The Strawberry Thief by Joanne Harris

Author:Joanne Harris [Harris, Joanne]
Language: eng
Format: epub, azw3, mobi
ISBN: 9781409170785
Amazon: 1409170756
Goodreads: 38310121
Publisher: Orion
Published: 2019-04-03T23:00:00+00:00

4

Thursday, March 23

I have a new ally, mon père. I was right: Michèle Montour did steal the green folder from my house, and she was lying through her teeth the night I went to challenge her.

But the tale does not end there. It seems that Michèle left her son in charge of Narcisse’s confession that night, but that somehow it vanished from his room, where he had left it. Michèle suspects me – as if by some miracle I might have been capable of speaking to her at the door, and somehow climbing up to her son’s bedroom window to steal back the folder at the same time – and she has sent Yannick to discover its current location.

But Yannick has a weakness, and one that I am happy to exploit. He was mine for a mouthful of chocolate – to be fair, rather more than a mouthful, but worth every centime I spent on him. By the end of our conversation he had eaten four mendiants, two slices of Bavaroise and a packet of small chocolate eggs in crisp sugar shells, painted to look like hedge-sparrows’ eggs, and had promised to report back – to me, rather than to his mother – if he uncovered the green folder’s whereabouts.

He knows something. Of that I am sure. But I also believe he is telling me as much of the truth as he can. My years as a priest have taught me how to distinguish between an overt lie and a partial truth. Yannick does not trust me enough to tell me what he suspects – not yet. But his friendship with Rosette means that he is eager to help, and – God forgive me – I am devious enough to try to exploit that weakness.

‘Your mother thinks that she can use Narcisse’s folder to contest the will. If she can prove he was not of sound mind, then maybe she could try to reverse his decision to leave the wood to Rosette Rocher.’

Yannick gave me a furtive look from over his slice of Bavaroise. ‘This is really good,’ he said. ‘Maman doesn’t let me eat cake.’

‘Well, one slice can’t do any harm,’ I said.

‘But I’m always hungry. Maman says I was born that way. I eat and eat, and I never feel full. I wish I could fast like you do.’

I smiled. ‘It’s overrated. Vianne could tell you a story or two.’

But Vianne Rocher did not seem to show much of an interest in talking today. To be honest, she looked preoccupied; and Rosette was out, presumably investigating her new domain. Yannick seemed disappointed in his new friend’s absence, but stayed for the cake and the chocolates, eating with careful little bites, his face half hidden beneath his fringe.

He does not meet my eyes at all. In fact, he scarcely looks up from his plate, although my first impression of him as being slow has been replaced by a feeling that he is simply awkward and unused to speaking with adults.

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