I unlock the shop door and open the exterior double shutters, triggering the overhead bells. “Who’s there?” I poke my head through a curtain of rain. A black car emerges. A woman’s heel-less shoe dangles from the open door as she’s jerked into the backseat. Rain obscures four figures inside as the car drives away. Was she snatched into the vehicle? I shut the door, now more concerned.
Two hours later, Elise returns. I breathe lighter knowing she’s safe. I head toward the front of the home with a towel, knowing she’ll be drenched from the rain.
“What’s wrong, Chéri?” she asks, removing her shoes at the entrance door.
She stares at me with concern as I hand her the towel. “Did something happen?” she asks, drying her face and hair.
I explain what occurred outside the shop earlier and my s
