Narendra Patel wore a simple dark linen Nehru jacket, a sharp contrast to the brilliant fabric of the several dozen people circulating in his booth. The crowd lent the space a partylike atmosphere.
“Inspector!” Patel greeted Agnes warmly, shaking her hand as if greeting an old friend.
“A celebration?”
“Not at all, simply an invitation to gather for our many clients and good customers. It is an auspicious day when my uncle honors us with his presence to show his believing in this branch of the house.”
Agnes looked around with interest. She’d not before been inside a booth in the Stones & Pearls pavilion. Plexiglas boxes were filled with loose stones. Each box was large enough to hold a pair of men’s shoes and was tilted forward to display the gems by type and size: diamonds, emeralds, rubies, sapphires, and other stones she couldn’t name. Along the walls, cabinets were filled with jewelry: antique and modern necklaces, bracelets, and earrings interspersed with tribal objet d’art. All of the pieces were set with precious stones. Many looked too heavy to wear. Some of the loose stones were as large as a bird’s egg.
A flick of Patel’s hand stirred a young assistant into action. He pulled jewels from the cases and laid them in front of Agnes. She admired the heavy earrings and thick bracelets and listened to a brief lecture on tribal boxes, daggers, and belts before thanking the young man and assuring him that he had done everything possible to entice her, but she wasn’t prepared to make a purchase. Clearly dismayed, he had closed the cabinets when a handsome elderly man wearing a heavy silk Nehru jacket and kurta-pajama approached Narendra with a question.
“Yes, Uncle,” Narendra responded deferentially. He introduced Agnes, then stepped away, leaving her with the billionaire head of one of India’s most diverse and influential companies. Despite being small, the elder Patel had the gift of making everyone he spoke with feel that he or she was the only reason Patel was in the room.
“My nephew,” Guru said, gesturing toward Narendra, “has proven himself this week.”
Agnes glanced around the bustling booth. “Appears so. It’s quite the gathering.”
“Narendra is coming into his own with this company. He did very well for me in pharma, but I see him flourish here. Even the tiny setbacks he moves forward with. This is very important, as no business is a steady ride. It is the fortitude to navigate the disappointments that have made the Patel Group what it is today.”
“Hopefully no big disappointment this week.” Agnes caught herself. “I meant business-wise. I was very sorry to learn of the death of Monsieur Patel’s friend.”
Guru made a tiny gesture with his hand. “I had only memory of Monsieur Chavanon from time he was at university and visited my family. His death was a great blow for Narendra. Very great. He has dealt with it admirably, keeping his focus with us.”
“This is my first time at Baselworld. Do you always attend?”
“I am very old now and rarely travel. The younger members of my family handle the various international duties. Narendra asked me to come this year, and for him, I agreed. He is the son of my most favored younger brother.”
“Are you planning to grow the watch and jewelry division of the Patel Group?”
“My nephew is the new generation. He will set the path.”
“Did he and Guy Chavanon ever consider going into business together?”
Guru Patel flipped his fingers into the air in a gesture of dismissal. “They were old school friends, but I do not think that Chavanon could have been a business partner for our group.”
“Why not?”
Out of the corner of her eye Agnes saw Antoine Mercier enter the hall. He worked his way past several booths until he reached the Patel Group. He stopped to greet a customer, and Narendra cut through the crowd to speak with him. Agnes watched the exchange of flattery, wondering if Mercier was looking for her.
“We operate at a scale very different from that of Guy Chavanon’s company,” Guru Patel said. “We are not artisans who run willy-nilly after ideas and then change our minds when the sun sets. We are an industry. It is a special blend of talent and creativity that results in entrepreneurship. That is what Narendra will need in a partner for expansion.”
Mercier moved on to the next booth, and Narendra cut through the crowd to rejoin them. He looked flush with the success of the gathering. Guru Patel made his excuses and left to speak with others.
“You are certain you would not care for a small pair of earrings?” Narendra said to Agnes when they were alone. “I can show you something for everyday.” He opened a case and removed a flat velvet tray of emerald earrings.
“Unfortunately, I’m not here for any stones, or watches for that matter.”
“They are very flattering to the skin,” he said, and selected a pair that Agnes could imagine wearing if she were here to shop, and if she were prepared to splurge.
“I have other interests today.”
Patel stopped fiddling with the jewelry. “You are speaking of Guy’s death? Of the obsession of Christine? It was a shock of the most troubling kind. But not a true shocking. Guy knew the dangers of his condition.” Patel searched his pockets for a handkerchief to dab his eyes. “I cannot think of it even now. You saw me with Marie at the school. I tried to stay strong in front of her, but it is not possible to suppress the loss of a lifelong friend. Only a moment ago, when Monsieur Mercier mentioned Guy, I had difficulty controlling my emotions.”
“You administered the shot that day.”
Patel dropped his handkerchief and stooped to pick it up. “I hope that the police are not placing any blame on me. Yes, I administered the shot, against all my hatred of needles, and it is my thinking that it should have worked.”
“It seems that Monsieur Chavanon needed more than the usual dosage. The”—she nearly said coroner—“doctor on the case isn’t sure anything would have saved him due to the speed and severity of the reaction.” Narendra absorbed her every word. “I’m interested in what happened before Monsieur Chavanon took ill.”
Patel motioned to his young assistant and spoke to him in rapid Hindi. The man pressed his palms together and bowed slightly. “My cousin can take over for a few minutes.” Patel led Agnes out of the crowded showroom.
They walked down the center of the pavilion, picking their way through the crowd of customers until they reached the Hall of Elements café where Agnes had first met Christine. They sat at the bar and ordered espressos. Agnes decided that the food vendors also did quite well during the show.
“Was that your first visit to the Institute?” Agnes asked.
Patel relaxed slightly. “Yes, and if the circumstances had been different, I would have been very pleased to see the property. Such a fine facility. Leo is very fortunate boy.”
“You come to Switzerland often?”
“Recently, yes. Before, I have been working for my uncle first in manufacturing of electrical components.”
“Gemstones are a far cry from electronics.”
“My uncle has interests in all business. He sees connections and opportunities everywhere. That is how my uncle teaches us to see life.”
Agnes stirred sugar into her espresso, thinking she might not actually drink it. “You must be very proud to work for him.”
“My uncle is an innovator, a business genius. It is with his industry that we advance. He carries not only our family, but the future of development in India. We owe him everything.”
“Have you always known you would work for him?”
“It was not mandated. Uncle is very generous in that way, but I have worked for him since I was a boy. It was he who sent me to school at the EPFL.”
“You shared that with Guy, the importance of a family business.”
“It is more than business. We take this very seriously where I come from. It is everything. My uncle is not only my boss. He is someone I would sacrifice my life for.”
“That’s a bit more than we’d say here.”
Patel leaned forward, his face intent. “Friendship is very important—what Guy and I shared—but family is everything in India.”
“Did you and Monsieur Chavanon ever consider doing business together?”
Patel didn’t answer for a moment. “Is this what Marie said to you?”
“No, but I’ve been told that the watch industry is poised to explode into China and your country. A partnership between you and Monsieur Chavanon seems logical given your history and friendship and your expansion into gemstones and the connection to watches.”
“Guy would have liked to join my uncle’s group. He was constantly tossing out ideas that he thought we would buy.” Patel smiled sadly. “Guy was a dreamer. Very inventive and very much imagination, but it was not a good fit for my uncle’s needs. It is a great trust my uncle has given me, and I must do everything I can to honor it. Family honor and business honor are all that we have.” He looked at her carefully. “Have you been to India?”
“Yes, years ago when my father was an invited guest.”
“Honor is essential for us. So many people depend on my uncle’s work. The people in my mother’s village depend on it. Our factories support cousins and aunts and uncles. A great web that depends on our uncle. He is a great man at our center.”
“Because of this, you never discussed business with Monsieur Chavanon?”
“We were discussing all the time, but to no mutual gain. It was the discussing of ideas and foolishness.” Patel paused. “I would be very uncomfortable if Marie and Christine thought that I had rejected my friend’s interest in a partnership.”
“They’ve not mentioned it to me. Could you tell me about that day, when he died. You drove separately?”
Patel looked startled.
“You took Leo home afterwards. And the Fontenays arranged for Monsieur Chavanon’s car to be returned to his house later.”
“Yes, I see. It was convenient. I have rental car, a very nice Mercedes, and the Institute is halfway between Basel and Guy’s home. Once the show started, I would have had no time for a visit.”
Agnes glanced around. The café was filled with people having casual conversations that had nothing to do with the sale of watches or jewels; friends greeting one another.
“I wanted to see Leo,” Patel amended.
“Did you arrive before Monsieur Chavanon?”
“Our timings were perfect and I arrived immediately after him.”
“Did you speak to him earlier in the day?”
Patel hesitated. “Yes, I am remembering that we spoke. Very briefly. I telephoned to firm up the details of my visit.”
“You met inside?”
“No, we arrived at parking together. Him in front. Me next.”
“Tell me what happened then.”
Patel’s cheeks sagged in dismay. “We spoke, it was the first time in person since my arrival in Switzerland. We were emotional as we always are upon first greetings. Then we went inside.”
“But not together?”
“You are correct. I went inside immediately.”
Agnes waited.
Patel filled the silence. “It was very cold, at least for me. I come from a warm climate, and the transition is hard every time, and more now that I am getting older. Guy wanted to take a walk. He pointed me in the direction of the doors and I went in. It was very informal gathering and I did not feel out of place or I would have returned outdoors and found him.”
“Monsieur Chavanon suggested you go inside alone?”
“He knew that I was cold and uncomfortable. It was a matter of politeness.”
“What do you think he wanted to see so badly that he left you—his recently arrived friend—alone?”
Patel wagged his head side to side. “I am not understanding these questions. Guy had an allergic reaction, and although I administered the EpiPen, he died. The dose was not enough.”
“We are all in agreement about the inadequacy of the medicine.” Agnes leaned forward. “I’m interested in what happened before. How did he seem to you? In good spirits?”
“Yes, it is as I told Christine. Her father was in very good spirits. He was happy to see Leo.”
“Then what kept him outside that day? It must have been important to leave you and to delay seeing his son. Were there others in the parking lot?”
“There were many cars, but no people.” Patel sat up straighter. “Maybe I know what Guy wanted to see. Why he went for a walk. There was helicopter landing in the field next to the school. He walked in that direction. Maybe he knew the person. Maybe it was an important customer for him? If that is the case, then he would have preferred to make the greeting alone.”
Mentally Agnes collated what other information she had. Petit was in charge of interviewing more of the staff and faculty at the Institute, and he’d called her with an update after she spoke with Mercier. Madame Jomini had also emailed her an annotated list of the names of the guests at the reception.
“Do you recognize the name of Han?” she said. “Monsieur Han arrived by helicopter.”
“I do not recall the name. In the short time I was at the reception I had a few words with a very nice woman from England. That is the only person I remember.” Patel rubbed his forehead. “I went inside, walking fast to escape from the cold, and then quickly, too quickly after he arrived, Guy was dead. We did not have time to speak again.”
Agnes toyed with her spoon to give Patel a moment to compose himself.
“How long do you think Monsieur Chavanon was outside after you left him?”
“This is impossible to know.”
“Tell me what you did from the time you left him, to the time you saw him enter the reception. That will help gauge the time.”
“I crossed the room, it was already crowded, and asked where to hang my coat. Then I went to the toilet to check my appearance after the drive.”
“Maybe five minutes to this point?”
“I could not say. Next I went to the main room. I did not see Guy or Leo, and without knowing anyone else, I stood at the edge of the crowd for a time.”
“Until Monsieur Chavanon arrived?”
“No, I had decided to see what food was on offer. A very nice buffet they served, with many veg choices. That is when I was speaking with the very nice English lady. I saw Leo come in and go straight to his father. That is when I noticed Guy had arrived. Unfortunately, before I could join them, I had an important phone call. I left the room for only a few minutes to speak in private, and when I returned…” Patel’s voice broke. “He was already ill.”
A small chocolate was served with the espresso. Agnes unwrapped it and placed it in her mouth, savoring the sweetness after the bitter coffee, thinking that this was one of the pleasures Guy Chavanon, Koulsy Haroun, and Rudolph Versteegh had to forgo. The threat of cross contamination could be life threatening.
Patel leaned close and lowered his voice. “I have worried this last week about Marie. How does my friend’s company survive in the current climate? Big industry is the future, and Guy was not prepared for that path. Has she said anything to you?”
Agnes had forgotten how open Indians were to speaking about business. “Christine seems confident that the company will continue in the family’s hands.”
Patel sat back with a thud. “It is a relief to know that the complaints Guy had were perhaps just that. Complaints and not the indication of serious trouble.”
“He’d told you he was struggling?”
“One moment he had big plans and the next he was in despair. You understand that I did not want to be asking him closely about the details. I have the backing of my uncle and we are a large company. We are the future. Guy was a very proud man. It was not polite to show up a friend who might be in trouble.”
Agnes looked around the crowded café, one ear attuned to snippets of conversation. It was what she expected. Gossip about friends and colleagues. Complaints about tired feet and long hours. Discontent with pricing. Pleasure at a good deal made. Boredom with a show visited too many years in a row. She wondered what Mercier knew and how it was tied to Gianfranco Giberti. Maybe Chavanon hadn’t spoken to Mercier but Giberti had? She was certain they were both lying to her.
“Thanks for your time, Monsieur Patel.”
“I hope that you will soon be able to leave this sad topic behind. For the sake of Marie and Leo.” They rose. “You have finished with questions at the Institute?”
The image of the blood smeared across the wall of the shed came to mind and Agnes shook her head. “No, I’m afraid not.”
They neared his booth.
“If Madame has no further questions for me, I must see to my clients. It is an auspicious day, but they quickly move on to other merchandise if I am not there to supervise the buyings.”