there, we just need to look. Gabriel, you must ask William to help the Council. You must ask him to investigate this for us.”
Gabriel’s unspoken reply was clear inside my head. He will have to leave you. You will not see him again for some time. Is that what you want?
“It doesn’t matter what I want,” I said aloud. “What matters is finding out who killed Aidan. You must ask him tonight. Come meet us for drinks so we can discuss what needs to happen next.”
For the next hour, Gabriel and Madeline shared a more detailed timeline of Aidan’s last days, reconstructing what he had researched, and whom he had contacted. His search had taken him to Interpol’s most-wanted lists, Scotland Yard and the FBI. He had contacted Nikola, too, and it was obvious they’d been having a conversation, although what they had said was not a part of our records.
I remembered my run-in with the cagey Serb—it was possible they spoke of nothing related to Aidan’s inquiry. It was also possible they had been quite direct with one another. Only Nikola knew, and for the moment we had no intention of asking him. Our briefing completed, I excused myself from the offices and made my way down to the galleries that display Monet’s water lillies. I walked into the first oval gallery, its lights low and pale to encourage serene reflection. I lowered myself onto a bench in the middle of the room, stretched out my legs and leaned back to regard the paintings.
“It’s amazing that these were created during World War I, don’t you think?” Madeline asked, as she sat down next to me. “To be in the middle of war and create something of such lasting beauty.”
“He brought them here to this museum to ease the suffering of the French,” I said. “To give them something to help them heal after the war.”
“Exactly,” she said. “As a diplomat, I have always been struck by his gesture. As a witch, I have marveled that a human could create such a treasure with no help from magic. He felt a higher calling, when no obligation existed.”
We were not, I decided, having a discussion about the paintings.
“Why are you telling me this?” I asked.
“Because you are capable of great things, but revenge should not be first on the list,” she said. “I sense that you are struggling with your role in all of this. You must push yourself to see the bigger picture.”
“I see a friend who has been murdered and no way to hold his killer accountable,” I said quietly.
“Exactly,” she said, a sad smile on her face as she walked away. “Try, if you can, to see more of the landscape.”
Enveloped in the violet light of the paintings, I lingered, forcing myself to see the landscape as Madeleine suggested. I sat on the bench ruminating. Aidan’s death was a blow to the Council, robbing the organization of one of its best. This was no mere chink in the armor. He had been Gabriel’s top lieutenant, murdered in front of his eyes, and it had been a close call for Gabriel himself. Who would risk such a thing? What could motivate someone to be so audacious?
I began to understand what Madeline had meant: My anger had narrowed my view of the situation. My obligation should be to protect the Council, not avenge my friends. A vibration coming from inside my purse rousted me out of my thoughts. I quickly made my way upstairs and back into the hidden offices where I could return the call without the scrutiny of the museum’s security.
“Hello, Mom,” I said. “Or should I say, Bonjour, maman?”
“Either’s fine, ma chère,” she said. “Where are you?”
“With Gabriel, at our offices,” I said. “I was hoping you would join us all at a bar near the Canal Saint Martin at seven tonight. I have so much I want to tell you, a lot has happened in the last few days. Can you come?”
I could feel her concern through the phone.
“Mom, everything is OK,” I said. “I promise. Come enjoy a nice evening with me.”
“Of course I’ll come,” she said.
“Great,” I said. “I don’t remember the name, except it’s got the word bar in it and a bright blue awning. The address is sixty-eight Quai de la Loire.”
We hung up and then I texted William to check in. He responded and said he would meet me at the apartment. I collected my things and looked around for Gabriel.