Page 72 of Shadows In Paris
Lizzie could feel Karl’s eyes boring into her back. She turned slightly so he would see her face when she replied. ‘No, I didn’t see anyone up there, but Celine is in charge.’ She hoped he had heard her reply. There was no reason she shouldn’t have taken a job as a cleaner. She hadn’t told him anything about her life or work, except that she was visiting her sister and staying for a while. Lizzie held her breath, every muscle taut and ready for action.
He stared at her for a few seconds, then nodded his head imperceptibly, and his lips moved as he said something to the soldier in command who gave the order they could go.
The panic drained from Lizzie’s body as her boots touched the icy pavement, and her spirits soared as they walked down the dimly lit street. They had escaped. All she could think about was telling Jack when she returned to London. It was strange not being able to talk to him. She hoped he understood why she must search for Hannah.
‘Thank you,’ Lizzie whispered to Celine, who walked alongside her. ‘I am sorry to have put you in such danger.’
‘Don’t be,’ Celine replied. ‘I’m happy to do it. We can’t let them ride roughshod over us and destroy everything we believe in.’
‘Thank you all the same. What will you do tomorrow?’ asked Lizzie, worrying she would be a suspect when they discovered the major general’s body.
‘Don’t worry about me. I’ll go to work as usual. They see me as a dumb female cleaner. I bet they’d never credit a woman with masterminding the murder of a Nazi officer right under their noses.’
‘I hope you’re right. By the way, did you recognise the officer who was in the lobby just now?’
‘Yes, I believe he’s the major general’s brother,’ Celine replied.
Lizzie stared at Celine as the enormity of their good luck hit her. ‘That was a close shave. Don’t tell anyone anything. Act like it’s just a normal day when you go in next.’
‘I will,’ Celine said.
‘I need to get out of here. All going well, we won’t see each other again,’ Lizzie said.
When they turned the corner, Celine walked in the opposite direction and Lizzie increased her speed. She changed back into her own clothes in the hallway of the cleaner’s house and put the overalls in a bag in a cupboard as instructed. Lizzie had offered to get rid of them, but Celine said if they were in the same condition, it would be safer to return them. The other cleaner would need them for her next shift.
Lizzie exited the house and turned onto the residential street, hurrying towards the bank of the Seine, where she had left her bicycle. There was always a chance that someone had ridden off on it, but so far, the beloved well-used bicycle she’d borrowed from the farmhouse had served her loyally. And there it was, leaning against a tree like an old friend. It was probably too battered to be in great demand.
As Lizzie mounted her bike, she thought of Hannah proposing a plan to assassinate a high-profile general on another occasion. A smile curved her lips as she thought fondly of Hannah and wondered where she could be.
Where would she hide after murdering a Nazi officer? Surely, even Hannah wouldn’t stay in the city. She guessed the courageous avenging angel would assassinate every one of the Nazis single-handedly if she got the opportunity. She really was fearless, and the image of the executed officer with his pants down, played in her mind like a movie.
‘Jacqueline,’ said a gruff voice, making Lizzie jump.
She swivelled her head and saw a man with dark hair, moustache and spectacles looking at her. Lizzie tried to figure out how this stranger knew her name. ‘May I help you?’
Then his face cracked into a smile, and she heard a familiar voice. ‘Don’t you recognise your sister?’
Lizzie stared at the smiling face. ‘My God! You had me completely fooled,’ she said, her voice low. ‘What on earth…? I mean, how did you know where to find me?’
‘I followed you,’ said Hannah.
‘Oh, that is bad news. I didn’t suspect anyone was on my tail.’ Lizzie berated herself for not spotting she was being followed, even though she had checked in the reflections in shop windows and paused in doorways several times.
‘I’ve been hiding in the shadows for a long time. It’s difficult to see someone following you in the depths of a winter’s night.’
‘We both need to get out of Paris now,’ Lizzie said.
‘Follow me from a distance,’ Hannah replied. ‘When Ienter a door, double check you’ve not been followed and wait a bit before knocking.’
Lizzie watched Hannah mount a bicycle and set off. She waited a few minutes before riding after her and Lizzie could see Hannah’s head bobbing as she pedalled at just the right speed to keep a distance between them. Snow was falling again, and the street was deserted. Anyone with any sense would be at home now, trying to get warm. Lizzie wondered where Hannah was leading her, and was relieved she didn’t need to spend the night searching for her.
Lizzie followed Hannah’s instructions and tapped on a door on a small street. Hannah let her in and soon they were drinking tea in the tiny kitchenette of a studio flat over a small row of shops. One window was smashed, and Lizzie pulled her coat tighter around her.
‘Sorry it’s not quite the standard of the farmhouse,’ Hannah said. ‘It’s the best I could do at such short notice.’
‘What is this place?’
‘I’ve used it as a safe house a few times. The flat belongs to a shop owner who is a friend of the network.’
