The Room on Rue Amélie(27)

“But surely none of you would betray the others.”

“Of course that’s the hope. But the Nazis use torture. Who knows who might break under that kind of pressure? And besides, there’s always the possibility of the line being infiltrated by a spy.”

“If it’s that dangerous, why are you doing it?”

“I have to. I can’t just sit back and let the Germans win.”

Ruby waited until his eyes met hers. “That’s exactly how I feel, Marcel. You must let me help.”

“Let me take care of the pilot first, all right? We can talk in the morning.”

“Is that a promise?”

He held her gaze. “It’s a promise. Now go to bed.”

“Fine.” She had the sense he actually meant what he was saying. And he was right; the squabble between them could wait. Dexter was the priority now. “Please tell him good-bye for me. Good-bye and Godspeed.”

“Who?” Marcel looked puzzled.

“The pilot. Dexter. He’s a nice man, and he deserves to live.”

Marcel nodded, and then he slipped back out the apartment door. Ruby watched through the peephole as he opened the closet and helped Dexter out. As they headed for the stairs, she saw Dexter look back once with the shadow of a smile on his face.

Marcel didn’t look back at all.



THREE DAYS LATER, MARCEL STILL hadn’t returned, and the bad feeling in the pit of Ruby’s stomach was growing worse with every passing hour. He had promised they’d talk the next day, so she knew he had intended to come back. Still, she reminded herself that something could have come up. He could have been forced to hide, or perhaps to take the pilot farther along the escape line than he had anticipated. Ruby didn’t know how it all worked.

When there was a knock at the door just past noon on the third day, Ruby knew it would be about Marcel. She peered into the hallway, saw Aubert standing there, and opened the door slowly.

“Hello, Ruby.” His eyes were bloodshot, his clothes dirty.

“Come in, Aubert,” she said. “Marcel isn’t here.”

“I know.” He followed her inside and waited until she locked the door behind him. “I have some news.”

“Something happened to Marcel, didn’t it?”

Aubert stared at her. “Ruby, he and I were working together on . . . something. Something important.”

“You were helping him with the escape line,” she said softly. It was so obvious now.

“He mentioned he’d told you.” Aubert took a deep breath. “I can’t say I approve.”

“Aubert, what happened?”

“Marcel has been—” He stopped abruptly and glanced at Ruby, then at the floor. “Marcel was captured.”

“What?”

“The Germans, Ruby. They caught him escorting the British pilot you kept here. The safe house Marcel took him to had been compromised.”

Neither of them said anything for a moment, and the only sound was the ticking of the clock on the wall. “All right,” Ruby said finally. “So we’ll get him out. Surely there’s a way.”

“Ruby—”

“And in the meantime, I’ll help. I protected this pilot, didn’t I? I can do it for others until he gets back. Ask him. He’ll tell you.”

“Ruby, I’m afraid you’re misunderstanding me. Marcel isn’t in prison.”

“Oh no. Was he put on one of those transports to the east?” Ruby had just begun to hear about political prisoners being shipped out of France to camps in Germany. It would be harder to retrieve him from there, but she had faith in the network. After all, if they managed to return pilots to Britain, surely they could rescue one of their own.

“No.” Aubert twisted his cap. “They—Ruby, the Germans shot him. He’s dead.”

Silence fell. “Dead?” Ruby whispered. “What about the pilot?”

“What?”

“What happened to the pilot? Is he dead too?”

“Er, no. He’s been sent to Germany. To a POW camp.”

“But they killed Marcel?”

“There are different rules for POWs and those they view as traitors. When Marcel wouldn’t give anything up, they decided to make an example of him. He was a good man, Ruby.”

Ruby looked at the floor for a while, processing what Aubert was telling her. If only she’d figured out something to do with the airman herself. Could she have spared Marcel? Had it been her own inaction that cost him his life?

“Ruby?” Aubert’s voice cut into her thoughts.

She looked up, breathless but suddenly as clearheaded as she’d ever been. “I must help. I must take over Marcel’s work on the line.”

“No, Ruby. That’s impossible. I can’t put you in that sort of danger.”

“Marcel said he’d let me help. Before he left.”

“No. Absolutely not. I couldn’t put you in danger. I can’t do that to Marcel.”

“Marcel is dead,” Ruby said, more sharply than she intended.

Guilt flickered across Aubert’s face. “I’m still his friend. And he would want me to protect you.”

“It’s not Marcel’s choice. Or yours.”