The Swindler

ELEVEN

The duvet and top bedsheet had been pulled back, revealing something sinister. The white sheet covering the mattress was stained red... with blood. The blood spelled out an all too familiar message: Bon astre.

I was paralysed. My mind went blank. I couldn't think. I couldn't move. I couldn't believe what I was seeing.

He knows I'm here. He knows who I am now. What else does Francis Montaigne know?

Before the hired help or my daughter could see the scene before me, I pulled the door shut. Nathan and Mrs Walters came running up to me.

"Madam!" they cried. "What is it?"

A door down the hall opened. "Mummy?"

I shook my head, trying to calm myself. "Nothing, it's nothing. I- I just got spooked, that's all. Nothing to worry about. You two can actually go home for the night. Cook too. I'll take care of things here."

"Madam, are you sure? You look quite pale," Mrs Walters commented, concerned. "What happened?"

"It's nothing. Go on home. Luna, come here, honey."

Luna came over, and I held on to her. Nathan drew Mrs Walters away. Once they were gone, I pulled out my phone and immediately dialled a number. And not 000 either.

"Hello?"

"Are you still with Leo and Rosa?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Francis knows I'm here."

"What?!" Ernest exclaimed on the other end. "How?"

"There's a message written in blood on my bedsheets. It's what he said to me in Occitan back in London. Bon astre."

"Oh, God." Then, I heard him say, "Leo, can you drive back to Mrs Cutler's place?"

"Why?"

"I- I, uh, must've forgot my wallet there because I can't find it. I obviously need it."

"Alright."

I heard the engine rev as they presumably made a U-turn on the road.

"I'm scared, Ernest," I murmured. "I dismissed Nathan and Mrs Walters for fear they were in danger."

"Are you and Luna in the house alone now?"

"Yes."

"What if the messenger is still there?! Damnit, Vivienne, if something happens-"

"I have a Beretta."

Ernest choked. "What?"

"I got a licence. I have a Beretta to protect myself. But you have more experience in stuff like this than I do. Please, just get here as fast as possible."

"Leo, STEP ON IT!"

I stayed on the phone with Ernest the entire drive back. When the doorbell rang, and he said he had arrived, I stumbled down the hall to the staircase and descended into the foyer with Luna right behind me. I opened the door and basically fell into his Ernest's arms.

"How did he even find me here?" I murmured. "There's no way. I made sure I destroyed all evidence of both Jocelyn Pritchard and Vivienne Rousseau. How could he have tied Zoe Cutler to me?"

"I don't know. Agent Parker should be informed, now that there's been a threat."

"What do I do now, Ernest? Luna and I are obviously not safe here anymore. But where would we even go at this point? I'm so tired of running."