The next morning they made love a second time, then a third for good measure. Afterward, Rachel went out for croissants while Alan had a shower. When she arrived back, he had laid her newspaper next to her plate, folded so the lower right-hand column showed. She found herself looking at what must have been Cyrille Thieriot’s carte d’identité photo: his lips were in their recognizable pout, his chin tilted at its familiar angle, but he wore no makeup. His face looked vulnerable without it. She read the article underneath the picture.
Fashion Designer’s Former Partner Found Dead
Late yesterday afternoon, police were called to an address in the Marais district of Paris, where they found the body of Cyrille Thieriot, 26. Thieriot, who had been stabbed several times in the back, was the former partenaire sentimentale of fashion designer Roland Guipure, who himself died last month, after a heroin overdose, at his 40th birthday party.
“At the moment we know very little about the circumstances of M. Thieriot’s death beyond being able to say that it wasn’t suicide,” said Attah Alboukhir, a police spokesman. “We ask people to remain calm and refrain from speculation. The police will release more details as they come in.”
“Clearly, he correctly sees that conspiracy theories are about to start sprouting like grass seed,” Rachel said to Alan once she’d finished reading the article.
“Does fashion do conspiracy theories?” His hair was still wet, and strands fell straight over his face as he read his iPad.
“Oh, I’d say so. These days conspiracy theories are in vogue.”
As he lifted his head to grin at her, her portable pinged. She fished it out of her pocket and woke the screen.
Bookseller.fr
Editions Sapier has negotiated a six-figure deal for Gédéon Naquet’s biography of couturier Roland Guipure. Fabric of Life is the first bio of the recently deceased designer and is tipped to offer “an in-depth look at the triumphs of his career and the squalid tragedy of his death.”
Well, Rachel thought, let that be your memorial, Cyrille. You were right about the motivations of Gédéon Naquet. She turned the phone off.
But of course that wasn’t his epitaph—the media weren’t going to let a potential scandal go that easily. When she turned the volume on the phone back up after Alan had left for a run, its screen was crowded with alerts:
Police Investigating Murder of Roland Guipure’s Former Partner
Murder Victim, 26, Was Lover of Fashion Designer
Late Fashion Designer’s Lover Found Murdered in the Marais
Sauveterre’s Bad Season: Former Partner of Fashion House Head Killed
Marais Corpse Is Ex of Addict Designer
Ten Things You Need to Know About Cyrille Thieriot, Roland Guipure’s Ex
Sad Last Days of Designer’s Toy Boy
Death had brought Thieriot the celebrity he’d yearned for in life. Too bad he wasn’t alive to revel in it.
The portable’s ringtone interrupted her thoughts.
“Have you seen the headlines?” Magda didn’t even bother with a hello.
“And the article in this morning’s Parisien.”
“Have you heard from Boussicault?”
“Not yet. But according to that article, the police don’t know much. I assumed that was why he hadn’t been in touch yet.”
“Well, we don’t need to wait for him. We know where Thieriot lived. Let’s go there.”
“I’m not breaking into his apartment.”
“I wasn’t talking about breaking in.” Magda’s tone was injured. “I thought we could interview his neighbors. He loved to talk, especially about himself. I bet he told them all sorts of things that could be useful.”
“Oh. Okay—” But Magda had hung up, and Rachel was left with only the blank silence of a broken connection.