Chapter 39:
"And you think she could have killed him?"
William was sitting on Julia's sofa in the early afternoon, in her compartment, as she continued the autopsy on Lazare Lamoureux.
"No, I do not think so." he said loudly so the young woman could hear him from the bathroom.
When he knocked on Julia's door, she opened it, her hands bleeding. She had ushered him in, and he had followed her into the bathroom, which had once been immaculate and now looked… like a morgue. He had told her about his eventful interview with Madam Hébert and Marie while watching her do the autopsy. After a moment, Julia gently asked him to step away from the bathroom, his intense stare distracting her. William giggled and sat on the couch with a glass of water in his hand.
"However, she tried to kill Madam Hébert…" continued Julia.
"Yes, attempted poisoning, it is not nothing. But she changed her mind and swears she threw the water into a nearby plant. I went to look in the restaurant car and indeed, the plant is completely dead, and I could see small white grains dissolved in the earth." William explained.
"Hmm." Julia muttered, letting him continue his explanation.
"She didn't know Lazare – or so she says – and I don't see any motive that could have led her to kill him…"
"What are you going to do?"
"There is no evidence that Marie was in Madam Hébert's compartment at the time of the murder, so she remains a suspect. However, I think she is incapable of killing anyone, despite her madness. When we get to Toronto, I'll take her to the station. I am thinking of taking her to see a psychiatrist as a precaution, to assess her condition and verify that she is not dangerous for society." William explained thoughtfully.
"That's a good idea, detective."
The young man chuckled at the title the young woman used.
"Finally, we will arrive in Toronto if we manage to restart one day…" sighed Julia.
"It's true." William looked at the still static landscape of Alaska. "I don't know how long it's going to take…"
"Ah, William! Please come, I think I discovered something."
The young man stood up and quickly walked to the bathroom. He noticed several different rags, handkerchiefs and sheets lying on the floor.
"Come closer, please."
William leaned over the body.
"So… We know he died of strangulation. I was trying to determine what weapon he was killed with. According to the marks, I thought it might be something soft like a rope. But that couldn't be the case, the marks are far too irregular. But I found a piece of white cloth hanging behind his ear. Really a tiny bit, almost couldn't see it, look."
The detective leaned over and saw that; indeed, the piece of fabric must have been barely four or five millimeters. How had she come to see it?
"So, I thought maybe it was a sheet or a pillowcase or a rag. I positioned them to see which one would look best. None matched. And I had the idea to compare my embroidered fabric handkerchief with the brands and look!" Julia excitedly placed her handkerchief a few inches from the skin of the man's neck. She twisted it slightly and she smiled.
"That fits perfectly…" William smiled in turn.
"Yes…"
"A lace handkerchief… Strange for a murder weapon. As if the murder was not premeditated…" the young man reflected.
Julia shrugged. "I will go on and open it. I could find something else."
"You need to rest, Julia." repeated the young man.
"I will sleep tonight, like a normal person." she laughed.
"You are stubborn." William smiled back.
"Are you going to interview someone else?"
"Yes, but I don't know who first, as no one seemed to know the victim personally." William breathed in frustration.
"I wouldn't be so sure if I were you." Julia smiled enigmatically.
"What do you mean?"
"Alecia Champagne and he were lovers."
William remained speechless for a few seconds; his gaze fixed on Julia who was quietly continuing her autopsy.
"What?"
"They were lovers." repeated the young woman, satisfied with the bomb she had just dropped.
"But, how do you know all this. First the story of the powder with Madam Gosselin and now this?" William described in wonder.
"I am an observer, nothing more. I saw them arguing on the first day, when the train wouldn't start. In reality, I'm not really sure they were together, but there was something fishy about everything in any case. But the way she screamed when she saw who the corpse was… well, that was clear to me." she smiled again.
William walked around the table and kissed Julia's cheek who chuckled lightly.
Note: I hope you're still enjoying the story and that you find the investigation interesting... Thanks for reading anyway!