Harper Lin - Patisserie 06 - Crème Brûlée Murder Read Online Free Page B

what if it wasn’t?”  

    “I hope that’s the case. But past experiences have taught me to hope for the best and prepare for the worst. I want to gather information in case it is a murder. I mean, there’s a pretty good chance it is, as much as I hate to admit it. A young man like him, rich, powerful, good-looking—he was probably the envy of many people. It wouldn’t hurt to gather information. I feel responsible, since it happened at my party. Maybe Maya could tell me if he had any enemies.”  

    “Maya can certainly help,” Sebastien said.

    What if the killer was Maya?  

    Clémence berated herself for turning into Inspector Cyril St. Clair, but she couldn’t help it.
     

Chapter 5
    As much as Clémence hated to admit it, the inspector was right to have his suspicions. Maya did find Cesar’s body.  

    Although there hadn’t been a scratch on him. No wounds, no blood, just a limp body. A clever murderer wouldn’t put herself at the scene of the crime like that. Or had Maya just been pretending to be distraught?

    Clémence sighed. She was thinking the way Cyril did when he accused Clémence of killing her building’s caretaker when Clémence discovered the old woman’s body. Just because Maya found Cesar didn’t mean she did it. But why had she been in the men’s room? Could it be explained by simple intoxication? Or did something else happen in there?

    Sebastien had given Maya a call, but it went to voicemail, so he left a message saying that Clémence was interested in coming by and asking her some questions.  

    Clémence took down her information from Sebastien, and after wolfing down a tuna baguette sandwich for lunch, she left for her new mission.

    The paparazzi had been scarce lately, and she hardly encountered them anymore. In August, many Parisians were on vacation. It left the city quieter, and it was also a month when films were made here. A big blockbuster sequel was currently being shot in central Paris. She knew Hollywood A-listers were in town to make the action film, and no doubt the paparazzi were much more interested in them than her, a dessert heiress who already had her fifteen minutes of fame in a kidnapping attempt.  

    Thank goodness her time in the limelight, or whatever it was, was over. She could go back to her daily routine, running errands—or solving murders—around the city without worrying about the tabloids and blogs scrutinizing whether she looked good without makeup or where she got her shoes. Clémence wasn’t cut out to be a celebrity, however minor.

    She took the Métro to the 10th arrondissement. Maya’s office was north of Gare du Nord.

    Sebastien guessed that Maya was out for a business lunch, probably with an author, which was what she did often. After Sebastien gave her the contacts for Maya’s company, she’d tried calling the office, but she got the voicemail, probably because it was lunchtime. Clémence didn’t mind going to Maya’s office to wait for her. If Maya turned out to be out for the entire day, Clémence would just hop over to Madeleine’s workplace to speak to her instead.  

    She followed the map on her phone to a run-down Haussmanian building. The office was on the fourth floor, and Clémence walked up the creaky old stairs. There were two doors, and she pushed open the one on the right to see a receptionist.

    The young woman had fire engine red hair that came from a bottle and wore vintage cat-eye glasses. “Can I help you?” she asked.  

    “Yes, I’m here to see Maya.”  

    “She’s actually lunching with a client right now.” She typed into her computer. “Do you have an appointment?”  

    “No, but we’re friends. It’s a personal meeting about something important. Do you know when Maya will be back?”  

    The young woman regarded her with interest. She had a wide mouth, with coral lipstick that clashed with her hair applied to her thin lips. “You can wait for her. Maya should be back soon. She