She shook her head. “That is not possible, madame. He has been gone for several days now. He has friends over there who wrote to him and said he should join them. They will help him find somewhere to live, and then he will send for me. He said that Paris is not the right place for us. That the people here have no morals and it was not the right place for a young girl like me.”

“And yet you live with him? You’re his mistress?”

“His mistress? Who told you that?” she demanded, those dark eyes blazing suddenly. “I am his sister, madame. His little sister. The only family he has. He takes care of me.”

“Maxim Noah is your brother?” I asked.

She nodded. “My brother Jakob. A wonderful brother too. He brought me safely out of Russia when they burned our village. He promised to look after me the way our father would have done. We will have a good new life in England.”

“I hope you will, Josette,” I said. I looked at those big, wistful eyes and my heart bled for her.

***

As I left Le Bateau-Lavoir I tried to control my racing thoughts. If Maxim Noah was Josette’s brother, newly arrived from Russia, then he was definitely not Sid’s long-lost relative who had been in Paris for generations. So why had he tried to pretend he was her cousin? And why had he lied to his sister about going to England when he was still in Paris? One thing was sure—Maxim Noah was not to be trusted. It began to dawn on me that he, not Sid, was the young Jewish man seen running away from Reynold Bryce’s house. I had to go to the Sûreté immediately and tell them what I suspected. Inspector Henri would be angry with me, but he wouldn’t ignore what I had to say.

I started down the steep little lane, stepping carefully on the uneven cobbles. There were more people around now: children playing—singing as they turned the jump rope in high little nasal voices—women with shopping baskets hurrying to buy something they had forgotten for dinner. And then ahead of me I caught a glimpse of someone I thought I recognized. The Russian-style peasant’s cap, the shock of dark curls. It had to be Maxim Noah himself!

Chapter 35

Thirty-five