Catherine Touren-Grosseau was engrossed in the file of Anne-Sophie de Grantaine. "It's been six months since Anne-Sophie died and I still haven't been able to locate her son yet. I have exhausted all of the contacts listed in Paris. Maybe I need to start back at the point where he went to live with his father."

Pulling out a new legal pad, she flipped back to the beginning of the de Grantaine file. "Let's see. Rene's full name is Rene Tamaki Richard de Grantaine. His father is Yuzuru Suoh and he lives in Tokyo, Japan. He was the headmaster at Ouran Academy when he took custody four years ago." She made several notes of dates to check flight manifests.

"That means he should have graduated from high school last spring. Maybe I should start there. Given that his father was headmaster of Ouran Academy, that's most likely where he attended school." Catherine reached for the intercom. "Amelie, please come in. I have some tasks for you."

Amelie entered the office with a notepad and pen in her hand. "What is it you need me to do?" she asked. Before Catherine could respond, the phone rang. Amelie picked it up and said, "Good afternoon, this is the office of Catherine Touren-Grosseau, attorney."

"This is Reynard Houshakuji. I wish to speak to Mlle. Touren-Grosseau regarding the estate of Anne-Sophie de Grantaine," the caller said.

"One moment please," Amelie said, looking to Catherine. She nodded and held her hand out for the phone.

"Good afternoon, this is Catherine Touren-Grosseau. How may I help you?" she responded.

"This is Reynard Houshakuji and I'm calling to check on your progress in locating Anne-Sophie's son."

Catherine sighed. "I have still been unable to locate Rene de Grantaine. I am currently going back to the point where his father took custody. I'm hoping to find clues in the move to Japan that will help me locate him."

Reynard replied, "I may be able to help you. While cleaning out the room she used while she was staying with me, we found some papers. They may hold clues to help you locate him."

"When can you bring them?" Catherine asked excitedly. "Maybe those papers will have the information I need to make a breakthrough."

"Let me check my calendar," Reynard answered. After a few minutes, he said, "I have a meeting starting in half an hour that will run into the late evening. How about tomorrow morning at nine?"

Catherine checked her calendar. "That works for me. Would you have some time to remain and give me some background information?"

"I would be delighted. I have nothing else scheduled until after lunch," Reynard replied. "I look forward to seeing you tomorrow."

OHSHC

Reynard arrived precisely at nine o'clock and Amelie immediately led him to Mlle. Touren-Grosseau's office. "Thank you for coming," Catherine said, rising to greet him.

"It is my pleasure," Reynard replied. He handed her a manila envelope. "Here are the papers found in the room Anne-Sophie used. Hopefully, you can find some useful clues in these."

"Please have a seat," Catherine said, smiling. "How well did you know her?"

"Our families have been long-time friends and business associates. I have known Anne-Sophie since she was a young girl. I remember when she met Yuzuru Suoh. He was charming and swept her off her feet. Her family was scandalized when their intimate relationship became evident," Reynard began.

"Why didn't he marry her, given the state of their relationship? If I may be so bold to ask," Catherine inquired.

"He had a wife back in Japan. A marriage arranged by his mother and her father for business reasons only. Otherwise, Yuzuru would have married Anne-Sophie right away. Instead, they rarely saw one another after that," Reynard explained.

Catherine pondered that information for a moment. "So why did the father take custody four years ago?"

Reynard sighed. "Five years ago, Anne-Sophie's health began to decline. Unfortunately, at the same time the fortunes of the de Grantaine family began to decline as well. When Yuzuru came to visit, he wanted to help Anne-Sophie and Rene but his mother, Shizue, refused—at first."

"And…" Catherine prompted.

"Well, after seventeen years, Yuzuru's marriage still failed to produce an heir. Shizue grudgingly agreed to allow Yuzuru to bring his bastard son to Japan to see if he could be trained to take over the Suoh family business. In exchange, the Suoh family would pay the medical expenses for Anne-Sophie's treatment. However, Rene would not be allowed to see his mother or return to France," Reynard continued.

"Everyone agreed to this arrangement?" Catherine asked, skeptically.

Reynard shook his head. "Rene agreed to it for the sake of his mother. It was an incredibly difficult decision for someone so young to make."

The pair sat in silence for several minutes, contemplating the sad story of Anne-Sophie, Yuzuru, and Rene.

Finally, Catherine asked, "How did she come to be living with you?"

"After Anne-Sophie had recovered, somewhat, she took a position as a housekeeper for the Tonnerre household. A year-and-a-half ago, there was some business deal that the Tonnerres were trying to make in Japan. It did not go well, and when Éclair, the daughter, returned, she promptly dismissed Anne-Sophie. Although the fortunes of the de Grantaine family had improved, she did not feel comfortable returning to the family home after all that had happened," Reynard explained.

"Did anything of note happen while she was living with you?" Catherine inquired.

"No. Her health simply continued to decline until her death last February. Maybe there will be something in those papers," Reynard replied, standing to leave. "If there is nothing more I can provide, I will leave you to peruse them. Feel free to call me if you have any questions. I am anxious for Rene to receive the legacy his mother left for him."

Catherine rose and shook his hand. "Thank you for coming. I do hope that I will be able to locate Rene soon. I will keep you apprised of my progress. Have a good day."

After Reynard left, Catherine pulled the papers from the manila envelope. Before she started reading, she called Amelie into her office.

"Yes? You need me?" Amelie asked.

Catherine nodded. "Were you able to get those flight manifests from four years ago that I asked?"

"I contacted the airport and had them check the range of dates you gave me. There was no Rene de Grantaine on any of the flights. However, there were a number of private planes that flew out during that time, one of which was owned by the Suoh Group," Amelie reported.

"So, he left on a private flight. Were you able to confirm that Tokyo was the destination?" Catherine inquired.

"Yes, the airport did confirm the Suoh flight plan terminus was Tokyo," Amelie said.

Catherine nodded. "That puts Rene in Tokyo four years ago. I'll run a search in the Tokyo educational database. I wonder how difficult it will be to obtain a court order for medical records."

"I'll get the database search started. Then I'll research Japanese law regarding court orders for medical records," Amelie noted.

"Thanks. I'll start reading through these papers from her room. Maybe there will be clues regarding where to look for Rene," Catherine responded.

Minutes later, both women were immersed in their respective tasks.

OHSHC

Two days later, Catherine found a clue in the papers from Anne-Sophie's room. It was an article from a Japanese newspaper with a photo of a group of seven young men. Anne-Sophie had written on the clipping, "My little boy has grown up so much." Catherine couldn't make heads-or-tails of the article or the attached note because both were in Japanese.

Pressing the intercom button, Catherine called for Amelie. "Do we have a Japanese translator in our contact file?"

"Yes, we do," Amelie affirmed. "Do you want me to schedule an appointment?"

"Yes, please," Catherine responded. "I think I may have found a break in the case."

Fifteen minutes later, Amelie buzzed the intercom. Catherine acknowledged, "Yes?"

"The translator has an hour this afternoon at three. I already booked the time," Amelie reported.

"Thank you. We may be able to finally make some progress if the article has any relevant information." Catherine said with a sigh of relief.

Fifteen minutes to three, a young Japanese woman walked into the office and approached the secretary. "I am Kozue Yoshizumi, the translator you requested."

"Thank you for coming so promptly," Amelie replied. "Let me take you in."

Amelie knocked lightly on the door and then opened it at Catherine's 'Come in.' "The translator has arrived," Amelie announced. "This is Kozue Yoshizumi," she introduced.

Catherine rose and said, "I am Catherine Touren-Grosseau. Thank you for fitting us into your schedule."

"Not a problem," Kozue responded with a smile. "What do you need translated?"

"Please have a seat." Catherine handed her the article and attached note. "I'm hoping these will give me some clues to the whereabouts of the late Anne-Sophie de Grantaine's son. She left a legacy for him when she died six months ago, and I have been unable to locate him."

"The son's full name?" Kozue inquired.

"Rene Tamaki Richard de Grantaine. He may be using his father's family name, Suoh," Catherine explained.

"Ah, elite families involved. That would explain the article," Kozue postulated.

"Why?" Catherine was puzzled by the translator's comment.

"This is a school newspaper from Ouran High School. That is a very elite institution. It is run by the Suoh family, one of the most elite of Japan. The photo caption identifies the members as the Ouran High School Host Club and the article highlights their contributions to the Ouran Fair. It is dated eighteen months ago," Kozue clarified.

"And the note?" Catherine prompted.

Kozue studied the note and article for a few minutes. "Apparently, the note was written by the Host Club's vice president, Kyoya Otori. Kyoya states that he knows Tamaki is not allowed to contact Anne-Sophie, but he, Kyoya, wanted her to know that her son was doing well."

Catherine gasped. "That's why I haven't been able to find Rene after six months. I've been looking for him under the wrong name."

The translator confirmed. "The name of the young man the mother's note refers to as 'my little boy' is listed as Tamaki Suoh. He must be doing well." She pointed to the second shortest boy in the photo. "Other than Haruhi Fujioka, these are all top elite families. In addition to Otori, there is Haninozuka, Morinozuka, and Hitachiin."

"I'm sorry. None of those names mean anything to me, though the name 'Hitachiin' sounds familiar for some reason," Catherine pondered.

Kozue chuckled. "I'm not surprised you recognize the Hitachiin name. I believe the scarf you're wearing is one of their designs."

"Of course, how could I forget. It was global news six months ago when they were killed in the London terrorist bombing." Catherine shook her head sadly.

"If that is all," Kozue said, "I'll be going. You'll be billed for my standard fee."

"It's definitely worth it," Catherine replied. "At least now I'll be looking for the correct name."

Catherine escorted Kozue out and then turned to Amelie. "We need to alter the search of the educational database. Rene is using the name 'Tamaki Suoh' in Japan."

"That makes a big difference," Amelie agreed as she pulled up the search and interrupted it to insert the new parameters.

OHSHC

Three days later, the database search confirmed that Tamaki Suoh had attended Ouran Academy for four years and had graduated the previous April. No further information could be found, not even his University enrollment.

Catherine placed a long distance call to Ouran Academy and requested to speak to Yuzuru Suoh. After a brief wait, he answered, "How may I help you?"

"Mr. Suoh, my name is Catherine Touren-Grosseau. I am an attorney representing the estate of the late Anne-Sophie de Grantaine," the attorney introduced herself.

Yuzuru drew a breath in shock. "Late Anne-Sophie de Grantaine? When did she die?"

Catherine's voice softened. "My condolences for your loss. It was six months ago."

"Why are you just calling now?" Yuzuru demanded, without any heat or malice.

"I have been searching for her son, Rene. She left him a legacy and I want to be sure he gets it," the attorney responded.

"Rene?" he asked questioningly. Then it dawned on him. "Oh, you mean Tamaki."

"Yes, of course. Do you have his contact number?" Catherine prompted.

"I haven't been able to get through to him since he moved into his University apartment with this best friend, Kyoya. He probably broke his phone again and forgot to send me his new number. Let me give you Kyoya's number. He should be able to help you get in touch with Tamaki," Yuzuru said distractedly.

"That would be greatly appreciated." The attorney pulled a pad a paper close and wrote down the phone number the headmaster gave her. "Thank you for your assistance."

"Glad to help," Yuzuru said before he ended the call.

Catherine immediately dialed the number the head master gave her. After two rings, a young male voice answered in Japanese. "I should have thought of that. I guess since Yuzuru spoke French, I assumed Kyoya would as well. Maybe he does. I'll just have to ask."

"I'm sorry. I don't speak Japanese. Do you speak French?" Catherine asked, hoping he did.

"Yes, I can converse passably in French. How may I help you?" Kyoya switched to accented, but understandable French.

"I am trying to contact Tamaki Suoh. His father said he was your roommate and gave me your contact information," Catherine explained.

Kyoya paused. "I don't know who this is and I don't think trusting her would be a good idea until I have time to investigate. With all that Shizue put Rene through, there is no way I am going to divulge any information about him."

Finally, he responded, "Tamaki Suoh was supposed to be my roommate but he disappeared the day we were to move in. My new roommate is Rene Hinan. I'm sorry I can't help you."

"Thank you for your time," Catherine said before she hung up. "That's odd. Tamaki Suoh disappeared and his father didn't even know. How can that be? Something fishy is going on."

Shuffling through the papers, Catherine tried to gather her thoughts. "It's a long shot, but maybe I should contact Shizue. It sounds like she's the controlling force of the Suoh family. Perhaps she has some additional information."

Catherine located the matriarch's phone number and dialed. After a few rings, a receptionist answered in Japanese.

"Do you speak French?" Catherine asked.

"Of course," the receptionist responded fluently. "How may I help you?"

"I am an attorney in Paris and I need to speak to Shizue Suoh," Catherine responded.

"One moment, please. I will see if she is available." Hold music began to issue from the phone.

The music ended abruptly and Catherine heard, "This is Shizue Suoh. Whom are you representing?"

"I represent the estate of Anne-Sophie de Grantaine. I am trying to locate Tamaki Suoh. She left him a legacy," Catherine reported.

"He wanted to see his mother so I had him shipped back to her in France. I haven't heard anything about him since my chauffeur dropped him off at the airport last week," Shizue stated bluntly.

"Thank you for your time," Catherine responded as she ended the call. She stared at the phone for several minutes, confused by the information she had gleaned from the three phone calls.

"This case just gets stranger and stranger. I finally have what I think is a viable lead and it dissipates like smoke on a windy day. His father thinks he's at University. His University roommate says he never showed up. His grandmother says he went to his mother in France. Obviously, someone is lying."

Pressing the intercom button, Catherine asked Amelie to come into her office.

"What do you need?" Amelie asked.

"I need you to contact the airport again and see if Rene de Grantaine or Tamaki Suoh or some such combination of his names, arrived in Paris last week. I think we also need to contact the translator again and have her contact the Tokyo airport to ask if he flew out of there last week. Possibly his destination was somewhere other than France, though that was what he led his grandmother to believe," Catherine directed.

Amelie made notes of the tasks. "So the clues didn't pan out?" she asked.

"They did and they didn't. Something is not right. I just can't put my finger on it," Catherine responded. "Someone is hiding something about Rene—or Tamaki. I'm just not sure who or why, but I intend to get to the bottom of it."

8