CHAPTER 16
On a rainy afternoon in late May, the power went out in the museum so Delphine and Luc left early and boarded a Metro car at the Rivoli station for the ride home. Delphine missed being able to walk to the museum each day from the apartment above the Champs Elysées. Luckily, the Metro had continued to operate as smoothly as always and afforded her an easy access to and from work. Monsieur Rostand insisted that she and Luc travel together and though the boy glumly complied, he always made a point of sitting as far away from Delphine as possible. In his hands, as always, he clutched a leather pouch containing papers from the museum for his father to go through.
The first stop was Hôtel de Ville where they had to change for République. When the train arrived at the crowded platform it was already jammed with passengers. Delphine was tempted to wait for another one but Luc pushed his way onboard and she followed him.
As the doors slid closed and the car eased forward, they found themselves standing shoulder to shoulder with other passengers in the narrow aisle between the two rows of seats. Seated to Delphine’s right were two young German officers. The officer closest to Delphine looked up at her. He had yellow-blond hair and pleasant handsome features. She couldn’t help but catch his eye for an instant but quickly looked away. As the young man removed his peaked cap and stood up, a slight lurch of the car forced her to brush into him.
“Pardon, mademoiselle,” the officer said in heavily accented French, “but please would you take my seat.”
Her heart beat faster. She had become inured to the stares of passing German soldiers but few had the nerve to address her directly.
“Please sit down,” he said with a soft sincerity.
Standing a short distance away, Luc gave her a glaring look. As if I would even consider accepting a seat from a German soldier, she thought. On a few occasions, off-duty Germans came up to her on the street to ask directions to this attraction or that; sometimes the question was genuine; other times it was an obvious attempt by a lonely soldier to make contact with a pretty girl. Like all good Parisians, she ignored them. On the street, it was much easier. She could simply continue walking on her way, but this young man was standing directly next to her and it was becoming awkward.
The officer still seated said something in German to his companion. He referred to him by name, Franz, and clearly indicated that he should stop making a fool of himself and sit back down.
The blond officer ignored his friend. The situation had come to an impasse. Delphine was not about to accept his invitation; the officer was apparently not going to sit back down. They stood so close to each other that they couldn’t help but make contact with each swing and sway of the train.
Staring straight ahead, Delphine caught the eye of a man standing behind Luc. He was in his thirties, unshaven, wearing a shabby working man's suit and a beret. There was something in his eyes; a warning? The train slowed down, revealing another crowded platform. A sign on the curved tile wall read, Temple. People shifted positions as the train came to a full stop. Someone touched the door handle and the doors slid open.
Delphine would revisit the memory of what happened next many times. The whole thing probably took no more than fifteen seconds but in her mind, it would expand to an eternity.
As soon as the doors slid open, the man in the beret leaned across the seat holding something in his hand. He seemed to be offering it to the blonde German. There was a sharp crack, muted somewhat by the mass of bodies in the crowded car. The German grimaced as his shoulders came forward and he clutched at his stomach. Before he could crumple back onto the seat, the man in the beret swung the weapon toward the seated German and fired his pistol again. The officer had barely time to register surprise before he became a limp, inert mass in the window seat. Passengers screamed and tried to rush for the doors but they were blocked by the people on the platform already squeezing into the car. The blonde German had fallen toward Delphine before he collapsed onto the seat and she was horrified by the smear of fresh blood on her jacket.
The interior of the car was caught in a strange gridlock. Everyone scrambled to get out but no one was making progress. The man in the beret twisted and turned violently as he clawed his way through the mass of people toward the door. Delphine became aware of Luc who stretched forward and fumbled at the blonde German’s belt. What was he doing? And then the people on the platform finally realized that something was terribly wrong and backed away allowing the passengers to spill out of the car. People behind Delphine pushed forward and she was swept toward the door taking Luc with her. He had something in his hand. Something black. It was a pistol, the pistol Luc had removed from the holster on the German’s belt. He thrust it into his pocket as the two of them were ejected onto the platform.
People ran in all directions. Loud voices shouted over the panicked din; German voices. Delphine froze for a moment but Luc grabbed her arm and pulled her along the platform. She glanced back. Near the car door, they had just exited, an older Frenchman was being harassed by two German soldiers. The terrified man turned to look down the platform and pointed. He seemed to be pointing directly at her and Luc.
They continued to run, threading themselves through the mass of confused people. Reaching a short flight of steps, they climbed till they came to a winding, tiled passageway. They usually stayed on the Metro one more stop to République but she knew that this sloping passageway led to the street level. As they came around a bend, she saw two gendarmes talking with a woman who kept looking back down into the station. Delphine grabbed Luc by the sleeve to stop him. People still streamed up from the platform and, though she couldn’t see them, she knew that the German soldiers must be close behind them.
Glancing back around the bend, she saw the two gendarmes marching resolutely in their direction. Luc saw them too. Out of the corner of her eye, Delphine saw Luc reach into the pocket of his jacket. He started to pull out the German’s black pistol. Horrified, she reached for his hand and thrust it back into the pocket.
“No,” she said sharply.
He glared at her, challenging her to come up with a better idea. Acting on instinct, she pushed him into a small alcove in the tiled wall containing a litter basket. She grabbed his face with both hands and kissed him. Luc was too stunned to react at first but then tried to push her away.
“Stay still, you idiot,” she hissed into his mouth. He stopped struggling and she became aware of an agitated exchange of words nearby. Two men were talking excitedly. Above the general murmur of people exiting the station, she could make out some of what they were saying.
“…still down there… a man and a woman… assassination…”
One of the voices spoke French. One spoke halting French in a heavy German accent. The gendarmes had joined forces with the two German soldiers coming up from the platform.
Delphine continued to kiss Luc. He had stopped resisting. Indeed, he seemed to be enjoying it, or at least pretending to, which started to make her feel uncomfortable. Then she felt something else. My god, she thought, it’s his tongue.
Accompanied by the clatter of heavy boots, the voices faded away into the Metro station. Delphine pulled away from Luc. The soldiers and the gendarmes were gone. The passageway was thinning out. She looked back to Luc. He was staring at her with a quizzical, almost comical look on his face.
“I think it’s okay now,” she said before pulling him out of the alcove toward the street entrance.
They walked into a light rain on rue du Temple and she tried to resist the urge to run.
“Why did you take the gun?” she said.
“Why did you kiss me?” he responded as if he hadn’t even heard her question.
“It was all I could think of.”
The farther she got from the Metro station, the more she calmed down.
Then her heart froze. She stopped and grabbed Luc by the arm.
“Where is the pouch?”
Luc involuntarily looked down at his hands as if magically it would still be there.
“I don’t know. I must have dropped it.”
“You didn’t have it when we left the station. Where did you drop it?”
“I don’t know.” Panic rose in the boy’s voice.
“On the train?”
“I don’t know!”
The pouch contained notes from the various curators, and papers to sign, papers on the museum letterhead, papers with Monsieur Rostand’s name on them.
“Was anything else in the pouch, besides the papers for your father?”
“I don’t think so,” he said but his voice held no conviction.
She knew he was lying.
“Where are your identification papers?”
Every Parisian, indeed all French men and women over the age of thirteen had to carry their identification papers at all times.
Luc said nothing, his eyes dropping to the pavement.
“Why did you put them in there?” she said trying to contain her anger.
“I thought they’d be safe,” he said lamely.
Delphine glanced back in the direction of the Metro station. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
She took a deep breath, grabbed Luc’s arm and started off in the opposite direction.
On a rainy afternoon in late May, the power went out in the museum so Delphine and Luc left early and boarded a Metro car at the Rivoli station for the ride home. Delphine missed being able to walk to the museum each day from the apartment above the Champs Elysées. Luckily, the Metro had continued to operate as smoothly as always and afforded her an easy access to and from work. Monsieur Rostand insisted that she and Luc travel together and though the boy glumly complied, he always made a point of sitting as far away from Delphine as possible. In his hands, as always, he clutched a leather pouch containing papers from the museum for his father to go through.
The first stop was Hôtel de Ville where they had to change for République. When the train arrived at the crowded platform it was already jammed with passengers. Delphine was tempted to wait for another one but Luc pushed his way onboard and she followed him.
As the doors slid closed and the car eased forward, they found themselves standing shoulder to shoulder with other passengers in the narrow aisle between the two rows of seats. Seated to Delphine’s right were two young German officers. The officer closest to Delphine looked up at her. He had yellow-blond hair and pleasant handsome features. She couldn’t help but catch his eye for an instant but quickly looked away. As the young man removed his peaked cap and stood up, a slight lurch of the car forced her to brush into him.
“Pardon, mademoiselle,” the officer said in heavily accented French, “but please would you take my seat.”
Her heart beat faster. She had become inured to the stares of passing German soldiers but few had the nerve to address her directly.
“Please sit down,” he said with a soft sincerity.
Standing a short distance away, Luc gave her a glaring look. As if I would even consider accepting a seat from a German soldier, she thought. On a few occasions, off-duty Germans came up to her on the street to ask directions to this attraction or that; sometimes the question was genuine; other times it was an obvious attempt by a lonely soldier to make contact with a pretty girl. Like all good Parisians, she ignored them. On the street, it was much easier. She could simply continue walking on her way, but this young man was standing directly next to her and it was becoming awkward.
The officer still seated said something in German to his companion. He referred to him by name, Franz, and clearly indicated that he should stop making a fool of himself and sit back down.
The blond officer ignored his friend. The situation had come to an impasse. Delphine was not about to accept his invitation; the officer was apparently not going to sit back down. They stood so close to each other that they couldn’t help but make contact with each swing and sway of the train.
Staring straight ahead, Delphine caught the eye of a man standing behind Luc. He was in his thirties, unshaven, wearing a shabby working man's suit and a beret. There was something in his eyes; a warning? The train slowed down, revealing another crowded platform. A sign on the curved tile wall read, Temple. People shifted positions as the train came to a full stop. Someone touched the door handle and the doors slid open.
Delphine would revisit the memory of what happened next many times. The whole thing probably took no more than fifteen seconds but in her mind, it would expand to an eternity.
As soon as the doors slid open, the man in the beret leaned across the seat holding something in his hand. He seemed to be offering it to the blonde German. There was a sharp crack, muted somewhat by the mass of bodies in the crowded car. The German grimaced as his shoulders came forward and he clutched at his stomach. Before he could crumple back onto the seat, the man in the beret swung the weapon toward the seated German and fired his pistol again. The officer had barely time to register surprise before he became a limp, inert mass in the window seat. Passengers screamed and tried to rush for the doors but they were blocked by the people on the platform already squeezing into the car. The blonde German had fallen toward Delphine before he collapsed onto the seat and she was horrified by the smear of fresh blood on her jacket.
The interior of the car was caught in a strange gridlock. Everyone scrambled to get out but no one was making progress. The man in the beret twisted and turned violently as he clawed his way through the mass of people toward the door. Delphine became aware of Luc who stretched forward and fumbled at the blonde German’s belt. What was he doing? And then the people on the platform finally realized that something was terribly wrong and backed away allowing the passengers to spill out of the car. People behind Delphine pushed forward and she was swept toward the door taking Luc with her. He had something in his hand. Something black. It was a pistol, the pistol Luc had removed from the holster on the German’s belt. He thrust it into his pocket as the two of them were ejected onto the platform.
People ran in all directions. Loud voices shouted over the panicked din; German voices. Delphine froze for a moment but Luc grabbed her arm and pulled her along the platform. She glanced back. Near the car door, they had just exited, an older Frenchman was being harassed by two German soldiers. The terrified man turned to look down the platform and pointed. He seemed to be pointing directly at her and Luc.
They continued to run, threading themselves through the mass of confused people. Reaching a short flight of steps, they climbed till they came to a winding, tiled passageway. They usually stayed on the Metro one more stop to République but she knew that this sloping passageway led to the street level. As they came around a bend, she saw two gendarmes talking with a woman who kept looking back down into the station. Delphine grabbed Luc by the sleeve to stop him. People still streamed up from the platform and, though she couldn’t see them, she knew that the German soldiers must be close behind them.
Glancing back around the bend, she saw the two gendarmes marching resolutely in their direction. Luc saw them too. Out of the corner of her eye, Delphine saw Luc reach into the pocket of his jacket. He started to pull out the German’s black pistol. Horrified, she reached for his hand and thrust it back into the pocket.
“No,” she said sharply.
He glared at her, challenging her to come up with a better idea. Acting on instinct, she pushed him into a small alcove in the tiled wall containing a litter basket. She grabbed his face with both hands and kissed him. Luc was too stunned to react at first but then tried to push her away.
“Stay still, you idiot,” she hissed into his mouth. He stopped struggling and she became aware of an agitated exchange of words nearby. Two men were talking excitedly. Above the general murmur of people exiting the station, she could make out some of what they were saying.
“…still down there… a man and a woman… assassination…”
One of the voices spoke French. One spoke halting French in a heavy German accent. The gendarmes had joined forces with the two German soldiers coming up from the platform.
Delphine continued to kiss Luc. He had stopped resisting. Indeed, he seemed to be enjoying it, or at least pretending to, which started to make her feel uncomfortable. Then she felt something else. My god, she thought, it’s his tongue.
Accompanied by the clatter of heavy boots, the voices faded away into the Metro station. Delphine pulled away from Luc. The soldiers and the gendarmes were gone. The passageway was thinning out. She looked back to Luc. He was staring at her with a quizzical, almost comical look on his face.
“I think it’s okay now,” she said before pulling him out of the alcove toward the street entrance.
They walked into a light rain on rue du Temple and she tried to resist the urge to run.
“Why did you take the gun?” she said.
“Why did you kiss me?” he responded as if he hadn’t even heard her question.
“It was all I could think of.”
The farther she got from the Metro station, the more she calmed down.
Then her heart froze. She stopped and grabbed Luc by the arm.
“Where is the pouch?”
Luc involuntarily looked down at his hands as if magically it would still be there.
“I don’t know. I must have dropped it.”
“You didn’t have it when we left the station. Where did you drop it?”
“I don’t know.” Panic rose in the boy’s voice.
“On the train?”
“I don’t know!”
The pouch contained notes from the various curators, and papers to sign, papers on the museum letterhead, papers with Monsieur Rostand’s name on them.
“Was anything else in the pouch, besides the papers for your father?”
“I don’t think so,” he said but his voice held no conviction.
She knew he was lying.
“Where are your identification papers?”
Every Parisian, indeed all French men and women over the age of thirteen had to carry their identification papers at all times.
Luc said nothing, his eyes dropping to the pavement.
“Why did you put them in there?” she said trying to contain her anger.
“I thought they’d be safe,” he said lamely.
Delphine glanced back in the direction of the Metro station. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary.
She took a deep breath, grabbed Luc’s arm and started off in the opposite direction.