The man appeared again, tilting his head at me as if listening to a sound I couldn’t hear. He then turned and walked back to the chapel.
Holding my breath, I glanced at the clock.
Green.
I didn’t feel the usual jubilation.
Whoever that girl was, she hadn’t won. The film didn’t show her escaping.
I had the distinct sensation of winning the battle but not the war.
48. Gray
MORNINGS AT THIS REFUGEE CAMP IN Paris were just as chaotic as the nights. Little kids crying and people calling to each other and a general sense of confusion. The fact that I didn’t understand their language, nor that of the host country, only added to my own confusion. I’d fallen back to sleep sometime during the night.
In a sudden panic, I checked for my wallet and passport.
Still all there.
Pulling out fifty euros, I left it on the floor and zipped up the tent.
As I emerged, a bearded man eyed me in surprise, sizing me up, silently questioning me. Who are you? Why are you here if you’re not one of us?
I shot him a tight smile and headed off down the street, feeling bad that I got to walk away.
Sun sparked from a greenish canal, tourists already sitting along it, a couple of them adventurous enough to be splashing about in the water. A sign stated: Canal de l’Ourcq.
Outdoor eateries were beginning to open up, the smell of coffee and hot food making my stomach feel as empty as a canyon.
I bought a full breakfast at a café and ate quickly. My heart tugged as I watched children dart and play around the chairs, sun glinting on their hair. If Evie and I had money, it could have been us here on an overseas trip and Willow and Lilly playing tag. Instead, lack of money had seen the two of us just trying to make it through from week to week. And now we were caught up in a world so dark and dangerous that we might not walk out of it alive.
I needed to talk to my girls. If I didn’t do it now, there might not be another chance. I wanted to make sure they knew why I’d gone.
Locating a public phone, I called home.
Verity answered quickly.
“It’s Gray. I’m sorry, but I had to go.”
“Gray! You’ve got a nerve. What did you—？”
“I’m looking for your daughter.”
“You’re looking for Eveline? Where are you?”
“I’m a long way from there. Can I talk to Willow and Lilly, please?”
“They’re in the yard, playing.”
“Are they okay? How’s Lilly?”
“I don’t need to tell you you’re in serious trouble, do I?”
“I know. I know that.”
She went silent for a moment. Then, “You took my grocery money, Gray.” She was fooling herself calling it her grocery money.
“I’ll pay you back. Every cent.”
“Look, it’s all right. I don’t need it.” Her voice had changed, gone down a few notches in harshness. She sounded almost friendlier, if that was possible for Verity. “Gray, if you will, I’m a little confused with Lilly’s treatment routine. Could you explain the steps to me again?”
“I’m sorry as hell about leaving all that with you. You’d be better off getting that info direct from the doc again—”
“Okay, but right now do you remember what to do with the postural drainage? Lilly’s here patiently waiting for me to start. She’s such a good girl.”
I frowned. “You just said the girls were out playing.”
I exhaled hard as I realised what she was doing. The police were there with her. Right now. They had the phone tapped, and they were indicating to Verity to keep the conversation going. And she knew I’d stay on the line if it was about Lilly’s treatment.
“Tell them I love them,” I breathed, and hung up.
I doubted the police had even needed me to stay on the phone to find out where I was. They could find out locations instantly these days, couldn’t they? And a public phone was a fixed line—the location could be pinpointed. Maybe they wanted Verity to keep me talking in the hope I’d give away information about what I was planning to do. No wonder she’d called her cash-in-hand income her grocery money with the police there listening.
Okay, so the police now knew exactly where I was. I had to keep moving. And I had to look different, somehow.
I stalked the streets, searching for a pharmacy. Luckily, the French word was close to the English: pharmacie. I bought some brown hair dye then headed away to find a pub with a restroom.
Passing up the more popular pubs, I came across one that was looking a bit empty, apart from a few backpackers and elderly men. That was what I needed. I picked out a beer from the menu—a Gavroche. I swilled the fruity, malty beer in my mouth while waiting for the restroom to be vacated. I watched as an old guy stumbled out, slurring a song, and wandered back to the bar.