Chapter 4
Plaza Hotel
After checking into his room, Napoleon called Marie. After 2 rings, she answered.
"Bonjour."
"Bonjour, mon ami..."
"Napoleon! Si bon d'entendre ta voix!" (So good to hear your voice again!)"
"And it's good to hear yours, also." He switched to English.
"Are you here?"
"Yes."
"Oh I am so happy! I cannot wait to see you...are you close enough to meet me at the outside café by the Eiffel Tower?"
"When?" He checked his watch. Almost lunchtime.
"Give me an hour?"
"See you in an hour..."
He hung up, and then stood by the window which faced the tower. There was a knock at the door. Had to be Illya.
"Come in..."
"Cowboy...you make contact?"
"Peril... I know we have to be on our toes, but let's not forget that this is a very good friend. I'm here to see what kind of help she needs... I am a bit uncomfortable treating her like an enemy."
"That is why I am here. She is not an enemy until I say she is. "
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Napoleon sat at a table at an outdoor café with a cup of coffee watching people going by. He checked his watch and when he looked up, he saw Marie walking towards him. He hadn't seen her in 15 years, but there was no doubt. She was taller, still thin, with her long brown hair free and blowing in the breeze. She was wearing slacks and shirt, flat shoes, and had a huge purse over her shoulder. As she got closer, she slowed her walk and removed her sunglasses. He stood, smiling. That face never changed, he thought. Suddenly, she began to run towards him and threw herself into his arms. They stayed like this for a few moments.
Illya was at a table within sight of them. He pretended to be reading a paper, but was actually keeping close watch. He had asked Napoleon to wear a device so Illya could listen, but he refused.
After breaking away, Napoleon and Marie sat across from each other. The waitress came by.
"Menu?"
"Non, juste un café, s'il vous plaît."
"You look fabulous, Marie. I'm glad things are going well." They held hands across the table.
"Oh, Napoleon... I am thrilled and apprehensive both at the same time. When I found that secret room, all I thought of was returning something to the poor people who suffered during the war."
The waitress brought her coffee. Napoleon watched as Marie stirred in milk and sugar, and then took a sip. He noticed her hands shake ever so slightly.
"When are you going to show me?"
"Tomorrow? I would like us to have dinner tonight together and catch up. This afternoon I have a group of school children coming to the catacombs. Is that all right with you?"
Just then Illya showed up at their table. He was holding a tour guide, and had a camera hanging from his neck. Typical tourist. He smiled widely (which disturbed Napoleon) and spoke in French.
"Pardon me for the interruption, but I am looking for this Musee Quai Branley anthropological museum?"
He put the tour guide in front of Marie and leaned over her as she spoke. Napoleon couldn't see what his left arm was doing behind her.
"But of course..." Marie began to point and gives Illya directions. He thanked her, nodded to Napoleon, and then walked away. Napoleon tried not to appear irritated, but he just knew Peril planted something on Marie.
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Meanwhile, at a nearby phone booth, a man dialed and waited.
"Yes?" The man who answered spoke in German, as did the caller.
"I have them in sight. They are conversing. A tourist spoke with them..."
"I do not need all that information idiot! Just call when she gives you the signal that she followed our orders!"
"Yes, sir." The man hung up, frustrated at having been spoken to so rudely. He lit a cigarette, and took a seat on a nearby park bench and waited.
They spent an hour reminiscing, laughing, and taking a walk around the park. If Napoleon noticed anything odd, it was that Marie seemed nervous; she kept looking around, her dark brown eyes quickly scanning her surroundings; she fidgeted with her hair, and she kept clasping and unclasping her hands. Definitely signs of someone under stress, he thought. Finally they said their goodbyes, kissing and hugging. Napoleon offered to pick her up for dinner, but she quickly said she would meet him at the Louvre at 8:00.
He watched as she walked away, and he could have sworn he saw her nod to a gentleman sitting on a bench.
'Hmmmm,' he thought, 'perhaps she knows him.' Before Napoleon turned to walk, he noticed the man go into the phone booth.