There was a knock on the door and Marie-Claire brought in the coffee, serving it out with much rattling of cups before retreating again. By which time Mrs. Galler seemed to have lost her thread.

Robert decided to try another line of questioning. “It’s my understanding that Genevieve didn’t finish her schooling—that her father took her away from the school for some reason to do with her health.”

“That’s right.” The woman nodded. “Though I’m not sure ‘taken away’ is entirely accurate.”

“Are you saying Genevieve was expelled?”

“Well, I don’t exactly know. It was all handled very discreetly, you see. Her father didn’t come up to the school himself—he sent the family doctor instead.”

“Him again,” Robert muttered.

“They were in with the headmistress for a long time—Miss Samuel, her friend little whatsname and the doctor. Then they called me in and asked me to help her pack her things. She left that day with the doctor, and we never saw her again. The friend—she was very upset.”

“But what actually happened? What was wrong with my wife?”

Mrs. Galler looked down at the floor. “There was an incident in the bath.”

“In the bath?”

“One of the girls said that the friend—whatsname—had walked in on Miss Samuel in the bath and saw something that upset her. It wasn’t long after that that Miss Samuel left.”

“Do you have any idea what the girl saw?”

Mrs. Galler leaned forward conspiratorially. “Well, sir. The other girls—they said there was blood in the bath. One or two of them thought that Miss Samuel may have been…” She lowered her voice, as though someone might be outside the door listening. “That she may have been cutting herself.”

Robert’s fists tightened. It had to have been something like this, hadn’t it, to warrant all that secrecy, all that cloak-and-dagger behavior. And yet…

He got to his feet. “Thank you, Mrs. Galler. I’m grateful to you for making the journey.”

She looked perplexed. “Is that it? I’m to go now?”

“Apparently.” Robert took up the dreaded brown hat and handed it to her. Then he went to the door and held it open. “Do enjoy the rest of your stay in Paris.”

After she’d gone, he had Marie-Claire fetch Felperstone.

When Robert repeated the gist of Mrs. Galler’s half story, Mr. Felperstone smiled a yellow-toothed smile. Robert was revolted by the long, yellow teeth. He was revolted too by the thought of the scrawny hands, the mean little eyes searching through his wife’s life like a down-and-out going through a trash can. He was revolted by himself for hiring the wretch in the first place. And yet…

“It’s a start, sir.”

“Is it?”