Left to Lapse (An Adele Sharp Mystery—Book Seven) by Blake Pierce (book club suggestions txt) 📗

Johnwas calling.

Strangely,her first emotion was panic. It took her a second to realize how silly thisreaction was.

Adele cleared her throatawkwardly, pushing off where she sat on the edge of the first-class bed to gostand by the shut door as she answered the call. Her gaze fell on Leoni, whoraised a quizzical eyebrow, but her attention was directed to her old partner.

“I have a lead,” he said, gruffly.“Have a second?”

“I’m—yes, a lead?”

John paused for a moment. “Are youalone? Can you speak freely?”

“I’m—no, I’m with another agent.But yes, I can speak freely.”

“Another agent? Foucault didn’tmention anything about—”

“Not DGSI. It’s Agent Leoni fromItaly. He was the one working the other half of this case.”

“Oh. Right. Christopher, yeah?”

“Mhmm. What lead?”

John took a moment, it seemed, togather himself but then said, in a slow, careful tone, “I suppose you can sharethis with Lenny too, if you like.”

“Leoni,” she said.

“Whatever. There’s a train-hopperon board with you now. He has an arrest record for assault, and his wife diedlast year of—get this—a heart attack. On top—he was on both the LuccaRail twodays ago, and the Normandie Express yesterday.”

Adele frowned, pressing her backagainst the door. “Hang on,” she said, “he’s here today? The passengers wereput on other trains when we sequestered the staff.”

“Right,” said John, “which makesit strange, doesn’t it? He bought another ticket for the same train. Looks likehe moved up from coach to first class.”

“Do you have a name?”

“Isaac Lafitte.”

Adele pressed the phone to hershoulder, muffling the speaker, and looked at Agent Leoni. “Do you know anyoneby the name of Isaac Lafitte?” she asked, hesitantly.

The handsome Italian agent thoughtfor a moment, but gave a faint shake of his head. “Was he first class?”

Adele shook her head, phone stillpressed to her shirt. “Not on the LuccaRail. In Italy, it sounds like he was incoach, but he was also on the Normandie.”

Leoni’s eyebrows ratcheted up andAdele gave a significant nod. She lifted the phone now and said, “When did heboard?”

“Just an hour ago,” John replied. “He’sin first class right now. Car two, room three.”

“Excellent. Thank you, John.”

“You’re welcome,” he said, histone strained.

Adele hesitated, wondering if sheshould say anything else. Wondering if he was expecting her to. She hadn’texpected John to take this case seriously, but then again, he’d been an agentlong before she’d shown up. Just because she didn’t approve of his methods didn’tmean he wasn’t effective. Still…

“I…” she began.

But she’d left it too late. Johnspoke over her at the same time, “See ya around.” Then he hung up.

Adele sighed, holding her phonefor a moment in a still hand, and then, shaking her head, she turned away andregarded Leoni. “Isaac Lafitte is in car two,” she said with a significant tiltof her eyebrows.

“That’s…” His frowned followed. “Hangon.”

Leoni pushed off the bed quickly,wearing an immaculate Italian suit, like he was heading out to some dinnerparty. The suit was clearly tailored and he had twin panther-eyed silvercufflinks on either wrist. He pushed open the door and Adele quickly followed,both of them moving down the car.

Adele stopped in front of thethird door, furthest from Leoni’s room. Car two.

Adele shared a significant lookwith the Italian. “This is it,” she murmured.

He nodded, raised a fist, and thenknocked three times. “Hello, Mr. Lafitte!”

“DGSI!” Adele called, knocking aswell, framing the door by standing opposite Leoni, her shoulder pressed to thewall in case the door was flung open.

“Quit your yelling!” came a crankyvoice from within the compartment.

Adele gestured quickly at Leoniand he took a step back from the door, distancing himself in case Isaac Lafittewas armed.

“Open your door, sir!” Adelecalled. “We need to speak with you.”

More grumbling from within andthen, eventually, with an air of much reluctance, the door was pushed open,half an inch at a time, by a familiar man. The same loud-mouthed passenger who’drefused to relinquish his luggage earlier and who’d cursed out the valet. Sheblinked in surprise, but covered quickly. Robert had always said: trust yourinstincts.

The man’s expression hadn’taltered at all in the last hour. In fact, he seemed even more cantankerous thanwhen they’d first interacted.

“What?” he snapped.

Adele flashed her credentials andmimed pushing the door open even more. “Mind if we chat?”

The door stayed exactly where itwas, half ajar.

“Bug off,” he snorted. “You got awarrant?”

“No warrant,” said Adele, testily,“but we need to speak with you in regards to an ongoing—”

The door was pulled shut, cuttingher off. Adele blinked and glanced at Leoni, who shrugged back at her, thenlooked to the door once more. “Excuse me?” she called, knocking even moreloudly this time.

By now, the couple who’d borderedthe train first were peeking out from the room between Leoni’s and Lafitte’s.They were standing in the hall, eyes wide, watching the spectacle. Adele made afaint shooing motion, and the couple ducked back into their room, but kept thedoor open, apparently wanting to catch all the details.

“Mr. Lafitte!” Adele called. “Openup or we’ll have to get the conductor, sir!”

This time, the door slammed openand caught Adele across the shoulder, sending her reeling back into the coolglass of the near window. “Leave me the hell alone!” Mr. Lafitte shouted,shaking a fist at Adele. In one hand, it looked like he was now holding a heftysilver pitcher which he was wielding like a cudgel.

Leoni took a step toward Adele asif to see if she were all right, but Lafitte seemed to interpret this as an aggressivemotion. He swung his pitcher, aiming for Leoni’s skull. The Italian agent movedlike water over marble. In one swift motion, he ducked under the blow, his leftarm rising, catching Lafitte on the other side of his swinging arm. Thefirst-class passenger cursed as the pitcher was sent clattering to the ground,but the sound died a second later as a swift open-handed strike to his throatsent him doubled up and gasping at the floor.

Adele stared, impressed—she hadn’trealized Leoni could move that quickly.

Lafitte wheezed, both hands nowreaching toward his neck, and he stumbled, nearly slamming his head into theopen door.

“You’re all right,” Leoni said, ina strangely comforting sort of voice. “Take deep breaths, you’re fine.” Hepatted Lafitte on the back, but used