Page 13 of One Last Step

I would argue that shewasn’tjustified, but I don’t.Best just to put this to bed.“I hope you find your pocket watch, Dr.Rousseau.”

She nods.“Thank you for agreeing to stay on.Sophie seems quite fond of you.”

“She’s a wonderful girl.”

She leaves me without another word, heading to the elevator.I walk into my room and see with relief that Jacques did his best to leave everything where it was when he searched.

I play back the conversation I just have with Elena.Something she says sticks to me.At first, she behaves as though the loss of the pocket watch is in and of itself the crime.The financial value of the piece and the history it represents matter to her.

But just now, she says that it's her family's reputation she's concerned with.She says that twice, in fact.

Why would the loss of a pocket watch affect her family’s reputation?

I think back to Sophie’s story of spies and wonder again.What could a spy learn about the Rousseau’s that could threaten the family’s reputation?

CHAPTER SEVEN

The clocks wake me up again at midnight.I try to resist the urge to go downstairs.Elena already suspects me of being a thief.There’s no need to add fuel to the fire.

But the allure of the mystery is too strong.From Sophie’s tale of spycraft to Weber’s keen interest in the compartments of the automata clock to Elena’s panic when the pocket watch goes missing, I can’t help but feel that the clocks somehow hold the key to the mystery surrounding this family.

So, I dress quickly and head downstairs.Elena is there already, a good thing, I suppose since she can't claim that I was stealing anything in her absence.

Sophie is there too.She is crying, staring in anguish at the large automata clock she favors.The automata are seizing just as they did the night before, and the poor girl is beside herself with fear.Perhaps there's no mystery at all.Perhaps Rousseau just absolutely loves clocks and can't bear the idea of anything happening to them.

I rush to Sophie’s side and put my arms around her.“There, there.It’s all right.”

“It’s not all right,” she sobs.“Look at them!They’re in pain!”

Elena looks at us and her lips thin again.The people here are nothing if not creatures of habit.

She says nothing to me or her granddaughter, though.She just moves from clock to clock, turning them off one by one.

“They’re not in pain,” I promise Sophie.

“Yes, they are!Look at them!”

I kneel in front of her and grab her shoulders.“Sophie.Look at me.They’re not real.You know that, right?”

She sniffles and wipes her nose with her sleeve.“They’re real to me.”

My heart breaks for her.Children are prone to forming attachments to sentimental objects.Adults are as well, but the attachment is deeper for children.Sometimes, that attachment exists as a replacement for affection they should be receiving elsewhere.Perhaps living alone with her grandmother, homeschooled by a succession of governesses has left the bright, inquisitive, and energetic Sophie feeling restless.

Now’s not the time to psychoanalyze her, though.I pull her into an embrace and hold her close.“They’ll be fixed.Francois will come fix them.”

“When?”she asks.

“Tomorrow,” Elena says curtly.“He’ll be here in the morning.I’ll close the first floor while he repairs the clocks.”

Sophie perks up instantly.“Can I help?”

I resist the urge to roll my eyes.Children are also prone to instantly forgetting the strong emotion of a moment ago in favor of the strong emotion of the present moment.

Elena sighs, but I catch a small smile playing at the corners of her mouth.I’m encouraged to see that.It makes me feel that her love for her granddaughter is still the most important thing in her life.It’s critical for both of them that it remain that way.

“Yes, I suppose,” she says.“If he says it’s all right.But you have to promise to listen to what he says and not get in the way.These clocks are very valuable.”

Sophie rolls her eyes.“Iknow, Grandma.I’m not going to break them.”

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