He double blinks as if shocked by my question. ‘Non, non, not at all. In fact, after the other night I understand you’ve got two very different sides to you.’
I feel a blush go from my head to my very toes and only hope it isn’t obvious to Noah.
‘The other night I was clearly out of my mind after those petrol-flavoured cocktails. I mean, why would you sell a cocktail like that?’
‘You said you loved them.’
‘Drunk me is an idiot.’
He laughs again. ‘Right. So youdolike erotica then? I’m so confused.’
‘Why does it matter to you?’
‘It doesn’t. It’s just Anaïs Nin originally wrote that book for an anonymous client of hers who asked her to write only pure sex, without any poetic flourishes. I’ve always been fascinated byher, but her life’ – he shakes his head, his eyes widening – ‘was rather scandalous.’
‘I’m aware of her life and the things she did.’
‘I’m not saying you’re not, but a lot of people don’t know the…scopeof it. It’s a little eyebrow raising, wouldn’t you say?’
‘Oui, there’s a lot of debauchery.’
He scoffs as if he knows better. ‘And then some. And I see you’ve got a George Orwell novel too. Well, he…’
I hold up a hand to stop him nattering on any further. ‘Merci, Noah, but that’s enough educating for one day, don’t you think?’
Confusion dashes across his face. ‘Oh, sorry. I tend to ramble… at times.’
‘Is that what you call it?’ I shoot him a pointed look.
‘Sorry, I’ve done it again, haven’t I? Acted superior.’
‘You have.’
‘I get carried away when I talk literature. Speaking of, did you find out anything more about the writer from suite nineteen?’
‘A little.’
He waits.
I sigh and begrudgingly share in case Noah can shed any light on the matter. ‘We found out the Toussaint family owned the hotel at the time. In suite twenty are Impressionist-style paintings signed by an L. L. Toussaint. Does that name mean anything to you?’
‘Toussaint?Non. You think the painter is the writer?’
‘I’m not sure. There are beds in each suite, so Manon thinks that implies two separate people stayed in suite nineteen and twenty. But there are no personal belongings like clothing, shoes or anything in suite nineteen. It’s her library, her office; it’s where she wrote in all those notebooks.’
‘And suite twenty has clothing, shoes, things that belonged to a woman?’
‘Oui.’
‘It makes sense she used one as an office and one to sleep in.’
‘I think so too.’
Manon finds us heads bent together, deep in conversation, going over possible theories.
‘How can you expect Noah to speculate when he hasn’t seen inside suite twenty? Why don’t you stop past and take a look?’
The busybody meddler. Noah waits for me to agree, so I give him a small nod. Maybe two heads are better than one in this situation?
