CHAPTER 5
PARIS BY NIGHT
“I know a good place for Moroccan food,” Lieutenant
Zaki Talib said. “But we’ll have to take a train.”
“Is this the place out by
Saint Denis your cousin was telling us about?” Lt. CJ Tanahill asked. “Because
I’ve heard some things about that area.”
“Like what?”
“Well, it’s in La
Courneuve, right? Isn’t that the place people are calling a ‘no-go’ zone for
the police?”
“My cousin says it’s all
a lot of nationalist propaganda. The police do regular patrols there, no one’s
instituting shariah. It’s a French
neighborhood, ethnically diverse, and maybe a bit gritty, but everyone you meet
on the street speaks French. Plus, the food is really great.”
“I say we go,” Emily
said.
“… and it’s only one
train from the Jardin de Luxembourg
stop, which is right around the corner.”
“It’s okay,” CJ said.
“You already sold me.”
“It’ll be safe.”
CJ looked up into Zaki’s
face – and that’s saying something, since she was quite tall herself, her
straight, blond hair making a sharp contrast with his close-cropped black hair
– touched her nose to his, and snaked a hand around his elbow. “There is no
place on this earth I wouldn’t feel safe on this arm.”
Emily hooked him from the
other side. “Have you stepped up the workouts? Because these guns seem to have
grown since last spring.”
Perry followed after the
trio, happy to bear a distant witness to Zaki’s discomfiture at the subtle
sarcasm of the women. “Better him than me,” he thought.
They’d just spent a
couple hours relaxing in the famous gardens, discussing world events of great
import, and watching Stone sail a toy boat in the fountain alongside a few of
the local kids. For much of the time, Li Li tried to look bored to conceal her
envy. Eventually, Emily dangled a sketchpad on the edge of Stone’s peripheral
vision, and Li Li got her turn. The park was two short blocks from the hotel
Michael had arranged, and once the sun had set, the kids were sent packing, to
dine in with Andie and Yuki, and give the grown ups ‘some space.’ The remainder
of their night promised to be free and clear, and CJ spoke French well enough
to navigate the City of Lights.
The early evening traffic
had already thinned out by the time they entered the metro station, and Perry
spotted a half-empty car toward the front of the first train.
“On a watchlist?” CJ
turned wide-eyed to Emily, once they’d found seats. “What on earth for?”
