Art and Action
Hey Guys, before I'm going into my vacation, I'm uploading chapter 21. Thank you to niagarawiesel. She translated the chapter although she had so much stress. So, kisses to her. This chapter has calm parts but also CSI crime scenes. I'm totally interested which one you like more. Also pictures of the Louvre, buildings and the described outfits are posted on Tumblr and Pinterest.
After the talk with Treville in his office, and the call to Nathan, Athos went back to the others in the guard room. Aramis and D'Artagnan looked up. "So?" D'Artagnan asked impatiently.
"Treville thinks that it is Savoy." Athos said.
"What do you mean, it is Savoy?" Clearly interested now, Porthos joined the conversation.
"According to Treville, Savoy was the mastermind behind everything – the real estate buy-out, the attacks on the galleries, even Anne's abduction."
Savoy's involvement in the gallery attacks didn't shock the others, they had already known about that. And Savoy had always seemed to be the sinister kind of creepy, but that apparently he had been behind Anne's abduction was a low blow, especially for Aramis. He immediately went over to the locker and started putting his equipment together. "Then we have to get him, what are you waiting for?" he asked.
Athos stepped over to him and closed the locker door. "And what exactly do you want to do? Savoy isn't a simple street thief. We can't just show up there and act like we usually do."
"Aramis, Athos is right, Savoy is an influential businessman, he has almost the same resources that we have. This would be a fight we might not be able to win. No, we have to choose our battles wisely." Porthos added his own argument to Athos'.
Although Aramis wanted to get back at Savoy for Anne's abduction and suffering, in the end Porthos' facts convinced him.
"So, what are we going to do?" D'Artagnan asked.
"Treville wants us to find Savoy's missing CEO," Athos answered.
This time Porthos didn't side with him. "And then what? We have to think strategically – find out exactly who and what we're dealing with here, not do him a favor by finding one of his employees for him."
"But when Treville says that right now it's important to do that, we have to trust him, Porthos. You of all people should know that Treville always has a plan," D'Artagnan argued.
"So that's settled then," Athos stated simply, considering the topic closed.
"But how do we find the CEO? Aramis was visibly confused. The CEO had been missing for a considerable time now and they had absolutely no clue where he could be.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Later that afternoon, Jeany, Constance and Anne sat in the English Garden. A table beside them held coffee and pastries, and each of the ladies had a good book. A servant crossed the bridge and approached their small group. He took a bow and addressed Anne. "Madame, the auctioneer requests a word with you." He stepped aside and the man in question came forward.
Anne immediately rose and greeted the elderly man. "How nice that you could manage to come today," she said.
"Of course, Madame. You had everything so well prepared in advance that my team and I hardly had any work to do. My commendations, Madame." He bowed his head slightly in a gesture of respect, before he continued. "We already had the total sum at the end of the evening, but you were unavailable at that time, so I can only give you the final result today."
There had been a very good reason why Anne had left the ball before the end, but she hadn't thought that her absence would be noticed. It shamed her all the more that the auctioneer had indeed noticed it. She blushed, which did not escape Constance's attention.
"Well, Madame, I can proudly announce that we have taken in a total of 456.000 €," the auctioneer said.
All three women were absolutely delighted and joyfully hugged each other. "Oh, that's wonderful! Jeany, did you hear that? With that sum we'll be able to help all the affected gallery owners," Constance said proudly.
"Monsieur, my thanks to you. You have vastly contributed to that result. Thank you very much. I will wholeheartedly recommend your services," Anne said. The auctioneer thanked her and took a bow in farewell, before a servant led him back to the chateau.
Jeany got to her feet as well. "I have to go and tell the others the good news. Oh, how marvelous this is! All our efforts have not been for nothing." Jeany was visibly relieved. Money hadn't really been a topic for her, but the fate of her fellow gallery owners had dismayed her.
"Do that, and send them our regards. We will shortly discuss the necessary building and renovation measures," Anne said. Jeany nodded and hurried back inside the chateau.
Anne and Constance sat down again and took a sip of their coffee.
"You know, after all this effort and abductions and attacks, we deserve some fun and relaxation," Constance decided.
Anne laughed. "Haven't we had a spa day only recently?"
Constance shook her head. "That's too long again to count. Come, let's visit the Louvre and then we'll go shopping."
Constance obviously loved her suggestion, but Anne was reluctant. She had a sheaf of financial papers to work through. On the other hand, a little shopping tour wouldn't do any harm, and they would be getting to take in some artworks too. "Okay, then let's do that," she agreed.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Athos, D'Artagnan, Porthos and Aramis were still in the guard room, each with a laptop before them, desperately searching for a trace of the missing Cluzet. But where to start? When a person disappeared, the first 24 hours were crucial, but this case was already weeks old.
After his talk with Treville Nathan came into the guard room to get set up and in hopes of finding Athos to thank him. When he saw his protégé enter, Athos looked up and shut his laptop. "So, how did it go with Treville?" he asked.
"I'm going to work with you now!" Nathan answered, bursting with pride. "Only on probation for the time being, but at least I have a chance to prove myself."
D'Artagnan looked up as well. "Congratulations! Things can get rather rough and tumble around here, but you can learn a lot. It was a good decision to come to us."
Porthos immediately waved the newbie over. "Well, you can start proving yourself right away."
Nathan was a little surprised. He hadn't expected to be put to work quite so quickly.
"Come on, boy, for someone like you it should be easy to find a missing person," Porthos said, getting up, so that Nathan could take his place in front of the laptop.
"Who am I supposed to find?" Nathan asked, already starting to type.
"A man named Cluzet, he's the CEO of Savoy Inc. He disappeared a few weeks ago on the way to Chateau Fontainebleau," Porthos said, providing the information they had.
"Hey, no fobbing off your work to the boy, Porthos!" Aramis scolded.
Porthos just grinned. "You're just miffed that you didn't think of it first."
"Porthos may be right," Athos said.
"May be?" Porthos asked, slightly affronted. Athos ignored him. "Nathan, maybe you can access some surveillance or traffic cams. Cluzet must have been caught on camera somewhere. He was last seen in La Defense."
The search took all night. Nathan typed ceaselessly. Athos and Porthos stayed to support him for a long time, while Aramis and D'Artagnan left at some point, since they were to accompany Anne and Constance to Paris the next morning.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Around mid-morning the next day, Constance and Anne met in the courtyard, where Aramis, D'Artagnan, Marc and Vincent were already waiting for them with the cars. As usual, Aramis couldn't keep his eyes off Anne. Luckily for him, the two new recruits were too busy staring at the women themselves to notice.
Anne truly was a feast for the eyes in a loose-fitting, knee-length mint-green dress with black piping and a black belt, black velvet high heels and a black handbag, as well as mint earrings and a matching bracelet. As she got into the car, she asked her usual question. "Do we really need so many people each time we leave the chateau?"
"Madame, it is necessary to ensure your safety. Paris and especially the Louvre are pretty crowded with tourists this time of year. With the four of us, we can make sure that you and Constance are well protected," Aramis explained rationally, also as usual.
The drive to the Louvre was uneventful and they arrived at the underground car park without getting caught in a traffic jam. They got out and took an elevator to the foyer, where Constance got their tickets, while D'Artagnan stayed in the background, watching her. Once Constance had told the lady at the cashier window who the tickets were for, they were upgraded to VIP tickets, which allowed them to bypass the long wait lines.
The Louvre itself was magnificent, and filled with so many works of art that in places it could be overwhelming. You hardly knew what to look at first. D'Artagnan walked ahead to clear the way, so that Anne and Constance wouldn't have to squeeze through the throng of visitors. That gave Constance a good opportunity to surreptitiously watch her lover. Once again he looked absolutely gorgeous in distressed blue jeans, white sneakers and a black print shirt that showed off his muscular physique.
They decided to concentrate on the most famous pieces. It was impossible to see everything in one day, much less only half of one. The Mona Lisa was a must. D'Artagnan used the moment when Constance took a closer look at the small painting to stand close to her as he told her the story of how the Mona Lisa had been stolen.
He was so close to her that Constance had a hard time concentrating on the story. She could feel the light touch of his arm, and his biceps, against her back. The little hairs on the back of her neck rose whenever she felt his breath against her skin, and his scent….
From the Mona Lisa they went on to the sculptures, especially the famous Venus statue. The sculptures looked incredibly real and lifelike. True works of art, especially for Marc, who concentrated more on the statues than on the ladies the four of them were supposed to protect.
The paintings of the Astonomer and Albrecht Dürer's self-portrait were duly admired. Aramis and Vincent stopped for a long moment in front of a painting depicting the coronation of Napoleon, and another one titled "Freedom for the People", soaking up the immeasurable value of those scenes for the French history.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Around 10 o'clock, Athos arrived at the chateau. They had worked long into the night, but unfortunately they hadn't found anything so far. When he came into the guard room, he found Nathan slumped over in his chair, arms resting on the table top and his head pillowed on his arms, apparently asleep. Athos shook him awake and Nathan startled. "Oh, I must have fallen asleep," he said as he realized where he was and who was with him. It had not been a very comfortable position to sleep in and he rubbed his neck.
"Did you find anything?" Athos asked, getting them both some coffee.
Nathan gratefully accepted the steaming cup. "I couldn't finish last night, this laptop isn't equipped for such search routines, that's why I spent the night here," he explained.
Athos nodded. Considering its age and the circumstances, the chateau was pretty well equipped, but apparently there was room for improvement in some areas. Both men drank their coffee in silence, until a notification sound came from the laptop. Nathan immediately checked what had caused it.
"We've got something! A camera caught him north of Fontainebleau. Apparently his car broke down. He stopped and got out," Nathan reported.
"And then?" Athos asked, turning so that he could see the laptop screen.
"Nothing, the camera just shows static. Either it was destroyed or the signal was jammed. Give me a moment, maybe there's another camera in the vicinity that recorded something." Nathan started typing again. "No, unfortunately there isn't. I can try searching for the license plate of the car."
Athos was impressed. He hadn't thought that Nathan would show so much initiative.
"Ah, here. There's the car driving on towards the Seine. Wait, I have another camera." Nathan showed Athos a surveillance video where two unrecognizable people pushed the car into the river.
"Is Cluzet still inside?" Athos asked.
Nathan shook his head. "I can't tell. If he is, he must be lying in the backseat or in the trunk. He's not visible through the windows."
"So we're back to the beginning," Athos said, downing the last of his coffee.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
After the interesting, but exhausting visit to the Louvre, Constance, Anne and the men decided to have lunch at the "Ripaille", a restaurant close to the Louvre. Anne and Constance had wanted to walk, but Aramis and D'Artagnan had vehemently. Taking a walk at lunchtime in this area was just too risky, it was much safer to take the cars to the restaurant.
As Constance got out of the car, D'Artagnan couldn't help staring at her admiringly. She was wearing a white cocktail dress with a wide band of decorative print at the hemline, a thin, loose-fitting powder blue blazer and matching high-heeled sandals. Her handbag was a slightly darker blue.
Aramis handed Anne out of the car, which provided a good opportunity for her to admire his muscular arms and legs, since he was dressed in a short-sleeved, light blue shirt and dark blue cargo shorts. Together with a grey base cap, blue and white sneakers and a CW watch it made for a delectable picture.
In the restaurant Aramis and D'Artagnan sat with Anne and Constance, since the ladies had invited them to their table. Marc and Vincent had picked up a snack and were waiting outside with the cars.
"I feel so sorry for these two," Anne said, glancing at the door.
Aramis reassured her. "We all had to go through that. That's just the way it is for new recruits. We've all been there, haven't we, D'Artagnan?"
D'Artagnan nodded.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Athos stood behind Nathan, while the young hacker kept searching the cameras and the deep web for clues to Cluzet's whereabouts. Treville came in and joined Athos. "Nathan has been working here all night. We now know that Cluzet might have had a break-down with his car. Then the camera went dead and the next thing we found was his car being pushed into the Seine," Athos reported in a low voice.
"I found him!" Nathan called out and leaned back in his chair. Treville and Athos stepped closer to get a better look at the laptop screen. "Here, somebody is carrying a lifeless body. It's only 800m from where Cluzet's car broke down."
"Can you identify that somebody?" Treville asked. Nathan tried to find a different camera angle, but without success. "No, it's very dark and the quality of the cameras isn't too good."
"Where is he taking him?" Athos asked.
"To a van. Give me a second to get his license plate, then I can track him." Nathan started typing again, while Athos and Treville watched silently, impressed by the young man's abilities, drive and ambition. On their own it would have taken them much longer to find the information.
"The van went to Paris," Nathan reported, opening a map of the city. "Here, that's where he stopped. The car is still there. I can send the address to your phones," he said, turning to face the two men. Treville nodded. Finally they had a good lead. "Athos, we'll take a look around there," he decided. With such an important task, he wanted to be there in person.
"I'll get some reinforcements. That part of Paris isn't one of the safest, there's no telling what may be waiting for us there."
Athos went through the duty roster to see which men could be pulled away from their posts, and selected eight men. Then he went down into the basement, where Porthos was working on a sandbag. Having worked up a sweat, he had discarded his t-shirt some time ago.
"We've got work to do," Athos said, throwing the T-Shirt in Porthos' general direction before he headed back upstairs. Porthos easily caught it, picked up his sports bottle and followed his friend.
Treville, Porthos, Athos and the eight security men went down into the garage and split up between three Volvos. Nathan accompanied them as well, as usual with his laptop under his arm.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
It didn't take long for them to reach the address on the outskirts of Paris, where Nathan had located the van. The cars were parked one street away and they took flak vests, weapons and flashbangs from the trunks. One of the men also carried a battering ram. While the men prepared themselves, Nathan checked out the building on his laptop. "The building has been empty for a number of years now. Three floors and a basement. It's rather decrepit, but there's a survey report from a structural engineer stating that for the time being it's not in danger of collapsing," he reported.
Athos, Porthos and Treville took a last look at the blueprints of the building, which Nathan had downloaded and showed them en route, before the whole group entered the building.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
Once Constance, Anne, Aramis and D'Artagnan had finished and paid for their lunch, they rejoined Marc and Vincent and took the cars to the Carrousel du Louvre, a large underground shopping mall. The men weren't too keen on a shopping tour, but Constance and Anne were delighted to spend some money for themselves after the last hectic couple of days.
This time Marc took point, followed by Anne and Constance. Aramis was at Anne's side and D'Artagnan and Vincent brought up the rear.
"Talk about exhausting," Vincent complained in a low voice. "I didn't leave the army to be a glorified bag carrier for some rich woman and her assistant."
Too caught up in their "shopping frenzy", Anne and Constance hadn't heard his words, but D'Artagnan certainly had. As Anne and Constance looked at a display of necklaces and other jewelry, D'Artagnan took Vincent aside to a quiet corner, where they wouldn't be noticed. He pressed Vincent against the wall and put his forearm against the man's windpipe hard enough to send a message. "I never want to see you behaving so disrespectfully towards guests of the king ever again. It's a privilege to work for the king and to protect his guests." D'Artagnan kept his voice quiet and even, but there was an undertone of steel in it so unlike his usual demeanor that it made it more dangerous than a shout. "I want you to do your job in a professional manner, and if the ladies want you to carry their bags, then that's what you'll do. Are we clear?"
Vincent nodded as best he could with D'Artagnan's arm still pressing on his windpipe.
"If I catch you talking like that again, you'll wish you were back in the army, because then I'll make your remaining time with the king a living hell," D'Artagnan threatened, before he let go of Vincent. Vincent gasped for breath. He had always thought Athos and Porthos to be the dangerous ones out of the four men, but apparently he had underestimated D'Artagnan. He wouldn't make that mistake again.
/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\
The small, well-equipped group of black-clad men entered the building, which was already falling to bits in a few places. The captain formed three teams; one would secure the first and second floor, while the second one would cover the ground floor and the exits. Treville himself, Athos and Porthos, as the third team, went down into the basement, moving cautiously, constantly covering each other. So far, the basement appeared empty. Suddenly, they heard rumbling sounds from above, quickly followed by a radio report stating that everything was okay. "Did you find anything?" Athos asked the first team.
"There were two men on the second floor. We took care of them," the team leader reported. Meanwhile, Treville and Porthos went further into the basement until they came to a door. Porthos directed the beam of his flashlight on the ground and found a tray with dirty dishes outside the door and pointed it out to the other two men. Treville pressed down the door handle, but the door was locked. Athos grabbed the radio. "Get the ram down here," he ordered. A moment later, a member of the second team appeared. On three they broke down the door and stormed into the room.
Inside, the room was almost completely dark, their flashlights providing the only illumination. It was also dank and musty, with an unpleasant mildewy smell. There was no furniture; no chair or bed or even a table. In the farthest corner of the room, a man was cowering on the floor.