Page 20 of One Last Step

The cold afternoon air invigorates me.I breathe deeply, welcoming the chill and the calm it brings to my emotions.

“Is everything all right, Mary?”Sophie asks.

“Everything is wonderful now,” I tell her.“I just needed to get out of the house for a little while.”

She smiles sympathetically.“Yeah, it’s hard to be inside all of the time, isn’t it?”

“It is,” I agree.“People need fresh air every once in a while.Besides, as long as I’m living in your beautiful city, I should enjoy the sights, shouldn’t I?”

She smiled wistfully.“I wish I could have seen the Christmas lights.Luc told me they decorated the whole city.It sounds wonderful!”

“It does sound wonderful,” I agree.“Perhaps if I’m still here next year, we’ll help decorate.”

Sophie squeals and claps her hands.“That sounds fun!”

We enjoy lunch at a nearby café.I order a crepe with prosciutto and spinach, and Sophie gets one with strawberries and cream.I drink fresh coffee, and she enjoys hot chocolate, a timeless standard popular with children, young and old, since its invention.

After lunch, we walk down the Rue Etienne-Dumont.The buildings here are of similar construction to the museum, but the cobblestone street is narrower, and they seem to loom taller because of it.In daylight, with the light blanket of snow and the crowd of people taking in the sights of the historic avenue, the image is cozy and quaint, but I have little trouble imagining the buildings looming over me like monsters in the dark of night.I’ll have to limit my excursions to daylight.

Speaking of daylight, the sun is nearly set by the time we return home.The museum is slow at this time of day, and Elena is there to greet us when we arrive.She smiles warmly at Sophie and hesitantly at me, then accepts an embrace from her granddaughter.Sophie excitedly recounts our adventures while Elena listens raptly, and Heaven help me, but once more, I feel myself inclined to forgive Elena.She might be paranoid, but she is good to her granddaughter.

When Elena is able to get a word in edgewise, she says, “That all sounds wonderful, Sophie, but I believe it’s time for you to wash for dinner.I assume you don’t need Mary’s help to do that.”

Sophie rolls her eyes.“Ha ha, very funny, Grandma.”

Elena chuckles and pats her shoulder.“Run along.We’ll join you for dinner in a moment.”

When we’re alone in the foyer, Elena says, “I’m sorry for Jacques earlier.I just… I really need to find that pocket watch.”

“I understand that, ma’am,” I reply, “but continuing to harass me won’t help you find it any faster.You trusted me enough to take your granddaughter alone into the city, so I don’t think it’s presumptuous of me to ask that you trust me enough not to steal from you.”

She reddens a little.“No.It’s not presumptuous at all.I’m sorry.”

I nod and smile to show her I’ve forgiven her.“I do hope you find it.It’s a tragedy that such a historic piece could have been lost.”

“It is,” she agrees, “more than you know.”

I return to my room to wash for dinner myself.Instead, I spend the next half hour searching for the watch, terrified that I’ll find it hidden somewhere, a victim of another one of the fugues that have plagued me ever since I first started searching for Annie.

Annie.I haven’t even begun to look for her here.Maybe that’s what’s causing me such distress.It wouldn’t be the first time that guilt over such hesitation had impacted my mental health.But how can I devote time to looking for Annie when I’m embroiled in this mystery almost upon arrival?And it might be simple enough to leave, but then what about Sophie?I’ve already become quite attached.

When the search reveals no missing pocket watch, I heave a deep sigh of relief and head downstairs for dinner.I’ll shower after Sophie is put to bed.

I should feel good that the watch isn’t hidden in my room, but on the other hand, it only means that this mystery hasn’t yet been solved.I don’t want to involve myself in it, but it lingers in the back of my mind no matter how hard I try to push it away.

I fear that regardless of my wishes, I will be involved in this one way or another.

***

Just before I go to bed that evening, I am disturbed by low voices giggling outside of my bedroom.I frown and get to my feet, putting on my shawl and slippers.Once dressed, I open the door just in time to see the elevator close.

My frown deepens, and I take the staircase down to the first floor.The unheated stairwell is bitingly cold, but my efforts are rewarded when I exit the staircase just in time to see two small figures disappear into Exhibit Two, the one containing George Rousseau’s grandfather clocks and the famous missing pocket watch.

My eyes widen.Two small figures?There should only be one.

I rush toward the exhibit, and when I open the door and see Sophie and Luc Meyer playing with the large automata clock that Francois fixes the other day, I gasp.

“Sophie!What are you two doing?”

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