Page 82 of French Escapade

Élodie

My arrival at the station doesn’t go unnoticed. As soon as I pass the front desk, I feel the stares of my colleague.

I won’t let them intimidate me. I’ve been through this before, and this time I won’t give them the power to hurt me. What they think, I don’t care. I know the people who matter in my life—the ones who count—are not in this building.

Walking into by my office to drop my stuff, I find Christophe. I’m in no mood for chitchat, but I owe him for his tip and his help that first night.

“Hey.”

“Hey. I didn’t think I would see you again so soon.” He’s surprised.

“I’ve been called in by the boss,” I answer, making a face.

“I heard. I thought they would give you a day or two to get over all this.”

“He didn’t offer, but I’m actually happy to talk to him right now. Waiting is pointless, unless I want to make him even madder.”

“You’re probably right. So, you got that asshole after all, I’m told.”

“Yep. Though I’m not sure he’s still alive today. But he’s going nowhere for a long time. And we got Madison back.”

“What about the other girl?”

I shake my head.

“And you?” I ask, just in case. I figure that if he knew something, he would have shared already.

“No. No one seems to know anything about the mysterious Tiffany. If you and your American friends hadn’t told me about her, and if part of our team hadn’t seen her, I would swear she didn’t exist.”

“Let’s hope Jimmy will get lucky.”

Christophe frowns.

I tell him, “You don’t want to know.”

No need to tell him Jimmy promised he would do all he could to get Arkady to talk, even if that meant he had to be … unconventional.

An uneasy silence settles between us. We both know what I’m here for, and Christophe must understand I’m not about to discuss it with him. Up until two days ago, we barely spoke to one another. Still, I must do something before going to talk with our boss.

“I wanted to thank you for your help.”

He looks up at me with surprise.

“You helped us during the evening at Palm Beach, and gave us the intel on the boat.”

“No biggie. It was the right thing to do.”

“You didn’t have to, so thank you.”

He nods and looks out the window as he speaks. “You know, it’s clear that you and I, we’ve never been best buddies. But you’re a good cop, Élodie. You have your faults. You’re not a team player, you don’t trust people. I get that. But despite all of that, you’re one of the few who didn’t forget why they chose this job. You do all you can to help those in need, and I respect that. So, whatever happens upstairs, don’t forget you’re one of the good guys.”

I’m so surprised. This is most likely the longest and deepest conversation we’ve ever had. I thank him and climb the stairs leading to my boss’s office, ready to hear his verdict.

When I reach the floor, I’m told to go to the meeting room. I push the door open. If this wasn’t about me, I would probably laugh. The commissaire is at the end of the table, and he’s got his assistants on either side of him, as well as two men I do not recognize.

I’m asked to take a seat, and the boss introduces the two strangers. They are members of internal affairs.

How fun, they sure didn’t waste any time.

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