Chapter 36 Cassie #2
Out of the corner of my eye, I watched the German. His head was still bowed over the document, but I thought that he was also looking at us. Or was I just being paranoid?
We got to the corner, and turned. ‘Let’s go faster,’ I said to Guy. ‘Just in case.’
We hurried along, round another corner where there was a tiny side road, so narrow I doubted a car could fit down there.
‘It’s along here,’ said Guy.
‘Wait,’ I said. I didn’t want us to get cornered down that alleyway. It reminded me of the cut-throughs in Lisbon. I checked there was a way out at the far end, and made sure we weren’t being followed, and then I nodded. ‘Go on,’ I said.
He led the way down the street about halfway, to where a small wooden door sat above two stone steps.
‘Here.’ He tried the door, but it wouldn’t open.
‘Should have brought Henry,’ I muttered. ‘He could have picked the lock.’
But Guy was standing back and gazing at the door.
He seemed to be counting something. Then he went forward again and with his fingertips, eased out a brick near the top of the door frame.
‘Can you …’ he asked, struggling to hold the brick with one hand.
I took it from him and watched as he stuck his fingers into the gap and pulled out a key.
‘How on earth?’ I was astonished.
‘Alain told me,’ he said. ‘There’s always a way into a safe house.’
‘Not very safe,’ I pointed out.
Guy didn’t answer. He unlocked the door then he put the key back into the hole and I replaced the brick. This time the door opened with ease, and we went inside, flipping the latch to lock it behind us.
We were in a narrow hallway. There was a small living area to one side, a kitchen in front of us, and I assumed a bedroom through the next door.
‘Alain?’ Guy called. ‘Alain?’
There was no reply. We went in each room but there was no sign of life. The kitchen had no food in it, there was dust in the living area and in the bedroom, the mattress was bare.
‘There’s no one here,’ I said eventually. ‘I’m really sorry, Guy.’
He lifted his chin. ‘It was unlikely.’
‘You can come to Lisbon with us.’
‘Yes.’ He sighed. ‘I just needed to see for myself.’ His voice shook, but he kept looking up. ‘It seems Frances was right. I’ve been a fool.’
I reached out and touched his arm briefly. ‘We’ve all made mistakes.’
Together we left everything as we’d found it and – carefully – let ourselves out into the street.
We locked the door then we walked back to the library.
Guy took us a longer way back, which meant we didn’t have to walk past the building opposite.
We came down the other end of the road, and then he led me through a metal gate into a narrow passage, past some bins, through another gate marked ‘entrée interdite’ – no entry – which Guy ignored.
Eventually we came out into the library’s courtyard.
I was impressed and I said so.
‘Alain knows every short cut,’ Guy said, unsmiling.
We let ourselves back into the library, and I pulled the headscarf off and straightened my wig. Down in the basement, everyone was almost ready to go.
‘Where have you been?’ Archie asked me.
‘Just helping Guy with something,’ I said. ‘He’s going to come to Lisbon with us.’
Frances caught my eye and nodded. ‘That’s a good idea,’ she said. She put her hand on Guy’s arm. ‘I’m glad.’
He didn’t reply.
‘Are we all set?’ Archie said. He cast an eye round the room. ‘I can’t see anything that would alert Nazis to anyone having been living here.’
‘No, all clear,’ agreed Henry.
‘Guy and I saw a couple of Germans outside,’ I told everyone. ‘They had plans I think, and they were looking at the library building. Are there Nazi architects?’
‘They have every kind of expert you can imagine,’ said Archie. ‘I don’t doubt they have architects too.’
‘We should be cautious as we leave,’ Henry said. ‘If there are Germans around.’
‘Guy knows a back way,’ I said. ‘You can lead the way, can’t you, Guy?’
He nodded.
‘Then let’s go,’ said Archie.
But as we all readied ourselves to leave, there were voices above and we heard the door down to the cellar open. We froze and, directed by Archie, shuffled backwards into the room, and shut the door.
Archie and Henry stood either side of the room, their guns trained on the door. I stood in between them doing the same. Lara took charge of the others, putting her finger to her lips and standing with them in a huddle.
We heard German voices, a bit of banging and chinking of glass. I listened intently, but I had no idea what was going on, until eventually the voices faded back up the stairs. I looked at Archie who held his hand up, telling us all to wait.
It felt like forever, but eventually he was satisfied everyone was gone. Slowly, he opened the door. There, stacked neatly at the bottom of the stairs were about five or six crates, each containing several bottles.
‘Wine,’ said Frances in disgust. ‘It’s wine.’
‘Getting ready for the officials, I suppose,’ I said. ‘For their parties.’
Sylvie snorted. ‘People are starving and they are drinking wine.’
‘Sickening,’ Frances agreed.
Sylvie took one of the bottles out and peered at the label. Archie took it from her and put it back in the crate.
‘We need to go,’ he said.
In single file, with Archie at the helm, we tiptoed up the stone steps to the library. Archie turned the handle and nothing happened.
‘It’s stuck,’ he said.
‘Give it a wiggle,’ Frances said from behind me. ‘It’s a bit temperamental.’
Archie did as she’d said but the door still didn’t open.
‘I think it’s locked?’ he said.
‘Surely not?’ Frances said. She edged up the stairs past us all and tried the door herself. ‘You’re right. They must have locked it from the outside when they left the wine down here.’ She looked down at us, lined up on the steps, and we all looked up at her.
‘Shit,’ said Lara.
‘Henry, can you do your thing?’ Archie asked.
We all shuffled about to let Henry get to the top of the stairs. Just as he’d done when we came into the library, he took out his little toolkit and fiddled about with the lock. We all watched in silence until he straightened up.
‘I think it must be padlocked on the other side,’ he said. ‘I’ve unlocked it, but the door still won’t open.’
Aghast, we all looked at one another.
‘Shit,’ said Lara again.
‘Shh.’ Frances hushed her.
‘The library isn’t open now,’ said Sylvie.
‘No,’ Frances said. She went past Henry and put her ear to the door. ‘But I can hear voices again.’
She listened for a moment and then Archie went up and did the same. Both of them looked worried.
Archie looked at us all, his brow furrowed. ‘I think we’re trapped.’