Suspects(10)

“Probably a lot of social stuff, some coke and some hookers. That’s what those guys do. And somewhere in the midst of all that, they introduce someone to someone else, and they walk away with a fat commission.”

“As long as the deals he makes on my watch are legal,” Mike said firmly, and Robert laughed.

“You still sound like a military guy. I like old school too. It’s a lot more complicated these days. Sometimes it’s hard to tell the good guys from the bad guys. And most of the Russians who become spies end up as double agents, playing on both teams. The women too.”

“It doesn’t sound like fun to me,” Mike said.

“It isn’t, and a lot of those double agents end up dead in back alleys. They kill each other regularly. Poisoning is their weapon of choice these days. You have to be damn careful. Some of that stuff they use can kill you if you’re in the same room with it, or it can leave traces all around a town.”

They talked for a few more minutes and then hung up. Mike checked on the flight again. They had made up for lost time, and were only forty minutes late. It had just landed. The passengers were due in customs. He was curious to find out what de Vaumont was doing in New York, and who he was seeing. He didn’t know why but something about de Vaumont intrigued him. De Vaumont seemed like a strange creature to him, a bottom feeder, a leech, an opportunist in a very fancy world where he seemed to have easy entrée. Life was a buffet of opportunities for him.

Pierre de Vaumont noticed that two federal agents from Homeland Security met Theo Morgan and her bodyguard on the plane, and escorted them off before everyone else. Two agents from the airline were also with them, and the Homeland Security officers accompanied them through immigration and customs. As a high-profile person with a life-and-death risk from the kidnappers who might come back for her, Homeland Security took on the responsibility of protecting her when she entered the country. She was quiet as she stood with them waiting for her bags to emerge. As soon as they did, the whole group headed toward the street. She never noticed Pierre de Vaumont watching her, standing off to the side, and he made no attempt to approach her again. He would see her at the party in two days anyway, and he didn’t want to crowd her. She still had that “don’t come near me” look in her eyes.

Pierre didn’t notice Rafael Gonzales observing Theo and her entourage move through the airport. Rafe had just wanted to be sure that all went smoothly and, from all appearances, it had. He was pleased that they had done everything by the book and decided to let de Vaumont take the flight.

Pierre emerged from baggage claim onto the sidewalk at the exact moment Theo was stepping into a rented SUV with a driver. A moment later, after she shook hands with the small group, the car pulled away from the curb and headed toward the city.

Pierre had rented a car and driver too. He had half a dozen appointments every day and a lot to do.

He was staying at the Plaza, not far from where her pop-up store was located, and Theo was staying at the Carlyle, just up Madison Avenue from the store. She and Matthieu had always stayed at the Carlyle when they came to New York. She knew it would be nostalgic for her being there without him, but she didn’t want to stay at a different hotel. They knew her, and she had memories of Axel running up and down the halls as a little child.

The chauffeur already knew where she was staying, drove her to the city, and headed uptown. As they sped up Madison Avenue nearly an hour later, the location of the pop-up store caught her eye and she was pleased to see it. The location was perfect, and she could glimpse through the windows that there were about ten people rushing around inside carrying bolts of fabric, ladders, and paintbrushes. It looked like they still had an enormous amount to do. Her work was cut out for her. When they got to the hotel, she told the driver she’d be down in a few minutes and was as good as her word. She was back twenty minutes later wearing jeans and sneakers, a gray sweatshirt, and her long hair in a braid, with her Kelly bag in tow. Her bodyguard was with her. She had a tote bag with a large notebook, a legal pad, a handful of pens, an industrial measuring tape, and a hammer. She was ready to get to work and smiling when she got there.

She looked for Bella, the young woman they had hired as the number two person for the job, or Valentina, the manager. She spotted the younger of the two and introduced herself.

“I’m Theo,” she said simply. There was no pretense about her. “The space is fabulous,” Theo said with a light in her eyes that hadn’t been there when she arrived. “I love it. We can do wonders with it.”

“I hope so,” Bella said, looking anxious. She had never met Theo before. She was a legend and Bella was terrified that she would say or do the wrong thing, but Theo was concentrating on the structure, and envisioning what she had planned. They had sent bolts of fabric to attach to the walls with a staple gun, and the space had a handsome natural wood floor, with a pretty garden behind it. It seemed very French, which pleased Theo. She expected to see the Eiffel Tower sparkling at her when she glanced out the windows and was surprised when she didn’t.

Theo spoke to the lighting men then, to angle the lights to show the clothes to their best advantage, and to the soundmen about the soundtrack for the party. The wall coverings were bright, multicolored silks. And there would be a small group of violinists at the party playing gypsy music. Bright colors were the core of the new season’s collection, and the direction she was taking seemed perfect. The young woman in charge, Valentina, was surprised how fast it started to take shape as soon as Theo arrived. She hadn’t been successful due to a lack of skill or indolence. She flew around like a whirling dervish, wielded the staple gun herself so she could get the colors of the silks positioned just right. She was capable and energetic and for the first time in a year, she was having fun. She wished there was someone she knew to share it with, but there wasn’t.