Goodbye, Janette (44 page)

Janette opened her purse and took out a letter. “Some months ago I received this notice from the Swiss Credit Bank of Geneva.” She gave it to Johann. “I would like you to read it.”

Johann took out his glasses and put them on. He read it quickly, then gave it to Heidi. “When you’ve finished, give it to Lauren to read.”

They were silent until Lauren finished reading. Then Lauren looked up. “What does it mean?” she asked.

Janette looked at her. “Obviously Mother placed something very valuable in that bank and it’s been there all these years.”

“Do you know what it is?” Lauren asked.

“Not exactly,” she answered. “But I have a good idea.”

“Then why didn’t you go right up there and take it out?” Lauren asked.

“The only one that can do that is the person who has the key,” Janette said. “And I don’t have it.”

“Then who does?” Lauren asked.

Johann’s voice was unexpected. “I do.”

“But you never said anything,” Lauren said.

“I didn’t have to,” Johann said, “until I thought it was necessary.” He took a file folder from his desk drawer and opened it in front of him. From the folder he took a photocopy of the letter that Tanya had left in the vault for him. He handed the letter to Janette. “I think that will be self-explanatory.”

Janette read it quickly and passed it to Lauren, who read it and looked up. “But I still don’t know what it is.”

“Gold,” Janette said. “A fortune in gold coins.”

“How do you know that?” Lauren asked.

“Maurice told me,” Janette replied. “Half of them belonged to him but before the war was over General von Brenner had Mother smuggle them out of France and put the coins in a Swiss bank.”

Johann looked at Janette. “Since when do you believe what he tells you?”

“What reason would he have to lie?” she asked. “He told me the whole story. About how the general stole the companies from him and put everything in Mother’s name.”

Johann shook his head sadly. “It’s a lie. Nothing but a lie. Everything Maurice has today, even his title, was bought for him, either by the general or given to him by your mother.”

“Then why didn’t you tell us about this before?” Janette demanded.

“You read the letter,” Johann said. “I didn’t think it was necessary.”

“Were you ever going to think it was necessary?” Janette said coldly. “Or were you planning to keep it all for yourself?”

“You bitch!” Heidi’s voice was angry. “If it weren’t for Johann, you would have nothing, be nothing but a whore on the streets of Paris today. It was Johann who kept Maurice from stealing everything from your mother, it was Johann who protected you all the years you were growing up.”

Johann held up his hand. “Don’t get upset, dear,” he said soothingly. He turned to Janette. “And what would you like me to do now?”

“Give me the key,” she snapped.

“I can’t do that,” he said. “Half of it belongs to your sister.”

“Maurice was right,” she snapped. “There’s nothing left. You used it all for yourself.”

Johann looked at her. “I took nothing except what I was entitled to.”

“That’s the money you used to buy the company from me!” she said.

“No,” Heidi said. She ignored Johann’s restraining gesture. “It’s time you learned some truths. The money was in the bank in your mother’s name but it wasn’t your mother’s money. It belonged to the general. And when the general’s widow and sons came to Paris intending to bring a suit against you and your mother’s estate to recover the property that the general had owned, which included the vineyards, the perfume factory and the mineral water company—all of which was now in your name and Lauren’s—Johann took that share of the money which belonged to him and paid them off.” She looked at Johann. “Show them the release you had the von Brenners sign.”

Johann took another paper from the file and gave it to Janette. Janette read it and looked up at him. “How do I know this is true?”

Lauren’s voice was shocked. “You can’t believe that Daddy would lie, could you?”

“Anyone could write a piece of paper,” Janette said contemptuously. “That doesn’t mean anything. Don’t be naive. We’re talking about millions of dollars.”

“I don’t care about the money,” Lauren said. “I can’t seem to make you understand I never did.”

“You can’t be like that anymore,” Janette snapped. “You have a child to protect.”

“I’ll protect my own child in my own way,” Lauren answered angrily. “I don’t like what you’re saying and I don’t like what you’re doing.”

“I need that money,” Janette said. “And I need it now. And I mean to have it if I have to go into the court and tell the whole world that Johann Schwebel was in the Nazi army of occupation in France and together with his superior officer looted the helpless French of their possessions.”

Lauren shook her head. “I don’t believe it. You’re really not saying those terrible things.” She looked at Janette. “You can’t be willing to ruin so many lives just because of money.”

Janette stared back at her silently.

Lauren turned to Johann. “Give her the key, Daddy. If that’s what she wants, let her have it.”

“It’s half yours, child,” he said.

“I don’t care.” She was crying. “It’s dirty money covered with blood and hate and I don’t want any of it now.”

Johann looked at Heidi. She nodded. “Lauren is right. It’s blood money. Give her the key.”

Johann hesitated for a moment. Then looked at them. “No, I won’t do it. I don’t give a damn what Janette wants. Half of it belongs to Lauren and will remain there until Lauren decides what she wants done with it. He looked at Janette. “I will meet you at the bank in Geneva next week and turn over your share to you. Is that satisfactory?”

Janette nodded. “It has to be. I don’t have any choice, do I?”

“No choice at all,” Johann said.

Heidi got to her feet. Her voice was angry. “Now get out of my house. I never want to see you again.”

Janette got to her feet. She looked down at Lauren. “I did it as much for you as I did it for myself.”

Lauren raised her head. She brushed the tears away from her eyes with the back of her hand. “I’ll bet,” she said sarcastically. “You’ve never done anything for anyone in your whole life unless there was something in it for you. I agree with Mother. I don’t ever want to see you again.”

“But—” Janette hesitated. This wasn’t what she had wanted. Lauren was supposed to be with her.

Lauren’s voice was suddenly strong. Janette had heard it like that once before. When she left Patrick. “No buts. Goodbye, Janette.”

Janette looked at her for a moment, then turned toward the door. Lauren had meant it when she said she was leaving Patrick. And she meant what she said now.

***

Johann was waiting for her when she arrived at the bank. She shivered as she got out of the taxi and hurried inside, the mink-lined hood of her parka shielded her face against the sleeting December rain that always seemed to be falling on Geneva streets.

The young man who had brought the notice to her in Paris greeted her at the door. “Madame de la Beauville, so nice to see you again.”

Frantically she searched her memory for his name and found it. “Monsieur Thierry.” She smiled.

“Herr Schwebel is waiting in my office,” he said. “Please follow me.”

He led her to an office at the rear of the bank, through a door marked “Private.” Johann was standing at the window, looking out at the street. He turned when he heard them enter.

“Good morning Johann,” she said.

He didn’t return her greeting. “I suggest that you rent a vault before we go downstairs,” he said abruptly.

She looked at him for a moment, then turned to Thierry. “I suppose that’s a good idea. Monsieur Thierry, please.”

“Of course, Madame,” the young man said. He took some papers from his desk. “If you will be kind enough to fill these out, it will only take a moment.”

She sat down in the chair he indicated and quickly filled out the forms and pushed them across the desk to him. He glanced at them.

“Very good,” he said, turning the papers over. “There is a form on this side on which you can designate a beneficiary to whom the vault will be given in the event of your demise. If you should wish to use it, however, we shall need two witnesses who will attest both to your signature and the name of your beneficiary. Of course, everything will be held strictly confidential under the terms of the Swiss banking laws.”

She thought for a moment. “I’d like to use it.”

“Very well,” Thierry said. “I will call in two bank employees to attest the document.”

“I’ll wait outside,” Johann said.

“Is it necessary?” she asked the banker. “Can’t you and Monsieur Schwebel act as witnesses?”

“Of course,” Thierry replied. “But in that case you must understand that the bank cannot guarantee confidentiality.” He turned to Johann. “With all due respect to Herr Schwebel.”

“I’m not concerned about that,” she said.

“Very good,” the banker said. “Fill in the names of the beneficiaries and their relationship to you in the space indicated. Then sign your name where indicated.” He gave Janette the pen again and looked up. “Herr Schwebel, will you to be kind enough to observe Madame de la Beauville’s writing?”

Johann came next to her and stood there looking at the form as she filled it out. She wrote quickly on the lines designated for the beneficiaries. Lauren Reardon, sister, and/or Anitra Reardon, niece. Then on the line below, her own name. The banker pushed a stamp pad toward her. “We’ll need your thumbprint,” he said apologetically. She held out her hand and he guided her thumb and pressed it on the pad, then guided it to the paper. “Roll your thumb from side to side,” he said. “Now, Herr Schwebel, your signature.”

Quickly Johann signed it. Then the banker himself signed the document. He got to his feet. “If you will excuse me for a moment, I’ll get a vault assigned to you and come right back with the key.”

The door closed behind him and they sat there in silence for a moment. She took out a cigarette and lit it. He went to the window again and looked out. He spoke without turning to look at her. “Every time I think I finally have you all figured out you do something to surprise me.”

“I have no intention of dying,” she said.

Thierry came back into the office. He gave the key to Janette. “Now if you’ll be kind enough to follow me.”

They went down into the vault. Quickly he checked the number on Johann’s key, and placing his key in the lock, turned it, then waited while Johann placed his key in the other lock and turned it. The door swung open. He did the same thing for Janette. The two boxes were almost next to each other. He turned to them. “I’ll leave you alone,” he said. “When you’re ready to leave, press this button near the vault door and I’ll be back to let you out.”

“Thank you,” Johann said. He waited until the vault door had closed behind the banker, then turned to Janette. He nodded and quickly began taking canvas coin bags from the deep box and piling them up on a wooden table just behind him. Finally there were thirty-three of them. Then he searched around in the box until he found what he was looking for—a canvas bag slightly smaller than the others. He peered at the markings on it, then placed it on the table with the others. He looked at her. “That’s it.”

Wonderingly, she picked up the last bag and opened the cord that held it shut. She turned it over on the table and the gold coins began tumbling out. Holding her breath, she picked one up and looked at it. It was a coin she had never seen before, but despite its small size it was heavy in her hand. “What is it?” she asked breathlessly, her heart beginning to pound.

“Gold napoleons, louis they’re called, after Louis Napoleon, who ordered them struck,” Johann answered.

“My God,” she almost whispered. “What are they worth?”

“Your share is thirty-three thousand three hundred and thirty-three of them,” he said. “At today’s gold price they have a value of about five million dollars.”

“Five million dollars,” she said. Maurice had tricked her. He had pushed her into doing what she did because she thought there would be enough money to buy back her freedom from Kensington. It wasn’t worth it.

“It’s a lot of money,” he said. He gestured to his open vault. “Would you like to check this box? There is exactly the same amount of money in it as you have there on the table.”

She shook her head. “I don’t have to do that. I trust you.”

“Finally,” he said dryly. He snapped the door of his box shut and straightened up. “I suggest you place your bags in your vault.”

She was still staring at the money. “Yes,” she said.

“Do you want me to help you?” he asked.

She looked at him. “Please.”

Quickly they began to put the bags into the box. At the end there were just the coins she had emptied on the table. She began to put them back into the bag.

He stood there watching her. “You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to, Janette, but what happened that made you feel you needed this money so desperately?”

“I wanted to buy my freedom from Kensington,” she answered in a low voice. There was no point in telling him now that it wouldn’t be enough.

“What on earth for?” His voice was incredulous. “They’ve done a fantastic job for you. You have to be netting at least four million dollars a year.”

She didn’t answer.

“I don’t have to give you this advice,” he said. “But I’m going to anyway. I’ve been responsible for you so many years that it’s a habit I can’t get out of that easily.

“Gold is increasing in value every day. Two years ago what you have there was worth only one million. It’s gone up five times since then. And I’ve heard the U.S. government is planning to inflate the market and then place some of its gold reserve on sale. And then gold will go through the roof. By this time next year the value of what you have may well be five times what it is today.”

She stared at him, still silent, the last of the coins in the bag. She pulled the string shut.

“What I’m saying to you is—keep the gold. Forget buying out Kensington. That gold will be worth twenty-five, thirty million dollars in about a year. You won’t live long enough to make that much more money from buying out Kensington.”