Chapter 50:
"What is that?" asked Nathaniel Savard as he sat on his sofa with his wife, who was strangely silent.
William was sitting on the armchair opposite the couple, and he felt strangely uneasy. As if he felt innocence and fear emanating from the couple.
"It's a pocket handkerchief that we found in Mr. Lamoureux's stomach."
Mildred Savard gasped in disgust.
"Okay…" Nathaniel answered, questions in his eyes.
"There is a first name written on it." William said firmly.
"What?" panicked Monsieur Savard.
"See for yourself." the young detective gestured to the handkerchief that was lying on the table in front of them.
Mildred and Nathaniel leaned towards it and had the same expression of shock when they saw the name "Nathan" embroidered on it.
"It's not mine. I have never seen this handkerchief."
William leaned his back against the back of the chair and thought. Julia had suggested that the man had been framed by stealing his handkerchief. But he said he had never seen it in his life… Without realizing it, he was putting himself in a bad situation.
"Yet there is your first name written on it."
"His name is not Nathan, but Nathaniel!" Mildred exclaimed, quickly grabbing the arm of her pale-faced husband.
"I've heard you call him Nathan before. Maybe it's a handkerchief you embroidered for him." William replied.
"Certainly not!"
"Calm down Milly." Nathaniel answered softly. "I didn't even know this man. Why would I do such a thing?"
"He had a pretty bad reputation. A reputation as a rapist… Maybe…"
"But what are you implying? That my wife was attacked by this man? And that I would also have taken her with me on a trip in his charming company? Are you delirious or what?" said Mr. Savard for the first time. "If he had touched my wife, I would not have waited to take a trip with him, that I can guarantee you!"
William nodded, his face neutral, although his heart sank at the man's words. It seemed the couple was telling the truth. It was true that the idea of taking his wife on a trip with the man who assaulted her seemed absurd. But the proof was there. On the handkerchief, there was his first name. And since they knew the weapon should not be this handkerchief and it was a moment of panic, it could not be someone who had made this handkerchief to entrap someone. Otherwise, why put it in the stomach of the victim? It could have dissolved completely.
"You two are forbidden to leave this compartment."
"What? And under what right?" Mildred fumed.
"Under orders from the Toronto Police." the young man stood up before leaving the compartment, without even looking behind him.
He closed the door behind him and spoke to a clerk waiting outside the door.
"I want an employee outside their compartment door day and night."
"Yes, Mr. Champagne warned us, detective, it will be done." he nodded and stood in front of the compartment.
William turned and walked down the hall. He had spoken to Walid Champagne about their discovery. On the other hand, they still did not have a mandate and they technically did not have the right to impose on them to remain in their compartment. But they did not know that...
He did not like these kinds of investigations. It was illegal. But he considered that he had no real choice to be able to catch the killer. What had happened was serious, even if Lazare Lamoureux was a bad person. He had surely hurt someone, and it had cost him his life. But that did not mean we could not find whoever did this to him.
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