The Mystery of Edouard Stern



Usually when The Corsair logs on to NYSocialDiary -- or excellent sites like TheMediaDrop, and to visit the blog wife, the magnificent Miu Von Furstenberg -- we are looking to nestle inside a quiet space, perhaps with some mulled Claret and a Hoyo de Monterrey Excalibur cigar. These blogs are waystations of wit and charm, a sacred place outside the clatter of one's daily life and terrestrial time.

Not so today, when we logged on to our favorite social chronicler only to find ourselves deep inside a double barreled jet-set murder mystery:

"As we reported on these pages three weeks ago, the 50-year-old former Lazard Freres investment banker was shot twice in the head and once in the back in his fifth Geneva penthouse apartment on the night of March 2. His body was discovered by business associates. At the time of his death, it was first reported that he was wearing a latex rubber body suit, and it was believed that he had been involved in some kind of sado-masochistic sexual activity. Early speculation believed that (Edouard Stern's) murderer may have been an assassin hired by a 'long list of powerful enemies in his personal and professional life.'

"Last week in the (London) Spectator, the incomparable chronicler of international society, Taki, writing from his aerie in Gstaad quickly dispelled most of the mystery and filled in the blanks. Taki, who is not one to pull any punches, characterized the late Mr. Stern as 'not only ruthless and a terrible bully,' but 'as close to being a monster as anyone can be and still be free to walk around in polite society.' Adding: 'Mind you, no longer.'"

Yes, that's our old pal Taki all right; although, The Corsair would have liked to know more about what particularly salacious acts made the banker so monstrous to someone as worldly as Taki. There is alot being left out. Then again, Taki's icy hot litigation battles vis-a-vis Lady Campbell are still fresh in the mind of his editor. Better to err on the side of caution:

"At the time he was found, Mr. Stern was wearing a latex suit, bound by a harness and wearing a dildo (and not as a hat). A fourth bullet wound was also reported, although its location in the body was not. Stern?s murderer was soon discovered (there were video cameras in his building to assist) to be a 36-year-old French woman, first described as a 'model' and then later described as a 'kinky prostitute' named Cecile Brossard who once worked for an English madam named Margaret Macdonald (who is now doing four years in jail for matters unrelated to the death of Mr. Stern)."

Oxygen network? Or, Lifetime? The Scotsman opines:

"Now they are uncovering the layers of her life as they try to determine whether the killing that has gripped Switzerland and France was a crime of passion or vengeance over money.
"For Stern, 50, Brossard was far more than just the mistress of his sexual fantasies. She was also C�cile, his girlfriend of four years standing who accompanied him on hunting trips in Europe and Africa and who had supervised the decoration of his apartment.
"... Villagers took the distinguished older man who often visited her to be 'her protector.' No one who saw the couple dining together at their usual table at the local restaurant the Relais de la Poste (dinner menu 11 euros - �7.60) ever guessed that C�cile?s partner was Stern, one of the most brilliant and ruthless bankers of his generation and the 38th richest man in France."

Finally, DPC writes:

"Mme. Brossard used the name 'Alice' when she played her role as a dominatrix. Taki, according in his last week?s column High Life, in Spectator, said that although the woman was 'not a friend,' he knew her. He described her as 'a 36-year-old blonde, not bad looking if one likes that sort of looks,' adding that 'she specialized in rough sex.' He also reported that she was 'an art lover' who 'painted and sculpted in between rough sex sessions, which made her quite unique ? at least in my book.'"

We all have our little talents; everyone's special. But, if what Taki says is right, and this man was some monster ... Could it have been self defense? For the rest of DPC's take on the story you'll have to go here.