Deliver Us From Evil (A. Shaw 2)

He looked sheepish. “Okay, I confess, I followed you home the night we had dinner, but just to make sure you got here okay. You know, rich woman traveling alone? I was worried about you.” He held up the gun. “I’m a little surprised you have one of these.”

“Like you said, I’m rich and traveling alone. And I have a permit for it.”

“Really?” He handed it back to her. “I thought France was pretty strict about guns.”

“Money solves many problems,” she said coolly.

He rubbed his back. “Let me guess, in addition to foreign-language immersion classes, you also have time for martial arts.”

She fingered the gun before releasing the hammer and placing it in the pocket of her robe, which she cinched up tightly. “I heard something in the rear yard, but I didn’t see a man come over the wall. Well, that is, except for you.”

“But you must’ve seen the lights come on next door. And there’s a van out front with two men in it.”

She gazed at the wall separating the two villas. “Maybe I did. I… I can’t be sure.” She looked back at him. “So you can see my villa from the cliffs?”

“Yeah. The tourist buses come there every day and take photos of the villas, the valley, and the mountains.” For some reason Shaw could tell that she knew all of this. That along with her having a gun now rekindled his suspicions. “Your pool is the only one directly visible from that vantage point. The pool next door is mostly hidden by a garage and some trees.”

She glanced at the dark waters. “The pool?” She shot him an accusatory look. “Could you see me swimming then? And afterwards?”

Shaw didn’t hesitate. “All I saw was the guy. That’s why I came down here, to make sure you were okay. I would’ve knocked on the front door, but again there were the dudes next door and I wasn’t sure what was going on. And it is after one in the morning.”

“Yes, it is. I’m surprised you’re still up.”

“Yeah, I was surprised to see you too. Guess I’m still on U.S. time. You sure you didn’t see anyone?”

“No one, and the doors are all locked.” She paused. “I didn’t know lobbyists were so good with defensive maneuvers and guns.”

Shaw managed a chuckle. “Hell, it was all luck. When I felt the muzzle against my head I just sort of freaked. Last time I fired a gun I was thirteen. It was a .22 caliber rifle and the targets were tin cans stuck on a fencepost. But where did you learn to sneak up on people like that? I never even heard you.”

Shaw had thought it impossible for anyone to do that to him.

“I took ballet. I’m light on my feet.”

When she didn’t say anything else, he lightly touched her arm and said, “I’m just glad you’re okay. I better get going now.”

“Maybe we can see if the men are still out there,” she said, turning toward the villa.

Shaw mutely followed her, noting the grass stain on the backside of her cotton robe from where he’d thrown the woman. The house was dark and she didn’t turn on any lights as they moved through the space, Shaw following her lead. He could tell that she had excellent night vision. They reached the front room, where Shaw could see the oak double doors leading outside. The room was barrel-vaulted, supported by visible curved wooden trusses in a style often seen in older European homes. The interior walls were thick, with a stucco veneer. They kept the cool or heat in as needed. The furnishings were eclectic, costly, and plentiful to the point of the large room feeling slightly cluttered but cozy. To his left he noted the corkscrew limestone staircase that provided access to the interior five floors. A lot of space for one person.

They drew close to the door and he watched as Janie eased back a curtain of the sidelight next to the doorway. Shaw peered over her shoulder. He breathed an inaudible sigh of relief when he saw the Citroën van still there with the dark shadows in the front indicating the men were also still present and accounted for.

She closed the curtain and took a step back, turning to him. “Thanks for your concern, Bill.”

“Anytime. You have any idea who those guys are?”

She shook her head. “Maybe we should report this to the police.”

“Maybe we should,” said Shaw. He had no intention of doing any such thing, and something made him suspect that she wasn’t going to call them either. “Well, I better get going. Do you mind if I go out the way I came in? Those guys look a little rough for my tastes.”

She nodded absently, her gaze on his face. “I’m sure you could handle yourself just fine.”

She followed him out to the rear, where he used his jacket as protective cover while he hoisted himself back up on the wall. While he perched there momentarily, she said, “Maybe we can get together soon?”

“Okay. I feel after tonight we’ve really bonded.”

She seemed to force a smile. “I think so too.”

“Look, I’m planning to grab some coffee and a croissant at the little village bakery around nine tomorrow morning. Why don’t we meet there?”