I let him guide me to a carriage. “It’s unpleasant to see something like that,” Bram said, and I closed my eyes, trying to banish the image of the woman. What a terrible way to die.
“What did that?” I asked.
“I don’t know. The gendarmerie think it was a bear, the same bear who attacked the stranger, in fact. Apparently, once a bear gets a taste for human flesh, it continues to seek it out.”
“You don’t believe it was a bear.” It was a statement, not a question.
“No. No, I don’t.”
We stepped out of the carriage at a café where Bram ordered us sandwiches. He also ordered me a glass of wine, to calm my nerves. I wasn’t very hungry, but I made an effort to eat.
“I overheard something at the château,” I said after picking at my sandwich.
“Oh?”
I nodded. “It was between Count Montoni and his doctor, Father Schedoni.”
“Schedoni,” Bram wrinkled his nose. “What was it?”
“I think they killed Hargrove. And I think the gendarmerie are being bribed to cover it up.”
Bram was silent, and I looked up to find him watching me. “You heard them say this?”
I frowned, trying to remember Schedoni’s exact words. “Yes. Schedoni was chastising Montoni for being so sloppy with Hargrove. Hargrove’s family is threatening to send an investigator. They mentioned hush money, and bribes to make questions go away in town.”
Bram set down his sandwich and wiped his forehead with the back of his hand. “Emile, they’re dangerous men. I don’t want you getting involved, at least not right now. We would need more than your word to make any moves against them anyway.”
I swallowed hard. “That isn’t all. I … I recognized the woman in the shop. The one who’s … dead.”
Bram sat motionless as he waited for me to continue.
I licked my lips and leaned forward, lowering my voice even more than it had already been. “I caught her in the hedge maze. She’d left a candle in the mausoleum window. I think it was a signal for Hargrove to meet her. At the time, I thought it was a romantic rendezvous, but now I think it was more than that. She tried to sneak into Lady Morano’s room. When Montoni heard about the intruder, he knew exactly who she was. And I saw him watching the apothecary. He must be involved in this murder too.”
The waiter approached our table with the check, and I sat silently as Bram paid before realizing that I’d promised to buy lunch. I frowned. I would have to get it the next time.
Bram set his napkin on the table and crossed his arms, regarding me. “Emile. A man could not have done that.”
“Are you sure?” I asked. “Couldn’t someone make it look like a wild animal attack?”
Bram leaned back in his seat, contemplating. “Perhaps. They would be going to a lot of trouble. It would be easier to stage it like a robbery gone wrong, wouldn’t you agree?”
“I do, but I don’t believe a bear wandered into town, attacked a single shop, then left without anybody seeing anything either.”
With a sigh, Bram stood and we left the café, walking back to his office this time, rather than hailing a carriage. “Who was this woman? According to the police, she was just the owner of an apothecary. You think she was some assassin on the side?”
“I don’t know,” I admitted. “I know it’s farfetched, but I think they’re linked. And I think that hand I found belonged to Hargrove.”
“Or it was someone passing through as the gendarmerie suggested.”
I sent Bram a dirty look and he held up his hands. “I’m just trying to examine this from all angles. You may be jumping to conclusions here.”
“I’m not. That woman was involved with Hargrove, perhaps had him spy on the family for her. Then Montoni had him, and likely her, killed.” I glanced at him. “Does Montoni have a reputation?”
“A reputation? For gambling, certainly. He’s known quite well for that. But nothing as serious as murder.”
Gambling. Murder. Bribery. Montoni was not an innocent man. If Montoni had had no qualms with murdering two people in cold blood, he wouldn’t think twice before killing a blackmailer. I would need to be smart about this. I didn’t see how I would find proof that Montoni had committed murder, but he had murdered Hargrove and the woman for a reason. I needed to uncover whatever secret was damning enough to justify murder. Then I could use that information in exchange for Udolpho and my silence. But it had to be hard proof. I would need to keep digging. I would also need to be careful that I didn’t become another victim.
I glanced up at Bram, imagining him with me at Udolpho, our own private castle where we could perhaps live free of judgment, in isolation. It could be perfect, if all the pieces fell together just right. Perhaps he could begin a practice in whatever neighborhood we found ourselves in. I wondered if he would go with me if I asked him.
