Page 74 of Shadows In Paris
‘That was lucky!’
‘Yes, luckier than you might think. His brother was the same officer I met on the train journey to Paris, and the same one I told you about who gave me the cakes.’
‘Oh my God. Did he recognise you?’
‘Yes. I was wearing the cleaner’s clothes, but he knew it was me. I acted as though it was normal for me to have a cleaning job, and it seemed like he believed it.’
Hannah set the wireless up and prepared a message to transmit to London.
‘Isn’t it dangerous to message from within the city like this?’ Lizzie asked.
‘It is, but if we do it quickly, we should be alright. All we need is to arrange a pickup as soon as possible. I doubt it’ll be tonight, so we’ll stay here and move again tomorrow.’
Lizzie explored the small flat, marvelling at Hannah’s ingenuity. How many of these safe houses did the Liberty Network have? She guessed there must be hundreds of them with the various Resistance networks sprouting up throughout France. Her thoughts moved back to the owners of the safe houses in Reims. The people who offered sanctuary to agents and those fleeing from the Nazis were courageous beyond words. They had everything to lose, but they risked it all for the greater good.
Lizzie hoped Celine wouldn’t be arrested in connectionwith the murder. When she first approached her and they made the plan, she had asked Celine if she wanted help to leave the city to make sure she didn’t suffer retribution. Celine had lived in Paris all her life and said she wasn’t going anywhere.
Lizzie returned to Hannah’s side just as a response arrived. ‘What do they say?’
‘You won’t believe it. Raven is here!’
Lizzie stared at Hannah. ‘In Paris, now? But it’s the worst time for him to be here. As soon as they discover the body, surely, there’ll be an intensive search for his killer.’
‘Yes, there’s a high probability. Raven doesn’t know about the major general’s untimely end though, does he?’
‘No, he couldn’t. But it’s just like him to come, although I’m surprised he got the go-ahead.’
Hannah said, ‘That man has a silver tongue. He could talk anyone around to his way of thinking.’
The blood rushed to Lizzie’s head and panic swirled through her body. Jack had no way of knowing what he was walking into, dropping into Paris with no warning.
‘They arrested me in a random roundup the other day, and that was before you eliminated one of the top brass at German High Command. Lord knows what they’ll do now for vengeance.’
‘Well, there’s nothing we can do now. Jack sent a location for us to meet him, and presumably he’s planned a pickup to get you both out. He must think we need backup.’
Lizzie paced around the room. ‘Should we leave now and warn him?’
Hannah said, ‘No, it’s curfew and more difficult to escape the city undetected at this time of night. If they’ve already found the body, it will be even riskier. Let’s get some sleep and leave first thing.’
Lizzie was exhausted and after giving it some thought,she agreed Hannah’s plan was a good one. She peeled off her clothes, readied herself for bed, and fell onto the hard mattress in the tiny bedroom. Hannah joined her and they pulled the thin blankets up to their chins and huddled together for warmth.
‘I didn’t expect to share my bed with a man.’ Lizzie smiled at Hannah.
‘I wish I could pull this bloody wig off, but I’d better not just in case we have any uninvited guests.’
Within three minutes, their breath slowed, and they were both asleep. Lizzie dreamt of a raven in the woods, watching over her. Always watching over her.
The next morning, Lizzie peeked through the window. ‘A soldier is sticking posters on the shop windows opposite,’ she called to Hannah, who was tidying herself up at the mirror, ready to leave to meet Jack.
‘Can you see what they say?’ Hannah asked.
‘No, it’s too far. It’s a picture and some text.’
‘They love plastering those antisemitic cartoons all over the city. The ones that blame Jews for every ill that has ever befallen the world. And now the Reich blames us for the downfall of Germany after World War I. The Jews who made up less than 1% of the population were accused of orchestrating the Treaty of Versailles. This scapegoating is nothing new, unfortunately,’ Hannah said as she turned from the mirror.
‘It’s awful to see those ugly pictures and hateful messages, but I hope it is one of those and not something else.’
‘What do you mean?’
