Suspects(35)

Pierre de Vaumont made meaningless chitchat for a few minutes and she was eager to get back to work. She didn’t know why she had taken the call, just to be polite. He finally spat out what he wanted.

“There’s going to be a fabulous party at Versailles next month, for a good cause, of course. I’m putting together a table, and I was hoping you would join me and host it with me.” She didn’t know if he was asking her to pay for it, or pay half of it, or just be there as his date, or as a showpiece to enhance his social status, but whatever his motive, she had no desire whatsoever to go anywhere with him or be seen in public hosting a table with him, whatever the cause. She thought it an unsuitably bold request.

“I’m not going out yet,” she said demurely. “I’m just not ready, but thank you so much. Very kind of you to ask me.” She hustled him off the phone then. He seemed slimy to her, and he clearly had an ulterior motive. He was incredibly transparent, and she knew that Matthieu had never liked him either. He had a nose for phonies and users, and was practically allergic to them. Pierre de Vaumont was a prime specimen of the breed.



* * *



—

Mike called a little while later to say he had landed safely in New York and was on his way home to his apartment, which would be morbidly depressing without her.

“I had the creepiest call today,” she said, filling him in on her day. “From a disgusting social climber. He was on my plane to New York and I gave him an invitation to the party at the store. He came, which was good for press coverage. He called to invite me to some big event at Versailles next month. I turned him down flat.”

“Who is he?” Mike had an odd tone in his voice, and she wondered if he was jealous.

“You won’t know him. He slinks around anyone with money in Paris. I think he takes commissions on introductions and deals he puts together. His name is Pierre de Vaumont. I felt like I needed a bath after I talked to him.” Mike didn’t acknowledge knowing who he was, but after they ended the call, he wanted to call Guy Thomas and tell him. De Vaumont was definitely after Theo for money or social connections. He called Guy but only got voicemail, and he didn’t want to leave the message on voicemail.

He was already worked up, and concerned about de Vaumont, when Robert Richmond called about half an hour after he got home.

“Hello, mate. Hope I’m not getting you at a bad time. I wanted to give you a heads-up about your friend de Vaumont. He seems to be stepping up his game and moving in more dangerous circles. You’re right. He bears watching.”

“He’s no longer in my jurisdiction. He’s back in Paris,” Mike said, annoyed to hear his name again. Mike still thought he was trouble, even if Guy Thomas didn’t.

“He was in London this week and met with a Chinese arms dealer we know about and keep an eye on. He introduced him to a Russian ‘friend’ of his, who’s actually a double agent we know all about. The Russian was poisoned and died yesterday.”

“He’s trying to crawl up on Theo Morgan too,” Mike told him. “He is definitely broadening his circle. How does the Russian double agent figure into this, and the Chinese arms dealer?”

“Just bigger commissions, I suspect. But he’s playing in the big leagues now, or trying to. Those are both dangerous men, as witnessed by the poisoning of the Russian. He’s been playing a double game for a while and it seems to have caught up with him. If de Vaumont falls in with that crowd and gets on their wrong side, they won’t screw around, they’ll kill him,” Robert said bluntly.

“I’ll pass the intel on to Guy Thomas in Paris,” he said to Robert.

“That sounds like a good idea. You never know who these connectors and dealmakers will fall in with.” Mike thanked him, hung up, and called Guy Thomas again, this time on his personal cell, but still didn’t get him. He was anxious to share the info on de Vaumont with him.

Guy called him back at seven a.m. in Paris when he got up. It was one a.m. for Mike, but he was still awake, at his computer.

“Something important?” he asked with his heavy French accent, and Mike reported to him what Robert Richmond had told him about the meeting and the Russian double agent being poisoned.

“I still think de Vaumont’s a small-time bullshitter, and relatively harmless.” Guy Thomas held firm to his position.

“His friends aren’t harmless,” Mike pointed out to him. “And he’s chasing after Theo Morgan now, with social invitations. I think you need to keep an eye on him.”

“I have a better idea,” Guy volunteered, “for your peace of mind and mine. I’m going to put a tail on Theo Morgan Pasquier. I won’t tell her. He’ll be discreet. It’s more important that we keep her safe and see who approaches her, than worrying about a little piece of garbage like de Vaumont. He’s a waste of time.”

“Maybe less and less so. I think we need to keep a vigilant eye on him.” But he did like the idea of protecting Theo. “I think that’s an excellent idea about a tail for Theo Morgan. How soon can you start?”

“Later today. I promise.” Guy Thomas was more than ever sure that Mike had some kind of personal interest in the Pasquier case, but whatever it was, he didn’t need to know it. Theo was the one at risk, not the people who knew her.

“Thanks, Guy, I appreciate it,” Mike said.