“Yes,” I said, shaking away the cobwebby feeling that had come over me. “Sorry. You mean up here? Sabine was obsessed with the college?”
“Sure. She thought it was her ticket. I figured you knew. That’s why you’re asking about her, no? Because of the school?”
“It makes sense that she would know about this place, but I didn’t realize that she’d come up here.”
“Well, she did,” he said with a hint of defensiveness. “I don’t know what she did, but I know she was up there. She told me about it.”
“What did she say?”
“Not much. Just that it was very nice. She seemed very happy about it.” Suddenly Guillaume looked shiftily around the room he was in, and I couldn’t help but wonder if he was alone or if there was someone else there, just off-screen and out of view.
“Is everything all right?”
But he didn’t answer my question. Instead, he stared at me with heavy-lidded eyes. “You don’t think it was a bear, then?”
“Excuse me?” I said, still focused on my paranoia that he was surrounded by a malevolent cabal.
“The police, they said it was a bear attack.”
I thumbed through my notes. “Is that true? I don’t think theyconcluded that it was without a doubt a bear, but an animal attack, yes.”
“But you don’t think it was?”
“I don’t think anything, Guillaume. I’m not an investigator. I’m just interested.”
“It wasn’t a bear,” he said with sudden intense conviction.
“What do you mean?” I asked, leaning forward.
“You must know. About what’s in these woods. Up at Hildegard. It is a secret, but not very much of a secret.”
My heart began to race. “I’m sorry, but I don’t know what you mean. Can you elaborate?”
He pursed his lips, and his gaze dropped to his fingers, which I could just make out were tapping in a staccato rhythm on the table in front of him.
“I think you should talk to my grandmother.”
“Guillaume, what did you mean about the woods?”
He looked down and to the side, avoiding my eyes. “I will set up the computer for her. She’s not good with technology.”
“Guillaume,” I said, tightness spiderwebbing across my chest, “what’s in the woods?”
“I have to go. I’ll be in touch. Talk soon.”
He left the meeting before I had a chance to reply.
About fifteen minutes later, Lexi knocked on my door, looking slightly haggard, or rather, because it was Lexi, slightly less enchanting than usual.
“I was wondering, do you want to borrow something for the party?” she asked, and the way she was looking at me was strangely intense. I got the sense that there was something competitive coming from her.
“I’ll be fine,” I said. “I’ll just wear my normal clothes.”
“Nonsense. Wear something of Isabelle’s.”
That hit me strangely. “That wouldn’t feel right.”
“Don’t be an idiot. Her things are beautiful, and they would fit you.”
