33The next night, Molly invited the gîte guests over for an apéro, feeling a bit chagrined at how much of her time and energy had been spent on the Crespelle case instead of on them. She was still very worried about the girls, and her interview with Raphael had provided no information that was helpful.
Ah, poor Raphael, she thought. He’s utterly lost, being in this new place. Impulsive, filled with understandable fury—but not dangerous, not really. All bluster, was her judgment of him.
Ben was in Bergerac trying to placate Bernard Petit, since so far the video cameras had recorded nothing of interest.
She hadn’t needed to tidy up much, and after putting bottles and glasses out on the terrace, Molly had a few minutes to kill before the guests arrived. Sitting down at her desk, she tried
