Pel and the Sepulchre Job by Mark Hebden

Author:Mark Hebden
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Pel & The Sepulchre Job
ISBN: 9780755125326
Publisher: House of Stratus
Published: 2013-01-08T05:00:00+00:00

From the portrait that he’d built up of Colette Esterhazy, it began to seem to Nosjean that Leygues’ decision to allow her to have pictures out of their frames was not all that unusual. There appeared to be a lot of people about who would happily have lain down and allowed Colette Esterhazy to walk up their backs in spiked heels. She had everything in her favour, but she had never, it seemed, taken advantage of it – save for apparently seducing Arthur Leygues and Marc Distaing into allowing her to walk away with two pictures worth a fortune.

It only left her parents. The University supplied their address. She came from Beauvais and it meant a long journey. Nosjean did it on the Sunday and took Mijo Lehmann with him for the day out.

Colette Esterhazy’s parents lived in a large house on the outskirts of the town. Her father was a lawyer and they lived in comfortable circumstances. He was a very good looking man and it was obvious that his wife had once been beautiful. They were gentle and welcoming and seemed devoted to each other so that it was clear Colette Esterhazy had inherited from them not only her good looks but also her happy nature.

They were clearly horrified by what had happened. ‘She was always such a good girl,’ her mother said. ‘And so clever. She was good at her studies at school, and when she discovered she was good at art she made the switch to it easily. We thought she had a great future before her.’

‘We were worried, though,’ her father pointed out. ‘You read so much about artists, don’t you?’ He cleared his throat while his wife raised her eyebrows.

You did indeed, Nosjean thought. ‘What about men?’ he asked. ‘I get the impression that she’s very beautiful. It would seem normal that men would chase her.’

‘Oh, they do,’ Madame Esterhazy said. ‘But it doesn’t seem to worry her. She’s always modest about herself. I don’t think she realises how beautiful she is. That’s why she’s always so nice, so kind. There isn’t an atom of selfishness in her.’

Nosjean seemed to be investigating a paragon of virtue.

‘Did any of them come here?’ he asked.

‘Oh, of course. There was Yvon Tisch. And George de Vannes. They were both very wealthy and we rather hoped…’ Madame Esterhazy shrugged. ‘But she seems set on a career in art and nothing came of either of them.’

‘Anybody who wasn’t local?’

‘One or two. But nobody more than once or twice. She doesn’t seem to be all that interested.’

She must have been interested in someone, Nosjean decided. He couldn’t imagine a girl as beautiful, gifted, kind and naïve as this one was supposed to be thinking up a clever scheme to steal two valuable paintings without help. In which case, there must have been some man in the background, playing Svengali to her Trilby.

‘When did you last see her?’

‘Some time ago now. She lives her own life. She’s old enough. And she has a high moral standard.

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