Suspects(36)

“I think it’s the right thing to do,” Guy responded. “And maybe we’ll get lucky and catch a bigger fish in our net. I just hope it’s a bigger fish than de Vaumont.” Mike fervently agreed with him. He slept better that night, knowing that by the next day Theo would have an agent assigned to her as a protective tail at all times. She wouldn’t even be aware of it, but he’d be there. Mike thought they should have been doing it for the last year, but better late than never. He could tell that Guy was already more alert and interested in the case. They had to find her husband’s killers. Theo would be even more at risk than usual until they did. Mike’s worst fear was that the same men would return for the rest of the money, and they’d kill Theo this time. He wanted to do all he could to prevent it from happening, whatever it took, and whatever he had to do to help.





Chapter 9


During the week after Mike left Paris, Theo felt as though she had been running from one meeting to the next. Meetings in Matthieu’s old offices, meetings at Theo.com. She hardly had a minute to breathe, and Pierre de Vaumont called her again. The call came through her assistant, and she told her bluntly she didn’t have time. She wasn’t interested in his social invitations or his attempts to become friends. He didn’t have a chance of that happening, and she was even more annoyed when he called again the next day, twice. He was persistent, if nothing else. She had been happy to invite him to the party at the pop-up in New York for the press he’d attract, but that was as far as it went. She had two mammoth businesses to run, and no time to waste on him.

On his third call, she finally picked it up and sounded somewhat exasperated when she said hello. As usual, she hadn’t had time for lunch. They were revising all their merchandise on Theo.com for the fall, and she had to approve every item they put on the site.

“Oh, I’m so sorry,” Pierre said when she answered. “Is this a bad time? I’m sorry to disturb you, Theo,” he said as though they were pals.

“I’m running between meetings. What can I do for you?” she said coldly. She didn’t want to encourage him or be a regular on his list of calls.

“I hope this isn’t inappropriate, but I have a dear friend from Moscow arriving at the end of the week. He’s desperate to find a home here, and he wants a chateau not too far out of the city. He has a wife and three small children, with full staff of course. You have such exquisite taste, and I have no idea if you’d be interested in selling your chateau, after…well, you know. It must be painful for you there now. My friend would even be willing to rent it fully furnished until you make up your mind. I wouldn’t have bothered you, but he’ll only be here for a few days, and he has to find something before his wife and children arrive.” He sounded obsequious and apologetic, and just as slimy as before to her. Possibly even more so.

“Well, I certainly couldn’t move that quickly. I haven’t thought about it. I have no idea if I’ll want to sell it one day, and I’m not interested in selling it now.” But he was right, she thought. It was unbearable going there now. She hadn’t braved it yet, and she dreaded it. She’d been meaning to go in the next few weeks to bring back some of her fall clothes. “If I do sell it, it will be through a realtor,” she said pointedly. He could smell a fat commission if he could convince her to sell or even rent it. And he suspected she’d be more likely to rent or sell to someone she knew than someone she didn’t.

Matthieu’s family chateau, which he had repurchased, was an extraordinary showplace he had lovingly restored and redecorated with the help of one of the best decorators in France. It looked like a smaller version of Versailles, and the gardens had originally been designed by Le N?tre, who designed the Versailles gardens. The place had meant so much to him that she felt guilty selling it, but going there to stay again was impossible for her, knowing that Matthieu and Axel had been kidnapped from there. “I just don’t know,” she said vaguely, upset by the question, and even having to think about it. “I’m sorry, I can’t tell you now. And I’m late for a meeting. If I put it on the market, I’ll let you know.”

“Could I go and visit it sometime, so I can describe it to him, and tell him if it would work for him? I’ve actually never been there myself.” Of course not, she thought. Matthieu would never have let him in the front door, given the slimy little opportunist he was.

“I have to pick some things up there myself in the next week or two, but I don’t know when.”

“Of course, I understand. You’re so busy, and I hate to disturb you. I don’t mind seeing it with a member of the staff.”

“That won’t be possible,” she said coldly.

“May I call you at the end of the week and see if you might be going? I promise I wouldn’t stay long.” She wanted to say no but she didn’t, and she didn’t know why. He had a way of worming his way in that was very effective, no matter how much he revolted her. But maybe his “friend” would actually buy the chateau if she decided to sell, which she thought she eventually might. She couldn’t imagine staying there again or being happy there. She just hadn’t decided yet. The decision was painful for her.

“All right, fine,” she said, and could have kicked herself when she hung up. He was harmless, but he was such a little weasel. And then she forgot about him as she rushed to another meeting at Matthieu’s offices, in preparation for a board meeting.