Agent in the Shadows by Alex Gerlis

Author:Alex Gerlis
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Canelo
Published: 2023-04-15T00:00:00+00:00

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He followed Michel out of Part-Dieu and onto a tram which took them as far as Rue Duquesne and he then spotted the woman in the dark green raincoat with a blue beret and, as instructed by Michel, walked behind her across the Rhône on the Pont St Clair.

Michel had told him he’d be led into the Croix-Rousse and he was struck how different it was to the right bank of the Rhône. Here it was narrow, cobbled streets, high buildings, filth everywhere and the walls seemed to lean into the streets, their surfaces blacked and uneven.

On Place Bellevue the woman disappeared into a boulangerie and that was his cue to walk on to the church, Église St Bernard, where an older woman with the large umbrella was waiting as he’d been told she would be, carefully studying the church noticeboard and not glancing even once in his direction, and Jack was impressed, he couldn’t work out how she’d even seen him. He followed her across Place Colbert and from there into Rue Lemot and at that point the woman’s pace slowed slightly and she glanced round, peering behind him and when she was satisfied they were alone in the narrow street nodded and carried on walking. Moments later she opened a door and indicated he should follow her, quickly.

They were in a dark passageway, their footsteps echoing loudly around them. The woman walked into a courtyard surrounded by buildings on all sides and with a pile of refuse in the middle. She continued walking to one corner where she headed into another passageway and then down a set of dark steps and into what to all intents and purposes was a tunnel, which soon opened on to an alley, a building to their left and a high wall to their right. And then across a bridge leading to an open-air set of quite steep steps and he followed her down, and at the bottom she pointed to another alley and she waited until he was in it before moving away.

Halfway down the alley a door opened and a man hurried him in, anxiously looking up and down as he did so. The man closed the door, locked it and then indicated they should stand where they were – in the dark, musty entrance, in complete silence apart from Jack’s heavy breathing. They waited for three or four minutes and then the man gestured for Jack to follow him, down into a cellar, along a narrow passageway and into a room that was surprisingly warm and bright.

He introduced himself as Maurice. Jack should make himself at home, he must be tired. There was a camp bed against one wall, a small table with two chairs opposite it and Jack smiled and said thank you and apologised for his French and Maurice said it was no problem, it was fine and he should wait in here, he’d be brought some food and there was a room next door where he could wash and use the toilet and soon someone would be along to see him.

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