Carla’s Prince

Cristoff forced out a laugh, nodding.

“All right. Fair enough.”

She took another sip of her coffee and looked at him as he exhaled loudly.

“My grandmother is a sucker for onion soup.”

She raised an eyebrow over the other.

“Onion soup? Is that really the best you can come up with?”

“Hold up. You haven’t heard everything yet,” he went on. “She has onion soup for breakfast and dinner every single day.”

She frowned.

“How much onion soup can one person take?” she asked.

“I know, right?” He stifled a laugh. “It is so bad that one day during a 1968 European conference, Wallis Simpson wouldn’t give her the customary hug and cheek kiss.”

“Yeah, I read about that. I thought it was the past idea of fake news.”

He shook his head.

“That story is a dark secret in the family yet she still eats so much onion soup.”

She smiled.

“You need to do something about that. I mean, thank God it did not happen in this day and age,” she said. “Do you imagine how much press, negative press that would have generated? Not forgetting the memes and hashtags.”

He nodded.

“I guess it would have been a major mess.”

She smiled as she looked at him.

“So, now we know a little more about each other and we are still standing,” he started and she nodded. “I’m guessing this would be a good time for me to invite you to look into my case?”

She laughed.

“I am already on the case…I mean, we did have the meeting which turned out to be more about the food than business.”

“Well, let me know what I can do now. I am entirely at your mercy.”

She began rummaging for a notebook from her bag but he reached across the table and touched her hand gently.

“You can use the recorder. I don’t mind.”

“Well, everything is different now. I mean…being who you are. Discretion is key here…” she explained but he was shaking his head.

“I know that but you look like someone I can trust. Just use the recorder.”

“Cristoff…I don’t know…”

“Well, I don’t want you to go out of your way for me,” he said in a soft voice. She looked at him for a long minute before she nodded and switched the digital recorder back on.

“First thing, we need to make our way down to the police station and get the cops involved. It is a little reactive, you might think, but it is the best way to handle the lost property.”

He nodded.

“All right. What else?”

“You need a security system, I already mentioned that when we were back at the office. But the best thing is to make sure that the house is completely empty when the new system is being installed.”

“Without telling them anything?” he asked.

“If you suspect someone in the house, then they have to believe that nothing has changed and the only way to do that is to make sure that they continue believing exactly that.”

He nodded.

“You’re the boss.”

“I guess I am,” she said as he looked into her eyes. “So, first stop downtown? To the cops?”

“Sure,” he said in a soft voice. “Lead the way.”

She could not help but feel a little excited as they made their way out of Chez Marie. This was indeed a different assignment but the company was not so bad either.