Rachelle nodded. "Chloe gets it from the Nazis. Anything she can take away from them makes her feel that much more in control of her life."
Was this the opening he'd prayed for? Rachelle sounded like she would be receptive to his request. But Jacob decided to wait for Remy.
Moments later, he clomped down the stairs. Passing close to Jacques, he paused. "You look like a man with something on his mind, Jacques."
"I don't think Chloe should stay here after I leave. My life is dangerous, but I might be able to get her on a plane to England. What do you think?" He waited, careful to keep his expression blank.
Rachelle gasped, turning to her husband with expectation, but Remy hesitated. "Tell me why. You know what they've done to her. I'm not sure she would ever want to live with a man or marry. She has…changed."
Jacob considered his words carefully. "No one that lives through this will come out the same. But time will change the way we look at things. Freedom changes the way we look at things."
"You don't know everything."
"Monsieur Fabius, I don't know any of the people I trust with my life every day, besides the fact that we're all devoted to the cause of freedom. That's our life right now."
"You might be able to deal with her, but can she deal with you…with others? Again, I ask you, Jacob Cohen, why do you want Chloe to go with you?"
"In 1930, I met a young woman named Geli Raubal. We fell in love and married against her family's wishes. She was the half- niece of Adolph Hitler."
They couldn't have been more astonished if he'd said he were the devil himself.
"Even then, Hitler was crazy, and he was in love with Geli. He wanted her for himself so he had our marriage annulled. She was pregnant but hid it from him until it was too late for him to do anything. But the damage was done. Geli was too weak to recover from the pregnancy. She was afraid of Adolph. I was able to save our son, but Geli…killed herself."
Rachelle's eyes filled with tears, and her hands covered her mouth. Jacob recognized the horror on their faces, but Remy was a practical man. "So, you want to save our Chloe. She can't be Geli for you, Jacob."
"That was twelve years ago, and I still remember her. I remember how she looked right before she died, her eyes so like your daughter's, ravaged by pain and disillusionment. I stopped yearning for Geli long ago. Chloe is alive."
Rachelle had let Remy carry the conversation thus far, but her gaze darted between Jacob and Remy. She was practically bursting with questions. Jacob smiled at her and waited. Would she find the courage to speak? At last, she took a deep breath.
"There had to be something that kept you alive, Monsieur Cohen. How have you made it this long?"
"I met a man who told me about Yeshua…Jesus. I believe God has a purpose for each of us…that He sent Yeshua to die for us. I have hope because God places it in my heart each day."
"Our priest told Chloe she wasn't worth redeeming."
"That's not true, Rachelle. If you read the Scripture for yourself, it says, 'For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God.' Jesus came to redeem us all. He won't leave Chloe behind, if she chooses to believe."
"How can you get Chloe out?"
Jacob had won. Rachelle would convince her husband that Chloe was better off with a man that thought she had value than in a town that condemned her.
"I have a solution if you'll agree to it. Remy is the Prefect. He could marry us. I have travel papers. What could be more natural than a newlywed couple traveling?"
"Papan?"
Remy looked from one to the other and nodded. "If Chloe says yes. But you have to promise to keep in touch with us whenever you can. And maybe someday…you could bring her back?"
"You have my word."
With that decided, they all got ready for their day.
Chloe rose early again and placed the rats in the Colonel's office. She had closed the door quietly and stepped down the hall when she heard her name.
"Chloe, what are you doing?"
It was the Colonel. With her heart pounding against her chest, she stopped mid-step. Had he seen her close his door?
Her voice sounded natural to her when she answered him. "I'm doing what I do every morning, going outside to wait for the workers."
She heard the Colonel open his door and held her breath, waiting for his reaction. She had dumped the rats on the top of his desk, hoping they would still be there when the Colonel walked in. His roar of outrage was extremely satisfying.
"Chloe!"
She hurried into his office. "Oui, Colonel, what is it?"
"Those rats are even worse. Get someone in here immediately! I'll go out with the soldiers today. There's no way I can work with rats, or rat catchers, running around my office." He pulled papers off his desk and stuffed them in the safe. "When I return, I want this office spotless. See to it yourself!"
"Oui, Colonel. I will find the rat catcher right now."
Chloe smiled to herself as she hurried out of the castle. It was a small victory, but a victory, nonetheless. When it came to getting the best of the Nazis, she rejoiced in every tiny advance.
In the courtyard, Chloe saw that Jacob waited at the front of the queue of townspeople. She found the light of welcome in his eyes disconcerting and looked away until she reached him. Her voice carried loud enough for the guard and the other workers to hear. "The Colonel wishes you to catch the rats in his office immediately. Would you come this way?"
Jacob followed Chloe into the castle. Though it was tempting to gawk at the impressive, historical edifice, he was supposed to be familiar with the area. He kept his sidelong glances to a minimum. Chloe strode ahead of him as if hurrying to a very important meeting. She neither spoke nor waited for him to catch up as she rounded corners. When they passed a soldier, Jacob noted that Chloe held her head high, probably because of her lowly status as the mistress of the Colonel. Wary of attracting attention to himself, Jacob kept his head level, but his eyes averted. He breathed easy each time they weren't stopped.
When they attained an isolated spot, Jacob's hand reached out for Chloe's. She jerked away, rubbing her palm as if it had been burned. He'd suspected it before, but now he was sure. She didn't like men to touch her, and he couldn't blame her. She'd been used. His offer to take her out of Cachet might not meet with her approval.
She stared up at him, wide-eyed. "What do you want? We should hurry."
"Nothing. Lead on."
When Chloe reached the corridor of the Colonel's office, she paused outside, her ear to the door. When she didn't hear anything, she knocked lightly. There was no response, so she walked inside and closed the door behind them. She kept her voice low as she explained their situation. "The Colonel was furious at the rats I left on his desk and said that I was to get you immediately. He grabbed his papers and put them in the safe." She walked over to the wall and moved aside a painting, revealing the safe.
"Where is he? When will he be back?"
"He's with the 'search and destroy' soldiers because he couldn't get anything done. I have no idea how long he'll remain away." She shrugged. "He could also send men up here to check on our activity throughout the day."
"Then I'll have to act as if I have only minutes to get out of here."
As Jacob slid off the false bottom of the lunch kit he'd adapted the night before, he felt Chloe's eyes on him. After years of practice, he was accustomed to working under scrutiny. He pulled out the materials he needed to break open the safe and glanced at Chloe. She watched every move he made. If only she showed as much interest in him when he wasn't acting as a spy.
"Can you watch outside in the hallway?" he asked her.
She walked to the door but looked back at him. "What do I say if someone comes?"
"Tell them you're waiting for the rat catcher to finish catching the rats before you clean the Colonel's office. But don't wait until you see them to warn me. When you hear someone approaching, back up against the door with your heel. That way I'll know to hide what I'm work
ing on." She nodded at him with such confidence that his heart fluttered. "And be careful, Chloe. Don't take risks on my account."
She slipped out the door, and Jacob began work on the safe's lock. When he vacated this room, it had to appear as if nothing had been moved, so he was careful to leave no marks on the safe.
Once it hung open, he memorized the position of each item inside then pulled out the contents. For most spies in the Resistance, reading what they found would be impossible. Very few read German. Jacob glanced at the papers, not wasting time on those that weren't useful. On the top of the stack he found a gold-mine of information, complete with the projected date of the take-over of the Unoccupied Zone and the routes of the different German units. November 11th was the big day. With this information, the Resistance could avoid detection and set up a few roadblocks.
He took out his matchbox camera and photographed the documents, including various communiqués from Berlin that were probably coded. He also discovered a list of shipping dates for Nazi supplies to travel down the Saone. He had to stop those barges from reaching their destination. He took picture after picture, thrilled when he found a personal letter describing the location and strength of certain German forces. The author complained about the lack of manpower at his command. This new information would prove priceless to England and the Resistance.
At the bottom lay a catalog. He flipped quickly through its pages. This was Colonel Vott's inventory of all the weapons and ammunition held in the chateau, enough firepower to man every civilian in the Unoccupied Zone. Unfortunately, it would be blown up with the rest of the castle. At least the Nazis wouldn't get their hands on it, and it might seriously hamper their efforts on November 11th when the troops came for supplies and found them blown to bits.
Jacob returned it to the safe and reached for the other papers. As he stacked them in their proper order, he heard the smack of Chloe's heels against the door. He hurriedly stuffed the remaining sheets of paper inside the safe. His hands remained steady as he verified the position of everything in the safe then closed the door. He pushed the painting back in place and took a lightning glance around the room.
From the hallway, he heard Chloe's voice. "The rat catcher is inside now."
His breath seized in his throat when he caught sight of his matchbox on the corner of the desk. The camera was concealed, but what if someone picked it up thinking it was a real matchbox?
The office door creaked open. He had no choice but to unbolt the lunch pail and hold a struggling rat in the air as if he had just captured it.
"Non, non," he cried. "Shut the door or you will let out all the rats!"
The soldier took one look at the dangling rat and slammed the door shut. Jacob threw the rat back in the pail with the others and grabbed his matchbox. He stood perfectly still, straining to hear any further evidence of soldiers in the hall, but there wasn't a sound. He tiptoed to the door, put his ear against it then stood stock-still. Several sheets of crumpled paper lay in the waste can. He reached inside and pulled out a coded message and its translation.
Could it be real? What he held in his hands was priceless. The Colonel had been careless indeed. Jacob had never heard of such a sloppy Nazi officer. It revealed a definite leak in the Resistance and the date they expected to capture area Resistance members. The informant was identified as a number.
Jacob stuffed the papers in the false bottom of his lunch pail and opened the door. He hadn't seen a single rat in the Colonel's office. Likely, they all escaped through cracks in the castle walls. Remy had assured him that, being field rats, they would return to the fields.
When Jacob left the office, he found Chloe waiting outside alongside the soldier.
"Are you finished?"
Jacob held up his lunch kit and grinned. "Mais oui."
"You will leave." The soldier accompanied them to the door of the castle then handed them over to the guard on duty. With the Colonel away for the day, the soldiers acted more carefully.
The guard demanded to see Jacob's lunch pail, but Jacob protested loudly. "Non, you don't want to do that. It's a bad idea."
The guard insisted, grabbing the case out of Jacob's hands. When he opened the lid, out popped several rats. He nearly dropped it, but Jacob was quick to recover the case.
"See what you've done. I'll have to start over, and when the Colonel returns, I'll tell him why I haven't finished the job."
The soldier's eyes held real fear as he bid Jacob to go back in the chateau and look for more rats.
When the doors closed behind him, Jacob glanced at Chloe and shrugged. "Where to?"
"I have to inspect the Colonel's office."
Chloe led him once again to the office, and he watched her as she searched the room for any sign of rats.
With the desk and floor swept clear, she turned to Jacob. "Are you ready for some lunch?"
He smiled. "Always."
"Bien. Maman traded days with another worker in the kitchen in case..."
"In case anything went wrong."
"Oui."
They made their way to the kitchen and found Rachelle busily cooking for the soldiers. She prepared two extra plates for them, and they managed to convey that all had gone well. For the next few minutes, they ate in silence in the corner of the pantry as Nazi soldiers walked to and fro. It offered no opportunity for conversation, especially the conversation Jacob wanted to have. Thus far, he'd never had a chance to speak to Chloe without others around. Had she arranged that on purpose so she didn't have to speak to him herself?
When they left the kitchen, she traveled the route most used by the soldiers. Jacob followed behind her, taking care never to look the men in the eye. He didn't want some Nazi to assume he was being challenged by a farm hand. Eventually, their path opened on the other side of the chateau near the canal locks. Chloe tossed her head in that general direction and slowed for a soldier to pass. Jacob squeezed her arm to indicate he needed to speak with her. She gave a small nod and turned back to a long hallway. At last, they were completely alone.
She faced him with her hands on her hips. "What is it?"
"I have to set the charges on the walls of this castle, and I have to do it in exactly the right places. They can't be found accidentally, or we'll all be in danger, as will the other teams that I'm assisting. By the way, do you know where they keep their ammunition?"
"Oui, it's the most heavily guarded place in the castle. In the wine cellar, but there are guards posted at all times. You couldn't possibly get inside."
"I don't need to. I just need the location so I can blow it up."
She stared up at him for several seconds, her eyes troubled. What could she be thinking? When she spoke, it wasn't what he expected at all.
"I need a favor."
"What do you want? I won't give you a gun if that's it."
She glared at him. "Non, but if it was, I don't see the problem."
"Can we discuss that later? What do you need? Time is passing much too quickly for my taste. The Colonel will return, and I have to be out of the castle."
Chloe sighed. "You'll have to come and see. Hurry."
She turned and almost ran through the castle. When she stopped before a door, Jacob was completely lost.
"This is my room." She flung open the door, waited for Jacob to enter then locked it behind them.
He waited as she walked across the spacious room past a large, four-poster bed and to a closet door. She opened it and slid the clothes away from the back.
"Come on."
Jacob followed her inside the closet and watched in fascination as Chloe pushed a stone on the side of the wall. He jumped when the back wall swung away to reveal a hidden room full of paintings, jeweled tiaras, and various other works of art.
"What in the world…"
"These are the more valuable treasures from the castle museum. If you blow it up, everything Madame worked so hard to save will be lost."
She had no idea what an appealing pictur
e she made as she stared breathlessly up at him, eyes full of hope. A pleading Chloe had a curious effect on Jacob, and he alone could help her.
His gut clenched. In his mind, there was no question. "Are you asking me to choose between the lives of my comrades and these relics, not to mention the damage we'll be doing the Nazis?"
Chloe raised her nose. She could have been the patroness of the chateau herself. "Those relics are priceless."
Then her demeanor changed so quickly Jacob didn't have time to put a barrier over his heart. Her voice became coaxing. "Jacques, I honestly don't expect you to give up your mission. I'd rather kill one German than save a million jewels. But if you can save this section of the chateau, I…I thought you'd want to know."
Jacob stared at her. That little girl voice was so at odds with the worldly, woman façade the Colonel had given her. He was thankful he'd had the opportunity to see past it. Had she forgotten he was German? He watched the emotions as they chased across her face.
"You want to kill a German, Chloe?"
"More than anything."
Jacob took a deep breath, and inhaled the expensive perfume she wore. He leaned into her face. "I'm a German. Would that make you happy? You could kill me right now."
Distress flickered across her face, and Jacob hoped. If she could regret what she'd said, then her heart wasn't so far gone.
She jerked away. "I didn't mean just any German, I meant a Nazi. There's one at the top of my list."
"The Colonel?" Jacob really didn't have to ask. Colonel Vott had hurt Chloe, probably more than she had ever thought a person could be hurt.
"Oui. Would this be a good time to tell me why you find it impossible to give me a gun?"
Jacob tried to reach for her, but she purposely backed away.
"Chloe, I've had my share of rage against the Nazis, and if the British hadn't taught me how to focus on what's at stake, I would probably have died long ago. Seeking revenge against one person prevents you from doing the most damage to the whole lot of them. I can't give you a gun when you look at Vott as your prime target."
"I see. If you want to set your bombs, you better do it."
Jacob stepped toward her. He wanted to hold this girl until all her pain disappeared, but she wanted nothing from him but a gun.
All Things New Page 10
