Julian was staring at him.
« Did you jam my phone? »
« I didn’t say that. »
Julian looked towards the windows.
His breathing changed.
Small details.
Too fast.
Too superficial.
David had taught me something years ago, during an audition course.
The innocent fear accusations.
The perpetrators fear that the exits will be closed.
Julian was monitoring the exits.
I approached.
« When did you go to Geneva? »
Harper blinked.
» What ? «
Julian froze.
I repeated the question.
« When did you go to Geneva? »
His face no longer betrayed anything.
« I travel all the time. »
« With David? »
Harper was staring at him.
« David? »
Julian looked at me.
« I met him once. »
» Or ? «
« In a hotel lobby. »
« Which hotel? »
He hesitated.
A little too long.
« I don’t remember. »
Harris spoke for the first time.
« The Greater Montreux. »
Julian’s face turned pale.
Harper turned towards him.
« How does he know that? »
No one answered him.
Then something I wasn’t expecting happened.
My father moved.
Not towards me.
Towards Julian.
« What have you done? »
Julian shook his head.
» Nothing. «
My father grabbed him by the shirt.
The soldiers advanced, but Harris raised a hand.
My father’s voice broke.
« Were you having a relationship with David? »
Julian pushed him away.
« I said I didn’t do anything! »
Harper shouted.
« Stop! »
The house exploded.
My mother was crying.
Harper was clinging to Julian’s arm.
My father was screaming.
The soldiers closed the corridor.
And during all that time, I remained completely still.
Because Julian had made a mistake.
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He had answered a question that no one had asked.
No one had accused him of doing anything to David.
However, his initial defense had been this:
I didn’t do anything.
Harris looked me in the eyes.
He knew.
I knew.
Julian knew that we knew.
Then, outside, a loud alarm sounded.
Each soldier reacted immediately.
The captain placed two fingers on his earpiece.
« Movement on the rear perimeter. »
Harris’s face hardened.
« With what? »
» Unknown. «
He turned towards me.
« Colonel, we’re leaving now. »
My mother gasped.
« What’s going on? »
I didn’t reply.
The captain took me by the arm and led me towards the side entrance.
Then a soldier ran inside.
« General, a vehicle is approaching from the east. No license plates. »
Harris swore under his breath.
Julian suddenly ran away.
He bumped his shoulder into the soldier standing near him and ran towards the garage.
Harper shouted his name.
Two soldiers subdued him before he could reach the Audi.
The keys slipped on the concrete.
« Get off me! » Julian shouted.
The captain handcuffed his wrists. Something small fell from his jacket.
A black device.
No bigger than a car remote control.
Harris stared at him.
« Don’t touch that. »
Everyone froze.
A few seconds later, a specialist entered from the second vehicle.
He crouched down near the object.
The expression on his face changed.
« Signal transmitter. »
I felt a knot in my stomach.
Harris looked at Julian.
« What for? »
Julian said nothing.
The technician examined it.
« Short-range encrypted transmitter. »
The general’s gaze turned towards the walkway.
» Scope ? «
The technician looked somber.
« This means that someone could have followed this position. »
Harper staggered backwards.
» No. «
Julian closed his eyes.
And suddenly, the last pieces began to fit together.
The military vehicles posed no threat to my house.
The danger was already there.
Eating my food.
Sleeping under David’s roof.
Claiming David’s room.
Securing the Audi in David’s garage.
I looked at my brother-in-law.
« How long has it been? »
He stared at the ground.
I approached.
« How long have you been watching us? »
Harper whispered, « Evelyn, stop. »
I ignored her.
« Was David watching you? »
Julian pursed his lips.
Harris signaled to the soldiers.
They got Julian back on his feet.
Then Julian looked at me.
There was no longer any charm in his expression.
