Knifed In Nice by Zara Keane

Author:Zara Keane [Keane, Zara]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9783039380053
Publisher: Beaverstone Press LLC
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

18

When my mother reached for the fire escape door’s handle, a glint of metal snagged my attention.

“Wait a sec.” I picked up a metal file and handed it to Desirée. “This is how Jerry’s attacker got in and out of the building. The fire door’s old. It wouldn’t take an expert to break in from the outside. And then they used this tool to wedge the door open so that they could make a quick exit.”

My mother’s expression grew grim. “You’re right. We’ll have to beef up security.”

Voices floated up from downstairs—Francine and the police.

“We need to hurry, Angel,” Sidney said, tugging me onto the rusty metal landing.

My mother pointed to the next building. “Luc owns the café next door. Go to him and tell him I sent you. If I haven’t gotten in touch with you by this afternoon, contact my lawyer. Jacques Fournier. Rue Maccarani. Now go.”

Sidney and I didn’t need telling twice. We raced down the rickety stairs, one unstable step at a time. I clutched Césaire to my chest, comforted by the vibrations of his soft purrs against my pounding heart. When we reached the bottom of the stairs, we found ourselves in a postage stamp-sized garden. It was scattered with broken furniture, random debris, and potted plants of the half-dead variety.

An iron gate separated this garden from next door’s. We ran across to the gate, leaping over plants and dodging stray chairs. When we were safely on the other side, I released the breath I hadn’t realized I’d been holding.

The cafe’s cramped garden was no bigger than Jerry’s, but it was a whole pile neater. Carefully tended flower beds flanked the red-brick walls. Six sets of tables and chairs were arranged on the patio to give each group an illusion of privacy. A rainbow-striped awning stretched over the seating area, providing much-needed shade from the intense morning sun.

Sidney wiped stray strands of fair hair off his face, revealing a fresh trickle of blood from his injured ear. “What now? Do we follow your mother’s instructions and talk to this Luc bloke? Or do we go straight to that lawyer she mentioned?”

I stroked Césaire’s soft fur and took stock of our situation. “Within the next few minutes, the cops will be crawling all over Jerry’s building. I’d rather put distance between them and us, but the fact is, you’re still bleeding. We need to stop and put a fresh bandage on your ear. Luc’s café is as good a place as any. Doesn’t mean we need to confide in the man.”

“You don’t sound enthusiastic. As I recall, you shot out of this café like a prickly cannonball. Am I right at assuming Luc was the cause of your chagrin?”

“We didn’t exchange names, but yeah. The man grinding coffee fits my mental image of the Luc who deals with ‘delicate situations.’” I punctuated this last part with air quotes. “He’s a stereotypical alpha male. I don’t care for guys like Luc. On the plus side, his joint serves coffee.

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