Paradise Harbour chapter 1

Chapter One

The year was 1922.

I was a young man back then, only just starting my new profession as a private investigator.

My full name is Luc Nistage. It’s a name that has carried through generations, all the way back to my ancestor from France, who fought in the war for independence against the Brits and then settled in the Louisiana region. Thefamily has remained there for generations, and I found myself growing up near New Orleans. But alas, that is not the place where most of my story happened. This is just the base, my beginnings.

I lived in an old apartment. The family money was split up, and I was given the shortest stick out of all the siblings. Still, this made me stronger than any of them. I learned responsibility, consequences, and resilience early on in my life.

Back then, I had a strong notion of punishing evildoers, and so being a private investigator was the perfect profession for me.

One rainy day I sat on the edge of the bed looking out the window. The water drops dragged each other around on the glass. I had decided to take a week off and relax, but my mind was racing. I focused on the drops and the sound of the rain. It pulled me so deeply into its rhythm that I almost missed the knocking on my door.

Slowly I got up and moved towards the door. My hand was ready to draw my revolver. It was habit, part of my overly cautious nature.

As I asked who it was, a pleasant female voice answered. I cracked the door

open.

“Hello, my name is Mercedes. Luc, I presume?” asked a stunningly beautiful

young woman with wavy black hair and big brown eyes. She smiled slightly as she looked up at me.

I slowly and hesitantly acknowledged this and opened the door. She was perhaps the most beautiful woman I had ever met, and I was taken aback. My mind was drawing a blank as far as how to act calmly and professionally.

“Are you very busy? May I not come in? I am here representing Allard Van Dausen,” she said, her smile growing more dazzling.

Hearing the name Allard Van Dausen, one of the richest men in the country, brought me back to reality. What would he want with me? I motioned Mercedes in and showed her a chair.

My apartment looked dismal indeed. Dust everywhere, barely any decorations, no art, dark colors. However, Mercedes didn’t seem to mind it as she politely asked if I had any coffee or tea. I immediately went to prepare some coffee for both of us.

We sat at my small, rickety table and stirred our coffee. “What brings you here today, and why has Allard Van Dausen shown an interest in me out of all possible investigators?” I asked her after sipping some coffee.

“Mr. Van Dausen was very impressed with your file upon reviewing it. He had a good feeling about it,” she said, and crossed her legs, her eyes huge above the coffee cup. I did my best to stay focused.

“Oh, my file?” I almost laughed, for I had no idea there was such a thing as a file on me, but I wasn’t very surprised, knowing the times. I usually just went about my work, ignoring the rest of the world.

“Yes, your file, Mr. Nistage,” she said pleasantly, setting down the cup.

“Please, call me Luc. So, what is the nature of this job?” I asked, and took the last swallow of my coffee. I caught a glimpse of the broken clock on the wall and realized what a dump my place was. No place to be hosting such a lady.

“Mr. Van Dausen will tell you more details and give you more resources, but first, he wanted to make sure you’d be interested. It’s about his daughter, Aranxa. She has gone missing after going up to study in a medical school in a town located in Rhode Island. Mr. Dausen wants you to find her.” Mercedes paused, looking at me with her big, beautiful, dark eyes.

“Um, Rhode Island? I don’t usually travel too far from here, and this type of deal might even require a relocation for an unknown amount of time.” I shook my head.

“One hundred twenty thousand,” she said, and paused again, looking at me calmly.

“Excuse me?”

“Mr. Van Dausen will pay you sixty thousand dollars to take the job, and he will also provide you with housing. He is willing to send me there as well to make sure he constantly has eyes and a contact there he can trust. If you succeed, Mr. Dausen will double the original payment.”

Mercedes grinned, and her eyes were dancing with suppressed laughter as she watched my astonished face uncontrollably change upon hearing those numbers.

“I will meet him.”

Mercedes was pleased with my answer and gave me a piece of notepaper, on which was written a time and a place for the meeting. I escorted her out of the building, where a black car took her away.