“Do you also not drink?” Eric asked, raising an eyebrow. “I saw you throwing your drink away at the ball.”
For a minute, Antoine and Eric just stared at each other. “I do not drink,” he finally said. “I am trying to remain sober after a history of alcoholism.”
Antoine turned to Bellatrix and said, “I am sorry, dear. I did not wish to repulse you by my history. I should have told you.”
“Oh, no!” Bellatrix exclaimed. “Not at all. I just hope we can learn to trust each other enough that we can divulge our secrets comfortably.”
Eric laughed, a short, dry laugh. “Antoine, I feel positively rude eating here without you joining me,” he said. “Have some soup, it will be good for you.”
“No, I am perfectly fine,” Antoine said, a tight smile on his face.
“I insist,” Eric said, pushing his soup bowl towards him.
“I am afraid, I cannot,” Antoine said through clenched teeth.
“Please,” Eric said, leaning forward. “Just a sip. What harm can it do?”
For a minute the two men stared at each other, the animosity between them palpable.
Bellatrix decided that this had gone on long enough and said, “Eric, that’s enough. He said he doesn’t want it.”
“Of course,” Eric said, forcing a smile on his face.
Silence reigned after that, with Eric and Bellatrix eating quietly. Antoine continued to sip his water, a strained smile on his face.
“What’s that ring? That you wearing?” Eric suddenly asked, looking down at Antoine’s hand.
Bellatrix looked down as well and saw a beautiful sapphire ring on his hand. Antoine clenched his hand and said, “It is an heirloom. From my parents.”
“It is very beautiful, I must say,” Eric said. “Do you mind if I see it up close?” he asked, extending his hand out for the ring.
Antoine glared openly at Eric, his hand still clenched. “I have sentimental attachment to this ring. I would prefer to keep it with me,” he said, in an icy manner.
“I will, of course, return it. I just wish to see it, that’s all,” Eric said. “Why won’t you give it to me to look at?”
Antoine stared at Eric for a minute, clearly furious. Then he turned to Bellatrix and said, “I understand that he is your best friend. I came here because you asked me to. But I will not sit here and be given the third degree. I will not be insulted and treated as if I am some criminal. I am leaving, Bellatrix.”
Antoine got up and walked away. Bellatrix jumped up, feeling furious at Eric. “How could you!” she snarled at him, before running to catch up with Antoine.
Eric sat alone on the table, watching Bellatrix leave.
Chapter 7
Eric
Something was wrong about that man, and Eric was determined to prove it. Bellatrix had run after Antoine and hadn’t come back till late that night. When she got back, she completely ignored Eric and stormed off into her room. Eric wasn’t worried, though. He was determined to find proof that Antoine was fishy. Once he showed Bellatrix, she would have to believe him.
He had spent the last few hours searching for any sign of Antoine on social media. As he had expected, there was nothing there. Of course, that didn’t mean much, but it reinforced Eric’s suspicions that there was something wrong. He had then moved onto searching the history from what little he managed to get out of Antoine.
He searched for all the car accidents in Paris in the summer of 1992. There was a quite a list, but he remained determined, and he slowly worked his way through them. He even went through old archived newspapers, shortlisting those cases which seemed to fit Antoine’s case.
He knew that since it was a drunk driver case, it would be well recorded. He found exactly five cases that happened in the summer of 1992 that were because of drunk driving. Out of those, only three involved a couple, the reminder all had been a single driver. A diligent search soon enough narrowed the cases down to two, the couple in the third accident had survived.
Eric researched those two cases well into the morning, forgetting even to sleep. Finding further details was hard, but he had eventually managed to get the information he needed. One of the couples who had died, were 65 years old. They had a daughter, who had since gotten married. The other couple was newly married, having wed just a month before their deaths.
Eric leaned back in his chair, a satisfied smile on his face. He already had one proof that Eric was lying. On its own, it wasn’t enough. He knew Antoine would be able to twist it how he wanted, but Eric had other plans. He was going to find as much information as he needed, and then expose him. Once and for all.
∞∞∞
