Jeni and Hannah sighed with relief after completing their respective meals. Pierre sat sipping coffee reading a newspaper.
“Now he understands coffee” Jeni muttered rubbing her stomach.
“I didn’t realize how amazing bread and cheese was until we arrived here.” Hannah said.
“Right? We’re eating all the food. I demand it. I have a list. We should get madeleines or macaroons for dessert.” Jeni wiped her mouth with a cloth napkin spacing out.
Pierre raised an eyebrow certainly silently judging the two women for their gluttony, or perhaps also craving a dessert.
“Can we take a nap now?” Hannah asked yawning.
Jeni frowned. “Let’s go for a walk. It will be dark soon and I want to get a feel for this city”
Hannah looked suspiciously at Jeni. “You, want to walk?”
Jeni pulled out a map and pointed to their location. There was a tiny star over the building Mr. Sangril had his fashion house in. She pointed at the district they were in Marche Saint Pierre near Montmartre. “It looks like that pretty church the Basilique du Sacre Coeur is like two blocks away. I need to stretch a little, and we can walk right over and check it out. Apparently the best time to see it is early evening.”
“I think that sounds awesome, but before we go, I just want to make things very clear, you want to go to a church? Willingly? Like didn’t lightening strike you the last time you entered one?”
“No, I was mildly electrocuted by a deranged raccoon that had eaten through wiring, if that nutty monk hadn’t been feeding the raccoon however I doubt this would have ever come up. “ Jeni was looking intently at the map and drew a dot over the church. She looked up and nodded. Then she folded up the map and put it in a book and shoved both in her bag. She smiled like a maniac at Hannah.
“What are you up to?” Hannah asked feeling more and more suspicious.
“We need to go see a man about a horse” Jeni made a silly face. Hannah silently started to pray that this case wouldn’t take too long to complete.
Jeni and Hannah stood at the base of a large hill. Jeni looked puzzled up a long set of stairs. Pierre rolled his eyes at the two women muttering things in French.
“Um, how many stairs are there?” Hannah asked.
Jeni pulled out her book and looked intently at a page. She frowned. “270. That doesn’t seem like a lot, right? I mean an average stairwell has like 12 steps so that would be twenty two flights.”
“You had to look that up didn’t you”
“Ye of little faith”
“No, I’ve seen your accounts ledger, math is not your strong suit.” Hannah was mentally checking Jeni’s math.
“Come on it won’t take too long!” Jeni sounded way more enthusiastic than Hannah felt.
The two climbed stair after stair. After about ten flights Jeni stopped.
“Oh my god this is madness, it’s like exercise or something” she was panting and sweating buckets.
Hannah glared at her. “Let’s go on a little walk, the sun is going to set soon. I should have been suspicious, the timing was just wrong.”
“Leave me to die” Jeni gasped between gasps. Pierre stoically stood waiting. “Dude!” Gasp. “What” gasp “the” gasp “hell” gasp.
“We need to work on our cardio” Hannah wasn’t panting any more.
“I’m sorry did you just suggest you wanted to kill me Miss Voodoo Donut Queen?” Jeni gasped then started coughing.
“You sound like a terminal lung cancer patient” Hannah laughed.
“Omg, they should warn people about this nonsense” Jeni gasped.
“Um, hello, you are a psychic” Hannah sassed.
“Shut your pretty face.” Jeni sighed. Begrudgingly they started climbing stairs again. Once at the top Jeni leaned against the rail and breathed heavily. “My thighs are on fire. Thunder and lightening were not meant for active duty, they like to snuggle way to much.”
“I’ve asked you to do Jillian MIchaels with me at least 45 times” Hannah gasped. “We could have thigh gaps by now”
Jeni gasped dramatically “No! Not only is that too much effort, but I don’t trust people whose thighs don’t touch. Seems like they have a secret”
“Yes it’s called exercise.” Hannah gasped.
“Probably, but I like bread cheese and wine way to much to take that crap seriously.” Jeni looked at Pierre who looked as though the exertion was overly ridicules for the women. “Stop sassing me Pete!” Jeni’s voice rose “I’m allowed to pant, I usually don’t wander into nature”
Hannah rolled her eyes. “NAture really? It’s stairwell, besides aren’t you the fool who wandered the streets for days chasing after a werecat?”
“Yea, but there were coffee stops, and I had lots of excuses to stop.”
“Why did you want to come here again?”
“Did you know this is the highest point in Paris? Can’t see the Eiffel but it’s up high. We should do the tour”
“Why?”
“What better way to start our immersion than to go on a tour of things”
“How exactly are you paying for all this” Hannah was suddenly suspicious.
“NOw you ask? Just keep all your receipts and look like we’re doing something important.”
After touring the Sacre Coeur Hannah was standing outside taking photos of the setting sun over Paris. Jeni rummaged through her bag, while Pierre looked on bored at this whole process, Jeni had a handful of brochures and kept putting them in various parts of her book. Suddenly she looked up,
“Oh look it's Joan”
Hannah stopped taking photos and looked at Jeni. “You can't call Joan of Arc Joan like you are friends.”
“I bet we would have been.”
“Um, I’m not saying I’m hungry again or anything, but I could eat” Hannah said rubbing her stomach.
Jeni suddenly started to dive headfirst into her bag. She wildly dug through it. She muttered under her breath cursing the existence of too big purses. In her wild gesticulating she bumped into a man.
“Pardon” she said without looking up. Suddenly she bumped so violently into him he fell against the horse's leg on the statue of Joan of Arc. The man hit his head against the leg. He looked dazed. Jeni looked up horrified. “Oh MY GOD I’m so sorry! I can’t even!”
The man smiled at Jeni then started talking in rapid French. Without missing a beat Jeni said something flirtatious and he laughed. Then before Hannah could comprehend what was happening they were walking and Jeni was gesturing for Hannah to follow. Pierre eyed the man suspiciously. Jeni laughed and linked her arm with the stranger and they walked heads together giggling in their own world. Hannah shook her head Pierre suddenly unleashed a wave of French at Hannah. Hannah shook her head indicating that she didn't understand.
Suddenly they were standing outside a building light up with a giant windmill. Jeni leaned back winking at Hannah and Pierre. The man held the door open inviting them all inside. They next thing that they knew they were seated at a table for four inside the Moulin Rouge. The man left to do something and Hannah leaned across the table.
“Dude? Really? Man about a horse?”
Jeni smiled. “Did you know that the movie Moulin Rouge had a lot of aspects that are similar to the real Moulin Rouge?”
“Give me your book. I want to see what else you’ve seen.” Hannah said holding her hand out.
Jeni rolled her eyes. “Oh come on, be spontaneous, besides, we could have never afforded this show on our own”
“Book now.” Begrudgingly Jeni pulled a black note book out and handed it over. Hannah flipped through the pages. “Is this a fake book? It’s blank. I know you better, you always write down your visions.”
“Freeballing” Jeni said dancing to the music.
“No that’s not true. The book at the cafe it had words”
“Have a little faith in me, you know I won’t screw you over, shut up the guys coming back” Jeni whispered.
“You don’t know his name?” Hannah whispered furiously.
“It didn’t seem important, it was more important to get in here” Jeni said lighting up. “Wine! How thoughtful!”
The man passed glasses to each of them. He then launched into a long conversation in French. After a few moments Jeni’s eyes gazed over. He and Pierre started talking joyously together. Jeni leaned over to Hannah.
“Good he’s distracted, if you look to your left” Jeni indicated to Hannah’s left with her eyes and a slight head tilt. “You’ll see our employer, Mr. Sangria with a very pretty woman”
“What?” Hannah turned her head while exclaiming loudly. “How did you know?”
“Psychic”
Dinner passed Jeni had no intention of keeping an eye on Mr Sangril, instead she and Hannah enjoyed each of the courses of food and were enraptured by the gyrations of the beautiful dancers. Jeni partook in copious amounts of wine and champagne. Prior to the end of the show Pierre stood up said something and departed. Jeni captivated by the show didn’t notice.
“Jeni, Pierre just left” Hannah whispered.
“OK” Jeni whispered back.
“Um what do we do?”
“Relax!”
“Do you even know where we are staying tonight?”
Jeni glared.
The show ended and Jeni stood. Her new friend kissed her cheeks and took her arm leading her out of the theater. In the lobby she spotted Mr. Sangril. He came over immediately. He and Jeni’s friend chatted then the man left kissing Jeni on each cheek and pressing a card in her hand.
“You just met this man?” Mr Sangril asked.
“Well technically I accidentally assaulted him.” She said. Hannah nudged her. “Part of my process is finding the rhythm or culture of my location. As I explained to my partner here, the inner connectedness of history, the convergence of all time it's vital to my process.”
Mr Sangril nodded his pretty companion joined and looked annoyed. Of course Jeni would have been annoyed too if she was as hungry as this skinny girl obviously was.
“My beautiful fiancĂ©” Mr Sangril said. “Helena”
Jeni shook the woman’s hand then paused holding on. She smiled a weird smile. Hannah felt uncomfortable. Jeni was getting a reading. She tilted her head and made a face. Jeni released her hand and turned to Mr.Sangril. “Her?”
Mr Sangril leaned forward “I’m sorry?”
Jeni covered. “No I’m sorry we are so tired, it’s been wonderful to see you, we will check in tomorrow” Jen shook his hand, once again she paused made a face and then pulled away. She tucked her hand under her arm. “Anyhow, Pierre’s waiting” She used her other hand to drag Hannah out of the lobby to the outside.
Outside Pierre waited with the car. Jeni pushed Hannah in still keeping her arm tucked into the car. Hannah turned in time to see Jeni slide in. She looked annoyed, maybe pensive, but not happy.
“What just happened?”
“Dude, he might actually be cursed.”