They went outside to where his police car was waiting, and he shoved Leo Linville into the back. “Oh, Lieutenant,” she asked him as he headed for the driver’s side.

“Yes?”

“About that breaking and entering thing . . .”

He shrugged. “What breaking and entering thing? Just promise me you’ll stay out of things from now on?”

She looked around, hoping the necklace would jump out at her. “Well . . . I’d really like to know if you find the Madame Royale. You’ll tell me, right? It has to be here, somewhere. Or . . . maybe we’re too late? Maybe he already sold it?”

Bayans rolled his eyes to the heavens. “I will be sure to let you know the moment we find it. But here, I thought you’d never want to hear about that confounded jewel again?”

She smiled. He was right. Jewelry was lovely, but that priceless artifact was a little too much for her. She’d be happy once this was all behind her.

But right now, it didn’t feel like it was.

*

Diana thought she’d feel a lot better about things. Now, the blame was off her. Soon, they’d find the necklace. Likely, she’d no longer have to worry about rotting away in a French jail. Her retirement would remain intact. She still had weeks and weeks of adventure in Europe to enjoy. She should’ve been floating back to the inn on air.

And yet, as she walked down the streets of the city she’d always dreamed of seeing, something was wrong.

Stop it, she told herself. Now, you can truly let the good times roll and enjoy this year abroad. Go to that café. Enjoy the food. See the Eiffel Tower and be HAPPY!

She couldn’t put her finger on just what it was, but something was bothering her. Maybe it was that after all her dreaming of the Versailles ball, she’d wound up in a fairy tale-turned-nightmare. Maybe it was that her Paris itinerary had been completely decimated.

But that wasn’t it. Sure, “Luc” had been a dud, but it was nice even for those few moments to feel like she was in a fairy tale. And so what if she hadn’t done everything on her itinerary? She was here, seeing it all. Just in a different, more frantic, less touristy way than she’d expected to . . . but she was having an adventure.

So . . . what was the problem?

She walked a few more blocks back to the hotel, peering in windows of shops selling fine French perfumes or delicate china and soap and housewares. As she did, the events of the past few days cycled through her head. So Claude and this man, Leo, had been in cahoots, working together to steal from the unsuspecting partygoers. Leo had snatched the necklace from her when she’d tripped on the balcony. Funny how she’d never even felt it! He must’ve been a pro . . .

Her phone pinged with a text. From Bayans. It said, We’ve searched his place. No necklace yet.