From his perplexed tone, I deduce he’s probably aware I’m not seeing anyone at the moment. Is there anything about me hedoesn’tknow?
“A friend will be sleeping over,” I explain. “Her boyfriend dumped her yesterday. She needs company tonight, some wine, and a shoulder to cry on.”
“Can’t she find another shoulder? Why does it have to be yours?”
I don’t deign that remark with an answer.
He comes at it from a different angle, “Given Doc’s stunt this morning, I was going to suggest you don’t sleep at your apartment until we’re certain he’s no longer a threat.”
“Where do you suggest I sleep? Not my mother’s. Her new boyfriend is an even bigger jerk than the previous one.”
“I didn’t mean you should crash at your mother’s.”
“Then where? At the studio? It’s way too hot in there.”
He beckons to a server before turning back to me. “I was going to put you in a hotel.”
“I’m going to say no to your charitable offer.”
He bristles at my snarky tone. I’m surprised that I can discern that expression despite the patchwork of scars on his face. Until now, it was impossible for me to read his emotions. Maybe that was just a fluke.
Theodor pulls out his phone. “May I snap a pic of the paragraph about the antique collector?”
“Be my guest.”
I find the passage for him. He takes a picture and forwards it to someone.
The server brings the check.
Theodor pays it and sends him away with a sizable tip. The chef comes out again to inquire if everything went well and if we enjoyed the meal. We assure him we did.
While the four of us are exiting the establishment, Theodor receives a call.
“Glad you agree it’s a lead worth following up,” he says after hearing out the person on the other end.
He hangs up and faces me. “We’re flying to Bern tomorrow to talk to some people.”
Is he including me in his we?
But before I get him to clarify that point, another incongruity stands out.
“Who do you plan to talk to?” I ask. “That passage in Simon’s letter offers almost nothing to go on. Where will you begin?”
“The Swiss Federal Archives,” Theodor deadpans. “Arrangements have been made. We’ll get all the help and guidance we require upon arrival.”
I knit my eyebrows. “Don’t you want to read the rest of the letters first?”
“We’ll read them on the way. There’s no time to lose.”
So, he does plan to take me along to the Swiss capital! I’m up for it, but I do wish he’d asked.
I give him snark by way of punishment. “You said we’d be flying there tomorrow. Bern is only three hours’ drive from here. There’s no point taking the plane.”
Theodor raises the hairless eyebrow above his good eye. “Did I say anything about a plane?”
THEO
Due to Elise’s stubbornness, Jordan will spend the rest of his evening in the car outside her apartment block in Chambéry. She won’t appreciate it if she finds out, but it’s a precaution I have to take, given how important she is to my mission and to the survival of my country.
