FOOL’S GOLD: SEVEN

  

In spite of the fact that Sanjay’s show premiered that night, he left his theater to meet us outside the hotel.

“A locked room,” Sanjay said after he greeted us, already wearing his tuxedo. “How could I resist?”

“That’s all you care about?” Daniella said. “The puzzle? This is my life.”

Sanjay frowned.

“Finally,” Astrid said. “Someone who says what they really mean.” She smiled seductively at Sanjay.

“Of course that’s not all I care about,” Sanjay said. He gave me a quick glance with wide eyes.

“Sanjay’s magic show opens tonight,” I said. “Shall we get down to business?”

“Which is what, exactly?” Daniella asked.

“Let’s go over everything you two know,” Sanjay said.

“What, you’re like one of those fake psychic detectives on television?” Astrid asked. “You can pick out some minuscule detail the police missed?”

Sanjay’s shoulders visibly tensed and his eyes narrowed.

“I make my living as an escape artist,” he said slowly. “I have never failed in any escape I’ve attempted, and I have come up with challenges even Houdini never dreamed of. I can free myself from anything anyone can construct. You seem to have an impossible escape. Do you want my help or not?”

Sanjay isn’t known for his modesty.

“We do,” Daniella said quickly.

Astrid shrugged.

I went over the basics of who was involved with Fool’s Gold and the chess set.

“None of us were here at the hotel when the theft took place,” Daniella added, “so I’m not sure what more we can tell you.”

“Where were you?” Sanjay asked.

“Astrid and I were together,” Daniella said. “Jaya was there, too.”

“I suppose the police have the hotel room roped off as a crime scene,” Sanjay said. “Whose room is it?”

“It’s a suite we’re sharing,” Daniella said. “Feisal and Izzy are sharing one of the bedrooms, and Astrid and I are in the second bedroom of the suite. I suppose we’ll all need new rooms tonight.” She paused and shook her head. “All these rooms have high-end safes in them, that’s why Feisal selected this hotel. It was supposed to be the safest place to keep the chess set when we weren’t using it on stage for a performance. We rehearsed with a regular chess set painted gold and silver.”

“Who knew the chess set would be in the hotel room safe?” Sanjay asked.

“Only the four of us,” Daniella said. “Me, Astrid, Feisal, and Izzy. That must be why the police think it was one of us.”

Astrid gave a short laugh. “It wouldn’t have been difficult to figure out, would it? Anyone who saw the advertisements about the famous chess set appearing in our show would have known the set had to be locked up somewhere. It’s not like we’re in disguise when we return to the hotel. We’ve been here for days. And we used our real names to register.”

“That’s not true,” Daniella said. “I mean, it’s true we’ve been here for days and used our real names, but nobody would have guessed the set was in the hotel room. Feisal made a big deal about pretending to give it to the hotel staff to put it in the hotel’s bigger main safe. Anyone paying attention to us would have thought the set was in that safe, not the room safe.”

“You mean there’s a duplicate fake chess set in the hotel’s safe?” Sanjay asked.

“Exactly.” Daniella rubbed her eyes, smearing her eye makeup even more. “I’m making this worse, aren’t I? Making it seem like it has to be one of us. Feisal gave the front desk a spray-painted fake set, just like the one we’re using in our rehearsals. The set’s in a box, so unless someone tried to steal it they wouldn’t even get a close enough look to know it was fake.”

“Interesting,” Sanjay said. He placed his fingertips together in an overstated show of thoughtfulness, as if he were performing. “I need to get back to the theater to get ready for my show. Don’t you want to walk me out, Jaya?”

“What are you talking about?” I said. “We’re already outside.”

“Don’t be dense,” Astrid said. “He wants to talk with you in private. We’ll be inside.” She stubbed out her cigarette.

“You gotta love the French,” Sanjay said after they’d gone inside.

“What couldn’t you say in front of them?” I asked. “They didn’t steal the set. They have alibis. You heard them. They were together.”

“Do you want my cape?” Sanjay asked, pulling a thin red cape from an inner pocket of his tuxedo jacket. “You look like you’re freezing to death.”

“I wouldn’t say no to the jacket.”

Sanjay hesitated.

“What?” I said. “You don’t trust me with one of your custom magic act jackets?”

“It’s not that I don’t trust you….”

“Never mind,” I said, ignoring the goose bumps I felt under my sweater. This was what passed as summertime in Scotland? “I’m fine.”

“Anyway,” Sanjay said, tucking the thin cape back into his pocket, “all their alibis prove is that they didn’t act alone. They could be in on it together. But I tend to believe her. Not because of her alibi, which I’m sure the police will check out. Even if it checks out, they could have hired someone to steal the set for them.”

“Someone who can disappear into thin air,” I cut in.

“We’ll get to that,” Sanjay said. “Daniella seems genuinely upset. She’s a wreck.”

“She is an actress,” I said. “But I don’t think she’s acting. Why would she ask for our help if she’s guilty?”

“Agreed,” Sanjay said.

“Why didn’t you ask more questions?” I said. “I thought you were all about the details?”

“I am,” Sanjay said. “But I can’t get into that room right now, and I’m not the one who’s going to be able to get any useful details from Daniella. You are. She trusts you. You should stay with her.”

“She’s going to a festival gala tonight.”

“Can you go to with her?”

“I have an invitation, but I’m coming to your show tonight.”

“I’ve got nine more performances after tonight,” he said. “It’s more important that you find out everything you can about what Daniella knows. She’ll feel more comfortable with you, especially once she’s out drinking.”

“You’re saying you want me to take my friend out to a gala at a castle and get her drunk.”

“You’ve got a rough life, Jaya, but somebody has to do it.”