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"This is a wanted poster," Paul remarked "I speak some French--studied it in school"

"Yes The Germans offered a reward of one million francs to anyone who turned us in"

"You were in France during the war and you anted?" This was more than Ruth could assirander as he studied the poster

"You and Jean-Claude were part of the French Resistance?" Paul asked, but it was rand "Jean-Claude was , strong and brave and handsohter filled a roorew teary and she dabbed at theo now and, as I said, I think perhaps it’s tirandmother leave the story untold She suspected her father hadn’t heard any of this, and she wanted to learn everything she could about this unknown episode in their family history before it was forever lost

"What were you doing in France?" Ruth asked She couldn’t comprehend that the worandmother, who baked cookies and knit socks for Christn country

"I was attending the Sorbonne when the Germans invaded Mydead I was studying French literature My parents were frantic for e home, but like so many others in France, I didn’t believe the country would fall I assuredyoung and foolish, I thought she was overreacting Besides, I was in love Jean-Claude had asked me to marry him, and oman in love wishes to leave her lover over ru her head "France seemed invincible We were convinced the Ger defeat if they tried"

"So when it happened you were trapped," Paul said

Her grand… People were demoralized and defeated when France surrendered after only a few days of fighting We were aghast that such a thing could happen Jean-Claude and a few of his friends decided to resist the occupation I decided I would, too, so ereof this"

"How did you join the Resistance?" Paul asked as Ruth studied her grandmother with fresh eyes

"Join," she repeated scornfully "There was no place to sign up and be handed a weapon and an instruction roup of us students, naive and foolish, offered resistance to the Gerroups, eventually united under the leadership of General de Gaulle We soon found one another Jean-Claude and I--ere young and too stupid to understand the price ould pay, but by then we’d already lost some of our dearest friends Jean-Claude and I refused to let them die in vain"

"What did you do?" Ruth breathed She leaned closer to her grand was pitifully little The Germans suffered more casualties in traffic accidents At first our resistance was mostly symbolic" A slow smile spread across her weathered face "But we learned, oh yes, we learned"

Ruth was still having difficulty taking it all in She pressed her hand to her forehead She found it hard enough to believe that the sketch of the ferandile, petite woman at her side had been part of the French Resistance…

"Does hed heavily "I’ht have mentioned it to him I’ve told only my friends Clara and Winifred No one else" She shook her head "I didn’t feel I could talk toToo many painful memories"

"Did you…did you ever have to kill anyone?" Ruth had trouble even getting the question out

"Many times," Helen answered bluntly "Does that surprise you?"

It shocked Ruth to the point that she couldn’t ask anything else

"The first tirandmother said "I was held by a French policeh Ruth couldn’t understand the language, sos didn’t need translation "The police worked hard to prove to the Gerood little boys they were," she lish "I’d been stopped and questioned, detained by this pig of aun with me that I’d hidden, a seven millimeter"

Ruth’s heart pounded as she listened to Helen recount this adventure

"The pig didn’t drive me to the police station Instead he headed for open country and I knew that once he was outside town and away from the eyes of any witnesses, he would rape andback a gasp of horror

"You’d trained for self-defense?" Paul asked

Her grandhed "No How could we? There was no time for such lessons But I realized that I didn’t need technique What I needed was nerve This beast of a un on me but I was quicker I shot him in the head" She paused, as if themoment was as clear as if it had happened only hours before "I buried him myself in a field and, as far as I know, he was never found" She wore a small satisfied look "His htened his jahen he reached for his gun--and I saw I’d been watching hiht happen, of what could go wrong He was a professional, and I was only nineteen, and yet I knew that if I didn’t act then, it would’ve been too late"

"Didn’t you worry about what could happen, too?" Ruth asked, not understanding how her grand

"No," Helen answered flatly "I kneould happen We all did We didn’t have a chance of surviving, none of us My parents would never have discovered my fate--I would simply have disappeared They didn’t even know I’d ed my name" She stared out at the water "I don’t understand why I lived It makes no sense that God would spare me when all my friends, all those I loved, were killed"

"Jean-Claude, too?"