furnishings and gourmet food. The ten-storey building’s Bell Epoque architecture was dazzling, and the dramatic colored dome had all the tourists looking up and snapping pictures as soon as they stepped inside.
The perfume and cosmetics section, where Clémence would find Sarah, was on the ground floor. Clémence spotted her at the Marcus Savin perfume counter, smiling and talking to two customers. Sarah’s cheeks were plumper due to her slight weight gain, but Clémence didn’t think the remnants of her pregnancy weight made her any less beautiful. For so long, Clémence had hated her while finding her intimidatingly gorgeous, but now Sarah seemed to be radiant. Perhaps it was because she had become a mother.
As Clémence approached her, she felt shy. She’d prepared what she was going to say, but speaking to Sarah would still be awkward.
At the counter, Clémence pretended to look at the beautiful glass bottles of Marcus Savin’s perfumes. Clémence knew the designer, and didn’t realize that his perfumes were so popular that they warranted their own stall in Galerie Lafayette. When Sarah finished ringing up a customer’s order, she turned her attention to Clémence.
“Sarah?” Clémence faked surprise.
“Yes.” Sarah blinked at her before recognition lit her eyes. “Oh, Clémence? Hi.”
“Hi.”
Sarah gave her a shy smile, then told her she’d been reading a lot about her. Clémence answered the usual kidnapping questions and made small talk.
“I love these perfumes,” she said. Marcus had sent her some of his clothes and three bottles of his perfumes last week as a gift, so Clémence wasn’t lying.
“So do I,” Sarah replied.
“Oh. Is that why you’re working here?” Clémence hoped she didn’t sound patronizing because she wasn’t trying to be. Sarah only smiled again sweetly, and didn’t seem to take it the wrong way.
“Honestly, I’m working here because I need the money.” Sarah laughed.
Clémence felt more at ease with Sarah being so frank with her. “Growing up, I always thought it would be fun to work here.”
“It can be. You get to meet a lot of interesting people. And there’s the discounts.”
“Discounts are always good,” Clémence said. “I heard you had a baby, so congratulations.”
“Thanks.” She flashed her pearly white teeth once again. “Who told you? Mathieu?”
“Yes,” Clémence lied.
“I thought Mathieu didn’t want people to know, but I suppose you’re not just anyone. He told me he got in touch with you again.”
“It’s been fun to catch up. All that stuff’s in the past, so why not be friends?”
“Exactly,” Sarah said. “That’s my attitude.”
“But why doesn’t Mathieu want people to know he has a daughter?”
“He says wants to establish himself as a young painter. I don’t know why exactly, but he says it’s important for his career. And it’s not as if anybody’s writing about us these days anyway, so it doesn’t matter.”
“Did his girlfriend know?”
“He has a girlfriend?” Sarah asked.
“Oh, you didn’t know?”
“No. I know he dates sometimes, but he never told me about a girlfriend.”
“Well, Sarah,” Clémence said. “I’m glad I ran into you because there are some things I want to tell you. Mathieu’s girlfriend was an art gallery assistant named Charlotte Lagrange and she was killed recently. Shot in the head.”
Clémence gave her the full story and told her about how Charlotte had been keen on Mercier paintings, while Gilles owned one. “I think Mathieu’s roommate is connected to her murder somehow. What do you know about him?”
“Gilles?” Sarah’s expression soured. “I’ve only met him a few times. To tell you the truth, he gives me the creeps, the way he leers at me. You don’t think he killed this girl, do you?”
“I don’t know. I’m trying to figure it out.
The perfume and cosmetics section, where Clémence would find Sarah, was on the ground floor. Clémence spotted her at the Marcus Savin perfume counter, smiling and talking to two customers. Sarah’s cheeks were plumper due to her slight weight gain, but Clémence didn’t think the remnants of her pregnancy weight made her any less beautiful. For so long, Clémence had hated her while finding her intimidatingly gorgeous, but now Sarah seemed to be radiant. Perhaps it was because she had become a mother.
As Clémence approached her, she felt shy. She’d prepared what she was going to say, but speaking to Sarah would still be awkward.
At the counter, Clémence pretended to look at the beautiful glass bottles of Marcus Savin’s perfumes. Clémence knew the designer, and didn’t realize that his perfumes were so popular that they warranted their own stall in Galerie Lafayette. When Sarah finished ringing up a customer’s order, she turned her attention to Clémence.
“Sarah?” Clémence faked surprise.
“Yes.” Sarah blinked at her before recognition lit her eyes. “Oh, Clémence? Hi.”
“Hi.”
Sarah gave her a shy smile, then told her she’d been reading a lot about her. Clémence answered the usual kidnapping questions and made small talk.
“I love these perfumes,” she said. Marcus had sent her some of his clothes and three bottles of his perfumes last week as a gift, so Clémence wasn’t lying.
“So do I,” Sarah replied.
“Oh. Is that why you’re working here?” Clémence hoped she didn’t sound patronizing because she wasn’t trying to be. Sarah only smiled again sweetly, and didn’t seem to take it the wrong way.
“Honestly, I’m working here because I need the money.” Sarah laughed.
Clémence felt more at ease with Sarah being so frank with her. “Growing up, I always thought it would be fun to work here.”
“It can be. You get to meet a lot of interesting people. And there’s the discounts.”
“Discounts are always good,” Clémence said. “I heard you had a baby, so congratulations.”
“Thanks.” She flashed her pearly white teeth once again. “Who told you? Mathieu?”
“Yes,” Clémence lied.
“I thought Mathieu didn’t want people to know, but I suppose you’re not just anyone. He told me he got in touch with you again.”
“It’s been fun to catch up. All that stuff’s in the past, so why not be friends?”
“Exactly,” Sarah said. “That’s my attitude.”
“But why doesn’t Mathieu want people to know he has a daughter?”
“He says wants to establish himself as a young painter. I don’t know why exactly, but he says it’s important for his career. And it’s not as if anybody’s writing about us these days anyway, so it doesn’t matter.”
“Did his girlfriend know?”
“He has a girlfriend?” Sarah asked.
“Oh, you didn’t know?”
“No. I know he dates sometimes, but he never told me about a girlfriend.”
“Well, Sarah,” Clémence said. “I’m glad I ran into you because there are some things I want to tell you. Mathieu’s girlfriend was an art gallery assistant named Charlotte Lagrange and she was killed recently. Shot in the head.”
Clémence gave her the full story and told her about how Charlotte had been keen on Mercier paintings, while Gilles owned one. “I think Mathieu’s roommate is connected to her murder somehow. What do you know about him?”
“Gilles?” Sarah’s expression soured. “I’ve only met him a few times. To tell you the truth, he gives me the creeps, the way he leers at me. You don’t think he killed this girl, do you?”
“I don’t know. I’m trying to figure it out.
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