“DON’T BE AFRAID. IT’S JUST ME,” WHISPERED A VOICE SHE recognized. “I need you to be very quiet and to trust me. Do you promise not to scream?”
Amanda nodded. Philippe Lawrence removed his hand and pointed. Between two monuments crouched Jerome. Amanda gasped then covered her mouth. Two boys crept through the gravestones, looking behind each one and parting the surrounding bushes. Jerome, looking in the opposite direction, didn’t see them.
“I have to warn him,” whispered Amanda.
Phillippe hesitated. “OK. But be careful.”
Amanda picked her way around a cherub-topped stone. She lost sight of Jerome and could hear Leah and Pierre call her name. Her muscles tensed as she narrowed her eyes and peered into a dim corner. Her foot caught on an exposed tree root. She fell forward and hit the side of a gravestone. Everything went black.
“Is she alive?”
Someone touched her wrist.
“I think so. She has a pulse.”
Amanda opened her eyes slightly but only glimpsed a fuzzy dragon tattoo before they closed again. The voices sounded far away.
“What should we do with her?”
“We can’t leave her here. If she dies we could be accused of murder. We’re in enough trouble already.”
Through a fog, Amanda heard a familiar voice. “You’d better not leave her here to die.”
“Jerome, we’ve been looking for you. You disappeared. That’s not a good thing to do, man.”
“I’m finished with you lot. The police are looking for you. They think you have something to do with the fire in the cathedral.”
“Hey, we had nothing to do with that. We already cleared it up with la gendarmerie. You owe us a job.”
“Look, I did what you asked. I made the call of a bomb at the Opera House. I got rid of Mr. Lawrence in Giverny and messed with the lights in the Louvre. Now I’m done. I don’t want to be part of your gang anymore.”
Amanda heard scuffling and shouting.
“Right! All of you are under arrest. Don’t even think of leaving. The police are waiting outside the gates. But first we have to get Amanda looked after.”
Amanda opened her eyes and saw Philippe handcuff the two boys from the gang.
He glanced at Jerome. “I won’t cuff you as long as you promise not to run.”
Jerome nodded and bent down to help Amanda up. “You OK?”
She moaned and held her head. “My head hurts, but I think I’m all right.”
“You’ll probably have a big lump there tomorrow.”
While they helped her to the walkway, Philippe shouted, “Leah, Jenny, over here.”
Leah screamed when she saw them. “What have you done to Amanda? If you’ve hurt her, I’ll kill you, you horrible man.” She ran at Philippe with her fists up.
Jerome restrained her. “It’s all right, Leah. He didn’t hurt her. She tripped and fell against a gravestone.”
“That’s true.” Amanda gave a weak smile.
“Take her someplace to sit down for a few minutes. I have something I need to do.” Philippe put his cell phone to his ear.
Soon Aimee arrived with two police officers who took the scowling boys from the gang away. “Merci, Monsieur Lawrence,” said one officer as they passed by.
“How are you, Amanda? Do you need me to take you to the hospital?” asked Aimee.
“I’m feeling better, thanks. Pierre gave me some water. I don’t want to go to the hospital.”
“We’ll keep an eye on her,” replied Aunt Jenny.
Philippe turned to Jerome. “What should we do with you?”
“I’m willing to cooperate. I’m so done with gangs.”
“Good, that will be in your favour.”
Amanda squinted at Mr. Lawrence. “You’re not just a writer-artist-busker, are you?”
Philippe shrugged. “I guess I better own up. I’m an undercover police officer with Scotland Yard working with Europol to break up this and other gangs.”
Amanda’s mouth fell open. For once she had no words.
The next day Pierre took the girls up to the top of the Eiffel Tower.
“Wowza! What an amazing view. I feel like I’m on top of the world.” Amanda took pictures of the city below them and then selfies of herself and Leah.
Aunt Jenny, Philippe, and Aimee waited for them at the bottom of the tower.
Philippe Lawrence grinned. “Everything is sorted out. The gang has been disbanded and will not be causing any more trouble. Jerome was a big help and will be doing community service work for the next few months. He asked me to thank you, Amanda, for letting his mother know he was all right and staying at Pierre’s place.”
He smiled at Aimee. “Aimee has been assisting me with this case. She’s studying criminology at university and this was part of her work experience. She will make a great police officer one day. And thank you, Jenny, for your assistance. Your research skills came in handy.”
Aunt Jenny blushed as he shook her hand, placing his other hand on top of hers. “So sorry about looking through your research books in the room. I was just curious about what you were researching and if you would be able to help me.”
“But—but who started the fire in the cathedral?” asked Amanda.
“They still don’t know, but it is suspected that the fire may have been accidentally started as a result of some of the reconstruction work,” explained Philippe. “We may never know for sure.” He handed Amanda a flat square package. “I believe I owe you this.”
She opened it and placed her hand on her heart. Inside was a painting of Amanda, wearing a suit of armour, sitting on a horse. She turned it over. On the back was written, “To Amanda, as brave as Joan of Arc.” It was signed P Lawrence. “Thank you so much. I just love it.” She gave Philippe a hug.
Pierre walked back with them to the bookstore, where they picked up their already packed bags. Amanda handed a copy of her essay to Fiona just before they left.
“Thanks for all the work you did for us while you stayed here,” said Fiona. “I truly believe you will be a published author one day. Your picture may hang on our wall of fame.” She gave Amanda a vintage copy of Anne of Green Gables. “Come back any time.”
“I will treasure this forever!” Tears formed in Amanda’s eyes.
Leah and Aunt Jenny smiled with pride.
Pierre lifted her hand and kissed it like Prince Charming. “Adieu, mademoiselle.”
Amanda giggled with delight.
Aggie, the cat, rubbed against her leg and purred.
On the way to the airport, Leah confessed, “I was wrong about Philippe Lawrence. I’m sorry.”
“That’s OK. I was wrong about Jerome, sort of.” Amanda smirked then got serious. “Should we still travel? What with terrorists, bombs going off, and all that scary stuff.”
Leah thought for a moment. “I was thinking about that too. But if we all stop travelling, won’t that be like letting the bad guys win?”
“I agree. There are so many more places I want to visit. I know I want to come back to Paris, the city of love, one day. After all, I will need to see the reconstructed Notre-Dame Cathedral.”