Athos left the inn with the musketeers and the precious papers. They were proof that secret identities of Milady were guilty of murder twice and once of high robbery. It wasn't enough to make the King forget his obsession over her, but it was enough to eventually make her face the justice she keeps avoiding. Athos swore that he would not spare her this time. She is a criminal and she needs to be punished once for all. Mademoiselle de Senneville proved to be useful, but he couldn't still quite trust her, to Aramis' annoyance:
''You can't possibly still doubt her?'' he said to Athos and D'Artagnan.
''She could be very dangerous from all we know. And a very good manipulator'' added Athos.
The musketeers went to a bar near the garrison and drank and laughed before heading home. The morning after, Treville had called them all to his office with terrible news. The mentally ill Henry Papineau was found dead in the morning. He was murdered in his own sleep, in his own inn. Treville knew that the men had been to the same inn the night before and wanted to make sure that they were not responsible of this. D'Artagnan rubbed his forehead and sighed:
''Unfortunately, we are'' he answered.
''Don't tell me you killed the man?'' said the captain horrified. He had sent his men to retrieve jewellery and help a family morn, not to kill an innocent man.
''No, but no doubt, we sent him to his death... He gave us some evidence that was incriminating Milady... '' continue Aramis.
''But how could she have known that he betrayed her?'' asked Porthos in the air rather than to someone.
''Didn't she swore that she had put this life behind her?'' continued D'Artagnan.
All the men turned to face Athos whose face was paler than they had seen it in days and his fists tight under anger.
''Well, get there and gather more information. Maybe the case isn't completely lost'' concluded Treville to transfer the attention from Athos to him.
Once they had gotten to the inn, some people were still gathered. In the daylight and sober, they didn't seem as miserable as they did the night before. What they had excepted to be crocodile tears were real sorrow and grief. Maybe the man really was sane some times. The murder weapon was still there, it was a small and thin dagger. Exactly like the one D'Artagnan woke up next to, a little while ago now. None of the men needed to say what they all thought; this stank of Milady's tricks. They went to the morgue to see the body, the men there told them Papineau had been struck in his sleep and his throat had been cut. He was left to bleed out before eventually die. They knew that the next step was to tell the news to mademoiselle de Senneville and they all apprehended the moment, knowing her temper could be quite explosive. They went to Beaulieux' hotel to find him planning burials. He said that Papineaux was still a man of the Christ no matter what and that he deserved a proper ending. He seemed empty and sad, but still kept and authorial figure to lead his men through their sorrow. Papineaux had many friends at Beaulieux' quarters. The musketeers were starting to believe that he was a better man that they had thought. The captain informed them that mademoiselle de Senneville had left to the inn, to gather more information about the murder.
''I despise having to let her go on her own, but, as you can see, I am quite busy here'' he said gravely. The musketeers went back to the inn, to find Mademoiselle de Senneville who seemed as hurt as everyone. She had a glass of warm wine and her big eyes were scanning the inn in the hope of finding a clue. Last night's whore was stumbling behind her, clearly failing at reaching her as she was trying. When the men were close enough, the whore started screaming:
''There! You are the murderers! None of this would of happened if you hadn't came in here'' she said, still drunk.
''Enough'' said mademoiselle de Senneville ''You are making a fool out of yourself, Dominique'' she said.
''Be careful who you call a fool, little ungrateful bitch. He trusted you'' the drunken whore was getting closer of mademoiselle de Senneville's face to eventually be an inch from it. ''He helped you and that's how thank him?'' Mademoiselle de Senneville was starting to tense her body, forcing it to stay immobile. ''You keep coming here with your grand manners, acting as if you are better than us. But you are worse'' Her tone was getting cruel. ''You are alone. We may live in the dirt and the filth, but we have each other.'' Mademoiselle de Senneville's eyes were filling with tears. ''You have nothing. You kill the only people that care little enough to help you. You killed him, Justice.''
In a flash, it was too much for the lady. She hit the whore with her own head, disturbing her balanced, than she hit her with her elbow, making her fall to her knees. Finally, she took a long cane that was resting against the wall to immobilize the whore on the floor and slightly chocking her. Aramis screamed her name to calm her and she raised her blood shot eyes at him.
''I'm not going to kill you'' she said in a menacing voice back to the whore who was screaming and crying. She spat on her face and left, her whole body trembling in anger. As she came by the musketeers, she couldn't help but to steal one of their guns. She didn't know whose; she didn't see a thing other than the big red blur that obscured her vision. She heard someone call her name as she rushed in the streets. She did know where she was going, but she needed to move. She needed to evacuate the anger.
''Did she do it? Milady?'' she managed to ask. The musketeers shook their head yes. She stopped and looked at the sky behind them. It was blue and peaceful, and she kept taking deep breathes until she could see clearly.
''We don't have real proof to incriminate her. She is under the King's protection and it would be seen as treason if you would try to kill her'' said D'Artagnan keeping a careful eye on his gun she had just stole.
She looked at it as if she didn't know it were in her hand, and raised her eyes to the skies, annoyed: '' I'm not an idiot, I wasn't going to kill her'' she said. '' Just like I wasn't going to kill Dominique'' She walked slowly up the musketeers and gave D'Artagnan his gun. ''I'm sorry. I pickpocket when I'm upset.''
Aramis smiled and put a comforting hand on her back.
''The person who did this will respond to their crime'' said Athos gravely.
''I doubted that. No one cares about the death of a nobody like Papineaux'' she said sadly.
''We care and it's still a part of our mission'' said Porthos. '' We have legal reasons to find the criminal'' he added.
''Oh, we will'' said the girl while resting her head against her fists, trying to ease a headache.
''You don't have to bother with that. It's not your business...'' started Aramis.
''The bitch made it my business when she murdered my friend'' interrupted the lady.