“Well, be sure to let Sidra know that this puts us in a real pickle,” said Bob. “Now it’s a homicide, and we’re really at the mercy of the system. They can arrest and detain us without cause. There are no limits to search and seizure, no plea bargaining, no jury, and no presumption of innocence.”

“When you put it that way, it looks like we’re in deep doo-doo,” said Bill.

“Oh, make no mistake about it. We are in it up to our necks,” said Bob.

Sue had done her best to come up with an appetizing supper, but the ethnic store’s offerings were meager, and all she’d managed to find was couscous, stuffed grape leaves, and tzatziki, with sticky dates and pistachios for dessert. It didn’t sit well with Lucy, who blamed her sleepless night on the unusual dinner, but she knew it wasn’t really the food that was keeping her up. It was her nerves. She was definitely feeling shaky in the morning, when she presented herself once again at 36 quai des Orfèvres, a feeling that only got worse when she wasn’t sent up to the fifth floor as before but was directed to the office of the procureur de la République.

She was literally shaking with fear when she presented herself to a receptionist, whose only greeting was a curt nod. “Suivez-moi,” she said, rising from her chair and leading Lucy down a short hallway to the office of the procureur, or proc.

The proc didn’t share her office, as Lapointe did. She had a spacious carpeted room with a large window and was sitting on a generously padded leather chair behind a beautifully grained wood desk. “Please sit down, Madame Stone,” she said, speaking perfect English in a lightly accented voice and indicating a Danish modern chair with a subtly manicured hand.

No bright red polish here, thought Lucy. Just the slightest tint of pink.

“My name is Giselle Hadamard,” she said, “and I will be asking you a few questions about Laurence Bruneau. I have been involved since the beginning of this investigation. As procureur, it is my responsibility to supervise the police and to determine the truth of the matter. You could compare my role to that of a district attorney in the States, with an understanding that a procureur has considerably greater flexibility and more far-ranging powers than a district attorney. I would also add that this is now a homicide case and you must give me your complete cooperation.”

“Of course,” said Lucy, sitting down a bit more heavily than she would have wished, as her legs had suddenly given way beneath her.