Shadowed-Death by Design

Chapter Four - In a Bad Boy Sort of Way!

                            

Lucy thought the hair's shade of red was undeniable! The woman passed by, depositing a small scrap of paper into Lucy's hand. She turned and guided Lucy by the elbow in the direction of the exit, down the entire length of the room, while her unfamiliar voice spoke softly in Lucy's ear, "Do not be afraid or obvious. Hide this paper and do not look at it until you are home and alone. Do not follow me. Wait here for at least sixty seconds after I leave."  

The woman released Lucy's elbow and disappeared. Lucy counted slowly, slid the paper scrap into the dark depths of her purse, then exited. Following lunch and a quick tour of the world renowned casino, Lucy was heading for the exit when the doorman approached her, indicating the umbrella stand, "Excuse me, Mademoiselle. Do not forget your umbrella. Is that the right one? I only ask because I turned my back for a second to retrieve a coat and it was gone! I have no idea who took it! Someone curiously brought back your umbrella a few minutes after he or she stole it. Again, I saw no one during the split second when my back was turned to retrieve a sweater from the rack. And the owner of the sweater did not notice. The theft was obviously timed just right!" 

The umbrella seemed unharmed and Guy placed it in the car. On the road again, Lucy tried to start a conversation. "Do your mother and father live in Ville, Pierre?" He nodded and then kissed her, evading an explanation. They were on the road only a few minutes when Guy stopped at a large residence with thick white adobe walls and a glimmering, vivid, red tiled roof. Parking out of sight behind the garage, he left Pierre and Lucy alone in the car. Pierre opened a ring box, took her left hand in his, and whispered, "Lucy, it will be so romantic to remember Ville as the place where we became engaged!" When Lucy subtly shook her head no, he replied, "Another time then, Lucy. Guy will drive you back to Paris, as I must stay to investigate further."

Guy pulled up in Marcel's immaculate royal blue Aston Martin, motor humming, with the convertible top down. "This will make you feel better, Lucy. Before we head back to Paris, you can drive as fast as you want! I will be your navigator! Come on! The coast highway will take your mind off Pierre!" Guy helped her into the driver's seat and she tied a purple silk scarf over her hair. When she unintentionally floored it, leaving skid marks behind her on the driveway, she apologized. "Guy, this may be too much car for me to handle, too much power!" But he insisted she drive the narrow, winding road.

A few hundred feet down the road, Lucy tried to slow the car for a curve in the road. The brakes went out! Lucy and Guy both pulled up on the emergency brake handle and she steered uphill, along the steep cliff. When the car finally stopped, the two walked to the nearest house and phoned a made a phone call. A mechanic retrieved the car and then explained, “A similar thing happened to a movie star here on the coast highway about fifteen years ago. You look exactly like her, Mademoiselle! Her stage name evades me. She changed it when she married. Anyway, her car was catapulted off the side of this high cliff, plunging into the Mediterranean far below. She was in the passenger seat and was killed instantly! Your car, like hers, could have nose dived into the sea far below! But, do you know what the difference is between your circumstances and hers?" Lucy shook her head and he continued.

"Your brakes went out and your steering fluid is nearly gone! Without it, you would have been unable to steer the car upward like you did. You would have rolled over and over down the treacherous rocks and into the ocean! I do not mean to frighten you. The actress' death was a steering error on the part of the driver, such a catastrophic nightmare that it rocked the entire principality and still does! The difference is that hers was strictly an accident but yours definitely seems like foul play! "

The black sedan headed back to Paris. She found Guy attractive in a bad boy sort of way! Then and there, she decided to dance with him at the upcoming gala in Ville, being thrown in efforts to cheer up the grieving Hercule. She had been invited as Pierre's date, although she figured that Pierre and Guy would be doing security there. Lucy fell asleep, slumped over, and her head rested on Guy's shoulder.

The following weekend, Lucy arrived in a silver strapless number with a floor length pencil skirt accentuated by a flare of silver netting at the bottom to emphasize her tiny waist and slim figure. With her platinum hair perfectly coiffed, Pierre told her she looked like a princess. But the other guests were staring and whispering.