The Robber Princess

Chapter 21. Third Time's the Charm

Chapter 21

Because Folkering had not coordinated his activity with the Brazilian Federal Police, he could neither rely on their cooperation nor legitimately exercise any police power of his own. He hoped that his uniform and amiable demeanor would entice the airline employees to help on their own initiative. However, he also had been wearing that uniform for twenty-four hours straight and was tired and grumpy from lack of rest. He worried that those things might undermine his otherwise excellent powers of persuasion.

Folkering was frustrated that after all Angelica had done, he still could not have her formally charged as an accessory to the Eidelstein theft. The problem came down to being unable to positively identify her as Jake Johnson's (ex) girlfriend. There was no photograph of Angelica in any file that he knew of—not even in her dossier. Jake Johnson had had none either. Probably for the best, thought Folkering to himself; he may heal faster for not having one. The best Jake could describe her appearance was that she was a Caucasian in her early twenties, a little shorter than he, thin, long brunette hair, brown eyes, fair complexion, pretty face. From the vantage of an Eidelmarker judge, the girl Jake knew as "Angel" could have been anyone.

On the bright side, Folkering had seen Angelica twice already—at the ball in Rochevaux and again in Mischa the Moryak''s kitchen. He could positively identify "Angel" as Angelica, but to do it he had to see the girl himself. It was the only way.

If Angelica had left the Emiliano at about ten in the morning as Jake had recounted, and arrived at the airport at, say, 10:45, what flight would she take? Upon returning to the airport, Folkering raced to the nearest departures board. The first international flight after 10:45 was the 12:25 Air France to Charles de Gaulle, which was leaving in the next few minutes. Next stop: the Air France ticket counter.

By good fortune, the young lady at the ticket counter had been following the Robber Princess case with great interest. She knew who Folkering was and was delighted to help. Princess Angelica of Rochevaux was not booked on that flight, nor on any other Air France flight that day—at least, not under that name. Nor was there anyone booked under the identity of "Anastasia Merrygo-Cooyear" from France. Folkering had to apologize for the obvious mangling of the name; Jake did not speak French and never had been able to fully grasp the girl's surname. Nor was there any booking by any Mira Ardwan.

"Ardwan ... wait a minute," said the ticket agent. "A woman did come in and buy a last-minute ticket." She pulled up her purchase history. "Yes, here it is! Her name was Mireille Ardouin-Giroux, Swiss, booked on the flight to Charles de Gaulle, continuing to Mumbai."

Mumbai, where another of Marcelo's associates was believed to reside. That was good enough, and Folkering bounced his hand off the counter in celebration. "Prima! One ticket to Mumbai, please."

"I'm sorry, but it's too late. It is 12:25 and the aircraft has certainly pushed off by now."

Folkering close his eyes in disappointment and reminded himself that the ticket agent had already gone out of her way to help him, so he did not dare vent his frustration on her. "When does it arrive in Mumbai?" he asked.

"Let's see ... tomorrow at 20:45 local time."

After thanking the lady profusely, Folkering whipped out his smartphone and went on Expedia to find the quickest route to Mumbai. Since he could not identify "Angel" on the aircraft, the only other way to be certain about her identity was to see Angelica walk out of the arrival gate at Chhatrapati Shivaji International. For that to happen, he had to beat her there. He found a flight to Dubai, from whence he could hop to Mumbai. If all went well, he would arrive about an hour before she did. But air travel being how it is, it was going to be close.