“D’accord,” began Serge, scratching his chin. “It’s pretty simple, really. Chef Laurence worked at the Cavendish. That’s where he got his start as a sous-chef. He was eventually promoted and put in charge of the ordering process. That was part of his job, and he started padding the orders, keeping some for himself. That’s how he made enough money to open his school and his shop. At some point Richard Mason found out about it. He was an investigative reporter, non?”

“I still can’t believe Richard was involved,” said Ted, shaking his head ruefully.

“Maybe not. It is for the court to decide. But the police believe that Richard demanded more and more of the profits, and Chef Laurence didn’t like that. They had a fight of some sort, there were knives, and Richard stabbed Chef Laurence. Maybe true, maybe not, but c’est dommage. It looks like your friend will be going to jail for a while. Les flics say they have enough evidence about the stolen goods to get a conviction, even if they can’t pin the stabbing on him. They do have witnesses who saw him at the hospital on the day of the general strike, just before Chef Larry was found dead. The flics believe Richard smothered Chef Laurence so he could not identify him as his attacker.”

“It’s hard to believe,” said Pam, covering Ted’s hand with her own and squeezing it. “Richard is an old and dear friend.”

“People change,” said Rachel. “In a different culture, it’s easier to give in to temptation. He may have felt a certain sense of immunity, believing that nobody here knew him, unlike at home.”

“You mean like Vegas?” asked Sid. “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas?”

Sid’s comment elicited a few chuckles, and spirits rose as the waiter arrived with a couple of bottles of wine. When everyone’s glass had been filled and orders had been taken, Lucy turned to Chris.

“So tell us about the coin, the Golden Eagle.”

“Actually, it’s a Double Eagle. When the U.S. went off the gold standard, everybody had to turn in their gold coins, but a few remained uncollected, mostly belonging to noncitizens. The Secret Service has been tracking them for years, and we knew that King Farouk had at least one, and probably more. When he was deposed, a few faithful followers left Egypt with him, and we think he gave this particular Double Eagle to his advisor, as a token of appreciation for his faithful service. The advisor was Khalid Sadek’s father, and when he died, the coin came into his possession.