Belle - Lesley Pearse [205]
‘But I was just going to order us all some dinner,’ Philippe said, looking askance at him. ‘Leave it till tomorrow?’
‘You two stay and order,’ Etienne said hurriedly. ‘I must go and check it out.’
He left so fast the other two men looked at each other in astonishment. ‘Was it really that urgent?’ Noah asked.
Philippe grinned sympathetically at him. ‘He nearly ran out of here ten minutes before you came, when I told him about the run in I had today with Pascal. Let me tell you about that.’
Etienne looked up at the six-storey building in rue Tholoze reflectively. It was an attractive and well-proportioned house, probably only built in the last twenty years, and though the gas street lights weren’t bright enough to see very clearly it looked as if it was in very good condition. All the rooms were in darkness except for a faint glow in the fanlight window above the front door. In his experience that meant the residents were out for the evening and had left just one light on in the hall to see their way in later.
He was curious as to why Pascal hadn’t moved in there. Anyone would prefer to live here rather than the dingy street his apartment was in. If Etienne was left a house like this he would have kept the ground floor for himself and let the upper rooms. Rents in Montmartre were high now, the days when it was home to struggling artists were long gone – they’d all moved to Montparnasse where it was a great deal cheaper.
Not wishing to go back to Philippe and Noah without some information to make his hurried departure from the restaurant look vital, he went to the neighbouring house and knocked on the door. A man of about sixty with a thick mane of white hair opened it and Etienne apologized for disturbing him. ‘I’ve been trying to contact the owner of next door, Monsieur Pascal,’ he said. ‘I heard he had rooms to let.’
‘Not him, he won’t let it out to anyone,’ the man said curtly.
‘Really?’ Etienne exclaimed. ‘I was told he was anxious to let out some rooms.’
‘Whoever told you that doesn’t know the man. People are always asking for a room, but he won’t let them have one. Always seemed crazy to me because he’s hardly ever there.’
‘Is that so?’ Etienne exclaimed. ‘How odd to let a big house like that lie empty.’
‘The man is very odd. Comes for an hour and then he goes,’ the man said, and his tone suggested he had a grudge against Pascal.
‘I had heard he’s a difficult man,’ Etienne said in his most solicitous tone. ‘I was warned he’s slippery too. Is that true?’
‘He certainly is. A jumped-up nobody who thinks he’s gentry now he’s got that place. And he got it under dubious circumstances!’
‘How was that?’
‘He tricked Madame Florette, the old lady who used to own it, into making him her heir. Absolutely disgraceful! She had two nephews who should have got it.’
Etienne was delighted that anger was making the man so indiscreet. ‘But it makes no sense not to make money out of it. Would you know when he was last here?’
‘The Thursday after Easter. I remember very well because I was so angry that his overgrown garden was invading my small yard. I saw him walk past my window and I ran out to have it out with him.’
Etienne’s heart leapt, for that was the day Belle disappeared. It could just be coincidence of course, but he knew he must get in to the house and look around. ‘The Thursday, that would be the eleventh. Are you absolutely sure?’
‘Completely sure. I entered it into my diary because I may have to take legal action against him. I’ve only got a small space out back, but I keep it nice. I used to look after Madame Florette’s too, even though it’s twice the size of mine, because she was old and couldn’t manage it. But he’s let it run to ruin and it’s going to block out the light in my kitchen if he doesn’t cut back before summer comes.’
‘I hope he promised to do something about it?’ Etienne responded.
‘No, he didn’t, he was rude to me, as he always is. He just hurried in and shut the door in my face.’
‘You haven’t seen him tonight then?’ Etienne asked. ‘He’s left a light on in the hall. I assumed