Chapter 21
Fifteen minutes later, right on schedule…
Kitty, Ling, and an unsettled Trish Connelly followed Carmelita and Sly inside the dining room turned briefing room. They were all met by Bentley, who had apparently been one busy fella. The table was neat, sharp as a tack, and again each seat had a notebook, and a pencil before it. "Welcome one and all," Bentley greeted them, "go on now…take your seats, and we'll get started."
Clockwise around the table sat first Murray at the one o'clock position, closest to Bentley, then Ling, then Kitty (of course!), then Trish, then Carmelita, and finally Sly took up the eleven o'clock position himself. Bentley took his seat at the head of the table, and opened his trusty laptop. "Why don't we start by giving our good Lieutenant Connelly the floor first, hmm?" Bentley suggested. "I mean, it is her case, after all, right?"
"Go on, Trish," Carmelita whispered to her friend, who seemed a little reluctant to begin.
"First of all---by All the Saints," Trish muttered, starting. "Aye, but it's odd to be bein' here with all of you," she admitted with a grin. She turned her bright green eyes toward Sly in particular. "You know…I could easily win me Captain's bars by just managin' to bring you in, Sly Cooper," she stated, looking at the relaxed raccoon oddly, a part of her serious.
"Could you of now?" Sly countered, grinning in challenge.
"Aye, that I could, you charmin' rogue," Trish countered in reply, unable to not smile. "An' don't yeh think I hadn't considered it once upon a time, Sly Cooper." Trish then ran both her hands though her slightly curly reddish-blond hair, tossing it over her slender shoulders.
Sly laughed softly, knowing why he liked Trish so well. "Aw, and to think…if it wasn't for me meeting my Carmelita, all this---" he pointed to himself, and grinned his most charming grin, "---could have been yours, love."
Trish's cheeks flushed, and she grinned. "Faith, but you do have a way o' charmin' the ladies, so you do, Sly Cooper!" Trish exclaimed, putting her hands to her cheeks which were still rather a pretty pink. She then grinned again, and looked over to Carmelita. "Thank yeh agin, Carmelita darlin', for keepin' me from that particular fate!" Trish teased, winning the point.
Sly chuckled, then blew Trish a kiss, conceding his loss.
"We are going to get to the actual case, aren't we?" Bentley questioned impatiently. "Sometime today, right?"
"Ah, keep yer shirt on, luv," Trish counseled, making Bentley scowl. "Now, here's what I know…" Trish began, and brought them all up to date on the particulars of the case. They all listened very intently to Trish's tale, so much so that the seemingly always hungry Murray actually forgot about the sandwich that sat uneaten upon his plate. "…which gets we all back to the crux o' the matter, luvs," Trish finished. "I've me suspicions that this is the work o' that clever little wench, Keiko Zuikawa. However, the wee problem I'm havin' is that I've very little in the way o' proof to support me allegations! That Zuikawa, why that lass is a veritable Houdini, so she can be!"
"Keiko Zuikawa, hmm…" Bentley mused aloud, softly rubbing his chin as he thought. "Why does that name seem so familiar?" Bentley considered things a moment, then typed some brief notes into his laptop. "So…what's it gonna be, Sly?" he asked, deferring to Sly for the final say.
Sly rested his chin upon his hand a moment, thinking. "You know, I think this case will work out rather nicely, Bent old boy," Sly told him. "Why don't you see what you can dig up on Ms. Zuikawa, and on those clever fake classic cars." Sly then turned to Trish. "You've got our help, Trish," Sly told her. "We'll be in touch with you---most likely through Kitty---on what's happening. When we have a plan, we'll let you know." He got to his feet, then helped Carmelita to hers. "Until then, Trish…just do your best. Hey, who knows…maybe you'll catch a break, and never need us after all, eh?"
"Aye, like that's about to happen," Trish commented with a grin. "But, thanks for the vote o' confidence, Cooper." Trish then turned to Kitty and Ling, pausing to check her wristwatch. "Well, lunch is nearly over, you two. Tis time fer we honest types to return an' do some real work, so it is." Her green eyes twinkled at her verbal jab at Sly and the others.
Carmelita and Sly walked with the three Interpol officers, heading toward the door. Once they made it to the rear door, Carmelita drew Trish into a good-bye hug…one that lasted a few minutes. "I've really missed you, Trish Connelly," Carmelita lamented softly, with a grin.
"Aye, so I've missed you, darlin'," Trish admitted. "Well, I guess I'll be seein' yeh around then, Carmelita me luv."
"Bye, Trish," Carmelita returned, her lower lip thrust out in a bit of a pout.
Trish smiled, and reached out to softly touch Carmelita's lower lip, pushing it back up gently. "Now, that'll be enough o' that, lass," Trish told her, making Carmelita smile weakly. "Oh, one last thing…you'd better be sendin' meself an invitation to yer weddin', sure as can be!" Trish demanded, then grinned, getting Carmelita to finally smile as well.
Carmelita laughed, and hugged Trish one last time. "Oh, don't you worry…I will! I promise, Trish," Carmelita assured her.
"Fair enough then," Trish said, then turned away, before she could start feeling like she'd like to cry. "Do your worst, Kitty darlin'," Trish told her, closing her big green eyes, glad that her back was to Carmelita.
Kitty frowned, but pulled out the kerchief and gently bound Trish's eyes once more. "C'mon, guys…we've got to go," Kitty told them, and she and Ling carefully led the blindfolded vixen back outside to the green Citroen that sat parked there, waiting for them.
Once the contingent from Interpol was out of sight, Sly and Carmelita turned and headed back upstairs to where Bentley was already hard at work. As they stepped into the turtle's cyber-lair, Sly called out, "All right, Bent…whatcha got for us?"
"Right now? Not a heck of lot," Bentley commented, his fingers tapping, his mouse moving even as he spoke. "But, give me a few hours on the Thiefnet, and we'll see. I'm sort of curious about this Zuikawa gal…oh, and I wonder if she actually is behind this antique car switcheroo scam of Miss Connelly's."
Carmelita frowned, then nodded her head. "If Trish thinks it's her…then, there's a pretty good chance that she is. Trish's instincts are nearly as good as my own…and I was seldom wrong," Carmelita assured Bentley.
"Maybe so," Bentley replied, nodding his head to agree. "Okay. Let me find out all the particulars about this Zuikawa woman…you know, her past, her methods of operation, that sort of thing. Maybe I'll be able to detect a pattern or something."
"You got it, pal," Sly replied, knowing that Bentley would make a full-court press toward revealing the mysteries of this case…no one better. "C'mon, sweetheart…let's give him his space…" Sly and Carmelita turned to go.
"Say," Bentley added, as Sly and Carmelita made their way toward the door. "Hang on a second, you two."
"Yeah, Bentley?" Carmelita asked, obviously curious.
"Since you two are done 'sparring' with those goofy canes of yours," Bentley told them, using his fingers to place quote marks around the word 'sparring'. He grinned next. "You two can make yourself useful…here!" He tossed a pair of three centimeter thick books to the two, which they fielded expertly, Master Thieves that they both were.
"'Car Auctions: A How To'?" Sly read aloud, one eyebrow arching up curiously. "And, I would read this I'm sure just fascinating bit of light reading why exactly?" Carmelita nodded her head at Sly's comment, looking over at Bentley.
"That's easy," Bentley told them both, then gritted his teeth, glaring at them. "Because I told you too!"
"Gee, I guess someone missed their morning nap today," Sly commented with a grin at Carmelita.
"Yeah, you how grumpy these old guys can get, sweetie," Carmelita said with a grin, adding her two cents worth.
"I am not grumpy! I'm serious," Bentley reaffirmed. "I'm not up on how these auctions work, okay? I'm a little busy right now, so I could really use the help, all right?"
"Why didn't you just say that in the first place then?" Carmelita countered. She then turned to Sly, and slipped her arm in his. "We'd be delighted to help, Bentley. Won't we, honey?" She turned and batted her long lush lashes at her beau, smiling winsomely at Sly, then at winked over at Bentley.
Bentley snorted, then laughed. "Thanks…now get! The both of you!" he growled, yet smiled, waving them away.
"See you all later!" Sly told them, and he and Carmelita moved off to bone up on car auctions…both the in-person as well as internet varieties.
Bentley then turned his attention to his best pal, Murray. "Okay, Murray… you're our car expert," Bentley declared with a knowing nod. "I know you can take apart and put together anything, pal. Especially vehicles. So, with that in mind…anything you can come up with to help us all to understand how someone can counterfeit a classic car, you just jot it down, okay?"
"Got it, pal," Murray promised. "Oh, hey…let me check around, and I'll see what the hot cars to buy are too. How's that sound, Bent?" Murray rubbed his hands together eagerly…if there was something this hippo knew and loved…it was cars!
"Sounds perfect," Bentley told him, nodding his encouragement. "Now, pal…go on, and see what you can drum up for me, okay? Right now, I need some time alone to think. Can you do that for me?"
"Hey, no sweat, pal. The Murray is on it, Bentley!" Murray replied, nodded, and left the room, drawing the glass French doors closed, leaving Bentley by himself.
Bentley sighed, saved his work, then placed a call using his laptop. He brought up a window on his laptop, put his cursor over a certain number and double-clicked it. He smiled softly as he listened to the sound of a phone speed-dialing. Even as the first ring sounded, another window appeared on his laptop screen, dark at the moment. The window changed as the ringing was replaced by what Bentley considered the sweetest voice he'd ever heard. Yuri Sing's lovely face then appeared within the window on his screen.
"Hello?" Yuri intoned, smiling as she saw Bentley's face on her own laptop.
"Hey there, beautiful lady," Bentley greeted her.
"Ah, mon cher," Yuri replied, and laughed. "Bon jour, my Bentley. May I be of assistance to you, hmm?"
"As a matter of fact, yes. Yes, you may, Yuri my sweet," Bentley told the beautiful snow leopard woman. "Have you some free time, just about now, my love?"
"Hmm, a moment, cher," Yuri answered, then appeared to look away for a moment, most likely consulting her computer calendar. "As it happens, Bentley," Yuri added then, "the rest of my day is free. Now, cher…what have you in mind, eh?"
"Oh, you'll like this, Yuri," Bentley assured her with a grin. "There's a new criminal in town apparently, and---with your help, pretty lady---she's about to have herself a seriously bad day."
"Mmm, very mysterious," Yuri purred, grinning. There was nothing more she enjoyed than a challenge. "Do tell me more, cher…"
"Okay, Yuri," Bentley said with a grin. "A name first, love. Keiko Zuikawa."
Two hours later…
Bentley, grinning like a kid in a candy shop, dashed around Le Hotel Champlain, looking for his friends. "Hey, Murray!" Bentley exclaimed, ducking his head into his friend's room. "The briefing room…five minutes, okay?"
"The Murray will be there, pal!" Murray answered, and got up, beginning to gather all his books and notes.
Bentley then checked the dojo, then both Sly and Carmelita's room…all for naught, for they weren't there. He then dashed downstairs, and came across the two in the living room, sitting together on a love seat, the coffee table before them scattered with notes, post-its, screen prints from websites, and the two's books, which were now festooned with seemingly dozens of bookmarks. "My, I see that someone's been busy," Bentley teased them. "And, here I thought you two lovebirds would just of been playing kissy-face all the live long day…"
"Nah," Sly answered. "We did that only on our breaks…" He grinned and waggled his eyebrow at Carmelita, who snorted then giggled.
"Did not," Carmelita corrected him. "We've been pouring over this auction stuff, buddy. This is some interesting subject matter, Bentley."
"I'll say," Sly added a moment later. "I can see hundreds of places for some unscrupulous folks to make a boatload of money…all illegitimately, of course."
"Hmm, trust you to find that," Carmelita teased, leaning over to pat Sly's knee. "But, he's right though. Eh, to be fair, there are dozens of places Trish could bust 'em…if we could come up with evidence to support it."
"That is always the difficult part, my love," Sly added to her statement. "That's where we come in."
"Bring it all with you…every little bit," Bentley urged them. "The Briefing Room…five minutes, okay?"
"We'll be there, Bent," Sly assured him.
Just before Bentley rounded the corner out of the room, he saw Carmelita pull Sly's face to hers to kiss him…rather soundly, it seemed. Bentley simply shook his head, then dashed along, hollering over his shoulder, "Don't be late, you two!"
Five minutes later, in the Briefing Room…
Again, the seats were arrayed nicely, pencil and paper available. This time, however, Carmelita noted that the projector was on the tabletop now, and the projection screen was motored down. "Ah, good! Yet another one of Doc Bentley's good old-fashioned slideshows," Carmelita announced, getting the others, with the exclusion of Bentley of course, to laugh.
"Here, querera," Sly told her, his eyes teasing. "I saved us a couple of seats in the back row…"
"If I catch you two playing kissy-face while I'm lecturing," Bentley threatened, though none too convincingly. "I'm gonna call your parents!"
Murray cracked up at that. Carmelita just stuck her tongue out at him, then giggled.
"Right, now…give me a minute," Bentley announced, then looked down to work the remote in his hand.
"And now the movie, folks!" Sly quipped, making Carmelita giggle softly.
"Could you get serious?" Bentley challenged, glaring at Sly, but then a moment later decided he was wasting his time, and sighed. "All right, people," Bentley called out. "We've all heard the particulars of Ms. Connelly's case. And, at long last, now we've got ourselves a suspect…and here she is."
The projector clicked and the image of a slender lovely leopard woman appeared on the screen. She was dressed in a bright green kimono adorned with a golden bamboo print that had white trim at the collar, cuffs, and hem of it. She also wore a wide white sash, called an obi, around her trim waist. Her lustrous blue-black hair was stacked up upon her head, which showed off her face to good effects, emphasizing her large slanted brown-almost-black eyes and her lips, which were enhanced by the careful application of cherry red lipstick. "This, folks, is the mysterious and most resourceful Keiko Zuikawa," Bentley told them.
Murray blinked. "Wow…she's purty," he observed.
"Oh, yes, she is that," Bentley agreed. "That, and she's as slippery as an eel, and has more tricks up her kimono's sleeves than Harry Houdini himself," he added, expounding on Ms. Zuikawa to them.
"Zuikawa Keiko-sama," Bentley then intoned. "Lady Zuikawa…or, that's how she's addressed in her native Japan, at least. She's the youngest---no, make that second youngest---daughter of Senji and Ochiba Zuikawa, the shipping billionaires."
"So, that's where I've heard that name before," Carmelita remarked, nodding.
"You got that right, Carmelita," Bentley told her. "The Zuikawas, in addition to being disgustingly rich, are also descended---back through fifteen generations, I think---from the former Emperor of Japan…from back in the 17th Century. Needless to say, I think, the Zuikawas wield some considerable clout in the Land of the Rising Sun."
"Yeah, no doubt," Sly observed, shaking his head. "A billion dollars---here or there---probably makes most of their problems of very short duration."
"Absolutely, buddy," Bentley said, nodding his agreement. "Now, before I continue, I should probably bring you guys up to date on how women are treated in Japan…"
"Any different than here, Bentley?" Carmelita asked.
"Um, yeah," Bentley said, clearly uncomfortable. "You see, in the past, in feudal Japan, sons were important…in that they were the only ones that could inherit, and could be used to provide soldiers to a family's overlord, called a daimyo. Daughters, on the other hand, were not so highly looked upon…unless they were beautiful enough to attract the right suitor from the right family, cementing bloodlines…that sort of thing."
"Yeah, Bentley, but that was then…this is now, right?" Carmelita asked, insistent.
"Um, to an extent, you're right, Carmelita," Bentley answered. "But only to an extent. Take our Keiko, for example." Bentley paused, thinking a moment. "She stands to inherit millions, sure…but considering what was at stake…that's just peanuts. Look, that's because she's the second youngest of five children. She has three older brothers, each of whom would inherit the family business before her, so that was out. She also has a younger sister, who just married into the Toyota family…so that yet another famous bloodline has been added to the Zuikawa's. Keiko, on the other hand, has shown no interest in any of the political marriages her parents have tried to masterfully broker…so, she's sort of the family's black sheep, so to speak."
"Poor kid," Carmelita opined, frowning.
"Don't feel too sorry for her, Carmelita," Bentley warned. "She makes up for her missing opportunities by creating many of her own…through her ingenuity and ruthlessness."
"Isn't that a sort of stereotype, Bentley?" Carmelita countered, canting her head. "The cute little Japanese girl that just a doll on the outside, but cold steel on the inside?"
"Yeah, I suppose so," Bentley reluctantly agreed, but then tried to dissuade Carmelita's support of the Japanese heiress. "But, in Ms. Zuikawa's case…it's very apropos. She is beautiful---heck, you've seen her now!---and gentile, none better. But, beneath all her exquisite manners and outer beauty…she's as cold and calculating as a Swiss watch." Bentley then started in on her history. "Here we go…1997: she was charged with grand theft auto for stealing cars for the highest bidder…those charges subsequently were dropped…due to lack of evidence. 1999: she was charged with forming a pyramid scheme that bilked her investors for millions. Again, the charges were dropped…this time because the eyewitness turned up dead. 2001: Ms. Zuikawa was charged with dealing with counterfeit car parts…to the tune of one hundred million dollars. The Japanese authorities thought they finally had her cold…but---and you guessed it!---she skated…on a legal technicality her Daddy's well-paid lawyers discovered. Get the picture, folks? Or do you want me to go on?"
"No, I think we understand, Bentley," Sly answered, eyeing Ms. Zuikawa's rap sheet---with a most disturbing lack of convinctions----on the screen. "She's a sharp girl, with a team of lawyers to clean up after her messes."
"Yeah, that's what Yuri told me too," Bentley informed them then. "She talked to some of her contacts in the socialite world. Um…" Bentley then paused, looking away.
"Okay, out with it, Bentley!" Carmelita demanded, knowing full well that Bentley was holding something back.
"Er, well…this is sort of embarrassing," Bentley said, reluctantly complying with Carmelita's demands. "The Fortune 500 crowd considers Ms. Zuikawa and my Yuri as carbon copies of each other. Both are lovely, both are single, both have famous families, and both wield surprising amounts of clout for women."
"You know, Bent," Sly mused, albeit somewhat reluctantly. "There is some merit to that, you know…"
Bentley bristled, much as Sly had thought he would. "My Yuri's nothing like that Oriental Snake-In-The-Grass!" he protested, his eyes blazing in his indignation.
"Sorry, but yes she is, pal," Sly countered. "Very much alike in many ways…all except for the important ones, I might add..."
Bentley smiled. "Such as?" he asked.
"Such as Yuri has a big heart, and wants to make the world a better place, buddy," Sly pointed out. "Whereas, Ms. Zuikawa here has no apparent scruples, and only wants to become wealthy and powerful."
"Thanks, Sly," Bentley replied. It was nice to hear his friends speak so well of the woman he loved.
"Now, maybe, by studying Yuri and how she acts, we might be able to open a window of understanding toward our lovely little car thief here," Sly posed. "Have you---?"
"Way ahead of you, Sly," Bentley assured him. "Yuri---though, I was loathe to admit it---sees things much as you do. And, she agrees to help us to get to understand our quarry better."
"That Yuri…what a doll," Sly teased, then leaned over to kiss Carmelita's cheek as a way of letting her know she was the only girl for him.
"Well, I know I think so," Bentley replied, chuckling. "Yep, Yuri told me that Ms. Zuikawa---much like Yuri herself---is most adept at hiding her activities on the other side of the law from the authorities. To the world at large, Keiko Zuikawa is an outstanding, law-abiding citizen. Of course, on those rare occasions that she steps over the line, she also has a bevy of her Daddy's lawyers to smooth things over."
"Sounds like she's going to be one tough nut to crack, pal," Sly observed, frowning slightly.
"Well, if we try to bust her following the law, we'll get nowhere fast," Bentley pointed out.
"Then I guess I'm glad we've got other alternatives available, hmm, sweetheart?" Carmelita mused aloud, reaching up to playfully ruffle Sly's spiky hair.
"That's my girl!" Sly crowed, leaning over to kiss Carmelita's forehead. He then sobered. "So…have we any idea of what her motives might be, Bent? I mean, it's not just her bid to be the world's wealthiest woman, is it?"
"You're sharp, Sly…I'll give you that," Bentley replied, pleasantly surprised. "Yes, Ms. Zuikawa has other motives other than becoming immeasurably wealthy. You see, her relations with her family are---as you might guess---more than a little strained. I did some research, and with a little intuition on my part, I think I understand. You see…Keiko's parents---besides being much respected shipping magnates---are avid classic automobile collectors. The Zuikawa collection in Kyoto is the envy of car buffs around the world. Senji Zuikawa lavishs a great deal of attention on his cars…possibly more than he does his children, I think."
"Ah ha!" Sly interjected, nodding. "Go on, buddy…"
"Thanks," Bentley replied. "Now, Senji's three boys have the car bug as bad as their old man. So…they and dear old Dad get along famously. The youngest daughter is married to an auto family, so she's good with her father too. So…that leaves our Keiko…"
"Out in the cold with Dad, hmm?" Carmelita guessed.
"Oh yeah," Bentley agreed. "So much so, it seems, that even at the precocious age of just twelve, she engineered the theft of her Dad's pride and joy…his 1932 Mercedes Phaeton Town Car."
"Precocious?" Sly laughed, shaking his head. "A genius, more like. So, did she pull it off? The theft I mean?"
"Oh, yes, she did," Bentley told them. "She forced dear ol' Dad to buy back his own car…and he was none the wiser as to who he was paying off too! Probably made her first million that day…"
"Well, I did say she was a smart kid," Sly reiterated.
"Too smart, pal," Bentley agreed. "Ever since then, she goes out of her way to figure out ways to plague her Dad's attempts at collecting…every chance she gets." Bentley then tapped his chin a moment, thinking. "I'm guessing that this is what her current scheme is all about. I'm fairly sure that all these lesser scams are leading up to one to hoodwink Papa-san again."
Everyone was silent then…the only sound the fan of the projector whirring.
"And…" Bentley then continued a moment later. "That leads us to this particular slide," he added, working the remote again. The slide hove into view, and showed them all a picture of a very sleek, very modern, and undoubtedly very expensive performance automobile. "This car is the one that Senji Zuikawa would give one of his supertankers to own. So…I'm guessing that this is most likely Keiko's next target." He then turned to Murray, who sat smiling, his eyes drinking in the pictured auto with the same enthusiasm usually reserved for teenage boys and supermodels. Bentley grinned, and nodded to his big entranced pal. "Okay, Murray…you're our resident car enthusiast. What are we looking at here?"
Murray shook his head, then grinned. "Me and Kitty'd both like to drool over this car," Murray started. "That's the Lamborghini Diablo Roadster, folks. The slickest car ever to touch the pavement. She's expensive, she's gorgeous, and I think I'm in love." Murray sighed, imagining being able to own such a car.
"Should Naomi be jealous, big guy?" Carmelita teased just then.
Murray blinked, blushed, then turned to Carmelita. "No. I might love that car now true, guys…but nowhere near as much as I love my Naomi. No way," he told her. "And, you can tell her that too, if you like, Carmelita."
Carmelita laughed, shook her black-maned head, and patted Murray's hand in apology. "No, I don't think that'll be necessary, Murray," she said. "Naomi already knows how much you love her…just like all of us do, big guy."
Murray blushed, smiled over at Carmelita a moment, then continued. "That Lamborghini is one sweet car. Up-and-forward opening doors, big tires, wide and low to the ground, a powerful V-12…I can see why Keiko's Dad might want one of his very own," Murray stated.
"Thanks, pal," Bentley told his big friend, "for the technical update. Now, back to the case at hand." Bentley paused and then powered down the projector, and brought up the lights. "You all know how good my Yuri is at making clothing, right?"
"None better," Carmelita agreed.
"Well, that's how good Ms. Zuikawa is at making these counterfeit classics," Bentley informed them. "And, just like Yuri can make sketches of all her outfits, Keiko makes sketches of all her targeted counterfeits."
"That's great," Sly then said, grinning. "So…when have you booked our flight to Japan, pal?"
"Not necessary, Sly," Bentley countered, grining at Sly's crestfallen expression. "Ms. Zuikawa, it appears, likes to distance herself from her family. Anyone want to guess where she's currently residing?"
Sly thought a moment, then laughed softly. "No way!" Sly tossed out to his smiling pal. "She's in Paris?"
"You got it, Sly," Bentley informed his boss. "And, get this…she's in the Oriental section of Paris…way out on the outskirts."
"You don't say," Sly replied, tapping his fingers on the tabletop…as he didn't have his cane handy to twirl.
"Yes, I do," Bentley returned, grinning at his cleverness. He re-activated the projector, and brought the lights down. He triggered the remote several times, flipping through slides, until… "Ah, here we are!" Bentley crowed softly. "Here's the coordinates, my friends." He then thumbed the laser pointer on his remote on, and pointed it at the map. "There we go. Ms. Zuikawa lives right there." Bentley frowned…there was just something about that address that bothered him for some reason…
"Um, you wouldn't happen to---" Sly began, only to be cut off by Bentley, who grinned triumphantly, thumbing the remote again.
"Right here," Bentley told Sly. On the projection screen, they all saw a walled compound, inside of which resided a little bit of Japan, it seemed. Beautiful, manicured gardens, complete with small fountains, and the centerpiece of the place was the house, which was a beautiful rendition of a Japanese style home, pagoda-like, five stories tall with a sharply pointed roof. There were many other smaller buildings that surrounded the central one.
Carmelita sat, twirling a thick strand of her silky black hair around one of her fingers, her expression concerned. "Um, Bentley…" she asked. "About that address…did you cross-check it to our address database, by chance?"
"Um, no. No, I sure didn't," Bentley answered, concerned now. "Why do you ask, Carmelita?"
"Why don't you do so now, okay?" Carmelita urged him.
Bentley fired up his laptop…which took a moment to boot up. "All right, give me a minute here," he murmured, then brought up a browser, and got to work. "Let's see…1276 Rue de Orient," he muttered as he typed. "Okay, cross-check in progress….and, complete!" Bentley then stared down at the results, and his jaw dropped. "Aw, crap!"
"What's the matter, you two," Sly demanded, wondering what was up all the sudden.
"That clever little bitch," Bentley groused, then blushed at his use of that vulgarity. "Sorry. But that does complicate things…"
"What complicates things, Bentley?" Sly pressed, leaning over to look.
"It seems that Ms. Zuikawa used her family's influence, and had herself made a cultural attaché to the Japanese Consulate here in Paris," Bently growled, but with grudging respect of a worthy adversary. "She's living at the Japanese Consulate, Sly."
"And, that's bad because…?" Sly inquired.
"Well, it's bad because it makes our job all that much harder, pal," Bentley replied.
"But, not impossible, right?" Sly posed to his tech buddy.
"No, not impossible," Bentley agreed.
"So, that's why Trish is getting nowhere on her case," Carmelita mused aloud.
"Why do you say that, querera?" Sly wanted to know.
"Because as an attache of the Japanese government," Carmelita explained. "She's a diplomat, no matter how minor, which gives her limited diplomatic immunity from prosecution."
"Say what?" Sly yelped. "You mean, Trish couldn't bust her even if she got the goods on her then?"
"Oh, no, I didn't say that," Carmelita replied. "She can be prosecuted in the Japanese courts…and Japan is a signatory of Interpol. So, Trish might have to make a trip to Japan, but she can still bust this Zuikawa babe…if we can give her the evidence she needs."
"Yeah, so now," Bentley groused, "all we have to do is get past Interpol, the French Surete, and the JSDF Marines guarding the Consulate. Then, once inside, we just have to find her cleverly counterfeited Diablo Roadster. Then, if we are really lucky, we can bug her apartments---or even better, Keiko herself!---and get her talking shop with her cronies, spilling the beans on her scheme. I've got Yuri watching the auction website…and she and I think we have a sweet little bit of software that will provide us with the IP address of whomever's running this little charade. With that, the counterfeit Roadster, and hopefully Keiko's own confession on the scam…we've got Trish her case."
Bentley then looked over to the grandmother clock that rested against the wall. "Okay, it's seven o'clock," Bentley announced. "The auction is scheduled to begin at eight o'clock. Yuri will do her bit from her chateau---my triple-side band reverse encryption algorithm will keep the stiffs on the other side of the auction in the dark as to her hacking---and we all need to gather up our equipment, and get ready. It's gonna take us fifteen minutes to get to the Consulate, so we need to be out the door in fifteen minutes ourselves." Bentley shut down the projector, and closed his laptop. "Okay, troops…it's time. Let's saddle up!" Bentley called. Sly and Carmelita nodded and dashed out of the room. Murray stopped to pat Bentley on the shoulder once, then made his way out too.
Bentley then reopened his laptop, and dialed Yuri's connection once more.
"Oui, cher?" Yuri's image asked from within its window. "Is your operation a go, then?"
"That's affirmative, Yuri," Bentley informed her. "We'll be outbound in fifteen minutes. You know what to do, right?"
"Oui," Yuri assured him, a confident smile on her lovely face. "You leave that to me." Yuri then put her hand up, her fingertips appearing at the edge of the window she appeared in. "You will be careful, no? I worry for you, mon cher."
"I know. I'll be with Sly and the others, so I'm good," Bentley assured her. "I love you, Yuri," he added, placing his own fingertips at the edge of his screen.
"Go," Yuri told him, her glorious green-gold eyes still troubled. "Go with my love, Bentley. Adieu, my love."
Bentley closed, but did not shut down, his laptop and got to his feet. "The Heist has begun, my friends…" he muttered as he moved off to get ready.