Page 24 of The Light Within

Cinn opened his mouth, but Julien raised his hand. “Non. First, I have some more very important things to do, involving your lips.” He leaned up on one side, patting the empty space next to him on the bed. “So get that cute butt of yours back over here…”

The suspense over Julien’s ‘announcement’—or whatever it was—grew to infuriating levels by the time they’d reached Darcy’s cottage, and began the wait for Elliot to arrive. A mere fifty minutes later, the creak of the front door preceded a cold draft sweeping through Darcy’s living room, flickering the flames of her fire.

Darcy sat cross-legged on the rug, because Cinn had snagged the armchair that was surely his now, anyway. She greeted Elliot with a wave. “Your tea is cold, and you’re not getting another.”

In response, Elliot shook his hair like a dog wet from the rain spraying Darcy with water.

She shrieked.

Elliot stretched himself across Darcy’s sofa, looking at Cinn with hopeful eyes. “Got any cookies, at least?”

“Sorry mate, no time.”

“Anyway,” said Julien loudly, then trailed off, mouth slightly parting as he stared into the corridor.

Béatrice lingered near the door, tail undulating like a wisp of smoke. The shadow cat glanced tentatively between them, bobbing its eyeless head, before scampering past Elliot, Darcy, and Julien without a second thought. The oddly weightless creature jumped onto Cinn’s lap, curling up on it with a demanding squeak.

“You know what? I’m getting less and less convinced that is Béatrice, you know.”

Cinn shot Julien his most smug smirk as he scratched the cat’s ears. Funnily enough, he’d never been one for animals, but it was hard to resist this one when she likedhimthe best.

“Well, Julien? What is it?” Darcy said. “I have other stuff to do today.”

“I present…” Julien slammed a pile of creased, battered-looking papers onto the coffee table. “A file documenting Béatrice’s every move. Found in none other than our friend Madame Sinclair’s office.”

Cinn’s hand stilled its movements across the cat’s knobbly spine.What?

“How on earth did you get that?” Darcy echoed Cinn’s thoughts. She snatched the papers from Julien, laying the collection flat across the surface. The first page had Béatrice Montaigne printed at the top in big bold letters, and a professional photo of her attached to it, her blonde hair tied up. A quick scan of the first page offered a list of her basic information—birthday, birthplace, et cetera.

“These are her university transcripts.” Elliot thumbed through documents, frowning. “And this one… a bank statement? Is it all random crap?”

Cinn grabbed another sheet from the pile, brushing his hand over the crinkled paper. “Why do these all look like they’ve been fished out of a puddle?”

The slight side-eye Elliot gave Julien did not escape Cinn’s notice.

“What’s that one there, Cinn?” asked Darcy.

“Addresses.” Cinn trailed his finger down the list. “This address, listed as her home address. A Paris address… Julien’s father’s? Then the next one is Julien’s flat in Talwacht, I think.”

“Places she frequented?”

“And… I don’t recognise this last one.”

Darcy plucked the paper from Cinn’s grasp. Her eyes narrowed. “Some other address in France. I don’t know it either.”

“France? I didn’t see that earlier.” Julien yanked it away before studying it, frown lines across his forehead slowly deepening. Recognition flashed across his face, then a sudden burst of shock that was swiftly replaced by a mask of controlled calm.

“Where is it then?” Cinn asked.

Julien pretended not to hear him, placing it down on the table.

Darcy drummed her fingers against it. “Well, this is all riveting stuff so far.”

“God, you’re impatient. Keep going.” Julien pushed the final few unread sheets towards her.

It was only a second later that she gasped. Elliot leaned over her shoulder and Cinn copied him, dragging himself onto the rug next to Darcy—the large block of text looked daunting.

Béatrice Montaigne (BM) is a verified member of the Arcane Purifier organisation. While it is indicated that she holds a relatively low rank within the group, BM remains on our high-priority watch list. This status stems from substantial evidence suggesting she was personally recruited by L (Category A), a founding member and the chief coordinator of recent lobbying efforts. It is believed that BM’s recruitment is linked to her familial connections, particularly her father, Lucien Étienne Montaigne. Lucien Montaigneis the CEO of HorizonTech Enterprises and a prominent member of the AAIoES consortium.

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