The European Enigma (LSD, #9)

29. The Monaco Millionaire

The Monaco Millionaire

The woman called out to the man in the expensive suit: "Sir, can you help me? It's cold and I've nowhere to sleep."

The man in the expensive suit didn't want to look back, he wanted to walk on, he wanted to pretend he couldn't hear her, he seemed embarrassed to be there, but he couldn't ignore the blisters on the soles of her feet, and he couldn't deny the clean riverbeds on her dirty cheeks. His hand went to his chest while he wondered what would hurt him more, his human heart in case he'd ignore somebody else's pain, or the pain he'd feel in that same place, in his wallet, after helping her.

In his earplug, just a little too loud, the voice of the man with the black tie interrupted his thoughts. He ordered him to act like a professional: "Think twice. She's not your mission."

The man in the expensive suit looked away. She wasn't his mission. She was just one of the five suspects. He was here to observe, not to act. The poverty in our world was not his responsibility. Someone else should take care of her. She was barefoot, dressed in rags, and barely able to walk. She should be arrested and put on the other side of some distant wall. This is Monaco. This is paradise. The woman doesn't fit in here. She should be sent back to hell.

When you think twice...

Hell is a long table, filled with the most delicious food and exclusive drinks, but the guests have no elbows; they can see, smell, and touch everything, but they can't put it into their mouths, they can't taste it. That's hell. Oh, hell...

Paradise is... that same long table with that same delicious food and the same guests without elbows, but they feed each other. Hello...

Paradise is the land of milk and honey...

In Rupi's land of Milk and Honey, it says you should give to those who have nothing to give to you. In Monaco, it says you can only become rich if you never give away anything without making a profit.

The man in the expensive suit ignored the orders in his ear. He turned, walked back to the woman, took her gently by the arm, and said: "Come with me. I can't solve the hunger in the world, but I can do something about the hunger in my world, if only just for today."

First, they crossed the street market, where he bought her new clothes and a pair of sturdy shoes. Then he entered the lobby of a family hotel, showed his credit card to the receptionist, and said: "Can you give this woman a room with a bath, lunch, dinner, and tomorrow's breakfast included? I'll pay for it."

After signing the deal with his secret pin code, he said goodbye to her. He had a mission to take care of. He wished her a happy day in paradise. The woman who had nothing to give didn't allow him to go empty-handed; she gave him a kiss, a smile, and a «thank you», three priceless gifts, as a reward for his kindness.

The voice in his ear asked: "Did you plant the bug on her?"

He pressed the little button and grunted: "I'm a professional. Do your own job and let me do mine."

With a steady pace, he walked back to the square where he met the beggar-woman earlier. There were four other suspects. The man with the black tie was positive it was one of those five, but even after weeks of close surveillance with cameras and undercover agents, he couldn't solve the case.

He could have called Interpol, or the FBI, or Scotland Yard, or the Oracle of Delphi, who gives all her advice for free (that's why the Greeks have so many problems with their economy, as we all know good advice is expensive). Instead, he asked the LSD. The LSD sent their best man, the man in the expensive suit, the one they called #3, The Diplomat. They said he would solve this case in one day. They said they would do it for free, for love of the game, because small independent tax paradises like Monaco and Luxembourg should join forces and help each other. Then, perhaps, our friends from Monaco could help us out with backdoor access to the secret bank accounts of their citizens...