“I heard her on the phone that night. She was talking about life insurance. She was talking about you. She said that if you died of a heart attack in a few months, no one would question it.”
The blood drained from my face.
“From… from me?”
“Yes. I wanted to confront her. She finally admitted she was in huge debt. Dangerous people were demanding money from her. I told her I was going to file for divorce and get you out of trouble. She panicked. She begged me. Then she pushed me over the railing.
I covered my mouth with my hand.
The noise of the cafe suddenly fell silent, as if the whole world had disappeared behind the glass.
“How did you survive?”
He rubbed his hand across his face.
“The waves threw me against the rocks. I hit my head. When I woke up, I didn’t know who I was. Two fishermen found me early that morning, near a secluded cove. Jean-Marc and Solange Le Guen. They live by the sea, near Noirmoutier. They took me in and took care of me. I lived with them. I helped them on their boat, I did everything I could.” For a long time, I only had flashbacks. Then, a few weeks ago, I saw a yacht similar to the one from that night. Everything came back. Your face. Her gaze. The fall. The fear. And I knew I had to go back before he killed you.
He took a small glass bottle from his pocket.
“Tonight, if he gives you his herbal tea again, pretend to drink it. Leave some inside. We need proof.”
I returned home with the feeling that every wall in the house was watching me.
Valérie was waiting for me in the living room.
“So, how was your date? Nice?”
“Very,” I lied without batting an eye.
That night, as usual, she brought me a cup of herbal tea.
“Here you go, Hélène. It’ll help you sleep.”
“Thank you, honey.”
