‘Jusqu'à ce que nous nous réunissions de nouveau.’
‘Yes, my friend. Until we meet again.’
Guillaume was in his car with the engine running and the doors open. Mitch kissed Eleanor goodbye, grabbed Claire’s hand, and together they ran out of the château and down the steps. No sooner had they jumped into the car than Guillaume put his foot on the accelerator. Eleanor, from her wheelchair at the top of the steps, lifted the sheet of note paper that Claire had given her with one hand and blew kisses with the other.
Claire opened the window and waved back. ‘Thanks for everything. See you at the trial.’
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
‘How did you find out Beckman was at your father’s house?’
‘I telephoned Commander Landry to tell him you had documents that would prove my innocence and that Puel was really Heinrich Beckman, and he already knew.’
‘He did?’
‘Yes. He said you sent him a telegram.’
‘I wrote a telegram, and I tried to send it, but the guy in the post office had shut shop for the day and wouldn’t open up for me. I pushed it through the letterbox and when he ignored it, I called him a bastard and kicked the door.’ She bit her bottom lip. ‘He must have come back, looked at the address, and because it was an RAF aerodrome realised its importance.’
‘Thank God he did.’ Mitch sighed. Claire looked at her husband. He had dark circles under his eyes and his face was set in a heavy frown.
‘How did the commander find out Beckman was keeping your parents prisoner?’
‘Dad rang our house, on Beckman’s orders. I expect Beckman blames me for the situation he’s now in. Anyway, when Dad couldn’t get hold of me he rang Grandma Esther and asked her if she knew where I was. She said she didn’t, but could find out, and asked Dad to telephone her again the next day. She knew from your phone call that I was in France, but she didn’t know how to get in touch with me, so she had no choice but to telephone the commander and tell him what was going on in Canada.’
‘Thank God she did.’
‘Landry said when he got your telegram, he contacted the War Crimes Committee. They gave him Guillaume’s telephone number and the rest you know.’
Claire nodded, then smiled at Guillaume Cheval who was looking at her in the reverse mirror. ‘Where are we going, Guillaume?’ she asked, when they turned right at a T-junction that was signposted Paris left.
‘To the hotel to pick up your suitcases and from there to Orly Airport. There’s a Trans-Canada Airlines flight at five-twenty to Montréal.’
Alain looked at his watch. ‘We’re cutting it fine. Will we make it?’
‘We should. But, if you miss the Trans flight, there’s a Canadian Pacific plane due out at 6.30. Both planes have to refuel in Northern Ireland and again in the USA, so...
‘When you land in Montréal you’ll be met by Canadian military intelligence. The Chief of Police may, or may not, be there. It depends on the situation at your parent’s house as to whether Chief Jacobs will be at your hotel when you arrive. He might leave it until the morning. You’ll be taken to the hotel, where someone will brief you. Have something to eat and I suggest you have an early night. It may be the last night’s sleep you have for a while. Negotiations in these kinds of situations can take a long time. In the morning, you will be taken to your father’s house.’
‘And Claire? What time does she leave?’
‘Not sure. I’m sorry, Claire, there wasn’t time to organise a flight for you. There is a plane to London-Croydon this evening, at around eight o’clock. We’ll book you a seat as soon as we’ve seen Alain off. Commander Landry has already dispatched a car to collect you. One of his officers will meet you from the plane and drive you to Oxford.’
‘I’m going to Canada with my husband,’ Claire said to Cheval’s reflection in the reversing mirror. ‘I’m going to Canada!’ she said again, this time to Mitch.
‘Honey, it’s too dangerous. I need to know that you and Aimée are at home and safe. If anything should happen to me--’
‘Nothing is going to happen to you.’ Mitch took hold of Claire’s hand. ‘No, Mitch!’ She snatched her hand away. ‘I promised Aimée I would find you and I would bring you home, and that is what I am going to do!’
‘But if we are both--’
‘Stop it! Nothing will happen to either of us, because I intend to keep my promise to our daughter!’
Claire was first through the door of Le Petit Château Hotel, and first to reach reception. She was not going to be left behind in France or sent back to England, she was going to Canada. Mitch would need her, and she needed to be with him. When the manager appeared, Claire asked for the keys to both their rooms. When she was given them, she passed them to Mitch. ‘My suitcase, as you know, is already packed and is just inside my room. When you have packed your case pick mine up. I’ll pay our bills. Don’t be long,’ she called after him, ‘I’ll see you in the car.’
Claire, a worried expression on her face, explained to Thomas’s old Resistance friend that she and her husband had been called back to London because her mother had been taken ill. Sympathetic to Claire’s plight, he didn’t ask her to pay for the coming night, or the following night, which she had only booked that morning.
Claire paid, thanked the man for his kindness and hightailed it out of there to Guillaume Cheval who was waiting in the
