One Night in Monaco - Blair Babylon Page 0,7

morning. Even the most delinquent gamblers have passed out by now.”

“At least we got a trip to Monaco out of it,” Roxanne said.

“Yep, there’s that.”

Issouf speed-walked out of the kitchen, bearing a tray with two cups on it. He placed one in front of Rox. “Another lemon and rose tea for the lady.” He positioned a steaming cup of pale amber tea in front of Gen, “And a special tea for you. It is ginger, turmeric, and mint. It is good for ladies with stomach problems during delicate times.”

A bit of sediment floated at the bottom of the fragrant tea. “That’s all that is in there, just those things?”

Gen was being exceptionally careful of what she ate, even though Arthur assured her that all Finch-Hatten babies were healthy and enormous, even during plague years. He had records.

Issouf had set his tray aside and counted on his long fingers. “Yes, just ginger, turmeric, and mint. My wife drinks this tea, and we have five healthy children. Very healthy. Do you want honey?”

The thought of gestational diabetes loomed every time Arthur assured her how absolutely enormous Finch-Hatten babies were. “No, thank you, on the honey. The tea smells great as it is.”

Issouf pressed his lips in a tight smile, obviously pleased.

Gen added a substantial tip as she signed the room charge and passed it to him, and Issouf smiled a little wider as he tucked the receipt in his shirt pocket.

He seemed to consider things for a moment, his bulbous eyes glancing at the plaster curlicues on the ceiling before he mentioned offhandedly, “I am sorry that I overheard you talking earlier. You are here to look for a man named Maxence?”

“Um, yeah,” Gen said while exchanging glances with Rox. “Maxence Robert.” She sipped the tea, which was mild and herbal. She could definitely taste the mint and ginger, and it felt like her stomach settled as soon as it touched her tongue. Dang. The man with five kids did indeed know how to make a pregnancy tea. “Wow, that is great. Ginger, turmeric, and mint?”

Issouf nodded. “But they must be fresh. No powders. I muddled the mint leaves and the ginger and turmeric roots in a mortar and pestle before steeping them, and then strained the tea. About this Maxence you mentioned, I feel I should not press, but one of your husbands inquired at the desk whether Maxence Grimaldi had stayed here or at another Four Seasons property yesterday.”

Roxanne rolled her eyes. “Casimir. He’s a bull in a china shop when it comes to cross-examining witnesses.”

That was true. Arthur was exceedingly well-trained in every type of operational security and could have gotten the information without dropping Max’s surname. Gen asked Issouf, “Do you know something that would help us?”

Issouf pressed his lips together, shushing himself, which Gen had learned from Arthur meant that she needed to pay very close attention to what he said next. She leaned forward in her seat and sipped her tea.

He sighed just a little, a resignation. “The desk declined to answer, citing our usual discretion. It is true that we are very discreet as to which guests are staying in the hotel and with whom.”

Gen refrained from snickering at his insinuation. Hey, would you look at that? Arthur’s British training was working. She said, “The hotel’s discretion is legendary.”

“But it seemed, from your conversation, that there was a problem with your Maxence, the one you’re looking for.”

“Yes, he’s missing. We’re worried about him, and we’re worried enough to fly here in the middle of the night to find him.”

“Because he’s here for an accounting convention.”

“Something like that.”

“If there were a Maxence of some last name staying here at the Hotel de Paris as a guest, we would know whether he had returned to the hotel this night and around what time.”

Gen raised one eyebrow at Rox, who was watching Issouf intently. Gen said, “We are concerned about his safety. We’d appreciate anything you could tell us.”

“We keep track of whether our guests are in or out of the hotel in order to provide them with superior service.”

“The hotel is also legendary for its superior service,” Gen agreed and sipped the tea he had provided. She had not realized how nauseated she had been until this tea had driven the queasiness away. Wow.

Issouf continued, “I may have inquired about whether he was seen while your tea was steeping.”

Gen waited, and Roxanne did, too. As Roxanne had been a paralegal for years, she was excellent at knowing