Douglas Preston - Crimson Shore

When the knock sounded, Constance Greene stopped playing the Flemish virginal and the library fell silent and tense. She glanced in the direction of Special Agent A. X. L. Pendergast, sitting by a dying fire, wearing thin white gloves, having gone quite still while leafing through an illuminated manuscript, a glass of Amontillado half-finished on the side table. Constance recalled the last time someone had knocked on the door of 891 Riverside Drive the rarest of occurrences at the Pendergast mansion. The memory of that awful moment now hung in the room like a miasma.

Proctor, Pendergasts chauffeur, bodyguard, and general factotum, appeared. Shall I answer the door, Mr. Pendergast?

Please. But do not let the person in; get their name and business and report back.

Three minutes later, Proctor returned. It is a man named Percival Lake, and he wishes to hire you for a private investigation.

Pendergast raised a palm, about to dismiss this out of hand. Then he paused. Did he mention the nature of the crime?

He declined to go into any details.

Pendergast seemed to fall into a reverie, his spidery fingers lightly tapping on the gilded spine of the manuscript. Percival Lake... The name is familiar. Constance, would you be so good as to look that up on... What is that website? It was named after a large mathematical number.

Google?

Ah, yes. Google him for me, if you please.

Constance raised her fingers from the age-yellowed ivory keys, moved away from the instrument, opened a small cupboard, and slid out a laptop on a retracting table. She typed for a moment.

Theres a sculptor of that name who does monumental work in granite.

I thought it rang a bell. Pendergast plucked off the gloves and laid them aside. Show him in.

As Proctor left, Constance turned to Pendergast with a frown. Are our finances so sadly reduced that you must resort to moonlighting?

Of course not. But the mans work though rather old-fashioned is stimulating. As I recall, his figures emerge from the stone much like Michelangelos Slave Awakening. The least I can do is give him an audience.

Moments later Proctor returned. A striking man stood in the doorway behind him: perhaps sixty-five, with a great shock of white hair. The hair was the only thing that looked at all old about him; he was close to six and a half feet tall, with a craggy, handsome face bronzed by the sun, a trim, athletic bearing, wearing a blue blazer over a crisp white cotton shirt and tan slacks. He radiated good health and vigorous living. His hands were massive.

Inspector Pendergast? He came striding over with his arm extended and enveloped Pendergasts pale hand in his own gigantic paw, giving it such a shake that it almost knocked over Pendergasts sherry.

Inspector? Constance winced. It looked as if her guardian was going to get his stimulation.

Pray sit down, Mr. Lake, said Pendergast.

Thank you! Lake took a seat, threw one leg over the other, and leaned back.

Can I offer you anything to drink? Sherry?

Dont mind if I do.

Proctor silently poured him a small glass, placing it by his elbow. The sculptor took a sip. Excellent stuff, thanks. And thank you for agreeing to see me.

Pendergast inclined his head. Before you tell me your story, Im afraid I cant claim the title Inspector. That would be British. I am merely a special agent of the FBI.

I guess I read too many murder mysteries. The man shifted in his chair. Let me get right to the point. I live in a little seaside town in northern Massachusetts called Exmouth. Its a quiet place, off the tourist trail, and not well known even among the summer crowd. About thirty years ago, my wife and I bought the old lighthouse and keepers quarters on Walden Point, and Ive been there ever since. Its proven an excellent spot for my work. Ive always been someone who appreciates fine wine red, dont bother with white and the basement of the old house was a perfect place for my rather large collection, being dug into the ground with stone walls and floor, fifty-six degrees summer and winter. Anyway, a few weeks ago, I went away for a long weekend to Boston. When I returned, I found a rear window broken. Nothing had been taken in the house, but when we went to the basement, it was cleaned out. My wine cellar was gone!

How terrible for you.

Constance thought she could just detect the faintest note of contemptuous amusement in Pendergasts voice.

Tell me, Mr. Lake, are you still married?

My wife died several years back. I now have a, well, lady friend who lives with me.

And she was with you the weekend the cellar was stolen?

Yes.

Tell me about your wine.

Where to start? I had a vertical collection of Chateau Loville Poyferr going back to 1955, along with excellent collections of all the notable years of Chateau Latour, Pichon-Longueville, Petrus, Dufort-Viviens, Lascombes, Malescot-Saint-Exupry, Chateau Palmer, Talbot

Pendergast stemmed this flood with an upraised hand.

Sorry, Lake said with a sheepish smile. I tend to go overboard when it comes to wine.

Only French Bordeaux?

No. More recently I had been collecting some wonderful Italian wines as well, Brunellos, Amarones, and Barolos mostly. All gone.

Did you go to the police?

The Exmouth police chief is worthless. An ass, in fact. He came out of Boston, and hes going through the motions, but its clear to me he isnt taking it seriously. I suppose if it was a collection of Bud Light he might be more concerned. I need someone whos going to find that wine before it gets dispersed or, God forbid, drunk up.

Pendergast nodded slowly. So why come to me?

I read those books about your work. The ones by Smithback. William Smithback, I believe.

A moment passed before Pendergast replied. I fear those books grossly distorted the facts. In any case, to the degree that they are true, you must realize I focus my attention on human deviancy not purloined wine. Im sorry I cannot be of more assistance.

Well, I hoped you might, since I understood from those books that youre a bit of a connoisseur yourself. Lake leaned forward in his chair. Agent Pendergast, Im a desperate man. My wife and I spent untold hours assembling that collection. Every bottle has a memory, a history, especially of my wonderful years with her. In some ways I feel like shes died all over again. Id pay you a very good fee.

Im indeed sorry I cant help you in the matter. Mr. Proctor will show you out.

The sculptor rose. Well, I knew it was a long shot. Thanks for listening. His troubled look eased slightly. All I can say is, thank God the thieves missed the Haut-Braquilanges!

The room fell silent.

Chateau Haut-Braquilanges? Pendergast said faintly.

Yes, indeed. A full case of 04. My prized possession. It was set aside, in one corner of the cellar, in the original wooden case. The damned idiots just overlooked it.

Proctor opened the door to the library, waiting.

How did you happen on a case of the 04? I thought it was long gone.

And so did everyone else. Im always on the lookout for wine collections for sale, especially when the owner dies and his heirs want to turn it into cash. My wife and I found this case in an old wine collection in New Orleans.

Pendergast raised his eyebrows. New Orleans?

An ancient French family of means that fell onto hard times.