Until He's Gone

Chapter Eleven

"Okay. I won't."

"People like me aren't called spies by the way, in case that got you thinking."

I gave a low chuckle. I wondered who he could really be and why he had offered me his help. Just then, a young man who was being dragged by Nazi soldiers with his wrists tied backwards caught my attention.

"Take him to court!" shouted one of the soldiers to the others who were waiting outside the court, "He's been caught cracking our communication codes and still doesn't want to confess."

The young man struggled as they drove him to the court nearby. So that was what spies did! I doubted if Kevin even knew all about that code stuff.

I took a glance at the officer next to me who looked sorry for the poor spy. When the young prisoner was taken out of sight, I stared at the officer next to me confusedly, waiting for him to explain to me what I had just seen.

"Well, you see, that's the escaping prisoner who was a spy against Nazi Germany. It's too bad they've caught him," he said.

My heartbeat accelerated and I was terrified. How come they had caught the French prisoner? Wasn't he supposed to be Kevin?

"You know, performing acts of espionage and subterfuge is very perilous and dangerous. Despite that, the dauntless efforts of our spies and operatives to undermine the effort of the enemy have resulted in great victories. We could have done nothing without them."

"What if this prisoner reveals any information?"

"He won't."

"What makes you so sure?"

"One of the requirements of his job is to give up his life, once caught, rather than reveal any information about the plans of the allies against the axis powers."

Many thoughts rushed through my mind, and before I could fall into my deepest thinking, an announcement was heard.

It echoed through the whole country. The grand walls shook, people froze to listen, my hands shivered, and my whole body shuddered. I curled up on the bench as I listened attentively.

"Dear citizens of Normandy, may I proclaim in the name of all German soldiers and Nazi officers that we have found the real French spy who has been tracking us. He is currently imprisoned in jail for over 20 years until we decide if he be executed or not. Moreover, there has been an accused guy who was imprisoned instead, and who has escaped prison recently. We proclaim that that guy, named Kevin Revel, is innocent from all accusations. Anyone who finds him must tell him to visit court immediately to accept our deep apology for spending five years in jail, though innocent.

Thank you.

The Nazi army"

"Kevin," I whispered to the sky above where he could be listening, or should I have whispered to the ocean? It didn't matter. To me, Kevin was everywhere.

I couldn't handle my joy and my heart began to throb quickly. I cried, but this time they were tears of joy and woe at the same time. How I wished he was still alive to hear this; to hear that every single man, woman, and child in France knew he was innocent.

He was innocent from being a spy, but he wasn't innocent from killing that merchant. I knew that, but I then realized that no one had ever known.

Edith didn't dare and lie to the soldiers by telling them that Kevin killed the merchant so he can have his fortune for himself. She couldn't lie. She was wearing all the gold she got from the merchant, after all.

Now who cares? She's already dead.

I shivered at that thought; at the thought that she was dead because of me.