The rest of the day passed peacefully. We went out for an hour's run. On the way back, we passed the library, but I didn't feel like going in. Daniel had also suggested that we stop off at Serendipity to see Aurore, but I was overwhelmed by the fear of Trevor hurting her and decided against it.

— How long am I supposed to pretend I'm ill for? I asked him as we made our way back up to his flat.
— Just long enough for us to find something to incriminate him for the murder he committed.
— Because there is no solid evidence?

He opened the door to his flat.

— No, they only have circumstantial evidence that won't stand up if he's arrested.
— So, if I'm following what you're telling me, we're not sure if he's the one who killed... who, in fact?
— A twenty-year-old girl near Toulouse.
— When?
— Two years ago.
— But how can you be so sure it's him? Maybe the circumstantial evidence points to him, but he may well be innocent.
— I spoke to the police officer who was in charge of the case and he told me that this young girl was really leading an uneventful life until he met her. She didn't have a boyfriend or many friends. Her family lived in Paris and she was quite isolated and lonely, so not many people noticed her absence. According to her best friend, she only had herself and two friends who worked in a florist's shop. She apparently met Trevor in a café and they started dating, but she felt something was wrong and wanted to break it off, at which point she was never seen again. A week later, her body was found in a park.

I was simply speechless. How could he have done such a thing? And when Daniel had talked about her, I'd felt like I was hearing my own story. Not that I was isolated, I had Eve and Aurore and other friends, but it was true that I liked to be antisocial from time to time. With my mother in Paris, Harry in Orleans and Charlie on the west coast, my family was also quite far from Lille.

— But maybe she's just had a bad encounter?
— He's a policeman who's been in the business for thirty years, he's seen a lot and he seems to have reliable instincts. He interviewed everyone close to the girl and they were all suspicious of Trevor.
— What about Trevor's family, what did they say?
— That's the problem; his parents are both dead, no siblings, cousins or even friends. I can understand that some people are just antisocial and enjoy being antisocial but this guy really didn't exist until he met this girl.

I decided to sit on the sofa.

— So you're looking for incriminating evidence to arrest him?
— Yes, before he realises and runs away again.
— But how could he change his identity like that?
— He must have found a good black market forger.

The fact that he'd gone to such lengths to change his identity after a murder he was suspected of and his attitude towards me confirmed that he was indeed involved in the girl's murder. It gave me chills each time I thought about it. What would have happened to me if Daniel hadn't come into my life when he did?

He crouches down in front of me.

— Are you okay?

I swallowed.

— The girl had a very similar life to me. Do you think that's why he chose me?
— He's probably noticed that you don't go out much and that you're quite reserved. He seems to target that kind of girl.

My fear grew, I was afraid he was going to hurt me.

— But don't worry, continued Daniel, putting his hand on my knee, he won't get you. I'm here to protect you.
— Thank you, Daniel.

I pressed my forehead to his and closed my eyes, trying not to think about everything that had happened, but it kept going round and round in my head. I'd been talking to a murderer and he was trying to get closer to me.

After we'd pulled away from each other, we looked at each other for a long time before he asked me if I was going to tell Eve about the murder.

— I'm not sure, should I? I'm afraid she'll panic. But wait, what if he's found her? What if he's hurting her? I say, starting to panic. I've got to call her.
— Haven't you already spoken to her today?
— Yes, I did.
— Whose house is it?
— Her boyfriend.
— She should be safe, so don't worry. As long as she's not alone, she'll be fine.
— You're right... But I'm still going to send her a message to make sure she's OK.

After showering, I browsed through his library.

— Would you mind if I borrowed a novel?
— Not at all, on the contrary! replied Daniel. Besides, we've never discussed it, but what's your novel about?

I stopped reading the titles and left the small room, realising that we'd never actually had a conversation about our second meeting at the publishing house.

— Well, I'm writing a novel called Ordinary Love, which is about ordinary love, as the title suggests. Something so simple, a feeling of attachment that suddenly falls on random people. There's also the 'ordinary' aspect, I'm talking more about a feeling of love that someone might feel twenty times with twenty different people in their life. It's about stopping being obsessed by this idea of a single love with only one person you consider your soulmate.

He seemed disturbed by what I had said.

— Do you believe in ordinary love?
— Well, I don't really know. When I wrote that ending, a friend of mine had just lost her father and, as a result, I was in a rather sombre state of mind and that brought back all sorts of emotions.
— Why do I get the feeling that you know the answer.
— Okay, so I might not believe in ordinary love. But what in my words or actions betrayed that?

He seemed to be trying to hide his unease.

— You strike me as an incorrigible romantic. And that goes against the whole idea of ordinary love, because a true romantic believes in a soul mate.
— How could you possibly know that?
— I deduced this from the fact that all your favourite films are the most romantic movies out there.

I let out a laugh and shook my head.

— You got a point.

I looked at him, slightly disappointed. His behaviour might have seemed normal and harmless, but I sensed that he was hiding something from me. What was he hiding?