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“Just tell us about the day. Pretend that I don't know what a normal day is like,” you urge the woman, “Take as much time as you need. We're not in any hurry.”
That's not exactly true, but you're hoping that this conversation won't last any longer than an hour.
“I had to work quickly in the morning, to make sure Miss and Master Suydam's clothes were ready before they left. Robbie... Robert slept late that day, but he usually does when his tutor isn't coming. The Suydams left at noon, and I had the chance to sing to Robert for a while. He... he likes listening to me sing,” Gerritsen recalls, each word coming slowly and tentatively to her lips, “We had a... guest.”
“A guest?” you prompt.
“Yes. A trader. One of Master Suydam's associates, I think,” she frowns, “I thought it was strange. Master Suydam said he had cleared his schedule, because he was going out. He seemed a little disappointed that Master Suydam wasn't there. I...”
Here, she lapses into silence. “Go on,” Elle murmurs, patting the older woman's hand, “You don't need to be afraid of us.”
“I invited him in for a cup of tea,” Gerritsen confesses, “I'm not supposed to do such things, but I thought... just this once...”
“Can you tell us about him? What did he look like?” you ask quietly, glancing aside to Elle. She gives you a tiny hint of a nod, scratching a few notes into her book.
“He had long black hair, like me. I thought... I thought he was kin, like me. He said that his mother was. I was... curious about him. One of us, but a wealthy trader. We talked over tea for a while, and then he had to leave,” the housekeeper smiles a little, despite everything, “He said his name was Lupei. Yes, I remember his name well. It suited him.”
“Did he mention which trading company he was with?”
Gerritsen's face darkens slightly. “He showed me a card, but... quickly. I couldn't read it properly,” she admits. From her hesitant answer, you can tell what she really means – she doesn't read well, especially not Agorian. “I asked for his card, so Master Suydam could contact him again, but he said there was no need,” she adds in a low murmur, “He said he'd come back at a better time.”
This Lupei, if that was their real name, seems like a likely suspect to you. Tracking him down, on the other hand, is a different matter.
“What then?” you ask, gently prodding the woman to continue.
“I made dinner, and ate with Robert. He went to bed at, um, eight or so. I had a few last chores to do, making sure the house was all locked up, and I was asleep by ten. Then, in the morning...” Gerritsen trails off here, her words dying away. But you don't need her to finish, you know what she was going to say all too well.
In the morning, Robert was gone.
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