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The three of them were now in hot pursuit. She and Wyatt were at a big disadvantage, because this was a completely unfamiliar part of Paris to them. She recognized a landmark as she sprinted – Place d’Iema, housing the circular, pillared frontage of the Guimet Museum, and the imposing statue of a man on horseback. She recalled, from somewhere in her memory, that the statue was of George Washington. A surprising American presence in Paris – just like the man they were now chasing down. Their fleeing fugitive didn’t stay in the crowded square but ran down an equally busy street.
Lucien would know the area well, but in the melee of weaving through the crowds and trying to keep this man in sight, she had no idea where Lucien was.
She ran faster, her feet pounding against the pavement, her breath coming in short bursts. It was a stop-start process. There were just so many tourists here. They were descending on the place in waves. Ahead was a gaggle of more than twenty schoolchildren, all wearing red hats. Beyond was a group of tourists with a guide explaining, loudly, about the history of the famous Eiffel Tower.
She kept her eyes fixed on the man they were chasing. He was still in view, little more than a shadow as he ducked around the side of a building and raced down an alleyway.
He clearly knew the area, and was familiar with the shortcuts, and again, she felt deeply worried that he had a big advantage here.
If he'd researched and mapped out this area then she might lose him.
"Police! Excuse me!" She heard a shout to her left and knew that Wyatt was wending his way through the crowds. He'd gone further over that way and it was a good decision, because the fleeing man was veering left. Now she was the one at a disadvantage, who was falling behind.
"Excuse-moi," she shouted breathlessly. As she fought her way through the crowds, she lost the man for a stomach clenching moment. A cab pulled up in front of her, and three elderly passengers got out, their backs to her, wandering across the sidewalk so that she had to skid to a stop and veer sideways to avoid them.
Gasping in a breath, she looked for the fleeing man again, but he was gone. Pressure bore down on her hard.
She couldn't afford to mess this up. Already, Wyatt's shout might have warned this man too early, and given him the few precious seconds he needed to get away. She knew that Lucien would hold this against them and say that the exercise had been incorrectly done.
But then, she saw him once more, darting around the corner of a building. He was running for his life, desperate to get away and disappear into the night. Stocky he might be, but he wasn't unfit. He was doing everything he could to avoid their chase.
Juliette put on a burst of speed, and this time, she felt she was gaining ground. She could see Wyatt, who'd crossed the road, pounding along the sidewalk. Should she join him?
No. This man was clearly sneaky, and if he suddenly darted right to avoid Wyatt, then she'd be in a position where she could take up the chase. They didn’t want to leave an escape route for him to take.
"I'll stay this side!" she shouted, just to keep him in the loop if he heard. She didn't think he would, but to her surprise, the response came back.
"Okay. I’m keeping left for now!"
With Wyatt in the lead, all she could do was pursue him as fast as possible.
An outraged cry from up ahead told her that their fleeing fugitive didn't have the same consideration as she did for pedestrians who got in his way. Juliette heard a volley of swear words, angrily shouted in a woman's voice, and guessed that he was bumping, jostling, and barging his way through the crowds.
Hopefully, that would slow him down and give them more of a chance to catch him.
She was aware of the people around her, knowing that getting entangled in a crowd or colliding with someone could slow her just as easily. She had to remain hyper aware of her surroundings, but focused on her quarry. Now, further away from the Eiffel Tower, the crowds were thinning out and he was gaining speed again. As she watched, he shot down a road to the left. Now, she was all the way out of this chase. Her judgment call had been wrong, though she'd still had to cover the base in case he'd veered the other way. Otherwise it would have left that escape route wide open.
But he'd gone left, and it was up to Wyatt and Lucien to keep pace with him.
Now feeling the pressure even more, Juliette watched for a gap to cross the busy road and then raced across it, leaping out of the way of a speeding cab whose driver wasn't slowing down for anyone, whether alive or soon-to-be-run-over. The angry blast of his horn followed her as she leaped across the gutter and onto the sidewalk. Then, she darted down the narrow road where this man had disappeared.
There was no sign of Wyatt or Lucien, no sound other than her own footsteps. She could no longer see the man she was pursuing, and felt worried that he'd had a bolt hole down here. If he'd disappeared into one of these closely packed buildings and slammed the door behind him, they'd be none the wiser.
Could she hear him?
Juliette stopped, her breathing ragged, looking around her frantically. The man had disappeared, and she was alone.
And the night seemed to be getting darker by the second. She could hear nothing nearby, only the sound of voices from the restaurant she’d passed a minute earlier, and the strains of music coming from a window somewhere above her.
She kept going, but more slowly now, her gaze darting around, searching the shadows and alleys. She might have been slower, but perhaps that gave her a chance to spot him if he had managed to duck out of Wyatt's sight.
Then, she heard a noise from up ahead. Footsteps. Scuffling.
Cautiously, Juliette jogged forward, her heart pounding. There was another crossroad in front of her, just a couple of yards wide. And there, sprinting down it, she saw a familiar figure. Wyatt. He must have spotted the fugitive. With renewed determination, Juliette started running as fast as she could, her feet splashing through a puddle on the cobblestones, and her footsteps resounding off the close, stone walls.
There he was! She had him in her sights again. The man had almost reached the end of the alleyway, but Wyatt was gaining on him, and Juliette was close behind.
As he rounded the final corner, she heard him give a cry of surprise. Rushing from the main road ahead, toward the alleyway’s exit point, determination radiating from him, was Lucien. But in a flash, this fleeing man changed his plans. He skidded to a stop, veered hard right, and set off down the sidewalk with renewed speed.
