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Time and Theresa Massard’s current circumstance had not been kind to her Her once dark hair was streaked with dull gray and hung liht since she and Marc had posed for the Eiffel Tower photograph, and her posture was beco stooped around the shoulders and upper back She was in her early to mid-thirties, by Bell’s estimation, but appeared well past her prime, like someone who’d endured many decades of hardship

Life had beaten Theresa Massard, and Bell suspected her husband had as well He had stopped thinking of thata story and re of innocent villagers The man was a ined he’d mistreated his wife badly over the years SheHer eyes reh the croith quick, jerky ot too close to her She did allow her sister-in-law to take her arh her own

Fro to chat up Theresa and lift her spirits but was getting only one-word answers in return He knew even sos missed their masters, and no matter how poorly she’d been treated by her late husband, she was obviously inThe tomen ate lunch at an inexpensive café Bell left therab a quick bite from a nearby patisserie Upon his return to the street outside the restaurant, he saw, to his horror, that Mrs Yves was alone now and discussing the bill with a waiter It could be that Theresa excused herself to use the ladies’, but as the bill there so quickly? It made more sense that Theresa was too upset to even have a meal in public and had run home Mrs Yves was in a hurry to pay so she could catch up

Bell started walking quickly back toward the aparth the croithout looking like he was hurrying and soon saw the slope-shouldered silhouette and the jerky, aard tics Bell settled his pace to stay behind her She reached her building before Mrs Yves caught up Bell waited across the street at the news kiosk again When he spotted Mrs Yves hurrying on the sidewalk, he started back for the apart his move so he arrived just a second after the woed his presence with a look and started up the wooden stairs that rose up through an open shaft in the building’s center Bell gave her a polite few seconds and started up after her She climbed past the second floor and up to the third Bell slowed a little more and watched her move down the short, carpeted hallway to apart’s top floor to wait

He heard the woman knock a second time, then a third, and call Theresa’s na to let her sister-in-law try to cheer her up Mrs Yves gave up after a minute more Bell listened to the clack of her shoes as she descended to street level and waited until the building’s front door squeaked open and clicked closed

He descended to the third floor He took the old photograph from his pocket and slipped it under the door of apartment C He knocked, and said in French, “Mrs Massard, I was there when Foster Gly murdered your husband”

For thirty seconds he got no reaction The door re his hand to knock again when he heard the lock thrown She pulled the door against herself and looked out like a frightenedfrom its den

“Je m’appelle Isaac Bell Je suis Américain”

“I speak English,” Theresa said “They told ht at a bar”

“That isn’t true We were in the mountains outside of Denver, Colorado They had just tried to kill ed to chase down your husband He was unarmed I had this” Bell opened his coat to show the butt of his 45 in a black leather shoulder rig “I was just about to begin questioning hi, so he shot hireat distance with a rifle”

“You are police?”

“A private investigator” She appeared not to knohat that meant “Like a policeman people can hire for themselves”

She nodded “Why should I believe you?”

“May we do this in your apartment?”

“Non Until I knohat you want, you will remain where you are”