Then she blinks and breaks from the trance, as if somewhere a hypnotist snapped his fingers. She smiles brightly. “No, I’m fine. I’m just not much of a reader.”
I drop my hand. “Okay, but?—”
She cocks her head, listening. “I think Chantal is up. We should probably go.”
By “we,” she means me.
Whirling, she retraces our route through the hallways, and I fall into step beside her. This time we take a direct path. No detours into rooms or commentary on the artwork. The tour is over.
A sidelong glance tells me Luci is still wearing a happy mask, but her smile doesn’t reach her eyes. Not like it did when she came to my door.
As we move closer to my apartment, I feel an opportunity slipping away. The library was too big to search, and now I’ve wasted the time I had alone with Luci. Time I could have used to ask about Rose.
“Thank you for showing me your home,” I say, figuring out a way to broach the subject. “Am I special, or do you give all of your tenants a tour of the mansion?”
She scratches her cheek as if puzzled. “You mean Noah? He grew up here.”
“No, I meant the other people who stayed in my apartment.” My breath hitches. “Like Rose.”
“Rose?” Her tone leaps to a higher note. “Rose. Oh, the woman who lived here before you?”
“Yes,” I say, watching her closely.
“I met her once.” Her gaze darts to the side, past my shoulder, down to my chin. “How do you know about her?”
“I talked to her sister, Alice. She’s trying to find Rose.”
“Alice. Yes, she’s been a problem.” Luci frowns. “My grandmother and Uncle Victor don’t like her. She made them very angry.”
She tosses a glance over her shoulder, down the hallway. “Alice is not a good subject to bring up in this house. It’s probably best if you don’t get involved.”
“Of course,” I say, feigning indifference. “I was only curious.”
Letting that serve as my answer, I open my door and step through. “Thanks for inviting me over.”
“Je t’en prie.”Luci falls back on her French again, something she seems to do when she’s excited. Or when she’s distressed.
Shutting the door, I make sure the lock falls firmly into place and listen for the latch on the other side.
But all I can hear are Luci’s last words, telling me not to get involved.
She claims she only met Rose one time, but I get the feeling she’s keeping secrets. About Rose. And the strange symbol.
Growing up in the mansion, she must have seen the portrait many times, along with the photo on display in the main house. An exact copy of the one I found in the storage room.
The symbol is everywhere around the mansion and clearly held significance for Luci’s ancestor. Her entire family. So how could Luci not know its meaning?
And why was she so afraid of the library?
18
My finger hovers over the trackpad, ready to tap and click “send.”
I’ve spent hours reviewing my audition clips, choosing the best one, and finally attaching the video to an email. Now my message to the casting director is ready to go, but I can’t bring myself to hit the button.
Did I forget anything? Did I do all I could? Is this my best work?
“It will have to be,” I mutter, because the deadline is today. And I’m out of time.
