Chapter 8

It was with a morbid curiosity that Yvonne watched Viktor Laszlo as he strolled into Rick's that night. She recognized him from his many newspaper photos. Laszlo wasn't a stunningly handsome man, but his carriage was erect, his confident was palpable, and even from this distance, the intelligence and cool intensity of his eyes was evident.

With him was perhaps the most beautiful woman Yvonne had ever laid eyes on, but like Laszlo's good looks, the beauty of this woman was quiet, understated and confident. She wore a ruffled blouse of gold with a wine-colored belt.

Rick personally greeted them near the door and after a few pleasantries, Rick had Paul seat them at a table near Sam. He whispered something to his piano player, who looked surprised and then reluctantly began to play the old Rudy Vallée hit "As Time Goes By." With that, Rick retreated into the back room.

Yvonne sipped her champagne and tried to ignore the Germans as they grew ever more drunk and ever more loud. But they were the Masters of Europe and of North Africa. Why shouldn't they get intoxicated and obnoxious if they wanted?

Time passed.

Rick appeared again at the door to the back room. As Yvonne watched, a painfully young brunette crept into his arms and planted a kiss his neck. He freed himself from her grip and guided her back the way she had come. Then he strolled back into the main room, followed by a doting Karl.

"More champagne?" asked von Koln, filling Yvonne's glass for her without waiting for an answer. He grinned wolfishly with a face flushed with alcohol. His perfect hair was getting mussed. Then he frowned. "Are you still crying?"

She shook her head.

"Your face is a mess," von Koln chided. "May I suggest you retire to the ladies' room and make repairs?"

Obediently, she stood and did what he said. In truth, it was a welcome relief to get a respite from stench of the Reich. But she had to be nice to von Koln. Only he could intercept the order that would otherwise snuff out her brother's life.

Yvonne had fixed her face was applying cool water to the back of her neck when the lady in the gold blouse came in. "Good evening, Yvonne," she said in a gentle voice.

"Have we met?"

The lady's smile had a hint of wistfulness in it. "No. But we of the resistance have our sources of information too." She hesitated but then held out a white envelope. "Viktor Laszlo wants me to give this to you, with his deepest regrets. And you have my regrets as well."

Yvonne took the envelope and studied the lady's face.

"Read it. It's important."

Yvonne opened the envelope and extracted the two pages. A glance showed it was a death certificate, written in German. Her blood froze. Her eyes scrambled around the document. The name of the decedent was her brother's. No, no, no! The vital descriptions were his, except the weight was far too little. The cause of death, a skull fracture. The date of death, three and a half months earlier! Yvonne stumbled backwards into a washbasin. Only it kept her from falling.