PART III - Chapter 5: AT FIRST SIGHT

 

 

Chapter 5

At First Sight

(Ó 2010)

- - - “What the hell is he doing here?” Henri asked with curiosity. Henri and Jean-Luc were in the front seat of a Peugeot van while Logan sat cramped in the back and were following the black two-seated Porsche sports car up ahead of them.

The three of them now have been following Theo Buchin for over two hours. He left his home around 3:30 that afternoon, and he was driving around Paris making short stops that they believed were narcotics deals in progress. Taking orders, making sure money would be there for payment, and always stopping at a phone booth making calls.

They figured that there was not going to be any money exchanged tonight, just plans being set up, pick-up times, and most important of all, how the money would be exchanged with no problems. Theo preferred to make a grand sweep of everyone when the money was ready, he would make a schedule and have it down to the minute when drop offs and collections were to be made. He didn’t like to spend too much time with the product in his possession, or even the money for that matter. He preferred to sweep through and in a matter of hours have the money to turn over to Bela Volchescu. Bela loved Theo for that, and Theo quickly became a regular in Bela’s enclave. One of the few members in Bela’s organization that he trusted, and these few members would always be there within a beckon call of one another. There were five of these men in total.

Theo’s travels throughout the city now brought them all to one of the boroughs of Paris that was predominately inhabited with mostly the gay men and lesbians who resided there.

“Well, last I checked, gays and lesbians can do cocaine too.” Logan said from the back seat.

“It would be a great place to distribute,” Jean-Luc added, “maybe he meets with straight people here as a cover to make his arrangements.”

Theo guided his Porsche to the side of the street and parked it, Jean-Luc then pulled the small van about a block behind. The three men watched as Theo got exited his car, walked across the street and entered a local nightclub called Le Club Argenté D'oiseau.

“Merde!” Jean-Luc said.

“What’s the matter Jean?” Logan asked.

“We can not go in there,” Jean-Luc said in disgust, “they all know us to well.”

“Plus even if they did not we would stand out,” Henri said, “that nightclub is a little high class, they have dress codes.”

“They know you?” Logan asked, “What … do you go in and periodically check them out or something?”

“No, no, nothing like that,” Jean-Luc said, “the owner is Claude Deveraux, an influential business man in Paris. He wanted to have an upscale club for all the homosexuals to enjoy, so he met with the police to assure us that the clientele would behave, and asked for cooperation in return, he met with us all personally.”

“Oh I see … this Claude Deveraux, he’s gay then also?” asked Logan.

 

“Very!” Both Jean-Luc and Henri answered at the same time looking back at him.

“Whoa … Okay.”

Jean-Luc looked around up and down the street and then back to Le Club Argenté D'oiseau. It was a beautiful white building right off the sidewalk, with spotlights lighting up the front. It was freestanding; twelve stories high, with some offices on the next four floors, and the rest apartments. Claude Deveraux’s home was at the top floor. As the sun would set and the night would fall the whole building looked like it was giving off it own light. A large neon sign with the name “Le Club Argenté D'oiseau” was written in script and about ten feet above the door. It was about ten feet wide itself. There was a neon silver colored bird standing above it with wings folded, head turned to the side, and its eye was winking. You could tell from the outside that this was an upscale club.

Henri then said, “We will have to just wait for him to come out I guess.”

Logan looked at his watch and saw that it was just a quarter of six in the evening. “Well, it’s still early, and a Thursday evening, maybe he won’t be in there too long,” he said.

“Let us hope not,” Henri said, “I had no lunch today and I am getting very hungry.”

“Never mind hungry,” Logan said, “I’m getting a little claustrophobic in this damn van.”

Jean-Luc laughed, “Come now Legionnaire, you have been in worse situations than this and you handled it.”

“That’s true, but my life depended on that shit then, I don’t think I’m in any eminent danger here.” He answered him.

Both men in the front seat turned to look at Logan, his size definitely was to his disadvantage in the small van. He was now kneeling on the floorboard to keep his head from touching the ceiling. Jean-Luc laughed again a little and said, “Like a sardine … no?”

“Do not say sardine,” Henri exclaimed, “I told you, I am very hungry.” They all had a small laugh with that.

 

They sat in the van watching the front door of Le Club Argenté D'oiseau waiting for Theo to come out. Logan was anxious; he kept shifting his body around trying to find himself a comfortable position. He kept looking at his watch, time seemed to be going very slow to him, every time he looked down it was only three to five minutes from the last time when he looked.

They were there for another thirty minutes and Theo still had not come out. “He’s has to be talking to someone in there,” Logan said in his discomfort.

“I wonder if Deveraux knows that there is someone making narcotics deals in his club,” Jean-Luc said, “He will be very angry with that.”

“What do you mean?” Logan asked.

“He wants to have a clean, safe place where all the homosexuals can go,” Jean-Luc answered, “he knows that when drugs start to become a factor, then the lower class clientele will start to try and patronize Le Club Argenté D'oiseau. He tries to keep his club as upscale and first class as possible.”

 

Logan looked up and down the street and than back at his watch, “I’d sure as hell would like to know who he’s talking to in there,” he said.

“Well, as I said Logan,” Jean-Luc said, “we would be spotted in a second and this will all be for naught.”

“Deveraux would probably come and greet us,” Henri added, “in his own special, flamboyant way.”

 

There was a brief moment of silence, and then Logan asked, “They all know you in there that well huh?”

“I afraid that is correct.” Jean-Luc agreed.

Another brief silence came, and then Logan began to think as a Legionnaire, thinking of advantages and disadvantages. Then he said, “They don’t know me in there.”

Jean-Luc looked to Henri, and Henri back to him, they then both looked in the back seat to Logan. Henri asked Jean-Luc, “What do you think?”

Jean-Luc was thinking, looking at Logan, and then to Le Club Argenté D'oiseau. “I do not know, he is just too damned big, he will be a distraction, and everyone in there will notice as he comes in.” Jean-Luc then had a smirk and added, “Especially the ‘gentlemen’ patrons.”

“I could do something to throw them all off track maybe,” Logan suggested.

“Such as?” Jean-Luc asked.

Logan sat back then and began to think, what could he do? He’s a very large man, and he has to go into a gay nightclub. He’s going to stand out, and he has to find a way to make it seem natural. Then an idea came … a scenario … he needs to do some sort of scenario. It will be illogical for him to be in there, and he needs something to make it all seem logical. He sat and looked up and down the street; he was looking at the people who resided in the area. All the gay men, from masculine to the feminine, and all the lesbians, from the most feminine, to the masculine dykes. He didn’t belong here, Jean-Luc and Henri were right, he would stand out like a spotlight.

Then the thought came to him. He didn’t belong here. That was it … he DID NOT belong here, how could he use that to make it seem like he did? Then the idea came into his mind, it started out small, then as he thought more, it began to flow out like an open faucet.

“You know,” Logan said breaking the silence, “the American C.I.A. has an intelligence strategy they use that always seems to work.”

Jean-Luc turned his head to him and asked, “And what would that be Logan?”

 

He moved his head up forward, between the front seats, “It’s called ‘Hide in Plain Sight’. It’s the art of concealing yourself while standing completely out in the open; you find a way to just blend in with the scenery.”

Jean-Luc waved his hand around to the entire area while saying, “And you think that you can find a way to blend in with all of this?”

“I think that I just might.”

Both men turned back to him. “All right then Logan, we are listening,” Henri said.

 

“OK, suppose I go in there? I can’t go in there as myself, right?” He asked the both of them.

Both men nodded in agreement.

“Now suppose that I don’t go in there as a Frenchman, but rather - - -”, then Logan changed in mid-sentence from French to his American accent, finishing in English, “- - - but just as some big naïve American who doesn’t know where the hell he is.”

Jean-Luc and Henri both understood English, and looked at each other with puzzlement. They both had the expression of deep assessment on their faces. Then Henri did finally ask Jean-Luc, “Well, what do you think?”

 

“It seems too risky,” Jean-Luc said.

Logan continued speaking English with his natural American accent, “C’mon Jean, something’s going on in there with this guy, and we have to find out. Does he have a contact in there … is he using this Deveraux guy as a front … is Deveraux involved maybe? C’mon.”

“Let me think about it.” Jean-Luc said.

 

“C’mon Jean, you have to let me go out on my own sometime,” Logan said, “you always said my languages would come in handy.”

Jean-Luc looked out the windshield, then to Le Club Argenté D'oiseau, and then to Henri. Henri said, “I think we should let him try it.”

“Besides,” Logan said, continuing in his American English, “If we don’t move from here soon, we are all going to have to get naked and have an orgy back here in order to blend in around here. People are going to start to notice us, if they haven’t already.”

Jean-Luc looked once again to Henri, he nodded “yes” in approval, and then back to Logan. “OK, we will do it.”

Logan pumped his fists slightly. “Yes!” he exclaimed. “Now I’ll probably have to come up with some scenario, but I can pull it off. They’ll have believe that I can’t speak a word of French, so that will eliminate any conversation with anyone,” then after a second of thought he added, “hopefully.”

“And what if someone begins to speak English to you,” Jean-Luc asked, “what will you do then?”

Logan thought for a second, smirked and said, “Well, there’s famous expression in America also.”

“And that would be?”

“If you can’t dazzle them with your brilliance,” Logan said looking out of the window at all the people in the street who were starting to come out for the evening, “then baffle them with your bullshit, I‘ll have to adapt”.

 

Henri let out a little laugh and said, “Well, if there was anyone who is full of that,” pointing his thumb at Logan.

“Come on, drive around the corner and take me a few streets from here,” Logan said, “Henri, I’m going to need some props”.

“Props?”

“You know, something for me to have to help me out, like on a stage play, props.”

“Oh yes, I see.”

“Give me that map of the city from out of the glove box.”

Jean-Luc started the engine and began to drive up the street. Henri gave Logan the street map of the city of Paris; Logan opened it to find two places on it. The first was the location of Le Club Argenté D'oiseau, where he circles it with his pen. Then, he found the location of his apartment and circled that, he then drew a line from his home to the Le Club Argenté D'oiseau, making it look as if he was going to use the map to find the nightclub.

“Henri, take a piece of paper from your notepad, and write down ‘Le Club Argenté D'oiseau’ along with it’s address,” Logan instructed him, “then fold it and squeeze it in your hand.”

Henri complied with his instructions, after he did as he asked he handed the paper to Logan. He opened it and looked it over, “This is the correct address?” he asked.

“Oui.”

 

Logan folded the paper and placed it in the front pocket of his black jeans, “The map looks a little worn too, that’s good.” he said and folded the map to it original position, then folded it again once. “Now go up a couple more blocks then drop me off.”

Jean-Luc did so. When he pulled the van over Logan exited, then stood up straight, stretched out, and then leaned in the driver‘s side window to Jean-Luc., “Thank God,” he said, “I was starting to get cramps in my legs.”

“We will double back and park again a little farther down from where we just were,” Jean-Luc told him, “we will wait for you there. We will still be able to see the front of Le Club Argenté D'oiseau from there. When you are finished, walk in that direction and we shall pick you up.”

“Understood.”

“Be careful in there Logan,” Jean-Luc said grasping onto Logan’s wrist, “we are depending on you.”

Logan gave Jean-Luc a little smile and said, “Well, if it is as you say it is in there, then Theo just may be the least of my worries.”

Jean-Luc gave a little smile back and said, “We should be back in position before you get to the front door. Good luck Logan.”

Logan patted Jean-Luc’s hand and said, “I believe the theatre term is ‘break a leg’, I got some acting to do.”

“Go on now,” Jean-Luc said, and then drove away. Logan watched as he turned right at the next street. He then crossed over to the other side of the street he was on, and began his walk back to Le Club Argenté D'oiseau. After the first block he started to go into his act and he took out the paper from his front pocket that Henri had written the address on. He then opened the city map up and folded it to where he could see the directions he marked out. He now made himself look like someone following a map to a destination. He placed the paper with the address on top of it, and started to look around like he was looking at all the street names, just like all the tourists do.

As he proceeded back to the street where Le Club Argenté D'oiseau was located, he could start to feel like he was being noticed by the men in the street; they were looking at him as he walked by. He avoided any eye contact by continuing to look from the map to the street signs. He heard some comments being made in French and ignored them. There was even one couple, who as they walked past Logan, one of the men turned and stared at Logan as he went passed them. The more feminine of the two began slapping the masculine one on the shoulder and scolded him saying in French, “What the hell are you looking at”?

Logan kept up his act, asking himself, “What have I just gotten myself into?” He came to the street Le Club Argenté D'oiseau was located and turned right to walk the rest of the way.

He finally came to the front door of Le Club Argenté D'oiseau, where there was a doorman looking at him. He stopped and stood in front of the nightclub, looking at the paper with the name and address that Henri had handwritten for him, and then looked at the map. He was acting as if he was double checking, and then went to the doorman, asking in his American English, “Excuse me, sir? Is this the right place?”

He showed the doorman the paper, pointing at it, and then to building of Le Club Argenté D'oiseau The doorman looked at the paper, nodded and said “Oui.”

“Alright, finally.” Logan said and started to walk in, but was stopped by the doorman. The doorman began to look Logan over, and Logan thought to himself, “Shit! Dress code”. He was wearing black denim jeans, with a long sleeved dark gray cotton mock turtleneck and black boots.

The doorman pointed to his clothing, “Monsieur, je juste vous dis que vous êtes limite avec notre code de robe,” the doorman said, “mais je vais le laisse veuillez aller parce que c'est seulement jeudi soirée, vêtement approprié la fois procaine”.

He told Logan that there was a dress code, but he was just borderline and he would let it go for now because it was only Thursday evening, but a more proper attire would be needed next time.

“I’m sorry, I don’t understand,” Logan said to the doorman, he pointed to himself and said in his American accent, “American … I’m meeting a couple o’ guys here, I don’t speak French.”

The doorman looked at him again, and then nodded “OK”, opened the door and let Logan enter. Logan then said, “Thank you very much.” to the doorman. When he went through the door and it shut behind him, he relaxed and collected his thoughts for a second. “I’m meeting a couple of guys here?” he thought, “Where the hell did that come from”? He gathered his thoughts for a few more seconds, he felt as if he just ran the gauntlet.

Logan stood in a small reception area where there was a coat check room; it was unoccupied since it was still early in the evening. He peered into Le Club Argenté D'oiseau and then he stepped into the main area of the night club. He was impressed, it was as first class as Jean-Luc and Henri said it was. It was done in a retro mode, but with dark wood paneling and wood flooring. Logan realized he stood out immediately in there, not only because of the way he was dressed, but also because of his size.   

There were only about twenty patrons in the club at the time. Logan walked directly to the bar that was to his right, over to his left there was a table with six people sitting, visiting and having cocktails, three men and three women. Logan scanned the area looking for Theo among the other patrons and it didn’t take but just a second. He was sitting at a table in the far back, if Logan positioned himself at the bar just right, he could just sit and have a drink, and pretend he was waiting for the “couple o’ guys” he told the doorman about.

Logan moved just a little to the left of the bar and found a spot to stand, Theo was in view, he was sitting at the table with a beautiful African woman and from the way it looked, and Theo was trying his best to be romantic with her. He had her sitting next to him with his arm around her shoulders. Her hands were resting on the table, and Theo had his hands placed on top of them, caressing them. 

They looked like a normal Parisian couple in a romantic moment, with wine glasses in front of them, Theo giving her little kisses on her neck, shoulders, and lips. Logan was a bit surprised to see the soft side of this man. He’d been studying his history over the past few months and most of it was how ruthless this man can be. But a thought did cross Logan’s mind, one thing that all of a sudden stood out. When it came to enforcement, or clientele who were not complying with the rules on payment, Theo would always have someone else conduct all the physical punishment. In fact, Logan couldn’t now recall anytime in the record of Theo being involved in any of the physical violence that comes with his line of work.

Logan then thought to himself that he may have just found a weakness in Theo, and made a mental note of it.

The bartender came to Logan and asked, “Queest-ce que je peux obtenir pour vous, monsieur?”

Logan looked at him and said, “Excuse me, what?” in his American English. The bartender asked again what he would like to drink. Logan then asked the bartender if he could speak any English which the bartender answered that he couldn’t.

So Logan said, “A beer then please.” to which the bartender shrugged his shoulders. Logan looked up to the back wall of the bar pointing at the beer bottles there, and the bartender gave him a confused look. Logan then just pointed to the beer taps in the center, choosing a known French brand.

“Bière ?” The bartender asked Logan, pointing to the taps.


“Yes, uh I mean oui, Yes, thank you.”

The bartender poured the beer into a tall glass and placed it before Logan. Logan nodded “thanks” and the bartender smiled back at Logan … in a bit of a provocative way. Logan ignored it and proceeded with his surveillance of Theo, choosing to stand at the bar rather than to sit. 

Logan could feel himself being watched, first from the people who were sitting at the table as he came in, and now from some of the other men who were scattered at the other ends of the club, even by some of the women. But they looked mostly because of the attention being paid to him by their male friends. The only one who seemed to not notice him was Theo, whose attention was exclusively on the African beauty next to him, which suited Logan just fine, the less attention on him from Theo, the better. Maybe Theo was not here to make a deal he thought, but just here for a little romance.

Some of the other men though were now starting to eye Logan, including the bartender. Some of the men would walk slowly behind him and look him up and down. Logan would sometimes catch them and purposely give them an expression of confusion back at them. He would hear them whisper things in French on how gorgeous he was, and wondering if he were alone or waiting for somebody. Logan continued on with his scenario as if he were waiting for someone. He leaned on the bar, looked at the time on his watch every thirty seconds or so, and then over his right shoulder to the front door. But he always stealthily kept his watch on Theo. Logan was getting a bit uncomfortable though from the attention by some of the other patrons, the male patrons, and that he wasn’t acting out.

Behind him though, where the table of six were sitting, he was totally unaware that he was the topic of conversation. The patrons there felt as if he were out of place, and saw his slight nervousness as some of the men walked around him. One of the women decided then to go over to him to see it that were so. She walked to the end of the bar; his back was to her because of his constant looking over his shoulder to the entrance of the club. Logan didn’t see or notice her; he kept his mind on what he was there to do.

“Etes-vous dans le miel droit d'endroit ? Etes-vous perdu?” She said, speaking to the back of him.

 

Logan heard, but had to ignore her. She was asking him if he were in the right place, and wondering if he may be lost. Normally he would of turned around, because she was using the endearment ‘honey’ when she spoke to him, but he had to stay in character with his scenario.

“Vous ne parlez pas français du tout?” She asked from behind him.

 

 

Again … he had to ignore what he was hearing; she was asking that if he spoke any French at all. He had to think of something that would make her stop, and so he decided to ask the bartender something in English, maybe she would realize she would not be able to communicate with him, or think he was just rude and give up. “Excuse me, bartender,” he called, the bartender came over and Logan was pointing to his wristwatch, “is this the right time? Is this the same time as you have? Ya don’t … understand … do ya?”

“Are you lost honey? Are you sure you’re in the right place?” She asked this time in English. She spoke with a British accent with a slight cockney tone.

With this now … Logan turned to see who was speaking to him … and his eyes met hers.

Everything around him … everything … just stopped.

She’s perfect … absolutely perfect Logan thought. She stood at five feet seven inches and she had a sleek, slender build. Her hair was a deep dark brown and had natural small tight curls. Her eyes were dark brown and seemed to reflect every light in the room. Her face had perfect skin that had never known a blemish, and it had a natural tan shade from some ethnicity in her background, just as Logan had. Her lips had a natural rose pink shade; her head was balanced on a sleek smooth neck. Logan seemed to be fixated on her neck … how perfect it was. She was wearing a black short skirt with a lavender long-sleeved crew top. Logan felt a warm feeling in his chest that he hadn’t felt since he was a teenager … back in America … before he was Logan. Her arms were sleek and perfect too, she stood the with them crossed, and Logan noticed she was saying something to him, but he couldn’t make out what.

 

 

“Huh? What?” He said to her as he came out of his stupor.
 

“I said, you don’t speak French at all, do you?”
 

He almost answered that he did, but caught himself. “Uh … no. No miss. I’m afraid I don’t.”
 

“Oh, you’re an American?” she asked smiling at him.
 

“Uh, yep. Yes I am.”
 

“From where?”
 

Logan was stumped for a second, and then answered with the one place in America that he loved the most, “South Dakota.”
 

“You’re a long way from South Dakota then I suppose?”
 

“Yes, you can definitely say that I am.”

 

 “How long have you been in Paris luv?” She asked.

“’Bout a month,” he said, surprised how well he was doing with his deception. He had to, he just couldn’t tell her that he’s a French police officer, watching the man in the back and she would have to go back to her friends, so he kept up with his scenario.
 

“Just a month? What are you doing here?” she continued.
 

“I’m waiting for a couple o’ guys that work with me,” he said, “we’re meeting here first, then going
 over to some other spots.”
 

“No dear, I meant what are you doing here … in Paris?” She asked.
 

“Oh,” Logan said, trying to come up with an answer. Quickly he started to think of something, after all he’s come up with ‘waiting for a couple o’ guys’ and South Dakota. He thought, ‘what do I do? I’m a police officer, what do I deal in? Security’. That’s it, “Security and security systems”, he answered, and “I deal with companies’ security.”
 

Police officer. Logan had temporarily forgotten the whole reason why he was there, he glanced over to see that Theo was still there with his African beauty; his hand though was not on top of hers anymore. It was moving all around her now, touching her face, her shoulder, her chest, and then would disappear below the table onto her thighs. Logan could see his hand going up her thigh, but the African beauty did not seem to mind. Theo is still there, so everything is going the way it’s supposed to … so far.
 

“Do you know where you are honey?” She asked him.
 

“Yeah, right here,” he said handing her the paper with the Le Club Argenté D'oiseau name and address handwritten on it, “they told me to meet them both here first.”
 

The woman looked at the paper and said, “That’s this place all right.”
 

Logan looked at his watch and saw that it was 6:30 and he no idea of how much longer Theo was going to be here, so he said, “I was suppose to meet them between a quarter til and seven o’clock. I still don’t know my was around the city that much, so I figured that it would be better to way too early, than a little too late.”
 

“That sounds practical,” she said, “but what I mean is do you really know where you are?”
 

“No … not exactly,” he said, “not really.”
 

“Hmmm,” she said, then looked at his shoulder length hair, “who cuts your hair while you’re here?”

 

“I beg your pardon?” Logan asked in a surprised tone, because it was a complete different topic all of a sudden.
 

“Your hair honey, who cuts your hair while you’re in Paris?”
 

“No one in particular … why?”
 

“Because whoever is doing it is terrible, you have beautiful hair dear, you should come see me,” she said, then held up her finger as if to tell him to not move, “wait here one second luv.”
 

She walked back to the table where her other friends were still sitting. She went on her seat wear her purse was and pulled out a small case, her friends seemed to be asking her questions about what was going on, she was nodding ‘no’ about something. Logan turned his attention very quickly back to Theo, his hand was still roaming over the African beauty, and always went down to between her legs, and the African beauty still didn’t seem to mind. The girl then came to Logan, this time standing close to him; she had a business card in her hand and gave it to him.
 

On it was the name of a coiffeur salon that was close by called Clive’s, with the address, phone number, business hours, and such. Right in the middle was her name in capitol letters … LILY.
 

“Lily?” He asked.
 

“Yes, it’s short for Lillian”
 

“Lily.” He said again.
 

“That’s correct.”
 

“Lily,” he said once more and then added, “like the flower.”
 

“Yes.” she said with a little smile.
 

He looked at the card, then to her face, to the card, again to her face then said with a little shrug, “Appropriate.”
 

“Now that was sweet,” she said smiling up at him, “and you are?”
 

“What?” He asked as he came out of his gaze again.

 

She giggled a little and said, “Your name honey, what’s your name?”

“Oh … that. I’m sorry … it’s Logan. My name is Logan.”

“Logan.” she said, listening to the sound of it, “Now that’s a nice name. Yes … I like it.” She smiled in approval, and then asked him, “Now … Logan, I have to ask you again, are you in the right place? Do you know where you are?”

“Again, I have to say not really.” he answered, “Why? Is something wrong?”
 

She stepped closer to him, “Take a look around sweetheart, and tell me what you see.”
 

He knew what she was getting at, but to keep up his scenario he went along with it. He looked around the club and to all the patrons; he did manage to look again towards Theo’s direction. There he noticed that there may be a change in the mood of his date, she seemed a bit angry with him. He looked around for a few more seconds, and then pretended to come to a realization.

 

“Oh God,” he said in a low voice, “I think I’ve been duped.”

“Duped dear?” Lily asked, just as quiet.
 

“Yeah, I think my French co-workers just may have played a trick on their dumb American counterpart.” he said to her, surprised with himself of how well he was adlibbing this whole thing. Jean-Luc would be proud … if he were here to see it.
 

“I don’t understand dear, what do you mean?”
 

“A couple o’ guys that work with me at this one company, I think they’ve played some sort of prank on me and I fell for it.” He said, then continued. “They told me to meet them here first to check out the ladies who are out and about, then we’d go to another hang out of theirs.” He looked around a bit more, saw all the men sitting together looking at him, and most of the women were sitting together. He and Theo were the only men who were with women at that moment. He leaned over to her and whispered in her ear, “This is one of those … those gay bars … isn’t it?”
 

She whispered back into his, “I’m afraid so hun.”
 

Gardenias … he thought … she has the fragrance of gardenias. “And then that must mean that you’re a …”
 

She pulled her head back to see his face, “A lesbian? Oh no dear, I’m not a lesbian. Judging from your reaction, you’re not gay then are you? You’re straight?”
 

“As an arrow.” Logan answered.
 

“Looks as though you’re in a bit of a predicament.”
 

“Looks that way.” He said, pausing for a second then continued “Can I ask you something?”
 

“Sure hun.”
 

“If you’re not a … you know …”

“Lesbian?”

“Yeah … that … if you’re not a … lesbian, then what are you doing here?”
 

“Oh, simple,” Lily said, “gay nightclubs are great places for a girl like me to go. The men treat you like a friend always, they dance with you, they talk with you on your level, and they all don’t act like asses trying to either impress you, or to take you home to bed you down. No pressure on a girl what so ever.” Logan then had a very confused expression on his face, and then Lily asked him, “What’s the matter honey?”
 

“I don’t know,” he said, “that’s kind of confusing.”
 

“Why do you say that dear?”
 

“Because,” he answered, “for some odd reason … that makes a lot of sense to me.”
 

She gave out a laugh, and placed her hand on the inside of his elbow, “Take you lager honey and come with me, I want you to meet my friends.”
 

He hesitated for a second, he started to forget why he came in there and looked at Theo, he was still there with the African beauty, but she didn’t appear to be very happy with him at the moment.

“Come on dear,” she said in a reassuring tone, “they’re not going to bite you.”
 

She guided him to the table where her friends were sitting. Once standing there she announced to them all, “Chacun, ceci est Logan, il est un Américain, il ne parle pas français, et il est droit”. Logan understood that she was telling them all his name, that he is an American and that he’s straight. “So, let’s all speak our best English for him shall we?” She continued and looked at Logan, “They all speak English somewhat.”
 

The two other women were sitting very close together, one a French white girl and the other another pretty African girl. They were holding hands and the African girl had her arm around the other. “This is Cosette,” Lily said pointing to the African girl, “and her love … Miriam.” Logan held out his hand and gently shook both of their hands.
 

She then moved to the small built man sitting next to Cosette and Miriam. He was feminine in his manner, “This is Bricey,” Lily said. Logan shook his hand also and got as gentle a handshake as he did from the ladies.
 

Next to the middle aged man at the head of the table. He was a bearded man, dressed in a navy blazer and gray trousers with a gray dress shirt open at the collar. He was about six feet tall slightly overweight, but he had a big smile on his face and extended his hand to Logan. “This is Clive,” Lily said, “He’s my employer. In fact, Cosette, Miriam, and Bricey are all in his employ as well.”
 

“Then you’re the Clive I saw on Lily’s business card.” Logan said shaking his hand. 
 

Clive gave Logan a firm handshake; along with a very cordial greeting in English, “Very happy to meet you my boy, you have created quite a stir in here.”
 

“I have?”

 

“What? You have not noticed?”

“I’m afraid I may be here by mistake, Lily informs me.”
 

Lily then said, “Clive’s has one of the best coiffeur salons in all of Paris, isn’t that correct Clive?”
 

Clive then wagged his finger at her and said, “Incorrect my dear, it is THE BEST salon in Paris, we must work on that more with you.” Clive said with his infectious smile.

 

 

Lily then came to the man who was sitting next to Clive; he was wearing a bright colored pattern shirt with black trousers and some gold chains. “And this is Claude Deveraux.” Lily said, Logan felt a little knot in his stomach, what if Claude made him out to be a police officer? “He is the owner and proprietor of Le Club Argenté D'oiseau.”
 

Claude Deveraux extended his hand to Logan, palm down, as if he were to kiss his ring. Logan went and just held his hand in greeting and Claude said, “He’s straight? Darling, you just broke many hearts in here, maybe even my own. Charmed to meet you. Have a chair will you?” 
 

There were two open chairs that were together, Logan pulled one out for Lily, and then he sat in the one next to her. Fortunately for him, where he sat still gave him a view of Theo and the African Beauty, whom now both seemed to be having a little argument. Logan thought about what Jean-Luc and Henri then said to him when he asked if Claude Deveraux were gay, and they answered with a very loud “very”. He WAS very flamboyant.
 

“This is a first class establishment you run here Mr. Deveroux.” Logan said to him.
 

“Please dear, you may call me Claude.”
 

“Why, thank you then … Claude.”
 

So they sat there having a ‘get acquainted’ conversation, Lily seemed infatuated with the man she had just met, and had approached him at the urging of the others. Logan now had to focus on the conversation at hand, plus keep an eye on what was going on with Theo. However … for the first time ever … he had a distraction from his mission … the young lady sitting next to him. The years of his Legion training on keeping focused, were for the first time being challenged by this beautiful girl.
 

After a few minutes into their conversation, a disturbance started from the direction of Theo and his African beauty. The African girl now stood and walked around the table, “Je vous ai dit de vous arrêter, ce des maux!” She yelled at him, and then she reached over and slapped him hard across his face. Claude upon seeing the altercation signaled to a couple of large men standing in near the restrooms, he waved to them, pointed to Theo and then gave a thumbs down sign. The men quickly went to Theo’s table and from the looks of things, cordially informed Theo that he would have to leave. Theo gave no argument and got from his table with no trouble. As they were going past the bar, Claude gave them another hand signal; the men knew that they had to inform Theo that he would not be able to return to the club for another month.
 

Meanwhile the African beauty stood at the end of the bar with her arms crossed and watched the trio as they walked past her. Theo gave her a look that made her flinch and she looked a little frightened. Once Theo was escorted from the club, Lily called to her, “Giselle, viennent ici et nous joignent,” asking her, Giselle, to join them. Logan saw Lily waving her over, and when she started coming their way he got an empty chair and placed it at the end of the table for her. She was wearing a short black sleeveless dress with a silver belt with matching necklace, bracelets, and earrings, her hair was long and straight and her make-up was perfect with a red lipstick. Her most outstanding features were her eyes and lips. Her walk and movements were very feminine. She looked both angry and frightened.
 

“Giselle, ceci est Logan, il est un Américain et des speakes aucun Français, et il est droit,” Lily said as she introduced Giselle to Logan, also telling her that he’s an American, doesn’t speak French, and emphasized that he is straight. 
 

Giselle looked a little disappointed when Lily told her that he is straight, “Bonjour, gentil de vous rencontrer, j'aime juste les hommes Américains.” She said though in an exuberant tone extending her hand. Logan stood and shook hers gently.

 

“She says that she’s glad to meet you and that she loves American men.” Lily then said to Logan. Logan gave a little smile and nod to Giselle.
 

Lily then asked Giselle what just happened to her and they had a conversation in French. Logan now was in a situation, the man he was sent in here to observe was just thrown out, Jean-Luc and Henri had to have seen Theo leave, and are probably wondering why he hasn’t come out to report to them. Logan was trying to think of something to say so that he could leave, and he was about to … until he started to hear the conversation between Lily and Giselle.
 

However, the conversation between them also tested Logan’s little charade to the maximum, in fact, he had at one point, take his hand and squeeze tightly on the tendon behind his knee so that the pain would keep him from smiling, or even burst out laughing, after all, he was not supposed to understand French.
 

From what he heard in the conversation, and much to Logan’s complete surprise, Giselle was not a woman … but a transvestite. It turned out she has been seeing Theo every now and then, she had come there tonight specially to see him. She complained of all the time she spent that evening getting ready to see him. He started out being very romantic with gentle touches and kissing, and he was putting his hand up her skirt, and she was letting him fondle her between her legs, and she was getting very aroused. He kept doing this; in fact he did it several times.
 

“Je ne peux pas avoir une érection dedans ici, pas avec cette robe!” She exclaimed to Lily, and when she did Logan grabbed his tendon so hard he though he was going to snap it. Giselle exclaimed that she couldn’t have an erection in the club, especially with the dress she was wearing.

 

Logan decided that it may be best now that he stayed, he was finding out something about Theo Buchin that he may be able to use. Theo, it turned out was homosexual, and he worked for a very psychotic macho organized crime figure. Theo was very close to Bela Volchesku and his entire enclave. Could it be that Theo has kept his homosexuality a secret from them all this time?

 

But, she also told Lily of the way he looked at her as he left, of how it frightened her, it was a threatening look, and she was scared that he might now do something to her. It was just the way he stared at her as he was being escorted out, a look that told her that this was not the last that she’ll see of him, and that she was going to be sorry.
 

“So what does she say,” Logan asked Lily, “was he hurting her or something? Was that her boyfriend?”
 

“Oh, she’s alright, she’s been seeing him for about a week or so.” Lily answered. “But I’ve seen him around here for quite a while, he particularly likes girls like Giselle.”
 

“You mean African girls?” Logan asked while taking a drink of his beer knowing the answer.
 

Lily and Giselle smiled, “Oh, is he not a cute one.” Giselle said in English.
 

“Oh, you speak English too?” He asked Giselle.
 

“Oui.” Giselle said placing her elbows on the table, clasping her hands together and resting her chin on them. She was batting her eyes at him and all the others at the table began to laugh.
 

“What was so funny?” Logan asked.
 

“When I said ‘girls’ like Giselle, I didn’t mean because of her race honey.” Lily said.
 

“Then what do you mean?” Logan asked knowing the answer, however, keeping to his scenario.
 

Lily moved herself closer to him and placed her hands on his forearm then said, “Take a good look at her sweetheart, tell me, what do you think?”
 

Logan looked at Giselle and said, “I don’t know, I would have to say that she’s quite beautiful.”
 

Giselle smiled, reached over the table and cupped Logan’s face briefly and then sat back down and said, “Merci.”
 

“What’s going on?” Logan asked again to keep up his façade.
 

“May I tell him?” Lily asked Giselle, to which she nodded ‘yes’.
 

“Take a real close look at her Logan dear.” Lily said to him.
 

“What?”
 

She leaned over and said quietly to him, “When I say a ‘girl’ like Giselle, I mean that’s she’s not a real girl.”
 

“How can you not be a real …” and he gave her a surprised look, then he looked at Giselle and then said, “No way.”
 

Both Lily and Giselle were nodding ‘yes,’ and the rest of the people at the table began to laugh harder.
 

“No way.” He then said to Giselle.
 

“If you want me too cutie, I can prove it to you,” Giselle said.
 

Logan looked back at her, held up both his hands and said, “Uh … no way, but thanks. It’s unbelievable, but I believe it.”
 

Then he looked at Lily for a second and said, “Oh God … I just had a thought.”

 

“What’s that honey?” Lily asked.

He looked at Lily and said, “Please tell me that YOU’RE a girl.”
 

She laughed and said, “OK luv, I’m a girl.”
 

“No,” Logan said, “tell me that you’re a girl because you ARE a girl … a real girl … born a girl.”
 

“I assure you my sweet,” she said, “I am a girl … born with all the equipment of a girl. But unlike Giselle, I am not going to prove it to you; you’ll have to take my word for it.”
 

Logan now started to feel a little anxious, he had both his partners outside waiting for him, and Theo Buchin was gone. He was going to say something like he had to meet his co-workers at the other establishment or something. He was thinking of also asking Lily if there was a way he could see her again. Then he looked to Cosette, she had an expression of concern on her face.
 

“Lily!” she said quietly getting her attention, she then pointed behind her.
 

Lily turned around to see a man at the entrance; he was a large built man wearing a black suit with white shirt and no tie. “Oh … shit.” Lily then said.
 

Logan turned to see what the problem was and saw the man she was looking at. He was approaching the table with a determined step and angry expression. When he reached the table she looked up at him and asked, “Charles, what are you doing here?”
 

“I want to speak with you right now.” Charles said with an English accent with a predominant cockney tone.
 

“Why do you keep coming around here?” Lily asked him, “Just go back to England will you, stop doing this.”
 

“I came a long way again, and I want to talk to you,” he said, “and right now.”
 

“Charles, I’m not …” She started but before she could finish Charles took her handbag and jacket.
 

“Come on,” he said in a demanding tone, “it’s important.”
 

“You always say it’s important.”
 

He then leaned down to her and said, “If you don’t want me to start a very loud scene in here, that may result in some property damage, then you’ll come talk to me … NOW!”
 

Logan began to stand, but Lily put her hand on his arm to let him know it was all right, “I’ll be alright, I should be back soon.” She said, then stood from the table and left with Charles.
 

Logan was now alone with everyone, “Who was that, and what was that all about?” He asked, and then he asked, “Wait a minute, don’t tell me, that’s her boyfriend, right?”
 

“Her old boyfriend,” Cosette said, “she broke it off with him two years ago back in England, and then she moved here. He comes here practically every weekend to try and get her to go back.”
 

“She does not want to go back,” Bricey said, “she loves it here in Paris, but he will not take no for an answer … he is just a brute.”
 

“She does not want to be with him,” Cosette said, “but he will not stop. He keeps saying that he loves her, but then he acts the way he does.”
 

“This has been going on now for two years with him?” Logan asked.
 

“Yes, it is very ridiculous,” Giselle said.
 

Logan thought for a second and said, “That doesn’t sound like love, sounds more like obsession.”
 

Bricey then clapped his hands together and said, “Thank you, thank you, thank you, I have been telling her that for two years.”
 

Logan then looked around the table and asked solemnly, “So, is she gonna come back?”
 

They all shrugged as if they didn’t know. “Sometimes she comes back … but not for a while.” Cosette said.
 

Logan than started to get up and said, “Well, that was nice while it lasted, old boyfriends; always make things hard on a guy.”
 

“Maybe she will be back soon my boy.” Clive said.
 

“She comes in here practically every night with all of us.” Miriam said.
 

“These fine people here are my most loyal of patrons.” Claude added to the conversation.
 

“Yes, my boy,” Clive then said, “she comes in here practically every night with all of us, and I also remember her giving you her card to the salon. If you do not see her here, then make an appointment with her.”
 

“Maybe you can save her from that damned animal.” Claude said.
 

“Practically every night huh?” Logan asked, and everyone nodded in agreement, even smiling, “I have to go anyway though; I have a couple of guys that I have to discuss their sense of humor with. It was very nice meeting you all, thank you for making me comfortable in an awkward situation.”
 

They all bid good night to him, he took another drink of his beer and turned and began to walk away. He stopped in his tracks and turned to all of them one more time, “Practically every night?” he asked again.
 

“Yes.” Cosette said and then smiled at him.
 

He smiled back, turned and left the club through the front door. Once outside he looked down the street and saw that Jean-Luc and Henri were still in the van waiting for him. He began to walk in quick stride to their direction, he looked around him though, but saw no sign of Lily and Charles. Once he felt he was clear of Le Club Argenté D'oiseau he jogged the rest of the way to the van.

Jean-Luc and Henri were agitated with hand and facial expressions of ‘where were you’. Logan opened the back door of the van and jumped in and shut the door behind him. “What took you Logan?” Jean-Luc asked with a somewhat angry tone, “Theo left over fifteen minutes ago and we have no way of finding him!”

“Easy Jean-Luc,” Logan said, “we may not have too. We may just be able to go back to his home and bring him in. We may just be able to take our time with him.”
 

“I’m listening.” Jean-Luc said.
 

“Tell me something about Bela Volchescu,” Logan asked. “Is he as real a psychopath as his file says?”
 

“He’s not the calm businessman that his father was,” Jean-Luc said, “he has more ego than common sense.”
 

“And … is he as ‘macho’ as the file claims?” Logan continued.
 

“That would be an understatement,” Henri interceded, “taking over the business, and with all the power that came with it, well, it all just became an extension of his dick. He always surrounds himself with fast cars, beautiful women, he exercises like hell.”
 

“Then, in your opinion, he surrounds himself in everything masculine.” Logan said. “He’s most comfortable with that?”
 

“What are you implying Logan?” Jean-Luc then asked.
 

“Theo Buchin was not in there doing business.” Logan began. “It turns out that Theo was there to see someone. In fact, the woman I met in there told me he comes down around here very often. Theo likes to walk on the wild side … he has a taste for transvestites … Theo Buchin is a homosexual.”
 

Jean-Luc and Henri were silent with the surprise.
 

Logan then continued, “Now Theo is very close in that enclave, very close to Bela. I understand they all take steam baths, saunas, and showers together when they are at their gymnasium. Swim in Bela’s pool, things that men normally do together. I wonder what Bela would think if he were to find out that Theo likes it when he sees him naked.”
 

Jean-Luc and Henri began to smile. Jean-Luc then said, “If he comes here alone, then he keeps it a secret, in fact, maybe that’s why he prefers to do his business by himself, so that he can come down here.”
 

“I know that Bela is no fan of homosexuals.” Henri added, “I think if he found out about Theo, and after all this time, he would kill him, he is to macho to understand. Money or no money.”
 

“I think you may have stumbled upon something that will be greatly to our advantage Logan.” Jean-Luc said. “Good work.”
 

“I suggest that we should go wait for Theo at his home,” Logan said, “pick him up for a little questioning, and then present him with this. Ask him how Bela may feel about a certain ‘girl’ by the name of Giselle.”
 

“Giselle?” asked Henri.
 

“Giselle is the transvestite that Theo had his hands and lips all over,” Logan told them, “and I have to tell the both of you, if either one of you were alone in a bar and she was there, you’d never know. I have to say she … I mean he … she … whatever … is beautiful and convincing.”
 

Jean-Luc started the vans engine, “So, you say you met a woman in the club Logan?” he asked.
 

“Uh, Yes. Yes I did.”
 

“Is she pretty?”

 

“Umm … yes … she’s very pretty I would have to say.”

 

 

Jean-Luc sat in silence for a second letting the engine run. “Is this woman one reason why you were so late coming out of there?”
 

“Uh, yes, she’s one reason. The other was because of the information that I got from her and her friends after Theo was thrown out.”
 

“He was thrown out?” Asked Henri.
 

“Yes, he was.” Logan answered, “He was getting a little rough in his romancing of the transvestite Giselle, so Claude had him removed.”

 

“You were with Claude Deveraux?” Jean-Luc suddenly asked, “Did he suspect you at all?”

“No, no he didn’t,” Logan said, “I would have to say Jean-Luc that I was good in there. Playing a naïve American must come natural for me. But what matters is that … DAMN! I’m good!”
 

Then Henri asked Logan, “The woman you met, she is a real woman … correct?”
 

“Yes, she assured me that she is,” Logan said with a happy tone, “and, to top it all off, she’s NOT a lesbian!”
 

Jean-Luc turned to Logan, “It sounds as if you may have had an enjoyable stay during your surveillance Sergeant Morrow.”
 

“Ummm, yes sir I did … that is until her boyfriend showed up.”
 

Henri slapped his forehead, “Well, looks like the bubble was burst on you then, right Logan?”
 

“Yes, it looks that way.” Logan agreed.
 

Jean-Luc saw an expression of some disappointment on Logan’s face, “Well, you had us a little angry at first with your overextended stay in there Logan, but it looks as though what you did may turn out for the best. Let’s get back to the war room and discuss this with Thiebulet.”
 

Jean-Luc turned to face the steering wheel, put the van in gear and turned onto the street. Logan now welcomed the short silence between them so that he could think of the woman, Lily, and how beautiful she is … and how nice it felt again to sit and talk with a woman. They were driving on the street for just a few seconds when Logan looked to Le Club Argenté D'oiseau. Out in the front he saw three women, and as the van came closer, Logan recognized them and sat in the back corner of the van so as not to be seen by them. It was Cosette, Miriam … and Lily. The van drove passed and he watched them from the back window as they drove by. It looked to Logan as if all three of them were looking up and down the street. He knew then that they were looking for him, and in which direction that he may have left in - - -

- - - The radio once again brought Logan out of his train of thought. Reba, the morning talk show hostess was telling everyone in the city of Chicago that it was 5:30 AM and time for an update from the national news. Logan sat there wide awake, but tired from the lack of sleep, combined with the memory of his second dream, and of the memory that he thought of for the rest of the morning.

He looked down at his hands and realized that he had been stroking his silver bracelet with his fingertips the whole time. He looked at the bracelet that Lily gave him, lovingly stroking it. Then a thought came to him that made him very uneasy, to the point that it even scared him a little.

He thought about it more, and then he said quietly to himself as he looked at, and stroked the bracelet, “If they catch me … they’ll take this away from me.”