Jack watched while Harry commandeered a cab that was just pulling to the curb. He beat the uniformed bellman by a hair and opened the cab door himself. “I don’t need someone to open a car door, I can do it myself. Nor do I feel the need to tip someone twenty bucks for the pleasure. Don’t go giving me that when in Rome do as the Romans do. How the hell do you know the Romans tipped twenty bucks for a chariot ride?” Harry rattled on before Jack could open his mouth.

“I have an idea, Harry. Get back out of the cab and kill the guy so we can be on our way.” Harry actually laughed out loud as Jack spieled off the address they wanted to be taken to.

By the time they reached the complex where Jane Petrie had planned to spend her vacation, Jack’s headache was almost gone, and he was starting to feel human again. “How do you think we should play this, Harry? Good guy, bad guy, all muscle and gold shields from the git-go, or flat-out threaten with something or other?”

“Well, Annie and Myra always say, and Charles backs them up, that you get more flies with honey than vinegar.”

“We tried honey yesterday, and she bamboozled us. What’s even worse, we fell for it. Today is pure vinegar. I say we go with two bad guys flexing their muscles as they whip out their gold shields. Last resort, we pony up with a wad of euros.”

“That works for me,” Harry said agreeably. “The good thing is the lady speaks excellent English, so you won’t have to torture her with your pigeon French.”

Jack looked around to get his bearings when he stepped out of the cab, Harry right behind him. “I think this is the main entrance we went in yesterday, but we came from another direction. Left side is vacation rentals, right side for long-term rentals. Is that how you remember it, Harry?”

“Yeah. Let’s go.”

“Now who’s being surly?” Jack called over his shoulder.

Jack opened the door. A bell tinkled overhead. He could smell French roast coffee. Why the hell not, they were in France, after all. The lady behind the desk had her coffee cup almost to her mouth when she looked up and saw Harry and Jack. Instead of drinking it, she used both hands to set the cup in front of her. Her face looked pinched, her eyes wary as she waited for them to say something.

Jack took the initiative. He reached for his gold shield and held it up. “You lied to us yesterday, mademoiselle. Yesterday, you told us you didn’t know where Ms. Petrie went. We’ve come to find out that you do indeed know. In fact, we’re told you arranged for the transfer. True or false?”