Now, Stefan shrugged.
"She came to Paris with a boyfriend. She was only twenty; it was a very misguided move, and she was an impulsive person. The boyfriend and she split up quickly, but then she stayed on, she tried to find work, and she got involved with a group that we think is a cult."
"She did?" Cora asked, surprised.
Stefan nodded. "Yes. She said they were going to accept her as a full member of the Foundation for the Unity of Worlds. We asked what it was, and she was very reluctant to tell us. She said that it was just a charitable foundation, self-sustaining, that does good for the community. But I don't think she told us the whole truth, and we still do not know what that is.
"What did you do when you found out?" Gabe asked.
"We tried to get her to come home, to persuade her to think again about this. But she wouldn't listen. She said that she had found her true purpose in life at the foundation, that she belonged there, that we were a negative influence, and she'd gotten ready to cut us from her life. We tried to convince her otherwise, but she was too far gone. And then, one day, recently, she stopped replying to our messages. She was at least staying in touch until that time, but then she just disappeared. We asked, we tried to call, we have emailed, but there are no answers," Stefan said, his voice dropping to a whisper. "We went to the gate of this place and got angry. We demanded to see her, and security turned us away and told us not to come back, that we had no rights over her anymore, that we were disturbing the peace and spiritual balance of the place, and that they would take more drastic action if we tried again.”
“Seriously?” Cora asked, surprised.
“I am sure they know what happened. But they won’t tell us because she renounced us as her family. So, we came here to look, but so far, we have had no success. We nearly lost our sister when we came looking for her, and we are no closer to finding out what happened to Heidi. We were trying to learn more from people who live in the area, but everyone has a different version, and who knows what the truth is? My sister can’t keep looking, not after what happened. It was bad luck, I know, but this is a dangerous city, and we are coming up against dangerous people in trying to get this information. We can’t lose her as well."
Cora listened intently, her mind racing with all the information. A cult? Getting information on that would take time. Researching it might take days. And in the meantime, what was happening to Rose?
"Thanks for the background," she said. "Now, I need to know where the place is that your sister was talking about. I'll take on your case; I'll find out what happened to Heidi. But first, I need to make sure I can get to Rose."
She glared at Stefan. She was not taking no for an answer here. And she expected that he would capitulate and give her what she needed. When he shook his head firmly, the action felt shocking to her.
"Please," he said. "Heidi's parents are frantic. They need to know where she is. They are even prepared for the worst, as we all are, but it's the not knowing that is killing them. Thinking that she might be alive, captured, suffering. If you go after your sister, then it might take weeks. And this will surely not be a long job? I can show you where the cult's headquarters are. They allowed us to send some personal possessions to her at first."
"My sister comes first," Cora said. "You need to tell me what you know about her. Or I'll walk away, and I won't take on your case at all."
She felt furious at being manipulated into having to make this decision. It was unfair. It might make all the difference between finding Rose and not finding her. Having raided one illegal brothel, what if the others got more cautious, closed ranks, moved their women around, and tightened up their defenses? She knew how badly this could go.
"Please," Stefan said. "I cannot tell you. We are desperate. This is - how you say? Our only leverage? Please, help us. I should not tell you this; I don't want to force you, but -"
"You are forcing me," Cora growled, and Stefan shook his head apologetically before continuing.
"But Heidi's father is very ill. He has a blood disease. He is in a critical condition in the hospital at the moment, and it is very likely that he will not be alive in the next few days. That he will pass away. That is what makes this so urgent and why we are begging you to help."
He stared at her, misery in his eyes, and she had no doubt that this was the truth. It wasn’t a lie. He was playing open cards with her, and this made everything more complex.
Cora let out a long breath. She exchanged a glance with Gabe. He gave her a quick, rueful grimace that spoke volumes about the difficulty of the situation.
But a dying man? Now, to refuse would seem callous. And it was clear that this was all-consuming to them. They were desperate for answers. She knew that desperation well.
"Fine," she said finally. "Show me where the headquarters are, and I'll take on your case. But I need to know everything you know about Heidi's involvement in this foundation. Who were her contacts? What kind of activities did they do? Any information could be helpful."
The men exchanged a relieved glance, and Stefan took out a battered blue cardboard folder.
"This is our dossier that we have made. In it, you will see a map of where the premises are. Also, here are all of Heidi's emails home to us while they let her send emails. We have tried to research the cult, or foundation, as best we can. They seem to get involved in outside events as a way of raising funds, and we thought that this might be a way we can get close. They do not welcome outsiders, though. One of the first things they seem to do is to influence their new recruits into that mindset, the mindset of distrust. My phone number is also in there."
He pushed over the folder, and then, he pushed over an envelope with a wad of fifty euro bills.
"Please, it is not much, but it is all we have. Please, take it, and bring us answers."
Without waiting for Cora’s response, the two men stood up and left the bar.
Cora picked up the folder. She looked at Gabe.
"This place is ten miles outside of Paris," she said. “Looks like it’s in a more rural area.”
"We have a rental car?" Gabe quirked a sympathetic eyebrow.
"I guess we've got a drive on our hands. You drive, I'll research. Let's find out what the hell's going on as fast as we can."
