Chapter 5

Samantha felt the chill leave the room; the lights softened to an amber glow that seemed to fill the room with spirits from the past. The almost forgotten feelings rose in her breast as Bernard’s icy stare thawed. She was warmed by his blossoming smile. The two could contain themselves no longer and fell into a crushing embrace. Tears stained their cheeks without notice as the patrons that had been partying so noisily in the lounge vanished from their world. A world where, for that moment at least, no one else mattered.

The moment passed. Samantha wasn’t sure who broke it. All she knew was she felt embarrassed by her lack of self-control.  Bernard resumed his responsibility of keeping the liquour flowing for his high rolling clientele. He had rent to pay and keeping the lights on required it. But then it seemed Samantha wasn’t quite ready to have euphoria end, so Bernard finished out the night behind the bar with her perched on a stool across from him while they filled in the gaps of the last five years. They remembered the stories of their past together, perhaps rekindling a spark that, despite everything, had never quite gone out. All the while Samantha focused on Bernard’s eyes. A lingering distrust, perhaps from the sudden and unexpected breakup all those years ago gnawed at her. The more Samantha thought about it, the more convinced she became that he was hiding something sinister from her.

Early the next morning she, with Sargent Wrendt, was back in Poleski’s flat, an upscale condominium off the Embankment near the Albert Bridge. The apartment was larger than the typical five-room flat that a single woman just beginning to make her own way could afford.

As soon as they pushed the door open into a room lit by the morning sun spilling in through the curtainless front window, Samantha said, “… doesn’t look like anyone’s been back. My guess is either they found what they were looking for or they were interrupted. I’m going with interrupted.”

“You search out here,” Rider ordered as she stepped around an overturned sofa on her way to the bedroom.

The sargent pawed through the cushions of an overturned Victorian wing backed chair.

“What are we looking for, boss?” She didn’t answer. She didn’t know what was there but she knew there was something.

Rider was busy pulling drawers out of a large chest of drawers and emptying them on the unmade bed. Out tumbled neatly folded pajamas, underwear, sweaters, all the usual things one would expect to find. It was obvious that whoever ransacked the apartment didn’t make it into the bedroom before they were chased out.  Finally, as she carefully sorted through the woman’s personal items. Samantha’s fingers touched a small envelope. She pulled it out and poured a gold chain with a small silver key with a Triskelion engraving into the palm of her hand. It matched the one found in the alley.