Sidney Sheldon - If Tomorrow Comes

When Tracy had locked the door behind her, she took off the tight-fitting blond wig and massaged her scalp. The baroness persona was one of her best. There were hundreds of titles to choose from in Debrett's Peerage and Baronetage and Almanach de Gotha. There were ladies and duchesses and princesses and baronesses and countesses by the score from two dozen countries, and the books were invaluable to Tracy, for they gave family histories dating back centuries, with the names of fathers and mothers and children, schools and houses, and addresses of family residences. It was a simple matter to select a prominent family and become a distant cousin — particularly a wealthy distant cousin. People were so impressed by titles and money.

Tracy thought of the stranger who had bumped into her in the hotel lobby and smiled. It had begun.

At 8:00 that evening the Baroness Marguerite de Chantilly was seated in the hotel's bar when the man who had collided with her earlier approached her table.

“Excuse me,” he said diffidently, “but I must apologize again for my inexcusable clumsiness this afternoon.”

Tracy gave him a gracious smile. “That's quite all right. It was an accident.”

“You are most kind.” He hesitated. “I would feel much better if you would permit me to buy you a drink.”

“Oui. If you wish.”

He slid into a chair opposite her. “Allow me to introduce myself. I am Professor Adolf Zuckerman.”

“Marguerite de Chantilly.”

Zuckerman signaled the captain. “What are you drinking?” Zuckerman asked Tracy.

“Champagne. But perhaps —”

He raised a reassuring hand. “I can afford it. In fact, I am on the verge of being able to afford anything in the world.”

“Really?” Tracy gave him a small smile. “How nice for you.”

“Yes.”

Zuckerman ordered a bottle of Bollinger, then turned to Tracy. “The most extraordinary thing has happened to me. I really should not be discussing this with a stranger, but it is too exciting to keep to myself.” He leaned closer and lowered 'his voice. “To tell you the truth, I am a simple school-teacher — or I was, until recently. I teach history. It is most enjoyable, you understand, but not too exciting.”

She listened, a look of polite interest on her face.

“That is to say, it was not exciting until a few months ago.”

“May I ask what happened a few months ago, Professor Zuckerman?”

“I was doing research on the Spanish Armada, looking for odd bits and pieces that might make the subject more interesting for my students, and in the archives of the local museum, I came across an old document that had somehow gotten mixed in with other papers. It gave the details of a secret expedition that Prince Philip sent out in 1588. One of the ships, loaded with gold bullion, was supposed to have sunk in a storm and vanished without a trace.”

Tracy looked at him thoughtfully. “Supposed to have sunk?”

“Exactly. But according to these records, the captain and crew deliberately sank the ship in a deserted cove, planning to come back later and retrieve the treasure, but they were attacked and killed by pirates before they could return. The document survived only because none of the sailors on the pirate ship could read or write. They did not know the significance of what they had.” His voice was trembling with excitement. “Now” — he lowered his voice and looked around to make sure it was safe to continue — “I have the document, with detailed instructions on how to get to the treasure.”

“What a fortunate discovery for you, Professor.” There was a note of admiration in her voice.

“That gold bullion is probably worth fifty million dollars today,” Zuckerman said. “All I have to do is bring it up.”

“What's stopping you?”

He gave an embarrassed shrug. “Money. I must outfit a ship to bring the treasure to the surface.”

“I see. How much would that cost?”

“A hundred thousand dollars. I must confess, I did something extremely foolish. I took twenty thousand dollars — my life's savings — and I came to Biarritz to gamble at the casino, hoping to win enough to…” His voice trailed off.

“And you lost it.”

He nodded. Tracy saw the glint of tears behind his spectacles.

The champagne arrived, and the captain popped the cork and poured the golden liquid into their glasses.

“Bonne chance,” Tracy toasted.

“Thank you.”

They sipped their drinks in contemplative silence.

“Please forgive me for boring you with all this,” Zuckerman said. “I should not be telling a beautiful lady my troubles.”

“But I find your story fascinating,” she assured him. “You are sure the gold is there, oui?”

“Beyond a shadow of a doubt. I have the original shipping orders and a map drawn by the captain, himself. I know the exact location of the treasure.”

She was studying him with a thoughtful expression on her face. “But you need a hundred thousand dollars?”

Zuckerman chuckled ruefully. “Yes. For a treasure worth fifty million.” He took another sip of his drink.

“C'est possible…” She stopped.

“What?”

“Have you considered taking in a partner?”

He looked at her in surprise. “A partner? No. I planned to do this alone. But of course now that I've lost my money…” His voice trailed off again.

“Professor Zuckerman, suppose I were to give you the hundred thousand dollars?”

He shook his head. “Absolutely not, Baroness. I could not permit that. You might lose your money.”

“But if you're sure the treasure is there —?”

“Oh, of that I am positive. But a hundred things could go wrong. There are no guarantees.”

“In life, there are few guarantees. Your problem is trиs intйressant. Perhaps if I help you solve it, it could be lucrative for both of us.”

“No, I could never forgive myself if by any remote chance you should lose your money.”

“I can afford it,” she assured him. “And I would stand to make a great deal on my investment, n'est-ce pas?”

“Of course, there is that side of it,” Zuckerman admitted. He sat there weighing the matter, obviously torn with doubts. Finally, he said, “If that is what you wish, you will be a fifty-fifty partner.”

She smiled, pleased. “D'accord. I accept.”

The professor added quickly, “After expenses, of course.”

“Naturellement. How soon can we get started?”

“Immediately.” The professor was charged with a sudden vitality. “I have already found the boat I want to use. It has modern dredging equipment and a crew of four. Of course, we will have to give them a small percentage of whatever we bring up.”

“Bien sыr.”

“We should get started as quickly as possible, or we might lose the boat.”

“I can have the money for you in five days.”

“Wonderful!” Zuckerman exclaimed. “That will give me time to make all the preparations. Ah, this was a fortuitous meeting for both of us, was it not?”

“Oui. Sans doute.”

“To our adventure.” The professor raised his glass.

Tracy raised hers and toasted, “May it prove to be as profitable as I feel it will be.”

They clinked glasses. Tracy looked across the room and froze. At a table in the far corner was Jeff Stevens, watching her with an amused smile on his face. With him was an attractive woman ablaze with jewels.

Jeff nodded to Tracy, and she smiled, remembering how she had last seen him outside the De Matigny estate, with that silly dog beside him. That was one for me, Tracy thought happily.

“So, if you will excuse me,” Zuckerman was saying, “I have much to do. I will be in touch with you.” Tracy graciously extended her hand, and he kissed it and departed.