Intrigue In Geneva – Episode 6

The waiter’s attention had wandered. He peered over Dvora’s shoulder, and a look of concern appeared on his face.

“Your husband, he is not well?” he enquired.

“I think it was something he ate,” Dvora murmured in German.

Rashid was making muffled sounds of coughing and choking. He would die in another sixty seconds. Dvora’s inner body clock counted down 180. Her three minutes had expired.

The waiter said impatiently but firmly, “Madam, there is clearly something wrong with your husband.” He pushed past Dvora to assist Rashid. Rashid was making muffled sounds of coughing and choking. He would die in another sixty seconds. Dvora’s inner body clock counted down 180. Her three minutes had expired.

The waiter said impatiently but firmly, “Madam, there is clearly something wrong with your husband.” He pushed past Dvora to assist Rashid.

Dvora, meanwhile, began to stride purposefully in the direction of the restroom. Out of the corner of her eye she spotted the German couple staring at her. The man raised his wine glass in a toast, looked Dvora in the eye, and mouthed the words “L’chaim.” To life. With his right hand he mimed the action of a gun firing at her head. He smiled grimly, Dvora choked back a scream and sprinted towards the exit.

Behind her, she could hear the waiter frantically calling for someone to phone for an ambulance. She had almost gained the door when the pianist stood, reached out and tugged at her sleeve.

“Madam, your husband…”

Dvora shoved him aside roughly. He staggered and fell against an empty table, causing crockery and glasses to crash to the the floor.

She swung through the doorway and pelted down the corridor to the restrooms, her heels tapping loudly on the tiles. Wrenching open the door, she saw the ski coat hanging on a peg and the boots on the floor. With shaking hands, she yanked on the oversized black anorak, pulling the hood up so that it covered her hair. She kicked off her heels and struggled to pull on the heavy winter boots. Overbalancing, she fell sideways against the wall with a heavy thud. Damn, damn, damn. From the corridor she heard running footsteps and shouting.