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The polished leather squeaks as Lambert balls his hands into fists, but Simon moves between them with his arms out like he’s ready to hold them back. “Cousins, you’ll be late.” He lowers his voice and addresses Lambert. “You know he’s only trying to upset you.”
Oudin chuckles as he struts to the door. Despite his behavior,it’s Simon’s curt brushing aside from earlier that’s hurt me more, but I manage a smile for Lambert. “Lady Genevieve is a lucky woman.”
Lambert’s flush of anger changes to pleased embarrassment. Simon gives me a nod of thanks as he pats his cousin on the shoulder. “That she is. Oudin’s only jealous.”
It’s hard to imagine Oudin caring what a woman thinks, but the idea works on Lambert. He braces his shoulders and follows his brother without another word, smiling shyly at me as he passes.
Simon returns to studying the map of the Sanctum area. I’m reluctant to speak, given what happened last time I tried to contribute, but once the sound of the brothers on the stairs fades, he glances up. “I’m sorry I snapped at you earlier, Cat. Where you were that night isn’t something I wanted him aware of yet.” He raises a hand to me in appeal. There’s ink all over the tips of his thumb and the first two fingers. “Will you please show me now?”
Of course. I should have realized that might cause Oudin to change his account. Still embarrassed, I step forward and lay my index finger on the southeast corner of the Sanctum.
“And which direction were you facing?”
I indicate, and he marks the spot with an arrow pointing south rather than with a letterC. We continue, tracing my path to Perrete’s body and the location of the alley itself. Then Simon labels Perrete’s home, Madame Emeline’s, and the tavern where Oudin was drinking ale and consumingskonia. Juliane notes the same places on the other chart which depicts the whole city on a different scale.
When Simon asks about the man I now know was Gregor, my answers are more vague. The architect seemed confident in his intentions, and I suspect he was watching me only because of their friendship. To move away from the subject, I ask about someone who bothers me far more. “Who is this friend of Oudin’s?”
“Remone la Fontaine.” Simon tosses down his pencil and stands up, stretching. “Everything he’s said corroborates with Oudin’s statements.”
That can’t be correct. “Remi? But he wasn’t even in Collis,” I protest. “He returned from Lutecia late the next morning.”
Simon cocks his head. “He told me he arrived in Collis in the evening and went to the tavern where he met Oudin.”
“Then why didn’t he come home that night?”
He shrugs. “That’s something you’ll have to ask Remone, but several people saw him.”
“Who?” I demand. “And where did you see him?”
Simon shifts uncomfortably. “He was leaving Madame Emeline’s when I arrived to examine Perrete’s body. According to, um, witnesses, he arrived around the time of the murder but in no condition to have done it.”
I fold my arms across my chest and stare at the map. TheFdoesn’t stand for “friend,” it stands for Fontaine. I wonder if he usedskonia, too. Anything that impairs the mind would anger the magister. It would be grounds for losing his position.
But, I remind myself, that’sifRemi was doing it. He never has before to my knowledge, though apparently he does other things I wasn’t aware of. I’m not jealous, but I am disgusted to learn he’s no better than Oudin.
Clearing my throat, I glance away from Simon. “How do you plan to proceed from here?”
He relaxes, like he’s glad to move on. “We continue gathering as many facts and details as we can, then use them to paint a clear portrait of the killer.”
I consider that for a moment. “When you say details, do you include the condition of Perrete’s body and what was done to her?”
“Especially that, Cat,” he answers. The brown spot on his lefteye adds a disquieting intensity. “Our actions tell the world who we are. As repulsive as we may find them, those messages are the key to understanding and finding this killer.”
Juliane watches our conversation, her widely dilated eyes moving back and forth between us. Unnerved and not wanting to leave her out of the discussion, I turn to her. “What about you, Lady Juliane?” I ask. “Do you have the stomach for this?”
“Of course,” she replies, blinking in surprise. “I’ve killed lots of people, but then so has Simon.”
My mouth falls open. “You’ve… what?”
Simon places a hand on his cousin’s shoulder without taking his eyes off me. “No, you haven’t. We haven’t.”
She looks up at him, distressed. “I’m sorry, I couldn’t help it. I was startled.”
“It’s all right,” he tells her, though his focus remains on my face. “I just don’t think Cat here understands our private little game.” Simon’s smile is forced, unlike the other day when it just seemed unfamiliar. “How we like to talk nonsense just so we can correct it.”
There’s a silent plea in his expression for me to simply agree. The smile I return is as strained as his own. “Of course. Remi loves to tell outrageous tales just to see if I’ll believe him.”
Like that he wasn’t in Collis until three mornings ago.
Simon nods his thanks, and Juliane slumps in what can only be relief. He asks for my help in nailing both maps to the plaster wall. As we work, Juliane goes back to pushing papers around on the table, organizing them into stacks.
But I can’t help staring at how carefully she sorts and arranges all the pages, despite the fact that every single one of them is blank.
