‘A van from the Banque Nationale de Credit et Commercial early last Wednesday and then, an hour or so later, a heavily laden shy; truck, a gazogene.’
Uh-oh, now here it comes, felt Kohler. ‘Both to have a look at what was holding up traffic on the RD 380 to Reims?’
Since the forest that had been cleared by such in 1914 had obviously grown back in, and the lookout in total disrepair, one would have thought these two might have noticed, but one had better tell them anyway. ‘Me, I have to think it had more to do with avoiding a little something else.’
That hand was extended, Hermann pulling out the bankroll to ask, ‘What?’
Another 1,000-franc note was found. ‘One of those little sand-coloured aircraft with the Maltese Cross on its wings and fuselage, the croix gammee on the tail, and from the desert war that was, apparently, lost.’
‘Hermann, there’s a Luftwaffe airfield just to the north of Reims. I should have remembered.’
‘Me, too, so what else, Corporal?’
‘The van, when it arrived, immediately sought cover under my chestnut trees, the truck the same. Both were, of course, told to leave but …’
‘They paid you,’ sighed Louis.
‘Inspector, I did not say that!’
‘Good. The ham, eggs, cheese or whatever, suited, Louis. And the girl?’
Merde, that 5,000-franc note was being teased away. ‘What girl, Inspectors?’
‘Just tell us,’ said the other one.
They must be after her, felt Rivet, but had she been violated by those two in the van, the throat slit? ‘At first, there was no sign of her and then the more robust of the three with the truck insisted on opening its back and getting inside to open something else, and finally she appeared, blinking at the unaccustomed light. A blonde, a looker peut-etre, but I didn’t think so at the time because she was very pale and obviously worried. Saying nothing, she remained apart by the truck, even though the one who had freed her asked me for water for her and I brought it, she then thanking me but in the faintest of voices as she looked questioningly at those from the van and the other two that had come with the truck. Me, I think her heart fell when she saw that van.’
‘Why?’ asked Louis.
‘Merde alors, how am I to know such a thing? Maybe she knew of the bank.’
‘Or of the driver and his assistant. Did they recognize her?’ asked St-Cyr.
This Surete was determined to have the answer he and the Gestapo wanted.‘Those with the van grinned at one another, but as to herself, me I think she was terrified of them. Did those two make mischief with her?’
‘That’s not for you to know.’
‘That spotter plane could easily have reported them, Louis.’
‘But couldn’t have, Hermann. Instead, our passeur made a hasty decision just as he must have done with the contents of those pockets: she to the van, since of the two vehicles, it was by far the lesser to be stopped and searched.’
Ah bon, she was definitely the one of interest and that 5,000-franc note could now be demanded back. ‘One of the two Dutchmen with the truck didn’t want her to go in the van and claimed it would be far too dangerous, that they should wait it out here and then go well to the east before turning south to go around the Montagne de Reims to Epernay, that the forest there would hide them well. The other two talked it over and finally the French one went to speak to the two with the van and they shook hands.’
‘A moment, please, Corporal,’ said the Surete. ‘Two Dutchmen and then a Frenchman?’
‘Oui. One of the Dutchmen was the mechanic and driver of the truck, for when they first arrived, it was he who immediately dampened the truck’s little fire to stop any smoke from giving them away.’
‘Age, name-any such details?’ asked Louis.
‘Age, about twenty-eight or thirty; name, Arie; the other one, the complainer, lighter, taller, younger and far less robust. It’s in the hands, n’est-ce pas? One always looks at them. This one hadn’t done a lot of physical work. The mechanic and the … Was it a passeur, you called the Frenchman, Inspector?’
‘Never mind. Just tell us this other Dutchman’s age and name.’
Had that one done something to the girl? ‘Maybe twenty-four, maybe younger by a year or two. Name, Frans. The girl was far more wary of that one than of the mechanic, who seemed to like her. She was easier with him, too, and even smiled faintly when he asked me to bring her some water. It was as though she had expected him to do that and was pleased to find her thoughts had been correct.’
‘Arie. And that third one, the Frenchman?’ asked Louis.
‘Etienne. About thirty-four. Always intent. Never for a moment did he stop assessing everything, even the girl who steadily looked right back at him when he looked questioningly at her, she keeping her distance and her thoughts about the two with the van to herself.’
‘Now tell us what they agreed,’ said Hermann, fingering another 1,000-franc note.
‘At first, the driver of the van said he would wait with her at the side of the road to the south of Laon, in the village of Corbeny, but when she overheard this, the girl said that would be far too conspicuous and that they should meet up at L’Abbaye de Vauclair, that she had once read of some ruins there. She was then locked into the back of the van and when the spotter plane had returned to the air base and they could no longer hear it, they started out, the truck following the other once its little fire had got going well enough.’
‘The distance between them increasing, Louis.’
‘They never knowing if that aircraft would take off and start searching for them again, Hermann.’
‘Inspectors, they decided to go east and away from Reims toward Rethel, then cut overland toward Berry-au-Bac and the road to Laon.’
‘And at Corbeny, would turn west,’ said the Surete. ‘Did she take her suitcase with her, Corporal?’
‘That wouldn’t have been necessary, since they were to collect her at those ruins.’
Good for him. Logic was everything to the French, but Louis had forced Rivet to say what he had anyway and now asked, ‘Her shoes, Corporal?’
The smile was immediate. ‘Those must have been very expensive. She hated to have to wear them, but her other ones had become impossible-a split seam, a loose sole and nothing but broken laces. The mechanic got the good ones for her, but she didn’t put them on when she got into the back of the van.’
‘Since she had to climb over everything, Louis.’
‘And now for the cut on her hand or forearm, Corporal?’ asked that one.
Another 500-franc note was found. ‘It was festering badly and ran from the back of her left hand between thumb and forefinger, round and across the heel of her palm where it was deepest. Barbed wire, I’m certain. Me, I’ve seen lots of the damage that stuff can do, but didn’t ask. Her fist was hurting like hell, that’s for sure. She had pried off its bandage to have a look. Jagged, swollen and full of pus. Me, I told her she should squeeze it hard after first soaking in hot, salted water. I offered an ointment my wife used to make, but that passeur said there wasn’t time. Is she still alive, Inspectors?’
‘And that, mon ami,’ said Hermann, ‘we only wish we knew.’
Three stitches had been needed to close the deeper wound across the heel of her palm. Yet it was odd-fortuitous perhaps-felt Anna- shy;Marie, that the object which had caused it, and the cut itself shy;, should now have given her the final answer.
The coin was of silver and from among the last to have been minted. The rijksdaaler she had known, when but a child of five, had been 37 millimetres in diameter, 2.6 in thickness and had weighed, after very carefully having been placed on the special scales at Papa’s work, a whole 25 grams. Even now, especially now, it felt as money should: good money, real money. Something a person could trust absolutely and be immensely proud of as she had been when Papa had pressed that first one into her hand and had said, ‘Oh by the way, my dear miss, did you happen to lose one of these?’