Chapter 100

The flashlight beam snaked across the desk, briefly illuminating the drapes before darting towards the bookshelves. The thief, whoever they were, moved with a nervous shuffle. It wasn’t a professional, that much was evident. Elodie strained to listen. Footsteps stopped in front of the desk. Drawers opened and shut. Paper rustled. Metal clinked. Files were picked up and dumped. The thief muttered a curse. It was a woman’s voice, young, irritated. ‘Where is it, you stingy bastard?’ The flashlight beams swept across the curtains, the walls. The woman paused, picked up something from one of the shelves. ‘I hope this will be worth something.’ Then: ‘Ah-ha! A safe.’ Elodie heard the sound of the dial being turned. But the woman had as much luck as she did trying to crack the code. After a long while, the woman straightened up and delivered a frustrated kick to the safe. She paused, swept her flashlight one more time across the room, then finally left, pulling the door shut behind her. Elodie