Chapters (117)
- Cover
- Title Page
- Dedication
- Epigraph
- The Cast of Characters
- CHAPTER ONE
- The Recruits
- CHAPTER TWO
- CHAPTER THREE
- CHAPTER FOUR
- CHAPTER FIVE
- CHAPTER SIX
- CHAPTER SEVEN
- CHAPTER EIGHT
- CHAPTER NINE
- CHAPTER TEN
- CHAPTER ELEVEN
- CHAPTER TWELVE
- CHAPTER THIRTEEN
- CHAPTER FOURTEEN
- CHAPTER FIFTEEN
- CHAPTER SIXTEEN
- The Missions
- CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
- CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
- CHAPTER NINETEEN
- CHAPTER TWENTY
- CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
- CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
- CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
- CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
- CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
- CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
- CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
- CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
- CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
- CHAPTER THIRTY
- CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
- CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
- CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
- CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
- CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
- CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
- CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
- CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
- CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
- CHAPTER FORTY
- CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
- CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
- CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
- CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
- CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
- CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
- CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
- CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
- CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
- CHAPTER FIFTY
- CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
- CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO
- CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE
- CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR
- CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE
- CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX
- CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN
- CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT
- The Game
- CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE
- CHAPTER SIXTY
- CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE
- CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO
- CHAPTER SIXTY-THREE
- CHAPTER SIXTY-FOUR
- CHAPTER SIXTY-FIVE
- CHAPTER SIXTY-SIX
- CHAPTER SIXTY-SEVEN
- CHAPTER SIXTY-EIGHT
- CHAPTER SIXTY-NINE
- CHAPTER SEVENTY
- CHAPTER SEVENTY-ONE
- CHAPTER SEVENTY-TWO
- CHAPTER SEVENTY-THREE
- CHAPTER SEVENTY-FOUR
- CHAPTER SEVENTY-FIVE
- CHAPTER SEVENTY-SIX
- CHAPTER SEVENTY-SEVEN
- CHAPTER SEVENTY-EIGHT
- CHAPTER SEVENTY-NINE
- CHAPTER EIGHTY
- CHAPTER EIGHTY-ONE
- CHAPTER EIGHTY-TWO
- CHAPTER EIGHTY-THREE
- CHAPTER EIGHTY-FOUR
- HOME
- CHAPTER EIGHTY-FIVE
- CHAPTER EIGHTY-SIX
- CHAPTER EIGHTY-SEVEN
- CHAPTER EIGHTY-EIGHT
- CHAPTER EIGHTY-NINE
- CHAPTER NINETY
- CHAPTER NINETY-ONE
- CHAPTER NINETY-TWO
- CHAPTER NINETY-THREE
- CHAPTER NINETY-FOUR
- CHAPTER NINETY-FIVE
- CHAPTER NINETY-SIX
- CHAPTER NINETY-SEVEN
- CHAPTER NINETY-EIGHT
- CHAPTER NINETY-NINE
- CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED
- CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED ONE
- Acknowledgments
- Discover More
- About the Author
- Reading Group Guide
- Discussion Questions
- A Conversation with Leila Meacham
- ALSO BY LEILA MEACHAM
“Your clothes. When they went away.”
“Oh, that’s just my American way of putting things. I meant that they were picked up right away.”
“Picked up? From where? Did they fall to the floor, perhaps?”
“No, what I meant was…oh, forget it. What did you do Saturday?”
“What did I do? First, I rose from my bed, then I went to the toilettes—”
“No! No!” Dirk interrupted impatiently. “I meant what did you do, where did you go to occupy your time for the day?”
Bucky assumed an indignant tone. “Why do you ask, monsieur? Are you interrogating me?”
“No! No!” Dirk threw up his hands, his face flushed with apology. “Not at all. I…was just curious is all. It’s…just always interesting for us Americans to know how Frenchmen enjoy their leisure time.”
“Us? You mean all of you?”
“No, uh, just me, actually. I mean, just me…as your friend…your ami!”
They had arrived at the station. “Monsieur, my train is here. I must bid you adieu or I should be late for work. I wish a good morning to you. Au revoir.”
Squashed between passengers, more alarm bells went off at the sergeant’s interest in his whereabouts Saturday, but Bucky felt the release of at least one source of tension. Dirk Drechsler hadn’t the faintest suspicion that he was an American.
CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE
CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE
The glaring Monday morning headline of Le Temps’ November 2 edition, Paris’s most important daily newspaper, read: FAMOUS AUTHOR FOUND DROWNED IN THE SEINE! Victoria saw the newspaper on the concierge’s counter as she passed through the reception lobby on her way to work and on a sudden hunch paused for a quick glance at the deceased’s name in the page-long article. Beaumont Fournier. A fisherman had drawn up his seaweed-draped body in his net. A sick feeling crept through her. She’d forgotten that the author was in Paris until his name had come up last evening in the dubious company of Colonel Derrick Albrecht. No preliminary examination of the corpse suggested foul play, but an investigation was underway to determine the exact cause of his mysterious death. An autopsy was expected to reveal an aneurysm, but a family member of the deceased had reported having no idea why the author was on the bank of the Seine close enough to fall in, since he disliked the smell of the river and could not swim.