Free 86 Avenue du Goulet (A Samantha Jamison Mystery Volume 3) by Peggy A. Edelheit

being alone without her husband.
    “How nice to see you again!” I greeted warmly. “I love this store.”
    She gave me a guarded smile. “It is also good to see you again. Yes, I agree. It is a nice store.”
    I sighed, trying to appear frustrated. “I need your advice. There are too many choices. I am overwhelmed.”
    Well, she spent the next ten minutes pointing out the best cheeses to try, some brands that were bad, and a few that were too pricey to even bother experimenting with.
    “Why, Madame Toussout, thank you so much! I can’t tell you what a life saver you have been for me.”
    She became flustered by the compliment.
    “Oh, it was nothing at all. What would it say about my country if I could not help you in some small way?”
    I moved in for the kill, shaking my head sadly. “I just wish you could have also helped me in some small way regarding any unusual information about what is going on at Curat’s property. No one is being very helpful. I know Martine will be so disappointed in me for coming up empty-handed.”
    She looked both ways and said in a hushed tone. “The truth is, I have heard something, but have been reluctant to seek you out. Can I confide something only between us?”
    I couldn’t believe my luck. “Why of course! I would never let on that you said anything to me at all.”
    She stepped in closer. “Late one night, I heard a truck stop and a door shut. I went outside to listen. There was a scraping noise, then a flashlight shining, and then a click. I quietly walked over and listened from below the wall to Curat’s villa. Then I could swear I felt a vibration come from the wall itself. Crazy! No?”

 
     
     
    Chapter 35
    Questions Leading To What?
     
     
    While driving home, questions lingered about Madame Toussout. What had she heard that night? None of it made sense. Nothing else was found or dug up other than the bones and tags, and they were discovered by accident.
    Plus, it didn’t appear she had a personal agenda, so I pushed that to the side. Was it her imagination that night? It didn’t seem so, because she was completely earnest in trying to describe exactly what she heard.
    Maybe that was what Monsieur Toussout did not want me to find out. Since her nervous breakdown, maybe he thought people would think she was crazy, too. Besides, why would he confide in anyone, especially the neighbors? Luc mentioned that Toussout was still sensitive about the brooch episode when no one tried to defend his wife, or believe her denial. Had Toussout heard the noise, too?
    Perhaps he knew exactly what it was and by dismissing what his wife heard, hoped that she would eventually dismiss it, too. If so, why? For what possible reason would he want it disregarded, except for his own benefit, or possibly someone else’s? Too many questions were still out there.
    I remembered Mademoiselle Forniet mentioned seeing a truck across from her house and in front of Curat’s. Could that be the vehicle that Madame Toussout heard? If so, whose voice had Dominique Forniet heard?
    What could the scraping noise be that Tissout heard? Was it a shovel? Then why wasn’t something else found? Or was it the actual burial of the pets taking place when she heard it?
    I was getting creeped out just thinking about it.
    What was so unique about Curat’s property other than it was vacant? Was I going about this whole thing the wrong way? What was the other missing connection sitting out there?
    After arriving home and starting to unpack my car, I stopped and pivoted in place in the courtyard, looking all around me, trying to figure out what did or didn’t happen.
    Now, who had the one advantage on seeing what was going on, as well as not having to fear being caught? Who could have used that opportunity? To what gain?
    …Madame Sorrell!
    I stopped in place and turned to stare up at the one house that had an eagle eye view of most of Curat’s property, day and night, and in it, a person who once held power