Free The French Code by Deborah Abela

And from whom?’
    â€˜I don’t know.’ Veronique slipped the chain around her neck and clutched the amulet. ‘But we’re still no closer to knowing where Papa is.’
    â€˜This might help.’ Toby remembered the mail in his back pocket and handed her a folded-up horse magazine in a plastic cover. ‘The guys at the front asked me to give it to you.’
    â€˜Maybe she can look through that later?’ Linden suggested.
    â€˜There’s a letter inside. For Veronique. The police went through it all, but when I looked at the magazine, I noticed the seal on the magazine had been tampered with.’
    Veronique opened the magazine and took out an envelope with her name on the front. She tore it open and unfolded the note. She gasped before handing the note to Linden. He read:
    We have Marceau. Tell anyone & he is finished. Be at 16 Rue du Repos, Avenue Circulaire 66, 9 pm tonight.
    â€˜Who is it from?’ Max asked.
    Linden turned it over. ‘It doesn’t say.’ He looked up the address on his palm computer. ‘Oh.’
    â€˜What?’ Max asked.
    â€˜The address is for Cimetière Du Père Lachaise. That means cemetery, right?’
    Veronique nodded. ‘Not just any cemetery. It is one of the most famous in the world. It has the graves of many well-known writers, painters, musicians and thinkers.’ Her face whitened. ‘My father is considered a great thinker. Maybe they’ve …’
    â€˜It’ll be best not to think about “maybes”,’ Linden said calmly.
    â€˜Aah!’ Linden flicked the note from his hands. The bottom edge began to smoke and the letter ignited, drifting to the floor as a pile of ash.
    â€˜A self-destructing note,’ Toby said. ‘I guess that rules out getting any fingerprints.’
    â€˜Someone doesn’t want to be traced,’ Linden said.
    â€˜We need to leave.’ Veronique scooped up Fifi.
    â€˜I don’t think all of us should go.’ Max looked pointedly at Linden.
    â€˜Max is right,’ Linden said. ‘Toby and I will go, and you and Veronique stay here.’
    â€˜But I …’ Max spluttered.
    â€˜It’s a good plan,’ Toby added. ‘The police have completely surrounded this house and are watching Veronique’s every move, so she needs to stay here.’ He added with a smile. ‘And it’ll give you two a chance to bond.’
    Fifi barked.
    â€˜Sorry. You three.’
    â€˜We’ll be in constant radio contact via the watches,’ Linden said. ‘You’ll know our every move. I promise.’
    Veronique nodded. ‘Okay. If you think it is best. I will trust you, Linden.’
    Max pursed her lips.
    â€˜How will you get there?’ Veronique asked.
    â€˜Our backpacks are also Personal Flying Devices, and we have a GPS system on our palm computers as well as detailed maps of Paris.’
    â€˜I feel very safe being guarded by someone so smart.’ Linden’s face smudged bright red as Veronique sidled up beside him. ‘And brave.’
    â€˜You could use the Time and Space Machine,’ Max blurted louder than she’d intended.
    â€˜We’ll leave that with you in case you need it,’ Linden said.
    â€˜Right.’ Toby pulled a small shampoo bottle from his backpack. ‘Who’s in for a bit of Invisibility Cream then?’
    â€˜Invisibility Cream?’ Veronique frowned.
    â€˜Yeah.’ Toby winked. ‘Watch this.’
    Toby and Linden squirted the cream onto their hands and began to disappear as they applied it to their bodies and packs.
    â€˜Have we missed anywhere?’ Toby asked.
    â€˜Only there.’ Max pointed to a waving strand of Linden’s wild hair.
    â€˜Oh,’ she heard Linden say, before the strand of hair disappeared.
    Max did a final check of the space whereLinden and Toby stood invisibly. ‘I think you’re done.’
    Veronique