Chapter 3 Drunk reflections

The sun was slowly declining on Rivemarine, painting the sky with a mixture of purple and gold. Élise, sitting near the window of her living room, stared at the word she had found in front of Antoine's workshop. "Keep your distance. Do not trust anyone. " These words echoed in her mind, a warning that seemed to come from someone taken in a much larger web of secrets than she had imagined. If Antoine knew something, she had to discover it, even if it meant to disobey her own instinct.

As she was about to leave her house to go back to see Antoine, her phone vibra. This time it was not a message. It was a call. The name that was displayed on the screen made her hesitate: Samuel. After a short time, she picked up.

- Samuel? She said a mixture of hope and prudence in the voice.

-Élise, I think I found something, he replied quickly. It's about the notebook. There is a man in Valmont. He claims that he has information on the seawater and ... on what happened that night.

Elise's heart leaps. Finally, a concrete track, something tangible.

- Are you sure? she asked, her voice trembling.

- Yes. But be careful. These people ... they don't like it. You have to stay on your guard.

The conversation argued suddenly, and despite its repeated calls, Samuel no longer answered. Élise remained paralyzed for a moment, trying to calm the frantic beats of her heart. She knew that she had to act, but a shadow of doubt hovered over her thoughts. Why did Samuel seemed so suddenly involved? And why didn't he tell him about this man earlier?

Later in the evening, Élise went to the port of Valmont, according to the instructions that Samuel had left him in a later message. The Quai 7 was deserted, plunged into heavy darkness, barely lit by weakening reverbs. A long and narrow boat was moored next to it. As she advanced, a male voice rose in darkness.

- Are you Élise, I presume?

She jumped slightly and turned to a large and robust man, dressed in a gray raincoat. Her face was hidden under a hood, but her voice was calm, almost reassuring.

- Who are you ? she asked, trying to hide her concern.

"I'm someone who wants to help you," he replied.

The man held out a file that Elise hesitates with hesitation. She opened the first pages and discovered copies of official documents, maritime cargo manifests, as well as a series of names that were unknown to her. On the last page, a photo held its attention: that of the seawater, taken a few days before its sinking.

-Why are you showing me that? she asked.

The man lowered his head slightly.

- Because you deserve the truth. And because you're not the only one looking for answers. But know that the truth can be more dangerous than you think.

Before she could ask any more questions, the man walked away quickly, disappearing in the night like a shadow.

Back home, Élise spreads the content of the file on her table. Each document seemed to contain potential clues: dates, routes, names. But a particular detail drew his attention. One of the manifests mentioned a case marked with a strange symbol: a star surrounded by a ring. This symbol awakened in her a wave of memories. Where had she seen it?

And then it came back to him. Antoine. When he had briefly opened his notebook to the workshop, she had seen this same symbol drawn in a corner of the page. Deaf anger went up in her. Why had Antoine never told him about this? Why did he continue to hide things from him when he claimed to want to help him?

Despite her doubts and frustrations, Élise convinced herself that she was finally holding a solid track. If this symbol was linked to the sinking, then it could also be the key to understanding the real reason for the death of Thomas.

The next morning, Élise returned to see Antoine. This time, she was not there to calmly discuss. As soon as she entered the workshop, she gave him a copy of the page containing the symbol.

-Explain to me, Antoine. Why is this symbol finding both in the manifesto and in your notebook? What do you hide me?

Antoine, visibly surprised, took the page and looked at her for a long time without saying anything.

-Élise ... This is not what you think, he said finally, her voice imbued with false sincerity.

-So what is it? she shouted, tears threatening to flow.

Antoine put the page on the workbench and looked her straight in the eyes.

- This symbol belongs to a private company. They used the seawater to transport something ... Something illegal. Thomas had nothing to do with that, I swear. But he was taken in the wrong place, at the wrong time.

Antoine's words seemed true, and yet, a little voice in her blowed him that he was not saying everything.

-Why didn't you tell me anything earlier? she asked, her voice trembling.

"Because I wanted to protect you, Élise," replied Antoine, putting a hand on her shoulder.

This gesture wanted to be comforting, but he only accentuated his distrust. Antoine smiled, but that smile was tinged with a nuance that Élise could not name. Was it pity? Or something else, something darker?

While Élise left with the impression of finally being about to discover the truth, she did not know that every detail that had been given to her so far-the manifests, the symbol, and even the so-called man of the port-was part of a lie carefully orchestrated byAntoine himself.

In the shadow of the workshop, Antoine unfolded a secret document which he had taken care to keep out of the sight of Elise. On this document, the same symbol of the surrounded star. But this time, the words inscribed below revealed a dark secret: "Mission completed. All erased traces."

Antoine sighed deeply. He knew that Élise was just a step to discover the truth. But this step, he would do everything to prevent him from crossing him.