Life From Your Lips (Ruby Rose fanfic)

NINETEEN (Iselen POV)

"Ruby, he's my friend: police inspector André Tréville. She's Professor Ruby Rose Langenheim, famous Egyptologist and..."

"Yes, I know her."

"Really? Sorry, I can't remember..." My princess frowns, confused, while shaking the hand of this tall guy, with brown hair and dark eyes, who smiles amused.

Miroslav contacted his old friends at Interpol after we arrived to his shop exhausted yesterday evening and explained him everything we'd seen and heard. He checked the pics I took in Karim Slitine's apartment while having some dinner of bread, cheese and wine, and he soon found paintings and sculptures that were on the list of stolen works of art that the French police gave him. The old professor seemed shocked by the amount of goods and outstanding quality of the antiques the shady dealer had managed to hoard but also because he showed them blatantly to whoever walked in the apartment. Obviously, Slitine makes sure his clients make an appointment by phone and runs a background check of every possible buyer before they walk through the door... It was a miracle that we found it open. Probably a mistake from those maids carrying trays with pastries and coffee.

Ruby had planned to go out sight-seeing, visiting a couple of book shops and museums with Athena, although I didn't think it was a good idea. Lara was out there, somewhere in the city, and bumping into her could ruin our plans if she saw my face. She'd try to escape, probably... We debated for some minutes during breakfast, wondering what we could do in Paris for the next few days, but didn't have time to reach an agreement because Miroslav phoned us to tell us that his friend from the Interpol wanted to see us as soon as possible, but requested to meet us at the Ritz hotel because it'd be more discreet than his antique shop. The inspector wouldn't grab attention since people come and go out of this building nonstop.

"They have been quick to call us," my princess mumbled, staring at me perplexed while dropping her phone on the table. "I thought they would check the information we gave them before interrogating us. He'll come to have tea with Miroslav this evening in our suite living room since the Proust Salon on the ground floor is crowded, usually, and someone could recognize us... It'll be a French tea, I'm afraid, no finger sandwiches but a selection of seasonal biscuits and traditional delicious petit-fours."

I nodded and went to Athena's room to tell her the news. She doesn't mind meeting strangers as long as she feels safe in a familiar environment and surrounded by her friends but we're in Paris and this suite, though beautiful, is not her home. I wanted her to know what was going to happen to be able to decide if she wanted to sit down in the living room with us or hide in our bedroom to listen to the conversation discreetly. I was surprised when she accepted to sit down on the chair closest to the window, putting her cup of tea and a plate with pastries on the desk, listening to us quietly while we're sitting on the couch and armchairs in the middle of the room, although she keeps her eyes fixed on the white oriental carpet with blue flowers and golden leaves that match the golden ornaments on the marble fireplace.

"No, I didn't mean I knew her in person," Inspector Tréville sit downs with elegance and takes the cup of tea I'm handing him while Ruby does the same with the professor. "I know who you are because I saw you yesterday sneaking into Karim Slitine's apartment. Finding your identity wasn't easy, you're a very discreet person, but we managed to find out who the woman that were with you was because of the charges against Lara Nóvak and the international warrant."

"Are you monitoring Lara's movements? Why didn't you arrest her? That woman tried to kill me..." I complain outraged and they guy shakes his head.

"No, madame, I didn't express myself clearly. We have an eye on Monsieur Slitine because we believe he's a member of a big criminal organization that's smuggling works of art and antiques, we've been watching him for months... We didn't know Lara Nóvak and Hasani Farouk were involved in this. Yesterday, it was the first time we saw them visiting Karim but we were shocked when you sneaked in the backyard too, we thought it was suspicious when you left the building running half an hour later and my friends from the police headquarters tried to identify you working with the pics we took and some facial recognition software. We found out who you were pretty fast and it led us to Professor Langenheim... We were bewildered, no one understood why you were following the woman who tried to kill you till Monsieur Verner called us."