Perhaps she was wrong, she decided, as the call went straight to voice mail. Elizabeth had turned her phone off, as she was probably having an early night. It was completely understandable, thought Lucy. Her daughter was probably tired after all that walking, too. Or maybe she’d just forgotten to charge it. Kids were like that.

Lucy opened the fridge, intending to have a glass of milk, but the container was almost empty, with only enough for Bill and the others who took milk with their morning coffee. She personally didn’t see the point of diluting coffee with milk, but she wasn’t about to deprive anyone of their favorite morning beverage. She shut the refrigerator door, wishing there was some way she could reassure herself that Elizabeth was safe, but the Métro slowdown meant she’d have to walk. On the other hand, she realized, she wasn’t going to get to sleep anytime soon. A stroll in the night air might be just what she needed, and if it took her clear across town to Elizabeth’s apartment, so much the better.

Since they didn’t have a room of their own with an armoire, Lucy and Bill had stashed their suitcases in their bathroom, which made it easy for Lucy to throw on some clothes without disturbing anyone. Before she knew it, she was down the stairs and in the moonlit courtyard, where she spied several bicycles neatly stored in a rack.

Considering the French fondness for locks of all kinds, she expected the bikes to be secured, but when she took a closer look, she found no restraints of any kind. Weird, but lucky for her, she decided, rolling one of the bikes across the cobblestoned courtyard and out to the street. She was just borrowing it. She’d put it back exactly where she found it.

It was great fun riding through the empty streets of Paris—well, not exactly empty, but the traffic was much lighter than during the day. The sidewalks were broad, and she tried to stay on them as much as possible, carefully avoiding the few pedestrians she encountered. The Métro slowdown had done her a favor, she decided, guessing that most people were staying home.

As she zipped through the dark streets, feeling free and rather giddy, she almost forgot the purpose of her midnight excursion. A speeding police car with flashing blue lights was a stark reminder, and she bent lower over the handlebars and pedaled harder, with new determination.

Finally arriving at Elizabeth’s street, she looked up at the dormer windows of her daughter’s apartment and found them glowing with light. Good. Elizabeth was awake. She rang the buzzer but, receiving no reply, grew anxious. She rang again. This time Elizabeth’s voice came over the intercom.

“Oui?”

“It’s Mom,” said Lucy. “I just wanted to make sure you’re okay.”

There was a long pause. “I am. I’m fine.”