Sidney Sheldon Read Online Free PDF

“Where are we going?”
    “Oh, didn’t I tell you? We’re going to Paris. You said you liked French food.”
    She gasped. Then her expression changed. “Richard, I can’t go to Paris now! I have no clothes. I have no makeup. I have no—”
    Richard said, “I heard they have stores in Paris.”
    She looked at him a moment, then flung her arms around him. “Oh, you fool, you. I love you.”
    He grinned. “You wanted a honeymoon. You’ve got it.”

Chapter 5
    A T ORLY, A limousine was waiting to take them to the Hotel Plaza Athénée.
    When they arrived, the manager said, “Your suite is ready for you, Mr. and Mrs. Stevens.”
    “Thank you.”
    They were booked into suite 310. The manager opened the door, and Diane and Richard walked inside. Diane stopped in shock. Half a dozen of her paintings were hanging on the walls. She turned to look at Richard. “I—how did that—?”
    Richard said innocently, “I have no idea. I guess they have good taste here, too.”
    Diane gave him a long, passionate kiss.

    P ARIS WAS A wonderland. Their first stop was at Givenchy, to buy outfits for both of them, then over to Louis Vuitton, to get luggage for all their new clothes.
    They took a leisurely walk down the Champs-Élysées to the Place de la Concorde, and saw the storied Arc de Triomphe, and the Palais-Bourbon, and la Madeleine. They strolled along la Place Vendôme, and spent a day at the Musée du Louvre. They wandered through the sculpture garden of the Musée Rodin and had romantic dinners at Auberge de Trois Bonheurs, and Au Petit Chez Soi, and D’Chez Eux.
     
    T HE ONLY THING that seemed odd to Diane was the telephone calls Richard received at peculiar hours.
    “Who was that?” Diane asked once, at 3 A.M ., as Richard finished a phone conversation.
    “Just routine business.”
    In the middle of the night?
     
    “D IANE! DIANE!”
    She was shaken out of her reverie. Carolyn Ter was standing over her. “Are you all right?”
    “I’m—I’m fine.”
    Carolyn put her arms around Diane. “You just need time. It’s only been a few days.” She hesitated. “By the way, have you made arrangements for the funeral?”
    Funeral. The saddest word in the English language. It carried the sound of death, an echo of despair.
    “I—I haven’t—been able to—”
    “Let me help you with it. I’ll pick out a casket and—”
    “No!” The word came out harsher than Diane had intended.
    Carolyn was looking at her, puzzled.
    When Diane spoke again, her voice was shaky. “Don’t you see? This is—this is the last thing I can ever do for Richard. I want to make his funeral special. He’ll want all his friends there, to say good-bye.” Tears were running down her cheeks.
    “Diane—”
    “I have to pick out Richard’s casket to make sure he—he sleeps comfortably.”
    There was nothing more Carolyn could say.
     
    T HAT AFTERNOON, DETECTIVE Earl Greenburg was in his office when the call came.
    “Diane Stevens is on the phone for you.”
    Oh, no. Greenburg remembered the slap in the face the last time he had seen her. What now? She probably has some new beef. He picked up the phone. “Detective Greenburg.”
    “This is Diane Stevens. I’m calling for two reasons. The first is to apologize. I behaved very badly, and I’m truly sorry.”
    He was taken aback. “You don’t have to apologize, Mrs. Stevens. I understood what you were going through.”
    He waited. There was a silence.
    “You said you had two reasons for calling.”
    “Yes. My husband’s—” Her voice broke. “My husband’s body is being held somewhere by the police. How do I get Richard back? I’m arranging for his—his funeral at the Dalton Mortuary.”
    The despair in her voice made him wince. “Mrs. Stevens, I’m afraid that some red tape is involved. First, the coroner’s office has to file a report on the autopsy and then it’s necessary to notify the various—” He was thoughtful for a moment, then made his decision.