“I agree. Well said, Vera. We’re almost like her uncles!”
I gave a modest smile. If I played my cards right, I could get something out of them.
“I’m just sorry that…” I began, then, looking down, I said, “Oh, well, never mind.”
Antoine pressed his fat belly against the table, urging me.
“What is it, dear?”
“That they’ve seated us so far from them,” I whispered. “I don’t understand why they would do it!” I feigned bewilderment.
Although the seats had been assigned by ticket number, it was clear that those personally invited by the Dubois formed the inner circle of the room, seated at the white tables adjacent to the purple one.
If Alex and I had these seats, it was because we hadn’t been personally invited by them. And neither had Antoine Benit and Joseph Badou.
“Oh, that.” Antoine shifted in his seat. “I don’t have a clear answer for you. Do you, Joseph?”
Joseph Badou scratched his chin. He mimicked his friend’s cautious tone.
“I guess there are too many guests in here tonight.”
I sighed, making sure my smile didn’t disappear. “Yes, I agree. I wish Eloïse had warned me, I’m not too fond of crowds. Did she ever mention it would be like this to you, gentlemen?”
Badou and Benit exchanged glances.
“She didn’t. We didn’t get the chance to speak to her before the event.”
Joseph Badou nodded.
“She’s been a little… Secluded, I would say. But we’re here supporting the family. Nothing else.”
I held his gaze. No, they hadn’t spoken to Eloïse since Antonia’s death, even if they were her dad’s closest friends. What did that tell me about Larousse? I weighed two possibilities, both equally heavy: either Eloïse wanted nothing to do with Larousse’s case, or she believed the men had something to hide.
Nothing else. Change of subject.
“This dessert is inedible,” I said.
Both men laughed, and with that, the conversation wasover.
They had revealed more than they intended. Now I knew the topic of Eloïse Hawtrey-Moore was dangerous territory. She was the link between the family Timotheo and Antonia had created and the family she had left behind. A link that, in the eyes of the press, had remained cordial until now. Until Antonia’s death changed everything.
Laurent Dubois had kept his daughter close and everyone else at a distance. What did he know that the public was unaware of?
Excerpt from Sebastian Saidi’s Testimony
Taken Monday, November 2
SS: I remember that day. What was it, mid-February? February 15th, yes. It was just another day covering Sarah’s shift. She has two young children, you know? Two twins. Two babies. I was hoping that when we hired someone new, I would finally stop having to cover for her. That morning, I was at the reception. I wasn’t surprised that the Hawtrey-Moore family representative showed up at the office first thing in the morning. I mean, it had been the talk of the Saidi Law Firm WhatsApp group all weekend.
(Sebastian Saidi coughs.)
SS: Do you have the photos?
(The officer places two newspapers on the table. He grabs them quickly, leaning forward. Theyare dated February 15. Both covers show a large, coloured photograph of Timotheo Larousse and André Saidi in a restaurant.)
SS: Ah, yes. What a scandal. The photographers swore that the snapshots were from the day Antonia Hawtrey-Moore died. They were from the day after. The news came out the same day the police named her husband as the prime suspect in her murder.
(The young man whistles. The officer asks him to focus on the initial question. What happened on February 15?)
