Chapter Twelve
With the bright afternoon sun shining over Paris, Della took advantage of the nice weather to set up a painting easel on a bridge over the Seine River. One of her last assignments for art class was to produce a sketch using charcoal. She had a sketch pad of light-colored pastel paper resting on the easel, and with a great view of the Eiffel Tower in the background, she was trying to put the finishing touches on her drawing.
She sighed as her model kept moving his head around as she was adding finishing touches to the head of her silhouette figure looking out towards the famous tower. "Perry! Will you please stop moving your head? I'm almost finished and I need you to keep your head still. I want you looking out over the river towards the Eiffel Tower."
Perry turned his head back to the position that Della had posed him in thirty minutes before. "How's this?"
"Perfect! Now stay still!" She scratched at the surface of the paper with her charcoal pencil in between quick glances at her model.
"I was only looking around to make sure we are safe out here on the bridge. If LeMaire knew that this is the bridge where I proposed to you, he might look for us here..."
"Don't be ridiculous, Perry. He's been on the run for four days now and I doubt that he's going to take time in his flight from capture to seek out us..."
"You might be right, but I still don't trust him. There's no logic to his behavior..." He kept his head still but kept his eyes moving watching people walking on the bridge towards them.
Della continued sketching and just shook her head. "I think you've become even more paranoid. You need to relax and quit worrying about LeMaire..." She held her pencil back from the paper and looked over her work. "I think I'm finished..."
"May I see it now? Is it okay for me to move?" He turned to face her.
"Yes. But I want your objective opinion. My instructor told me this one will be graded."
Perry stood alongside her and looked over the work of art with a surprised look on his face. "Hmm. Very interesting... It's very good, Della. So you just added the figure of a woman next to the shape that I posed for? Why did you need me to model at all?"
"To keep you out of trouble!" Della looked over the sketch and put the charcoal pencil back to the paper again to smooth out a few lines. "When you're here with me, you're not digging into LeMaire's case."
"I was only doing some research on French laws regarding rules of evidence yesterday...It was perfectly legal – and Paul was with me..."
Della raised a brow then shook her head at his flimsy excuse. "Well, your research nearly got you in trouble with the prosecutor."
"I simply made an inquiry about getting our property back..."
"Ha! You and Paul tried to coerce a pretty young female property clerk into releasing the property to you using an obscure evidentiary law..."
"I only wanted to see what they had inventoried. At least my inquiry got us an appointment to meet with the prosecutor tomorrow morning." Perry quickly changed the subject. "If you're finished with your charcoal masterpiece, let's get packed up here and find a cafe for a cup of coffee on our way back to the hotel."
"If you'll take apart the easel, I'll get my supplies put away in the box."
Perry took another look at the sketch as he lowered the paper pad from the easel. "You know what? This sketch is really good! Suitable for framing... It's a perfect reminder of the night we stood on this bridge and I proposed..."
"That's exactly what I wanted it to portray! If the art school allows me to keep it after it's graded tomorrow, I'm taking it home to hang on the wall in our den in Carmel..."
He gave her a quick peck on her cheek as he gathered the easel and sketch pad under his arm. "It might look better in our bedroom..."
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As the dinner hour approached, Perry stood at the door to their hotel suite waiting for Della to come out of the bedroom. "C'mon, Della. By the time we get to the restaurant, they'll be finished with the first course..."
"I'll just be another minute. We have plenty of time to get to the restaurant." Della was still seated in front of the vanity mirror putting on her earrings.
Perry walked to the bedroom door checking his watch. "Getting a taxi at this hour is not always easy."
Della stood up and lightly sprayed on her perfume. "Relax, Monsieur Mason. We'll be fine... Will you zip me up please?"
Perry walked further into the bedroom and finished zipping up the back of her dress.
She took another quick glance at herself in the mirror while Perry looked on from behind her. "I want to look presentable to meet Vincent's fiancé... How do I look?" She slowly turned around to show off her dress.
"Ravishing!" He took her by the hands and pulled her towards him for a kiss. "You'll be the most beautiful woman in the restaurant... If we ever get there..."
The taxi delivered them to the restaurant at precisely seven-thirty as planned. The exterior of Chez L'Ami Louis was nondescript, however, once inside the bistro, the aroma of rotisserie meats cooking lured the dining guests in and heightened their appetites. The red and white checkered curtains over the windows added a charming setting for fine dining the French way.
Perry and Della were immediately brought to a table where Vincent and his sweetheart Monique had just been seated. After the introductions were made, the couples sat down while a waiter, dressed in a sharp white jacket, took their drink orders.
Vincent gave an overview of the restaurant. "When this place was established in the mid-1920's, the neighborhood was a lot more elegant than it seems right now. The ownership has not changed, and the quality of food is a big draw for locals and tourists alike. When I left Dijon for Paris many years ago, I was hired as a sous chef here..."
Perry and Della continued to look around the small bistro. Della commented on the aroma right away. "It smells so good in here. What's the specialty of the house?"
"The aroma," Vincent replied, "is more than likely one specialty: poulet roti. But I think you will also enjoy the foie gras. If you don't mind, I took the privilege of ordering ahead of time for us. We'll each have tasty morsels of all of the wonderful things on the menu."
Their beverages arrived and they raised their glasses for a toast as proposed by Vincent. "To good food, and good friends!"
While dining, they discussed Perry and Della's wedding plans. Perry proudly announced the details of their wedding day. "According to authorities at the Bureau of Marriages in City Hall, our civil vows will take place at ten o'clock in the morning. We'll have a brief ceremony witnessed by my best man Paul and Della's maid-of-honor, Marilyn. At noon, we'll be in a small chapel in Chapel Expiatoire where we'll be married by a local minister." Perry looked lovingly at Della as he reached for her hand and gave her a wink.
Vincent and Monique exchanged glances before Vincent replied. "When we received your wedding invitation, Monique and I came up with a wedding gift for you. Right after the wedding in the chapel, we have arranged for a small reception with a light luncheon prepared by students from our school."
Perry and Della smiled with delight. "Wedding gifts are not necessary," Perry replied, "but I don't think we can turn down an offer like that, can we Della?"
Della liked the luncheon idea. "Absolutely not! If the students make any kind of meal like you have learned to prepare, we're in for a fabulous luncheon!"
But Vincent wasn't done with his wedding presents. "The luncheon is really no trouble at all. The best thing I can give you is the keys to a cottage in Tours. If you'll recall Perry, I told you that my friend has a place in the Loire Valley that he plans to sell. It's yours for your honeymoon if you have no other plans..." He handed Perry an envelope with the keys and a map to the cottage.
Perry accepted the envelope and raised his drink glass for another toast. "To good luck and best wishes for our upcoming marriages! Thank you!"
After they sipped from their glasses, Della added one more comment. "And let's hope that the cottage in Tours has a kitchen nice enough for a good honeymoon dinner!"
Back at the hotel after dinner, Perry and Della saw Paul in the lobby. Paul invited them to the hotel bar for a nightcap. "I'm glad I caught you here before we go up to the suite. I have something to ask both of you..."
As Perry got Della seated in the bar, she had a question for Paul first. "Where have you been all day? You weren't with Julia because I saw her working in the gift shop today..."
Paul finished exhaling the smoke from his freshly lit cigarette. "I was with Julia earlier. We had a casual dinner after she got off work. But to answer your question, after you two left this morning, Captain Lavigne returned my call to him and I got to tag along on their dignitary protection detail today. It was quite a learning experience!"
Della expressed her concern about Paul's relationship with Julia. "That sounds exciting, but let's get back to Julia. She's a very nice girl. Does she know about your situation back in LA?"
Paul just rolled his eyes. "She's very much aware of my situation back in LA. I know you like to worry about things like that, but trust me on this, I won't do anything dumb here in France."
Della reached over to touch Paul's hand. "I just worry about you..."
"Until Perry helps me straighten out that mess in Mexico, I'm being very careful. But enough of that!" Paul quickly changed the subject. "I wanted to meet with you to ask you something. We don't have long before your wedding day. What I need to know from the two of you is when can I arrange for a bachelor party for Perry?"
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On their way to meet with the prosecutor the next morning, Perry and Della were still discussing Paul's plan for a bachelor party. Della still wasn't convinced that any bachelor party being planned by Paul in a foreign country was a good idea.
Perry held open the door to the building as Della walked in holding his arm. "I don't mind you and the boys going out for a drink or two, but when Paul is in charge of something like this, I see trouble coming. Strippers and other salacious activities come to mind – especially in Paris!"
Once inside the building, Perry stopped to read the building directory. "Oh c'mon, Della. Paul is nothing like that. He's just out to have a good time..." He found the name of the prosecutor on the directory board. "Here's the man we're going to see – Luc Jureau. Second floor..." He guided Della to the elevator.
Della was quiet while they rode the elevator with other people inside. Once they got off the elevator, she continued her concern about a bachelor party. "I'm not saying that Paul will suggest participating in those activities, but he can easily be led astray in a group of inebriated men."
They found the office they were looking for and Perry paused before opening the door to enter. "Paul told us last night in the bar that he's laying low until we figure out his marriage stuff. Let's talk about this later. We have more important things to talk about with a prosecutor right now."
Luc Jureau's secretary immediately escorted Perry and Della into his office. Jureau stood up to greet them as they entered.
"Mister Mason, Miss Street? It is indeed a pleasure to meet both of you." He shook Perry's hand and offered chairs for them to be seated. "Would you like some coffee?"
"Yes, please. Coffee would be nice..." Perry held the chair for Della to sit down. "I should apologize right away for the confusion I caused the other day when I made an inquiry about the property you have in evidence for our case..."
The secretary left to go and get the coffee. Jureau waved his hand in the air and continued with his welcome. "That is not a problem anymore. In reviewing most of the facts in this case with your stolen property and other elements, I have discovered a lot of things about your background. You're quite a legal legend in Los Angeles!"
The coffee was brought in by the secretary and she placed the cups with Perry and Della. Perry thanked her, then directed his attention back to Jureau. "I have a great support staff. But if a check of my background included speaking with the District Attorney in Los Angeles County, you probably didn't hear very flattering things."
"Au, contraire, Mr. Mason. I met Hamilton Burger two years ago at a conference in Los Angeles. He had many good things to say about you and your lovely staff. I wish I could have met you then."
Perry had a look of surprise on his face. "Well, I suppose we have the same goal in mind which is fair justice for all. I have a lot of respect for Mr. Burger and even though we are at odds with each other in certain legal situations, we are friends."
Jureau nodded in agreement. "That is all that counts!" He changed the subject. "I should not take up so much of your time with pointless chatter. I should be the one apologizing for not keeping you informed about the status of your case. Then you would not have had to try and sweet talk a secretary to learn about your property. Well, the good news is that I have your property here and I can release it to you today." He pointed across the room to a large table with boxes of various sizes and shapes laying on top of the table. "We have already arranged a plea bargain with the main thief, Zacharie, and his group of thieves. That is the reason I can release your property."
Perry looked over to the table. "Uh, may I take a look?"
Jureau stood and gestured for Perry to walk over to the table. "You will have to look through all of the boxes. We have the property for several other victims mixed in with yours."
They all gathered at the table to begin sifting through the items in the boxes. Della began looking through a box that contained several passports while Perry dug through a large box to remove a leather briefcase. Della found their passports right away.
"I have our passports!" She paged through the booklets to see if they were completely intact.
Perry laid the briefcase on the table and opened it up. "This is definitely my briefcase. Now I hope that there is nothing missing from it."
Della stood next to him with the passports in her hand and looked through the briefcase contents with him. "Here's Mr. Arnault's file." She quickly paged through the folder. "I don't think anything was disturbed in this file."
Perry held up their marriage certificate. "Here's the most important thing in the briefcase!"
Jureau smiled. "Yes! That document is not easy to replace in some situations." He picked up a smaller box on the table. "But this box contains something important, too. Captain Lavigne wanted to make sure you recovered the contents of this box, also." He handed the box to Perry.
"Great! My checkbook... I'm not missing any checks." He dug further into the box. "My wallet!" Perry immediately opened the wallet to check on the contents. "Hmm. My credit cards, a few business cards... The cash is gone though..."
Jureau reached into the bottom of the box and removed a bundle of US currency bills. "I believe this is your cash. Three hundred fifty-eight dollars all bound together with a rubber band, and a wallet-sized photograph of Miss Street should be enough proof that this is yours. Captain Lavigne reported that it was found separately in Inspector LeMaire's desk drawer."
Perry took the wad of money and the photograph in his hand. "Will any of this evidence be needed for prosecution of that swindler LeMaire?"
"I am confident that your property will not be needed for prosecution. We have so much other evidence to use against him. And the charges against LeMaire are now more than just his stolen property fencing operation. I can tell you, Mr. Mason, LeMaire is facing far more serious charges from our Federal authorities. He is a man on the run, but we will find him!"
Perry put his wallet back together. "Yes, you'll find him. Cocky, egotistical men like him are not smart enough to get away. Yep, you'll find him soon, and I hope he rots in prison when all is said and done!"
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"It's just lunch, Della." Once again Perry impatiently waited at the door to their hotel suite for Della to emerge from their bedroom.
"I'm changing out of that yellow dress. Just give me five more minutes. Please? Does it look like it's going to rain?"
Perry took a quick glance at his watch and decided to sit down in the living room and wait. "It's a little cloudy out right now. I recommend that you have a raincoat just in case..." He found Della's large sketch pad on the coffee table and began paging through her sketches from art class. He paused to view a sketch of a scene looking out of a large picture window over an ocean shoreline.
Della came out of the bedroom carrying her light raincoat on her arm while she attempted to clip on an earring. "Okay. I'm ready..." She noticed that he was looking at her sketch book. "Hey! Those are private!" She walked over towards him to try and snatch the book from his hands.
Perry held onto the book. "These are very good, Della! Especially this one." He displayed the ocean view scene.
"Oh, that... I was imagining what the window view from our bedroom in Carmel would look like from a sunken bathtub." She gently tugged at the book. "Give me that..."
"View from the bedroom in Carmel, huh? Sunken bathtub, huh? That's not such a bad idea... We'll have to think about that. We can remodel the bedroom if you want..."
She recovered her sketch book. "The assignment that day was to draw just whatever came to mind – no models or actual scenery. So, that was in my imagination... Are we ready to go to lunch now? I don't want to keep Marilyn and George waiting."
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Both couples met at the cafe at the same time. After they were all seated, and their beverages were ordered, they began talking about plans for Perry and Della's wedding – just two days away.
Perry gave an overview of what was expected for the civil ceremony. "We'll all be waiting in the hallway outside of the room where they perform the ceremony. They'll call our names to go inside and approach the official who will already have our paperwork. The actual ceremony will be brief, afterwards we'll all sign the marriage certificate and we'll be out the door."
Della interjected right away. "Don't forget the family register part, Perry."
"Oh, right. They give us what they call Livret de famille. It's a little booklet that we receive to record our names, etcetera. I think we'll need to show it at the chapel ceremony."
Marilyn could barely contain her joy for Della and Perry. "This is all so exciting – and it's all coming together nicely. You've certainly had to overcome so many obstacles to get married here. I'm just so glad that we ran into you here in Paris and can be a part of it."
Della reached for Marilyn's hand on the table and patted the top of her hand. "Just knowing that you've made it back to Paris from your business trip to be in the wedding is reassuring to me – one less thing to worry about."
Perry grinned and shook his head. "And I'm glad that she's more relaxed knowing that you're here." He winked at Della. "Now she can just worry about the stag party tonight!"
Marilyn defended Della. "Oh, you men and your silly bachelor parties! Well, us girls are planning a good time tonight, too, so you better not get in any trouble. Us girls won't be around to bail you out of jail from our gathering, will we Della?"
Della gave Marilyn a wink and a grin. "You're right, Marilyn. If the boys get in trouble tonight, they're on their own."
Perry frowned looking at George. "The 'boys' will be fine. We're worried more about you girls since you won't tell us where you're going or what you're going to be doing." He furrowed his brow at Della.
With a triumphant chuckle, Della countered. "Ha! When I tried to find out what Paul planned for you boys tonight, I was laughed out of the conversation. So now we're even." She fluttered her eye lashes at Perry with a big smile.
"I still don't like it. Especially with all of the things that have been going on lately. And the fact that LeMaire is still on the loose..." Perry was nearly scowling.
"Whoa now!" Marilyn thought that Perry and Della were getting a little testy. "At least wait until you get married before you bicker. I'll only say this: the girls will be safe and we won't be too far away from your hotel. So you boys better behave. Now let's have a nice lunch and stop worrying about the plans for tonight!"
Perry grunted. "You two girls are so alike when it comes to scolding." He smiled. "Let's leave it at that and have lunch... Garçon?" He motioned to get the waiter's attention.
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The evening festivities were about to begin and this time Paul anxiously waited for Perry at the door to the suite. "C'mon, Perry. They guys are probably already waiting downstairs in the bar..."
Perry was still in the bedroom with Della. "Well? You heard him. The guys are waiting for the groom-to-be... Last chance to tell me what you girls will be up to..."
Della stood up on her tiptoes to give him a peck on the cheek. "Don't keep the boys waiting. Have a good time. Don't forget your curfew is eleven o'clock! We have a long day tomorrow..." She ushered him towards the door.
He slowly walked with her towards the living room where Paul was still standing near the door. "Do I at least get a kiss better than that paltry smooch on the cheek?"
Della motioned for Paul to turn his head so she could kiss Perry goodbye. Paul turned away muttering. "For the love of Pete... Get it over with – I'll wait out in the hallway."
Her hands slid up his chest and locked around the back of his neck. Perry embraced her and lightly kissed her forehead. He tightened his hold on her and found her lips with his for a nice long kiss.
When their lips parted, Della urged him to move along with a heavy sigh. "Enjoy your boys night out. And don't forget your curfew..."
Perry stole another quick kiss. "I'll be back here way ahead of my curfew – and you better be here waiting." After a gentle pat on her behind, Perry walked out of the suite.
Marilyn arrived at the door as Perry walked out. "Bye boys!" She walked into the suite to see if Della was ready to go. "Shall we give the boys a head start leaving the hotel so we can be sure they don't follow us?"
"I'm not worried about that. If they want to follow us to the dress shop, so be it. Are the other girls meeting us there or downstairs in the lobby?"
"They'll be in the dress shop. I got a hold of everyone we thought of – Vincent's girl Monique, your friend from the jewelry shop Monica, Paul's friend Julia, and of course Marie and her mother. This will be so much fun! A fashion show for the bride to choose her outfits for the marriage ceremonies – with wine and appetizers included. I think this was one of my better ideas ever!"
Della agreed. "That's why I'm thrilled that you'll be my maid-of-honor! And I think it's funny that the men are so worried about what us girls will be doing tonight! It was a good idea not to let them in on your secret."
"If I know a little about men, I know they'll be thinking about us. And when they're doing that, they won't pull off any shenanigans with – you know – the strippers or other alluring women out there in the nightclubs."
Della gathered her purse and a light wrap. "I hope you're right. It was hard to keep the secret from Perry. Shall we go?"
Della and Marilyn soon met the other girls at Gigi's Boutique. They were already sampling appetizers and sipping wine as Della walked in. The store owner, Gigi, was introduced to Della by Marie.
"Welcome to my boutique, Miss Street! It's so nice to meet you. I am so glad that Marie asked me to help you to choose your wedding attire here."
Della was in awe as she looked around the shop. "You have so many beautiful things here, Gigi. I don't know how I missed seeing this place – it's so close to my hotel and all..."
"Well, you will remember it always from now on! And with the help of all these lovely ladies, we will outfit you in glamorous apparel, not only for your marriage ceremonies, but also your honeymoon."
The room erupted in giggles with the mention of the honeymoon, and the women got to work getting Della ready for her wedding day.
After leaving the hotel bar, the first stop for the men and their stag party was the Moulin Rouge for front row seats to watch the Cancan dancers. Paul made sure that the drinks were flowing throughout the performance. What Perry didn't know was that he was drinking doubles while the other men were drinking watered down booze. Throughout the course of their performance, the sexy female dancers managed to cover Perry in feathers from their costumes, and lipstick from their kisses on his cheek.
After leaving Moulin Rouge, the men loaded Perry into a taxi for their next stop at a smaller cabaret closer to their hotel. They entered the next cabaret for more song and dance with a little dinner thrown in between acts. Paul and the boys couldn't stop laughing when they noticed that Perry's suit coat was still trimmed with small feathers from the Cancan dancers at Moulin Rouge. After the final act, Perry was slurring his words and his hands fumbled around as he tried to loosen his neck tie. Paul knew it was time to get him back to the hotel – well ahead of the curfew imposed by Della.
After the men all left their separate ways by taxis, Paul was trying to keep Perry awake so he could get the big man out of their taxi at the hotel.
Paul checked his watch. "We're almost at the hotel, pal! Della will be happy that you'll be back before curfew."
A very intoxicated Perry took in a deep breath and slowly exhaled before he shakily turned his head towards Paul. "Della's my girl, Paul. The best damn girl in the world! In two days she's gonna marry me! What do you think of that?" Perry began to slouch sideways in the taxi.
"I think it's great that you'll finally marry that girl!" Paul tried to keep Perry sitting up straight.
Perry struggled to stay sitting upright and keep his eyes open. "I think I wanted to marry her from the moment I met her! But she'd say 'Not right now, Perry' or 'Some day I'll marry you, Perry'. And now, right here in Paris France, she's really gonna marry me!" Perry's head dropped forward.
The taxi arrived at their hotel and the staff at the door assisted Paul and Perry out of the taxi. Perry was very unsteady on his feet, but Paul managed to hold on enough to walk him into the lobby. Before they made it to the elevators, they came across a commotion with a young couple.
The young man was trying to walk with a woman who was either really drunk or sleepy. The tipsy woman fell towards Paul who managed to catch her before she collapsed in his arms.
The young man was apologetic. "Je suis désolé..." He took hold of the woman to lessen Paul's struggle to keep Perry upright.
Paul was trying to think of a reply in French, but under the circumstances he just said, "No problem. I think we share the same predicament."
When the young man heard Paul speaking in English, they began explaining their difficult situations to each other in English while Perry and the woman stood swaying. After that slight delay in the lobby, Paul managed to get Perry up to the suite and Perry immediately headed for the couch. It wasn't long before he was out cold.
Two minutes later, Della walked in to the suite and gasped when she found Perry passed out on the couch with a young woman in his arms.
"Perry! What on earth is going on here?"
TBC
Thanks for staying with the story! It's almost finished. As always, all comments and reviews are welcome.
