Page 33 of One Last Step

“It shouldn’t take long, ma’am.I’ll ask my questions while you make dessert.”

“Suit yourself.I must know, though.Am I still a suspect?”

“I didn’t say that you were ever a suspect.I said you were a person of interest.”

“That sounds like a suspect.”

He takes a deep breath and releases it slowly.“No.You’re not a suspect.Did you notice anyone who looked suspicious today?Anyone who behaved out of the ordinary?”

I stop with the ice cream scoop halfway into the ice cream.“Actually.Now that you mention it, I did notice some suspicious behavior.”

He tilts his head.“Really?”

“Yes.Dr.Lukas Meyer—Elena’s banker—reacted very oddly when he heard that the pocket watch theft was being investigated.”

Jacques frowns.“But he knew it was being investigated.We already interrogated him.”

I think for a moment, trying to find a way to tell him what I know without telling him too much.“There’s been a suggestion that the pocket watch may have at one time been owned by a Nazi intelligence agent.”

Jacques stares at me for a moment.“And how did Lukas react?”

“He became very agitated.It was as though he was terrified but trying to convince himself that everything was all right.”

Jacques makes a note in his pad.“Thank you, Mary.This is good information.Anything else?”

“Well… I don’t know if it means anything, but Elena’s been arguing a lot recently with a woman named Margot Keller.”

Jacques sighs.“Yes.I am well-acquainted with Frau Keller.That is an unrelated conflict.Unless you believe that she is involved in the pocket watch theft or the theft of the Kaiser Wilhelm clock.”

“She mentioned something about German intelligence when she was arguing with Elena.I didn’t hear the context of the argument, but it could be related.”

“Yes, it could be,” he agreed.“Now, are you familiar with the Kaiser Wilhelm clock?”

“I’m afraid not.”

“It’s a 1910 design, one of the last by the company before they folded.It’s a desk clock about four inches wide by six inches tall.”

I raise an eyebrow.“That’s quite small by the standards of the day.”

“It was a design called a miniature.It was larger than a pocket watch but used far more complex electromechanical mechanisms that were different in concept from a hairspring watch.Clockmakers able to make durable, accurate models were highly sought after.The Kaiser Wilhelm piece is perhaps the most famous piece constructed by the Rousseau company.Of course, by the end of the decade, there were dozens of manufacturers who could produce clocks of equal and even surpassing quality.A lot of people think—not inaccurately—that the demise of the Rousseau company was caused by their inability to keep up with modern trends rather than simply a function of the war.”He smiles at me.“Don’t tell Elena I said that, though.”

The change in demeanor when he has a real lead is remarkable.He clears his throat and says, “But back to the matter at hand.Have you talked with Lukas Meyer since the theft of the pocket watch?”

“I’ve talked with him briefly.Sophie is friends with his son Luc.”

Jacques cocks his head when I say that.“Luc.How old is he again?”

“He’s ten years old, the same as Sophie.”

“Hmm.And neither of them have mentioned anything about missing clocks or Nazi intelligence?”

I think of the journal, but I don’t want Jacques to know about it.Not yet.

“No, nothing.”

“Hmm…” He takes a deep breath.“Well, that’s good to know.Thank you for talking to me.”

I nod.“You’re welcome, Inspector.”

---