Chapter 296

I’d been sitting on the Marchands’ number for three days before I finally picked up the phone. My palms were damp, my heart racing as if I was about to jump off a cliff. Yvaine would probably call it reckless. Ashton would call it unnecessary. But I knew it was the next move. Françoise Marchand answered. Her voice was warm at first, polite, until I mentioned Lea Lopez. Then it froze. ‘Why are you calling me about her?’ she said, sharp as a blade. ‘I need to tell you something,’ I said. ‘And I think you’ve suspected it for some time.’ Silence. Then, cautiously, ‘Go on.’ ‘I know what Lea did to Pierre. She made up the abuse claims. There was never any violence. She pushed the divorce through with lies because she wanted out, she wanted to be with Ashton, and Pierre was in the way.’ I could hear Françoise’s breath catch. A faint sound, almost like a muffled sob, but then anger hardened it. ‘We always thought it was strange. Pierre never raised a hand to her. He adored her, that was the tr