Never Forget The Importance of Style

9. Snake in their bosom

"I wonder who that chappie over there is, the one that the Dowager is currently flooding with gossip?"

Leone turned slowly, lazily, to peer over his shoulder to the indicated direction. Merdos sipped from his glass, touched absently his outrageous peony buttonhole and continued to eye the tall, dark man from under heavy lids.

The man, maybe around 35 years of age, cut a good figure in his tailored black suit. At first glance he looked like the perfect gentleman - and yet not. Leone's eyebrows drew ever so slightly together. Something was off with the man. His posture, as he listened to the voluptuous widow of a mining magnate, was just a hint too deferential. His eyes were just a wee little bit too intently fixed on the lady's face. He was not smoking, yet every now and then his right hand seemed to twitch minutely towards his pocket - but if a desire to smoke was the reason and he was abstaining out of politeness, then he should've been able to realize how misplaced the gesture was - considering the soft clouds of blue cigar smoke that sailed pompously past his gaunt face.

No, there was something else in his pocket that he was itching to touch.

Merdos chuckled a little and drew a cigarette case from his breast pocket, tapped two out and offered to Leone who accepted the courtesy and flipped his lighter on. Before Merdos had time to close the case, however, another slim hand emerged from somewhere behind him and snatched a cigarette from it. Leone had just enough time to register the narrow fingers and somewhat too massive gold ring, and he flashed a knowing smile to the shining head that appeared a blink later to push the tip of the cigarette into the still flickering flame.

"Goldie!" Merdos acknowledged huskily and the boy favored him with a cocky grin. He took a deep drag from the cigarette, lids falling to half-mast for sheer enjoyment, and retreated to the shadows of three exceptionally large potted palms in the corner.

"Papa mustn't see me doing this," he said, sultry lips closing again around the filter. "Come and keep me company, won't you? Help me watch out for him..."

"That's not wise," Leone advised him. "You'll just end up in worse trouble, should your papa catch you shoving your tongue, or something else, down his throat. Besides, you're the one who has to watch out. Merdos will only do his best to distract you from that task, take my word for it."

The boy merely grinned in a way that made Leone's trousers instantly too tight. He wasn't the only one, judging from the leer that appeared on Merdos' face. Leone sighed and shook his head slightly.

"Just be careful, will you? I assure you that you don't want to get caught doing anything indecent in such a public place."

"Where're you going?" Merdos looked slightly disappointed. Leone rolled his eyes.

"If you were counting on me to keep watch for inquisitive fathers while the two of you are being idiots, forget it! I'll go and check on that chap who's endured quite a confessional already and still doesn't look ready to drop. He must be a priest or something."

Leone turned with a shrug and sauntered closer. His wonderment increased. By all accounts, the dark-haired man ought to have been bored to death by now by the barrage of inconsequential details, stark exaggeration and general foolishness washing over him. But he didn't look in the least exhausted, rather on the contrary. His full attention was focused on the florid face of the lady standing in front of him, her plump arms adding flourish to what she was saying, her ample bosom heaving with the effort. She looked only too happy to have found such an interested listener and was enjoying a field day in the presence of rapt audience.

She caught a sight of the approaching young man from the corner of the eye, turned around in a whirl of all too girlish lace, and squeaked in delight. But not in a whirl enough to surprise Leone, who instantly snapped on one of his most charming smiles and bowed his sandy-brown head with aplomb to press a light kiss on the back of her hand.

"Oh, always so polite!" The extra chins under her real one trembled with enthusiasm. "But my dearest boy, this is so exciting! Let me introduce you to the Inspector - he has been sent here all the way from Uman to investigate the recent jewelry thefts, can you imagine?"

She proceeded to introduce them, throwing in heaps of totally unnecessary information to the bargain, and the men shook hands with a distant nod to each other. Leone felt a tightening in his gut when the inspector's intense eyes met his, but he coolly returned the gaze and only turned away when the lady next to him burst into another deluge of chatting.

"I have just been telling the dear Inspector everything about those dreadful incidents..."

"How interesting!" Leone cocked his head, the soft light of candles reflecting from his fair hair. "What is there to investigate, though?"

"Your view certainly sounds interesting, sir," the Inspector drawled in a distinctly Umanese accent. "Would you care to elaborate?"

"Oh - merely that, from what I have gathered, people are incredibly careless with their valuables." Leone took a leisurely drag from his cigarette and turned to stub its remains into a crystal ashtray that sat on a small side table. "They can't even seem to remember when and where they have last seen a particular piece of jewelry. So I don't find it extremely surprising if things go missing every now and then."

"Indeed." The Inspector's smile was tinged with something unpleasant.

The lady looked from one man to the other, vaguely titillated by the breezy feeling of threat hanging in the air. Her rosy mouth opened and closed a couple of times but no sound came out to interrupt the impromptu staring contest between the two men standing on both sides of her.

"Indeed." Leone's gray eyes did not waver as one slender eyebrow rose challengingly. "I suppose I find it so shocking because I've been taught to take care of my own belongings ever since I was a mere boy."

"That is very useful, I'm sure," the Inspector said and the corners of his eyes creased in a tiny smile. "No doubt you are a very careful man, sir."

"I pride myself on it... sir." Leone at last broke the eye contact to attract the attention of a servant passing by, gestured invitingly towards the tray the man was carrying and picked a glass for himself. "Madam, some Timaschel? And you, Inspector?"

"Thank you." Both accepted the drinks and the servant continued his round in the huge room. Leone's eyes lingered on his back before straying towards the huge palm trees standing serenely in the corner. One of the leaves trembled slightly, and he felt an answering shiver run down his spine. But he couldn't possibly leave now... Leone turned back to the Inspector whom the blessed lady had mercifully occupied for the moment with yet another fluently delivered story about the shocking events that had been unfolding, albeit at a snail-like pace, over the past few months. He listened, feigning interest, resolutely ignoring the thrumming in the back of his head. And then, oh glory, he spotted a suitable accomplice - the accomplice.

The gentleman tilted his head with a little smile as Leone winked to him playfully. In the flickering candlelight the silvery gray on the man's temples blended perfectly with the rest of his extremely blond hair. He turned fully to regard the situation Leone found himself in, and with a slight nod he sauntered towards the little group. Leone's eyes raked down the youthfully slim body, from velvet lapels down to the satin ribbon that ran along the side seam of his trousers accentuating long legs, and he grimaced imploringly. The man merely smirked more broadly, stopped to exchange a couple of words with some people along the way, and finally glided beside Leone with a soft rustle of jacket sleeve against jacket sleeve.

The heady cologne assaulted Leone's nostrils and a memory made him catch his breath. That cologne had mixed so well with the musky scent of sweat and sex when, some time ago, they had somehow tumbled to bed together. Oh, it had been a mere experiment for both of them - the older man made no secret of his preference for shapely ladies, and also pretty well guessed the real nature of the increasingly close relationship between Leone and Merdos - but it had been satisfying enough. Leone was very aware that one reasons why he'd ever let things slip that far was that the man resembled Neméath in some rather obvious ways, but he was careful not to let himself be fooled into anything. This was not Nem, and yet this was someone who, in all his flimsiness, was trustworthy in his way, and always up to a little fun.

"How delightful to see you, my dear friend!" The older man hugged Leone lightly, lips brushing on his bearded cheek. "And darling Madam Devenn, how are you tonight? Enjoying the party?"

The Inspector studied the newcomer with interest, no doubt taking in the well-kept appearance and expensive clothing as well as the coolly cynical look of those sharp eyes surrounded by tiny lines.

"Immensely, mister -?"

"Just call me Alexis," the aging playboy countered suavely. The lady took over, verbosely introduced the Inspector and the daunting task he had been sent here to perform, and waited curiously for a reaction.

"How impressive, Inspector!" Alexis smiled. "Would you tell me more about how you are going to nail the culprit?"

"I'm sure you understand that I cannot reveal all my professional secrets, Mr. Alexis," the Inspector crooned in a modest tone, and Alexis spread his arms in defeat. Leone allowed himself another glance over his shoulder.

"I hope you'll excuse me, Madam, gentlemen," he murmured. "I was still hoping to catch up with a friend this evening."

He took his leave and stalked towards the suspect palm trees, careful to keep his steps slow and measured, feeling the Inspector's gaze on the back of his neck. As soon as he was close enough he stopped to lean against a faux marble pillar and made a show of looking searchingly around.

"You bloody idiots!" he hissed, lips concealed by a cigarette. "Whatever you're doing, stop it this very instant!"

A quiet giggle from the corner was the only answer he got.