The Butler(68)

“He was convicted of money laundering in France. All of his property has been seized. I think he had three or four houses in the South of France, and some apartment buildings in Paris. The government is taking them all. Including the one you just finished, I’m sure.”

“That’s it? And then what?” Olivia was stunned. She had worked like a slave to finish it for him, and now the government was taking it and she hadn’t heard a word from him.

“They’ll sell it at auction, probably for much less than it’s worth, a fraction of it. It will be a fabulous deal for someone. Government seizures always are.”

“How does that happen? Will someone notify me? Who do I give the keys to? I’ve been writing to him for ten days and he hasn’t answered.”

“He may be in jail. And don’t worry. When they get around to it, someone from the Treasury will show up, and take whatever they need. Did you get paid?”

    “Every penny. All the suppliers have been paid, and I got my entire fee three weeks ago. I thought it a little odd that he paid me before I finished.”

“Maybe somewhere under the crook, he’s a decent guy. Honor among thieves. I think he was convicted two weeks ago. I’ve been afraid to call you. I was sure you’d be furious with me if you got burned. I honestly didn’t know he was a crook when I gave you the job. I thought I was doing you a favor.”

“You did. I just can’t believe this.” She was shocked.

“It happens with the Russians sometimes. He owes the tax people millions. He might have paid eventually, but with money laundering charges and a conviction, they won’t give him the properties back. I think he was making illegal arms deals, selling missiles. It was big league stuff.”

“How sad, I don’t even know who’ll wind up with this beautiful house.” But she hadn’t met Nikolai either. He was just a voice on the phone and wire transfers to the bank.

“I’ve been wanting to call you. You may want to kill me after this, but I have another project for you. Not as massive as this one. An American, not a Russian. One of my regular clients just bought a very pretty small chateau, more like a manor house, he says it’s a little jewel, and he wants someone to do it for him. He’s a totally honest guy. A Texan. It’s completely on the up-and-up. Can I give him your name? And are you staying in France for a while?”

“I am,” she said, making the decision on the spot. She knew now that this was what she wanted to do, refurbishing houses in France, preferably for American clients. She was going to renew her apartment lease for another year, or two.

    “He’s very attractive by the way, and single. This might be a bigger deal for you than just a decorating project,” she said pointedly, and Olivia laughed. Audrey had always thought Olivia was very attractive and was surprised she was unattached.

“Do you throw in the matchmaking services for free?” Olivia teased her, and they both laughed.

“Definitely.” Normally, Olivia would have balked, but it was very appealing. She’d been thinking lately, now that the chateau was finished she had to make a real effort to get out and meet people, and she hadn’t had a real date in too long, not since New York. She wanted to meet some men. She wasn’t shopping for a husband, but a dinner date would be nice. She didn’t want to sit at home alone forever. She had come to Paris to live life, and she was. A man could be part of that. “I’ll give him your number. He can talk to you about the house, and take you out to dinner,” Audrey said, pleased. “I think he’s going to Paris soon. His name is Guy Fellowes, so you know who he is when he calls. And, Olivia…I’m really sorry about the Russian.” She genuinely meant it. But Olivia wasn’t sorry she’d done the job. It had been a labor of love and she’d learned a lot. And she’d made a lot of money on it.

“You couldn’t know,” Olivia reassured her, but she was still shocked about Nikolai Petrov when she hung up, and pleased that she had the prospect of another job from Audrey, for an honest client this time. She felt sorry for Nikolai Petrov. He had sounded like a nice man, and he had been fair with her, whatever else he’d done. She was sorry he would never see the lovely chateau. She was grateful he had paid her in full before his conviction by the French courts.

She sent Audrey the photos of the chateau after they talked and Audrey emailed her and said it looked spectacular.

    Guy Fellowes called her that night. He had a very pleasant Texan accent. He told her about the small chateau he had bought, and what he hoped to do with it. It was in the south, close to Provence. It would be more of a commute for her, but she said she could manage it. He was coming to Paris in three days and staying at the Ritz. He invited her to meet him for a drink so they could discuss the project, and she said she’d be delighted to. She had no idea if he’d turn out to be someone she wanted to go out with, but she liked the sound of the house he had bought and what he wanted to do to it. After the chateau, everything would be easy for her. She promised to send him photographs of it, to give him an idea of the scope of what she was capable of.

After she hung up, she called Joachim, to tell him what had happened to Nikolai Petrov and that the chateau was going to be seized by the government. She expected him to be as shocked as she was. He sounded distracted when he answered, and there was a lot of noise in the background. She told him what had happened, and he didn’t sound surprised.