Meet Me in Venice (16 page)

SHANGHAI

I
F
Lily had thought to make a list of people she never expected to hear from again, Bennett would have headed it, with Mary-Lou in second place. So she was surprised when she heard from each of them in turn.

Bennett did not call; he came round to see her, ringing her doorbell at seven o’clock one evening about a month after she had fired Mary-Lou. When Lily checked the security camera at the gates she was astonished to see him standing there, holding a large bouquet of Casablanca lilies. Pressing the intercom she said curtly, “What is it you w ant?”

He said, “I’d like to speak to you, Lily. If you can take the time, that is.”

At least he was courteous, and besides she was curious to see
what he wanted, so she opened the gate and let him in. She stood on the verandah as he walked toward her, the flowers held in front of him. Like a peace offering, she thought, wondering if he had come to plead Mary-Lou’s case.

He said, smiling, “I meant to be in touch with you earlier but I’ve been in Europe. I thought when we met that night, we had so much to talk about and not enough time to say it all.”

She wondered what on earth he believed they had in common, but then Bennett was a practiced charmer.

“Won’t you please invite me in?” he said, giving her that gentle heart-melting smile that, despite herself, she reacted to.

He walked up to the verandah steps, stopping to admire the canary. Her heart beat so loudly as he stared into the cage with the hidden necklace, she was surprised he didn’t hear it.

“A songbird with no song,” he said as they went into the house. “How unusual.”

The scent of the lilies he was holding wafted toward her, potent as French perfume. “Lilies for a Lily,” he said. “But I’m sure I’m not the first man to say that to you.”

She took the flowers and with a brief unsmiling thank-you, dropped them onto a small side table, then waved him to a chair.

“I suppose you’ve come to plead for Mary-Lou,” she said, sitting on the sofa, watching him carefully.

His brows rose in surprise. “Why should I do that? What happened to her?”

She thought he was a good actor. “You mean you don’t know?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about. I told you, I’ve been away, and anyway things are finished between us.” He shrugged
dismissively. “It was fun while it lasted but it was time to move on.

“Then that makes us equals. Mar y-Lou no longer works for me. So, may I ask exactly why you are paying me this visit?”

“I was impressed when I met you. Ah, this is no flighty party girl, I thought. This is a woman of substance. A woman I could do business with.”

“And what business would that be?”

“I have a proposition to put to you,” he said, choosing his words carefully. “You have an exceptional piece of property. Rumors are rife in this city, but so far only you and I and Mary-Lou know where the truth lies.”

“I’ve heard the rumors. But they have nothing to do with me.”

“That’s not what Mary-Lou said. And I have good reason to believe her.”

Lily’s cheeks flared with heat. Mary-Lou had betrayed her one more time. She said, “I think you should know that I fired Mary-Lou because she was stealing from me. A disgruntled ex-employee will say anything to exact revenge. I’m sure, as a businessman, you are aware of that.”

“I’m also aware that she was telling the truth, and that she tried to sell the necklace through Voortmann, the third-rate diamond cutter, who then tried to sell it to a rich Shanghainese no-good, who in turn opened his mouth and blabbed the story to the world. And if he had not, I would not be here, because by now I’m sure you would have already sold it.”

He shook his head, looking regretful. “Too bad your deal with the Swiss agent fell through.” He put up a hand to stop her protests.
“Don’t ask me how I know. It’s unfortunate that the rumor came between you and your deal, but now that leaves the way open for me to offer you a new one. And this time, Lily, the deal is foolproof.”

Lily’s stomach was churning with nerves. She went to the kitchen and came back with a bottle of San Pellegrino and two glasses. She filled them both, took one and sat back in the elm-wood chair, watching him.

“Shall we drink a toast to our collaboration?” Bennett lifted his glass, sure of himself now.

“Tell me exactly what you are talking about,” she said, sipping the water.

“It’s very simple. You have the corpse necklace. I have a buyer. My buyer is prepared to pay a substantial deposit pending delivery, but he needs to know that what he’s contracting for is exactly what he gets. And therefore I need to see the necklace. I also need the written documentation of its authenticity.” He took a drink but his eyes never left her face. “And of course, we need to come to a decision on the price. My guess would be about thirty million.”

That was far more than Lily had anticipated and she guessed he was exaggerating in order to impress her. He was pulling the old con-man game of telling her what he thought she’d want to hear, dangling the millions in front of her like the carrot before the donkey, so she would leap for it, mouth open. Did he really think she would hand over the necklace and say, “Okay, let’s take it”?

“Fifty-fifty.” Bennett leaned forward eagerly. “You’ll never have to sell fake antiques again. What do you say, Lily? Are we partners?”

“You’ll have to look elsewhere for your partner, Bennett, because I don’t have this corpse necklace. And I don’t know who does. Rumor is all it is.” She got to her feet, dismissing him. “Just a rumor.”

Bennett also got up. He went and stood close to her. Fear shot up her spine as his suddenly cold eyes bored into her.

“Oh, hut you do have it, Lily,”
he said softly.
“And I intend to get it. Any way I can. Why don’t we just do this the nice way, make a deal, become partners? Or do you prefer the other, less pleasant way? Because you know what, Lily? No matter what it takes, I intend to have that necklace.”

He stepped back and the charming smile flashed again. “There! Now we’ve discussed it. I’ll leave you in peace, give you time to think it over. Let’s say until this time tomorrow night?”

His threat dangled in the air between them and Lily remembered Mary-Lou saying maybe Bennett had killed his rich wife for her money. Shivering, she now believed he was capable of it.

“Until tomorrow night at seven,” Bennett said. “And then we’ll see what to do.”

Her heart leapt into her mouth again as he stopped to look at the little bird on his way out. Panicked that he might catch a glimpse of the red leather case, she quickly pressed the buzzer to open the courtyard gates. And then, without turning to look at her, he was gone. But she knew he would be back. And that he meant business. And she was afraid.

M
ARY-LOU
had purposely befriended the young woman receptionist at the health club Bennett frequented. They met for drinks, had the occasional lunch together, did a little shopping; though that was becoming rarer now that she was out of work.

That same evening Bennett called on Lily, they were in a crowded bar called Sasha’s, just off the Hengshan Road, in the mansion once owned by the famous Soong family, at one time the most powerful in all of China. By a strange coincidence, one of Charlie Soong’s beautiful daughters was Mai-ling, who’d married Chiang Kai-shek, and whose party shoes were said to have been adorned by a pearl stolen from the Dowager Empress Cixi’s crown.

But now the Soongs’ old home housed a smoky bar, crowded with noisy young people who had no thought for its history. In
fact Mary-Lou doubted her new friend was even aware of it. Over martinis the girl told her that Bennett was back in town and that the “wedding” had fallen through.

“He changed his mind,” she said, smiling over the rim of her glass at Mary-Lou, whom she greatly admired for her beauty, her expensive jewelry, and her chic style. “I’ll bet he just couldn’t forget about you,” she added. “And now I’ll bet he’s yours for the taking.”

Shock, then relief, left Mary-Lou limp. But remembering the last time they had met, she knew Bennett was finished with her. And that she had vowed she wanted revenge, no matter how, where, or when.

Leaving her new friend at the bar, she drove over to Lily’s. Outside the gates, she telephoned her. When Lily answered she said, “I need to speak to you. Please let me in.”

Lily put down the phone.

Mary-Lou called again. “You must see me,” she persisted. “It’s about Bennett.”

Lily hesitated, but then she thought about Bennett’s threat and she pressed the buzzer that opened the gates. She stood at the top of the stairs on the verandah, arms folded, as Mary-Lou walked past the fountain and the serene goldfish pond with the scent of the lotus blossoms. Lily thought how beautiful she was. And how treacherous.

Mary-Lou stood at the bottom of the three steps leading to the verandah, looking up at her. Recognizing her, the canary bird gave a little trill and Lily quickly covered his cage with a cloth. “I need to speak to you,” Mary-Lou said.

“So, speak.”

“Bennett’s back in town. He went to Europe to get married. Remember you told him about your cousin, Precious Rafferty in Paris? The one who inherited all the family money? Well, it was her he was marrying. But something went wrong and it fell through. Maybe she didn’t inherit enough, and to Bennett a woman without a lot of money isn’t a woman worth marrying. Or killing. Not after what happened with the Yuans.”

Bennett marrying Precious?
Lily smelled danger, not only for herself but also for her cousin. She suddenly knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that Bennett would kill her to get the necklace. She had to get out before seven tomorrow night when he planned to come back for her.

She said, “I don’t want to hear any more, Mary-Lou. Please go away.” And she opened the gates again, waiting for her former friend to leave.

Mary-Lou stared numbly at her. She’d thought Lily would be shocked, that she would join her in seeking vengeance on Bennett.

“He knows about the necklace,” she said quickly. “He wanted me to get it from you, that’s why I broke into your safe . . . .”

“I know,” Lily said wearily. “And you know what, Mary-Lou? I don’t care anymore.”

Mary-Lou’s shoulders sagged as the hope that somehow she could make an ally of Lily left her. She walked back through the courtyard, then turned to look at her.

“He’ll kill you for it,” she said as the gates clanged shut behind her.

•    •    •

LILY PACED THE BAMBOO FLOORBOARDS,
filled with fear. She had to take the necklace and leave Shanghai, and she had to warn her cousin. Then something occurred to her. Precious was in the antiques trade.
She
might know collectors who’d be interested in the necklace. She was the only one who could help her now.

She looked up Rafferty Antiques in Paris, found the e-mail address and sent her cousin an urgent message.

“I need jour help,” she
said.
“It is imperative I speak to you.”
She calculated the time difference and the flying time and how to prevent Bennett from finding her, and wrote:
“Please book me into the Ritz Hotel for one week under jour own name. I will be arriving Saturday on Cathay Pacific. This is urgent and it involves you. Please do not let me down. “
She signed it,
“Your cousin, Lily Song.”

Next, she called Cathay Pacific and booked the earliest flight to Paris, via Hong Kong, leaving the following morning.

She walked back out onto the verandah and looked at her little canary bird, sleeping in his ornate bamboo cage. She removed the red leather case from under the sandpaper base, put it in a zip-lock bag and hid it temporarily in the crisper section of the refrigerator. Then she carried the canary to her next-door neighbor at the nightclub, told him she had to leave urgently for Paris, and asked if he would take care of the bird while she was gone.

That done, she went to the cellar, selected one of the fake
warrior statues and packed it. She called a courier to pick it up immediately and ship it on to Cousin Precious.

She went back to the house and hastily packed her bags, then arranged for a limo to pick her up the next morning. Knowing she wouldn’t sleep, she sat bolt upright and frightened, staring at the TV until dawn came. Very early that morning, she would be gone.

B
ACK
at her apartment Mary-Lou was forced to face the fact that soon she would no longer be able to afford it. She had some money in the bank but certainly not enough to maintain her extravagant lifestyle for much longer. Yet she loved her home, with its Italian sofas and modernist paintings and the whorish red and black bedroom in which she had spent so many happy hours. She stared at the view of the Huangpu River outside the floor-to-ceiling windows and for the first time in many years she felt like crying.

As a child she had been shunted from place to place by her shiftless parents and this was her first real “home.” She had paid for it herself, admittedly with stolen money and stolen jewels, but it was all hers. She refused to end up like her parents who had
trailed the city, dragging their few possessions and her with them, while they looked for the cheapest accommodation on the meanest streets.

She
knew
Lily had the necklace and now she regretted she hadn’t stolen it while she had the chance.

Sitting at her chic little desk, she flipped through the messages on her laptop. There was only one and that was from the girl from the health club, whom she had no wish to see again. But when Mary-Lou worked with Lily, she’d had an expert hack into Lily’s computer, so she would always know what was going on. Now, she typed in the password and suddenly she was looking at Lily’s e-mail to Precious Rafferty in Paris.

Stunned, she realized that Lily was taking the necklace out of the country and that she must be going to ask her cousin, the antiques dealer, to find a buyer for it. She wondered for a moment what to do, but then she knew she had only one chance.