savannah corrected, nodding thoughtfully. "Any siblings?"

  "No, I am an only child."

  "Lucky you!" The girl laughed, as she slipped between Aidan and Mélisande, on her way to the wall, forcing them to step away from each other. She began making her own notes; phone records, an only child, family tree. "Cousins? Your mother’s siblings?"

  "Actually, second and third cousins. Maman was also an only child. Well, not exactly, she had a half-brother but he has no claim to the family fortune." Mélisande dropped her eyes.

  "What do you mean?" Aidan’s forehead creased.

  "He has no right to the family name or wealth, because of his birth; it was a scandal. The Belmont hierarchy is very complicated; children from out of marital relationships have no claim if there are other children born to the marriage. And those who marry into the family are always considered a lesser person than the true Belmont." She supplied seeing the baffled expressions on their faces.

  "Wow! That is one hell of a family you got. Who’s this uncle? Is he in the picture?" Savy took over the questioning like it was her job.

  "We do not speak of him. I can not tell you more."

  "Meaning you don’t know where he is, or that you won’t tell us?" The girl narrowed her eyes.

  Mélisande stayed silent.

  "Won’t tell; I see… Well, rest assured that we will find out all your dirty little secrets, Mademoiselle. Moving on to point two; your old man is less than dirt in the eyes of your family?" Savy turned to Aidan. "That should nag at his ego, especially at how you described him, Ace." She added two more notes; father a nobody, mysterious uncle. "You said that your mother’s brother can’t inherit if there is an heir, what if the heir dies? Can he then be a potential contender?"

  "I am not sure." Mélisande frowned. "I never heard of that happening."

  "What about your house? You said it belonged to you?" Aidan asked.

  "The mansion has always belonged to the eldest female of our branch of the family. If there are no heiresses, then the house is locked up until a girl is born and is of age to take possession of it."

  "Okay. I think we have enough information for tonight." Aidan stepped towards his room. "Coming Savy?"

  "You have your own bedroom here?" Savannah glanced around.

  "Yes, that door." Mélisande stood up.

  "Perfect! I’ll crash on your couch then. Ace, you look like you could use some rest. I am still on Toronto time and had slept through the whole flight so I will get to work immediately. Sleep tight, love!" She waved at Aidan, smiling sweetly, then plopped down on the sofa and pulled out her laptop.

  "Good night!" Aidan answered, but he was staring at Mélisande.

  "Bonne nuit," the heiress nodded and went into her room.

  "Behave, Savy!" Aidan warned in a low hiss, once the heiress closed her door.

  "Funny, I was just about to say the same to you!" She rotated in her seat staring at him coolly. "R
emember the last time you got chummy with the suspect? How did that work out for you?"

  "Mind your own business!" A flush of color brightened Aidan’s cheeks.

  "You ARE my business!" She retorted angrily. "You are going all soft on her; the situation reminding you of what had happened to you. But you are forgetting one crucial detail; she might not be the victim here! Don’t let her charm blind you, else you might be walking straight into a trap, just like you did five years ago!"

  "You like to think that you know everything, don’t you? Well, I got news for you; you don’t know a thing! Not about this case, nor the one you’re referring to!"

  "I know that you are trying to see the best in her. Well, have you considered, that she might be the third party you referred to earlier? She starts the job, they go in when she is done and finish it for her, leaving her with a perfect alibi…"

  "Possible, but until she is proven guilty with undisputable evidence, we treat her as the victim, not the perp!" Aidan tightened his jaw, wondering how long Savannah had been listening at the door.

  "Deal. But remember; she’s no angel! If she got into the vault and didn’t trip the alarm, that says a lot about her."

  "That’s all right! I’m no angel either…" He nodded and walked away, leaving the girl all alone.

  Chapter 22

  Mélisande was awakened by soft whispers and footsteps in the outer room. A cold shiver ran down her spine as memories of the day before flooded her. She slipped on the white Chanel jumpsuit, she had bought the day before and came out.

  Aidan and Savannah were talking to a tall, lanky man, with silver hair. He seemed like a man who laughed a lot. He wore a concierge uniform with the Hotel Ruslan logo and an elegant badge that indicated that his name was Vladimir.

  When he noticed Mélisande, his grin widened, and he came forward, his hand extended.

  "You must be Adeline Belmont’s daughter! You are her very image!" He clasped her hand in a firm, yet gentle grip. "Such a pleasure to meet you! I am Vlad Kuznetsov; the owner of the Ruslan."

  "It is lovely to meet you too. You had known my mother?" Mélisande was surprised.

  "Sure! She used to stay with us sometimes and visited quite often. In fact, this was her favorite suite!" The man saddened. "May her soul rest in peace! She was a magnificent woman!"

  "Yes, she was…" Mélisande’s view blurred with tears. "Thank you for accommodating me."

  "Nonsense! We always have rooms for well mannered young ladies." Vlad threw a meaningful glance at Savannah.

  "Whatever!" Savannah waved the man’s comment away. "You love me, and you know it!"

  "The woman at the front desk did not tell me the cost of the room. How much do I owe you?"

  Vlad took hold of both her arms.

  "You are my guest! Horosho? Good?" The owner’s tone bore no argument. "Adeline would never forgive me if I would do any other way. I owed her a favor that I never got to repay while she was alive; now I can." The man’s eyes brightened with tears.

  Mélisande wondered what had her mother done for this man, but felt uncomfortable questioning him.

  "And so, would my mama!" Vlad went on. "She would give me a nettle rod beating if I was to take your money. She would say: ‘Vladik, I did not survive the Nazi invasion of Ukraine and their shots as we were evacuated, nor risked my life escaping mother Russia when Stalin came after my family for daring to disagree with his politics; just to see my own flesh and blood, cheat a woman who has fallen on hard times!’ Then she would have invoked the memory of my grandfather who had died in a gulag for having dared criticize the government. She was a firm believer that you should treat people with kindness and no matter what atrocities life threw her way, she lived by this faith to her last breath!"

  "All right Vlad! Let’s get to work," Savannah said, making the man glare at her.

  "I am working! I want Adeline’s daughter to know who I am, so she knows, if she decides to leave her old life behind," Vlad faced Mélisande once again, "Vlad here can make it happen. I have been smuggling goods into Russia before you were even born, but mostly I got people out of the communist regime. I can make anyone become someone who will never be found! Dochen'ka, I will do all in my power to help you!"

  Mélisande did not understand that the man had called her daughter, but his words, kindness, and openness warmed her heart.

  "I do hope you like this room." Vlad turned to Aidan but still held on to the heiress’ hand. "Ace, what do you need me to do?"

  "Watch the media for me, please. And put the word out about the jewelry amongst your contacts, I will do the same."

  Vlad pulled out his phone and began typing.

  "I want you to play as little a part in this case as possible, at least for now. Especially as the insurance company is covering my bill," Aidan added.

  "Sure! Media watch is on!" Vlad nodded. "The rest of the crew are on their way up. Special delivery style…"

  "You have installed cameras on this floor?" Aidan frowned.

  "No, but Phil doesn’t need to know that," Vlad winked. "Besides, you want them to be invisible, right? There is too much activity up here as it is. Both guests across the hall are checking out this morning, so I don’t want to pique their curiosity."

  "Do you have this one on camera?" Aidan motioned with his chin at Savannah.

  "She came through the front door, so I had to create a system glitch. We are okay now. But seeing how Savy does everything her way without listening, I can’t make promises for the future!" Vlad shook his head disapprovingly.

  "With your love of shoving people into small spaces, I’d say I had no choice!" Savannah crossed her arms over her chest.

  "When you will have the KGB hunting you down like a rabid dog, you will not complain about my methods!" Vlad tightened his jaw and a frown creased his brow.

  "Seeing how communism has been abolished along with the KGB, I doubt I will ever have that problem."

  "Solnyshko, that is what they want you to think…" He gave Mélisande a conspiratorial wink.

  "How many times do I have to tell you? Don’t call me sunshine!" Savannah grimaced in mock anger.

  "Enough! We are wasting daylight here!" Aidan interrupted the banter.

  There was a knock at the door.

  "Room service!" The words were spoken just as the door opened.

  Chapter 23

  A woman a little younger than Vlad entered, pushing a cart with several covered dishes on top. Her graying brown hair was pulled into a French pleat, while her movements were energetic and efficient.

  "This is my Veritas!" Vlad gleamed. "Her father was a refugee like my own parents, but his family ran from the Bolsheviks in 1917 when he was young, and named her for the one thing missing in mother Russia; truth. There are three saints that Russian girls are named after; Faith, Hope, and Love; Vera, Nadezhda, and Lyubov, but there is no truth. Very telling! Poor man, though," Vlad sighed. "His family, like many others at the time, had hidden all their jewelry in the walls of their St. Petersburg home but never been able to return to get them back. During the restoration of the city, truckloads of gold and valuables were found!"

  "Thank you, Vlad, for the history lesson, but would you mind giving me a hand here, before Phil suffocates?" The woman began clearing the dishes on the cart. "He loves my name more than he loves me, I’m afraid. I swear if my name was anything else he would have never given me a second look!" The woman grumbled as Aidan and Vlad rushed to help her.

  They remove the cloth that covered the cart and unfastened the locks, revealing a man, folded up inside.

  "Cheers!" Said the tall, blond Brit in a deep voice, as he climbed out. "I thought you were waiting for me to croak in there, Vlad!" His merry blue eyes met Mélisande’s. "Hello, I am Philip Grant, but everyone calls me Phil. At your service." He bowed slightly as he shook her hand. "I am your law expert."

  "Mélisande Belmont, nice to meet you. You are a lawyer?" She was immediately won over by the man’s warm and outgoin
g personality.

  "Charmed! Lawyer? Well, not exactly; I met a dodgy bloke just before going for the bar exam, so now I am just an expert."

  "Ace go to your room; Nikita is bringing up the breakfast cart to your door," Veritas ordered.

  As Aidan hastened to his quarters, Veritas came up to Mélisande.

  "I am sorry, dear, for not coming to you immediately." She embraced the young woman tenderly. "Welcome, daughter of Adeline! I had always hoped to meet you but under happier circumstances."

  "Thank you!" Mélisande was touched by the woman’s kindness.

  Aidan returned with a young man, Vlad’s son by the looks of him, who was pushing a food cart much like the one Veritas had brought up. Swiftly they moved the heavenly smelling dishes to the dining table and removed the cloth covering the cart.

  A woman in her early thirties extricated herself from a hollow compartment. She had long, wild, black curls and was rather petite, her rich honey skin made her large coal eyes stand out vividly. Free from her confining cart, she moved her neck and shoulders gracefully as if she was a dancer, popping a few joints.

  "Hola everybody! Hey, Ace!" She called in a loud cheery voice as she threw herself into his arms.

  She spoke a clean, crisp English with a hint of Spanish accent. Mélisande wondered if she too was his lover. The woman hugged and kissed her friends, then turned to Mélisande.

  "I am Isabella Morales, but please call me Isa. I am your research expert and go to girl!" She hugged Mélisande too. "Now that I am here, forget all your worries, Isa got your back!" She beamed reassuringly. "Excuse me, got to see that handsome devil over there," she winked. "Come here, mi amor!" And kissed Philip on the lips.

  "Hello, babe!" Philip wrapped his arms around his wife. "Missed you too. It’s been a terrible five minutes without you… Seriously! I thought I will never see you again in this life. I swear Vlad has a grudge against me! Each time he packs me in one of these death traps, he waits to see how long I can hold my breath…"

  Isa laughed, hugging Philip tighter.

  "May I introduce our son, Nikita." Vlad clapped the young man on his shoulder, full of paternal pride, ignoring Philip’s words.