himself. Nothing to worry
about. He doesn’t suspect anything. Better make sure though. ‘Are you over here
for business or pleasure?’, he asked.
‘Business.’
‘Bad luck,’ Ross said sympathetically.
‘What’s your line?’
‘I’m with the FBI,’ David replied.
For the second time in five minutes, Ross
was grateful for his cast-iron self-control. His insides felt like they’d
turned to water, but without flinching, he managed to say, ‘Really? How
interesting… and what have you found to investigate here in Monte?’
‘I’m not on an investigation, I’m part of a
liaison team. We’re over here working with the French police to figure more
efficient ways to detect international money laundering. We’re just about
wrapped up now.’
‘So you’re a kind of financial policeman?’
Ross asked, relief flooding through him.
‘That’s right. I trained as an accountant,
but after I qualified and got a job, I found it was pretty boring, so when the
FBI started looking for people with financial skills to train as special
agents, I applied.’
‘How interesting,’ Ross said, starting to
dislike the little man intensely for the scare he’d thrown him.
David continued, ‘They put us through the
same basic training as the regular agents, then after that we were sent on
extra courses to learn how to spot financial irregularities.’
‘Confidentially,’ Ross said, deciding to
pull the pompous little man’s leg, ‘there’re a few people on this boat whose
finances wouldn’t bear close scrutiny, if you know what I mean... I say, You’re
not under cover are you? Not after someone here, some master criminal?’
David took a slow sip from his drink, then
looked up coolly and said, ’As a matter of fact, I came here tonight looking
for you.’
Ross actually flinched this time. ‘Looking
for me?’ he asked incredulously.
‘I spotted your name on the guest list in
one of those society papers the other day, and managed to get myself invited as
a guest of the American Ambassador. I was going to look you up while I was in
Europe anyhow, you being my uncle and all, and this seemed as good a way as any
to meet you.’
Ross’s shock turned to anger. I don’t need
this, he thought. The last thing I want tonight is to be stuck with this little
twerp playing Happy Families. He decided to break away. ‘Well it has been nice
meeting you,’ he said, ‘but you must excuse me.’
‘Sure,’ David replied pleasantly, ‘I’m glad
I was finally able to meet you.’
They shook hands, and Ross had just turned
to walk away when David called, ‘Oh, Sir, there was just one question I had.’
Ross closed his eyes briefly and sighed,
then turned back smiling and asked, ‘Really? What’s is it?’
David looked him straight in the eye and
asked, ‘Where was Aunt Freda buried?’
Ross hadn’t seen that one coming and it
caught him by surprise, but he recovered in an instant and replied truthfully,
‘In my family vault at the village church, in Minster at Stone, north of
Hertford. Why do you ask?’
‘Because I want to go visit her grave and
pay my respects,’ David replied. ‘Thanks for the information. Be seeing you.’
With that he turned and walked away.
Ross stared after the little man as he
disappeared into the crowd. He knows, he thought, he knows ! How the hell
did he find out? It was over twenty years ago for God sake! I haven’t even
thought about it myself for years… it’s ancient history!
He gulped his drink down and grabbed
another as a waiter passed. He needed time to think. Going down one deck, he
managed to get away from the noise of the party and stood at the railing,
looking over the calm water towards the shimmering lights of Monaco. He could
see cars high up on the Moyenne Corniche, the cliff road that followed the
curves of the mountainside above the town where the Alps finally come down to
meet the sea. He could see pinpoints of light standing out like jewels all over
the
about. He doesn’t suspect anything. Better make sure though. ‘Are you over here
for business or pleasure?’, he asked.
‘Business.’
‘Bad luck,’ Ross said sympathetically.
‘What’s your line?’
‘I’m with the FBI,’ David replied.
For the second time in five minutes, Ross
was grateful for his cast-iron self-control. His insides felt like they’d
turned to water, but without flinching, he managed to say, ‘Really? How
interesting… and what have you found to investigate here in Monte?’
‘I’m not on an investigation, I’m part of a
liaison team. We’re over here working with the French police to figure more
efficient ways to detect international money laundering. We’re just about
wrapped up now.’
‘So you’re a kind of financial policeman?’
Ross asked, relief flooding through him.
‘That’s right. I trained as an accountant,
but after I qualified and got a job, I found it was pretty boring, so when the
FBI started looking for people with financial skills to train as special
agents, I applied.’
‘How interesting,’ Ross said, starting to
dislike the little man intensely for the scare he’d thrown him.
David continued, ‘They put us through the
same basic training as the regular agents, then after that we were sent on
extra courses to learn how to spot financial irregularities.’
‘Confidentially,’ Ross said, deciding to
pull the pompous little man’s leg, ‘there’re a few people on this boat whose
finances wouldn’t bear close scrutiny, if you know what I mean... I say, You’re
not under cover are you? Not after someone here, some master criminal?’
David took a slow sip from his drink, then
looked up coolly and said, ’As a matter of fact, I came here tonight looking
for you.’
Ross actually flinched this time. ‘Looking
for me?’ he asked incredulously.
‘I spotted your name on the guest list in
one of those society papers the other day, and managed to get myself invited as
a guest of the American Ambassador. I was going to look you up while I was in
Europe anyhow, you being my uncle and all, and this seemed as good a way as any
to meet you.’
Ross’s shock turned to anger. I don’t need
this, he thought. The last thing I want tonight is to be stuck with this little
twerp playing Happy Families. He decided to break away. ‘Well it has been nice
meeting you,’ he said, ‘but you must excuse me.’
‘Sure,’ David replied pleasantly, ‘I’m glad
I was finally able to meet you.’
They shook hands, and Ross had just turned
to walk away when David called, ‘Oh, Sir, there was just one question I had.’
Ross closed his eyes briefly and sighed,
then turned back smiling and asked, ‘Really? What’s is it?’
David looked him straight in the eye and
asked, ‘Where was Aunt Freda buried?’
Ross hadn’t seen that one coming and it
caught him by surprise, but he recovered in an instant and replied truthfully,
‘In my family vault at the village church, in Minster at Stone, north of
Hertford. Why do you ask?’
‘Because I want to go visit her grave and
pay my respects,’ David replied. ‘Thanks for the information. Be seeing you.’
With that he turned and walked away.
Ross stared after the little man as he
disappeared into the crowd. He knows, he thought, he knows ! How the hell
did he find out? It was over twenty years ago for God sake! I haven’t even
thought about it myself for years… it’s ancient history!
He gulped his drink down and grabbed
another as a waiter passed. He needed time to think. Going down one deck, he
managed to get away from the noise of the party and stood at the railing,
looking over the calm water towards the shimmering lights of Monaco. He could
see cars high up on the Moyenne Corniche, the cliff road that followed the
curves of the mountainside above the town where the Alps finally come down to
meet the sea. He could see pinpoints of light standing out like jewels all over
the