Chapter 36:
William had really hesitated. Julia had asked him to bring the body to her compartment and he thought it was horrible to impose such a thing on her. He had understood that she did not feel obliged to do this autopsy and he had thought he even saw a gleam of excitement in her eyes… But still, a corpse in her place of residence.
Inspector Brackenreid and himself had carried the body under a tarp to Julia's room. Then they had obtained Walid Champagne's permission to turn the tub over – albeit with great difficulty – so that they could lay the body on it as if it were an auscultation table. It was not that bad, actually.
Inspector Brackenreid had left, not without a big thank you to Doctor Ogden for what she was about to do. When the train suddenly stopped, he asked his wife to go to their sons' compartment and stay with them. Besides, she must have been very worried when she did not see her husband coming back.
When the inspector left, Julia then looked at William and told him to go and rest. But he did not want to. He wanted to stay with her. He knew perfectly well that she did not need any help, but he did not like the idea of leaving her alone with this corpse.
He approached the young woman who was looking for some kind of apron or old dress to put on for the autopsy. She had her back to him as she rummaged through her closet. He moved even further and snuggled into her full length, cupping her hips in his hands. The young woman sighed in relief and rested her back against him, finally letting go of a black blouse she had found. She put a hand on those of the young man and raised the other to her cheek to be able to bring him closer to her. William felt his whole body wake up and he lowered his mouth to kiss her neck. He felt her shiver and he was glad he made her feel like that. He himself felt overwhelmed by the intensity he felt. He really wanted her, but it just was not the time. He had a hard time stopping himself and in reality, it was not at all what he had planned, he just wanted to give her a hug at first.
He heard the young woman sigh and, unexpectedly, she moved her hand to her own left shoulder to release the fabric of her dress that was there. William looked at the freckled skin on the young woman and he felt himself react despite himself. He lifted himself away from her slightly so she could not feel his sudden discomfort. However, he did not hesitate for a single second to kiss her shoulder voraciously and leave, inadvertently and in anger, purple marks. Finally, Julia turned her head towards him, eagerly seeking his mouth which he joined, as if hungry. They kissed passionately and languidly for what felt like whole minutes, until William pulled back slowly and definitively. He took a deep, shaky breath and looked away as his bare shoulder still glared at him.
He heard the sound of a fabric crumpling and he looked up to meet those of the young woman, her cheeks completely flushed, her gaze almost black with excitement.
"Everything is fine?" William asked feverishly, his gaze reflecting on that of the young woman.
"Yes." Julia breathed out the sexual pressure she seemed to be feeling at the time. "We... how much longer do we think we're going to last?" asked the young woman with a nervous laugh.
"I don't know…" William laughed nervously.
"I have a question for you…" Julia approached the young man with the black shirt she had picked up in her hands. She held her like a barrier between them. "I wanted to know…. Well, it's tricky..."
"Go ahead, please, you can ask me anything." William assured her, smiling at her, his cheeks cooling from their previous romantic moment.
"Are you very religious? I saw you make the sign of the cross when I announced the death of Lazare…" asked the young woman curiously.
William was totally surprised by this question. He frowned, uncomfortably.
"Would it be a problem if... if it wasn't what you were hoping for?" William asked suspiciously.
"No, not at all… I'm just curious." she smiled reassuringly.
"Oh… Well yes. I was raised by the Jesuits from the age of 10…"
"By the Jesuits… So, you are a Catholic?"
"Yes… I know people don't understand…" sighed William with his hands in his pockets.
"Yes. But it doesn't matter what people think, William."
The young detective immediately found a smile when the young woman came to caress his cheek lovingly. In fact, he had been anxious to reveal this to her. It may have been stupid, but a lot of people were overreacting to the revelation of his religion. He had feared that Julia would see or treat him differently after that. But he should have known better. She was not like that… She was amazing. He knew she would not judge him and that she would not care.
"Besides, to be honest with you, I'm not a big fan of religion at all…I'm not very disciplined about it. I hope you don't mind either...?"
"Oh… No, of course not… It's just that we will surely have very different opinions on certain subjects. It doesn't have to divide us, does it?" asked the young man.
"I promise you that won't happen."
"I promise you that too Julia." smiled the young man, satisfied.
They finally embraced again, a real calm and serene embrace this time. The young man sighed contentedly.
"Would you like me to stay with you for the autopsy?" he inquired gently.
"No… Thank you but no William. I couldn't concentrate." she smiled amusedly.
William smiled, his cheeks turning pink again.
Note: William and Julia continue to learn more about each other, despite the events. Thnak you for the last comment :)