Page 22 of One Last Goodbye

“That he liked you.”

I blink. “I’m not sure what you’re asking.”

“It’s not a trick question.”

I stare into his impassive eyes and wonder how to respond. I don’t like the way this interview is going. “I suppose he liked me well enough for a servant.”

“How do you mean?”

I lift my hands again. “I don’t know. I knew him for all of a week, and we only spoke a handful of times. I thought Catherine picked me because she didn’t want to go herself or bother her guests.”

He nods. “What happened after she asked you to find him?”

“I went into the kitchen and asked Sophie if she’d seen him.”

“Sophie Lacroix?”

I blink. I realize I don’t know Sophie’s last name. “The cook, Sophie.”

He nods. “Sophie Lacroix. What did she say?”

“She said she had barely seen him that evening.”

“So she didn’t know where she was?”

“Clearly,” I snap.

He doesn’t react to my emotion. “What happened after you left the kitchen?”

“I asked Thomas Keller—that’s the estate manager—if he had seen Frederick. He told me Frederick had gone to the boathouse for a smoke. Evidently he had a habit of doing this to hide his smoking from his wife.”

“According to whom?”

“According to Thomas.”

Dubois leans back and rubs his chin. “Did you see Thomas leave the party at any time?”

“I wasn’tatthe party,” I remind him. “I was watching movies with the children, and I left to get more snacks. I didn’t see anyone for longer than thirty seconds.”

“So you didn’t see Frederick at all before discovering him in the boathouse?”

“No. Not today.”

He rubs his chin some more. “Have you noticed anything unusual in Frederick’s behavior since you started here?”

I blink. That’s another question I’m not sure how to answer. “I don’t know what’s usual or unusual for them. I’ve only been here a week.”

“Your best guess.”

I feel irritation rise and remind myself that he’s only doing his job. “Um… they were fighting a lot.”

“Who?”

“Mr. and Mrs. Jensen. Catherine and Frederick.”

“What was the nature of their fighting?”

“The nature?”

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