BooksBarbecue
Back The Double Save as PDF
Chapters (63)
  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. 10
  11. 11
  12. 12
  13. 13
  14. 14
  15. 15
  16. 16
  17. 17
  18. 18
  19. 19
  20. 20
  21. 21
  22. 22
  23. 23
  24. 24
  25. 25
  26. 26
  27. 27
  28. 28
  29. 29
  30. 30
  31. 31
  32. 32
  33. 33
  34. 34
  35. 35
  36. 36
  37. 37
  38. 38
  39. 39
  40. 40
  41. 41
  42. 42
  43. 43
  44. 44
  45. 45
  46. 46
  47. 47
  48. 48
  49. 49
  50. 50
  51. 51
  52. 52
  53. 53
  54. 54
  55. 55
  56. 56
  57. 57
  58. 58
  59. 59
  60. 60
  61. 61
  62. 62
  63. Acknowledgements

A final peep through the shutters satisfied him that the coast was clear. The snow had all but stopped and only a few flakes drifted through the air. He pushed her ahead of him out the door. No one was about, but through the trees he could sense several pairs of eyes watching him. He charged ahead and together they stumbled in the direction of the main gate.

58

Amongst the dense stand of trees not a soul was in sight. Where was everyone? The clinic must be in lockdown, with strict orders for everyone to keep indoors. By the time they reached the gate, Vidor’s hands ached with the cold. When he turned the handle, it sprang open. So far, so good. Vidor sucked air into his aching lungs and hustled Hélène through to the other side.

‘Stop, please.’ She gasped in the freezing air. ‘Let me catch my breath.’

‘There’s no time.’ He scanned the horizon. ‘We have to catch the train.’

The funicular was no more than fifty metres away, but it felt much further as Vidor hurried Hélène along. He was sorry to have involved her, but it couldn’t be helped. Didn’t she understand she was his only chance at freedom? In recent days, he’d begun to feel a certain fondness towards her, in spite of her loony ways, but that was over now. She would never forgive him, not after this.

The funicular operator stepped out of his hut, his weathered face impassive, though his black eyes swept their faces with an air of mistrust. He showed no sign of surprise at the sight of them, bound at the wrist, as they hurried towards him. Gessen must have warned him not to interfere. For the first time since his arrival at the clinic, Vidor felt in charge of his own fate.

The operator closed the doors and started the engine. Vidor held tight to Hélène’s arm as they trundled down the mountain. The sound of the wheels grinding against the rails on the steep incline shredded his nerves. The twenty-minute ride felt like an eternity. At the bottom of the hill, the operator opened the door and stood aside, but before Vidor could step out, the man fixed him with a hard stare. Two coal-black eyes in a craggy face. ‘Attention, monsieur. This will not end well for you.’