Promises: Rendezvous at Sardi's

Promises is the lead story of an anthology of short stories. It is the story of Michael Blair, a young sailor and Naomi LeBeouf, a Eurasian girl on the South Pacific Island of Moratova during World War Two. They fall in love and Michael promises to return after the war to marry Naomi and make a life together on her island. Ten years pass and Michael, now a detective with the New York Police Department, learns that Naomi is in New York and has become a famous international fashion model for the House of Henri Galliard Fashions. They meet at the popular, off-Broadway, Sardi's restaurant where the beginning of their former passion is rekindled. Love, however, is placed on hold when Naomi's brother, Jean Pierre is killed. The motive behind Jean Pierre's murder and that of his accomplices', are the twenty-eight black pearls Jean Pierre has smuggled into the United States. Intrigue and romance go hand in hand as Michael and his partner unravel the web of fact and circumstance in solving the crime. In the end justice prevails in an unusual manner, as does the unrequited love Michael and Naomi feel for each other.