DELANNOY WAS ON his third Scotch of the night----or, more appropriately, of the early morning. It was 4:00 a.m. on the dot.313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPExPnxvY7M
He looked at the vanity wall in his office, which was now minus two framed photographs that he'd punched in anger over the last hour. His knuckles were bleeding. It was the least of his problems right now.
"She got on the train," said Thierry. "There doesn't seem to be any doubt about that."
"But then she got off." Delannoy shook his head. The bitter golden liquid in his glass was numbing him, but it only halfway did the trick, like a Novocain shot that didn't fully take. His stomach was doing flip-flops.
"There's still hope, sir. The trains are closed to her. The bus station is covered. She's on foot, presumably...."
"She planned this well." Delannoy waved a hand. "She had nothing but time to plot every step. She knew about the London train, and she made a big show of purchasing a ticket and probably even talking to that train porter. She wanted to make sure we thought she was on that train." He eased himself out of his chair. "Leave me, Thierry." He looked over at his special-unit commander. "And don't stop until you find her!"313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoDYlhTBu3T
When Thierry had left, Delannoy opened his cellphone and found the number in his contacts list. It was a call he'd prayed he'd never have to make.313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyE7bqTt6ek
"This is Warden Théophile Delannoy from L'Institution de Justice et Reforme pour les Femmes. I need to speak with Colonel LaForge immediately. Yes, I am fully aware what time it is. What is my message? You want to know what you should tell him?"313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbQTroymD4B
So apparently LaForge hadn't received word yet; he was sleeping, as any sane person would be at this hour. Delannoy would have the privilege of delivering the news.313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUVmBUlRjJC
He said, "Inform the colonel that Mischa Barton has escaped."313Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNFaZcENkUb
