For some reason, when Rummy drove them into the Hoch und Tiefbau car park the next morning, Helen was glad she´d decided to follow his example and wear the rather uncomfortable vest. It wasn´t that she was worried about another attack, she told herself…
“I have to tell you, Rummy; I´m still uncomfortable coming here.”
“Can´t blame you, Helen. So am I.” He looked over at her. “I´m not your regular rugger bloke, you know. I know when it´s smart to be cautious.”
“Well, I´m glad I have you to keep me company. What I also know is how lucky Doris is to have you.”
Werner Siegman came out of the office as they parked. Helen noticed that he spoke to a security guard stationed near the door.
“Morning, Werner,” she said, “Taking no chances, I see.”
The older man came forward and took her hand. “That´s right. I figure we can pass the cost on as justified additional expense.” He smiled.
“That should work. I´ll authorize it,” Helen said. “Has a Herr Villion shown up?”
“Yes, he arrived a short time ago. I understand he is Dumont´s replacement.”
“So I understand, Werner. Would you ask him to step out here so we can introduce ourselves? And, when will the rest of the group be here?”
“The others will be here for the meeting in about a half-hour. I can tell you they are all looking forward to it. I´ll get Villion.” He turned and went back into the office. The security guard eyed Helen and Rummy.
Nothing daunted, Helen went up to the guard. “I am Frau Wallace, and this is Herr Harms. I am the lead architect and he is the lead engineer. Will you be on this duty regularly?”
The guard took off his cap. “Ja, meine Dame. I will be the one usually here, though there will sometimes be replacements.”
“Good. You will be seeing us quite often. I hope you will be particularly careful about strangers in the car park.”
“I have my instructions, Frau Wallace.”
As they spoke, a small, stocky man in his fifties came out of the office and approached them. “Mme Wallace,” he said in French, “I am Villion. It is a pleasure to meet you. M Schellen has briefed me about you and the project.”
“My pleasure, M Villion. This is M Harms, my engineer and partner. Let´s go over here in the shade and talk.”
They moved across the car park and found a bench under the shade of an oak tree well away from the blackened bit of dirt where Dumont´s car once stood. Helen sat down and indicated a place for Villion. They began a discussion of the project, and Villion demonstrated that, though he had only been assigned the previous day, he had been able to go through a great many of the reports and reviews Helen and Rummy had submitted.
As they talked, men from the site began entering the office. Eventually, Werner Siegmann appeared in the doorway and waved them in.
Helen stood up and extended her hand to Villion. “You have done a good job of getting up to date on this, M Villion. Please call me Helen – we are quite informal here; I hope you don´t mind.”
“I do not mind, madame. I am Gaston.” He looked at Rummy, who replied, “Call me Rummy, Gaston.”
The older man´s brows lifted. “Rummy Harms? Ah! You are the rugby player?” Rummy nodded. “Very good,” he said, vigorously shaking Rummy´s hand. He led the way toward the office.
There were about a dozen men in the gathering, all dressed for site work, all familiar to Helen and Rummy. As the two of them came in the door, they rose as one, took off their hard hats and began to applaud.
Helen was somewhat nonplussed, but recognized the acceptance and affection the gesture implied. She smiled and looked at Rummy, took off her hard hat and swept it in front of her as she bowed as deeply as her vest allowed. Rummy matched her movement, and the room throbbed with laughter.
Werner appeared from the back of the room with glasses and several bottles of Sekt, pouring the sparkling wine into the glasses and handing them round. The laughter and comments had hardly died down when Werner raised his glass.
“An die Sieger! – To the Victors!” he cried and the glasses raised; the toast was drunk.
Helen spoke into the relative silence that eventually ensued. “Thank you, gentlemen. I hope that we are, indeed victors, but I am satisfied to be a survivor.” She gestured for them to take places.
“I appreciate your thoughts, your concern, and especially, Werner, the Sekt. I hope that from now on, we will have a lot less excitement.
“Gentlemen, allow me to present Herr Villion, the new project manager for Compagnie Schellen. We have had only a short time to get acquainted, but he seems well qualified. I hope you will be kind to him, because, after all, it is his boss who pays the bills.” There was the usual laughter.
“For your information, you should know that Herr Dumont, the previous project manager, is in good health, and has been assigned elsewhere by Compagnie Schellen. I, for one, am satisfied that none of the unfortunate events we have had to deal with were his responsibility. Moreover, Herr Schellen has assured me there will be no further suggestions to any of you from Herr Sauter or from Constructeurs Sauter. You may also be interested to know that I have received similar assurances from the Swiss Police and Interpol.” Nods, mumbles and a few knowing chuckles from the audience.
“In addition, I have spoken with IG Bau, and Sebastian Ritter will no longer be visiting you. I think you can expect to see a variety of Men from Bau showing up on your doorsteps, as has usually been so in the past. In any case, I hope you understand that neither Compagnie Schellen, nor I will permit any infraction of the rules for hiring on this job.” Applause.
With that, Helen opened her briefcase and began a project review. She and Rummy went down their lists of items and discussed them with the various contractors. Now and then, Villion asked a question, usually constructive, occasionally uninformed, and never ignorant.
After two intense hours, the meeting was over. The men filed out, shaking hands, Villion with them and Helen turned to Werner Siegmann. “Werner, thanks for organizing such a nice opening. I was really touched.”
“Helen, it was not entirely my idea. Everyone wanted you to know that we are fond of you, and have been very concerned. I can also tell you that everyone is glad to see things back on an orderly track.”
Helen and Rummy packed up their papers and stepped out into the early afternoon sunshine. The guard looked over at them, then away.
Werner had come out onto the steps of the office. “You´ll notice, I think, when you drive out, that we no longer allow parking along the access road. I believe that is where your attackers were watching you that day.”
“Yes, it was. In addition, when we came in, I was looking to see what was parked there. Thanks for thinking of it.”
“Actually, it was your friend Major Selig who suggested it. He is a good man, and a good officer.”
“And, a good friend, Werner. Just like you.” Instead of shaking his hand, she gave him a hug, which he returned with a smile. At its conclusion, he held her away from him.
“You appear to be wearing body armor, Helen.”
“Yes, Werner. I told you a while ago I was trying to dress for success.”
Werner roared with laughter. “Well, I hope you can now be more comfortable.”
“So do I. I´ll be back in about two weeks, and you´ll see Rummy before then. Call me if you need to.”
.oOo.
As they drove up the A-5 toward Strasbourg, Helen laid her head back on the headrest as Rummy drove.
“Good meeting. Good feeling,” Rummy said.
“Umm.”
“We may turn this into a routine job, yet.”
“God, I hope so.”
They drove in silence for a while, and then Helen undid her seatbelt and began struggling with her suit jacket. She threw that in the back seat and pulled off her blouse, then the vest, which followed her jacket. For a few moments, she was naked from the waist up as she rubbed her breasts and straightened out the sleeves of her blouse, then slipped it back on. She fastened a button or two.
“I found that quite inspiring, Helen,” Rummy observed. “I hope I can find a chance to do the same.”
“I´ll straighten it up when we get out,” she said. “Rummy, I´m hungry. Isn´t there some place we can stop for a decent lunch? I´m not up for airport sandwiches.”
“I can cut over to Riquewihr in Alsace. We could eat there,” he said, suiting the action to the word. “We´ve got time before our plane leaves.”
.oOo.
Helen had called ahead to the Hôtel Quai Voltaire. Because she was known there, she was able to get rooms for them. In Paris, it pays to be known. She called Sandy on her mobile, Rummy talked with Doris, and they went to dinner at a couscouserie on the boulevard Ste Germaine.
At the Place Dauphine the next morning, Rummy and Helen sat down with Marie and Céci to go over the results of the previous day´s meeting. The morning went quickly, and when it came time for lunch, Céci refused the invitation to eat with them, saying she had an errand to run.
Over lunch, Marie brought up the subject of the proposed move. “I´m afraid we will lose Céci, Helen,” she said. “She isn´t happy about moving to the south.”
“Is there a reason, Marie?” Rummy asked.
Marie shook her head slightly. “Not really, Rummy. She doesn´t like changes in her life any more than she likes changes in her drawings.” She looked at Helen. “She lives alone, you know. And, I don´t think she has a steady boyfriend. Actually, she´s afraid that people in the south are too strange for her to deal with.”
Helen shrugged. “I was afraid of that, Marie, but it´s no surprise. Céci is good at her job, but I think I´ve found someone who will fill her place and then some.
“But, what about you, Marie? Are you really all right with the move?”
“Oh, yes, Helen. The idea is even a little exciting. I don´t know the south too well, but it certainly doesn´t worry me. And, I know you live in Heliopolis at Cap d´Agde. Is the new office in the naturist area?”
“No, Marie, it´s just outside the gates.”
“Is it difficult to get into Heliopolis? Is it expensive?”
Helen glanced at Rummy, and then looked sharply at Marie. “Are you a naturist, Marie? Are you thinking of living in Heliopolis, too?”
“I´ve only been to a naturist resort once, Helen. I think I´d like to visit Heliopolis often. I don´t know if I´d want to live there, and anyway, it´s probably too expensive. I´ll look for a place in Cap d´Agde, or near there. I just wanted to know about getting into the area.”
“Well, Marie, let´s agree that I´ll make sure you have a permanent pass to Heliopolis. Is that satisfactory?”
“Certainly, Helen.”
.oOo.
“When does Doris get to Montpellier?” Helen asked as they were walking across the Pont au Change to catch the RER to the airport.
“Not sure. Just before us, or just after. We´ll pick her up. We´re staying in the same place?”
“Shit, Rummy! I forgot to call and reserve it. I´ll do that right now.”
“Okay, unless you want to share.”
Helen looked at him wide-eyed as she fumbled with her phone. Rummy chuckled and waved a dismissive hand.