The Mystery at Pere Lachaise

He pulled her forward and kissed her and she went to work running her hands on his back and pushing her hands into his pants. His hands did much the same exploring her back. Missy was like most young girls body conscious and she was very slender almost willowy. She had humble breasts and a small apple bottom. He never had a type but having seen Anna-Elise he now felt he preferred his women a little more ample.

Missy was eager as ever to move to the foreplay and was already grabbing at his cock in his pants and trying to pull the pants off from the side. He helped her by stopping, stepping out of them and then returned to her lips. She grabbed his cock, pulling away at it, which hurt.

He picked her up, turned ninety degrees, and placed her on the bed. She shuffled about then laid centre of the bed her legs already wide open and waiting for him. Missy had no subtlety or class for that matter. He was now distracted fully, as his cock showed by being erect, from his research and he rest on top of her kissing her lips. His right hand exploring and tweaking her right breast as his tongue moved from her mouth to her neck. Her hands still searched for his cock but he had moved down her body slightly placing it out of her reach, and pain, he knew that would annoy her. He moved further down her his hand moving from her breast to her now wet area between her legs and his tongue replaced his fingers on her breast.

Her hands twisted and pulled at his shaggy shoulder length hair as a consolation for not having his cock. He buried his hand into her hard his fingers plunging in and out of her. She moaned as he pushed them into her and her breathing seemed to imitate the rhythm of his movements. He brought her easily to orgasm and as always she gave him notice with her audible "Mickey Mouse Donald Duck." It always put him off and he never understood what the Disney characters had to do with sex and her orgasm but he never questioned her about it. But she came and as always she was happy to go down on him.

She had his cock in her mouth so quickly it took him off guard. She seemed to have had a lot of practice at blow-jobs, she knew what she was doing and many ways to do it, and seemed to relish it. She licked him from the tip of his shaft down and up several times and pulled his foreskin down, as far as it would go, to run her hot wet tongue over its head. She carried on till he was about to come then promptly sat up. Missy never allowed anyone to come in her mouth, or on her, the idea repulsed her but she expected guys to keep their tongues inside her, though Noah never did, when she came.

Today she moved a little slowly and she ended up with his seed on her chin, which she promptly wiped on his sheets while complaining about his aim and lack of respect for her and stating how he knew she hated 'that stuff on her body'. Noah wanted to laugh but knew better.

She whacked her hands up and down his cock and when it was hard again sat on it, after applying a condom, and he held her hips as she moved up and down. In truth he was trying to install some rhythm in her moves and stop her landing at awkward angles that often resulted in his cock coming out of her, some pain and her moaning. He rolled her over and took on the work. He pushed himself hard into her and lifted her bottom a little to vary the angle of entry. She in answer twisted his nipples that caused him to cry out which she thought was funny. He did not. His stomach reminded his cock that it was there and in need of food so he picked up the pace and came. She obviously hadn't come and grabbed at his buttocks and grinded against him until finally she came. He left her and walked to the bathroom.

It was an old deco apartment block, that had seen better days, and the bathroom reflected a more elegant age. The large round shower-head came from a mixer tap attached to the old iron footed gigantic china bath. He sprayed himself liberally with hot water, which splashed on the floor, and rubbed his Lynx shower gel all over himself. Missy entered the room and said something about the smell of his cheap shower gel and he passed her the shower-head as he jumped out and went to retrieve a towel from the built in linen cupboard. He dried himself then went to his bedroom and his closet.

He pulled out some out of date black Hugo Boss jeans he bought at an outlet store and a blue Lacoste polo shirt from the same shop. He couldn't follow fashion on his meagre finances. He finished by putting on a pair of black oxfords his only pair of shoes. He had one good quality leather jacket a brown leather copy of Steve McQueen's bomber jacket from the Great Escape. He loved it his parents had bought it for him for his birthday a few days before. He shared with irony the same birthday as the owner of the tomb 29th February. He had been born in 1988 on the day Anna-Elise second but first solo visit to the tomb in her role as the Lady in Black.

Missy came in the room she had some clothes in his wardrobe. One pair of her designer jeans would probably cost more than his entire wardrobe put together. She picked some Gucci black leather and cotton jeans and a plain white t-shirt and her Gucci beige suede and black leather trim biker jacket. She dragged out some Gucci black Cambridge brogue suede boots and a Prada messenger cross body bag. She was always dressed head to toe in designer. She put on her yellow Max Azria watch and threw Noah his black leather strapped old 1970s Timex. She smiled and he picked up his empty wallet and the keys to the apartment and they left for dinner.

Today she paid so they went to an Italian restaurant in Montmartre by taxi. After dinner Missy decided she wanted to go clubbing with some friends and Noah knew instinctively that she wanted to go home to her place to change and also that she wasn't inviting him to join her. Missy had never introduced him to any of her rich friends, which was all her friends; he knew he was her dirty little secret, her bit of rough, poor trash. In truth he really didn't care.

Chapter 5

Problem was Missy went off in a taxi and he had to use the metro system lucky his sponsor bought him a season ticket but it would take him some time to get home. As he travelled he thought about the new Lady in Black he wondered who she was? What she did? Where she lived? He guessed he couldn't work out any answers to those questions until he worked out the mystery of the person in the tomb.

It was 10:30 pm when he got home. He went to the fridge and got himself a Pepsi Max and sat down by his desk and looked at the pile of papers Missy had thrown on the floor. He put his drink down and started to put the papers back into the order he had them so he could start his research again. From the window by his desk he could see the vast amount of lights that gave Paris its name the City of Lights.

Alice was out there as were the answers to all his questions. His phone rang to tell him he had a text message and he reached into the inside pocket of his jacket to retrieve it. His iPhone 4 was a huge investment, the one luxury he allowed himself, paid for on contract from his monthly allowance. He knew it would be from Missy. Sometimes she would get bored with her friends and try and get him to visit her for a booty call. He didn't do that anymore because as soon as they finished having sex she wanted him to leave. She didn't want people seeing him leave her apartment like she was ashamed of him. He guessed she wanted to tell him she was going home, to her apartment, after the club and sure enough he was right. He was glad. She was become a real pain in the arse. He didn't have any lectures to attend or tutorial meetings the next day so he decided to re-start his research.

He went to his bedroom and took off and hung his new jacket, sat on the bed and took off his shoes and socks, then his shirt and stood up to remove his jeans and pants. He went to his chest of drawers and removed some old track bottoms he now used as pyjamas put them on and placed his feet into some old sheepskin moccasins. He picked up an old long sleeve shirt and put that on too. He glanced at the bed and remembered the sheet Missy wiped his seed on and removed it along with the 4 pillowcases. Missy always got make-up on the pillowcases so he rolled everything in a ball and took it, along with Missy's clothes which she had left on the floor and his pants to the washing machine and started a quick wash cycle.

He returned to his desk and began to run through what he already knew about the three ladies who preceded Anna-Elise Dante. Amanda Trufant, who had died in 1988 aged 47, the other two, whose names were Adelaide Murdoch and Angeline Merchant, all had remained single and, except Amanda, lived very long lives. The, very sketchy, histories of the last four ladies showed no obvious connections between them. No family connections, no locations or evidence of their paths crossing but not having much on them he couldn't rule out finding connections. They shared the fact that they were all born around the Leap Day. Adelaide and Angeline on the 28th February and Amanda and Anna-Elise on the 1st March. Amanda had died on the Monday 29th February 1998, the same day he had been born, the day before her 48th birthday and the Leap Day. A whole list of rare things he thought.

All three dead ladies were in Pere and they would seem to suggest all lived in Paris. He assumed none had ever talk about the vow they had made, though all had given their watchers their first names, nothing on how they came to be chosen or by whom. Why the bizarre ritual carried on or why it started in the first place. But there must be a connection how else did they know who was replacing them or did they just meet at the gates of Pere maybe they knew who they were by the flowers. No wait only Anna-Elise had flowers Alice had the Tiffany box but they would know what they had to do so maybe the flowers were for identification purposes.

Noah swigged his Pepsi Max and looked at his reflected image in the glass of the window. His hair was way too long. He had grown it because Missy asked him to. He had long hair when they met but he cut it about 3 months later and she had been on at him to grow it again. Now he saw it was a mess. He looked like a schoolboy, hair all over his face covering his eyes got just like Justin Bieber so not cool. He needed to look more his age more rock star he thought, and then decided a faux hawk that's what he needed and who cared what Missy would say. In fact he felt like a makeover of his life, some real changes and Missy was one of those changes he felt he needed to make. He knew someone, a friend of his Mum, Monique, who would cut his hair for him, and cheap, he would ring her tomorrow and see if she could fit him in. Time had marched on and it was midnight so he decided to go to bed but first he had to put clean sheets and pillowcases on the bed and it would feel fresh and new for him. He set his alarm for 7.00 am and got under the covers and rubbed his head into the clean cold side of the pillows under his head.

Chapter 6

The alarm sounded and Noah quickly reached out and tapped it with his hand to stop it. He rolled onto his back and stretched out. It was great not to have Missy spooning him and to wake up fresh and happy instead of hot and sweaty. He moved aside the curtains and looked out of the small window and saw the sun. He got up went to the bathroom as he did every morning to answer natures call, wash his hands, face, push water through his hair and brush his teeth. He went to the kitchen and put the kettle on for his coffee and he prepared his muesli breakfast. He found some orange juice thankfully Missy hadn't drunk it all yesterday as she normally did.

His thoughts flicked to his research he decided to visit the graves of the three ladies who had preceded Anna-Elise and photograph them from every possible angle. He dialled his Mum's friend Monique and she said she could fit him in at 8.30 just before the first clients of the day. She had a fine, expensive and popular, salon in rue Rambuteau luckily for him near the metro station of the same name. He had time to have a quick bath and he picked out the same jeans he wore last night and a tight black V-neck jumper. He put on his shoes and grabbed his old fleece jacket.

He had time to get his camera, empty wallet and notebook and put them safely in his cross body messenger bag. Rambuteau was five stops away on the metro but one change of line and with the Monday morning commuters he needed to allow himself time to walk to Gare du Nord and to arrive early for his appointment.

He thought about what to do about Missy on the metro journey. He had no feelings for her and he knew she had none for him the relationship was more a series of arguments, break-ups, make-up sex, drunken sex and well just sex. It wasn't going anywhere and she didn't really make him happy. In truth he was really like her unpaid prostitute or poorly rewarded kept man. She never spoke about her friends, her life in the USA, family and she certainly made sure he never met her friends. She would often mention his Mum was Jewish seemed her Daddy wouldn't like that. So there it was they were friends with benefits no they weren't even friends just fuck buddies.

He walked towards the salon and Monique unlocked and opened the door for him. She greeted him, kissed and hugged him she was after all his godmother. She left the door unlocked so her staff could get in. She asked him about his studies, his parents, his love life and then she commented that his hair was a mess. She liked his idea of the faux hawk very on trend very rock star. As she worked her staff began to arrive. They were all much younger than Monique who like his Mum was in her 50s. She rarely cut hair now she managed the salon and was planning to open another salon around the Champs Elysees area.

A woman approached and smiled at Noah in the mirror. She introduced herself as Chantal, Monique's chief colourist, and he was sitting in her chair. She talked to Monique then asked him if wanted a coffee. He accepted. When she came back Monique had finished cutting and asked Chantal to style his hair and Monique kissed his cheek and told him not to be a stranger and that she had to go.

Chantal was a rare thing a natural blonde, no dark root that he could see and the eyelashes and brows matched, with pale skin and deep blue eyes. She had soft lines on her heart shaped face and a fringed shoulder length graduated bob framed it. She was tall just a few inches shorter than him. She had an amazing body, way more ample than Missy's, a real woman's body, that was wrapped today in tight black trousers and knee high boots and black three-quarter-length sleeve linen top all designer. They were the same boots he had Alice wearing and he asked her about them. She told him they were a special limited edition by Giuseppe Zannoti only five pairs were made.

She was interested in him and his work and had said Monique had mentioned her 'Indiana Jones' godson. He mentioned his new project on the Lady in Black and she seemed caught up by the mystery. She told him about herself she was 39 but looked much younger, divorced with no children. She lived not far from him and he knew her apartment block and vice versa. She listened to his history and he listened to her. She used the hairstyling as a way to be very hands on with him, she flirted with him and she asked if he had a girlfriend or wife and if he was gay. When she got her answers, no to all three, she smiled and asked him if he would like to meet her later for a drink maybe a meal. Noah accepted and she put her number in his phone and his in hers and they made arrangements to meet at 8 pm at Gare du Nord Metro station.

Monique had left instructions that the hair was on the house and that he should call her and come for dinner next week, Tuesday, something that would become a regular appointment.

Noah still had a long day ahead of him. His iPhone rang and he looked to see the caller id. Missy. He answered it. She was full of her evening out and she wanted to meet him for a sex lunch.

"Missy I have been thinking about us and I ...well I am not sure that we really work. You have a different life to me and I don't fit into it and I have a lot of research to do. So I think that maybe we should call it quits" he knew he was a shit to break up with her on the phone but last time he broke it off she punched him.

"You bastard how could you do this to me? I fucking bought you dinner last night it cost me €300 you owe me"

"Missy I am not a gigolo you don't own me, and I don't owe you, because you bought me dinner. I am not some piece of arse you call up when you have no friends to go out with or just want to have sex. Missy its over don't call me ever again. I will have your clothes boxed up and I'll drop them with the concierge at your building"

She ranted on while he pressed the end call button. The phone rang again it was Missy he declined and she tried another five times so he turned off his phone.

Chapter 7

Noah felt a wave of relief that he had decided to end things with Missy right then and there. He felt free and his next stop would be an ATM machine to check his allowance and salary had cleared into his bank account. He had a date with an attractive older woman who had said casual smart dress. Noah owned 2 pairs of jeans, 1 set of overalls, 5 t-shirts, 2 pairs of trainers, his good shoes, his new jacket and a weeks worth of pants and socks. He felt he needed something new to mark his new life. He knew a good second hand store so he hoped on the metro and went shopping.

He soon found himself some khaki G Star arc tapered trousers, grey military style jacket and a white tight knit granddad style shirt. The same shop provided him with some Gaultier for men fragrance and body wash. All last season, second hand, and all for just under €90.

His next port of call was Pere to take pictures of the graves and to stop by to chat to and have lunch with Rene. Rene had taken on the supervisor role from Claude. They talked about the many stories of Pere and Rene mentioned that he knew of the Lady in Black and part of the story. He told Noah that there had been rumours that the tomb was empty just a shrine to the young man that his body had been removed from the embalmers the night before the interment. There were stories that the young man was supernatural, his mother some sort of witch. Some said that each Lady had a baby born the first year of the 25 and if the child was a male it lived and was adopted out but if it was a female it was kept to be the next Lady in Black. Pere was full of stories and this tomb had attracted more than a few over the years. Rene had seen another woman poking about the tomb a few days ago and she had asked Marten, a colleague of theirs if any one had taken on the role of watching the tomb. Marten had said yes but not who. Noah listened to the stories Rene had and at the end of their chat they shock hands and parted.

Noah went home and en route stopped to buy some vegetables and Toulouse sausages, for tomorrow's dinner, at the market by his apartment. He was still full up from lunch. Rene's wife always packed enough food for Rene to share with Noah she knew he was a student on limited funds. At home he sat down on a brown leather couch with a Pepsi Max and pondered on Rene's stories. Surely the tomb couldn't be empty and if it was what had happened to the young man's body. It did seem too weird that the man had been born and died on a Leap Day but supernatural he doubted that and who was this other mystery woman and the man he had seen.

Before long Noah noticed that the time had marched on and it was 6:30 pm. He needed to get ready for his date. He turned on his phone to see if anyone other than Missy had called. Chantal had called just to say that she would be a little late due to clients and she would be at the metro at 8.30 not 8. Even better a little extra time to bathe and dress. Missy had left him 6 voicemails and 17 text messages that got ever more abusive and ever more littered with swear words. She demanded he call and she wanted her stuff today or she would send the police around to see him about his abusive behaviour and the theft of her clothes. Melodramatic Missy at her best especially when she said she had told her Daddy what he had done and he was going to get the little Jewish boy sorted out. In a few keystrokes Noah deleted and cleared the text and voicemails and wiped Missy's numbers from his phone.