Celestial Bodies (24 page)

“Damn it!” Peter exclaimed.

Felix looked offended. Diana tried to explain why Peter was in such a hurry to leave while Nick and Peter discussed what their next move should be.

“What’s going on around here, anyhow?” Peter asked Felix.

Felix took a deep breath and launched into his explanation of recent events. “For some time now, I’ve been aware that someone close to Mrs. Bouvier is abusing her trust, deceiving her, and endangering her interests.”

“How did you know this?” Peter asked.

“The readings kept giving unmistakable indications. The Four of Pentacles, for example.”

Peter looked blank, so Diana said, “Miserliness, over-emphasis on material possessions. Or sometimes, loss of material wealth and waste of money.”

“The Seven of Swords,” Felix continued.

“Theft and inappropriate plans,” Diana said.

“The Devil.”

“No kidding!” Nick said despite himself. He caught Peter’s incredulous glance and shrugged.

“Of course, I warned Mrs. Bouvier,” Felix told them. “But she was the one who made the decision to investigate her financial affairs. Naturally, in keeping with my standards of professional integrity, I gave no specific advice or instructions. But I had to keep her informed as this person—who I didn’t realize at the time was her son—began to harbor dangerous sentiments toward her as a result of her attempts to expose him.”

“Why didn’t you go to the police?” Peter asked.

“Client confidentiality,” Diana and Nick replied together.

“Exactly,” Felix said. “Although I realized that Nick had been sent by this dangerous individual, Nick chose not to reveal that person’s identity, so I was still unaware of the source of the chaos and turmoil entering our lives. Since Mrs. Bouvier is my client and comes to me for spiritual guidance, I couldn’t burden her with worries about the threatening notes and near-accidents disrupting our lives these past two weeks.”

“Oh, Felix,” Nick said despairingly. He was beginning to realize all this could have been avoided if Felix weren’t so damn principled. “So Claude knew it was your influence that was causing Mrs. Bouvier to suspect him of being crooked. He came to me first, simply assuming that an astrologer would be a fraud and that I could prove it. He made up some transparent story of being worried about his mother’s safety and fortune, just to convince me to take the case.”

“Yeah, and you were so busy failing in love, you didn’t bother to find out why Claude had invented such an improbable story,” Peter observed critically.

“I
did
wonder,” Nick said defensively, avoiding another hard look from Felix. “But you have no idea how confusing things can be in the House of Ishtar.”

“I’m beginning to realize,” Peter muttered.

“Anyhow,” Nick continued, “when Claude’s first plan of action didn’t work, he tried to frighten you with vandalism and threatening notes. And when
that
didn’t work, he came to the House of Ishtar while Diana was out—”

“Hoping to
bribe
me into offering false comfort and reassurance to his mother,” Felix said indignantly.

“Since he had failed to get
us
to discredit you,” Peter added. “And when you refused to cooperate, he brought you here.”

“Yes. He’s been trying to convince me to recant, threatening me with death. As if that mattered.”

Peter’s eyes widened. “Doesn’t it?”

“I’ll explain later, Pete,” Nick told his partner. This was no time to open a discussion on reincarnation and multidimensional existence. “So you, of course, refused to recant. And Claude’s last ace in the hole was to tell Mrs. Bouvier he’d kill you if she didn’t let him have his way with the family fortune. Is that about right?”

Felix nodded. “He’s been embezzling from their investors and running the family into debt ever since his father’s death. He apparently covered his tracks cleverly, and no one suspected a thing until—”

“Until you told Mrs. Bouvier that someone close to her was cheating her,” Nick finished for him.

Felix nodded. “And if he discovers I’m gone, who knows what desperate act he may attempt? We must seize him now!”

“Seize him?” Diana repeated anxiously. “Oh, Nick.”

“Relax,” Nick said. “This is my job. It just may be a little tricky, that’s all.”

“Tricky or not, can we get on with it?” Peter asked impatiently. “And this time, partner,
you
do all the paperwork.”

They worked out a plan, then proceeded back to the party as quickly as they could—after Felix had instructed his hypnotized guard to sleep soundly for two hours, awake refreshed, and then report his crimes to the nearest police department.

When they reached the bright lights and crowds of people, they split up, as they had agreed. Diana and Felix went in search of Mrs. Bouvier so they could break the news and protect her from Claude. Nick and Peter went in search of Claude himself.

Diana and Felix found Mrs. Bouvier chatting with a number of guests. Even from a distance, Diana could see that the poor woman looked tense and haggard. Diana was just about to suggest to Felix that they approach her subtly when he cried, “Mrs. Bouvier!”

Mrs. Bouvier’s eyes flew to him. “Felix!” she shrieked.

The crowd around her parted as she flung herself at the short, unkempt astrologer. Diana looked around at the crowd while Mrs. Bouvier cried and babbled and Felix reassured and consoled.

Finally Diana leaned over and asked, “Is there some place safe we can go, until Nick has dealt with your son, Mrs. Bouvier?”

 
“Oh, of course,” Mrs. Bouvier sobbed. “Let’s go inside the house.”

If she hadn’t been frantic with worry for Nick, Diana thought she might have been able to enjoy the lavish spectacle of sumptuous wealth that lay behind the front door of the Bouvier mansion. As it was, she barely noticed the obsequious servants, shining crystal, or polished marble. They entered a room on the first floor and closed the door behind them. Mrs. Bouvier poured out her heart to Felix, apologizing for the suffering her son had brought him, wailing over her shame, anguish, and terror during the past two days. Realizing that the older woman was growing hysterical, Diana decided they needed to distract her.

She dug into her purse and, upon finding the silken bundle there, she pulled it out and handed it to Felix. “Here, I brought your cards. Tell us what’s going to happen.”

He frowned. “This is the deck that man gave me a few weeks ago. I’m not used to this deck yet. Where are my own cards?”

“I’m sorry, Felix. Claude destroyed most of that deck when he kidnapped you.”

“Oh!” Mrs. Bouvier burst into another frenzy of despair.

“Just go ahead,” Diana urged Felix. She glanced meaningfully at the sobbing woman, who had just flung herself onto a silk-covered divan.

“I haven’t even meditated,” he protested.

“Felix, please!” Diana turned her back on him and ran to the window, keeping to the shadows, and tried to catch sight of Nick on the vast lawn.

She was aware of Mrs. Bouvier’s voice in the background, asking Felix what would happen to them all. Felix responded vaguely, then Diana heard the familiar sound of shuffling cards.

Nick and Peter found Claude within ten minutes, despite the hundreds of people milling in and out of the two crowded, noisy tents on the lawn. Nick saw the flash of fear in Claude’s eyes an instant before the man turned away and dashed into the crowd.

Hoping to attract as little attention as possible, Nick circled the marquee while Peter followed hot on Claude’s tail. Nick has just caught sight of Claude again, when he tripped over someone’s outstretched foot. He stumbled and barely managed to conceal the gun tucked into his waistband.

He looked up at the man who had tripped him—and froze.

“What the hell are you doing here?” the man snarled.

“LeCoz,” Nick croaked.

One whiff of LeCoz’s breath as the man leaned closer made it clear he was stinking drunk—
so
drunk that it was amazing he had even recognized Nick.
 

“Get out of my way,” Nick snapped, revolted by this grotesque monster who had once hired him to return an abused woman to his clutches.

He shoved past LeCoz and continued his search for Claude. True to form, Peter had pursued Claude so closely that the panicked man backed into Nick’s arms, as planned. Nick poked the barrel of his gun against Claude’s back and said, “We’ve got you for kidnapping, extortion, assault, and embezzlement, Mr. Bouvier. I’d suggest you cooperate before Peter here loses his temper.”

Peter glared at Claude with intense dislike and seized him roughly, twisting one arm behind his back. Claude gasped, and sweat broke out on his face.

“You’ll never get away with this! Trespassing—”

“We had an invitation. Check at the gate,” Nick said. “Let’s get out of here.”

“My mother—”

“Will probably be first in line to make a statement to the police,” Nick said. “Now which way—”

“Giving my wife to that... that... that
gardener!”
roared a voice behind them.

Peter whirled around. “LeCoz!”

“Damn it!” Nick said.

He whirled around, too, keeping his hold on Claude. Before he had time to react or assess the situation, LeCoz clumsily launched his body into the air and flew at the three men. Nick saw the crystal vase in LeCoz’s hand only an instant before it crashed down on his skull.

“Oh, dear,” Felix said.

Mrs. Bouvier gasped.

Still unable to spot Nick in the crowd, Diana turned to face her father. “What?” She was suddenly, inexplicably terrified. Something was wrong. She could feel it.

Felix looked at her with a perturbed expression. “Now try to stay calm,” he instructed her.

“What is it?” She crossed the room swiftly and looked down at the Gypsy spread on the exquisite antique table at which Felix and Mrs. Bouvier sat. She couldn’t begin to guess at the cause of Mrs. Bouvier’s alarm. Felix was right; the Gypsy spread, with its forty-two cards, was enough to give anyone psychic indigestion. “What’s wrong?” she demanded urgently.

Felix tapped the card in the middle of the layout.

“The Nine of Swords! That’s somethin’ just terrible, isn’t it?” Mrs. Bouvier said.

“Desolation, suffering, misery,” Felix said.

“Death of someone near,” Diana added, panic welling up inside her. Nick! It meant Nick! She knew it did! “Felix! What can we do?”

Felix stared at the cards for a moment. “I think,” he said, “that it may be time to interfere with the cosmos.”