The Cherry Blossoms (24 page)

Daniella thought about his invitation to dinner.  How much trouble could he cause during a simple dinner?  “Yes, I think I would like that.  I’ll give you a call and let you know what time I’ll be available.”

“That would be perfect.  We could consider it a farewell to Paris dinner.”  Daniella smiled at him.  As they approached the Immigration Officers, Michal asked where she’d like to dine.  “It doesn’t matter to me, so pick a place that you like.”

Daniella pulled her passport from her purse and handed it to an Officer.  He processed it, stamped it and handed the passport back to her.  Once she had been cleared for entry into the country, she stood to one side to wait for Michal.

Her jaw dropped when Michal handed his passport to the officer and was asked by the officer to follow him.

“Do not worry Daniella, this happens all the time.  I have been mistaken for someone else.  I will see you tomorrow evening.”

Since it wasn’t her problem to deal with, Daniella smiled, waved and walked away.  When she walked through the airport door, Grant was waiting at the curb.  He jumped from the driver’s side and ran around the car to open her door.

As soon as he was in the driver seat, he pulled away from the curb, “Mademoiselle, je suis si heureuse de vous voir.  A Michal revenir à Paris avec vous ?  La police est venue dans la boutique hier à la recherche pour vous.  J'étais tellement inquiet que je ne pouvais pas manger ou dormir toute la nuit.”

“Grant, you need to slow down, I’ve been traveling for eight hours and I’m adjusting to the time difference.  Try to tell me what you said in English.”

He pushed down the car’s gas pedal accelerating the car’s speed causing the car to sway from side to side as they drove away from the airport.  Daniella clung to the arm rest waiting for him to crash into something or someone.

Grant slowed the car’s speed.  “I am so sorry; I can see that my driving has scared you.”

“Thank you for slowing down.  I think we should wait until we reach the shop before you try to tell me what you said.”

“Non, Mademoiselle, nous ne pouvons pas attendre longtemps, vous cela devez entendre immédiatement.  Je nous conduira à un petit café, je sais que de peu de temps jusqu'à la route.”

Not sure what he was saying, she looked over at her manager, and his eyes looked wild with anxiety.  That wild look in his eyes told Daniella that whatever he was worked up about was important to him, and that he wanted her to know about it.  Terrified that if she spoke to him, he’d start driving as wildly as his eyes looked, she remained silent.

She was afraid to even look at him, so she watched the country side fly past them.  He was still driving too fast, but he looked more focused on driving, as if he were looking for something along the road.

Daniella let out a sigh of relief when he found what he was looking for and parked the car.  Always the gentleman, he walked around to her door, opened it, and helped her out.  After climbing up and jumping down out of the ranch truck, she thought it was funny that Grant had to lift her out of his small Fiat.

She expected him to start talking again, but he didn’t.  Instead, he took her arm and led her into the café.  Once inside, he ordered wine for both of them.  Anxious to hear what he had to say, she found that she was tapping the tip of her shoe against the leg of the table. When their wine was delivered, Grant lifted his glass.  Daniella responded by lifting hers.

“Daniella, I am much calmer now.  First, I would like to welcome you back home.”   He touched the top of his glass against hers.

“Thank you.  What’s second?”

“Second is to tell you how sorry that I am that your grandfather has passed.”

“Thank you, and thank you for the beautiful flowers you sent.  Now that we’re calm and collected, what were you trying to tell me in the car?”

Before he continued, he took a sip of his wine, as he thought hard about how to say what she needed to know in English.  He took in a deep breath and exhaled it, and then he carefully spoke each word slowly in an attempt to say the correct words.  Daniella gave him an encouraging smile.

“Daniella, we have missed you so.”

“I have missed all of you.  Are you trying to form the words in English?”

Grant blushed, “I am.”

“If you speak slowly, I’ll listen slowly.”

Grant laughed, “I will try to do as you say.  It is just that when I am excited, and talk too fast, you know that it always comes out in French.”

“How well I know that.  So, tell me what you said that has you worked up.”

After another sip of wine, he told her.  “The police came into the shop this morning asking for you.”

Dumbfounded, she asked with a strained voice, “The police were asking for me?  Did they say why?”

“No, they did not.  One of them gave me a card with his number on it.  He asked me to give it to you so that you can call him.”

“Yes, of course, I’ll call him.”  She took a moment to collect her thoughts.  “An immigration officer took Michal aside this morning...” Daniella hadn’t realized that she was thinking aloud, until Grant urged her to go on.  “Daniella, why did they take him, aside, as you said?”

As if she were speaking from far away, her voice softly answered, “I don’t know.  He said it happens all the time.  He said he’s been accused of being someone else, someone with the same name as his.”

She sat quietly wondering if the two events were somehow connected to one another.  “Grant, please excuse me for a moment.  I need to call the ranch to let them know I arrived safely.”  Grant started to leave, but Daniella asked him to stay.  “I promised I’d call; this will only take a moment.”

Betty answered the phone on the first ring, “Danny, is there something you didn’t tell me?”

“I don’t think so, why?  I just called to let you know that I arrived safely in Paris.”

“Some guy, who said he was with the F-B-I, came here looking for you.  Are you sure you don’t have something that you forgot to tell me?”

With a concerned voice, she asked, “What did they want?”

Frustrated that while Danny’s voice sounded concerned, she wasn’t grasping the content of what Nana was asking.  “Why child, they wanted to speak with you.”

Daniella’s world came to a screeching halt.  “Did he tell you why he needed to speak with me?”

“He just said it was police business.”

Daniella’s knees shook so hard that Grant could hear them bang against the table leg.  She looked concerned when he looked at her face.  He didn’t want to, but felt compelled to eavesdrop on this conversation that made Daniella’s face go pale.

“Child, if you’ve gotten yourself involved in some police investigation, it’d be best if you told me about it now.”

  “Nana, I swear on my grandfather’s soul, that I don’t know what they want.  What did you tell them?”

“Daniella McPherson, as sure as I am standing here before God, I couldn’t lie.  I told them that you left for Paris this morning.”

“When Grant picked me up at the airport, he said the police came to the shop this morning looking to speak with me.  Let me call them and see what the problem is.  I’ll call you back when I know more.”

Angry that she was put on hold for an answer, she said, “Make sure you do just that child.”

“I will, I promise.”

When she hung the phone up, she looked at Grant, “An FBI agent came to the ranch just after Michal and I left.  He wanted to talk with me.  I think I need to call the police here in Paris immediately.”

“Of course you do, Daniella, would you prefer some privacy?”

“No, I’d like you to stay with me.  Trust me because I can use the support.”

She dialed the number on the card Grant had given her.  When an officer answered the phone, she identified herself and told him that someone had asked that she call.  He asked her, “Mademoiselle, please hold one moment while I connect your call.”

“Thank you.”  While she waited, she felt quite nauseous.  Looking at Grant’s face caused her to chortle, since he looked nauseous himself.

When the call went through to the detective that had been waiting to hear from her, he rapidly spoke to her in French, “Mademoiselle, nous devons vous permet de signaler immédiatement au poste de police.  Il est urgent que nous parler avec vous.”

Daniella
barely understood what he said, so she asked him, “Mon français est limitée, mais je suis assis avec mon gestionnaire de bureau.  Pouvez vous veuillez parler avec lui ?  Il peut ensuite traduire ce que vous dites lui à l'anglais, afin que je comprends ce que vous avez besoin de moi.”

“Oui, bien entendu, Mademoiselle. Je peux le faire.”

Daniella handed the phone to Grant.  “I don’t have a clue as to what he’s trying to tell me, can you talk to him, and tell me in English what he’s saying?”

Grant took the phone from her.

“Mon nom est Grant Beauchamp.  Je travaille pour Mademoiselle McPherson comme son chef de bureau.  Svp me dire ce que vous avez besoin et je qui se traduira en anglais pour elle.”

The détective
told Grant, “Mon nom est Adam Perrot.  J'ai besoin de parler avec Mademoiselle McPherson aussi rapidement que possible.”

“Ce que vous voulez parler avec elle
?”

“J'ai besoin de parler avec elle de Michal Bagot.”

“Où vous désirez me ramener la Mademoiselle ?”

“Je préférerais au poste de police, mais je peux vous rencontrer quelque part si c'est plus pratique.”

“Nous sommes à manger du Café rouge, pouvez vous joindre à nous ici ?”

“Oui, je peux vous rencontrer il.”

“Daniella, the detective wishes to speak with you about Michal.  He can meet us here.  What do you want me to tell him?”

“Tell him that will be fine.”

Grant told Detective Perrot that they would be waiting for him, and then he ordered another round of wines.  “Daniella, are you hungry?”

She was lost in her own little world, so when their wines were delivered, Grant ordered quiche along with salad for the two of them.  “Daniella, are you okay?”

“Not really, but I believe that Michal is going to be the crux of the conversation.  If he’s gotten my name involved, I will scream.”

He chuckled, “And I will choke him.”

When Detective Perrot entered the café, he walked to their table, where Grant told him, “
Rejoignez-nous vais vous commander un verre de vin ?”

“Oui Merci qui serait merveilleux.”

“Nous avons également ordonné déjeuner ; Nous avons commandé quiche et salade, puis-je commander vous certains ainsi ?”

“Yes, thank you.”

Once the orders had been placed, the discussion of Michal began.  Detective Perrot spoke to Grant, who translated what he said to Daniella.

“Michal Bagot a été arrêté à l'aéroport de ce matin.  Il est marié avec trois femmes différentes.  Nous croyons fermement que c'était son intention de se marier Mademoiselle McPherson en raison de son héritage ranch de son grand-père.”

Grant turned to Daniella, “He said that Michal is married to three women, and the police believe that he wanted to marry you because he learned that you inherited your grandfather’s ranch.”

Daniella was devastated, “Oh my God; that’s why he wanted a job on the ranch. 
What does the detective need from me?”

“Détective Perrot, ce que vous avez besoin de Mademoiselle McPherson ?”

“Rien, nous voulions simplement pour s'assurer qu'elle comprenait ses intentions.  Nous avons suffisamment de preuves pour lui Ranger depuis très longtemps.”

Grant
laughed, “C'est merveilleux d'entendre, Daniella sera très heureux.”  He turned to Daniella to tell her that the police only wanted to warn her.

Daniella laughed.  Detective Perrot thanked them for their time and took his leave.

“Grant, I need to call the ranch.”

“Do you wish me to leave?”

“No I don’t.  This is the best news I’ve heard in a long time.”

Danny called the ranch and told her Nana the story of Michal Bagot.  Nana laughed so hard, she started to choke, “I knew from the moment I met that lecherous asshole that he was just after your money.”

Grant drove Daniella to her apartment.  “Grant
, you are just the best.  I’ll see you in the morning.”

“I’ve asked that all the staff be in by 9:00.”

“Perfect.  Thank you for picking me up from the airport.”

“Daniella, where is your car?”

“It was in dire need of an automobile hospital, so it’s still in the shop.  I’ll deal with that later.  Grant, can you call me in the morning?  With the time change, I’m afraid I’ll oversleep.”

“Of course, I can.”

Daniella wandered around her apartment touching everything.  She loved this small furnished apartment where she had lived.  It wasn’t elegant by any stretch of the imagination, but it was her home.  When she moved to Paris, this was the first and only apartment she looked at.  She was lucky enough to find a suitable building for her design shop within walking distance to her apartment.  Memories of working with a local architect to help redesign what would become the House of Daniella, came to her in waves.  She smiled when she remembered the argument that ensued when she demanded that she needed glass walls to let natural light into her office.  He felt he could provide what she wanted with track lighting, but she stood her ground.