“It doesn’t make sense,” Gabriel said. “We don’t conduct criminal investigations at the Council. Whatever information Aidan found would only have come to me.”
“All the more reason for us to leave town,” William said. “Do you have access to a private jet? We’ll be more difficult to locate if we stay out of public terminals.”
I’d been slowly descending the stairs even as I eavesdropped on their conversation. By the time William asked about a private plane, I was standing in the doorway of his living room.
“So I gather we’re all going to Paris then,” I said, catching the three men by surprise.
“Olivia,” Gabriel said, jumping up to greet me. “Ça va? Are you OK? Je me suis inquiété de ton santé.”
“I’m OK,” I answered, reaching out to touch Gabriel’s face. His handsome lines had temporarily given way to dozens of small cuts. A small bandage crossed over one of his eyebrows, and a faint bruise clung to the side of his jaw. “How are you?”
“This?” he said, touching his face. “It is nothing, it will heal. It’s you I’m worried about, and your friend Lily, her arm.”
“Where is Lily,” I asked, directing my question to Josef.
“She left a few hours ago at daybreak,” he said. “She said she wanted to see her family. I expect you will hear from her when she is feeling better.”
When had Lily ever left without saying goodbye? She was no doubt horrified that I had nearly gotten her killed, thanks to my escapades. I hung my head for a moment, trying to absorb the magnitude of what had happened.
“I blame myself for all of this,” I blurted out. “Aidan’s death…if I hadn’t pressed him, pressed you about the robbery, none of this would have happened. Where is Elsa? I have to apologize.”
“Elsa’s gone,” Gabriel said. “I assume she jumped back into another time to escape all of this. If she were here, she would have shown up by now.”
“I think she and Aidan were in love,” I said, my voice very low. It was difficult to find the air to speak. My chest felt tight. “She told me they were going to Scotland. I thought maybe they would be married there.”
“Olivia,” Gabriel said sternly. “You must not blame yourself. Aidan was my deputy. I asked him to investigate; he acted on my orders. I have always regarded Nikola and Zoran as buffoons. That was my mistake. I was a fool to be so cavalier and now I have lost one of my greatest friends as punishment for my stupidity, and I put you in harm’s way. Please forgive me.”
“There is nothing to forgive,” I said, feeling too drained to say anything more.
I hobbled over to a chair and gently lowered myself into the seat. William came over and sat on the edge.
“I do have a question,” I said, addressing the three men in the room. “Was this about Aidan, or will Nikola try again? Are we in danger?”
“At this point, we don’t really know,” William said, placing his hand on mine. “We need a safe place where we can investigate and to decide what to do next.”
“Then I was right,” I said. “We need to go to Paris. It’s easy to disappear there. And besides, my mother is expecting me. If Nikola does find out, he’ll think I left to be with her.”
“We have a small office in Paris,” Gabriel said. “It will not look suspicious if I move my team there for a week or so. We have plenty of issues overseas to justify the trip.”
“How much time do you need to arrange for our transportation?” William asked.
“Not long, a few hours at the most. I will be back in touch shortly. In the meantime, keep Olivia in your sight at all times. She must not be left alone.”
William and Josef both nodded and I got the distinct impression that the conversation had started much the same way before I had entered the room.
****
CHAPTER 38
Later that evening, five of us—Josef, William, Gabriel, Madeline and I—set out for Paris. Gabriel sent a car for us at 10 pm, and by midnight we were in the air, traveling on Levi’s private plane, with one stop in New York for refueling. Levi was only too happy to send us on what he thought was a celebratory trip after a successful election.
The flight crew brought several newspapers onboard, giving me a chance to read about the bombing. The police, the news accounts said, were baffled by the explosions,