Turn Back Time (The Full Circle Series Book 1) Page 15

  Kai answered, “I can tell you it wasn’t what we expected when we woke up Monday morning.” He sighed, then smiled and said, “But enough of that. What would you like to drink? My treat.”

  “I’m going to make a quick trip to the room. But I’ll have a glass of pinot noir when I return. Thanks, Kai.” She turned to Naomi, “Is Julia back yet?”

  “I haven’t seen her come in. Maybe catching up with Alexander is taking a little longer?” Naomi winked, then said to Kai, “Okay, so you were saying about Leo…”

  Stella wasn’t interested in any Leo stories, and she needed a few moments to get her emotions sorted out. She already missed David and wondered where he was right now.

  As she crossed the lobby, the music playing in the background couldn’t have been more fitting. “Time to Say Goodbye.” But she wasn’t ready to think about goodbyes, not when they just had their hello.

  A glass of blood-red wine was waiting for her when she returned and found Naomi and Kai sitting on the outdoor patio.

  “Those tall orange flowers look exotic. Our backyard at home is also sheltered and gets plenty of sun in the afternoon. I think I’ll try to recreate this setup. And I need to get one of those wrought-iron bistro sets with yellow or orange cushions.”

  “As long as you don’t put candles everywhere, Revan won’t mind,” Naomi said.

  Kai put down his beer. “Revan… Wait! The man in the catacombs is the same guy you told me about on Sunday! Who loves motorcycles?”

  Naomi just nodded.

  “Okay, it’s all coming back to me now. Weren’t you supposed to be on some tour?”

  “We dropped out of the tour this morning and came back as soon as we heard,” Stella said.

  “But you also had plans to go to Normandy, didn’t you?” Naomi asked Kai. “Why are you still here?”

  “After my unexpected adventure, I decided to stay here for the week and see what’s happening next. Just didn’t feel like driving around anymore.”

  “Then you can keep us company while we’re all waiting. There’s not much else we can do,” Naomi said, then jumped up and waved. “Julia, we’re out here! Grab a drink at the bar and join us.”

  “Be right there!” Julia called back.

  “Another friend?” Kai asked.

  “Interesting story, but yes. We met Julia on the tour,” Naomi said.

  “Julia, this is Kai,” Naomi said after Julia sat down.

  “I saw you on TV. You’re the one who…”

  “…almost came face-to-face with the kidnapper,” Kai laughed. “Yes. My two seconds of fame.”

  “Well…you did. Almost,” Julia said.

  Stella thought it was time to change the subject, and turned to Julia, “Alexander seems nice. Very nice. What’s up with you two?”

  Naomi put a hand over her mouth, trying to stifle a giggle. “Since when do you ask such personal questions?”

  She gave Stella a piercing look, then a knowing smile slid over her face. “I know! You just don’t want to talk about David!”

  Stella studied the wine in her glass long and hard, took a sip, then focused on Julia and prompted her, “We’re all ears…”

  “Wait, who’s David?” Kai asked.

  “Stella’s ex-boyfriend,” Naomi explained, then added, “he’s in disgrace.”

  She eyed Stella. “And since you, my friend, promised Julia earlier to fill her in about David, you might as well tell both Julia and Kai. I have a feeling we’ll be seeing more of the Troubadour over the next two days, so everybody might as well know what he did.”

  Stella didn’t think Kai needed to know her personal business, and she would’ve preferred to tell Julia on her own terms, but too late now. If Naomi thought she could rush her, well…

  She took a few deep breaths, pursed her lips, tilted her head to the side and, putting her chin on the knuckles of her right hand, said in her best Storytime voice, “Once upon a time, there was a young woman who fell head-over-heels in love with…”

  “You can fast-forward a tad, thank you,” Naomi said.

  “We dated for two years, but he was away more than with me…” Stella said.

  Naomi explained to Kai, “Famous opera singer, Broadway star, on tour nine months out of the year or something like it.”

  “Do you want to tell my story?” Stella asked, then returned her attention to Kai and Julia. “Anyhow, we were fine, but then out of the blue he broke up with me last year. We hadn’t been in touch since then, until we ran into each other last weekend. The End.”

  “Okay, but why is he in disgrace?” Kai wanted to know and looked at all three women.

  Julia gasped.

  Stella’s shoulders slumped and she said, “Hmph.”

  “Tsk, tsk, tsk…only a man would ask.” Even Naomi shook her head.

  “Sorry, a dumb question, I guess. New topic. What do you think of this heat wave crippling Europe right now?” Kai leaned back in his chair and stretched out his long legs.

  “Ah, the weather! Always saves an iffy situation,” Stella laughed.

  “It wasn’t too bad near the beaches,” Naomi said. “And we cooled down with lots of ice cream.”

  “I hear the city of Paris allows people to use the water basins to stay cool. A few days ago, there was a photograph in the local papers of hundreds of people standing in the basins at the Trocadéro Gardens,” Kai said before he yawned. “Ladies, I think it’s time for me to head back to my hotel. What’s your plan for tomorrow?”

  “I’d like to go to the police and find out what they can tell us. But after my experience today, I don’t think we’ll get far,” Naomi said.

  “My suggestion is to wait until morning before making any decisions,” Julia said. “Maybe there’ll be news by then, and if not, we can’t do anything but wait. We definitely can’t force our way behind the police lines at the catacombs,” she looked at Naomi, “and play Rambo.”

  “Well, I thought more Charlie’s Angels. Can’t you see us? Styled hair, designer dresses, hidden shoulder holsters?” Naomi pretended to pull a gun, then stopped. “How do you know I went there earlier?”

  Julia tapped the side of her nose, “Call it a hunch.”

  Kai snorted, “I hope you’re not traveling with weapons.”

  Naomi wiggled both eyebrows, “A woman is born with weapons.”

  Kai choked on his last mouthful of beer, and Julia said, “Okay, I have to go and check on a few emails. Bye, Kai. Girls, I’ll see you upstairs.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Stella and Naomi giggled.

  “Kai, how ’bout we’ll be in touch in the morning? I told David the same thing.” Stella shot Naomi a loaded look and pressed her lips together. She didn’t want to hear her opinion.

  “Naomi has my phone number. Text me in the morning, but I’m warning you. I never reply before nine o’clock. I like to go jogging before I talk to anyone.” He got up and reached for his motorcycle helmet sitting next to the chair.

  “See you tomorrow, Kai. Thank you for helping us,” Stella said.

  “I haven’t done anything.”

  “Oh, yes, you have. Who knows where we’d be without you and your buddies,” Naomi said, and gave him a quick hug.

  CHAPTER 27

  Stella—July 2018

  “S

  tella, Naomi, wake up!” Julia called from the small kitchen table without taking her eyes off her laptop.

  “Why are you yelling?” Naomi asked. “What time is it?”

  “I’m not yelling. I’m making sure you hear me. Alexander texted to let me know there’s a press conference at eight. It’s quarter past seven now.”

  Naomi jumped out of bed and hurried to the bathroom. “I’ll leave the door ajar so I can hear what you’re saying, but no peeking.”

  “Where did you get the coffee? Did you go to the breakfast room?” Stella asked as she crawled out of her bed. She stuck her nose in the air and follow the smell o
f java.

  Julia pointed behind her. “There’s a pod machine over there. We never looked in the cabinets yesterday, but it’s equipped with mugs, utensils, even plates and glasses.”

  Stella called, “Naomi, hurry up in there.”

  “And where did you get the pastries?” Naomi came out of the bathroom and went straight to the kitchenette, where she eyed the assortment of brioches, madeleines, turnovers, and croissants in a bowl next to the coffee machine and rubbed her hands together. “Ooh…”

  “Those are from the bakery down the street. I was up an hour ago. Since all European cities have bakeries around every corner, I didn’t have to go far. Help yourselves. I also bought milk for the coffee and some orange juice.”

  “I like this setup,” Naomi said. “I think the three of us should stay in this room instead of paying for separate rooms.”

  “Works for me,” Julia said.

  “Yes, let’s stay in this room. We’ll let the hotel know when we go out later,” Stella said as she came out of the bathroom. She narrowed her eyes at Naomi. “What are you wearing?”

  “A T-shirt,” Naomi reached for something at the bottom of the bowl.

  “Isn’t that one of Revan’s shirts?”

  “It might be,” Naomi shrugged and pulled at the fabric reaching her thighs.

  “You’re poking the dragon, and you know it.”

  “I don’t think he’s missed it,” Naomi replied with a wide grin.

  “I don’t know what the story behind the T-shirt is, but that’s a nice Harley on it.” Julia said before sipping some coffee, then taking a bite of her chocolate croissant.

  “Let’s just say Revan loves two things. His camera and his Harley. And nobody’s allowed to touch them,” Stella explained with a side look at Naomi, who shrugged.

  “I see… So, do you want to hear about the press conference?”

  “Yes!” Stella and Naomi answered together.

  “Okay, sit down.” Julia pointed to the other chairs at the table. “It’s on French television, and I don’t know if they’ll have a translator there. I assume there’ll also be individual interviews afterward, so we should try and catch one of those.”

  “I’ve been wondering why they do press conferences...and why isn’t there more on social media?” Stella asked.

  “The authorities seem to keep a lid on it, and the newspapers can only print whatever statements they release. As for social media, there might be something, but we’re better off not reading unfounded stories,” Julia said.

  Five minutes before eight, Stella, Naomi and Julia lined up on the sofa in front of the wall-mounted TV, their eyes glued to the screen showing one woman and three men seated behind a rectangular table. The camera moved from face to face and lingered a little longer on the woman. She tried to smile, but her tired eyes betrayed her exhaustion.

  A forest of microphones and recording equipment on tripods was set up in front of the four people.

  Stella couldn’t understand one word of what was being said by a still-invisible moderator. “Too bad there aren’t any subtitles. Maybe we can at least learn their names. We’ve seen the cop before,” Stella said.

  “I could try and translate, but if they talk very fast, it’ll get hectic,” Naomi said. “I have a feeling the reporters can’t wait to fire off their questions as soon as they get the green light.”

  “Don’t worry, we’ll catch a summary later,” Julia said. “Oh, they’re starting with the introductions.”

  First was the already-familiar policeman. His name plate said, “Charles Rousseau, Commissaire.”

  Next came a man who was introduced as Louis Pelletier, Inspecteur Générale, Police Judicaire.

  The woman’s name plate read, “Dr. Claudine Bisset, Inspection Générale des Carrières (IGC).”

  Last was Manuel Savoy from the French Ministry of the Interior.

  After introductions, Louis Pelletier spoke for a while. “My head is spinning just trying to follow any of what he’s saying. I’ll have to wait until they give interviews later,” Stella said.

  Naomi muted the TV but didn’t turn it off, and they watched while the cameras volleyed back and forth between the reporters and the four people being quizzed.

  “Julia, is there enough food so we can have breakfast in the room?” Stella asked.

  “Sure, there’s plenty. So, let’s go through our plan for today.”

  “Without knowing what the latest development is, we can’t plan anything,” Naomi said.

  “I agree,” Stella said, then smirked. “And while we wait, Julia, you can tell us about you and Alexander. We never got to it yesterday.”

  “There’s not much to say. We’ve known each other for a long time.” Julia leaned back in her chair, cradling her coffee mug. “He and my husband were very good friends.”

  A husband? She never mentioned being married. But then we’ve only known her for three days.

  She watched while Julia twisted a delicate ring on her left hand. She hadn’t paid attention to Julia’s jewelry before, but now she saw a small, square diamond with baguette-cut emeralds on each side.

  “They met in the Special Forces. Alexander made it home from the battle of Mogadishu in 1993, Matthew didn’t.” Julia swallowed a few times.

  “I’m so sorry. Now I feel terrible for prodding you.” Stella reached for her hand.

  “You couldn’t know, and it’s been almost twenty-five years. I can talk about it without falling apart. Alexander was a tremendous help getting me through all of it, and we stayed close. It was hard for him, too. He had to watch helplessly when Matt’s helicopter was shot down and left the military as soon as he was eligible.”

  A bashful smile crossed her face, “And who knows…? Maybe I do like him a little more than just as a friend.”

  “Does he return your feelings?” Stella asked.

  “Yes, he’s made it clear for many years that he’s only waiting for me to give him the right signals,” Julia blushed. “We shared one kiss a long time ago, but I was afraid to lose him, too, if the friends-turned-lovers thing didn’t work out. But do not repeat what I just told you.”

  She set her cup on the table. “On the other hand, maybe it’s time for me to practice what I preach. If I tell Emily to be open for new love, then I guess I should be as well. Like her, I’m only in my late forties.”

  Stella asked, “In all those years, have you never thought about marrying again? Or children? You must’ve been young when it happened.”

  “I was twenty-three when Matt died, and I put all my energy into work afterward. There were a few casual relationships, but never anything serious enough to consider marriage again. And there have always been those underlying feelings for Alexander, which I’ve tried to ignore.”

  She sighed. “I can tell you, it’s a bittersweet deal. By the time you make it to the top of the ladder as a woman, you’ve missed your chance at having a family, children.”

  “Would Alexander consider moving back to the States? How long has he been in France?” Naomi asked. She licked chocolate off her fingers and with her other hand reached for another pastry.

  “Five years, but he was at the Embassy in Germany before then for a number of years. He wants to be back stateside next year. Like many of us, he’s dealing with aging parents. But to be honest, I wouldn’t mind living here with him for a year or two. I’ve established a rewarding career, but would give it up in a heartbeat to be with the man I love.”

  She sighed and finished her coffee. “But enough of me. Look, there’s Leo again.”

  And there he was, standing in front of the entrance to the catacombs, this time with Dr. Bisset.

  Naomi sucked in a deep breath and said. “I hope this is the last time we have to see him. Now he’s making the poor woman stand there for his interview!? Where she emerged from just yesterday!”

  “She works for the IGC and has to go down again at some point,” Stell
a said. “I know I wouldn’t. What a creepy place.”

  “Good morning, this is Leo Wu live from Paris. I’m here with Dr. Bisset, who escaped the tunnels of death yesterday afternoon.” Leo flashed his white teeth at Dr. Bisset, who adjusted her sunglasses and gave him a forced smile.

  “Good morning, Mr. Wu. I wouldn’t call it the tunnels of death, but I don’t have the time or energy for semantics.” Dr. Bisset spoke in a calm voice with only a light accent.

  “Slap! There ya go, Leo!” Naomi cheered.

  “Dr. Bisset, can you describe in your own words what happened last Monday morning?”

  “First of all, I would like to say I spoke with Dr. Caron this morning. She is doing well and will be released from the hospital soon.” She gave Leo a pointed look, as if trying to tell him this should have been his first question.

  “Slap two, Leo!” Naomi sang out. “Three and you’re out.”

  “Her respiratory distress was caused by the prolonged exposure to the humid conditions in the tunnels. And the oxygen levels in the tunnels always fluctuate. It is possible we were in an area with low levels, which worsened her condition.”

  “I’m happy to hear it,” Leo said. “Now, please tell us more about your actual encounter with the kidnapper, whose identity is still being kept secret. Did he share his name with you?”

  “No, we didn’t exchange personal information. Dr. Caron, Mr. Forrester, and I had been in the tunnels for about an hour and had just reached the area where cataphiles discovered a new cave last week.”

  “What was Mr. Forrester’s reason for being there with you? He’s not employed by the IGC,” Leo interrupted.

  “If he doesn’t stop interrupting her, we’ll never find out,” Naomi complained.

  “Mr. Forrester was invited by the IGC to take photographs of the area. He is a highly accomplished professional who has a worldwide reputation for taking amazing and accurate images in challenging conditions. We have worked together on several occasions.

  “As I started to say, we began to set up our equipment. The cave is not yet accessible, and can only be seen through a narrow crack in the wall. All of a sudden, we were approached by a man wearing a police uniform and demanding to know our business in the tunnels.”