DANIEL’S LEFT FIST THROBBED, his head hurt, gashes covered both arms, and his left leg was numb. The paramedics patched him up. After a prolonged protest at their order to send him to the hospital for further tests, they allowed him to go. Claire didn’t have a scratch.
The police detective had interviewed the other witnesses, and now it was Daniel’s turn.
“I was on my way to see Detective MacKinnon,” said Daniel.
“MacKinnon, right.” The detective scribbled notes and mumbled something with a skeptical tone. “What is the nature of your business?”
“It’s part of a murder case.”
That caught his attention. “Just a minute.” He turned away and clicked his radio. Daniel couldn’t hear the brief conversation, only saw him nod occasionally. He turned back. “Detective MacKinnon will be here shortly.”
Daniel nodded.
The officer faced Claire. “And you are?”
She handed him her military ID. “Claire Marcoux.”
Daniel noticed that the detective’s look changed from uninterested to surprised, verging on respectful.
“Well, Lieutenant Commander. What’s your story?” said the detective.
Daniel was curious, too.
“I was walking home from the Superstore, after my run around the Citadel,” she said, hoisting two grocery bags, “and I was surprised to see the crowd. I tried walking around, but it got bigger. So I just walked through it.”
“And then you saw Mr. Ritter here?” The officer tilted his head toward Daniel.
Claire looked away for a moment and grinned. “Yes. He seemed to need a bit of help. So I gave him some.”
“How, precisely, did you help him?”
She pulled out a can from one of her bags, turning it until she could read the label. “I threw a can of Campbell’s soup. Tomato. It was on sale. I threw it at the crazy man to distract him.”
“And what is your relationship with the suspect?”
“None. I’ve never met him before.”
“And with Mr. Ritter?”
She paused. “Never met him before either.” She looked at him curiously.
Daniel felt a frisson of energy as he returned her gaze.
“Thank you, Lieutenant Commander.” The officer fished out a business card and handed it to her. “We may have further questions for you. I’ve noted your contact details. If you have any questions, please contact me.”
“Certainly.”
“And please wait here, Mr. Ritter, until the detective arrives. He should be here soon.”
“Of course.”
“Thank you both for your co-operation.” And then he moved on to others waiting in the crowd.
They were suddenly alone. The rally had long ended, and the participants, so eager earlier, had lost focus or interest and had left. Only a few stragglers milled about, some on their way to the bars along Spring Garden or to the boutique stores. A few were finishing interviews with other police detectives. But no one tried talking to Daniel and Claire.
Daniel was the first to speak. “Thank you.”
“Was that too hard? You needed my help.”
“I thought I had things under control.”
“You were going to lose.”
She’s right. There was something special in her eyes. Something that beckoned him in. Something he hadn’t felt since he met Vanessa in the business lounge years ago. His “red alert” warning sign flashed in his mind. Will she be part of my life’s reboot?
He pulled out a business card and handed it to her. “In case you need my help one day.”
Claire tilted her head and scrunched her face a little. “Not likely.” She pulled out a pen from her coat, wrote her phone number on the card, and handed it back. “In case you need mine.”
Daniel gave her a fresh card and tucked the one with her number on it into his pocket. She nodded and smiled. Since neither of them seemed to know what to say next, she picked up her bags and turned to go.
“Stop. Stay where you are.”
Daniel and Claire spun around to see who had issued the command. Two serious-looking men were walking quickly toward them. Daniel recognized the one on the left as MacKinnon.
“Detective MacKinnon. Your message had me startled.”
“Daniel, this is Constable Perry.”
MacKinnon appeared perplexed at seeing Claire there with Daniel. “And you are?”
“Claire Marcoux.” She shook hands with both detectives. “We just met. I helped Mr. Ritter here. Another detective took my statement.”
Daniel wanted to spend more time with Claire, and these detectives were interfering with his plan.
“We’ll contact you again if we have any further questions, Ms. Marcoux.” MacKinnon motioned for her to leave.
Claire smiled at Daniel as she walked past. “See you around maybe.”
Daniel watched her leave. When she was out of earshot, he turned to MacKinnon. “So my life’s in danger?”
MacKinnon started again. He seemed to be the more senior of the two. “Professor, you mentioned a hotel manager who accompanied you to Mr. Forrestal’s room.”
“Yes, but I don’t recall his name. French, but not Québécois. Maybe Loïc or Thierry.”
Perry was blunt. “We know his name. Can you tell us what you remember about him?”
“Not much. He was a bit of a prick. He wouldn’t open the door. It took me a long time to convince him.”
MacKinnon said, “Did you contact him after the interview with the police?”
“No way. I didn’t like him. He didn’t like me.”
“Did he say anything to you?”
“No. Why don’t you ask him yourself?”
Perry looked at MacKinnon for a second and then directly at Daniel. “We’d love to.”
MacKinnon added, “But he was found dead two hours ago.”