Closer to her.

She sucked in a breath and closed her eyes. Her heart beat so loudly she was sure Chevrolet would be able to hear its pounding.

Just then, the slight updraft of his movement sent one of the dust bunnies wafting over to her, coming to a rest right by her face.

The urge to sneeze became nearly overpowering. She exhaled heavily through her nose, trying to thwart the tickle.

Standing directly on the other side of the desk, Chevrolet let out a little grunt and muttered something in French that she couldn’t understand. She heard him slide something heavy onto the surface of the desk. The lost and found box, she presumed. Then, she heard him picking up the phone, the slight beeping noise as he depressed the buttons. He spoke in rapid-fire French, sounding far less accommodating than he had been with her. She made out the gist of what he was saying: “Where is the woman that you escorted in here a moment ago?”

He paused for a response, which Diana imagined must’ve gone something like “No clue. I left her with you.”

Then Chevrolet said, “Well, keep an eye out for her.” Another pause, and then, “Hold on. I’ll be right there.”

He slammed the phone on its cradle and headed away. She watched as his black wing tips disappeared through the doorway and let out a sigh of relief as the sound of his footsteps faded.

Scuttling to her feet and smoothing down her skirt and blouse, she made for the door. She paused at the closed door for a moment, listening, and hearing nothing, squeezed out.

She’d only made it a few steps, her breathing on its way to returning to normal, when a voice behind her called, “Arrête!”

Wincing at the sound, she stopped, turning slowly. I’m done. He saw me coming out of his office. I am so going to jail.

But it wasn’t Chevrolet. It was a man in a dark blue security uniform. He came closer to her, eyeing her suspiciously, and asked, “Qu'est-ce que tu fais ici?” What are you doing here?

She smiled broadly. Now would be the perfect time to be the dumb American tourist. No problem. Which actually, considering what I’ve been up to, isn’t that far from the truth. She tittered. “I am sorry. I don’t speak French. I got a little lost and I—”

“American?” His eyes narrowed in distaste.

“Yes, I—”

He rolled his eyes, “You’re not supposed to be here. They should’ve told you that out front.” He reached for his radio. “How did you get in?”

She nodded, “Yes. I know. Thank you. I just came in to take a look through the lost and found, and while Monsieur Chevrolet was fetching it for me, I had to use the bathroom. But I got lost—this place is like a maze!—and—”

“You said Monsieur Chevrolet knows you’re here?” he asked, settling his radio back at his hip.

At that moment, Diana looked up and saw a sign across the hallway, clear as day, with the word, Toilettes. She quickly averted her eyes from it and nodded vigorously. “Yes. He generously had gone to fetch the lost and found box for me, and I’d—”