Raymonde was shocked.
"I'm so sorry, Raymonde but Grand-papa was very clear on certain points. I had to wait until a specific time before I could tell you everything."
"Everything, Maman? Is there more?"
"Grand-papa left us more than a few letters. He left a trust, a very large trust, with over one hundred million Francs. The money was entrusted to me, to prepare for your return and for Paul's arrival. So now, following Grand-papa's wishes, the trust will be passed on to you, my daughter, so you may help Paul finish what was started so long ago."
"And what is that, Mrs Leblanc?" I wondered aloud.
"Why, to reclaim your heritage, our combined heritage, Paul. My ancestors and yours have prepared the way. You have only to reach out and it will be yours. For a while now, Bequilles and I have been the only ones to know the truth. The Net had been allowed to lay dormant, another part of Grand-papa's plans, waiting for the day of your arrival. I was prepared for all these things. Nothing could have prepared me for you two ending up in love." She stood up, gazing at us tenderly. "I couldn't be prouder." With tears in her eyes, after a brief hug and kiss, she left the room.
"You know what this means, don't you?" I asked.
"What?" said Raymonde.
"We're both multi-millionaires now."
***
Arriving downstairs early next morning, I was back to my old self. Entering the restaurant with Raymonde, I found Jonathan Briar and Mrs Leblanc. The others were nowhere to be seen. Briar stood, concern evident on his face. "Good morning to both of you. I am glad to see you up and around, looking well."
"I am feeling much better. How about you?" I added.
"I am fine. I thought I might be bothered about what I did to Norton but I am not. I rid the world of a monster and that has to be a good thing."
We sat down and the waitress took our breakfast order. Briar continued, "Physically, I was very lucky. I escaped with only a few scratches, thank god. Last night I was in shock but this morning, reason tells me Norton would have stopped at nothing to get at you. Despite all that, the memory will be with me for a long while."
"Where are the other two?" I asked, curious.
"Captain Languenoc called for Coulter. He had some news about whatever it is we are waiting for and needed some help smoothing things over for a speedy delivery."
Coulter was excellent at smoothing difficulties.
"O'Flanahan went down to the beach, with plans to walk around and get the feel of the place," Briar added
Breakfast arrived and we ate. I stuck to coffee, not feeling hungry. I didn't think Coulter would succeed in his endeavours today but there was a fair chance tomorrow morning might bring better luck. Briar had a pensive look in his eyes. "Paul, would you be up to a walk in that wonderful garden out back? I have a few things I would like to share. It shouldn't take more than a few minutes."
"Certainly. I'll bring my cup of coffee with me, if that's okay, Mrs Leblanc? I'll be right back."
"Take your time. I'll sit here with Maman," added Raymonde.
Briar and I made our way outside. Stepping down the stone stairs, we walked along the brick path. "My boy, you had me quite worried yesterday," Briar started.
"I'm sorry about that. I don't know what came over me."
"The thing is, I think you know exactly what happened. That is why I asked you to come out here. We've known each other for more than ten years, so I guess it's no secret I've come to look upon you as the son I never had. This means so much more now that your father is gone. That's why I found yesterday so painful to watch. My boy, I must speak frankly."
"Go ahead. I know you mean well. Hey, you just risked your life to save mine."
"All these events are putting an unexpected, perhaps even unwanted, load on your shoulders. You cannot understand how this comes to be and you cannot accept you are being singled out," Briar said, his finger pointing at me in emphasis. "I have lived many years longer than you and have travelled all over the world. Experience has taught me much. You have stayed mostly at home, surrounded by your books, always living as if in a cave, missing out on life. Yesterday, that shock was a necessary step for you, Paul."
We sat down on a stone bench. Briar continued, "Your breakdown was, I believe, the result of refusing to face up to these events. You stood frozen, when Norton attacked, unwilling to protect yourself. Had I not been there, you might well have died! It is time for you to stop being afraid, to stop being the 'armchair detective' and to accept that, in the real world, events have conspired to place you in the centre of things. If you keep refusing what is, you will drive yourself mad. Life is asking you to step up to the plate. What are you going to do? Close your eyes and look away? Or are you going to grasp what is in front of you for all it's worth? In so doing, you may just discover what life has in store for you."
My fear slipped away. This was what I had been preparing for. Briar was right!
It was time to step up to the plate.
I still didn't know why it was intended for me but I would no longer shy away. I would follow the Great Hunt through to the end. If this was to be my challenge then so be it! "Thank you, Briar, thank you."
Raymonde was running towards us, a note in her hand. "You won't believe this. The Net has invited us to a meeting. They want to know what's going on."
"What? When?"
"Mid-afternoon. They're sending someone to pick us up in an hour."
***
Coming in with Briar, we met O'Flanahan, just returning from his expedition, looking excited. Sitting down in the restaurant, I called Coulter, informing him of the upcoming meeting with the Net.
"We haven't been here two days and already the cat's out of the bag. What are we going to tell them?" he wondered.
"I don't know. I don't want to lie. Let me think about it. I'll come up with something."
"I'm still wrapping things up here. We had a few glitches and it got kind of expensive. I won't make it for that meeting. The good news is we should be good for tomorrow."
"Great. I knew I could count on you."
Snapping the cell phone shut, I looked at O'Flanahan. He was acting like a little boy, bursting with news, hardly able to contain himself. "This morning, I went down to the beach and checked out a bunch of those touristy features. I saw that mysterious door in the cliff and the oyster beds. On the way back, I met up with Ives and Jacques Vallin and we decided to share a bottle of wine. We started talking about the coin Old Man Vallin had left in the cigar box hidden under his mattress, you remember?" he asked, waiting for confirmation that I did, indeed, remember. Seeing my nod, he continued, "One thing led to another, we ended up at their place, where we found another bottle of wine. And the coin, of course. They wouldn't let me bring it back but I made a pencil rubbing so I could show you."
He pulled a tattered sheet of onion paper out of his trouser pocket and laid it on the table. "If you look at the date on this side of the coin, you'll note it says 1306. If you're familiar with coins, you'll know this one was minted by Edward the Second, King of England. I've been wondering a wee bit, if this coin couldn't possibly provide us with proof that Cartier did steal some gold from Oak Island? Couldn't that just be possible? Couldn't it, Sirenne?"
O'Flanahan was insufferable. He was throwing his beloved Oak Island farce in my face again, using whatever was conveniently at hand. It was unfortunate the gold coin fit nicely with his theory, making it irritatingly harder to refute. "What can I say? Yes, I must agree with you that a gold coin minted in 1306..."
He interrupted me. "An English coin."
Raymonde unsuccessfully tried to suppress a smile and Briar looked up at the ceiling in exasperation. "Yes, an English coin minted in 1306 might be construed to fit into a contrived theory about Oak Island, IF you could prove the English coin had been buried there. I'm sorry, O'Flanahan, but it's so weak it hardly holds up. While the gold coin does nothing to hurt your theory, there is simply not enough to support it."
&
nbsp; He shook his head, his lower jaw sticking out, making him resemble even more the bulldog he made me think of. He was about to bark a counter-argument but Raymonde stopped him, laughter obvious in her voice, "Mr O'Flanahan, I have enjoyed listening to your theory. Perhaps we could talk about it again later? Right now, we have to prepare ourselves. It is nearing mid-afternoon. The Net will be here to pick us up soon."
I finished my coffee and got up. "I'm not sure what to expect. I'm just going to have to play it by ear."
"Well, I hope you can play a good tune, my boy," Briar added pointedly.
Chapter 16
A Meeting With The Net
A procession of three vehicles arrived, exactly on time. A well-dressed chauffeur stepped out of a Rolls Royce, opening the rear door. "Mr Sirenne, Miss Leblanc. Would you both be so kind as to step into my vehicle? The others will follow in the remaining cars,"
We headed out of town. After several circuitous turns, the driver stopped on the side of a non-descript dirt road. Two other cars were already parked. They were empty. The driver hurried around the Rolls Royce and opened the side door. "If you would follow me."
The driver led us into the woods, revealing a small trail. It was well maintained, having recently been shored up in many places. We arrived at a small clearing. Near the far end, a small group of people waited. A short, pudgy man smiled widely as we approached, holding out his thick hand.
I shook it, surprised by the steel in his grip. He was literally bubbling with enthusiasm. "Mr Sirenne, I am so pleased to finally meet you. Thank you for accepting our invitation. I am Adrien Tonnetot, Mayor of Etretat, This is our treasurer, Mr Joseph, and that is my good friend, Alain Boisvert. We are the, uhm, the ad-hoc committee selected to represent the Net. We brought you here, to show you this."
Mayor Tonnetot pulled back the branches of a large bush, revealing a narrow, marble slab, bearing a long list of names. Each had died on the same day, in 1916. The list had a simple heading:
'You will be avenged!'
"This stone was found about ten years ago. It had somehow been completely forgotten. Who placed it here? More importantly, why? No one seemed to know. It cannot be coincidence these people died on the same night. It is what has re-awakened the Net, sleeping for so long," the mayor explained.
He remained quiet for a moment, looking at the stone slab. "Yesterday, when Bequilles revealed you were the one we had long waited for, most of us were convinced this was the time to bring the Net fully back to life. Many of us have met to discuss this issue. Most of our members want, no, need answers. Our history demands it. That is why I called this meeting and I must thank you for agreeing to attend. I felt it best to discuss these issues privately with you for now. Later, I will inform the Net about the topics we have discussed. These people who elected me, my friends, have been waiting for this moment a very long time. Since our birth, we have been indoctrinated in a society of our ancestors' making, prepared for a purpose we never understood: to help you. Now that you are finally here, Mr Paul Sirenne, after all these years, not one of us can wait a single moment longer. We need to re-discover our purpose."
His earnest words filled me with amazement. These people wanted me not only to help them understand what had brought them here but also to lead them. It made me flash back to my father's words:
'A real story ends near Etretat,
Lost until Paul infers new ideas subtly.
You ought understand responsibility,
Necessarily after moiling Etretat'
Could this be the responsibility to which he was referring? That word 'moiling' was certainly indicative. It meant to dig, to move dirt, to mess things around. The more I dug, the more responsibility I would find.
The mayor continued, "Our parents all told us some things were best left forgotten and time had to pass before Etretat could regain its glory. They also said a day would come when our heritage would return. Until then, we were to keep quiet, each swearing to it on our fifteenth birthday. Silence Above All! We all know how much we already owe Maurice Leblanc and Raymond Lindon. Every Net member, every family in Etretat was helped financially in some way by them. Loans, no-interest mortgages or outright donations of cash, there was no limit to their generosity. The survival of our town is due solely to them. We cannot ignore what these men have done for us in the past."
I realised the Net members owed everything they had to the caves, to the riches within and to the moral men who had created the Net. Briar's words came back, reminding me of my nascent role as leader of men, a role I had never expected to play. "I am just as indebted to Leblanc and Lindon as every one of you. My presence here is the result of my great-grandfather preparing the way for me, using clues and codes. Just like each of you, I was placed on the trail of a forgotten mystery and, as you have seen, a dangerous one, even today. However, we have not completely solved this puzzle yet, I am sorry to say. In the past, Maurice Leblanc shared nothing of what he knew with Net members. Today, the conditions requiring this are long gone and the original people concerned are dead. Time has healed many wounds. I think we must break with tradition and share our knowledge with the Net. We are all involved."
No more games, no more deceit, not with these people. An entire group was ready to help me. All I had to do was to trust them, to give them the answers they had been seeking all their lives. "In 1911, Maurice Leblanc found a secret so phenomenal it had to be kept out of public hands. He was not the only one on the trail. Another man knew of the secret, a true monster. Maurice Leblanc decided he must do whatever possible to stop him. Your ancestors banded together to help protect Leblanc and Etretat but the cost was high."
I lowered the tone of my voice and spoke respectfully: "I know what happened to the people named on your mysterious stone. They were killed by the man Maurice Leblanc was fighting, probably one of the most dangerous men in the world. Adolf Hitler!"
The Mayor's eyes widened. I continued, "Leblanc appealed to his friends, to Old Man Vallin, to Raymond Lindon and, in turn, to all of your grand-parents. A Net was formed, a group of people protecting something they knew nothing about. Leblanc hatched a trap for Hitler that would take many years to unfold. Once sprung, decades would have to pass, to give the world time to forget. So Leblanc prepared for the future, when it would be safe, the monster dead and forgotten. Your parents were part of that plan, as were mine, far away in Canada. Now, together, we will re-discover what has lain hidden in your midst. Unfortunately, the path is not a simple one. Our only chance to be successful is to work together! I have been called here, to Etretat, to do this very thing. So, let us seize this moment. The Net must return to full and active duty, our ancestors must be honoured."
The Mayor was beaming. He grabbed my hand, pumping it effusively. "I think I can speak for all of the Net when I say: We Accept! We accept most proudly and eagerly. The Net has returned, with Paul Sirenne at the helm! With you in place, there will be nothing we cannot achieve."
***
I was dreaming again.
I was floating over Etretat, high in the air, moving in a great lazy circle around the Aval cliff. It was night yet I could see clearly. Yellow light illuminated everything, emanating from inside the cliff, growing brighter by the second, shining through the rock.
A swastika lit the cliff from within using this overpowering light. I circled it in total silence, my eyes glued on the symbol of so much hatred and so much pain. Seeing both front and back, something about the opposite images drew my attention but the light interfered, growing in brightness. The light increased in intensity until it blotted everything out. A repeating, strident noise began intruding through the blinding light.
Slowly I became aware my eyes were open. I was looking at the sun, peeking through the shades of Raymonde's bedroom window. I averted my burning eyes, annoyed by the racket next to my ears.
The phone was ringing.
It was Captain Languenoc. Our package had arrived and they were getting it ready. It was tim
e to go. We were soon dressed and fed, anxious to get back to Languenoc's ship.
Except for O'Flanahan, perhaps.
To our surprise, we found a much better boat waiting, surrounded by a large crowd of new friends. The Mayor had been true to his word and all Net Members were keeping a watchful eye, making sure we were left in peace.
It was a much more stable and speedy trip out to the Helen. I was wearing my glasses again, recording for later analysis. Coulter and I had stayed quiet about what we had obtained and the others were understandably very curious. Upon arrival, Captain Languenoc led us to the other side of the platform, where a large, bright orange, oblong vehicle was floating in the water, tethered solidly to the pontoon.
"Gentlemen, allow me to present to you the Argos, a sixteen-passenger electric submarine," proudly intoned Coulter. "It can go to a depth of one hundred metres, which is perfect for us. The owners agreed to rent it for a few weeks for four hundred thousand dollars. If we like it, we can consider that a down payment. Isn't she beautiful? And simple to drive, too. You should see the controls."
"It's fully charged and ready to go, Mr Sirenne," informed Captain Languenoc.
With his help, we crossed the gangplank stretched between the Helen and the Argos. I was the second to step onto the submarine deck, wobbling slowly in the calm waters. I ascended the small ladder, stepped onto the conning tower and went down the open hatch. Inside, I was confronted by a spacious area, with two rows of seven seats. There were two more seats at the front. Small viewing ports allowed each passenger to look at their underwater surroundings comfortably.
Coulter ran to the front, seating himself in the Pilot's chair. "Paul, come up here with me. You can take the Captain's chair."
The Caves of Etretat: Part One of Four Page 24