y8

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Clémence and Berenice broke the news to Rose after she had time to digest her breakfast.

“Murdered? Are you sure?” Rose’s eyes were as wide as saucers. “Who would kill Pierre?”

“No clue,” said Clémence. “Do you have any ideas?”

“I—I don’t know.”

“I know it’s hard, sweetie,” said Berenice, “but can you tell us a bit more about him?”

Rose slumped down on the red leather couch in the salon. She put her hands over her face and breathed in deeply. Clémence and Berenice looked at each other, wondering if Rose was going to start crying. She surprised them by sitting upright and taking a sip of her espresso that sat on the glass coffee table.

“I met Pierre when I was in school finishing my MBA,” she started. “I thought he was a bit serious at first, but the more we got to know each other, the more comfortable we became. When we decided to be exclusive, we were inseparable; I was over the moon in love with him. I mean, he’s well-educated, he’s from an upper class family, we both have ambitious career goals, and he could be very romantic and attentive—well, for the first few months that we’ve known each other anyway. He moved in with me a year ago and that was when we started fighting more. It was around the same time that he got his project management job at F.R.Fraser, so I thought it was because he was overworked and stressed all the time. God, is it too early for some wine?”

Clémence jumped up. “It’s never too early for wine.”

In the kitchen, she uncorked a bottle of red. Berenice helped her take the wine glasses back in to the salon.

Rose took a sip. Then she chugged the whole glass. “Thanks, I needed that.”

“Did Pierre have any enemies?”

“Sometimes he would complain about his co-workers. I think there’s one co-worker ...

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...he office,” said Rose. “He should be. I’d go with you, but I don’t think I can handle that right now.”

“Don’t worry,” said Clémence. “I’ll just go. I’ll tell the truth and say that I’m a friend of yours, picking up Pierre’s things for you, and I’ll try to run into this Paolo guy.”

“Want me to go with you?” asked Berenice.

Clémence looked at Rose in her sad state. Rose was trying to keep strong, but Clémence knew that she was vulnerable and needed support in a time like this.

“Can you stay with Rose?” she asked. Then she looked at the clock. “Actually, it’s almost lunch time, and Paolo sounds like the kind of guy who would take his time enjoying his lunch. We can eat lunch together and I’ll go pay him a visit right after.”

Just then Miffy jumped up into Rose’s lap and snuggled into her. Rose’s sullen face crinkled into a smile as she stroked Miffy’s white fur.

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