The Rules in Rome by A.L. Sowards Page A

suitcase. “Yes.”
    “Well, let’s find it before someone runs off with it.”
    Gracie retraced her steps, and Bastien stayed nearby, carrying the radio for her. Her other suitcase still sat on the platform.
    “I’ll need to search your things,” Bastien said. Meyer would be suspicious if he didn’t, but Bastien wasn’t sure where he could perform the search without everyone seeing what was inside. He spotted the ticket office and, taking Gracie’s other suitcase, led the way.
    The small building was closed to the public, but he was a German officer, and neither of the railroad employees objected when he stepped inside, Gracie right behind him. He turned the suitcases so no one but he and Gracie could see the contents and glanced at her. The incident had left her shaken. So now that there’s no turning back, she finally realizes what she’s gotten herself into. Bastien pretended to examine the contents of her luggage, and this time, she didn’t protest.
    He closed both suitcases with a snap. “All seems to be in order, Signorina.” He spoke loudly so the rail workers could hear. “I’ll help you to your train.”
    Bastien planned to escort her all the way to her seat, but he ran into Meyer again outside the train. He handed the suitcases to Gracie and watched her board.
    “Anything suspicious?” Meyer asked.
    “No.”
    “What was in the small suitcase?”
    “Sewing machine parts.” Bastien glanced around the platform. The crowd had dispersed, and the thief was gone. Bastien saw two SS men carrying away something wrapped in a blanket. It was the right size to be a body. “And our thief?”
    “He died before I could ask him any questions.”
    Bastien glanced once more at the covered bundle. “Probably a random robbery. Good day, Meyer.”
    Meyer saluted, then followed his men.
    Bastien turned toward the Rome train and briefly met the eyes of a stocky, middle-aged man. Before boarding the train, Bastien looked back again. The man was still watching him, and according to his uniform, he was SD.
    * * *
    Gracie was exhausted when the train finally pulled into Rome’s Termini Station a day and a half after leaving Switzerland. In good times, a passenger train could cross the border into Italy and make it to Rome the same day, but her route had taken much longer. She’d had to switch trains twice, and her last train had stopped for several hours somewhere between Milan and Bologna to fix a problem with the engine.
    Because the train arrived during curfew, the passengers weren’t allowed off until nearly dawn. Gracie hadn’t slept since boarding the first train, but she couldn’t sleep now. She was too cold. At first it had been the winter chill, but after her radio was stolen, it was fear that left her shivering. Her cover had almost been blown, so easily, even though she hadn’t made any mistakes. She’d never seen someone shot before, and the memory was horrible. She wouldn’t have said anything, preferring to let the thief get away with her radio, if she’d known what would happen to him. And she was worried. Had it been a random theft, or had something about her or her suitcase made it a target?
    When light from the still-hidden sun illuminated the station, she saw Captain Ley through the window. They’d planned no contact until the next day, and she supposed the robbery wouldn’t change that. He strode away, composed, confident, perfect for his assignment.
    As Gracie left the train not long after, she dreaded what might happen next, what bad luck or her own inadequacy might bring. She’d been so eager to work behind enemy lines, but unlike Ley, she wasn’t perfect for this assignment. She had pictured herself calmly meeting with informants, then competently transmitting vital intelligence, doing something that would really make a difference for the army. She hadn’t even been able to handle the thief without help. She whispered a prayer, pleading for divine protection. She had a feeling she