One Shot Kill - Robert Muchamore Page 0,72

tucked into her jacket to Paul and walked the last stretch on her own.

‘This way,’ Justin whispered, giving Rosie a fright as she got within twenty paces of his house.

‘Something wrong?’ Rosie asked, as she glanced about suspiciously. ‘Did you get the packet?’

He nodded. ‘Got ’em fine, but I didn’t realise my mum was off work today. If she sees you she’ll wring my neck.’

Justin led Rosie up to a battered tin shed in the garden of a cottage two doors from his own.

‘Don’t sweat,’ Justin said. ‘People see me here all the time.’

Rosie understood when Justin opened a tin shed stacked high with sacks of coal.

‘I stash the coal here, ’cos it’s the butcher’s house and nobody messes with him,’ Justin explained. ‘He gets free coal and I don’t have to worry about people nicking my stock.’

‘Clever,’ Rosie said. ‘You’re quite the businessman. I bet you’re gonna end up running your own factory some day.’

Justin smiled as he pulled out a sack about one third full. He held it open, showing Rosie the document case inside.

‘Just be sure to wipe all the coal dust off before you unzip it. It’s all in there. Fifteen blank forms, and three rubber stamps.’

‘Fifteen?’ Rosie said.

Justin shrugged. ‘Spares I guess, in case you mess one up.’

‘Makes sense,’ Rosie said, as she pulled an envelope out of her jacket. ‘Henderson asked me to give you this, in thanks for all you’ve done. It’s a thousand francs, plus two gold ingots.’

‘Gold?’ Justin said, as he peeked into the envelope and smiled at the money.

‘Currency is nothing more than toilet paper in a crisis,’ Rosie explained. ‘Gold is always worth something, because you can’t make any more of it.’

Justin smiled as he took the envelope, but his eyes looked sad. ‘You’re sure there’s nothing I can do tonight?’

‘You’ve more than done your bit, mate,’ Rosie said. ‘If it wasn’t for you, Edith would be dead. We’d never have met Dr Blanc and found out about the bunker. And you introduced me to Jean and Didier, who’ve been brilliant forest guides.’

‘Are those two still going to Paris with you?’

Rosie nodded. ‘They’re on the run and the forest is likely to be crawling with Germans if the bunker gets blown up. We’ve fixed up new identities and medical exemption certificates so they can’t be sent to Germany.’

‘I’ll probably never see you again,’ Justin said, as a tear welled in his eye.

He was such a smart, resourceful character that you only remembered his age when something like this happened.

‘I wish I could carry on helping,’ Justin sniffed. ‘I want to be a proper member of the resistance, like you or Sam.’

‘We know where you are if we need you,’ Rosie said. ‘But your real job is to look out for your mum and your sisters. Be careful when you’re crawling around on trains in the dark, and be sensible with that money. People will ask where it came from if you start splashing out, and it’s going to be a long, hungry winter so you have to make it last.’

‘I’ll be sensible,’ Justin agreed.

‘If tonight’s a success, I’d bet this raid will be world famous,’ Rosie said. ‘They might even pin a medal on you after the war.’

Justin still felt really sad, but raised one cheeky eyebrow. ‘You try not to get yourself killed.’

‘I’ll do my best,’ Rosie said, as she grabbed the coal sack. ‘See you at the medal ceremony.’

‘Buckingham Palace or Château de Versailles?’ Justin asked.

‘Both, I reckon,’ Rosie laughed.

Rosie was glad she’d cheered Justin up, but felt anxious about the mission as she walked away.

‘Something the matter?’ Paul asked, catching his sister’s expression when they met up again.

‘Did he not get them?’ Edith added.

‘It’s all fine,’ Rosie said. ‘I was just thinking about something.’

‘Right,’ Edith said, sighing with relief. ‘I’ll walk across to the station. My train to Rennes is due soon. When I make contact, I’ll tell Ghost that we got the documents and everything’s set for tonight.’

‘I’ll let everyone back at the house know Justin got the new documents,’ Paul said, as he gave Rosie her pistol back. ‘Goldberg and Luc should be there getting the locator beacon and sniper equipment ready by the time I get back. And you’re sure you don’t fancy popping back to cook our lunch?’

‘I’m sure the six of you won’t starve without my cooking for one day,’ Rosie said, narrowing her eyes slightly. Paul regarded his comment as a joke, but Rosie resented the way that she always