“If I’m not mistaken, Mr Dubois,” I said, “you must have your own theories on the matter.”
“Indeed.” The man took a sip of his champagne before continuing. “I don’t know what games you think you’re playing, the two of you… Or four, I’d dare to say, Vera.”
“Games?” I interrupted, the word coming out of my mouth with such intensity that it was impossible not to notice.
Laurent Dubois raised his eyebrows.
“Games, yes. Does it sound familiar?”
“Enzo mentioned that his mother was very fond of them.”
“Antonia had a true passion for games,” he commented, narrowing his eyes, “and so does Enzo.”
“Do you think your son came here after so many years just for that? To play some sort of guessing game?” I asked, unable to believe Laurent Dubois’s opinion.
It was madness. Enzo had come there to help me…
Or so he had made me believe.
Though he had also made me believe he knew nothing about my work. That he didn’t know Julian Garros.
If Laurent Dubois was right, Enzo wasn’t there for me, but for his own benefit. Given everything I had uncovered over the weekend, this revelation came as no surprise.
“Do you think Antonia left him some kind of task?” I added after considering it. “Do you think he came here because of it?”
Laurent Dubois snickered under his breath.
“I’m glad to know we’ve both come to the same conclusion. Now, I’m afraid you only have to figure out why the hell you’re involved in all of this,” he said, leaning back in his chair. He raised his hand and dismissed me with a simple gesture. “I’ll handle the rest.”
Excerpt from the will of Antonia Hawtrey-Moore. Register 14-33-311. Copy belonging to the police department
(…)
APPEARS
Ms. ANTONIA HAWTREY-MOORE, of full age, married, born in BORDEAUX, FRANCE, and currently residing in LONDON, ENGLAND.
CLAUSES
FIRST: Declares that she was born on the 18th of AUGUST 1952, to ANTHONY HAWTREY and JOANNA MOORE.
SECOND: She declares that she married LAURENT DUBOIS, a native of BORDEAUX, FRANCE, and divorced him in 1998. She declares that she is currently married to TIMOTHEO LAROUSSE, a native of TOULOUSE, FRANCE.
THIRD: That from her marriageto LAURENT DUBOIS she had two children, LAURENT ADRIEN DUBOIS JUNIOR and ELOÏSE HAWTREY-MOORE.
FOURTH: It is her will to leave as heir to ELOÏSE HAWTREY-MOORE the totality of the corresponding property and real estate, consisting of:
(…)
EXCEPT for the family ring, which she bequeaths to LAURENT ADRIEN DUBOIS JUNIOR.
FIFTH: ANTONIA HAWTREY-MOORE also declares that this is the only will in her name and that, in the event of there being another will, it will be invalidated, this one being absolute.
Signed in London, ENGLAND, this 22nd day of May.
Chapter 28
“Thank you for inviting me,” I said with the same fake smile I had used the day before when we met.
