Page 70 of One Summer in Monte Carlo
‘I don’t think you can refuse,’ Jean-Claude said gently. ‘Once you’ve signed all the legal documents, you can do what you like with it.’
‘I’ll give it away then. I certainly don’t deserve it.’
John-Claude regarded her thoughtfully. ‘The package you put in the safe – I think we should take a look and see if it’s still there. I don’t want you implicated in Zac’s criminal activities simply because you now own the yacht.’
‘I need some fresh air – shall we go now?’ Nanette asked. ‘Get it over with. I’ll just get my bag.’
Nanette’s mobile phone rang as they were leaving the villa. Vanessa.
‘I just wanted you to know that I’m coming down for the funeral tomorrow. Mathieu is meeting me in Nice tonight and I’ve booked a room at the Columbus.’
‘Are the twins coming too?’
‘No. Ralph is taking them to his parents in the country for a couple of days. I thought they were a bit young – although Pierre in particular is terribly upset about Zac. I think he was looking forward to boasting that Zac was a friend when he won the Formula 1 World Championship.’ There was a pause before Vanessa said, ‘You coping? We’ll have a long talk tomorrow.’
‘Yes,’ Nanette answered. ‘I’m fine. There’s a lot to talk about when you get here.’
* * *
The harbour was busy as Nanette and Jean-Claude made their way toPole Position. As they walked, they sawMediterranean Wanderernegotiating its way to a quayside berth, scores of cruise passengers lining her decks for their first look at Monaco.
Several police cars were parked along the embankment road, effectively blocking a lane of traffic. A loud blaring of car horns from exasperated drivers forced into gridlock competed with the noisy siren from the liner as it warned smaller craft to get out of its way.
Nanette nudged Jean-Claude. ‘Isn’t that Boris sitting at that café? Oh, and there’s Mathieu.’
Jean-Claude followed her gaze. ‘Wasn’tMediterranean Wandereron Zac’s list? Maybe Boris is waiting to meet someone. As long as Mathieu isn’t doing his dirty work for him.’ Jean-Claude gave an anxious look in his son’s direction.
‘Shall we wait and see?’ Nanette suggested.
Jean-Claude shook his head. ‘No. I have to do as Mathieu says and trust him. I still feel bad at the way I doubted him. Let’s go look at the safe.’
Phil, the skipper, was alone on board and eager to offer his condolences to Nanette. ‘It’s hard to believe. Such a tragedy. Away from the racetrack too,’ he said. ‘Have you heard anything about what happens next?’
‘The funeral is tomorrow – very low-key and private. We’re planning a memorial service in early December,’ Nanette answered, unwilling to tell Phil yet that she was the new owner ofPole Position. He’d find out soon enough. ‘Remember those things I had to put in Zac’s private safe? I need to see if they are still there. We won’t be five minutes,’ Nanette said, taking Jean-Claude’s hand, compelling him to follow her into the master cabin, where she closed the door.
Kneeling in front of the cupboard in the bathroom, she took out the towels and the shelf. Carefully, she twisted and turned the number into the combination lock and pulled the door open. The package and the gun were still there.
A muttered ‘Merdé’ escaped from Jean-Claude. ‘Désolé. I was hoping that Zac had already moved the stuff on. OK, the gun isn’t too big a problem – we can simply hand it in to the authorities. It’s not illegal to own a gun. The package, though, does give us a problem. We certainly can’t leave it here.’
‘I’ll put it in my bag, shall I?’ Nanette asked. ‘Take it back to the villa and talk to Mathieu. He may be able to suggest something.’
‘D’accord,’ Jean-Claude said, picking up the gun and making sure the safety catch was on before he slipped it into the inside pocket of his jacket.
Phil was waiting for them in the stem. ‘Safe empty, then?’ he asked, giving them a curious look.
‘Yes,’ Nanette said. He wasn’t to know that it was empty because the contents were now nestling in her bag.
Passengers from the cruise liner were thronging the pavements as Nanette and Jean-Claude stepped ashore. Traffic along the harbour road was still at a virtual standstill and a large crowd was watching thegendarmesfrogmarch somebody off theMediterranean Wanderer.
Passing the pavement café where they’d seen Boris earlier, Nanette glanced around in time to see him disappearing into the crowd, with a thoughtful Mathieu watching him go.
Mathieu raised a languid hand in greeting as he saw them and walked towards them. ‘Cruz has been arrested. I expect things to start happening now,’ he said. ‘You’re looking very serious, Nanette. Has something happened?’
‘We need you to come up to the villa,’ Jean-Claude answered before Nanette could. ‘We urgently need to decide what to do with a certain package.’
* * *
Zac’s funeral service was as private as Nanette had hoped it would be. Altogether there were just nine people in the congregation to hear the vicar’s eulogy of Zac’s life and the brave actions that had taken it away from him.
