Cast An Evil Eye Read online

  “I’m afraid they are, cherie,” he said, returning her hug. “We don’t want them causing you any harm. They might try and use you to get to us.”

  “Don’t worry!” Courtney declared. “I’ll never be fooled!”

  Zack shook his head. Oh, the confidence of youth! he muttered under his breath.

  A pall fell over their celebration. The gaiety was gone, and in its place was a sense of dire apprehension. Gregory, Jr. and his mother, Countess Lilli were supposed to have been sent to prison for life without possibility of parole. Why they were released after only twenty-one years was a big mystery.

  This had been quite a day. Great reviews, topped by the worst possible news. They were all pretty exhausted, so they decided to retire early.

  CHAPTER III

  A nightmare woke Cammie at two o’clock in the morning. Unable to sleep any more, she rose quietly, not wanting to waken Jeremy, and slipped out of the room down to the kitchen.

  Hildy was already there, sitting and staring out the window, as though she half expected Gregory Wilcox, Jr. and Countess Lilli to come flying in over the Atlantic Ocean in his private plane and taxi in on the landing pad outside the Chateau, just as he used to. She looked up as Cammie entered the room, and managed a wry smile. “You couldn’t sleep, either?” she asked.

  Cammie shook her head. “I had a terrible dream. Francois—I mean, Gregory,” she corrected herself—“he kidnapped me again. I can’t seem to get those awful pictures out of my mind.” She shuddered as the memories washed over her like a tornado uprooting what confidence she had been able to salvage from the nightmarish horror of years ago. “The fear and panic—they’re all back. How did I ever live through it? It was the most awful experience of my life.”

  Hildy reached out her hand and pulled Cammie down into the chair beside her. “I know, dear. I felt the same way when his father kidnapped Roger and me and left us stranded in the Alps. But we’re here now, safe and sound. We have a wonderful life. That’s the thing to concentrate on. We’re probably borrowing trouble, anyway. Chances are we’ll never see Lilli or Gregory, Jr. again.” But she didn’t look at all convinced.

  Cammie glanced at her mother. “I hope you’re right, but it’s scary just knowing they’re out there free as birds, and here we are shaking in our boots. How could it happen? It’s not fair.”

  The door to the kitchen opened, and Courtney stood there rubbing her eyes. “I couldn’t sleep. I heard voices. What are you two up to?”

  Cammie pulled out a chair and motioned to her. “Come and join us, sweetie,” she greeted her. “We couldn’t sleep, either. I can’t believe that Gregory and his mother are free. How could they release them from prison after what they did?”

  Courtney was all sympathy. “It must have been awful for you—both of you. I can’t imagine being kidnapped like that and left to die.” She turned to Cammie. “Mom—was this Gregory person really going to kill you?”

  “Oh, yes. He bragged about it. He planned to put the blame on Andre. He even set a bomb outside the door where he had me locked up. He didn’t know I had already escaped. But he found me out on the balcony. Zack flew over in a helicopter and saw me struggling with Gregory. Your father lowered a rope ladder to me and I grabbed it just as the bomb went off. He pulled me up into the helicopter. Then Gregory told the police that we set the bomb to kill him, twisting it around to make us look like the culprits. It was a terrible mess till your Great Grampa Fran came to our rescue.”

  Courtney looked pensive. “Isn’t it strange that you both had the same experience—both kidnapped. It’s almost as though it runs in the family. Being kidnapped, I mean. Déjà vu!”

  Hildy was horrified. “Don’t say that, Courtney!”

  “I’m sorry, Grandy Hildy. I was half joking.”

  “It’s nothing to joke about, dear. Even if it’s only half a joke.”

  “I was just trying to put a light touch on it,” Courtney explained. “You know—inject some humor into the situation.” She shivered. “But it isn’t funny, is it? I hope I never have to go through anything like that. I don’t think I could survive. I wonder how you did.”

  Hildy rose and walked over to check the coffee pot which she had plugged in. “Well, dear,” she said, “I guess you just do what you have to do to get through it. You pray a lot, and you keep believing that somehow you’ll get out of it alive.”

  “I think you were both very brave,” Courtney told them. “I’m sure glad you’re my mother and grandmother. I couldn’t have made a better choice.”

  The whistle from the coffee pot signaled that the coffee was ready. Hildy poured some into three cups and brought them over to the table. They sat in silence, sipping and letting the warmth comfort them, each wondering if they weren’t being foolish to worry. After all, what could Greg, Jr. or Lilli possibly do that wouldn’t catch up with them? They were sure neither of them would want to do anything that would send them back to jail. Twenty-one years should be quite enough for anyone, they felt.

  They sat there sipping and thinking—thinking and sipping.

  CHAPTER IV

  Dawn was beginning to peek through the windows of the Chateau as the sun poked its head above the ocean. Seagulls were already soaring overhead, chatting to each other, then diving into the choppy waters for their early morning meal.

  Outwardly, everything seemed to be perfectly in tune. But an ominous sense of oppression hung over the Chateau in Biarritz.

  Hildy, Cammie, and Courtney knew it was useless to try and get any more sleep, so each returned to her bedroom to get dressed for the day.

  Jay was already up. “Good morning, honey,” he greeted Hildy. “We have plans to make.” He looked puzzled. “Where did you go in the middle of the night?”

  “You were awake? I didn’t want to disturb you, so I went down to the kitchen. I couldn’t sleep. I wasn’t there long before Cammie joined me. Then Courtney came down. She couldn’t sleep either.” She turned to the closet to pick out the clothes she would wear for the day, but as she stood there her shoulders began to shake, and she couldn’t control the sobs. She turned back to Jay in tears. “I thought this hideous nightmare was over and done with. I can’t believe Gregory and Lilli are out of prison. Is there no end to the trouble Gregory Wilcox and his son started so many years ago?” She threw her arms up in a gesture of despair. “I don’t think we’ll ever be free of them!”

  Jay walked over and put his arms around her. “Honey, I have an idea. Why don’t we all go to New York and attend Courtney’s musical? That will get us out of France for a while. We can all stay at our house in Scarsdale. We’ll feel safer once we’re back in the States. Surely Gregory and Lilli won’t follow us there. We can think about our next move later. One step at a time.”

  Hildy breathed a sigh of relief. “How soon can we leave?”

  “The sooner, the better,” Jay vowed. He looked at his watch. “Let’s see. It’s eight o’clock now. It’s a two-hour flight to Paris. As soon as we have breakfast I’ll have Zack warm up the engines, ready to take off. We’ll get packed and be on our way. If we leave by ten we can make the two o’clock plane to New York.” He walked over to the door. “You take your shower and get dressed. I’ll tell the others. I’m sure they’ll be delighted.”

  Zack was just coming out of his room as Jay entered the hallway.

  “Good morning, Zack,” Jay greeted him. “I’m glad I ran into you before we join the others. I’ve just suggested to Hildy that we all go to New York to attend Courtney’s musical. We should get as far away from here as we can. What do you think?”

  Zack nodded. “I was going to suggest the same thing at breakfast,” he agreed. “Let’s see—there’s you and Hildy, Cammie and Jeremy, Fran, Courtney, myself—” he paused—“and I wouldn’t dream of leaving Andre here in all this danger. We should take him with us.”
r />   “I wouldn’t leave without him!” Jay agreed.

  “That’s eight people,” Zack figured. “I’ll call and make the reservations. We should leave as soon as possible.”

  “I’ll break the news to the others,” Jay called back as he walked down the hall. “Come down to breakfast as soon as you can. The sooner we’re on that plane, the easier we’ll all feel.”

  The reservations were made for an afternoon flight in First Class. They ate a hearty breakfast, then scurried around packing, ready to leave for their trip.

  Now that they had a definite plan, and knew they would be out of the country away from Greg and Diane, the tension eased somewhat, although the urgency remained. They finished packing and left to go down to the landing strip outside the Chateau and board the Dubonnet jet to fly to Orly Airport in Paris.

  Jeremy had learned to fly the private plane, and Zack went into the cockpit with him to act as copilot. So different, he mused, from the time I acted as copilot for Gregory, Jr. and he let me fly the plane. He shook off the memory. Let’s hope we’re rid of them for good.

  The graceful bird rose from the landing pad, headed for Paris and the jet that would take them to Kennedy Airport in New York. This would put them in New York City in plenty of time for dinner and the show. They planned to get some sleep on the plane to combat jet lag.

  It was noon by now, Paris time, and the plane was due to take off at two o’clock and arrive at Kennedy by eleven thirty AM New York time with the five hour difference between Paris and New York.

  The Dubonnet private jet landed at Orly Airport just two hours after takeoff. Jeremy taxied in to the hangar especially reserved for the Dubonnets, and the eight of them made their way through the International Terminal to the First Class Lounge.

  As they sat in the comfortable sofas, Cammie noticed a man sitting nearby—a handsome young man with brown hair and eyes. It was obvious that he was staring at Courtney. For some unexplainable reason, this made Cammie uneasy.

  She looked at Zack, and could see that he, too, had noticed, and was busily studying the young man, sizing him up. She had known Zack for so long that she could easily read what he was thinking by the expression on his face. Distrust was written all over it, and Zack was never wrong in his evaluation of people.

  Cammie turned toward them. “I’m going to the ladies room,” she announced. “How about it, Mom? You, too, Courtney.”

  Hildy took the hint—Cammie wanted to speak to her.

  “Come on, Courtney,” Hildy said. “This is a good idea before we board the plane.” She took Courtney’s hand and literally dragged her along.

  Courtney seemed unaware that anything unusual was going on, although it was obvious that she had noticed the handsome young man who had been staring at her. Reluctantly she followed her mother and grandmother.

  When they reached the ladies room, Cammie turned to Courtney. “Honey,” she said, “the young man who was staring at you—” She hesitated. “This is precisely what we’ve been warning you about. I know you’re flattered—he is very handsome—but he’s a stranger. You know nothing about him. Maybe he’s okay. But maybe he’s not.”

  “Or maybe he knows who I am, and that we’re on our way back to New York to attend my musical,” Courtney interrupted. “My picture was in all the newspapers,” she reminded her mother.

  “Maybe—maybe—there are too many maybes here,” Cammie told her. “Just when things look the most innocent is the time to be careful. If everything seems too pat, watch out!”

  Courtney shrugged it off. “We can’t see a boogie man around every corner, for Pete’s sake!” she exclaimed.

  Cammie and Hildy looked at each other with a helpless expression. Hildy checked her watch. “We’d better get back to the others,” she said.

  Just as they appeared, the announcement came over the loud speaker that it was time for First and Business Class passengers to board.

  The young man grabbed his belongings and headed toward the boarding ramp. As he walked alongside the group he paused, still staring at Courtney. When he spoke to her it was with a slight accent.

  Zack listened intently, trying to figure out what kind of accent it was. In his training he had been schooled to discern the various dialects. It didn’t take him long to figure out that this tall, good-looking young man was definitely of Spanish origin.

  The young man had a charming smile as he spoke to Courtney. “You look familiar,” he told her. “Do I know you from somewhere?”

  Cammie stiffened at his remark. Where have I heard that line before? This was exactly how Gregory, Jr., alias the phony Francois II, had introduced himself to her at the casino in Monte Carlo many years ago.

  Courtney didn’t notice her mother’s consternation. It was obvious that she was thoroughly enjoying this. “If you do, I don’t know where,” she replied to his remark.

  “Well, if I haven’t met you before, I would sure like to now,” the stranger continued.

  By this time they were walking down the ramp that led into the plane, and Cammie felt that this stranger was taking entirely too many liberties with her daughter.

  So did Jeremy. Something about this man set him on edge.

  Courtney, however, was quite taken with him. Although she was used to lots of attention from men, having been to many countries and having met men from all over the world, even royalty, this one seemed different. He had the manners of royalty, and the charm of a rascal.

  At least, that’s the way it seemed to Cammie. What is he after? she wondered.

  She looked at Zack. Total distrust showed in his body language. His posture was stiff and uncompromising as he walked beside them—a complete giveaway.

  They entered the plane, and the young stranger turned to go into the Business Class section as Courtney and the rest of the party of eight turned left in the direction of First Class.

  He smiled at Courtney. “Well, I guess this is goodbye for now,” he said. “I had to settle for Business Class. First Class was all filled up. Now I see why.”

  Courtney hesitated. “Goodbye—uh—I don’t know your name.”

  “Oh,” he said, “where are my manners? I’m Manfred Kasnov.

  My friends call me Manny.” He paused. “And you? What is your name?”

  Courtney grinned as she put out her hand. “I’m Courtney Dubonnet,” she told him.

  There was a flicker of recognition in his eyes. Or was it a shrewd pretense? “Of course!” he exclaimed. “That’s where I’ve seen you before! Your picture is in all the newspapers! You wrote that wonderful musical, ‘Déjà Vu,’ that everyone is raving about! I knew you looked familiar!”

  He extended his hand to the others. “And, of course, you’re Hilary Stuart, the composer, and Cameron Dubonnet who sang in your mother’s beautiful musicals! What a talent! Your voice is incredible. I was sorry when I heard that you left the stage. What a loss!”

  Maybe we’re being unfair, thought Cammie. Perhaps he wasn’t pulling a line on Courtney. Our experience with Gregory, Jr. may be coloring our opinion. We really shouldn’t make snap judgments.

  Cautiously, she returned his handshake.

  They proceeded to their seats and fastened their seat belts. Soon the doors to the plane closed and prepared for takeoff. Courtney sat in the seat next to Zack.

  Zack, still skeptical about the young man, breathed a sigh of relief, hoping that was the end of it.

  But once they were airborne, Courtney rose from her seat and headed back to the Business Class section.

  An hour went by, and the flight attendant was already serving afternoon tea with sandwiches and petit fours. Zack turned around and looked toward the curtain that separated First Class from Business.

  No Courtney.

  He sipped his tea, deep in thought.

  CHAPTER Vr />
  Courtney walked down the aisle toward the Business Class section of the plane. She pushed back the curtains that separated Business from First Class, and stood there, looking around.

  Manny was sitting in the back row, almost hidden from her sight, but she finally spied him and headed in his direction, a wide smile on her face.

  The seat next to him was empty. As she approached him she saw that he was talking to someone on the phone. He spoke in a low tone, and she was surprised to hear him speak in French. That’s strange! she mused. I thought he was Spanish. Then she shrugged. Lots of Europeans speak several languages. But who does he know in France?

  When Manny saw her coming he said a hasty goodbye and replaced the phone to its cradle in the back of the seat in front of him. But not before Courtney heard the last few words.

  “Don’t worry. Everything is going to plan.” He hung up and motioned to Courtney to join him.

  “Hi,” she greeted him. “Is this seat taken?” she joked.

  He grinned. “It is now. Won’t your folks object to your being here?”

  “I don’t care if they do. I’m old enough to make my own choices.” She sat down and fastened her seat belt. As soon as she was settled she turned to him. “Uh—do you know someone in France? I heard you talking in French.” She tried not to sound too probing, but she was curious.

  Manny averted his eyes. For just a moment he seemed at a loss for words. Then he turned to her and smiled. “Wouldn’t you like to know!” he teased. Then he relented. “It’s no secret. Just a business call. I’ve done a lot of work in France, and I was talking to a client. Just boring business stuff.”

  The flight attendant was beginning to serve afternoon tea and Courtney unfastened her seat belt and started to rise to her feet.

  “Stay,” Manny invited her. “Business Class is almost empty. I’m sure they won’t mind.”

  Courtney sat down again.

  “You’re not supposed to be here in this section,” the flight attendant admonished her. “Didn’t you come back here from First Class?”