Fantasy So Night Follows Day by TMaskedWriter

[Ramesh_Rocky]

Detective Inspector Luc Tomas Allaine of Interpol shut off his desktop computer. He grabbed his coat and hat, departed Interpol HQ, got on his bike, and rode home through the streets of Lyon. He was a few minutes ahead of the end of his shift, but his supervisor never seemed to mind if Luc wanted to knock off a few minutes early; primarily because it decreased the chance of their encountering each other.

As he got off his bike and prepared to mount the three steps to his and Sam's home, a voice from the hedge row next to him caused him to drop his bike with a start.

"Detective Inspector Allaine?" The voice he now recognized whispered.

"My own personal Cultural Attaché." He replied, picking up his bike. "Commissioner Gordon only has to worry about encounters like these at night."

"Batman must require more sleep than an Ultimado." She replied.

"If you're checking to see if I accidentally destroyed everything that our mutual friend gave me, it's all tragically fallen into my deskside shredder. Except for the flash drive, that suffered a nasty encounter with the butt of my service weapon."

"No. He trusts that you have done this. I am here for the other thing."

"Oh, oui." Luc fished a key with a note wrapped around it out of his pocket. He looked at the hedge for a hand to extend to take it. When it didn't happen, he tossed the key over the hedge. He didn't hear anything land. "Whyte's box is here in Lyon; the note has the bank and box number. With what M'sieur Equals and I uncovered to connect the things I had already gathered on him, Americans will confess to enjoying Nickelback before they admit to ever having owned a Whyte product."

"He thanks you." She whispered. "And so does La Contessa."

"I am happy to help them both." Luc responded, tipping his helmet to the hedge. "I was thinking of simply telling you which bank and box; and seeing if you could get the contents without the key."

"It could be done. This saves me the effort."

"I suppose I should get inside and let you disappear, shouldn't I?"

"That, too, would save me some effort." She replied.

"Very well, then. Adieu... what should I call you?"

"Why don't you come up with something?" She answered.

Luc thought a moment.

"I like 'The Cultured Woman' for your name."

"Merci." She replied, her voice starting to fade. "I like it, too. Tres X-Files."

Luc nodded to the hedge and continued his journey up the steps. He walked in the door, whistling the X-Files theme.

* * *