In Mortal Danger by Lorraine Campbell

Author:Lorraine Campbell [Campbell, Lorraine]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780992549350
Publisher: Palmer Higgs
Published: 2014-02-15T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

The sun had not long sunk below the horizon in a blaze of orange when Valli set out from the Villa Mimosa. The sky was now streaked with grey and vibrant pink, and the light had dimmed to a hazy lavender. The Avenue des Belges appeared to be completely deserted, which was probably due to the announcement of an early curfew.

She had only gone as far as rue Sully when the chain on her bicycle came off. Damn! She had been hoping to get to the rue des Remparts-d’Ainay before it got completely dark. She dismounted and wheeled the bicycle over to the side of the road. There was only one way to do this. She inverted the bike so it was resting on the handlebars and seat, then crouched down beside it. With the wheels running free she tried to manoeuvre the chain back on, but her hands kept slipping on the oil. That was one thing she was meticulous about: keeping the chain well-oiled for silent running.

She tried one more time, but it was no use. It needed a stick of some sort. Eventually she found what she was looking for under a nearby tree. A thick piece of twig. That should do the trick. With one hand rotating the wheel by means of the pedal, she lifted the chain up with the twig and began easing it back onto the toothed wheel.

Suddenly in the distance came the whine of a fast approaching car. She glanced up briefly. It looked like the Colonel’s Mercedes. Lowering her head, she studiously ignored it as it flew past in a rush of air. She held her breath, willing it to continue on. Moments later, there was a screeching of brakes being applied with sudden force, followed by the metallic sound of a car door slamming.

She took a quick peek out of the corner of her eye. The Mercedes was stopped a short distance up the road and the Colonel was striding purposefully towards her. Her heart sank. He was the last person she wanted to see. Ever since witnessing the terrible scene at Bellecour that morning, she had been feeling sick at heart. Forced to face the fact that whatever feelings she might have for this man, he was still a German. Still one of them.

She turned her attention back to the chain. There, got it on at last. Quickly she scrambled to her feet, lifted the bike back upright on its wheels. Too late, he was almost there. In any case, she could hardly pretend to have been unaware of his approach. Reluctantly she turned to face him.

‘Need some help?’ His face was stern, unsmiling.

‘No … no, it’s fine now. Just a loose chain.’ She took a handkerchief from the pocket of her skirt and wiped her oily hands.

‘Where are you going?’

She was a little taken aback by his abrupt tone. ‘To the bookshop – where I work.’

‘Why so late?’

‘It’s not so late.’ She felt a twinge of anxiety. He had never questioned her movements like this before.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.