When Blood Lies by Harris C. S

Author:Harris, C. S. [Harris, C. S.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Mystery, Historical, Crime
ISBN: 9780593102695
Amazon: 059310269X
Goodreads: 58505208
Publisher: Berkley
Published: 2022-04-05T07:00:00+00:00

Chapter 32

Why would Hortense send you to the Monuments Museum?”

Hero asked the question over nuncheon at a small cloth-covered table in one of the Palais-Royal’s fine eating establishments. Even at midday, the shadows beneath the arcades were deep, so candles blazed in the crystal chandeliers overhead, their light reflected in the towering mirrors that lined the room’s rear wall. In London, a respectable woman who wished to dine out could only do so secluded from the public eye in a hotel’s private parlor. But Paris was thick with these so-called restaurants, where both sexes of all ranks could eat and drink in public without censure or scandal.

Sebastian kept his voice low as an aproned waiter escorted two expensively dressed women past them to a nearby table. “I could be wrong, but I suspect it has more to do with her dislike of the museum’s director than any real interest in helping me find Sophie’s killer.”

“Now, that sounds like Hortense. The explanation she gave for her visit to Sophie that day is ridiculous. Why would Hortense suddenly decide—after months of not seeing her—to drive out to the Champs du Repos and explain to her late mother’s friend the reasons for the neglect of Malmaison’s gardens?”

“It makes no sense at all. Which means that the real reason for that visit is something Hortense feels the need to keep quiet. And I don’t think it’s too much of a stretch to suspect it’s somehow related to a certain someone’s return to France.”

“Which we can’t talk about yet.”

“Which we can’t talk about yet . . . although I’m fairly certain Hortense knows about it.” He was suddenly acutely conscious of the urbane Frenchmen and -women who filled the tables around them—laughing and talking and utterly, blithely unaware of the fact that their former Emperor was at that very moment marching toward Paris, determined to retake his throne and turn their world upside down. Again.

Hero leaned forward. “If Hortense knew—and presumably approved—of her stepfather’s plan, and if Sophie had just visited him there, then why the tension between them?”

“Perhaps the discussion was simply serious—which it would have been, wouldn’t it? Madame Dion could have misinterpreted what she was seeing.”

“Yes, that makes sense.” She waited while their waiter set soup plates before them, then said, “Perhaps the talisman doesn’t have anything to do with Sophie’s death. Perhaps Sophie simply happened to have the amulet with her when she was killed.”

“Perhaps. Although I can’t see a common thief stealing the amulet while leaving its valuable jeweled case—and everything else in her reticule.”

“Yet it must be an extraordinarily delicate piece. So if it wasn’t stolen that night, why wouldn’t whoever has the talisman keep it in its case?”

“I don’t know; that’s a good point. And the thing is, while Hortense seemed genuinely surprised that I had the case and that it was empty, she was definitely lying when she claimed she had no idea why Sophie might have had it with her that evening . . . which seems oddly contradictory.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.