Chateau of Echoes

It sounded as if he had said she hadn’t worked there for at least six months. That would have been shortly after she started living with me.

“Exactement, madame.”

After hanging up the phone, I felt rather unsettled. Severine had been working on her PhD, but her behavior had become erratic and she had been asked to leave. About six months previously. If she was not working on research, then why was she still living with me? From the looks of her bedroom, she was obviously still hard at work on something. And according to M. Dubois, it wasn’t on Alix.

There were a thousand questions I would have asked M. Dubois if only I hadn’t hung up the phone.

I sat for a long while, marshalling the facts I knew about Severine. They were actually very few in number. I culled my mind for memories of my interactions with her. Generally she was a sincere, honest person. Except for the time when she lied about the butter. Usually she was very dependable. Except when she disappeared in a hurry the week that I hosted the conference. And she seemed lucid except when she’d told me about her father and when she’d been so strange the night of the wedding feast. Those daggers in her eyes still gave me the shivers, though I hadn’t seen any more of them.

And that got me to thinking about sharp pointy objects. Like dinner knives, and whatever had dug into the mortar in my bathroom. And the long object that Severine had concealed behind her back the night of the first frost. What had she been doing outside that night? Lucy had barked as if there had been an intruder in the woods.

For that matter, Lucy had never liked Severine.

There was a stirring on the staircase and I jumped. My eyes searched the darkness of the stairwell and came to rest on a familiar figure. Lucy. And behind her, Cranwell.

Cranwell, who had been sleeping with Severine. Cranwell, who always seemed to be watching me. Cranwell, who had the ability to appear noiselessly at my side. What exactly was Cranwell doing with Severine? Were they working together on some… scheme?

“What do you know about Severine?”

He shrugged. “Not much more than you do.”

“Why did you come here?”

“To write my book. Freddie, what is this about?”

“What is your relationship with Severine? If you don’t tell me, I’m calling the gendarmes.” I put a hand on the phone.

“Freddie, the first time I met Severine was the day I came here. You know that. What’s wrong?”

Outside, thunder cracked and bushes strained to rake the windows. I felt like I was trapped in a B-grade horror movie.

“Cranwell, I’m only going to ask you this one more time. What is your relationship with Severine?”

“I don’t have one other than our interest in the journals.”

I knew for a fact that wasn’t true. “You’ve been watching me.”

“Of course I’ve been watching you. I find you incredibly attractive.”

“Then why have I seen Severine come out of your room in the morning?”

Suddenly, he didn’t seem so composed. “Severine? How did-? I swear to you, Freddie, it was not the way it looked. I swear it. Can you tell me what’s going on?”

At that moment, the lights flickered once and then were gone. The power was out.

“Cranwell, if you move, so help me…”

“I’m not coming anywhere near you. Trust me, Freddie.”

Lucy sighed in the darkness. I felt a sudden pang of guilt, knowing that it was her dinner time.

Lightning flashed, illuminating Cranwell’s face. True to his word, he hadn’t moved any closer. He had found the last step and sat on it. There was nothing of a monster in his face, just an easily read confusion.

So I made a decision.

34

I decided to tell him everything I knew. “Severine was kicked out of the university. About six months ago.” I watched Cranwell’s face as I talked, and I could tell that this information surprised him.

“For what?”

“Her department head called it ‘bizarre behavior.’”

“And you just found out?”

“About three minutes before you came downstairs.”

“Did you ever talk to her about her work at the university? Did she openly lie to you about being a student there?”

That made me think. “On her ‘university days’ like today, I’ve always said, ‘Have a safe trip into town,’ or something like that, but she’s never corrected me. I don’t think she’s ever lied to me either.”

“What was your employment agreement with her?”

“It didn’t hinge on her studies. It was free room and board in exchange for help with the guests. We didn’t even have a contract. Do you think she’s dangerous?”

“I don’t think so. It might be nothing, Freddie. It’s possible she was just embarrassed to tell you.”

“But why would she still be here?”

“Maybe she hasn’t found another job yet; she might not be in a position to finance a move.”

“Then where does she go on her ‘university days’?”

“I don’t know.”

We stared at each other through the flashes of lightning.

“Can I get up off this step? It’s killing my back.”

“Of course. I’m sorry. I just… I didn’t know what to think. And I’d seen you and Severine together… I saw her come out of your room.”

“Freddie, do you know what the odds were in seeing us that one night in my entire stay here? I swear to you that-” He’d started to place his hands on my arms, but then he read the warning in my eyes and dropped them. “Never mind.” He reached his arms up behind him, lacing his fingers together at the back of his head, and sighed. Then he released them, running a hand through his hair, and finally folded his arms in front of him.

Those arms. Those arms I had been surprised were so strong. Strong, but dangerous. I shivered. Then everything began to come together.

“Cranwell. The night of the feast. Severine was the only one who wasn’t at the table. She had to have been the one in my room.”

“You can’t know that. She was in the kitchen all night. Anyone could have prowled around without her knowledge. And the rest of us were in the dining hall.”

“And during the Journees de Patrimoine, she was the only one on the second and third floors. And she was probably the one who jumbled up my fruit boxes.”

“What proof do you have?”

“I don’t need any, Cranwell. I just know.” I had no doubt that it was Severine. She was searching for something. The question was, for what?

“What are you going to do?”

“Do you think she’s dangerous?” I was still trying to make sense of M. Dubois’ information, still trying to redraw my image of Severine.

Cranwell shrugged. “I think she’s been dishonest, but I don’t think she’d harm you.”

“But what’s she looking for?”

“It’s got to be something to do with Alix.”

“But what if it isn’t?” I might have thought so too, but I had seen her room. And aside from decoration, nothing in it had indicated to me that she had any interest in Alix.