by R E Swirsky
CHAPTER 29
Monday 10:05 Paris, France
Nathaniel didn’t sleep at all on the plane to Paris. He had no doubt the jet lag would kick in at some point, but for now the coffee and breakfast on the plane was keeping him going. Diane’s reception was much more positive than he had expected at the airport. She met him at the gate, kissed him once—nearly toppling his cowboy hat—and immediately began bombarding him with the details of what she and the girls had been up to over the weekend. She nattered away as they walked through the airport and by the time they were at the baggage pickup area, she was already deep into explaining today’s itinerary with a number of galleries along St. Charles and the surrounding area she had planned to see before dinner. She cut at him once for not paying attention and he apologized, blaming the jet lag he contracted on the sleepless flight over.
A quiet resolve fell over him as he saw the conveyor for the baggage from the Montreal flight had not even been turned on yet. It could be a while before his bags showed. Usually it annoyed him when the delay was long. Not this time. He smiled and nodded at the right times as Diane continued to pollute his brain with information he really couldn’t care less about at the moment. He seized the opportunity with the delay of the bags to excuse himself to use the lavatory.
As soon as he was out of sight from Diane, he called Lucas. It was a long shot that Lucas would still be up, with the time difference putting his call well into the middle of the night back in Canada. As expected, Lucas didn’t pick up. He left no message, deciding a short text would be safer.
On the ground now. Looking for an update.
Nathaniel expected it would be mid-afternoon in Paris before he received any kind of a reply from Lucas. But at least Lucas was on Kaito’s trail and hopefully he hadn’t lost him.
The morning passed quickly as the family visited one of the galleries near their hotel on St. Charles, the first of Diane’s planned activities. When they came out, Nathaniel spotted the cell phone store, Orange, just down the corner. He pulled out his personal phone and pretended to check the signal.
“I’m not sure if my phone even works over here.”
“Maybe you need a different SIM card, Dad,” Meagan said.
“SIM card?” he asked, playing dumb.
His girls both giggled at his apparent lack of cell phone knowledge. “Yeah. You probably need an international card for your phone.”
Nathaniel frowned. “SIM card?”
“Yeah. It’s like a memory card,” Meagan said as she flipped her hair off to the side. “It makes your phone work in different networks and zones.”
“Where would I get one of those?” He pretended to look around and pointed to the cell phone store he’d spotted moments ago. “Maybe that store, Orange? Do you think they have SIM cards?”
Ellen and Meagan giggled again. “It’s Orange. Of course they have SIM cards.”
He feigned a frown and scanned up and down the narrow street. “How about you three grab a coffee and biscuit in that bistro two doors down over there. I’m sure I’ll only be gone a few minutes. And grab me a coffee and an éclair.”
He slipped away through the crowded sidewalk and into the cell phone store. There was nothing wrong with his cell phone or his cell phone plan. He was after a disposable cell phone, and in minutes he had texted both Jack and Lucas with the new number and had the new phone tucked safely away in his inside blazer pocket.
“Did you get it sorted?” Diane asked the when he returned.
“Yes, it’s all fine. Just needed a new SIM card like the girls said. I can talk and text as much as I want now.” He smiled.
