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Back The Frenchman
Chapters (76)
  1. COVER PAGE
  2. ABOUT THE AUTHOR
  3. DEDICATION
  4. AMIN
  5. PARIS
  6. … TWO YEARS LATER
  7. CHAPTER ONE
  8. CHAPTER TWO
  9. CHAPTER THREE
  10. CHAPTER FOUR
  11. CHAPTER FIVE
  12. CHAPTER SIX
  13. CHAPTER SEVEN
  14. CHAPTER EIGHT
  15. CHAPTER NINE
  16. CHAPTER TEN
  17. CHAPTER ELEVEN
  18. CHAPTER TWELVE
  19. CHAPTER THIRTEEN
  20. CHAPTER FOURTEEN
  21. CHAPTER FIFTEEN
  22. CHAPTER SIXTEEN
  23. CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
  24. CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
  25. CHAPTER NINETEEN
  26. CHAPTER TWENTY
  27. CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
  28. CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
  29. CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
  30. CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
  31. CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
  32. CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
  33. CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
  34. CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
  35. CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
  36. CHAPTER THIRTY
  37. CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
  38. CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
  39. CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
  40. CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
  41. CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
  42. CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
  43. CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
  44. CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
  45. CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
  46. CHAPTER FORTY
  47. CHAPTER FORTY-ONE
  48. CHAPTER FORTY-TWO
  49. CHAPTER FORTY-THREE
  50. CHAPTER FORTY-FOUR
  51. CHAPTER FORTY-FIVE
  52. CHAPTER FORTY-SIX
  53. CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
  54. CHAPTER FORTY-EIGHT
  55. CHAPTER FORTY-NINE
  56. CHAPTER FIFTY
  57. CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE
  58. CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO
  59. CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE
  60. CHAPTER FIFTY-FOUR
  61. CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE
  62. CHAPTER FIFTY-SIX
  63. CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN
  64. CHAPTER FIFTY-EIGHT
  65. CHAPTER FIFTY-NINE
  66. CHAPTER SIXTY
  67. CHAPTER SIXTY-ONE
  68. CHAPTER SIXTY-TWO
  69. CHAPTER SIXTY-THREE
  70. CHAPTER SIXTY-FOUR
  71. CHAPTER SIXTY-FIVE
  72. CHAPTER SIXTY-SIX
  73. CHAPTER SIXTY-SEVEN
  74. CHAPTER SIXTY-EIGHT
  75. CHAPTER SIXTY-NINE
  76. EPILOGUE

The Thalys train got into Gare du Nord just before 11 a.m. and de Payns walked with the commuters through the famous vaulted concourses. He was mercifully free of a hangover, a fate he wouldn’t guarantee for Raven. She was sloshed by the time he loaded her into a cab and dropped her at her apartment. She was too drunk to make it to the door so he escorted her in and paid off the babysitter.

He had a quick look for followers in the Gare du Nord then ducked down the escalators to the Metro platforms and waited seven minutes for a train south to the Gare d’Austerlitz. As he took his seat in the lightly populated car, his Sébastien Duboscq phone trilled. This was the part of the journey where he’d normally break down the phone in preparation for a change of ID at the safe house. It was Raven.

‘Anoush,’ he said. ‘You’re up early.’

She groaned the groan of a person who’d had one drink too many. ‘Don’t laugh at me. Oh, and thanks for dealing with the babysitter.’

‘No problem,’ said de Payns. ‘You wanted that sofa for a bed.’

They made small talk for a few minutes, and then her tone changed. ‘Some of the things I told you last night, I … I really shouldn’t have.’

‘Don’t worry about that,’ he said. ‘I promised you it wouldn’t go further than me—and I may change jobs shortly, so it’s not of any importance to me. What is important to me is that you gave me your trust, and I’m very touched. Go back to bed and see you in a week.’

He could hear her chewing her lip. ‘Really?’

‘I’m trying to remember exactly what you told me,’ said de Payns, jollying her along. ‘Now you have me all intrigued.’

‘Maybe I’m overreacting,’ she said. ‘I just really shouldn’t talk about him, and now you’ll have to shut up about it.’

‘I understand,’ said de Payns, laughing. ‘Are you okay?’

‘I’m fine, really. But please, forget about last night?’

‘Anoush …’

‘Let’s meet again next week when you’re in Mons. But no mention of this in emails, okay?’

De Payns could almost feel the fear down the line.

She finished the call, and he broke down the phone as they closed on Austerlitz.

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