86 Avenue du Goulet (A Samantha Jamison Mystery Volume 3) Read Online Free PDF Page B

mouse and blinking cursor had been busy with countless unanswered questions that I was still tossing around.
    Okay, so Monsieur Toussout was not exactly thrilled with his neighbors, or for that matter, me either. Me, I could understand, but the neighbors? There had to be more.
    What exactly caused his finger-in-the-eye animosity?
    It was obvious he had a temper and his wife was intimidated by it. I would have to ask Martine for her take on their relationship. Martine and Jean had spent many summers here. Hopefully, she could give me her opinions on what happened to cause such a rift between the neighbors.
    The widow Sorrell was a mixed bag. I saw her light up when talking of the past, but her present legal and future prospects might be worth looking into.
    Now, the filly across the street was of another color. Red. On the surface, she seemed sincere in her petulant attitude toward being a kept woman. Why not act demanding and bitchy? So, that didn’t mean very much as to the accuracy of Luc’s words that there were plenty of rumors verifying the gossip, but her behavior really didn’t mean all that much. I’ve known some married women who qualified in that category, too.
    Now, who could afford such a large house overlooking the sea in this neighborhood in France? And as far as her genuine distress at losing her dog, that I believed, but what about that voice she had remembered, and then refused to tell me about?
    Whose voice had she heard? Was it familiar?
    I remember she became quiet, wearing a strange look on her face, as though she had said something she shouldn’t have, and then cut herself and me off.
    Who was this Philippe? Friend? Sugar daddy?
    I would have to ask Martine if the name Philippe belonged to anyone she knew in the area.
    About to continue on, I stopped cold. Martine never asked me to interview two significant people who lived here all year round; her two house caretakers, Paul and Claudine. Why not?
    Did they know something Martine didn’t want revealed?
    I let that mentally roll around, but quickly dismissed it as a completely ridiculous notion on my part. It probably had not occurred to her, that was all. But still…

 
     
     
    Chapter 17
    Around Midnight
     
     
    No screens were on any of the windows or doors. So, though it felt strange when visiting in southern France, and not having much of a choice, I tried to adapt. Note, tried . But because it was so hot, I left everything wide open and enjoyed what little breeze wafted through the villa. The openness of everything felt fine.
    That is until it turned dark.
    So when my notes were finally put to bed after that late night laptop session, I closed everything up, showered, and headed there myself. But it was much too hot. The ceiling fan had failed completely, as heat still radiated from the attic. I desperately needed fresh air, and after tossing for an hour, I ignored past fears, opened the terrace doors, and finally fell asleep.
    Sometime during the night, I heard an indefinable sound. I opened my eyes in the dark and propped myself up on my elbows, not quite sure what it was. Because of the unsettling events of the past couple of years, I had acquired the habit of waking at the slightest noise. I looked at my bedside clock. Midnight. I listened for about a minute, but after hearing nothing, rolled over onto my stomach and promptly fell back to sleep.
    My eyes flew open! I had a horrible feeling that someone was nearby, moving about my personal space. My heart began pounding and I froze, afraid to move. Was that someone else breathing nearby or was that just me? Was someone sneaking through my room? A bead of sweat trickled down my lips.
    I started choking on my own fear, my legs refused to move to roll me over, and my breath caught.
    Who would be sneaking around my room?
    My eyes darted about, catching nothing, just the dark shadows, my clock, and my cell phone on the night table. I listened intently, and then thought I heard something in