Island of Doom: Hunchback Assignments 4 (The Hunchback Assignments) by Arthur Slade Read Free Book Online Page B

Tavia.”
    “Well, you certainly were in a hurry to cross the Atlantic to see her.”
    “You know why I—”
    “Modo, I thought you would be alone,” a young woman’s voice interrupted him.
    Modo and Octavia turned to see Colette standing behind them. She was thinner, wearing a black hat and dress, as if on her way to a funeral. She held a tan briefcase. A colored ribbon tied back her hair, but her eyes had dark circles under them and her cheeks looked sunken. “A pleasure to see you again, Miss Milkweed,” she said, her accent clipping the consonants coldly.
    “Yes,” Octavia agreed with mock geniality, “a most welcome pleasure.”
    “And it is wonderful to see you, Modo.” She grabbed Modo’s shoulder with a firm grip, and her voice softened. “It has been far too long since I last set eyes on you.”
    “It has?” Modo said. “I mean, it’s wonderful to see you.”
    “Are the two of you married again?” she asked.
    “Yes,” Octavia answered.
    “Only for show,” Modo added. “Please join us.”
    Colette walked around them and sat down, waving over a waiter to order coffee. “I’ve not had fish for eleven months now,” she said, laughing. It was, of course, a reference to what she and Modo had been eating on the
Ictíneo
when last they’d met. “Strictly beef and chicken.”
    “You could do with adding a few pounds,” Octavia said, feigning concern.
    “I appreciate your suggestion,” Colette replied, dusting a few crumbs off the table, “but I like to stay lean and hungry.”She was as beautiful as Modo remembered, and yet she’d lost more than weight—a certain vibrancy, perhaps? Her air of invincibility?
    “I avoid fish,” Modo admitted, giving her his full attention.
    Colette leaned toward him. “Let us get to the matter at hand, shall we? The French secret service is looking for others who are like you, Modo. It is a top priority.”
    Octavia set her cup of coffee down right between them with a clatter and said, “Who would be leading that search? You?”
    “I—uh—am a member of the team.”
    “So this could just be an elaborate trap to capture Modo.”
    “It’s exactly that,” Colette said, narrowing her eyes to slits. “With a snap of my fingers armed agents will sweep down and surround us. They’ll haul you, Miss Milkweed, off to jail, cotton stuffed in your snide mouth, and drag Modo to our interrogation rooms on Rue de la Mercy.” She lifted her hand and snapped her fingers, drawing the attention of a nearby waiter. She waved him away, laughing bitterly at his confusion. “I do not expect to gain your trust, Miss
Weed de la Milk
. But I do hope that Modo will remember our previous, shall we say, adventures and the pact we made.”
    “And what sort of pact was that?” Octavia glared at Modo.
    “Umm …” He looked to the sky and cleared his throat. He scoured his brain for the answer. Octavia was often vexing, but Colette’s presence made him doubly vexed. He could barely think straight. “Did we swear to help each other survive?”
    “Yes, you remember!” Colette said. “Good. Good. It wasnot an oath I took lightly. I come not as an agent for my country, Modo, but as a friend to you. I owe you.”
    Owe me? For what?
Modo was confused. Couldn’t she meet his eyes for longer than a few seconds at a time?
    “Your parents are living in the country; I’ve been able to ascertain that much.”
    Modo’s heart sped up and this disturbed him. It was important to keep his emotions in check. “Please tell me what you know.”
    “I’ve done a great amount of research, Modo. I discovered accounts of your birth. I even interviewed a witness.”
    “A witness to my birth?” Modo asked, flabbergasted. “A relative?” Maybe he had an aunt. Or even a grandmother.
    “No, not a relative. A midwife. Her name was Marie.”
    “What did she say?”
    “She … uh … verified that you were born. And that you were … well … she was affected by your