Scene 25

Suite of Rooms, Hotel de Paris Monte-Carlo

“Thank you, Michel, that will be all for now,” I said to the young man preparing the champagne.

“Of course, sir, just let me know if you need anything further,” Michel said and then left the room.

Just then the phone rang for a teleconference. I activated the switch. Jamie’s face appeared on the screen.

“Jamie, what can I do for you?” I asked.

“You know perfectly well what you can do for me!” he demanded. “Explain yourself!”

“Well,” I said, “I was going to give my full report in the morning. But, if you insist, Dr. Newface has been captured and sent for interrogation. We planted tracking devices on some of Ivana’s thugs; they should lead us right to her.”

“Yes, yes,” Jamie interrupted, “I have already learned that from your earlier transmission. What about the League’s money!” he almost shouted.

“Oh that,” I said nonchalantly, “I lost the game. Sorry, but I lost the money.”

Jamie looked back at me with disbelief. “You lost it?”

“Yes, but can we talk about it later? I have a guest coming over.”

“A guest! You lose almost three hundred thousand dollars of the League’s money and you blow it all off for a guest!”

Just then there was a knock on the door.

“Yes,” I said calmly, “A guest. That is her now. If you will wait just a moment, I’ll introduce you.”

I walked over to the door and opened it. The Countess stood there waiting.

“Come in, my dear,” I said. “I want you to meet someone.”

I led the Countess over to the screen. “Countess, I want you to meet Jamie. Jamie, this is the Countess Slechtvalk.”

“Pleased to make your acquaintance, Countess,” Jamie said from the screen.

“Oh, Jamie, no need to be so stuffy,” said the Countess with a smile. “You can call me by another name I sometimes use, Ms. Peregrine.”

“Peregrine?” Jamie said with sudden understanding, “Then you’re one of Dave’s associates?”

“From time to time, yes, he helped my family retrieve some of our heirlooms once.”

“Did you complete the transfer?” I asked her.

“Yes, the League’s two hundred thousand euros has been returned, along with an additional twenty thousand from the winnings. I, of course, returned my family’s money to its proper account, along with a similar twenty thousand. One hundred thousand has been transferred to the Retrieval Team’s account. The remaining six hundred sixty thousand has been donated to the Foundation.”

“Any other concerns?” I asked Jamie.

“No,” Jamie said, a bit sheepishly, “Well done.” The screen went blank as Jamie broke the connection.

I picked up the glasses of champagne and handed one to the Countess. “A toast to a game well played!” I said.