Page 23 of The Paris Agent
“In time I remembered that I’d been working with the SOE, but many of my memories of the war years remain blurry—especially the months leading up to that day.”
“So you’re looking for a man named Remy because...”
“The nurse told me that Remy dropped me off at the hospital clinic.”
“But you’re not sure if he was an agent.”
“I dothinkhe was,” Dad says. “Am I certain of that? No. I was hoping you could tell me.”
“Tell me this, Noah,” Professor Read says quietly. “Does the village of Salon-La-Tour ring any bells?”
My father fumbles for the handkerchief and mops his brow again, but even as he does so, the color is draining from his face. This time, he keeps the handkerchief in his hand and he starts to twist it around his fingers.
“Dad?” I prompt uncertainly.
“My memories are so vague,” Dad croaks.
“But you do have some memory of that village?” Read prompts.
“I think so.” Dad’s voice is little more than a whisper now.
“Were you injured at Salon-La-Tour, Noah?”
“Yes,” Dad says. He clears his throat and lifts his chin. “Actually. Yes, I do believe I was.”
“Your code name was Marcel, was it not?” Read asks. Dad nods again.Marcel. How strange to think of my father using someone else’s name. “There was another agent with you at Salon-La-Tour, wasn’t there?” Dad squeezes his eyes closed for just a moment then nods silently. “Was there anyone else? Or just the three of you?”
“Just the three of us, I think,” Dad says. “But she—Fleur—escaped somehow. I distinctly remember being alone with Remy.”
“So youdoremember Remy now?” I ask Dad, confused. He looks at me helplessly as he waves toward the professor.
“It’s like I told you. I have random images that come into my mind...sometimes feelingsthat don’t necessarily make sense. When the professor prompts me, I can see it just a little clearer. But it’s all still very muddled.”
“Let me tell you why I’m so fascinated, Noah, and why I had so hoped to speak with you one day,” Professor Read says. “I believe the three of you left from a safe house outside of Limoges that morning. I’ve never been able to find out exactly what happened after that.”
“Have you asked Remy...?” I interrupt. “Or... Fleur?”
“Unfortunately, Fleur did not survive the war,” Professor Read says quietly.
Dad is an empathetic man, but as far as I can tell, he didn’t remember this Fleur woman until a few minutes ago, so I’m confused by how stricken he seems to be at this news.
“Oh no. She was so young,” he whispers, gaze dropping.
“As many agents were,” Professor Read says.
“And Remy?” I press.
“Still alive, as far as I know,” Read tells us. “I spoke with him on the telephone a few years ago.”
“So you know him?” I exclaim, then I turn to Dad and beam. “This is marvelous news!”
“I’ll just stop you there, Charlotte,” Read says. “Yes, Remy is alive but his identity remains classified. The reason I spoke with him on the phone is becausehecalled me and asked me to stop sending him letters.”
“I did try to warn you,” Theo says quietly, leaning forward past my dad as he offers me a sympathetic look.
“No,” I protest, shaking my head. “Surely there must be some way around this. All my dad wants to do is thank Remy. There’s no harm in that.”
“We can discuss a few possible options in a moment,” the professor says patiently as he turns his gaze back to Dad. “But first, Noah, perhaps you can tell me everything you remember from that day.”
