E. R.

Kirchberger

UNFINISHED LIVES

PROLOGUE He never saw it coming. The first blow caught him on the left side of the head as he was bending to examine the figure lying on the bier. His hat fell off . His notebook clattered down onto the flagstones while the ballpoint pen flew out of his right hand. Reeling with shock and half blinded by the pain but still on his feet he was about to turn and face his assailant when the next blow felled him. !s his head crashed onto the stone floor he was conscious of a warm wetness below his waist. Then nothing. "utside it was a perfect day. #n the crypt a few steps down at the back of the cool dark church the body lay where it had fallen face down with its right arm flung out behind stone feet and the hems of stone robes. !s corpses went it was an elegant one. $ou could tell that its linen suit had been immaculate only a little while ago. ! %aunty maroon and white silk handkerchief the finest pale grey ribbed cotton socks polished burgundy loafers and the black&ribboned panama that had tumbled to the floor spoke of a fastidious and conservative sense of style. 'ecause it had fallen on the far side of the stone group of mourners clustering around the supine body of (hrist the corpse could not be seen from the door of the crypt and anybody checking for a human presence without actually walking all the way around the monument could be forgiven for thinking that the dark vaulted space was empty. There was blood of course but that too was hidden from view behind the monument. )ome of it had soaked into dusty crevices between the paving stones and wet splashes glistened on the base of the bier and the feet of the stone figures * but most of it lay in a dark glistening pool under the battered head.

Wednesday

CHAPTER 1

There was a knock at the door. -.atron/0 Roussel looked up. !mina .ottier was standing in the doorway to his office black hair pulled back black tee&shirt unadorned and tucked into black %eans face scrubbed and bare. -Have you heard/0 -Heard what/0 His tone was controlled. 1or the last two hours despite several doses of antacid a fire had been raging in his stomach. Even as he spoke he could feel it burning right through to his backbone. 2evertheless the ga3e he turned towards his lieutenant was bland the wide face calm every nook and cranny in place. -The grapevine has it that 4uge 5a 'arri6re has asked for our team to be assigned to her on a case that0s %ust come up.0 -"h/0 -$eah. )uspected homicide.0 -!h well she0ll phone soon enough then.0 7ith a brief smile he returned to his notes dismissing her. .ottier0s head retreated. The door closed. He got up then flexing his arms and took a few tentative steps round the office shaking his legs gingerly like a cat does when it0s wet as if the futile exercise could both shift the indigestion and at the same time dispel the malaise that had been a concealed feature of his life for the last few months. He had a permanent feeling of being out of sorts. #t wasn0t physical exhaustion though he couldn0t remember the last time he0d had a holiday. This was more of a mental state a sort of general %adedness all the more aggravating for being so diffuse. !t first he had tried to blame it on his humdrum %ob in the !uxerre criminal division and the predictability of 'urgundian crime then his censure had extended to the .olice 4udiciaire itself and the corrosion of the entire 1rench %udicial system. 5ater he had started to suspect the cause might lie elsewhere. He was on the brink of middle age. 7ell forty&three might not be considered middle age these days but still he felt he was ageing fast. He had also briefly toyed with the idea that he might be depressed but had re%ected it as ridiculous. 2or did he think his morosity could be a delayed reaction to Elvire0s departure eighteen months after the event. He grimly suspected that what ailed him was not a reaction to anything in particular %ust a sly kind of emotional erosion a growing inner barrenness. 7hen he was feeling truly pessimistic or a little melodramatic he imagined it as a prelude to the withering of the soul. 8ostly he tried to play it down and called it to himself 9un passage vide:.

His day had started bleakly with a dream in which he was drowning in sand. #t had %erked him from sleep while the world outside his window was still dark. )weaty and nauseous he had stumbled into the bathroom now restored to its primitive function without Elvire0s clutter that had turned it into a scented lair in which his massive presence had been tolerated but only %ust. "nce upon a time musing on the possibility that some day she might leave him he had thought he0d miss her fragrant wake her satin py%amas and pots of unguents and that ridiculous overblown silk rose so inconveniently placed among her <uerlain bottles. )he had not been a silly woman & successful lawyers seldom were & but her extreme physical femininity had something so uncompromising about it that Roussel had felt both infuriated and bewitched by it. 7hen eventually she did leave him =for a .aris !ssi3es %udge no less> he had indeed missed her badly at first had lost sleep and appetite over her* had stopped ga3ing at women with that guiltless concupiscence you have when you0re comfortably married. ?id he miss her now/ He was no longer sure. 2or did he think he cared and there indeed was the rub. He had shaved @uickly nicking his %aw repeatedly averting his ga3e from the tired grey skin and bloodshot eyes that faced him in the mirror. He had stood for a long time in the shower rubbing his skin almost raw with a loofah. )tanding by the stainless steel sink in the kitchen he had made himself a bowl of instant coffee with the water from the hot tap wincing as he drank but unwilling to make the effort to brew the real thing. Then he had silently filled the cat0s bowl and had made sure it had fresh water. The creature as usual had ignored the offering and had continued to sit s@uarely on its haunches right on the kitchen table where it knew it had no business to be. He had left the house as dawn was breaking without bothering to lock the door behind him. The twenty&minute drive through vineyards and villages asleep in the pearly light failed to cheer him as it once had done and very occasionally still did. 2or when he had reached his office at the 'rigade (riminelle of the )R.4 & the )ervice RAgional de la .olice 4udiciaire & did the sight of a relatively unencumbered desk re%oice his heart. #f anything it fanned the embers of de%ection that smouldered on beneath his outwardly impassive features. #t was Roussel0s capacity for concealing his state of mind under an imperturbable exterior that caused him to wonder fre@uently about other people0s private hells. That everybody had a private hell he had no doubt. He shook himself impatient with the direction his thoughts were taking. ! second cup of coffee this time brewed in a percolator and savoured slowly by the window as the sun rose over

the roofs of !uxerre stroking the pale winding $onne with mauve and gold went a tiny way towards softening the edges of gloom. Remembering that today was 7ednesday he gave a fleeting thought to the amateur %a33 group which met on 7ednesday evenings in an empty gymnasium at the back of )aint&Eus6be. "nce upon a time he had been one of the regulars but had been conspicuous by his absence in the last few months. 7ould he ever go again/ He shrugged then turned to his desk and with a sigh picked up the handful of papers in his in&tray. 'y mid&morning the tray had filled again and the desk was stacked with documents. ?oggedly he dealt with a couple of unsurprising reports from the medical examiner which he forced himself to read right through. He snorted cynically at yet another negative answer from the (ommissaire to his re@uest for more staff* he perused reports on the usual midweek number of aggravated assaults domestic violence cases car %ackings and outbreaks of counterfeit BC Euro notes. He raised a bushy eyebrow at a lengthy diatribe from the social services about his team0s lack of cooperation then arranged the reports in little stacks on his desk ready for distribution to members of his staff. ! curt note from ?r 8ougins the police doctor that said -Re&your recent medical check&up see me !)!.0 was crushed into a ball and thrown into the waste&paper basket. !t lunchtime careful to avoid 8ougins0s usual haunts he took himself with a couple of newspapers to a small bistrot near the !bbey of )aint&<ermain where he tucked into a remarkably good co@&au&vin with the devilment of a ten&year&old playing truant. This aspect of his life at least had returned to near&normal after the dismal weeks of appetite loss that had followed Elvire0s departure. He found it reassuring that a finely cooked dish a glass of decent wine and a cigarillo to follow could still be relied upon to afford him a brief moment of pleasure. #t probably meant that he was not @uite dead yet. His libido however was definitely still playing possum. He walked back to the )R.4 feeling a little better after his meal. 'ut when an hour later the co@&au&vin and its accompanying half&bottle of 'ourgogne Epineuil started picking at his stomach lining his gloom returned annulling the brief respite. 8ore tedious tasks a meeting he could not avoid with numskulls from another brigade and by half past four decidedly sombre. #t was then that !mina .ottier imparted her piece of news. This was soon confirmed by Roussel0s immediate boss (ommissaire ?ivisionnaire Toussaint. The !uxerre Procureur de la Rpublique had assigned 8artine 5a 'arri6re one of his investigating magistrates to a new in@uiry over a suspected homicide. #n turn 5a 'arri6re had sent (ommissaire Toussaint a commission rogatoire - a formal written re@uest - asking for he was feeling

(ommandant Roussel and his team to be assigned to her. The 1rench %udicial and law&enforcing system had moved into gears. ?espite the pain in his gut Roussel perked up a little. ! native of south&west 1rance 5a 'arri6re was a short&legged bouffant&haired fifty&year old whose cold blue ga3e and dumpy physi@ue hid an energetic approach to criminal investigation. !s a result she was usually assigned the more complex cases. #n the context of !uxerre0s %udicial landscape which in recent years had come under close national scrutiny following several cover&up scandals and the bungled aftermath of the Emile 5ouis affair she was in Roussel0s opinion the least ob%ectionable of the local investigating magistrates. )he was open&minded if mostly humourless and at a time when many of the juges dinstruction seemed to come younger and younger and tended to act self&consciously omniscient her age and experience comforted him. previously and had got on reasonably well. 5a 'arri6re0s call came soon after. -Roilly&sur&)erein 0 she said tersely without introducing herself knowing that news of his assignment had most probably already reached RousselEs ears. )he had a smooth contralto voice which Roussel had always found extremely seductive though heaven knew the woman herself was no vamp. #t was beautifully modulated as if she had been trained for the stage the sort of voice he imagined & perhaps wrongly & that )arah 'ernhardt might have had a voice like chocolate& brown velvet. "ccasionally when she was in a hurry or when she allowed her guard to slip a rounded vowel hinting at her south&western origin escaped her control and erupted like a %oyous bubble. That was when Roussel found her most attractive. -7hat have we got /0 asked Roussel. -)uspected homicide.0 There was a small pause. -#n the crypt of the church.0 -<ender/0 -8ale.0 -7ho found the body /0 -The caretaker stumbled on it at about 1D.CC hours as he was doing his rounds prior to closing the church. He called the gendarmerie who investigated and immediately called the procureur. #t0s a middle&aged man. He appears to have been battered about the head. The body wasn0t there this morning at eight when the caretaker opened the church.0 -!ny identification on him/0 )he and Roussel had worked together

-2o but from a missing&person call they had earlier this afternoon the gendarmerie suspect we may be dealing with the body of an Englishman.0 -!h 0 said Roussel now understanding the reason behind the unusually speedy procedure and the magistrate0s re@uest for his assignment and adding -5et0s hope the gendarmerie have secured the scene properly.0 'unglers that they are he added silently to himself. -2ow then (ommandant 0 5a 'arri6re said the steel in her voice indicating that she would not tolerate any backbiting between the gendarmerie and the criminal investigation division both of which were under her %urisdiction. -The gendarmerie will have secured the scene don0t you worry. #0m on my way there now with <renache0 & this was the medical examiner & . -<et your team together call the forensic boys and meet us down there as soon as you can.0 -Right 0 said Roussel getting up from his chair even as he spoke his vengeful digestion suddenly less noticeable. -7e0re on our way.0 !fter a @uick telephone call to 1rAdAric ?umas the head of the #dentification %udiciaire & the scene of crime team & he picked up his crumpled suit %acket and walked into the next&door office where two of his assistants 5ieutenants .ottier and ?u@uesne were getting ready to go pushing red armbands up their sleeves to show they were on active duty. The senior officer under Roussel0s command (apitaine Etienne 'oileau was still at home on leave recovering from a stomach wound sustained during a shootout with a band of !uxerre car thieves and the two other %unior police officers (houra@ui and Galvert were out on one of the aggravated assault cases. Roussel .ottier and ?u@uesne took the lift down and climbed into an unmarked police Renault +1. -7here to patron /0 asked !mina .ottier who doubled up as Roussel0s driver. #f the missing 'oileau was Roussel0s most gifted officer .ottier was the one for whom he had a soft spot. The daughter of a 1rench father and a 8oroccan mother she was twenty&six&years old and had recently made the grade to 5ieutenant. )he had been snapped up by Roussel after her traineeship had shown her to be intelligent commonsensical hard&working and cool&headed in the field. Roussel valued her and felt comfortable with her. 2either did he hold her appearance against her though at first he like all his male colleagues he had found it a little distracting. 1or !mina .ottier was by any standard a stunner. )he was of medium height and small&boned with a smooth olive complexion a finely chiselled 'erber nose an extremely sensual mouth and lustrous black eyes. )he was the epitome of the 8oroccan beauty. 7hen she had first come to work for Roussel she had sported very short skirts outlined her eyes with kohl and worn her

long black hair parted in the middle and gathered loosely at the nape of her neck with a silver barrette. Roussel had found that parting somewhat erotic & a pale straight furrow separating two shiny wings of hair. He had even obsessed about it for a few weeks as he had about her 1rida Kahlo eyebrows =Roussel was very partial to women0s eyebrows>. !s if she had divined that .ottier soon started to wear her hair severely pulled back with no parting and no adornment of any kind. 1ortunately she could not know about her boss0s partiality to eyebrows otherwise she might have tried to do something about those too. To make matters worse for Roussel despite her slenderness the wretched girl had a magnificent figure and Roussel =in those days> was as partial to shape as he was to eyebrows. )till he soon managed to get over his little fantasies and abstemiously learned to think only of .ottier0s other @ualities. He found to his ama3ement that his sexual relations with his wife never dull became heightened after that. The rest of the department however took longer to overlook .ottier0s physical endowments and continued to ogle. "f course this situation was only to be expected in a police department that counted among the most phallocratic north of 5yons. )o .ottier learnt to play down her appearance further. )he never let her hair down at work physically or metaphorically eschewed eye make&up and skirts of any kind and took to wearing the most nondescript masculine clothes. #t was however were nothing but a subtle ploy to emphasi3e her splendid attributes. Roussel0s other lieutenant today was .atrick ?u@uesne on loan from the financial investigation department to replace 'oileau. ! short thin man of twenty&eight with a solemn face pale blue eyes and crinkly brown hair which was getting thin on top he was still an unknown @uantity having %oined the 'rigade criminelle only the week before. He had however arrived with a glowing report from his former boss. He was said to be a technological wi3ard. Roussel whose own computer literacy was basic and timorous was looking forward to being awed by what he hoped would be digital pyrotechnics and sleight&of&hand on the worldwide web all in the service of crime detection. He %ust hoped that ?u@uesne would prove to be a valuable addition to the team in the field as well. 'urgundian crime boring though it was was rising and Roussel was desperately short&staffed & all his re@uests for further manpower went unheeded. -7here are we going patron /0 repeated .ottier from the driver0s seat. -Roilly&sur&)erein.0 -Right. 7e0ll be there in no time. The rush&hour traffic hasn0t really started yet.0 -2o time0 was probably optimistic thought Roussel since Roilly was a good fifty kilometres away but the prevalent opinion in the department that her tight unisex %eans plain tee&shirts and bomber %ackets

.ottier was a fast and skilful driver so he settled back in his seat and decided to do3e. 'ut this was not to be. -#s that the place that great cheese comes from/0 asked ?u@uesne who was sitting in front next to .ottier. -$es 0 grunted Roussel. -There0s a fine church too. Romanes@ue.0 1rom the tone of ?u@uesne0s -"h yes/0 Roussel guessed that the young lieutenant was not into churches Romanes@ue or otherwise. Through half&closed eyelids Roussel noticed that he looked anxiously at his watch. -Roilly0s not exactly next door ?u@uesne 0 he muttered teasingly. -!nd weEre likely to be there for some time. )o if you had any plans for this evening you might as well forget them. #f this turns out to be a homicide it0ll be overtime for us all.0 The car lurched sideways to avoid a pedestrian and the fire in Roussel0s stomach flared up again. 2evertheless he could now feel the first faint pricklings of excitement. #f indeed the suspicious death turned out to be murder it might make a change from the run&of&the mill gang& related killings that were common fare to him. 1or one thing the place where the body had been found was unusual and might suggest that this was not a street crime. !s for the fact that the corpse was suspected to be that of an Englishman it would if this proved to be the case and one looked at it cynically be an added bonus. 1or the 'urgundian Roussel was something of an !nglophile. 7ell !nglophile up to a point. He had reservations about the droves of 'ritons who had coloni3ed large areas of 1rance in the last two decades and whose outward good manners and bonhomie sometimes struck him as hiding an insufferably patroni3ing attitude towards the 1rench. 'ut he was familiar with their culture =as represented in his mind by the ''( to which he had listened obsessively when he was learning English> and had a great love of their language which he spoke with confidence pleasure and some vanity. -! small town such as Roilly is normally strictly a gendarmerie preserve0 remarked !mina .ottier. -7hy have we been called in so early /0 -'ecause the body may be that of a foreigner.0 -1oreigner as in J immigrant K or the other kind /0 -The other kind.0 -!h yes # see.0 !nd indeed Roussel did not have to explain further. Lnlike .aris in provincial 1rance the distribution of tasks and areas of responsibility in a criminal investigation was left to the discretion of the .rosecutor and the investigating magistrate. Traditionally there was no love lost between

1C

the two main 1rench law&enforcing agencies & the police and the gendarmerie. They had similar tasks but different masters. The gendarmerie answered to the 8inistry of ?efence replaced the erstwhile police grades of #nspecteur whilst the police was under the 8inistry of the #nterior despite the fact that a relatively recent decree had #nspecteur principal and #nspecteur could be called divisionnaire with the corresponding military ranks of 5ieutenant (apitaine and (ommandant. 'oth the gendarmerie and the police as well as any speciali3ed brigades upon to collaborate on almost any investigation. #n the case of murder and other serious crimes the section of the .olice 4udiciaire concerned was known collo@uially as La Crim, short for la Brigade criminelle, e@uivalent to the (#? in 'ritain. "fficially the choice of handing over most of the responsibility for an investigation to the criminal division rather than to the gendarmerie even if the crime had taken place in a rural area would not be regarded as a reflection on the @uality of the service though it might ruffle some feathers. Lnofficially however it was felt that although in the last few years the gendarmerie had developed highly competent and speciali3ed units as well as efficient data banks it did not have the wherewithal or experience to deal with certain crimes such as organi3ed&crime rackets some homicides or any serious crime that had a metropolitan or international dimension. #n addition there were some provincial magistrates who whatever the crime felt more comfortable working mostly with the police* others distributed responsibilities evenly between the two forces. There was no hard and fast rule about it. #t usually came down to a personal decision on the part of the procureur or the juge dinstruction and to the type of crime committed. 8artine 5a 'arri6re had hitherto shown a tendency for allocating mixed responsibilities for most of her cases but her special re@uest today that Roussel and his team attend the investigation from the very beginning probably meant that she intended them to handle a lot of it themselves. #f the murdered man did turn out to be a foreign national this made sense. #t was past six o0clock when they arrived in Roilly. (ocooned within its ramparts with the )erein river gleaming gold in the late afternoon sunlight the little market town looked sleepy at first. "nce they had driven into the town centre however they found it was unusually animated. 5ittle groups of people whispered together on street corners* shopkeepers stood at their open doors peering towards the church and there hung in the air a feeling of expectancy. #n the s@uare before the church of )aint&!ventin they drew up beside 5a 'arri6re0s Renault 8egane which was parked next to an ambulance a gendarmerie van and a gendarmerie car. ! gendarme was trying to break up a small knot of people standing by the cars. There was a

11

sudden silence as the three police officers got out of the unmarked .4 car and looked around them. 'ut when a few seconds later the #dentitA %udiciaire van arrived in a s@ueal of tires and disgorged half a do3en crime scene technicians laden with metal cases spotlights cameras tripods and all the paraphernalia of their trade there was an excited bu33 as conversation was resumed. Roussel flipped his cardholder open and told the gendarme -?on0t scatter this lot yet. Try to find out whether anybody knows or saw anything.0 The gendarme bristled visibly at being given instructions by a policeman but said nothing. 1rom where he stood at the foot of the steps Roussel surveyed the church with its carved Romanes@ue porch its arched windows and s@uat tower. He liked the plainness of its structure and it had always seemed apposite to him that Roilly0s claim to fame was one that combined the earthy and the spiritual for the little market town was renowned throughout 'urgundy for two thingsM its cheese an orange&crusted soft&cored cow0s milk cheese matured in marc de 'ourgogne and not unlike the more famous Epoisses* and the Entombment monument in the church which was a masterpiece of late fifteenth&century sculpture. (limbing the shallow steps leading to the parvis he glanced up at the tympanum on which a faintly smiling Romanes@ue (hrist swathed in pleated robes danced )hiva&like over styli3ed waves. The image was given a surreal dimension by the police tape stretched below the lintel and flanked by two stiff gendarmes. 7ithin the church another gendarme was pacing the aisles. !n old man was sitting on a pew at the back of the church looking shaken. This was probably the church caretaker who had discovered the body. !lthough he knew the man had already been interviewed by the gendarmerie Roussel asked ?u@uesne to go carefully through his testimony with him. Roussel and .ottier walked down the nave towards the crypt. !s they neared the door each of them in an automatic and well&synchroni3ed gesture stopped to wrap their footgear in paper shoe covers and gloved up. Roussel knew some of his colleagues thought he was a nitpicker in terms of crime scene contamination but the provincial 1rench approach to crime scenes which was casual at best always stoked up his anger. ! couple of years before he had been invited by an !merican colleague to spend a week in a ?allas precinct and had been impressed by the results of meticulous crime&scene care and properly&conducted forensics. "f course technology was not everything and Roussel placed as much faith if not more in a policeman0s sense of observation familiarity with the criminal mind even hunches. 'ut technology undoubtedly helped and in that respect in

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comparison with the Lnited )tates 1rance and he suspected many other European countries were light years behind. 8uch precious evidence was lost if the crime scene was trampled about. !nd when you thought of the number of people directly involved and indeed legally re@uired to be present at a crime&scene investigation & the .rosecutor or his representative the juge dinstruction, the medical examiner various members of the police and gendarmerie any emergency medical team that might be called in if there were living victims mortuary van or ambulance attendants and any number of forensic officers & you had to wonder how it was that any real evidence was ever collected and not simply drowned in the avalanche of external stuff inadvertently brought to the scene by legitimate bystanders. #f Roussel could have his way the only people allowed at a crime scene would be himself and the medical examiner both properly attired and only after their own careful preliminary survey a highly trained and restricted team of forensic officers. He felt enraged that this was not the case and whenever he could tried to impose damage&control. Lnfortunately given the rigidity of the 1rench %udicial bureaucracy he was usually one of the last people to arrive at a crime scene. 5ow voices could be heard coming from the crypt which opened down a few steps on the left of the altar. Roussel who was very tall had to stoop down to enter the crypt and remained for a moment on the topmost step %ust inside the entrance gathering together his observational faculties as a bullfighter gathers his energies prior to going into the bullring. !t once his sensitive nose picked up over the stale ancient smell of a seldom&aired crypt the metallic odour of blood not overpowering but unmistakable. !s he came down the steps another smell & a faint trace of urine and faeces & wafted up. 1rom where he was he could not see the body which lay out of sight behind the monument that was one of the glories of 'urgundian sculpture but there was no mistaking the violence that had tainted the very air of the crypt. "n the left of the main group of stone figures which stood in the centre of the crypt three people stood close together between another stone group and the chapel wallM 8artine 5a 'arri6re clad as usual in an unadorned classic tailleur which was too tight for her figure a tall thin man of about forty balding and with a thick toothbrush moustache wearing the uniform of an ad%udant&chef of the gendarmerie and holding his kApi under his arm* and finally 8arianne Tronchy the .rosecutor0s youngest substitut a red&haired woman in her mid&twenties casually dressed in %eans and a yellow cotton bomber %acket. Roussel noted with amusement and relief that

1,

all three had secured their shoes in paper covers

& he suspected this had been at 5a 'arri6re0s

instigation. They were not gloved but then they were not called upon to touch anything. He went over and nodded without shaking hands while 5a 'arri6re introduced the men to each other. -!d%udant&chef .hilippe (otinaud head of the Roilly gendarmerie each other a @uick appraising glance which was cool around the edges. Roussel walked carefully around the monument. #n the light of a heavy&duty portable spotlight which must have been set up by the gendarmerie ?r (laude <renache the mdecin lgiste fully gloved and booted wearing a paper gown over his clothes and a paper cap on his gri33led hair was kneeling over the body of a man who lay sprawled out face down his head in a pool of blood. 8ore blood had splashed over the base of the bier and the lower part of the stone figures The smell of urine and fecal matter was @uite strong. !fter a cursory glance Roussel moved away. The corpse could wait . !s was his habit he began his perusal of the scene by walking its perimeter in a sort of orbit with the body as its center scanning every centimetre of the area he covered. The crypt was about ten metres long by eight metres wide. There were two groups of ise au !ombeau life&si3ed stone figures which together constituted the monument known as La & (ommandant .ierre Roussel of the )ection (riminelle de la .olice 4udiciaire in !uxerre.0 The two men gave

or Le "pulcre, or in English The Entombment. The main group consisting of seven mourners surrounding the body of (hrist was set in the centre of the crypt. To the left as one faced it was a standing stone watchman leaning on his lance and three more statues of guardian soldiers playing dice. #n a niche in the right&hand wall two much smaller stone figures were shown kneeling in prayer. Roussel who had often visited the crypt knew these represented the donors who had commissioned the monument from an unnamed sculptor in the late fifteenth century. !part from the body itself which was in the glare of the spotlight the rest of the crypt was very dim and Roussel used his own electric torch. This however proved inade@uate so after a first inspection that yielded nothing he gave up and decided to wait until the scene of crime team had set up proper lighting. The forensic officers dressed in their white gear were even now crowding around the crypt door waiting for the medical examiner to finish his preliminary examination in order to begin their %ob of fingerprint dusting sketching photographing measuring and collecting trace evidence. !mina .ottier conscious of the exiguity of the place remained on the topmost step noting down preliminary data weather conditions the temperature in the crypt and other particulars of the scene.

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Roussel was about to %oin 5a 'arri6re and her companions when <renache stood up shaking his thermometer and scribbling something in his notebook. He nodded to Roussel who in turn signalled to the #dentitA %udiciaire officers that they could start their work. These pushed past .ottier and came down the steps into the crypt. The place was getting very crowded. <renache cleared his throat then addressed the investigating magistrate. -1rom the temperature and degree of rigor mortis #0d say offhand that he0s been dead seven or eight hours.0 The young substitut shuffled her feet. 2ormally the doctor should have been addressing her. Her rank as representative of the .rosecutor took precedence over that of the juge dinstruction but the latter0s experience evidently weighed heavier in the doctor0s opinion. 'eside it was well&known that <renache did not stand on ceremony. They all looked at their watches. EThat would put the time of death at about ten or eleven this morning E said Roussel while .ottier from her perch made a note of it. -!nd the cause of death /0 asked 5a 'arri6re. -!t first glance massive brain in%ury caused by blunt&force trauma. #n other terms he0s been hit over the head.0 -(an you rule out suicide or an accident /0 asked the young substitut, perhaps more to remind them of her presence than because the @uestion was necessary. #t was pretty clear that the man before them had been the victim of an aggression. The medical examiner0s thin colourless lips twitched in a parody of a smile. #t was thought Roussel the kind of smile a predator might have before a potential victim. -# have occasionally heard of people committing suicide by bashing their own brains out against a wall 0 he said -but #0ve yet to see such a case myself.0 He smirked at the young woman baring long yellow teeth. -# think you may safely rule out suicide here.0 -!lthough 0 he went on after a tiny silence during which the substitut0s feet could be heard to be shuffling discreetly in their paper covers -# wouldn0t totally rule out an accident & stranger things have happened & and we shan0t be clear about it until #0ve had a chance to examine him properly. #0d say that both the state of the body and the surroundings militate seriously against that hypothesis. )o 0 he added while beginning to take off his gloves - for what it0s worth #0d put my money & what0s left of it & on it being murder. The type of wound the blood splatters all seem to be pointing in that direction.0

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-#0ll tell you more about it tomorrow 0 he added as he bent to pick up his case -# shan0t be able to attend to him until late morning or even early afternoon because other corpses are @ueuing up before him and # have a politically sensitive p.m. tonight but you0ll have my report by tomorrow evening.0 ! long speech for the usually unlo@uacious <renache. E#Ell need your report earlier than thatE said 5a 'arri6re firmly. <renache shook his head E8adame le 4uge you wonEt have it earlier than the afternoon. # have other urgent business.E E#Ed like you to consider this a priority ?octor. There0s a chance that the body may be that of an Englishman and we all know what that means.0 8emories of the #racas surrounding the Emily ?ickinson affair rose in the air between them. -.lease do your utmost to have the report ready for me after lunch tomorrow. #Ed be very gratefulE she added as an afterthought. <renache shrugged and grunted under his breath -!nything to maintain the $ntente cordiale% 5a 'arri6re did not appear to have heard him and her expression made it clear that she felt she had won that little bargaining session. -#f you confirm your murder theory 0 said Roussel -what kind of weapon should we be looking for/0 <renache sighed . -!gain # shan0t be able to give you any details until #0ve got him under my own lights but you can safely start looking for something with a largish and heavy head flattish but slightly rounded & say a large smooth stone or something like that. 7hat #0ve seen of the wound so far would support this. # suspect a lot of the bleeding0s internal so that would rule out a sharp&edged weapon which would have caused more extensive external damage. !nyway #0m done with him for now.E E7e0ll consider this to be a homicide for the time being 0 said 5a 'arri6re. -<iven the blood thereEs a possibility that the murdererEs clothes were splattered isnEt there/E E.ossibly E said <renache Ebut not necessarily. #t depends on several things. "n exactly where the murderer stood for instance and on the weight of the weapon. There arenEt that many splatters if you notice. ThatEs probably because after the first blow or two the victim fell to the ground where his head was supported. #t may also be due to the possibility that the first or second blow was the fatal one and that after that there was relatively little bleeding. &n peu de patience, mes en#antsM weEll all know more about it tomorrow but meanwhile if you want to look for the the

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assailant0s bloodied clothing and for the possible weapon do so by all means. #t0s your %ob not mine.E The medical examiner closed his bag with a sharp click disrobed and handed his paper gown for disposal to a crime scene tech who looked askance at that but complied. <renache started patting his pockets. -#0ll be outside if you want me.0 Roussel knew the lgiste, a heavy smoker was longing for one of his foul&smelling <reek cigarettes of which he seemed to have an inexhaustible supply. 8arianne Tronchy cleared her throat. -#0ll let you get on with this then 0 she said mustering as much authority as she could. -$ou0ll keep us informed as you go along won0t you/0 )he shook hands with the juge dinstruction and the gendarme ignored Roussel who was gloved up and managed to make a self&consciously dignified exit shoulders. Roussel with 5a 'arri6re hot on his heels made for the body the gendarmerie chief staying diffidently a step or two behind. .ottier came down the steps and followed. !s they walked behind the monument Roussel suddenly held his hand up to stop 5a 'arri6re from stepping any closer and s@uatting on his haunches peered intently on the ground about thirty centimetres from the corpse0s left side at waist level. -7hat have you found/0 asked the investigating magistrate. -5ooks like a bit of hardened soil probably from a shoe ridge. #tEs near where <renache was s@uatting which is why # didnEt see it before. 'ut it isnEt from one of <renacheEs shoes since he was wearing shoe covers. 0 Roussel asked ?utilleul one of the forensic officers who was nearby to scoop the stuff into an evidence bag. E!nd ?utilleul...E E$es (ommandant/E E8ake sure to examine the caretakerEs shoes. HeEs sitting at the back of the church. $ou never know this piece of soil may have come from one of his shoes. )o before it sends us on a wild&goose chase make sure we can eliminate him. 1ingerprint him also while you0re at it in case he touched the body.0 E$es sir.E )tanding by the dead man Roussel took out his notebook. He walked around the corpse very slowly a couple of times noting its exact position and making a rough sketch of it. He knew relief stamped on the set of her

1F

that the forensic team who were even now drawing photographing and measuring would do so far more competently but he needed his own primitive sketches %ust as he trusted his own @uickly scribbled first impressions. His most immediate general impression was not of the dead man but of the assault that had been perpetrated upon him. There was no doubt in Roussel0s mind that <renache0s examination the following day would confirm that this was indeed a homicide. #t looked as if the assailant had come up on the left behind the unsuspecting victim and wielding the weapon had struck him repeatedly and with great violence shattering his left temple and skull. !t first glance this suggested a right&handed murderer but like everything else it would have to be confirmed by <renache at the post&mortem. The body was that of a tall thin man in his early forties. #t was sprawled face down on the stone&flagged floor of the crypt. The head lay mostly on its right side the left facing the onlookers. The in%uries were to the left&hand side and back of the head taking in some of the left part of the face. The skull was crushed and bits of soft brain matter could be seen amidst the blood. The man0s hair where it was not matted with gore was longish of his features appeared to be a little sharp slightly foxy. The clothes were of fine @uality fabrics and as far as Roussel could tell of an elegant cut & a linen suit creamy white worn with a white lawn shirt. There was something dandyish about the spotted silk handkerchief poking out of the breast pocket of the %acket and the highly&polished loafers in the exact same shade of burgundy. Kneeling by the body Roussel gently lifted one of the hands. The nails were immaculate and the skin smooth though a few liver spots betraying the aging process at work made him @uestion his earlier guess about the victimEs age. He added five or six years to his original estimate and made a note of it in his black book. 7hile 8artine 5a 'arri6re stood to one side and watched Roussel stood up and walked slowly around the body again now trying to disregard the blood and destruction in order to gather a little information about the man who had been killed. His general impression was that there seemed to be something non&1rench about the look of the corpse. Here Roussel was aware that he might be influenced by 5a 'arri6reEs indication that the body might be that of an Englishman. #nstead of dismissing the impression he began to @uestion it. 7as it the hairstyle that was longer than one might expect in a well&dressed 1renchman of that age/ 7as it the tailoring of the clothes / Roussel focused on the suit %acket which was cut with twin vents over the hips something the & indeed %aw&length or slightly longer & straight dark red with a few silver strands and thinning. 7hat could be seen

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1rench wore less generally than the 'ritish their preference going to the single central vent. He knew it was a cut the 'ritish favoured. !nd the panama that lay bloodstained in the upper right&hand @uadrant of the body0s perimeter. Roussel peered at it. #t looked like a fine panama. Even Roussel who was not a connoisseur of hats could see that it had come from a good hatter. #t made him think of Englishmen abroad characters from a <raham <reene or a 8alcolm 5owry novel. He had a sudden memory of a 4une day in )iena sitting with Elvire in the .ia33a del (ampo while on either side of their table two groups of obstreperous panama&hatted men there on some congress or other were ordering gin and tonics in peremptory English from a bemused #talian waitress. To Roussel the panama was very much part of the Englishman0s uniform abroad %ust as those ghastly 'arbour %ackets and 7ellington boots were part of their uniform in the country and the plaid 'urberry lining part of their uniform in town. .art of a uniform yes but to Roussel0s mind a distinctly upper&middle&class one and a conservative one at that. Roussel %erked his mind back to the body at his feet. $es well if the sum of a twin&vented %acket and a panama e@ualled one conservative upper&middle&class Englishman it seemed pretty thin evidence. #t would be foolish to %ump to conclusions from the mere look of a corpseEs attire. 'etter to focuse on what was truly observable. #t was a fact for instance that the dead man was extremely well&groomed* that his hands were those of someone who had probably never done a day0s manual work that the @uality and cut of his clothes denoted a certain affluence as well as a a conservative kind of dandyism.. There was a vain streak there as well. & surely only a vain man would choose the exact same shade of burgundy for his pocket handkerchief and his shoes. Here Roussel found it hard to stop himself from making a personal value %udgment. He loathed sartorial vanity in men %ust as he distrusted extreme immaculateness in either men or women. To him it denoted an obsessive form of narcissism and egocentricity that left little room for anything else. Elvire had been like that. He swatted the thought of his former wife aside as he would an in@uisitive fly and forced himself to concentrate once more on the corpse at his feet. The corpseEs hairstyle was unexpected in someone so sprucely turned out. 2ot that it was unkempt or mussed up other than from the assault. 'ut it was longer than the bodyEs conventional attire seemed to warrant. This interested Roussel. #t seemed to say something about the image the dead man wanted to pro%ect. !gain by association came an unbidden image & photographs he

1I

had seen of "scar 7ilde and other turn&of the century 'ritish dandies mostly poets and artists. !n artistic dandy/ ! 'ritish upper&middle&class artistic dandy/ There he was again %umping to conclusions. "b%ectively speaking this was a -no&no0 as his !merican colleagues liked to say but Roussel0s gut feeling was insistent. His ambivalence was something that often plagued him. His training and the 1rench (artesian culture tended to make him respect logic. 'ut he had not been a policeman for twenty&five years without developing a reluctant respect for his own instinct. #n the end he scribbled down his impressions adorning them with @uestion marks but kept @uiet about them. 2ot far from him .ottier was also %otting down notes. They0d compare impressions later. Roussel turned towards the gendarmerie chief who was hovering behind him. -!ny identification on him !d%udant&chef /0 -2o papers or passport. 2o credit cards. His wallet0s gone and so has his watch & he was definitely wearing a watch recently because there0s a lighter band of skin on his left wrist. #t looks as if somebody stole them.0 -#t won0t do to %ump to conclusions 0 said Roussel coldly not feeling the least bit hypocritical. -He may simply have left his wallet and watch at home.0 -$es possibly 0 said the gendarme chief hurriedly with a glance at the silent but attentive investigating magistrate. - 'ut what # mean isN he has no wallet or watch no credit card holder or papers or indeed anything that might help give a clue about who he is. 2ot even a handkerchief or tissue in his pockets.0 -7ho touched him/0 -The gendarme who first went to investigate the caretaker0s call. Then # myself.0 -$ou0ve been very 3ealous haven0t you/0 Roussel0s tone was acerbic. His temper was beginning to fray at the edges. -!re you not aware that it is considered important for an investigation & a police investigation at least & that a body be disturbed as little as possible before the medical examiner has seen it. $ou reali3e we0re going to have to print you up. !nd your gendarme as well. !nd <od only knows what trace evidence you two left when you searched himO0 -(ommandant 0 5a 'arri6re intervened. The warning tone was barely veiled. Then smoothing (otinaud0s ruffled feathers M -The possibility was mentioned that it might be a foreigner. 7hat evidence do you have of that !d%udant&chef /0

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(otinaud cleared his throat. -2o evidence as such 8adame le 4uge.0 Then before the look of incredulity could settle on Roussel0s face he @uickly addedM 0#t0s %ust that a woman telephoned the gendarmerie earlier this afternoon. !n Englishwoman living about twelve kilometres away. )he wanted to report that a guest of hers & also English & was missing and she was concerned about it. )he rang at ,.;+ p.m. The last she0d seen of that man apparently was at ten a.m. "bviously the gendarme who took her call told her this was not long enough to warrant it being considered a missing&person case.0 -2or is it 0 said Roussel conscious that he was adopting a pompous tone & some people brought out the worst in him. -#t may have nothing to do with this corpse.0 'ut (otinaud was ready for this and he now pulled the ace from his sleeve. -The woman did give a brief description of her missing friend. !pparently he had longish red hair and was wearing a white linen suit and a white hat. !nd0 he added with something that might have been the beginning of a smirk -she saw him last at ten this morning when she dropped him at the church.0 -7ho is this woman and where is she now /0 asked 5a 'arri6re. (otinaud took a piece of paper out of his notebook. -)he would seem to be a 8adame !riette 4ems. Has a home in 5a Tuilerie twelve kilometres upriver.0 -Right 0 said 5a 'arri6re -would you please send a car for her / "r rather since she is a guest in this country would you kindly go yourself / identification right away.0 (otinaud hurried away with a brisk step a slightly smug expression lingering on his face. Roussel remained silent. He was in two minds about the juge0s instructions but given the fact that he0d already so early in the investigation antagoni3ed 5a 'arri6re through his expectation of gendarmerie ineptitude he preferred not to argue. He did not like body identification at crime scenes by relatives or friends. Giewing a body that had not been cleaned up added a traumatic dimension to an act which was distressing enough as it was. 'ut it was not %ust the human aspect that disturbed him. He knew from experience that the shock of seeing the body of a friend or a loved one in situ could affect a testimony distorting it and wasting valuable time. There was also the fact that yet another presence at the crime scene meant more contamination. "n the other hand time was of the essence. Especially if foreigners were involved he thought sourly. He wished his own observation of the body and his guess that 7e might as well have an initial

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it might indeed be that of an Englishman did not fit so snugly with the information provided by (otinaud. .erhaps they would prove to be wrong after all. 5a 'arri6re obviously shared his thoughts. 7hile (otinaud hurried away she said M -The sooner we have an identification the better. #f the body does indeed prove to be that of the missing Englishman we0ll have to act swiftly. # hope to <od it isn0t.0 -(an we at least bag up the body as soon as the forensic team have finished and have the woman identify it when it0s out of the crypt /0 5a 'arri6re gave a ghost of a smile. -$es Roussel we can do that. 8eanwhile can you try to be a little more cooperative with the !d%udant&chef / 'y the look of it we shall be needing all the manpower we can get and the better you all get on the @uicker we0ll get to the bottom of this.0 Roussel grunted and 5a 'arri6re chose to take this as an assent. 7hile the crime scene officers carried on with their work Roussel and 5a 'arri6re left the crypt and sat for a while on a choir bench. The caretaker had gone. The air in the church though musty felt less oppressive than down below in the crypt. They were %oined by <renache who was reeking of <reek tobacco. -# hear you may have an identity soon 0 he said. -7e0ll see 0 answered 5a 'arri6re non&commitally. -8eanwhile 0 she pursued -would you please supervise the bagging and make sure the wounds to the skull are covered up / 7e don0t want a potential witness fainting on our hands or treating us to a crise d'ystrie%0 )hrugging his shoulders with bad grace <renache went towards the crypt. -#0m going to smoke a cigarette outside 0 5a 'arri6re told Roussel. ?u@uesne and .ottier came down the aisle to where their chief was standing. -There0s no sign of a possible weapon except for the church candlesticks and those are clean0 said ?u@uesne pointing at the three&foot bron3e candlesticks on the altar. -7e0ll bag them up %ust to make sure and put them through the usual of tests at the lab but they weigh a ton and # very much doubt whether they0re what we0re looking for.0 Roussel suddenly had an idea. -Those figures of the donors down in the crypt in the little niche by the altar door. Have they been examined / (an they be lifted /0 -$es and no 0answered ?u@uesne. -$es they0ve been examined and no they0re cemented onto their niche in the wall.0 -?amn.0 Roussel rubbed his chin bristling with five o0clock shadow. -Has anyone looked outside around the church /0

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-The gendarmerie have taken care of that sir. 2o sign of anything remotely like a weapon.0 -Right.0 Roussel tone was wry. -7hat did you get out of the caretaker ?u@uesne/0 -7ell sir he opened up the church at eight. He always opens both the door under the main porch and the side door.0 -7here is the side door situated/0 -#n the rue de l0Eglise that small lane that runs alongside the church on the right when you0re facing it.0 Roussel was about to comment on that when ?umas the chief crime scene officer approached. -7e0re finished down there (ommandant 0 he said addressing Roussel. He stirred. -7ell that was @uick. 7hat have you got then ?umas /0 -The monument0s a mass of latents sir. 'eing polished stone you see. #t0s not going to be easy to sort them out though. This is a public place and by the look of it cleaning isn0t one of the caretaker0s priorities. !part from sweeping the place up occasionally and removing cobwebs he leaves it pretty much alone. However....0 and here moon&faced round&spectacled ?umas paused to milk every bit of his revelation -...we have a beauty of a fresh partial handprint.0 Roussel exhaled. -7ell done ?umasO !ny footprints /0 -Those paving stones are not much good for prints sir. !nd the weather0s been dry for the last fortnight. 7e0ve done what we could with them. However we have a mass of contact traces & hairs fibres dust that little pile of hardened earth you noticed yourself and so on. "h yes and a ball&point pen. ! slim 7aterman with a mottled green enamel casing. #t had rolled right up against the foot of one of the statues. 7e0ve dusted it for prints. Everything will be going to the lab as soon as we0re back in !uxerre.0 -!nd you0ve bagged the victim0s hands /0 -"h yes sir.0 -Right then ?umas unless 8adame le 4uge can think of anything else0 & Roussel looked at 5a 'arri6re who shook her head -$es (ommandant /0 -#0d like to see all the reports on my desk by tomorrow lunchtime at the latest O0 -$es sir.0 Roussel turned back to the waiting ?u@uesne. & -you can pack up your gear and go back to

!uxerre. The sooner everything can be processed the better. !nd ?umasN0

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-$ou were saying .atrick that the caretaker had opened both the front and side doors at eight this morning.0 -$es .atron. Then soon after ten he closed the main door again but left the other one open.0 -7hy on earth did he do that/0 ?u@uesne looked a little bemused. -#t doesn0t really make sense sir. 'ut then he0s a funny old bird. He claims that he had a clinic appointment at Tonnerre hospital at eleven.0 -)o why did he not close both doors then/0 -!pparently so that anybody who was already in the church could get out.0 -7ell (as anybody in the church when he closed the front door/0 -Lm he didn0t bother to look sir.0 -"h for heaven0s sakeO0 cried Roussel exasperated while .ottier laughed. -# know sir 0 said ?u@uesne. -He does sound a littleNeccentric. !pparently he is diabetic and regularly attends the diabetic clinic at Tonnerre hospital. He says everybody in Roilly knows about this and anybody who wants to get into the church on his clinic days knows that they must go in and out by the side door after a certain hour.0 -<reatO0 muttered Roussel in disgust. -Had the porch door remained open we might have had some witnesses. !s it is # imagine the side door0s tucked away in a place which is hardly swarming with people at the best of times.0 -!fraid you0re right there 'oss. The lane0s so narrow that there0s no room for market stalls. !nd it faces the blank wall of a disused #romagerie% )o anyone could have gone in and out of the church without being seen. Roussel exhaled slowly through his nostrils. -7hat happened after the caretaker got back from Tonnerre/0 ?u@uesne cleared his throat while .ottier smirked in expectation. -7ell he didn0t bother to open the porch door again. (laims he would have done so if this was the tourist season but as it is the church doesn0t get that many visitors. He had his lunch then a kip. Then at four o0clock he made his rounds before closing the church for the day and came upon the body.0 -#0m surprised he was thorough enough to look behind the monument in the crypt 0 said .ottier. -!nybody simply checking from the doorway might think the place was empty.0 -He claims to have been intrigued by the smell. !nyway he saw that the guy was deadN0 -?id he touch anything/0 interrupted Roussel.

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-He swears he didn0t. He locked the side door and rushed to the gendarmerie. The rest you know.0 )haking his head in disgust Roussel went back to the crypt to survey the bagging up of the corpse which with <renache in attendance was well under way. The corpse0s face and head had been summarily cleaned and tidied up in preparation for the viewing. !s Roussel watched the body was carefully lifted and placed into a black plastic body bag. He peered down at the face of the dead man or indeed at what was left of it. The impression he had had earlier of a foxy countenance was confirmed. He nodded and the attendants pulled the sides of the bag together. The swishing sound of the 3ipper going up had a finality that never failed to register however used he was to the rituals of a homicide investigation. #t made him think of the notices there used to be in the .aris metro in his youthM -)u-del de cette limite, votre tic*et nest plus valable% 'eyond this point your ticketEs no longer valid. 'eyond this moment what had been a human being became to all intents and purposes no longer valid a mere ob%ect to be handled and investigated as such. He watched silently as the black bag with its grisly shape was laid on a stretcher and transported to one of the side chapels to be guarded by two gendarmes and ?u@uesne. He instructed .ottier to come with him. 8artine 5a 'arri6re was standing smoking a cigarette outside under the porch while waiting for the witness to get there. Roussel thought unkindly that seen from the back her dumpy figure over which the fabric of her suit stretched and strained looked like two s@uashed apples placed one on top of the other and stuck on short toothpicks. Then chided himself for thinking that. #t was not every woman0s luck to have a perfect body like .ottier or indeed Elvire. !gain he swatted aside the thought of his ex&wife. #n the s@uare below the parvis steps the crowd of bystanders had grown considerably. !s usual it irked Roussel not to have complete control of the investigation. He itched to go down there himself. The bystanders were by the look of them small&town or country folk most of the men rough&looking many of them elderly the women shapeless in flowered overalls or ungainly trousers. (hildren were peering up among them. "n the edge stood a couple of lank&haired youths in singlets and shiny nylon training pants. 1rom where they were Roussel and 5a 'arri6re could easily hear the gendarme @uestioning the newcomers among them. -7ere any of you here this morning / asked the gendarme. ! few nods. The two youths sucked on their cigarettes and remained impassive.

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-2oticed anything unusual in or around the church /0 )ome of the people shrugged others shook their heads. The two youths did neither. -7ell 0 added one woman -the church was closed this morning on account of old .apin having to go to diabetic clinic.0 -'ut he must have left the side&door open 0 said the gendarme obviously well&used to .apin0s ways. -.ossibly 0 said a second woman -though you can never be sure of anything with .apin. He does as he pleases.0 There were more nods but before the @uestioning could go any further a gendarmerie car drew up and all heads turned to watch this new excitement. The witness had arrived.

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CHAPTER 2

!s Harriet crossed the doorstep into the church going from the warm sunlit porch into the dim interior she shivered. -The bright day is done and we are for the dark.0 Lnbidden 8ark !nthony0s words had come into her head. )he shivered again and turned to look at 8ado who was a step behind. Her friend0s eyes were grave but she gave Harriet an encouraging little s@uee3e on the elbow. Ever since the blue gendarmerie car had stopped in front of her house Harriet had held herself in check pushing thoughts away before they could intrude concentrating her mind on concrete things & 8ado0s hand holding her own in the car the rough texture of the female gendarme sergeant0s uniform the sun shining off the other gendarme0s bald pate a bu33ard perched on a telephone pole a field of bright yellow rape the familiar landscape flitting past as they drove on to Roilly. They had not been told anything %ust that Harriet0s presence was needed at Roilly. The gendarme with the moustache and the bald pate & now wearing his kepi again & who had introduced himself as the head of the Roilly brigade and whose name now escaped Harriet escorted them to the church door where a plump bespectacled woman rigged out in a tight blue suit whom he introduced as the investigating magistrate was waiting. The words -juge dinstruction caused Harriet0s stomach muscles to start fluttering like a swarm of butterflies suddenly taking off. )o much for the calm she had striven to achieve. )tanding next to the woman was a very tall burly man with a craggy face bisected by a nose that must have been broken in boyhood and never set properly. 'ehind his half&moon spectacles his grey eyes looked tired but shrewd. ! policeman the gendarme said. .olice 4udiciaire. Harriet swallowed and instantly forgot their names. )he hoped her 1rench would be ade@uate. -!nd this0 said the gendarme his arm politely unfurling towards Harriet as if he intended to clasp her to his side & -is 8adame !riette 4ems.0

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-Harriet 4ames 0 she said @uickly shaking hands with the juge and the policeman. -!nd 0 she turned towards 8ado who was standing by her side -this is my friend 8adeleine RAgnier who also lives in 5a Tuilerie. # have asked her to come with me in case my 1rench deserts me.0 -$our 1rench seems excellent 8adame 4ames0 said the %uge with a small bow and a @uick smile. -5et us go inside.0 They all trooped into the church coming to a stop %ust inside the door. -8adame 4ems and 8adame RAgnier dropped their missing friend at the church this morning 0 explained the gendarme whose name Harriet suddenly recalled was (otinon or (otinot . 'ut before the magistrate could say anything Harriet cut in. -(an you please tell us what0s happened / 7hy are the police here/ #s 4ulian all right / 7e saw an ambulance at the foot of the steps....0 -8adame 4ames 0 said the magistrate calmly -let0s go and sit down for a minute.0 )he led the two women further into the church followed by the silent policeman who was flanked by a young woman P probably a policewoman for unlike the gendarmes she was not wearing a tailored uniform. Harriet familiar with 1rench TG and their police series had automatically registered the style of clothes the younger members of the police wore in them & tight black or blue %eans a tee&shirt and a leather or cotton %acket of some kind preferably a bomber %acket. Turning back to look at the young policewoman Harriet noticed that she had unobtrusively taken her notebook and pen out of her pocket. (otinon&(otinot and the female gendarmerie sergeant also armed with a notebook brought up the rear. #t all felt completely unreal as if by some monstrous mistake Harriet found herself playing a role in a 1rench TG series. The investigating magistrate & what on earth was 'er name/ & sat down on a pew a little way down the nave and motioned to Harriet and 8ado to do the same while the others stood in the flanking aisle. The juge took a deep breath. #t must have been obvious by now from Harriet0s and 8ado0s expressions that they had guessed something serious had happened. Harriet heard herself say in a more controlled voice. -)omething0s happened to him hasn0t it. He0s had an accident.0 -8adame 4ames 0 said the juge -when did you last see your friend /0 (urbing her feelings Harriet turned to 8ado as if seeking confirmation. -The three of us came down to Roilly at ten o0clock this morning from 5a Tuilerie and we & 8ado and # & dropped 4ulian at the church. 7e were all going to meet later at one of the cafAs.0 -$ou are certain about the time/0

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-$es we heard the church clock strike ten as we arrived didn0t we 8ado/0 8ado nodded looking grim. )eeing her expression Harriet0s stomach gave a somersault as if it confirmed something she was not @uite ready to face.. -7hat did you do then /0 asked the magistrate. -7e parked the car then went to the market .0 -7ould that be the old 'alle or the market stalls in the street/0 -The 'alle%0 -Bien% !nd were you and 8adame RAgnier together the whole time /0 Harriet 4ames was clearly taken aback by the @uestion. -7ell most of the time. 7e %oined different @ueues in order to save time but were within sight of each other.0 The magistrate repeated -The whole time/0 -7hat is this/0 interrupted 8ado. -!n interrogation/ $ou have no right to interrogate us before telling us what0s going onO0 The juge ignored her. Harriet hesitated. -7ell no 0 she stammered with a glance at 8ado who was fuming. -# left the 'alle at some point to....to go to the toilettes % Then # came back a few minutes later.0 "ut of the corner of her eye she could see the two female acolytes scribbling away in their notebooks. The policeman also had taken out a notebook and was rapidly writing something in it. -7hat time was it when you did that/0 asked the magistrate in a neutral voice. Harriet looked at 8ado then shook her head. -# don0t know.... around ten twenty or thirty # think. # did not look at my watch.0 -7here did you go to the toilettes 8adame/0 -!t one of the cafAs on the s@uare.0 -7hat is the name of that cafA/0 This indeed was beginning to feel like a real interrogation. -The (afA du (ommerce.0 -Bien% 7hat happened afterwards/ -)urely there0s no need to go into all these details 0 interrupted 8ado again with indignation. -$ou haven0t even told us why we0re here. $et you0re submitting us to a veritable interrogation. # really must protest 8adame le 4ugeO0 -#n a minute 8adame RAgnier.0 The magistrate0s eyes looked arctic behind the lenses of her rimless glasses.

+I

Harriet took a deep breath. -#t0s all right 8ado.0 To the juge she said -To the same cafA/0 Harriet sighed. -$es. 7e sat there with an !merican friend who also lives in 5a Tuilerie then more friends arrived and we had an apAritif. 'ut 4ulian didn0t turn up. Eventually after everyone else had gone we & 8ado and # & went looking for him in the church then in the town. 'utN0 )he shrugged wearily. -7hat did your friendN erN4ulianN intend to do in the church 8adame /0 -He wanted to look at the crypt.0 -To look at the crypt /0 repeated the magistrate slowly as if this was an unheard of activity. -7ould that have been to look at the monument known as the )Apulcre /0 -$es. 4ulian0s an art historian. Quite a famous one in 'ritain as a matter of fact. 7henever he comes to stay with me he visits the church in Roilly.0 -$es # see. (an youN.0 'ut this time it was Harriet who interrupted . -5ook this is becomingNoutrageous. 7ill someone please tell us what0s going on / 7hat0s happened to 4ulian / Has he been involved in some sort of accident /0 -8adame 4ames 0 said the juge -please bear with us a moment longer explain.0 !fter a moment during which she held the magistrate0s eyes with her own Harriet nodded briefly compressing her lips and averting her eyes. -(an you describe 8onsieurN.0 The magistrate looked up en@uiringly towards the gendarmerie chief. 'efore the latter could look up the name on his little piece of paper Harriet had said hurriedly in a half&strangled voice M -Holbrook. 4ulian Holbrook.0 -(an you please describe 8onsieur Holbrook then /0 The magistrate made a valiant attempt at pronouncing the aitch. -7ellN He0s tall and thin with longish hair sort of dark red in colour.0 -7hat was he wearing/0 -! white linen suit dark red shoes and a white hat with a black ribbon. 7hatN0 and then we0ll -# came back to the covered market and when we0d finished shopping we made our way together to the cafA.0

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8ado who had been sitting stony&faced since her outburst you not bring 4ulian0s passport with you /0

suddenly saidM -Harriet did

-"h yes of course.0 Harriet was confused. -#0d forgotten about it.0 )he rummaged in her canvas shoulderbag. -Here. He0d left it on the chest of drawers.0 )he handed a maroon European (ommunity Lnited Kingdom passport to the investigating magistrate who flipped it open took a @uick look at the photograph and wordlessly passed it on to the policeman. 'eside him the gendarme shifted from one foot to the other and for some reason looked embarrassed. The policeman & ah remembered Harriet his name was Rousseau or something like that & looked through the passport briefly then passed it on to the gendarme nodding imperceptibly at the %udge as he did so. -8rs 4ames 0 he said confusing her with a perfectly ade@uate English accent. !t his tone she braced herself. -Earlier this afternoon the body of a man was found in the crypt of this church.0 Harriet went rigid. )he dimly felt 8ado take her hand and hold on to it. -#s it 4ulian/0 she whispered. -#0m afraid it does look as if it might be but we need to make absolutely sure. 7e must ask you to make a formal identification. ?o you feel up to doing so now /0 Harriet blanched. -7hat here / 2ow /0 )he disengaged her hand from 8ado0s. )he suddenly felt chilled to the bone. !utomatically chafing her hands to warm them she looked @uickly from the policeman to the magistrate trying to pull herself together and said E$es of course if # must.0 -7hat was your relationship with 8onsieur "lbrook /0 asked the juge, giving up on the aitches. -7e were friends. "ld friends.0 -7as he staying at your house at 5a Tuilerie/0 -$es he occasionally came on short visits.0 -7here does he normally live / -#n 5ondon. 2ear .rimrose Hill. #t0sN it0s in north 5ondon.0 The other woman nodded. -8ay we have his exact address /0 -D, !inger Road 5ondon 27,. #t0s !.#.2.<.E.R.0 she spelt.

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-Thank you. ?oes he have any family /0 -There0s a sister who lives in )omerset. #0ve got her address at home.0 -8onsieur "lbrook was not married /0 -2o no he isn0tN.wasn0t.0 -Thank you 8adame 4ames. That will be all for now. .lease go with (ommandant Roussel now.0 )@uaring her shoulders Harriet stood up saying to Roussel -#0m ready.0 8ado @uickly stood as well. -Harriet would you like me to come with you /0 -2o 8ado thanks 0 she replied. -#0ll be all right.0 The policeman led the way to a side chapel towards the front of the church followed by Harriet the gendarme and the two female assistants. Harriet0s step faltered when she saw the black body bag propped on a folding stand and the grim little group that was guarding it. )he s@uared her shoulders and went on. !t a nod from Roussel one of the attendants & another young policeman by the look of him & un3ipped the top of the body bag down to neck level uncovering the face. ?espite the care he obviously took to avoid exposing the blood&caked wounded side some of it showed. Harriet gasped and her hand flew up to her mouth in horror. -"h 4ulianO - she cried. -7hat happened / 7hat happened /0 )he felt the light touch of a hand on her shoulder. Turning her head she saw that it was the young policewoman. Her expression was compassionate in a professional way. Roussel asked formally. -#s this your friend 4ulian Holbrook 8rs 4ames /0 -$es 0said Harriet her voice faint but unwavering. )he turned away from the body bag and looked unseeingly at the arches in the nave. Roussel and the policewoman stood on either side of her. !fter a moment she took a long breath and regained her composure. -2ow please 0 she said in a firm voice. -7ill somebody tell me what happened here / 7as it an accident/ "r was 4ulian mugged /0 Roussel faced her. -7e0re unable at the moment to tell you exactly what happened 8adame. 7e0ll know more about it after the mdecin lgiste has examined him properly.0 Harriet felt her face go ashen. -?o you mean to say that 4ulian is going to beN that there0s going to be an autopsy /0 -#0m afraid so 8rs 4ames. #t0s obligatory in cases of violent or unusual deaths.0 Harriet exhaled abruptly and hid her face in her hands murmuring -?ear <od.0.

,+

-# am sorry /0 asked Roussel. -# didn0t catch what you said.0 )he shook her head. -#t doesn0t matter.0 The investigating magistrate was coming their way. Roussel held her ga3e and nodded. (uriously at that very moment Harriet remembered her name. #t was 8adame 5a 'arri6re. The name seemed apt as if a barrier had suddenly been erected between Harriet0s former life and her present one. 5a 'arri6re. )he0d remember that now there was no way she could forget it. The magistrate kept her features blank but her voice sounded sincere when she said am very sorry for your loss 8adame 4ames.0 Harriet nodded briefly in acknowledgement then she felt her face pucker up when she saw 8ado walking towards them. -"h 8ado 0 she cried. -#t is him. #t0s 4ulian.0 -"h my <od HarrietN. 4ulianON. # can0t believe it. 7hat happened0 Harriet spread her hands in a helpless gesture. -8adame 4ames 0 said 4uge 5a 'arri6re you will have to go to the gendarmerie to make your statement.0 -)urely not now not right away 0 cried 8ado. -Have a heart can0t you see the state she0s in /0 -#t0s all right 8ado #0ll do whatever needs to be done.0 -"h don0t be so English Harriet O0 exclaimed 8ado crossly. Then contrite and confused -"h Hattie darling # didn0t mean to snap at you. #t0s %ust such a shock. !nd # really don0t think you should be sub%ected to any more battering tonight.0 Turning to the magistrate -)urely you can see that.0 The %udge nodded after a tiny hesitation. -$ou can leave your statement until the morning 8adame 4ames 0 she said. -$ou 8adame RAgnier will also have to make a statement as you are also a witness. 'ut this can wait until tomorrow morning as well. "n the other hand 8adame 4ames # must ask you to give (ommandant Roussel permission to search 8onsieur "lbrook0s effects right away.0 -!ll right yes if he must.0 -#n that case (ommandant Roussel and 5ieutenant .ottier will drive you and 8adame RAgnier back to 5a Tuilerie. # shall probably need to interview you myself at some point within the next few days in !uxerre but meanwhile the (ommandant will ask you for any information you may provide to help us shed light on these very regrettable circumstances.0 -#

,,

)he shook hands with Harriet and 8ado. -<oodbye 8adame 4ames. 8adame RAgnier. !nd don0t forget to go to the gendarmerie here in Roilly first thing in the morning to make your statements.0 )he turned 8essieurs.0 'ut before she led them to one side she turned once more towards Harriet. -There0s one more thing 8adame. ?o you know whether 8onsieur "lbrook was wearing a watch when you dropped him at the church this morning /0 Harriet thought for a minute. -# can0t remember whether he had it on or not. He usually wore it. #t was one of those rather nice very flat )wiss watches. 'ut # really can0t help you here. !nd anyway if he left it at home it0ll be with his other stuff or in the bathroom.0 -$es thank you. !nd his wallet / (ould he have left that behind /0 Harriet shook her head. -"h #0m sure not. He0d have needed some money in Roilly if only to get himself the papers and a coffee while waiting for us to turn up.00 -7hat about his credit cards /0 -He usually kept them in his wallet.0 )he looked s@uarely at the magistrate. -!re they missing /0 8adame 5a 'arri6re nodded. -#t was a robbery then 0 said Harriet with a measure of relief that surprised her. -)o 4ulian (as mugged.0 -7e0ll know more tomorrow 8adame. $ou may be sure we shall keep you informed. ?o you know whether he kept a lot of cash on him /0 -# know for a fact that he took BCC Euros from a cashpoint at Tonnerre yesterday afternoon and since we didn0t go anywhere except to a friend0s for dinner in the evening # imagine they were still in his wallet.0 -(an you describe the wallet /0 -(hocolate brown soft calf leather #talian.0 )he added irrelevantly - #t was a gift from me.0 -!nd the watch / ?o you know the make /0 Harriet knitted her eyebrows thought for a moment then shook her head. -#t may have been a 4aeger 5e (oultre but # can0t be sure. !nyway it was one of those very flat )wiss %obs gold with a brown crocodile bracelet.0 -7as he carrying any keys/0 towards Roussel and the gendarme. -# need to have a word with you

,;

-2o. He left his own bunch of keys & his English keys you understand & in his room. . He may have carried a key to my house. 7as it not in his pocket/0 -Er no it wasn0t. #s your key labeled or identifiable/0 -2o %ust an ordinary spare key on a nondescript ring.0 -#t0ll probably be all right then. $ou0ve been very helpful 8adame. Thank you and goodbye for now. .lease wait here for (ommandant Roussel and 5ieutenant .ottier. They0ll take you home.0

RRRRRR

5a 'arri6re walked down the aisle towards the main church door followed by Roussel and (otinaud. !s they came out onto the porch she wheeled round to face them. -# needn0t tell you that the next forty&eight hours are going to be crucial. )ince the dead man was apparently a well&known art historian the moment this hits the news and the international media get hold of it it0ll be a bloody circus. 7e0ve already lost a few precious hours since death appears to have occurred this morning while the body was not discovered till this afternoon. 7hatever the motive turns out to be the murderer =for #0m personally convinced that we0re dealing with murder here> may be kilometres away by now. $ou0ll have to move @uickly.0 -!d%udant&chef 0 she continued singling out (otinaud who almost stood at attention but checked himself -your immediate task will be to pursue in@uiries here in Roilly and try to trace those missing ob%ects & the wallet and watch. !nd of course to try to find the weapon and possibly some bloodied clothing. Question the locals comb the neighbourhood of the church talk to the store&keepers and the cafA staff and closely @uestion the church caretaker again and have him sign his dposition% !nd of course there will also be official statements to be taken from 8adame 4ames and 8adame RAgnier in the morning.0 -$ou (ommandant 0 she turned to Roussel -will find out more about the victim from 8adame 4ames and 8adame RAgnier search his room and luggage attend the post&mortem and collate any evidence that the scene of crime team may have found. $ou0ll also have to contact the next of kin.0

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-!nd #0ll put a call through to 2ew )cotland $ard %ust in case they have something on Holbrook. !nd 8rs 4ames of course0 he added almost as an afterthought. -<ood idea 0 approved 5a 'arri6re. -7ill you be attending the post&mortem yourself /0 asked Roussel maliciously knowing perfectly what the answer would be. However brisk and dynamic 5a 'arri6re was she was known to be s@ueamish and did not as a rule attend autopsies if she could help it. -# doubt it 0 replied the magistrate nonchalantly -# have far too much to do tomorrow.0 They emerged on the south&facing parvis. The daylight was still strong though the sun had disappeared behind the houses. -#0ll expect both of you to keep me informed of any developments as you go along 0 5a 'arri6re added dismissing them. -!nd we0ll all meet for an update tomorrow at 1D.CC hours in my office.0 7hen she had driven away (otinaud curtly nodded goodbye to Roussel and went over to speak to his gendarmes. Roussel went back into the church where Harriet 4ames and 8adeleine RAgnier were waiting with .ottier. He excused himself for a minute and went to find ?u@uesne who was still standing by the body bag chatting with a gendarme. -#0ll be taking the witnesses back to 5a Tuilerie with .ottier 0 he said. -7e0ll be searching the victim0s personal effects. $ou head back to !uxerre in the van with the boys start the paperwork see whether forensics have come up with anything yet & leave a note on my desk if you find they have & and put a call through to (hief&#nspector Reginald ?unhill at 2ew )cotland $ard.0 He glanced at his watch. -#f he is not at the office ring him on his mobile. $ou0ll find the number in my diary under ) for )cotland $ard. !sk him whether he0s got anything on 4ulian Holbrook profession art historian. !lso on this woman Harriet 4ames. #0ll be in touch with him myself tomorrow to explain what this is all about. Then you can go home and get some sleep. 7e0re starting bright and early tomorrow morning.0

,D

CHAPTER 3

<one was Harriet0s earlier attempt to hold intrusive thoughts at arm0s length. They now came at her like strobe lights assaulting her with.images snippets of conversation barely conscious sensations memories of feelings. )itting @uite still beside 8ado in the car that was taking them back to 5a Tuilerie she made a feeble attempt at marshalling them. 'ut they kept coming at her those events of the day all %umbled up regardless of time or structure. The warmth of the early 8ay sun on her skin this morning as she and 8ado their wicker baskets laden with victuals made their way through the market crowd to the s@uare and scanned the two cafAs for some seats. Earlier still the noise in the covered market when she had come back to %oin 8ado an echoing noise like volleys and players0 voices in a s@uash court. The taste of olives stuffed with anchovies and lemon peel which she had sampled at the 8oroccan olive stall. The smell of early melons freshly arrived from (availlon in .rovence. #t had seemed like a typical spring market morning. Except that it hadn0t been that at all. The church clock striking eleven with its curious muffled sound on the stroke of four booming booming and the air suddenly filling with the flutter of wings as pigeons took off circling the church in a well&rehearsed curve before landing again on its many rooflets. The ground shaking and rumbling. ! group of brawny youths smoking by the Romanes@ue porch %umping inanely up and down with coarse laughter and wolf&whistling ducked under the reverberating strokes.
,F

as Harriet and 8ado

Harriet0s feeling of dread lodged all day long like a stone at the pit of her stomach. Trying to act and sound normal to keep 8ado from guessing that something was amiss. Her anger and humiliation the night before. Remembering this now in the car she felt a red hotness creep up her cheeks. 7hat a gruesome evening that had been. 4ulian0s voice witty and malicious describing to the dinner guests other people0s foibles. Edward 7illiamson0s plummy vowels uttering platitudes that hung in the air like smoke rings. $oung 4ean&4ac@ues0s handsome dark looks set aglow by a deep rose shirt. 1aye0s plain face emerging from a starched white organ3a blouse an anti@ue cabochon emerald ring catching the light as she moved her hand the white streak in her dark hair making her look like a chic badger. Emily0s tinkerbell laughter and the look of sly triumph in her slightly protuberant green eyes. The totally irrelevant thought that Emily may have some slight thyroid condition. The sight of the old man locals knew as -"ac puces & -1leabag0 & sitting humped up as usual on the stone coping surrounding the fountain at the foot of the church steps. 7hen she had first heard the nickname Harriet had thought it was a proper name )acapuce odd though it did sound. 'ut here in the 1rench countryside she had come across curious names & 8angepain ?ieulefit 'ouchetrou & 'readeater <od 8ade Him Hole&1iller. )o why not 1leabag/ !nd that0s how she still thought of him as 8onsieur )acapuce. )he did feel ashamed that she had never bothered to find out his real name and that she always surreptitiously gave him a wide berth when she came across him in Roilly. The man had long lank unnaturally dark hair that clashed with his aged raddled face and his clothes always looked filthy. Lncharitably Harriet thought the nickname had probably been earned. #n addition the old man looked slightly mad. He had a great many facial tics and uncoordinated gestures and he muttered obscenities if he caught you looking directly at him. "ther faces in the market crowd %ostled in her mindM Roland (ochin the dapper owner of the .eugeot garage an incorrigible womaniser and one of Emily0s lovers. "ne of Emily0s many lovers. The attractive new doctor !urAlie (oste chatting with a tall straight&backed gendarme with a kApi under his arm and a shiny bald pate. 2ow Harriet reali3ed with a start that this must have been the man who had come to get her at 5a Tuilerie this afternoon. (otinot or (otineau. How strange she must have seen him in Roilly countless times without reali3ing that one fateful day he would be playing the role of messenger in theN. #n the what/ ?rama/ Tragedy/ ! memory of a swishing sound & the 3ip being pulled slowly up on the body bag hiding forever from her eyes 4ulian0s bloodied head. )o that0s the last image # shall have of 4ulian she

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thought a vision of gore a caved&in temple a greyish&blue pallor a rictus of pain. )top it Harriet think of something else. #0ll think of Sach. Sach calling from "xford early this afternoon before # rang the gendarmerie to report that 4ulian was missing. -Hi 8umO # was thinking of coming over for a week&end soon.0 -That0s great darling. 7hen/0 -The week&end after next perhaps. # thought # might cadge a lift back with ?ad.0 -7ith +ad, -$es. He0s around your part of the world doing research for a few weeks. ?idn0t you know/ Haven0t you seen him yet/ He0s been gone awhile.0 ! leaden weight seemed to have descended on Harriet. -2o 0 she said slowly. -2o # haven0t seen him. # didn0t even know he was in 1rance. ?id he tell you he0d come to 5a Tuilerie/0 -7ell he said he might look you up. 'ut maybe he got cold feet or something.0 "r something. 2o Harriet don0t dwell on it. ?on0t even t'in* of 5eo not now that 4ulian0s lying dead in his black body bag. Soom over to something else. )uch as sitting outside at the cafA sipping citron press with 8ado and Emily while the latter engages in one of her Harriet&baiting %ousts. This time it had been about the tired old gourmand&versus&gourmet argument that !mericans such as Emily seemed to set such great store by and her fervid upholding of 4ulia (hild and Eli3abeth ?avid as the unrivalled all&time great cookbook writers. The implication was that later generations of !nglo&)axon food writers such as Harriet herself could cheerfully go and hide their face in shame. -How would you describe your style Harriet/0 Emily had asked with a wolfish smile. -# really wouldn0t bother 0 Harriet had replied mildly. -'ut if you had to what would you say/0 Emily was a specialist in insistence. -#f # had to #0d describe it as eclectic 0 Harriet had answered curtly to try and end the argument. -EcL$Ctic/0 )hades of 5ady 'racknell in Emily0s booming voice. -2ow t'ats a useful wordO0 5oathsome Emily. Think of something else.

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RRRRRRR

They rode in silence to 5a Tuilerie Roussel sitting in front with .ottier and the two women in the back. "nce or twice Roussel turned to look at them. Harriet 4ames0s colour had returned but she looked absent becalmed like a ship on oily seas. !t some point she had closed her eyes and laid her head back against the seat but when Roussel looked he saw rapid eye movement beneath her eyelids that belied her outward calmness. 7hen he had first seen her as she and her companion had alighted from the gendarmerie car he had thought her @uite plain. .erhaps he had been misled by her attire which was casual to the point of sloppiness & a man0s frayed oxford shirt tucked into a pair of baggy e@ually frayed blue %eans with the legs rolled up over smooth tanned calves.. <rass&stained once&white tennis shoes worn without laces. 'ut perhaps it was simply that next to her stunning companion she paled in comparison. 2ow as he looked at her he reali3ed that under that unprepossessing appearance she was @uite a striking woman. )he was tall rather on the slim side as far as he could tell in those baggy %eans and she had very shiny hair the colour of polished conkers worn in a shoulder&length bob with a thick fringe that hid her eyebrows and came down to the bridge of her nose & a Roman nose complete with bump which robbed her face of any conventional prettiness but gave it character. Her eyes were of a very dark blue fringed by short thick lashes. 'ut what was most remarkable about her face were the strong angled cheekbones which lifted up the outer corners of her eyes giving them a slightly oriental cast. Her complexion was fair though it was obvious that she spent a good deal of time in the sun. That her get&up and her grass&stained tennis shoes suggested to Roussel that she might be a keen gardener like many 'ritons seemed to be. He put her age in the late thirties bracket or the very early forties. Harriet 4ames0s friend 8adeleine RAgnier was a few years younger. )he too was tall. 'ut whereas 8rs 4ames was fair&skinned she was dark so dark that she looked a bit like a gipsy. Roussel guessed that she had some .rovenTal or south&western ancestry though her accent was

;C

good middle&class .arisian.

)he had fiery black eyes an olive complexion which tanned Her features were regular and perfectly balanced her figure

beautifully and an elegant neck.

magnificent set off by a calf&length teal linen skirt and a ballerina0s skimpy scoop&necked T&shirt in a deep shade of plum. 5ong amethyst and silver earrings dangled from her ears and her thick black hair was casually twisted on top of her head and secured with a chased silver barrette. )he wore lip gloss in a dark cerise colour. !ltogether a stunner thought Roussel. !s the police car neared the village of 5a Tuilerie Roussel saw 8adeleine RAgnier take hold of her companion0s hand. the mill.0 Harriet 4ames shook her head as if %olted from a trance. -"h no...E Then seeing her friend0s stricken face she put her hand on the younger woman0s arm and gave it a little s@uee3e. -8ado darling thanks for all your kindness and support. # don0t know what #0d have done without you. 'ut you mustn0t worry about me. #0ll be perfectly all right on my own. Truly # will. #n fact # think #0d really rather be by myself.0 -Harriet you cannot stay on your own tonight 0 said 8adeleine RAgnier said firmly. -!nd that0s final.0 The car slowed down as they came into the village. 5a Tuilerie numbered about sixty houses most of them very old and built of honey&coloured sandstone. The place owed its name to the fact that until the early twentieth century most of the pale red tiles that covered the local roofs had been manufactured there. !s they came down the main street 8adeleine RAgnier gave .ottier directions to the 4ames house. !t the end of the street they turned right and followed a road that ran along the river. The house turned out to be an ancient water&mill now carefully restored its stone walls discreetly repointed its light. rose&red flat&tiled 'urgundian roof undoubtedly original. 2ew & windows tall and many&paned with white louvred shutters had been added to bring in more )he said in fluent but accented English M -!fter theyEve gone Hattie you must come and have a bite to eat with us then #0ll come over and spend the night at

! gravel drive led to the house. ! red Renault (lio with $onne number plates

presumably Harriet 4ames0s & was parked beneath a fine old lime tree next to a dark bron3e Rover with 'ritish plates. 1our people were standing grim&faced on the gravel by the doorstep. 5ike a distracted hostess Harriet 4ames made perfunctory introductions. The people were neighbours an old

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1rench couple who by the look of them were local farmers and two middle&aged foreign women both of whom sounded 'ritish. These were introduced as 1aye ?unning and Girginia 7illiamson. 2ews travels fast in rural areas. #t was obvious from the way Harriet 4ames was hugged and patted that the news of 4ulian Holbrook0s death had already reached 5a Tuilerie. 'orn and bred in a 'urgundian wine&growing village Roussel knew all about bush telegraph or as the 1rench call it le tlp'one arabe% #t was a fact of life 2evertheless whenever he was faced with evidence of the ama3ing speed and mysterious manner with which news & especially dramatic news & was transmitted he could not help mentally raising an eyebrow and shaking his head in wonder. Harriet 4ames looked all in and it was 8adeleine RAgnier who @uietly confirmed the news. The visitors subdued but eager to feel a little less helpless mumbled words of comfort and offers of food and shelter. !s conversation threatened to linger Roussel who had stood to one side with .ottier now came forward and reminded Harriet 4ames that they had matters to attend to. The group dispersed reluctantly except for 8adeleine RAgnier who went into the house with her friend and the police officers. #n the hall Roussel turned to her. -$ou can go home now 8adame RAgnier 0 he said politely but firmly. -8rs 4ames speaks excellent 1rench. #0m sure there will be no language difficulty. 7e shall call in at your house later if we may.0 The black&haired young woman looked put out at being dismissed and glanced en@uiringly at her friend. -?o go home 8ado 0 said Harriet 4ames -and don0t worry about me #0ll be perfectly all right now. !nd #0ll come over and see you later. "r telephone.0 -!re you sure you0ll be okay/0 asked 8adeleine RAgnier anxiously. -Quite sure. !nd 0 as her friend reluctantly turned to go -thanks 8ado. Thanks for being there. $ou0ve been a brick.0 7ith a dark look at Roussel 8adeleine RAgnier went out of the front door closing it firmly after her. -.lease come this way 0 said Harriet 4ames in her low voice leading Roussel and .ottier through a large s@uare white&painted hall hung with a collection of framed embroidered fabrics which to Roussel0s untrained eye looked "ttoman or )yrian into a spacious living&room furnished in pale woods and earth&toned fabrics with a few splashes of brighter colour. Here too

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all the walls and woodwork were painted white to set off the art work on the walls and the huge indoor plants which gave the room the appearance of a conservatory. There were two sitting areas one of them arranged around a stone fireplace both of them furnished with sofas and comfortable looking armchairs. The room faced south and obviously ran the entire width of the house. Two pairs of tall windows flanking a pair of french windows filled it with golden evening light. Roussel glanced at the books and paintings that covered three of the walls while Harriet 4ames walked over to the french windows and opened them wide. 1rom the terrace beyond came wafting in the scent of wisteria sweet and light. -?o you want to see 4ulian0s belongings right away (ommandant /0 she asked lighting a side lamp. -2o that can wait 8adame. There are a few @uestions #Ed like to ask you first.0 He looked around him at the nearest sitting area. -8ay we sit down /0 -"h please do by all means.0 )he sounded confused as though she had been neglecting her duty. Roussel sank down in a fat deep armchair covered in cinnamon&coloured linen & a bad choice he found out for it immediately engulfed his considerable frame in soft s@uashy comfort. <etting out of it in a dignified manner would be a feat he was not willing to consider as yet. Having observed this .ottier circumspectly perched her perfect bottom on a delicate Edwardian cane chair crossing her legs and taking her notebook and pen out of her pocket in that discreet way she had. -#0m going to have a drink 0 said Harriet 4ames fruitwood cupboard. -7ill you %oin me /0 !mina .ottier politely declined but Roussel said -Thank you # will.0 -7hisky/0 -.lease a small one.0 -7ould you like some water with it or ice /0 asked their hostess sounding both self& conscious and thankful for the respite. -4ust neat thank you.0 )he splashed some amber li@uid into two tumblers and brought them over a mite unsteadily to the sitting area where after handing Roussel his glass she sank down on the sofa closing her eyes for a second. Then looking at the policeman she started to half&raise her glass in an automatic toast caught herself blushed took a @uick sip and choked. moving resolutely towards an old

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7hile she was recovering Roussel was discreetly breathing in the fumes from his own glass. The scent was promising. He took a sip. #t was a fine single malt peaty and smooth. He felt his eyes gla3e over with pleasure and promptly blanked them out saying whisky 8rs 4ames. Thank you.0 "n her dainty chair .ottier stirred uneasily. Roussel took another small sip in silence placed the tumbler on the side table then as cautiously as he could tried to edge forward in his chair. #t sucked him back like @uicksand. He tried again surreptitiously and this time managed to wedge his bottom on the front part of the seat. -2ow 8adame first things first. 8ay we have your full name date of birth and full address/0 7hen this was over and duly taken down by .ottier Roussel said. -'efore we go into any details concerning 8r Holbrook0s life 8rs 4ames #0d like us to go over once more the actual timing of your last sighting of him and your own movements afterwards.0 -"h not againO0 There was no mistaking the outrage in Harriet 4ames0s voice. <one was the polite hostess manner. )he sat forward on the sofa as if activated by a spring glared at him and when she spoke the pitch of her voice had risen a couple of notches. -# don0t understand (ommandant. 2o sooner had we arrived in the church even before the N body was actually identified as 4ulian0s than we were asked to describe all our moves like petty criminals. !nd now you0re doing it againO # don0t understand your motives or... or your system.0 -4ust routine 8adame 0 said Roussel stonily like a million policemen before him. "bviously making a determined effort to keep down her temper Harriet 4ames settled back keeping her knees together but the involuntary tapping of her foot on the stone&flagged floor told Roussel her anger was still on a short leash. -Gery well 0 she said. -!s we already told you we dropped 4ulian at ten o0clock & as the church clock was striking as a matter of fact & then went to park the car. ThenN.0 Roussel interrupted. -7here did you park it/0 -#n the car park beyond the old gateway.0 -!nd then/0 -Then we walked to the market place through the back lanes. 7e went into the covered market and started to @ueue up.0 -)eparately/0 -!n excellent

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-2ot at first. 7e both @ueued together at the fishmonger0s stall as we tend to buy what catches our eye when it comes to fish.0 )he stopped saying with some spirit. -#0m sorry # still don0t see why # have to %ustify my every move.0 )he looked defiantly at Roussel. -Lntil we can determine exactly how and when 8r Holbrook died 0 said Roussel patiently -it is important for us to have as much information as possible. # assure you 8adame we do not mean to harass you. !ny details you give us now will help us gain time.0 )he sighed a little extravagantly to make her point. -"h very well (ommandant but # must make it clear that # resent being treated like a suspect.0 -$ou0re a most important witness 8adame. )hall we go on/ $ou were talking # think about the fishmonger0s @ueue.0 -$es 0 she muttered still cross. -7ell it was a long @ueue and after a while # needed to use the toilettes. )o # asked 8ado & 8adame RAgnier & to get me what looked good and some fillets for my cat and went to the 5adies in one of the cafAs.0 -7hat time was this/0 -# don0t know & about a @uarter of an hour after we0d got there.0 -That would make it about ten&twenty to ten&twenty&five 0 calculated Roussel. -?oes that sound right to you/0 -# suppose so0 she said vaguely looking away. -$ou went to the (afA du (ommerce # believe you said.0 )he took a sip of whisky and nodded crossing her legs. -7hat did you do after that/0 -# walked back to the covered market caught up with 8ado then we @ueued up together and separately for vegetables olives cheese poultry and so on. #t all took a while. There were a lot of people at the maket today.0 )he looked wistful. -The good weather # suppose.0 -7ere you and 8adame RAgnier in each other0s sight all that time/0 -$es of course. !s you probably know the 'alle is not that big.0 -7hat did you do after that/0 prompted Roussel. -7e went to %oin a friend in one of the cafAs.0 -$our friend0s name and address/0 -Emily 5indberg. )he lives here at no. 1B <rande Rue in this village.0 -7hat time was it by then/0

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-Eleven or so # think. 2o wait a minute it was e-actly eleven when we came out of the covered market because we heard the church strike. # remember some boys who were standing smoking by the porch %eered at us because the noise startled us.0 -$oung boys/ Teenagers/0 -2o young men really. They were @uite rude. 7e0d call them -yahoos0 in English.0 -.a'oos, -+es rustres% -!h yes # see.0 $ahoos Roussel repeated silently to himself delighted and committed the word to memory for future use. -These young men did they seem at all familiar/ Had you seen them before/0 He saw that .ottier was scribbling rapidly in her notebook. 7here once small&market towns in 1rance had a relatively low rate of %uvenile delin@uency and petty criminality it was no longer so. There was nothing here to indicate that a group of excitable young men smoking by the porch on market day was in any way relevant to Holbrook0s murder but it didn0t hurt to make a note of it. -# don0t think so. 7ell in fact # didn0t really want to look closely at them. They0d have taken that for an invitation to be even ruder than they were.0 -Right let0s get back to when you %oined your friend in the cafA. 7as it the same cafA as before/0 -$es. 7e had a drink then two other friends %oined us.0 )he shot him a black look and before he could say anything said tersely - !'eir names are Hugo Gan Ri%n and 4ean&4ac@ues 5Aonard and they live at the 1erme de 'ellefond off the Tonnerre road.0 -Thank you 8adame. 7hat happened then/0 -7e all had an apAritif. # went looking for 4ulian in the other cafA a couple of times as he was supposed to have %oined us between a @uarter past and half&past eleven and had not turned up yet0 & she threw her hand up as if to say -7e now know why0 &. -7e hadn0t specified which cafA we were to meet in as they0re often full but it was supposed to be one of the two on the s@uare. Then at about half&past twelve # started to become really concerned by his absence and 8ado and # went to look for him in earnest.0 -#n the church/0 -$es but the main door was closed. #t had been open earlier when we dropped 4ulian. !nyway a stallkeeper told us the side door might be open and it was. 'ut we didn0t see 4ulian.0

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-7hen you dropped 8r Holbrook at ten were the young men & your ya'oos - already there/0 )he hesitated. -# think so #0m not absolutely sure. .erhaps 8ado will remember.0 -7e0ll ask her. 7hen you went into the church did you go to the crypt/0 -7e %ust stood by the door but the crypt was empty.0 -$ou didn0t actually go in.0 -2o. There was no point. 7e could see 4ulian wasn0t there.0 )he hesitated looking straight at Roussel. -7hat # don0t understand isN. $ou said earlier that 4ulian0s body had been found in the crypt. How is it we didn0t see it/ He must have been dead by then.0 -He was 0 said Roussel looking at her cautiously. -'ut he was be'ind the monument. $ou couldn0t have seen him if you %ust stood by the crypt door.0 There was a heavy silence. -2ow 0 Roussel said endeavouring to sit up straight without falling back into the linen @uicksand -do you know whether 8r Holbrook intended to meet anyone at the church this morning/0 Harriet 4ames looked surprised then a slightly wary look came into her eyes. -7ell no 0 she said slowly -as far as # know he was %ust going to have a look at the Entombment. He always does that when he comes to stay here.0 Roussel noted her use of the present and decided to change tacks. -7hat did you do be#ore you went to Roilly/0 -7hat this morning/0 He nodded. -<oodness 0 she said -#0ll have to think for a moment. #t seems like another life.0 !fter a short pause she said -# got up at about eight had a shower and dressed pottered about and made breakfast. 4ulian got up a little later.0 -$ou had breakfast together/0 -$es of course0 -7as there anything in 8r Holbrook0s behaviour that made you feel he was not his normal self/0

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-2o he behaved perfectly normally. !t leastN. 7ellN0 & a small hesitation & -he was slightly hungover. 7e had dinner at a friend0s last night & Emily 5indberg0s in fact & and he had rather a lot to drink.0 -7as that a habitual thing 8rs 4ames/0 asked Roussel. )he smiled but the smile did not extend to her eyes. -#f you0re asking (ommandant whether 4ulian had a drinking problem the answer is no. #t was %ust a case of good food and good wine. !ll of us in our little group of friends tend to overdrink occasionally. 7e0re so spoilt in this area of 1rance aren0t we/0 )he stirred a little in her seat. -$ou were asking whether 4ulian was @uite himself at breakfast. He was a little N@uiet. The fact that he was slightly hungover simply made him a little less lively that0s all.0 -$ou yourself did not have a hangover/0 )he raised an eyebrow. -2o. # Nleft the dinner&party early. Had a bit of a headache.0 -# see. !nd at what time did 8r Holbrook come back to your house/0 -#0ve no idea 0 she said in a calm voice. -# was asleep when he came in.0 -$ou said he was @uiet at breakfast. ?id he seem at all preoccupied/0 -2o simply a little subdued.0 -# see. !nd the dinner&party was at 8ademoiselle & or is it 8adame & 5indberg0s/0 -# think she0d hate to be called either. )afer to call her 98s.: 'ut of course you don0t have that fine distinction in 1rench.0 -2o indeed 0 smiled Roussel. -7hat does famous novelist as a matter of fact.0 Then why haven0t # heard of her wondered Roussel silently. "r of 4ulian Holbrook/ 'oth of them apparently @uite famous. $ou must be slipping Roussel. Half amused and half chagrined he said -# see. !nd who else was at the dinner&party/0 -5et me think. There were eight of us.0 "ut of the corner of his eye Roussel could see !mina still scribbling in her notebook. -There was Hugo van Ri%n & he0s a ?utch anti@ue dealer. His partner 4ean&4ac@ues 5Aonard. nodded. -1aye0s 'ritish too.0 -Quite an international bunch aren0t you/0 Roussel commented. #ndeed the last fifteen to twenty years had seen a serious influx of foreigners mostly !nglo&)axons and ?utch in 'urgundy The 7illiamsons & a 'ritish couple who live near Roilly. !nd 1aye ?unning =you met 1aye and <inny 7illiamson %ust now on my doorstep>.0 Roussel s% 5indberg do/0 -)he0s an !merican novelist who0s been living in 1rance for the last few years. Quite a

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as in other parts of 1rance notably the south&west where the price of houses and the cost of living were considerably cheaper than in their own country. 8ost bought old houses and derelict farms and converted them into summer retreats self&catering g/tes or bed&and&beakfasts but increasingly a number of them elected to live permanently in 1rance. -!nd these people they were all friends of 8r Holbrook0s/0 -He0s known them for almost as long as # have. 7e0re @uite a tightly&knit group.0 -#0d be grateful 8rs 4ames if you would make a list of all these people with their addresses and telephone numbers and give them to 5ieutenant .ottier.0 -!ll right 0 she said with an uneasy glance at the attentive .ottier. Roussel was silent for a minute absently focusing on a small bron3e sculpture on the table by his armchair. -?id anyone know 8r Holbrook was going to be in the church this morning/0 -"h # think everyone at the dinner table did 0 answered Harriet 4ames finishing her drink. -7e all talked about going to the market the next morning and 4ulian said he0d go and revisit the Entombment while # was shopping.0 Roussel picked up his glass and drained it. #t really was an excellent whisky. -?o you live here alone 8rs 4ames /0 )he looked slightly surprised by the change of tack. -$es # moved to 1rance four years ago.0 -1rom 5ondon /0 -$es.0 -$ou are divorced or widowed /0 -?ivorced.0 Roussel noticed that a tiny tic had started near her left eyelid. -7hen were you divorced /0 -4ust over four years ago. !bout the time # came to live in 5a Tuilerie. 7e0d had the house for two years by then but initially only used it for holidays.0 E!ny children/E E! son. HeEs at university in England.E -# see. !nd where is your ex&husband at present /0 )he shrugged gently rubbing her eyelid with a finger. -#n 5ondon # suppose. That0s where he lives.0 -7hat is his profession /0

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-He is an art historian.0 Roussel raised an eyebrow. -5ike 8r Holbrook /0 -$es.0 -They were colleagues /0 Harriet 4ames shifted a little in her seat. -(olleagues of a sort though they didn0t work together. 8y ex&husband is a curator at the Gictorian and !lbert 8useum while 4ulian taught at the (ourtauld #nstitute. 'oth of them have published a number of scholarly books.0 This seemed to be a throwaway line. Roussel chose not to pursue it but simply nodded. -# see. !nd what is your own profession /0 )he blushed like a teenager. -#0m a food writer. (ookery books mostly and # have a food column in a 'ritish )unday paper maga3ine.0 .ottier looked up from her notebook. 8rs 4ames met her ga3e with a defiant glint in her eyes as if to ward off any uncharitable thoughts from a 1renchwoman about a Britis' cookbook writer. -Tell me about 8r Holbrook 0 continued Roussel. -# wouldn0t know where to start 0 answered Harriet 4ames getting up and walking towards the drinks cupboard. )he had good posture and a long stride noted Roussel. ?espite those awful clothes she managed to have a kind of offbeat elegance. (urious how # hadn0t noticed that before he thought. # must have been da33led by the beautiful 8adame RAgnier. -How long have you known him /0 -"h about twelve years.0 )tanding by the cupboard she gestured towards Roussel. -!nother drink (ommandant/0 -2o thank you 8adame. 7ere you lovers /0 The @uestion uttered so matter&of&factly evidently took Harriet 4ames by surprise. -$ou0re very blunt (ommandantO0 Then forestalling his comment she added -$es # know you0ll say it0s %ust routine and that policemen can0t afford to pussyfoot.0 Roussel ignored this. -7ere you lovers/0 )he hesitated before pouring herself a hefty measure of whisky then returned slowly to her seat. -7e met socially through my husband then we became friends. Then N well yes lovers.0 -7hile you were still married to your husband /0 )he took a sip. -$es.0

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-?id your subse@uent divorce have anything to do with this affair /0 )he sighed. -$es.0 -!nd am # right in assuming that the affair with 8r Holbrook has continued until today /0 -$es. 'ut is that important/ # fail to see what my relationship with 4ulian has to do with his N. death.0 Roussel0s tumbler though empty was still in his hand. He carefully placed it on the coffee table in front of him. -8rs 4ames may # remind you once again that 8r Holbrook was killed under circumstances that are still to be determined and that we0re here to find out anything at all that might be relevant to his death.0 )he sighed ostentatiously and looked away. -5et0s recap 0 he went on calmly. -$ou and 8r Holbrook were lovers since before your divorce and for the last four years. 'ut you were living in different countries. How often did you see each other /0 -!bout five or six times a year.0 -)o it was not what you might call an ongoing affair /0 )he sipped again from her glass before answering. -"ngoing enough #0d say. 7e both felt committed to each other even though we did not see that much of each other. 7e telephoned often and corresponded by e&mail. !nd we spent holidays together. Here or abroad.E -!nd was that arrangement satisfactory to you both /0 E#t must have been must it not 0 she replied tartly -or else we would not have continued with it.E Roussel raised an eyebrow and was silent. )he had almost snapped at him. This was obviously a sensitive area. 8rs 4ames0s mask was beginning to crack but he did not think putting more pressure on her now would produce any satisfactory results. !s was his strategy he once more changed tacks trying to lull her away from the sore spot. -7hat was 8r Holbrook like /0 Harriet 4ames responded to his ploy. )he placed her tumbler on the glass table and laid her head on the back of the sofa. -He wasN.brilliant. Lncompromising scholarly stimulating fascinating to be with in a museum or before any work of art. He was also witty sometimes malicious. He had charm. He made me laugh which if you know anything about women is the most seductive thing a man can do.0 -He was seductive/0 -"h yes. Extremely.0

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-?id he have other lovers/0 Her laughter was brittle. -#f he did # wasn0t in the know.0 !gain Roussel deliberately changed tacks. -!s an art historian did he speciali3e in any particular area or period/0 -He was a specialist in Renaissance art. He0s written several books some of them art history classics by now like his book on Humanism and the 2ude. # think #0ve got most of them here as a matter of fact.0 )he gestured at the bookshelves. -!nd what was your husband0s speciality /0 There was a short silence then Harriet 4ames gave another mirthless laugh. -He too (ommandant started as a specialist in Renaissance art.0 'oth Roussel and .ottier stared at Harriet 4ames. -$es wellN. 7hat can # say /0 she said shrugging. -#t was all pretty incestuous wasn0t it/ 'ut0 she added leaning forward -my ex&husband0s interest eventually & seven or eight years ago #0d say & veered more towards the late medieval period. 7hat you might call the High or 1lamboyant <othic. #t is the cusp between medieval and Renaissance art that holds his attention. #n fact his speciality is late&medieval and early non&humanist Renaissance statuary.0 Roussel almost whistled but caught himself in time. E?o you not find it curious that 8r HolbrookEs body was found by a piece of Renaissance statuary.0 Harriet 4ames reached for her glass and drained it. E!s a matter of fact the )Apulcre is considered to be late <othic in style and concept despite its date which places it in the Renaissance period 0 she said pedantically. !nd 0 she continued after a slight pause -4ulianEs presence in the church has nothing unusual about it. Every time he stays with me he pays the )Apulcre a visit or two. 5ike all art historians he is forever visiting and revisiting churches and museums. #t0s second nature to him.0 )he seemed unaware that she0d switched to the present tense. -)o both your ex&husband and 8r Holbrook were specialists in roughly the same period of art history. ?id this cause any rivalry between them over and beyond your relationship with 8r Holbrook /0 )he looked at him with irritation. -# %ust told you their interest for the last fewyears has been in different periods of art history. !s for any professional rivalry the art history world like any academic domain is full of dissension and backbiting. "utwardly of course it0s all kept at a

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civili3ed level. #n the case of my ex&husband and 4ulian Holbrook however not only are their respective chosen periods different but within their period they do not write about the same topics. 4ulian0s mostly concerned with painting architecture and the philosophy of Humanism. !nd 5eo as # said is a sculpture specialist. #n fact he is the (urator of )culpture at the G U !. -'ut was there any rivalry between them/0 Roussel0s use of the past tense brought them back to reality and must have registered on Harriet 4ames. )he shook her head. -$ou0re not listening (ommandant. !s # said they lectured and wrote about different aspects of art and different periods.0 )he stood up and went to one of the bookshelves coming back with a large art book which she held out to Roussel. Entitled !'e Burial o# 0ope 1 $ntombment "tatuary in 2ort'ern $urope, it featured on its %acket under 5eo 4ames0s name an arresting photograph of a saint0s head. Roussel recogni3ed the head of the young )t 4ohn the 'aptist from the (haumont Entombment. )ilently he took the book from her hand. -8ay # borrow this for a day or two / #t might help with the investigation.E Harriet 4ames hesitated but only for a second. -$es of course you may. 'ut please take good care of it and return it as soon as you can.0 -#0ll return it very soon and 5ieutenant .ottier will give you a receipt for it.0 He nodded to his assistant who wrote out a chit signed it rose walked to where Harriet was sitting and handed it to her. -$ou mentioned earlier that 8r Holbrook had a sister0 aside. -#s she the next of kin /0 -!n older sister yes 0 answered 8rs 4ames. -# think she must be the next of kin since 4ulian never married and as far as # know has never had any children. # know the Holbrook parents died in a car crash about twenty years ago. "h dear 0 she sighed. -#0m going to have to phone 5ivy & "livia & and let her know about 4ulian. <od how awful O0 -#f you0ll give us her telephone number and address we shall inform her 0 said Roussel. -#Ell do so of course. 'ut # must also phone her myself.0 )he sighed again. -.oor 5ivy O0 -?o you know her well /0 -# met her several times though 4ulian wasn0t particularly close to her. # think she was very fond of him though. )he0s a solicitor and lives in )omerset with her husband.0 -How long had 8r Holbrook been staying with you on this particular visit /0 said Roussel setting the book

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-He arrived last )aturday.0 -#0ve already asked you this but #0m asking againM did he seem worried or concerned about anything not only this morning but at any point during his stay/0 -2ot in the least.0 There was a second0s hiatus then she stared at him. -$ou0re not thinking are you preposterousO0 -2o 8adame 0 answered Roussel gravely -# am not thinking or suggesting anything of the kind though as #0ve already said we must wait for the post&mortem results before we can determine exactly how 8r Holbrook died.0 )he shook her head. -#t seems obvious to me that 4ulian was mugged. 8ugged and robbed.0 -2othing0s obvious 8rs. 4ames. Things are not always what they seem. 'ut we0ll know more after tomorrow morning.0 )he went a little pale. -#s that when the post&mortem is scheduled /0 Roussel nodded gravely -$es.0 -2ow 0 he continued as he ponderously endeavoured to get up from the armchair. -8r Holbrook was obviously someone in the public eye. ?o you know whether he had any enemies /0 )he smiled grimly. -! classic phrase # believe though # must say (ommandant # never thought it would ever be asked of me.0 -Even so 8adame it must be asked.0 -"h # reali3e that 0 she said @uickly standing up from the sofa and facing him across the low glass table. -?id 4ulian have any enemies /0 she echoed pensively. -# can0t say for sure (ommandant. He must have rubbed a few people the wrong way in his career. didn0t suffer fools He was obsessional opinionated intransigent and didn0t particularly care if he (ommandant that 4ulian might have committed suicide / That0s

trampled people in the process of speaking what to him was the truth. He occasionally wrote reviews in the newspapers that may have upset some people. 'ut from there to murderN.0 )he made a vague gesture with her right hand. -7as 8r Holbrook particularly close to anyone here in 'urgundy/0 -2o 0 she said firmly. -!s # explained earlier he0s known my friends here for almost as long as # have had the house. 'ut they were mostly ac@uaintances to him not friends.0 -?id you & you and 8r Holbrook & see any of them since his arrival prior to the dinner& party last night/0

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Harriet 4ames knitted her brows. E)ome of them certainly. 5etEs see. "n )unday & the day after 4ulian0s arrival & we were invited to a brunch at Hugo van Ri%nEs. 8ado & 8adame RAgnier & her husband and their two children were also invited. "n 8onday we went to ?i%on by ourselves and had a drink at 1aye ?unning0s in the evening. 7e were the only guests. Then as you know last night we had dinner at Emily 5indbergEs.0 E?o you plan on interviewing all these people/E she asked after a small pause. E$es 8adame.E replied Roussel. E7hich of them were at Roilly market this morning by the way/E E7hy they all were. #t0s our local market day and everybody always goes.E E?id you see them yourself/E E$es. !s # told you earlier. 8ado and # had drinks with Emily. Hugo and 4ean&4ac@ues %oined us later and 1aye and the 7illiamsons were there together but at the other cafA. There were lots of other people too you know. !nd the boys # told you about. They were rough&looking and rude to 8ado and me. # wouldnEt be surprised if 4ulian was mugged by one of them.E E$ou must give their description to the gendarmes tomorrow when you go in for your statement. !nd donEt you worry 8rs 4ames. The gendarmerie and the police will leave no stone unturned in this affair.E Harriet 4ames looked doubtful. "bviously her experience today of 1rench police methods had not impressed her. -)hall we go up now /0 she said with a gesture towards the hall and the stairs. -#n a moment 8rs 4ames. 7e need a number of documents from you firstM 8r Holbrook0s sister0s name address and telephone number* your ex&husband0s* the list of names addresses and telephone numbers of the people who were at the dinner&party last night and lastly a photograph of yourself. 1or elimination purposes you understand. 7e already have 8r Holbrook0s passport photograph but if you have a more natural snapshot of him too it would help.0 Harriet 4ames keeping her face blank but expressing a great deal of reluctance in the way she moved went to a pretty rosewood secrAtaire which stood against one of the bookcases and rummaged in a drawer for her address book opened it up then scribbled a few lines on a sheet of writing paper while Roussel casually looked around the large room. 7hen eventually they went upstairs she said opening a door and standing aside to let Roussel and .ottier in -This is the spare bedroom where 4ulian kept all his stuff. #0ll get you the photographs in a minute.0

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)he went to a chest of drawers that stood between the two wide windows. Roussel glanced out. #n the gathering dusk there was a breathtaking view of a lush garden and an orchard sloping down to the river with gentle hills in the distance. -!h here0s the key to my house 0 she said with some relief. !nd these are his own keys. This is where he normally left his wallet when we were in the house. #t isn0t here now so he must have taken it as # thought he did. #t0s also where # found his passport earlier. !nd look his return ticket for the (hannel Tunnel is still here.0 !s she talked she opened the top drawer which contained a small collection of men0s underwear and patted it @uickly then went to the bedside table. -2o sign of his watch though. #0ll %ust check in the bathroom.0 )he disappeared in the en suite bathroom and reappeared almost at once. -2othing there. 'ut # would have been extremely surprised if he0d forgotten his watch and wallet. 4ulian was anything but absent&minded.0 )he took a few steps inside the room frowning. -)omething %ust occurred to me 0 she said to Roussel. -?id the gendarmes & or indeed your people (ommandant & find anything at all in 4ulian0s pockets /0 -2ot a thing 0 answered Roussel. -7hy /0 -7ell it would make sense for a mugger to have taken the wallet. Roussel and !mina .ottier exchanged a @uick glance. -2otebook /0 repeated Roussel. -$es 0 said Harriet 4ames more forcefully. -4ulian didn0t go anywhere without his notebook. #t was a small =well about 1+&1B centimetres long> mid&green leather notebook with a matching ballpoint pen. 4ulian was always %otting things down in it. He would never have gone to see a monument without it & or gone anywhere else without it for that matter. He called it his 9memory book:.# believe he also used it as a kind of field diary.0 -$ou say it had a matching ballpoint pen. (an you describe it/0 -#t was one of those slim 7aterman pens. <reen malachite&like enamel casing. The colour matched his notebook exactly.0 )he smiled a little apologetically. -4ulian was a little vain about such things. He was what you 1rench call 9tr3s ra##in4%0 #ndeed thought Roussel unsympathetically remembering the extreme fastidiousness of Holbrook0s dress style. -$ou say he called the notebook his 9memory book:. ?id he have any problems with his memory/0 !nd the watch of course & it was a valuable ob%ect. 'ut why should anyone take his notebook /0

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-"h no. He had an excellent memory. #t0s %ust that he had so many ideas sometimes occurring to him in a %umble. He found it invaluable to %ot things down as they occurred to him then think about them at leisure.0 -# see. #t seems that the ballpoint pen & or one very similar to it & was found in the crypt. 1ingerprints were lifted from it. They will probably match 8r Holbrook0s. 7e shall ask you to identify it eventually. 8eanwhile we0ll keep our eyes opened for the notebook. 2ow 8rs 4ames 0 added Roussel looking around him. -7ould you mind very much if 5ieutenant .ottier and # searched 8r Holbrook0s room /0 He thought the Englishwoman looked dismayed at the re@uest but she made a valiant effort to shrug off her feelings. -2o go ahead 0 she said @uietly. -#0ll leave you to it then.0 )he walked to the door. -7ill you find your way downstairs when you0re finished/0 -7e shan0t be long.0 Roussel looked around the room while !mina .ottier went to examine the bathroom. !lways intensely curious about what a habitat revealed of the person who lived in it Roussel found himself a little frustrated there. 1or the room & a spacious unfussy bedroom with pale primrose walls and white woodwork a modern four&poster bed white cotton furnishings a mixed&bag of modern lithographs and eighteenth&century drawings and bowls of spring flowers on the window&sills & was %ust what it was supposed to beM a guest room. #t told him something about 8rs 4ames0s aesthetic style and perhaps her sense of hospitality but little about the man who had used it except that as his appearance had suggested he was neat to the point of obsessiveness. !n English friend of his had once told him that a characteristic of the 'ritish upper middle classes especially those with a certain culture was that they were untidy. #t was alsmost a sine qua non of their social condition. 7ell unless 8rs 4ames had a maid or cleared up herself after her guest =which he doubted> this could not be said to be the case with 4ulian Holbrook. !part from the bed which looked as if it had been slept in and not made again there were no clothes strewn about no shoes left on the deep&piled carpet no %ewellery no personal correspondence or notes. 4ust the keys on the chest of drawers and a couple of books on one of the bedside tables. The room was almost as tidy as a hotel room after the maid has been. The clothes Holbrook had left in the fitted cupboard and the chest of drawers confirmed what Roussel had noticed when he had examined the bodyM the man had been a conservative and moneyed dandy. 1ine fabrics & linen lawn silk cashmere & impeccable cuts good labels

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everything in excellent condition =he had a sudden vision of 8rs 4ames0s carelessly frayed clothes and wondered at the relationship this suggested> nothing funky nothing excentric. everything folded and hung to perfection. The two books on one of the bedside tables were stacked up and lined up s@uarely. "ne was a biography of 8o3art in English with a paper&thin ivory bookmark half&way through. The other was a well&used leather&bound 1rench edition of 4.&K. Huysmans0s ) rebours, inscribed with the words -4.H. Holbrook 1IF;0 on the flyleaf % 2either the fact that Holbrook had read the book in the original language nor the sub%ect&matter itself really surprised Roussel but he found both interesting enough to make a note in his note&book. #t was logical that a well&read man and an art historian to boot would be conversant enough with 1rench <erman or #talian to read books dans le te-te% #n a way that Roussel could not explain however this evidence of Holbrook0s linguistic abilities brought the dead man closer gave him flesh. !s for the sub%ect& matter the book had since its publication in 1HH; been the 'ible of aesthetic decadence as well as providing one of the best depiction of (eltsc'mer5 or mal du si3cle ever attempted. #t fitted well with the dandy aesthete side of Holbrook. 'ut might it also suggest something else/ He was standing by the bedside table with the Huysmans book in his hand riffling through the pages to see whether there were any handwritten notes in the margins when .ottier came back from the bathroom. -!nything there/0 he asked. )he shrugged and shook her head. -#t0s all luxurious and immaculate. )potless bath spotless shaving kit spotless hairbrush. He obviously wasn0t the kind of man who left hairs on his hairbrush or s@uee3ed the toothpaste from the middle of the tube. He slept in silk py%amas midnight blue with %ade&green piping if you want to know & & and used blue brocade 8oroccan !nd

babouches as slippers. The towels have been folded back to within a millimetre of their life. 2o sleeping&pills no drugs other than a beta&blocker and some alka&selt3er which tells us he had high blood pressure and tended to overindulge.0 )he looked around the room.-7hat about you .atron/ 1ound anything interesting/0 -2othing particularly surprising. This0 & he held up the book & -might tell us something about his frame of mind but # may be making too much of it. To paraphrase 1reud sometimes a book is %ust a book.0 He replaced ) rebours where he had found it. -)hall we go down/0 7hen Roussel and .ottier went back to the sitting&room they found Harriet 4ames listlessly straightening cushions and pulling down the blinds. )he looked forlorn. )he handed

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them a couple of colour photographs one of herself sitting at an outdoor table in the sunshine and one of 4ulian Holbrook in animated conversation with a invisible person. (ommandant/0 -.erfectly 8adame thank you. 7e0re going to pay 8adame RAgnier a @uick visit now 0 Roussel glanced at the Englishwoman. -#t might be a good idea for you to have some company tonight 8rs 4ames.0 -Thank you for your concern (ommandant 0 she answered. -#0m sure # shall be fine.0 )he attempted a smile. -!ll # long for is a shower and an early night.0 -'efore we leave there0s %ust one thingN0 -$es/0 Her weariness was almost beyond control. -"n 8r Holbrook0s bedside table we found a biography of 8o3art and a copy of ) rebours% 6$es what about them/ 4ulian was reading the biography during his stay. !s for the Huysmans =she pronounced the name la 'ollandaise rather than as the 1rench do> it went everywhere with him. #t was @uite literally his favourite bedside book.0 -# see. Thank you 8rs 4ames and try to get some sleep.0 7ith a courteous nod Roussel and .ottier took their leave. They were opening the front door to let themselves out when they nearly collided with a woman standing on the doorstep. -"h #0m sorry 0 she said in English with an !merican accent. This had to be the writer with whom 8rs 4ames and 8adame RAgnier had had a drink roughly at the time of Holbrook0s death and whose dinner party 8rs 4ames and Holbrook had attended the night before. Reciprocating politely also in English Roussel stole an appraising glance at her. )he was a thin very small&boned woman with streaked fu33y hair that fell in a soft wing over one eye. )he was wearing a loosely cut linen top and skirt in two shades of bron3e set off by a striking modern silver tor@ue and long silver and tur@uoise earrings. Her face was very pale and freckles stood out like a light brown rash. -#s 8rs 4ames in/0 she asked Roussel brus@uely in 1rench completely ignoring .ottier who stood by his side. -#0m right here Emily 0 said Harriet 4ames from behind them. Her voice noted Roussel seem to be guarded. "r perhaps %ust weary. -7ill these do

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Roussel thought about warning the woman that he would be interviewing her in the next two days but decided against it. He nodded a general goodbye and he and .ottier made their escape. !s they crossed the drive the sound of a waterwheel could be heard a soothing and musical background to a chorus of croaking frogs. The sky was darkening not a night sky yet but a dim gunmetal grey vault in which a few stars were softly set.

CHAPTER 4

-Harriet # only %ust heard about 4ulianO 7hat a dreadful thing to have happenedO0 Harriet sighed. The last person she wanted to see right now was Emily. The !merican continued. -7hen # got home from the market # had a bite to eat then went straight to my study and worked.0 Harriet knew that when Emily was writing she answered neither telephone nor door. -# only emerged ten minutes ago and when # came downstairs <inny had left messages saying 4ulian was found dead in the church.0 -#0m afraid that0s true.0 -1or heaven0s sake what happened/0 # found that 1aye and

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-(ome and sit down Emily 0 Harriet said wearily. -# need another drink and # think you can probably do with one.0 !s they sat on the edge of the sofa too keyed&up to sit back Harriet put Emily in the picture. ?espite the other woman0s exclamations of shock and sympathy Harriet was unmoved. )he did not really like Emily and trusted her as she might a rabid fox. ! native of 8assachusetts Emily had settled in 'urgundy about a year before Harriet had bought the mill. )he was the much&acclaimed author of a do3en or so novels which Harriet had read and found well&written but emotionally sterile. )he did not identify with any of the characters was unmoved by their relationships and their neuroses and found all that !merican&style writing&for&writing0s sake a little irksome. !part from that Emily was & usually thought Harriet with an inward wince & good company at a dinner&party being well&informed well&read and witty. Everything about her seemed nonchalant =-Emily0s cool 0 had remarked Harriet0s son Sach when he had first met her a statement which caused his mother to grit her teeth>. )he always wore elegant unstructured clothes in muted colours & sage green dusty brick bron3e & and had an enviable collection of modern designer %ewellery which she wore well. $et Harriet knew that Emily0s nonchalance was only skin&deep. )he was tough at best and fearsome when roused whether by drink one&upmanship sexual rapaciousness or Harriet knew a malicious amusement in inflicting hurt on others especially women. 2ot for the first time did Harriet reflect that in 5ondon Emily would never have been part of her regular circle of friends & an ac@uaintance perhaps an occasional guest at a dinner&party. Here in 'urgundy and in their restricted social group Harriet had no such choice. 'ut then here too the notion of -friends0 became somewhat elastic. Emily0s behaviour at her own dinner&party the night before had been appalling. Harriet still felt the tingle of humiliation and anger and this she suspected might rankle for a long long time. To compound things earlier this morning when Harriet and 8ado had shared Emily0s table after returning from the covered market the !merican had been in one of her -difficult0 moods & slyly aggressive catty making %okes at other people0s expenses. ! lot like 4ulian come to think of it thought Harriet. !t one point after Harriet had gone looking for 4ulian in the other cafA and reported back that he did not seem to be anywhere Emily had asked her with a vulpine smile -Have you mis&laid

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him then/0 sectioning the word -mis&laid0 in a way that left one in no doubt as to what she meant. Harriet had thought that the pun coarse and feeble as it was was causing Emily no slight amount of glee because her faintly protuberant green eyes glittered with amusement. Then she had ad%usted her opinion. #t was not the pun that tickled Emily it was %ust the fact that she was being malicious. $es Harriet had thought that0s where Emily gets her kicks. )he0s like a psychological darts player. )he0s good at aiming and loves scoring. Thinking back on this and looking at Emily as she gulped down her whisky and speculated agitatedly on 4ulian0s death Harriet suddenly felt she0d had enough. )he stood and towering over her guest in a way she hoped might look both rude and intimidating she interrupted her in mid&flow and said -Emily if you don0t mind it0s been a gruesome day and # don0t feel like talking about it any more. # shall %ust have a shower and go to bed with a sleeping pill. ?oubtless we0ll know more from the police tomorrow.0 5ooking nonplussed for once Emily gave Harriet a perfunctory kiss and strode out a little defiantly missing her exit cue by failing to see the shallow step leading down to the gravel drive and nearly falling headlong. )he recovered her balance without looking back at the open doorway where Harriet stood watching.

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Roussel and .ottier found 8adeleine RAgnier0s house in a small lane on the mill side of the village. #t was a whitewashed cottage with the kind of bright blue door and window shutters that Roussel associated with the #le de RA but which curiously did not look out of place among the sober stone farmhouses. The doorbell when they pressed it interrupted a fluid phrasing on a clarinet and released a fren3y of barking. 7hen the door opened they were greeted simultaneously by a barefoot 8adame RAgnier and an overwhelmingly friendly large shaggy mongrel still barking and with a wildly wagging tail who then proceeded to sniff their legs as if they were covered in another dog0s hair. They were soon %oined by two wide&eyed children a boy and a girl of seven or eight

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and a long&haired young man with a clarinet in his hand who was introduced as their hostess0s husband 2icolas. They were ushered in by this little group with a mixture of curiosity and circumspection like strange new arrivals on a distant planet taken into a spacious living&room&cum&kitchen and settled around the kitchen table. Though also filled with books and paintings this was a very different room from the one they had %ust left. 1or one thing it was unselfconsciously untidy* for another it held a number of familiar little treasures that reminded Roussel of his childhood & a collection of battered old 'anania tins a couple of fine eighteenth&century plates of !uxerre earthenware and a number of .uisaye stoneware toulons. !fter shooing her children and husband away 8adeleine RAgnier sat down with Roussel and .ottier and offered them a glass of home&made ratafia which she poured into small bistrot glasses. Her demeanour was not unfriendly suggesting she had forgiven the police0s earlier trespasses. They all sipped companionably. The usual police preliminaries over she asked how Harriet 4ames was then confirmed virtually word for word her friend0s description of their morning. The only time they were not together or in each other0s sight she said were those few minutes & -seven or eight minutes0 she grudgingly estimated & when Harriet 4ames had gone to the lavatory. )he also confirmed the presence of a group of young men smoking by the porch door both at ten o0clock when they had dropped Holbrook at the church and later when the boys had %eered at them. -#0ve a feeling there were fewer of them at eleven 0 she said -but # can0t swear to it and #0m not even sure they were the same youths anyway. The porch door seems to be a general meeting&place for the young people of Roilly.0 7hen asked for a photograph of herself -for elimination purposes0 she showed some hesitation but after Roussel explained this might help the police save time she handed them one that was lying among other family photographs on an encumbered dresser. -How long have you been living at 5a Tuilerie 8adame/0 asked Roussel. -1or the last six years. 7e came from .aris roughly at the time Harriet and 5eo =they were married then> bought the mill. The twins were still toddlers and we didn0t think .aris was a good place to bring up children. !nd as both our professions could be carried on anywhere we decided to go and live in the country.0 -# take it your husband0s a musician 0 said Roussel. )he nodded while sipping her ratafia. -$es %a33 mostly.0

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-"h yes/0 said Roussel briefly allowing his personal interest to come to the surface. -7here does he play/0 -Here there and everywhere 0 smiled his hostess. 97herever he0s asked really. He has a number of other musicians he likes to play with in trios @uartets and @uintets. They0ve been in some demand lately for gigs and festivals all over the region but also elsewhere in 1rance.0 Roussel filed this snippet of information in his mind for future personal use and resumed his @uestioning. -!nd what is your own profession/0 -#0m a furniture restorer and gilder 0 said 8adeleine RAgnier. -# work mostly for museums and anti@ue dealers.0 Roussel0s eyes automatically dropped to her hands which indeed unlike the rest of her looked like an artisan0s hands in contrast to her bare feet which though a little grubby were elegant and carefully tended with the toenails painted a deep shade of plum that was almost black. -$es 0 she laughed. -!n artisan0s hands never lie although # wear gloves when # handle some of the products.0 -$ou work from this house/0 -$es # have a workshop at the back.0 -How did you become friendly with the 4ameses/0 -7e first met at an auction in one of the farms soon after we settled here. Then 5eo suggested # restore some of the furniture they bought. 5ater when Harriet came to live here permanently she gave me English conversation lessons. 7e became very close after that.0 -Has 8r 4ames been back to this part of the world since the divorce/0 )he shrugged. -# haven0t set eyes on him for the last four years.0 -'ut has 8rs 4ames mentioned that he0s been here at all/0 8adeleine RAgnier0s ga3e turned icy. -2o she hasn0t. !nd # think you0re barking up the wrong tree (ommandant if you0re implying that 5eo =always assuming he might be holidaying around these parts which # think is extremely unlikely> could have had a hand in what happened to 4ulian Holbrook/0 -# am implying nothing of the kind 8adame & that is your own interpretation. !ll # was interested in was whether 5eo 4ames continues to come to the area even though he and his wife are divorced.0

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8adeleine RAgnier spoke clearly as if making a statement to someone hard of hearing. -# have not seen or spoken to 5eo since before the divorce. 2or have # heard anything about his returning to the area.0 Then she added more naturally -Have you asked Harriet about it/0 Roussel ignored her @uestion and decided to change tacks. -7hen did you first meet 8r Holbrook/0 7ith a definitely cooler ga3e 8adeleine RAgnier answered -)oon after the divorce when he started coming here regularly.0 -Had he visited 5a Tuilerie before that/0 -# believe he stayed with the 4ameses a few times but # didn0t meet him then.0 -?id you find it easy to accept him as 8rs 4ames0s companion after having been friendly with her husband/0 Her eyes flashed. -That0s a personal @uestion (ommandant which # don0t think is in any way relevant to your en@uiry.0 Roussel0s tone was imperturbable. -.lease answer my @uestion 8adame.0 )he gave another very <allic shrug. -# can0t pretend # wasn0t sorry Harriet and 5eo divorced. # thought they made a good couple and we & 2icolas and # & became very fond of both of them. 'ut what happened between them was strictly their own business. )o when Harriet started to bring 4ulian over after the divorce there was no reason not to accept him as her new partner.0 -7hat did you think of him/0 -# thought him a little stuffy at first compared with 5eo who0s anything but stuffy. 'ut # eventually came to admire him 0 she answered then drained her glass of ratafia and refilled all three glasses. )he went on unprompted. -He was extremely knowledgeable about all sorts of things not %ust art history. He0s written some wonderful books some of which # read in translation when # was a student at the Ecole du 5ouvre. # never imagined then that #0d meet him some day & and in such an unlikely place as 5a Tuilerie.0 -?id you become friends/0 Roussel asked ineffectually trying to dislodge the dog0s head from his lap which he was sniffing with relish. -Couc', 'icorneO ?o push him away (ommandant he0s a pest. $ou were asking whether we became friends. 2ot really. 0arriet is my friend. 7ith 4ulian we & 2icolas and # & never got past a certainN formality. 2o perhaps 9formality: isn0t the right word. )hall we say a

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sort of superficiality/

7e were ac@uaintances really rather than friends. 'ut # en%oyed his

company whenever he was around.0 -7hat did you think of him as a person/0 )he was silent for a minute winding a piece of string around slender but roughened fingers. -# didn0t know him well enough to have developed real insight into his character & which is what you0re asking me right/0 Roussel nodded. -# only ever saw him in social settings. !nd of course as he was an intensely social animal those settings were like a stage set for him.0 -7hat do you mean by that/0 asked Roussel trying to distract the dog from his crotch by scratching it behind his ears. The ploy worked. The animal abandoned his burrowing and rolled on the floor four feet in the air %aws gaping in an ecstatic grin. -)top showing off 'icorneO0 8adeleine RAgnier0s admonition was automatic rather than heartfelt. )he went onM -4ulian was a star. 'rilliant witty sarcastic sometimes even a little cruel in his %ests. He was the dominant element at any social occasion. $ou could feel that he always had to be a star and always top dog. He was a terrible snob as well poor 4ulian but that went with the personnage% -?id you find him seductive/0 asked Roussel sensing .ottier0s amused glance upon him. -"h no. He wasn0t at all my type 0 said 8adeleine RAgnier with a beguiling smile. )he was really @uite beautiful thought Roussel unconsciously sitting up straighter in his kitchen chair and sucking in his gut. on me.0 - ?o you think this was part of a cultivated persona/0 -#t0s always hard to tell with people who have charm. "ne never knows whether it0s a completely innate thing or whether it0s partly conscious or even fully cultivated. #n 4ulian0s case # did get the feeling most of the time that he set out to charm. Either from a deep need to be accepted or as # said before in order to be top dog. "r both. He liked to have some kind of power over people and was a control freak. Even in the way he dressed you could see that he was obsessional.0 )he laughed a little wistfully. -7e tend to dress very casually here in the country. )artorial splendour isn0t @uite our thing. !nd there was 4ulian in his 'ond )treet clothes immaculate. # wonder how he could stand being with a scruffy lot like usO0 -7as he controlling with 8rs 4ames/0 asked Roussel sipping at his ratafia and glancing mildly at his hostess over his half&moon glasses. -!lthough 0 she went on -# can see how other people may have found him seductive. 8en as well as women. He did have a certainN charm even if never really worked

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-# didn0t get that impression. "f course # don0t know what he was like in private. 'ut in any case Harriet0s a pretty independent and self&contained person & @uite determined also under her casual sometimes even helpless look. # very much doubt she would have tolerated being controlled by any man.0 )he was silent for a minute then saidM -)he had a very controlling mother & a historian at "xford an intellectual who was also a staunch feminist and militantly left&wing. Quite a formidable woman by the sound of it. 2ot someone you could call 8um or 8ummy. # have a feeling Harriet was a little frightened of her. Her way of escaping her mother0s control was to go the opposite way. )he married young and devoted her life to feminine occupations such as raising a son cooking and gardening. !nd when eventually she became a best&selling food writer she was pretty diffident about it. )he still is though she is one of the best. !nd sheN.0 8adeleine RAgnier suddenly clamped down as if she0d said too much. -!nd sheN./0 echoed Roussel. 8adeleine RAgnier shook her head. -2othing important. # do go on when # start chatting.0 Roussel did not press her. -?o you know whether 8r Holbrook had any enemies/0 )he made a noise which was a cross between a chuckle and a snort. -2o. # don0t know. 'ut it wouldn0t surprise me if he had. # think he probably made a point of antagoni3ing people. #t was like sport to him.0 -?id heNerN indulge in that sport with anyone here in 'urgundy/0 )he was amused. -7ell (ommandant 0 asking me in your own roundabout way & she ga3ed at him with velvety brown eyes & -if you0re asking me =and you0ll doubtless say once more that it0s my own interpretationO> if you0re whether anyone in our little group of friends or indeed any local person of my ac@uaintance could have murdered him then no # really don0t see any of them doing so. #n fact # don0t @uite understand your line of reasoning. 1rom what you and the juge dinstruction were saying in the church it sounds as if 4ulian was mugged and robbed.0 -#t may well turn out to be the case 8adame. 'ut meanwhile you understand that we wouldn0t be doing our %ob if we didn0t pursue every possible line of en@uiry.0 8adeleine RAgnier snorted but with her thought Roussel even a snort sounded stylish.

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Half an hour after Harriet had closed the door on Emily0s departing back the telephone rang. )he picked up the extension in her bedroom which she had been listlessly tidying for want of a better thing to do. -8ado 0 she said. -$ou0ve had a visit from the police/ !h they0ve %ust driven away/ # had Emily here. 7hat/ 2o no she0s gone.0 -The news has spread like wildfire 0 said 8ado. -The phone hasn0t stopped ringing. Even the 8aire called fishing for information. # told everyone to leave you alone. 7hat are you doing right now /0 -# don0t know. 8y mind feels @uite empty.0 -(ome and have a bite to eat with us. #0m going to send the children to bed right away. 7e0ll be by ourselves. !nd you need to eat.0 -"h # couldn0t eat a thingO # feel exhausted. # think #0ll %ust take a shower and go to bed.0 -#0m coming to spend the night with you at the mill.0 -$ouEll do no such thing 8ado. Really. #t isn0t necessary. # promise #0m not being brave but # do need to unwind all by myself and get some sleep. # don0t want to think about what happened or take stock or anything like that until at least tomorrow. #0ll be all right really # will.0 8ado hesitated. Harriet could hear 2icolas in the background. -# don0t know what to do for the best 0 said 8ado. )he sounded forlorn. -2ico says # must respect your wishes. 'ut #0m afraid you0re simply being 'ritish and clenching your %aws together or whatever it is you 'ritish do in a crisis. # don0t want you to stay awake all night feeling miserable and having no one to hold your hand.0 -#0ll take a sleeping pill. Really #0d rather be alone.0 -!ll right 0 said 8ado reluctantly. -!t least promise me you0ll call if you need anything. !t any time. .romise.0 -# promise 8ado. !nd thanks for everything.0 -?on0t be a goose. !nd don0t forget that we must go to the gendarmerie in the morning.0 -#0ll call for you at about nine shall # /0

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-That0s fine. <oodnight Hattie. Try to get some sleep.0 -$ou too. <oodnight 8ado.0 Harriet stood in the shower for ten whole minutes trying to think of nothing but the water beating over her hair and body. !s she towelled herself dry however she found herself unable to push from her mind the memory of 4ulian0s battered face the awfulness of the black plastic bag that encased him like a piece of refuse. The image was persistent and she suspected it would haunt her for weeks. The reality of his permanent absence however was still something abstract. 4ust as her body a minute or two before had been bombarded with %ets of water so now her mind as it had done earlier in the car was being assaulted by strobe&like images snatches of dialogue impressions distorted sounds. 7ould that battering never cease/ )he tried to concentrate on the here and now. )he must make herself a hot drink and go to bed with a sleeping pill. #n her tee&shirt nightie which poor 4ulian had abhorred she rummaged in her medicine chest. )urely there had been some 8ogadon left over from her last bout of real sleeplessness which went back to her divorce days. They were probably beyond their use&by date by now but she didn0t think it mattered. )he searched the medicine cabinet from top to bottom but could not find them. -?amn 0 she muttered. -#0ve got to have something.0 The idea of tossing and turning all night with those frightful images in her head was not to be considered. )he needed to sleep. )he thought of ringing 8ado then remembered that she and 2icolas used homeopathic drugs only. -That0s not for me 0 she thought. -7hat # need is a good old&fashioned knock&out pill.0 'riefly the notion came into her head that drinking the rest of that bottle of #slay might do the trick. 'ut the idea of sitting there by herself drinking made her sick. )he thought of her immediate neighbours the 5ancels and @uickly dismissed the idea of knocking on their door so late. 8oreover she could not see herself asking those very respectable farmers for some sleeping pills. They0d probably think she intended to do herself in. The 7illiamsons and Hugo and 4ean& 4ac@ues did not live in 5a Tuilerie. That left Emily and 1aye. )he felt pretty sure that both were users of such anodynes. 'ut wild horses wouldn0t drag her to Emily0s. )o 1aye it had to be. ?riven by necessity Harriet hopped into her %eans put her grubby tennis shoes back on and headed for 1aye0s. 1aye lived on the <rande Rue in the middle of the village a few doors down from Emily. The front door was never used so Harriet went round the back. 1rom 1aye0s sheltered paved

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courtyard in which a profusion of potted plants framed a clump of young silver birches you could see the fifteenth&century spire of the Tuilerie church. 5ike everyone else in the village 1aye did not lock her door until she went to bed. Even before she knocked on the half&open door Harriet could hear the strains of !'e agic 7lute 4osA Gan ?am as )arastro singing -" #sis und "siris0. )he pushed the door further but stopped on the doorstep with a sudden piercing pang. 4ulian who so loved 8o3art would never again be hearing that aria. "r any other aria. Her sudden sense of loss was so acute that she started to shake. )he wanted to turn back. 4ust then 1aye came into the hall carrying some laundry in a large basket and saw her on the doorstep. -Harriet my dear O ?o come inE she cried @uickly putting down the laundry basket. E# rang 8ado to ask how you were after your interview with the police and she told me @uite firmly that you weren0t to be disturbed.0 )he gave Harriet a warm hug. -8y dear girl how are you / Here do come through and let me give you something to drink.0 -# shall be turning into an alcoholic if this goes on much longer 0 said Harriet in a shaky voice. )he allowed herself to be led through into 1aye0s colourful book&lined living&room installed in a wing&chair and given a hefty armagnac. Having poured one for herself 1aye sat close to her guest in another comfortable chair. -How are you bearing up /0 -# don0t think #0ve @uite taken it in yet 0 said Harriet truthfully. -# get a feeling of total helplessness once in a while like looking into a black hole. "therwise it all feels so unreal. # keep thinking that if only # could go to sleep # might wake up tomorrow to find #0ve imagined the whole thing.0 -!lasN.0 sighed 1aye. -# know 1aye. # know it0s real.0 -7hich reminds me 0 added Harriet taking a sip. -# was about to go to bed but reali3ed # was out of sleeping pills. !nd # really need to sleep tonight. # have a feeling tomorrow0s going to be harrowing. (an you lend me some pills / !ny brand will do as long as they work.0 1or a second 1aye looked uncertain and Harriet smiled. -2o 1aye # won0t take an overdose don0t worry.0 -#0ll go and get you some 0 said 1aye with a smile rising from the sofa.

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)he0s afraid of the responsibility thought Harriet. # don0t blame her. )he laid her head back on the comfortable chair feeling she could go to sleep there and then. 1aye0s house was peaceful and cosy with its warm colours and beautiful anti@ue Kilim rugs its wax&polished furniture and little touches of luxury. Harriet had always felt good in it though her relationship with 1aye was not really very close. 1aye was not easy to get to know. )he was the oldest person in the group and must Harriet thought be in her early&to&mid sixties though her tall slender build and good posture made her look younger. )he had the most beautiful hands Harriet had ever seen and made much of them keeping them in perfect shape =though she was a keen gardener> and adorning them with interesting rings some of which were old and valuable. #n contrast she had a remarkably ugly face with a lantern %aw and proportions that were all wrong. )he had retired to 1rance a few years before Harriet had bought her own house and had kept herself to herself at first. Then she had warmed to Harriet and 5eo. !nd when they divorced and 4ulian started to be a fre@uent visitor to 5a Tuilerie she had warmed to him also. 1aye was very keen on art and @uite knowledgeable about it in her @uiet unassuming way so she liked to pick 4ulian0s brain though she did it so diffidently that it wasn0t ob%ectionable. !fter her parents had died a few years before she had come to live in 1rance she had started to collect paintings and sculpture. 5ast 8onday evening she had asked Harriet and 4ulian to a drink after their day in the ?i%on area and had shown them her latest buy & a small 'en 2icholson painting she had bought at a 5ondon auction. intimate terms. 7ith the help of the armagnac Harriet started to relax. 1rom the kitchen came the unmistakable scent of roast lamb and rosemary and to her dismay Harriet suddenly reali3ed she was ravenous. 1aye came back with a few pills in her hand. -Here 0 she said wrapping them in a scrap of tissue paper. These are #movanes. They0re very effective but not not too strong. !nd they won0t make you feel groggy in the morning but do try to take only one at first. !nd #0d suggest you see ?r (oste in the morning.0 -# intend to 0 said Harriet. -#0ll go after 8ado and # have been to the gendarmerie for our statements.0 Harriet liked 1aye very much and they often lent each other books and ?G?s and dined at each other0s house but you could not really say they were on

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Harriet stood up swaying a little. -8y dear girl 0 cried 1aye concerned. -Have you eaten anything at all /0 -2o 0 admitted Harriet -and # guess the !rmagnac plus all the scotch # was drinking while that policeman was @uestioning me have gone to my head. -Then you must stay and have a piece of lamb and some salad. #0ve had my dinner but #0ll keep you company with a glass of armagnac.0 Harriet was torn between her hunger and her need to sleep. #t would be comforting also to be gently fussed over by 1aye because she was such an unmotherly woman that there was no risk of her overcoddling Harriet the way say 8ado might do. )uddenly feeling disloyal to her friend who had been so caring and present during her ordeal today Harriet thanked 1aye but refused to stay pleading extreme tiredness. -"ff you go then 0 said 1aye kissing her on both cheeks. -(all me any time.0 Harriet walked home in the moonlight and fed .ilgrim her black and white cat who had made himself scarce all evening the coward when his mistress could have used some comfort. )he then made herself some hot chocolate took two sleeping pills despite 1aye0s admonition and sank into a dreamless sleep with the cat curled up in the crook of her knees.

CHAPTER 5

7ith Roussel driving the police Renault they headed back to !uxerre. 7hen 5a Tuilerie was nothing but a faint bracelet of lights in the rear&view mirror he glanced at .ottier sitting silently beside him. -)o !mina let0s hear your impressions.0 )he stirred as if he0d woken her but he knew she had not been asleep. -8y impressions/0 He grunted and flashed his lights impatiently at a car that was coming from the opposite direction with full beams on.

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- # was trying to organi3e my notes in my head.0 -# don0t want you to t'in* tidily .ottier. # want to hear your impressions.0 -)traight from the guts eh .atron /0 )he turned her face towards him and though he could not see her in the darkened car he could hear the smile in her voice. -That0s right. 7e0re not at a police meeting here. $ou and # can safely indulge in a little exchange of impressions. 7e0ll have plenty of time to dissect and review later. 0 .ottier laid her head on the headrest. -7ell if you must know .atron # feel uneasy about this case.0 -?o you/ 7hy0s that /0 -Two points. 8ere feelings really but since you askedN. - )he settled more comfortably into her seat. -The first is that as things stand now they seem to point to a robbery with violence that went too far. 'ut # can0t help feeling that this is %ust a bit too simple too N pat. There0s something wonky about it. 2ot that people don0t get clobbered on the head every day. 'ut here # feel there might be a more complex agenda. Robbery with violence is a street or burglary&related crime. #t rarely takes place in a church.0 -That robbery o# some sort did occur seems likely if not certain.0 put in Roussel. -'ut of course it may %ust turn out to have been an opportunistic crime.0 -?o you know many criminals who go visiting a fifteenth&century Entombment scene/0 -2o but the perpetrator may have followed Holbrook in.0 -True dressed as he was Holbrook must have looked like a good guy to pick. 2evertheless 0 she went on -there0s something that doesn0t feel right there. That dramatic setting for one thing. #t feels & # don0t know & like a stage setting.0 -?o you think someone may have set things up specially/0 Roussel sounded curious. -# don0t know what to think except that the setting %ust doesn0t go with the crime as it presents itself. How many muggings in a church have we dealt with over the last year/0 -#f my memory0s right 0 said Roussel -this is the first.0 -There you are then.0 )he went on after a moment. -"ne of the things that don0t feel right about the scene is that the victim0s pockets were picked absolutely clean. He didn0t have so much as a kleenex on him. ! man as spruce as Holbrook is bound to carry paper handkerchiefs on him. !nd a comb. #f straightforward robbery was indeed the motive why didn0t the perp simply take the wallet and watch/ 7hy did he take everything else/ !nd the notebook too /0

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-!ssuming there was a notebook. 7e only have 8rs 4ames0s word on that.0 -?on0t you believe her/0 -# am not sure. # can0t @uite make up my mind about her. )he sends contradictory signals all the time. ?o you believe 8rs 4ames/ ?o you think she0s straight/0 .ottier shrugged. -Hard to say at this point her divorce from whatshisname.0 -5eo 4ames.0 -Right. Holbrook0s.0 -$es # did. )he was indeed @uite defensive. !nd she had a wary look when # asked her whether she knew if Holbrook was meeting anyone in the church.0 -Her shock and distress seemed genuine though. 0 -$es well.... )he may simply be a bit of an actress. !ll those sighs and scowlsN0 -# grant you there was a bit of histrionics there. # think she was @uite righteously angry about the relentless @uestioning at first. 'ut # still think she0s on the level.0 -$ou said you were uneasy about two points. The first is the robbery&gone&wrong which doesn0t feel @uite right to you. 7hat0s the second/0 -The second point has to do with the feeling # get that the victim was highly clubbable.0 -$ou didn0t like the sound of him /0 He was teasing. -"h .atron 0 she said 98imme a brea*94 as they say in !merican films. $ou0ve hammered often enough into us that it isn0t our %ob to like or dislike a victim or a witnessO0 Roussel grinned in the dark. .ottier went on. -#t0s more that from the sound of him # imagine Holbrook must have rubbed a number of people the wrong way. 7hat if he made an enemy here in 'urgundy/0 -'oth 8rs 4ames and 8adame RAgnier denied that but admitted he must have made a few enemies in his time. 'ut what if 8rs 4ames andVor the delectable 8ado had their own agenda /0 -$ou don0t think they0re bona fide/.0 -# didn0t say that. 'ut # think that there0s much more to it than they let on especially 8rs 4ames. Her body language gave her away. !ll that foot&tapping and social hostess act coming to her rescue at awkward moments. !nd what about the occasional shifty look/ # agree with you when you say that she0s still upset about her divorce and defensive about her relationship with ?id you notice that it was one of 'is books she showed us not one of but yes on the whole. )he was unforthcoming about her relationship with Holbrook and not at all clear about how she felt about

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Holbrook. !nd there was something about that dinner&party that bothered her. )he left early ostensibly has no idea when her lover got back. !nd 0 Roussel added -she seemed uneasy about the fact that we0ll be interviewing the other guests.0 -$es # picked that up as well 0 said !mina. -!nd the fact that her divorce seems to stick in her throat. There0s a great deal of unfinished business there altogether.0 )he was silent for a minute. -Those seven or eight minutes when she was out of the 'alle apparently having a pee & do you think she could have gone to the church and done him in/0 -This possibility occurred to me of course. Running off to the church from the market hitting Holbrook and rushing back would take at least eight to ten minutes & we must time it in situ. 'ut if 8adame RAgnier0s estimate is correct we may be cutting it fine here. "f course thereEs always the possibility that 8adame RAgnier was mistaken about the length of time 8rs 4ames was away. :r, he added -that 8adame RAgnier herself is an accomplice. 'ut # find this difficult to believe.0 Roussel went on. -7hen <renache confirms the time of death we0ll have to go through both 8rs 4ames0s and 8adame RAgnier0s alibis with a fine tooth&comb.0 E7e should have asked 8rs 4ames to let us search her room as well.0 E$ou know we couldn0t have done so without a search warrant. !s it is it was her right to ask for one before she allowed us to search HolbrookEs room though 8me 5a 'arri6re had verbally asked her to do so. ?id you notice by the way that the bed in that room had been slept in/ 0 -$es # did. 'ut that doesn0t mean much. #f he got back late from the dinner&party he might not have wanted to wake her up. <iven her headache. ?o you believe in that headache/0 -2ahO #t was probably an excuse to get out of an unpleasant situation.0 -"h yes. There0s definitely something about that dinner&party that bothered her.0 Roussel was silent for a second. -?o you know #0m not sure Holbrook slept in 8rs 4ames0s room the rest of the time. He wouldn0t have kept his bedside books in the spare room if he had.0 -?o you think she lied to us about their being lovers/0 He shrugged. -2o but she was obviously uneasy about the relationship. ! very uneasy person altogether is 8rs 4ames.0 .ottier was silent for a minute then shook her head. -'ut # don0t see her as a murderer. $es she did give out mixed signals probably lied or misled us about a number of things. !nd she

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(as defiant about the satisfactoriness of the 9arrangement: with Holbrook but # don0t think she murdered him. #t doesn0t feel right.0 E$ouEre being irrational !mina.E E$ou did ask for my impressions 'oss. -$es well. 8rs 4ames was undoubtedly withholding a number of things. !nd there seems to be a great deal of unfinished business in her love life altogether as you yourself pointed out. 7hat we musn0t disregard also is that she comes from a particularly repressed culture & the good old 'ritish educated upper middle&class. !n academic mother and all that. !nd if #0m not mistaken she herself has a passionate nature. That may be an explosive cocktail. 0 -7hat makes you say that /0 asked .ottier eyeing him curiously in the dark. -That she has a passionate nature /0 Roussel grinned. -(all it a 9hunch: .0 2o !mina it0s more than a hunch. $ou observed as # did that she has a temper. )he0s what we 1rench call soupe au lait% )he0s impulsive blows up easily. 7ho knows whether she didn0t blow up big time this morning eh/ "n the other hand there0s also a very controlled side to her. )he0s a bit of an enigma our 8rs 4ames. 1ar from straightforward. !nd her love life was definitely a turbulent one.0 -!ny other J hunches K about the case so far /0 They were going through a wood and Roussel swerved to avoid a wild sow and a string of young who were about to cross the road so it was a few seconds before he replied. -#0ll come to my hunches in a second !mina. 5et0s briefly recap yours first. $ou0re saying that you have misgivings about the murder being just the result of a robbery that went wrong. This implies that you think it possible that there were two agents at work thereM one who murdered the 9eminently clubbable: 8r Holbrook and one who robbed him. "r else a darker agendaM a single person who murderered Holbrook then made it look as if he had been mugged and robbed.0 -That0s it in a nutshell 'oss.0 -2ow let0s have a look at my own hunches. 5ike you # have misgivings about the way the case looks at the moment. "n the surface there seems to be an obvious motive & robbery of a tourist in a deserted crypt. 'ut here # have an additional comment to make. $ou saw the body as # did. The head was seriously battered. 'ashed in in fact. #f #0m not mistaken & and <renache0s examination may confirm this tomorrow & the violence of the assault was extreme. !nd it is at odds with the simple robbery motive. 7hy would a mugger intent on the @uick robbing of a

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victim on a market day when almost anybody might suddenly come into the church bother to risk being charged with murder / #f #0d been the mugger #0d have given the victim a @uick light bash enough to take him out for a few minutes then #0d have legged it fast.0 -8aybe the victim struggled and the perp blew it.0 Roussel shook his head in doubt. -$ou0re playing devil0s advocate. !nd the victim didn0t struggle. He was caught by surprise and from behind. He couldn0t have seen it coming.0 -8aybe Holbrook0s skull was unusually thin.0 -7e0ll know more about this after the post&mortem. 'ut somehow the notion of overkill is nagging me.0 Roussel dipped his headlights and reduced speed as they drove through a village. ?espite the warm clear night the streets were empty of people. "nly a cat or two foraged about on the side of the road their eyes gleaming like carbuncles in the sidelights. Roussel went onM EThere are two other points # find interesting. "ne is that every guest at that dinner table last night knew Holbrook was going to be in the crypt this morning & so obviously the sooner we interview them all the better. !nd two Holbrook was killed beside a very famous piece of statuary & whether it0s High <othic or Renaissance is beside the point. $ou yourself pointed out that it looked like a mise-en-sc3ne% #0d like to add to this comment the fact that to at least three people that piece of statuary was significant. To Holbrook as an art historian to 5eo 4ames the ex as a specialist in the sub%ect. !nd obviously also to 8rs 4ames who was close to both of them and is no stranger to art history. )he is the linchpin in this case. !nd ; - Roussel slowed down the car as they approached !uxerre -#0d very much like to know where 8r 5eo 4ames was this morning.0 -)o you too think it possible that there might be t(o people involved in this murder&cum& robbery. "r else that the murderer made it look as if Holbrook had been mugged for his money and watch.0 -# do.0 !mina was silent. Then she said -"f course this is an unusual case for us. #t isn0t our common&or&garden provincial crime is it/0)he peered at him in the dark. -7ill you be disappointed .atron if it turns out to be simply what it looks like a robbery taken too far and ending in homicide/ !nd the perpetrator a petty criminal with low impulse control/E E#Ell be relieved !mina.E

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'ut he wouldnEt be relieved. He knew he wouldnEt. ! few hours into the case and already his interest was pi@ued. He had to use .ottierEs words a EclubbableE victim a lover with tumultuous and unresolved feelings an ex&husband a seemingly explosive dinner&party and perhaps other potential suspects. The cast of characters was intriguing the setting of the crime dramatic. There were undercurrents of love hate %ealousy professional rivalry all strong passions. #t was a far cry from the humdrum homicides he was used to. 2o Roussel would not be relieved if the crime turned out to be a banal mugging. Quite unprofessionally he0d feel let down.

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!fter he had left .ottier at the entrance to her block of flats near the !uxerre station Roussel felt a sudden impulse to drop in on his %a33 group despite the fact that he did not have his saxophone with him. He was pretty certain someone there might lend him a spare instrument. ! couple of hours of lively improvisation with his old pals might help him let off steam. "n the other hand he hadn0t shown his face there in several months and did not relish fending off @uestions about it. !lso he wanted to make notes about this new case while his first impressions were still fresh. Reluctantly he decided to drive home to )aint&'ris&le&Gineux aware that the mere fact that he had seriously considered going to the %a33 group & if only for a minute & was a tiny tentative step out of the gloom. He did not know whether to re%oice or feel scared. 4oining the living exposed you to countless dangers. There was safety and a curious cosiness in being numb. The cat was waiting for him on the doorstep. 1or a minute there was a staring contest. Roussel was the first to give in. He bent down and stroked perfunctorily the rough untended coat feeling a twinge of pity for the unloved creature who had followed Elvire home one evening and been casually adopted to be %ust as casually abandoned a few months later. The cat suffered his ministrations with an ironic air but did not make much ado about following Roussel to the kitchen and wolfing down half a tin of Ronron. He then stalked off to the window&sill where he sat staring into the night before giving himself a prolonged wash.

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Roussel removed his %acket hung it on a kitchen chair rolled up his shirt&sleeves and poured himself a glass of #rancy. He looked at his watch then turned on the radio hoping to catch the tail end of the news bulletin. 'ut he was too late. 8ore frustration was in store for him. There was hardly any food in the refrigerator. "nly to be expected after all & he was rarely in for meals. There were three eggs some butter that didn0t smell too stale and a piece of (hambertin cheese. He broke the eggs in a bowl sniffing them suspiciously one by one beat them with a fork seasoned them and when the butter started to foam in the frying pan poured them in. !s they %ust started to set with a practiced and slightly flamboyant flick of the wrist he rolled them deftly into an omelette slightly underdone as he liked it. He ate at the kitchen table reading Le 2ouvel :bservateur and sipping his red wine. The cat left the window&sill and sat companionably on what used to be Elvire0s chair. Roussel cutting himself a piece of cheese decided he preferred the cat0s presence to Elvire0s after all. He had %ust put the dishes in the dishwasher when the telephone rang. #t was 8ougins the police doctor. Roussel gave a silent moan. -?id you get my note this morning/0 8ougins asked. -7hat note /0answered Roussel innocently. -# wrote you a note asking you to contact me as soon as possible. $our last medical check& up0s a disaster.0 -"h /0 commented Roussel lighting a small cigar. -$our blood&pressure0s too high your cholesterol level0s well above the norm your triglyceride level0s soared and you have to lose five kilos fast. #n other words you0re a prime candidate for a coronary. 7hat0s the matter with you Roussel / 7ant to die /0 Roussel protested puffing away. -'ut # gave up cigarettes six months ago.0 -7hat about those filthy cigarillos you smoke /0 -Haven0t had one all day.0 -$ou0re having one now # can tell. )eriously .ierre you0ve got to take yourself in hand.0 -Lmhum.0 -# know you0ve got a new case on and the gossip0s that it may turn out to be a bit of a headache. 'ut for heaven0s sake don0t go on neglecting yourself. $ou0re burning the candle at both ends.0 -Right 0 said Roussel.

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-8ake sure you come to see me very soon / 7e0ll have a chat about it. 8eanwhile #0m sending you a diet sheet and you0d be well advised to stick to it.0 -?iet eh / 7hat no more boo3e and confit de canard /0 -5augh about it if you must but go easy on the cheese eggs charcuterie butter cream and animal fats in general. !nd cut out the whisky and spirits altogether. !s for wine not more than one glass per meal.0 -7hat0s left / # can0t live on shredded lettuce and water. 7hat are you doing to me ?oc / Trying to drive me to suicide /0 -)uicide0s what you0re doing to yourself right now. .ierre # mean it. $ou0ve got to start taking care of yourself.0 -# hear you ?oc.0 -(ome and see me.0 -# shall. 'ye for now.0 1or a while Roussel %ust sat there puffing at his cigarillo. Then he shrugged took two more hefty puffs before stubbing it out and stood up to put a (harlie .arker (? on. The art book Harriet 4ames had lent him was lying near the (? player. The saint0s face on the %acket stared out at him. #t was one of his favourite statues part of an entombment scene in the (haumont cathedral. He leafed through the pages finding several colour photographs of the Roilly )Apulcre. He gave an involuntary shiver when he thought of the corpse that he had seen sprawled at its foot earlier that evening and wondered once more whether Harriet 4ames or her ex&husband had been involved in its being there. (losing the book he ad%usted his reading lamp over the living&room table and sat down with his notes while the cat unused to seeing Roussel at home in the evening and obviously stimulated by his presence backdoor. ! couple of hours later he had finished arranging his notes in a reasonable form. 1eeling a cramp coming on in his left leg he got up stretched walked around the living&room stamping his feet and looked out of the open window. His house stood on the edge of the village among the cherry orchards and vineyards. There was a full bright yellow moon and the night smelled of flowers. He suddenly felt like being out in the open air. He pulled on a sweater and went for a walk in his cousin Thierry0s vineyard which had once belonged to his own parents. He did not regret selling it when they had died for there was no way he could have become a vigneron, but came and went through the flap in the kitchen

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he still loved walking on the gentle slopes between the sauvignon vines and when he had time gave Thierry a hand in the pruning and harvesting. He had however held on to the family house despite its draughts and inconveniences and pressure from Elvire who would have preferred to live in a modern flat in !uxerre. 7hen he returned the cat was again waiting for him on the doorstep and this time gave a shy greeting. -!re we going to make a habit of this then/0 Roussel asked the animal s@uatting down to peer at him. -?o you suppose we might get used to it you and # /0 The cat blinked and purred. )tifling a yawn Roussel gathered his notes in readiness for the next day. He searched on his bookshelves for his own copy of ) rebours, found it and blew the dust from it. Then he put out the lights in the living&room made sure that the cat had some water for the night and took the book up to his bedroom together with the one Harriet 4ames had lent him.

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Th !sday

CHAPTER "

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2o matter how many post&mortems Roussel had attended in his career in the .olice 4udiciaire the experience had never threatened to become routine or inuring. He considered it an important part of his work something that might & and often did & reveal a great deal about the crime and its protagonists. !nd the victim of course. Lnlike 4uge 5a 'arri6re he was not s@ueamish and experience had further toughened the shell of his detachment. He didn0t flinch when the stryker saw cut through the top of the skull and exposed the brain or when a liver was plopped with a gross wet sound into a pail. He0d long ago accepted the fact that the corporeal envelope was %ust that & an envelope & and that life was fragile. $et human beings were far more than the sum of their skin bones hair organs muscles nerves and what remained of them after death had little to do with what lay on the medical examiner0s gurney. The indignities meted out on the corpse could not alter what the person had been and what he or she would continue to represent in the minds of those who had cared for them. )o despite his conditioned detachment Roussel could never attend a postmortem without a thought for the human being who had inhabited the body on the autopsy table. #t did not stop him from viewing the corpse as a corpse but it served as a constant reminder that one day he also would be reduced to that state. #t was his own form of memento mori% 7hen he arrived at the #nstitut mAdico&lAgal the preliminary examination was under way. The body had been photographed with and without its clothes measured weighed and W&rayed. 'lood ad urine samples had been taken. .lastic bags containing various items of clothing were stowed against the wall of the autopsy room awaiting transportation to the forensic laboratory. <renache his springy grey hair s@uashed under a green cap and his face&mask dangling around his neck was dictating into a microphone while slurping at a cup of coffee. He glared at Roussel over half&moon glasses. He was inevitably bad&tempered during autopsies because he could not smoke. !round him his assistants <uy 5ombard and 4osiane 4eanson were recording details on charts and setting up the instruments and scales on a stainless steel side table. They nodded briefly when Roussel fully robed and clutching his notebook and ballpoint pen stood @uietly beside them. <renache turned off the microphone attached to the front of his surgical scrubs. -# was giving you another five minutes 0 he growled -then # was going to start in earnest without you.0 -7hat have you got so far /0 asked Roussel not rising to the bait.

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#nstead of answering <renache turned to 5ombard. -<uy0 he said -the clothes and fluid samples must go to the lab right away.0 -!nd tell them this is top priority 0 added Roussel -7e0ll need some results for my four o0clock meeting with 4uge 5a 'arri6re0. The mdecin lgiste snorted. -That0d be her lucky day. "bnoxious woman. ?id you hear how she twisted my arm yesterday about this autopsy/0 -(ome now 0 Roussel said it0s a game between you and you en%oy it as much as she does.0 -HaO0 said <renache. 7hen the assistant had left he turned back to the corpse. -7ell now we have the body of a well&nourished fit man of about ;B years of age with reddish&brown hair streaked with grey and blue eyes. The body measures 1 FH metre and weighs F; kilos. The skin is freckled of normal texture. There are a few moles & all that0s been recorded and photographed. The left knee shows evidence of a scar consistent with an operation on the knee&cap. 2ot old&looking though we0ll know more when we0ve examined the skeleton. There0s also evidence of an appendectomy that was probably performed when the sub%ect was in his early teens.0 -2ow then 0 <renache read%usted his face mask and turned the microphone back on -let0s get on with the external examination of the wounds since this is basically what you0ve come for.0 He ad%usted his mask over his nose and mouth. Roussel and 4osiane 4eanson also masked anticipatory @uickening of interest Lnder the powerful lights the violence of the blows was un@uestionable. -7ell 0 said <renache with relish his eyes meeting Roussel0s -7e certainly can rule out any notion of accident can0t we / 2ot that there was any chance of it really.0 He paused grinning behind his mask. -! bit green that young substitut, don0t you think/ "r should one call her substitute these days/ # must say all that femini3ation of titles and professions gets my goat. "ur language is being murdered by politically&correct idiots. adame L) Pro#esseure, adame L) <uge, une auteure% # ask youO .fahO "h # do despise political correctness # really doO0 Lsed to <renache0s diatribes Roussel ignored the digression. 'esides he himself was not enamoured of the 1rench media 3eal for femini3ing professions and titles regardless of how it read or sounded. !nd he too disliked political correctness which he found for the most part nauseatingly hypocritical. stood on either side of <renache near the top of the autopsy table. The policeman peered intently at the head of the corpse feeling the familiar

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Having vented his spleen <renache pointed to the W&rays that were positioned over the vertical light table then peered back at the corpse0s head. -7hat we have here are head wounds that are typical of an assault with a blunt instrument delivered with considerable force. There was one main blow & this one here & which will probably prove to be the fatal one and & look here & five more in%uries close to the first and overlapping. !nd you0ll find this interesting 0 he added looking @uickly up at Roussel and pointing with his latex&covered forefinger -The general pattern of the wounds is noticeably star&shaped which means that the instrument that delivered them was roughly rounded. The skin and subcutaneous tissues have been crushed against the bone underneath. The wounds are lacerated & they have rough uneven edges with bruising all around.0 He went over to the light box and pointed to one of the W&rays. -$ou can see from this that the blows caused a variety of fractures from depressed and comminuted fractures in which the bone was reduced to minute fragments and splinters that are embedded in the brain to cracks of various si3es. $ou0ll see a bit later when we open up the cranial box that a fair amount of brain tissue will have been pulped which is consistent with repeated blows. 2ot a pretty way to die to be sure but a @uick one.0 -(an you tell the direction of the blows from this /0 asked Roussel making notes. -The position of the fractures which are mostly on the back left&hand side of the head and the left temple and the radiating fissures which run away from the left suggest that the blows were delivered by a person standing behind and slightly to the left of the victim.0 -(an you tell from that whether we0re dealing with a right&handed or left&handed person /0 -.robably right&handed or someone holding the weapon in both hands like a club.0 -7as the victim standing up when the first blow or blows were struck /0 -# think so and the internal examination of the skull will probably confirm what # suspect & namely that it was not the first blow which was the fatal one. $ou see usually fracture damage is less important when the head0s free standing. #t0s when the head0s supported that the greatest damage is inflicted. #n other words the picture here suggests that the first blow knocked the victim to the ground and that the second & and fatal & blow was inflicted when the head was already on the ground. The s@uashing of part of the left side of the face is a result of that blow. Then four more blows followed. # expect we0ll find when we open the cranium that there was less bleeding from these which would indicate that the victim was already dead when they were inflicted.0

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-"verkill 0 said Roussel. -That was my impression on first seeing the body.0 -#t does rather look as if the perpetrator used excessive violence for a mere robbery 0 said <renache carefully. -"r wanted to make absolutely sure the victim would die 0 murmured Roussel. -That0s for you to determine mon vieu-%0 -The victim was a tallish man 0 said Roussel. -#f he was standing when he was attacked this might suggest we0re dealing with a tall murderer. Lnless 0 he reflected more slowly -the victim was bending over for some reason.0 -Lm 0 said <renache -not sure about that. ?on0t forget that he was found sprawled face down. Had he been bending over when the murderer struck him he would probably have fallen in a crumpled heap.0 -Lnless the murderer straightened him up when he searched his pockets.0 -That0s something the forensic technicians will be able to determine when they0ve studied the blood splatter patterns.0 -!ny clearer idea about the murder weapon apart from the fact that it had a vaguely rounded head/0 asked Roussel. -#0d say it was some sort of club or a large smooth stone with a slightly rounded edge 0 said the medical examiner reaching for a caliper and a plastic ruler. !fter measuring the wounds he gently parted the edges of the lacerations and peered in. -(ould it have been something like a golf club /0 en@uired Roussel. -# don0t think so 0 replied <renache. -The force of the blow would have been even stronger if a long&handled weapon such as a golf&club had been used. 2o # think you should be looking for something with a shorter handle. "r no handle at all like a large stone.0 He ga3ed into the wound with a magnifying lens. -7hat0s this /0 he murmured reaching for a pair of twee3ers on the side table. He removed a thin bloodied bone splinter and held it up closer to the spotlight. )peared on to it was a minute piece of shiny reddish material. -7hat is it /0 asked Roussel ad%usting his spectacles and peering over. -#t looks like a tiny piece of plastic.0 -)urely plastic would be too light to inflict such wounds /0

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-"h 0 said <renache shaking his head and carefully dropping the splinter into a small plastic labelled container that 4osiane 4eanson was holding ready for him. -# don0t mean t'at kind of plastic. This is more like the wrapping kind. .olythene.0 -?o you mean to say the club or stone or whatever was wrapped in polythene /0 -Quite possibly. #f we0re lucky we0ll find more evidence of it. Then we0ll have a better idea.0 -'ut 0 interrupted Roussel trying to grab a wisp of an image that had %ust flashed through his mind. -)hut up .ierre and let me get on with my examination. 7e haven0t got all day O0 Roussel turned aside in frustration but the image had already vanished and he had no idea of what it had been. 8entally he went back over his most recent dialogue with <renache trying to recapture the association of ideas that might have led to the fleeting image but in vain. He found it difficult to concentrate as <renache continued to scrutini3e the corpse on the autopsy table dictating his comments into the microphone as he examined every inch and orifice taking swabs from this and that scraping the fingernails that had previously been bagged at the crime scene lifting each limb turning the body over with the help of <uy 5ombard who had come back from the forensic laboratory and starting again. Knowing that he would soon be reading all the details in the post& mortem report Roussel allowed his mind to wander. <renache0s voice intruded. -2o defensive in%uries anywhere. This bloke was taken by surpriseN.. -2ow what0s this /0 4olted back to the present Roussel saw that <renache was now sitting on a stool and bent over a speculum inserted into the body0s rectum. -Know anything about this bloke0s sexual mores /0 the medical examiner asked lifting his head and looking at Roussel. -7hy /0 -The rectum0s enlarged with a semi&healed fissure and there is evidence of long&term bruising and laceration of the rectal tissues.0 -)uch as may occur during homosexual activity /0 asked Roussel in some surprise. -(ould be. "r it could be some other deviant sexual practice. (ould even be self&inflicted.0 -#s it recent /0

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-The swabs #0ve taken will tell us for sure but # don0t think there0s been any very recent activity. The fissure0s almost healed up. #t wouldn0t be if there had been recent anal penetration. The bruising and scarring of the canal tissues however point out to a history of anal intercourse or penetration with an ob%ect of some sort.0 -7hich of the two appears more likely /0 -!nal intercourse #0d say. #t0s the more commonly found. 7hen you0re dealing with old scarring it0s difficult to tell the difference.0 -7hat about the rest of the genitalia /0 asked Roussel. -2ormal. 2othing to report there.0 Roussel0s beeper sounded. He had turned off his mobile during the autopsy but had left his beeper on. The number it displayed was a $onne number but one he did not recogni3e. He excused himself to a grumbling <renache and went out of the autopsy room. The windows were open in the corridor and he stood by one of them taking a deep breath. !fter the chilly odour& laden air of the autopsy room even the congested !uxerre streets smelled sweet. He rang up the number on his beeper. #t turned out to be that of the Roilly gendarmerie. He asked to be put through to (otinaud. -!h (ommandant any news your end /0 The ad%udant&chef0s voice held a note of contained excitement. Roussel felt instantly irritated. The man had a gift for raising his hackles. -2othing that can0t wait until we meet at four 0 he said. To gloss over his rudeness he added -'ut the autopsy0s still going on. 7e0ll probably have the report by this afternoon.0 -7ell we seem to have made a little headway at our end of things.0 Roussel grunted. -7hat have you got /0 he asked looking at his watch. #t was getting on for twelve&thirty. -"ne of the first things # did this morning was circulate a description of the watch among the %ewellers in the region. !nd guess what we0ve %ust had a call from a %eweller in !uxerre who was approached with a similar watch by a young man this morning. Lnfortunately this was before he0d had our description.0 -!nd /0 -He smelt a rat because the piece the guy was trying to sell was obviously expensive not something a youth of his type was likely to have so he refused to buy it. 'ut he0s got the description of the man. #0m on my way to interview him now.0

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-<ood 0 said Roussel curtly. -#0ll see you at four then. 'y the way have 8rs 4ames and 8adame RAgnier been in to make their statements / -"h yes. They came in early this morning. !nd we0ve been canvassing the neighbourhood of the church and the s@uare & practically the whole town in fact.0 -5ast night 8rs 4ames mentioned a group of youths who %eered at them by the church porch.0 -$es we0ve got that. 7e0re in the process of checking up on them.0 -<ood 0 repeated Roussel feeling like a schoolteacher. -<oodbye for now.0 He hung up @uickly before (otinaud could gloat. Roussel could not decide whether he was childishly put out by the gendarmerie0s early result or disappointed that the robbery motive was so easily confirmed. 'ut the conversation had disgruntled him. He punched .ottier0s office number with a %aundiced finger. !fter a few rings ?u@uesne answered. -.ottier0s at the lab .atron. ?umas called you but you0d turned your mobile off and we didn0t want to beep you before we knew what it was about. )o .ottier went to see him.0 Roussel next punched in ?umas0s number. -#0m outside the autopsy room. 7hat have you got for me /0 -7e0ve analy3ed that bit of hardened soil you picked up by the corpse (ommandant. #t did come from a shoe. 7e0re trying to check up on the make. 7e0ve also got results on traces we found on the corpse0s %acket and on the partial handprint. 5ieutenant .ottier0s %ust picked up the report.0 -7ell done ?umas. #0m on my way. <et a move on with the toxicology report will you/0 -Have a heart mon (ommandant we only %ust received the fluid samples. hope to have something for you by early afternoon.0 -Right then. ?o your best. #0d like to have something to show 4uge 5a 'arri6re at four.0 Roussel @uickly returned to the autopsy room. The internal examination was now well under way. The body was lying once more on its back but the -$0 incision had been made and it was now agape from breastbone to pubis. <renache had already removed the heart lungs oesophagus and trachea and was bent over the abdomen dictating in a monochord tone into the microphone. ! few feet away an imperturbable 4osiane 4eanson was weighing a slightly oversi3ed liver no doubt the result of immoderate alcohol consumption and good living. 1leetingly Roussel wondered what his own liver looked like after the depredations of the last few years. He pushed

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the thought away by telling himself that if he ended up with his liver being weighed like Holbrook0s its appearance would no longer be his concern. Roussel signalled to <renache to stop dictating. The medical examiner straightened up his hands full of an iridescent mass of organs which he plopped casually into a pail held up by 5ombard. ?espite the powerful fan extractor he autopsy room now smelled and looked like a butcher0s shop. <renache turned off the microphone with a bloody&gloved thumb. -# must go to the lab 0 said Roussel. -1ound anything interesting while # was out /0 -2o 0 growled <renache. -The man was in relatively good shape for a guy his age except for that slightly enlarged liver. #n a few years0 time if he hadn0t changed his lifestyle he might have had some problem there. 7e0ll see what the toxicology boys make of the samples we0ve sent them. <o on you can bu33 off. # still have the head to dissect . 'ut # don0t think you0ll be missing much. # expect the examination of the brain to confirm my earlier findings. #0ll call you if # find anything that # think may be remotely connected with the way he died.0 -!nd by the way0 he added the contents of the stomach are consistent with his having copped it between ten & when he was last seen alive by your witnesses & and ten&forty&five. 5et0say for safety0s sake between ten and eleven.0 He looked up with a malicious glint in his eyes. -7ant to know what he had for breakfast/0 -2o thanks 0 said Roussel. -7hen can # expect the report /0 -7hen #0m good and ready0 snapped <renache. -<o on shoo. ?0you want to have lunch when #0m done /0 - # think #0ll give lunch a miss today 0 said Roussel with a falsely pious smile. - That0ll be the day O !h go on with you O #t0ll take more than a mere autopsy to put you off your eggs en meurette% Roussel removed his gown dropping it into the toxic laundry bin waved goodbye to the two forensic assistants patted <renache on the shoulder and thankfully made his way out of the autopsy room.

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CHAPTER #

7hen Harriet and 8ado left the gendarmerie in Roilly after having made and signed their statements they stood outside on the pavement. -7hat would you like to do now/0 asked 8ado. Harriet hesitated. -# don0t know. # feel a little Naimless.0 8ado gave her friend0s arm an affectionate little s@uee3e. -# know. 'ut you need to keep busy Harriet.0 -"h there0s so much to do. # have to call "livia to organi3e for the bN for 4ulian to be transported to England once his body is released for all his stuff & and the car of course P to be sent back. Lnless 5ivy wants the funeral to be held here of course. 'ut # doubt it. !ll his friends are in England and everybody will be wanting to attend. )o much to do and # don0t have a clue as to where to start.0 -5et the police take care of what to do with the body once it0s ready to be released. 1or the rest it0ll be for "livia to decide. #f the funeral0s in England # imagine you intend to go/0 -# can0t even think that far 8ado.0 )he had woken up muggy&headed to an unreasoned but leaden certainty that something was wrong. )he had not remembered at once what had happened the day before but %ust knew

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there was something she dreaded to recall. #t was a good minute after she0d opened her eyes that she remembered 4ulian was dead and even longer before she could locate the source of her fear. )he lay inert in her bed pinned there by a terror that washed over her like a breaker. Her heartbeat became irregular she broke into a cold clammy sweat and felt that if she moved she would immediately be sick. )ensing something .ilgrim rose from near her feet and came closer looking at her with that cold fixed stare that cats have however fond of one one imagines them to be. )he raised a weak hand to stroke his coat which felt bristly. !fter a few minutes the panic attack ebbed away and she was able to get up. 2ow as she stood irresolutely before the gendarmerie in Roilly she said to 8ado. -# must have been in a da3e last night for # haven0t even called my family to let them know.0 -7ell you must do so now 0 said 8ado energetically. -5et0s go back to 5a Tuilerie and get on with things.0 The rest of the morning passed @uickly. #n between her calls to "livia Sach and her sister (ass Harriet was brought offerings of food by 1aye <inny neighbours and other kindly locals and was asked a do3en times whether she needed any help in dealing with administrative details. The one person she did not try to get hold of was 5eo and he weighed heaviest on her mind. 7hen she had put Sach in the picture he had been empathetic and supportive even though he had loathed 4ulian blaming him for his parents0 divorce. 5eo had not been mentioned by either. -#0ll come over right away 0 Sach had said. 'ut Harriet had insisted that she did not want him there yet and that she needed to be on her own for a while. -#t would be better if you could come a little later darling when things are calmer and # can really en%oy your stay.0 5unch at 8ado0s where all Harriet could eat was a piece of buttered toast was made more painful by the evidence of 8ado0s and 2icolas0s togetherness. However volcanic their relationship could be at times there was no doubt it was a strong and loving one. Harriet on the receiving end of their affection felt both strengthened and isolated by it. !fter coffee she took 'icorne for a walk down paths edged with shoulder&high fields of bright yellow rape and the tender green of young wheat and barley to a place she particularly liked on the river. 5ying in the grass at the foot of an alder while the dog frolicked around her she tried to empty her mind of everything and let nature envelop her in its feathery mantle. 1or a little while she even fell asleep.

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5ater as she walked back to the mill after delivering the dog back to its owners she felt a sudden pang of homesickness for 5ondon for the support of family and old friends. 2ow #0m on my own she thought. Her house which had been such a refuge in the last few years now felt threatening. )he had first seen the mill in winter six years previously towards the end of a research trip of 5eo0s to 'urgundy. )he had flown to ?i%on to %oin him leaving Sach who was then fourteen in her sister (ass0s care. 5eo who was at the time writing his book on Entombment sculpture had taken her to see the Roilly monument which he knew well but she had never seen except in photographs. The sight of the stone mourners had stunned and moved her and they had spent two happy days in the )aint&!ventin crypt sketching and photographing. !t lunchtime on the second day they decided to take a break and treated themselves to a splendid meal at a restaurant in 50#sle&sur&)erein a few kilometres downriver. "n their way back to Roilly they were winding along a narrow road by the river at the edge of a small village when they came upon an ancient water&mill half smothered in entangled ivy and surrounded by a neglected orchard. Harriet at the wheel had stopped the car to have a closer look while 5eo who had had too much to drink relieved himself by the side of the road something he would never have done in England. He felt more liberated in 1rance. They both did but as they already had a small cottage in 7iltshire it had as yet never occurred to them to buy a holiday home on the continent. -There0s an 9) vendre4 sign 0 reported Harriet entranced when she returned. )he rummaged hurriedly in her large shoulderbag. -7hat are you doing/0 cried 5eo. -.honing the notaire whose number is on the sign.0 -$ou0re mad 0 said 5eo. -#t0s a ruin. #t0ll be a white elephant.0 !s it turned out Harriet never regretted her impulsive buy. )he had recently come into a little money after her mother0s estate had been settled and it was the first time in her married life that she was taking a unilateral decision of that kind. 2ot that 5eo put up much of a fight once he had sobered up. Too caught up in his work to invest much energy in the renovation of yet another old house he wanted as little to do with it as possible and was happy to let Harriet take over. To all intents and purposes the mill became -Harriet0s house0. !s for Harriet with hindsight she came to reali3e that buying the mill at 5a Tuilerie was the first in a chain of events that were to lead to her final departure from England. !t the time

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she was on a professional high one of the foremost younger food writers in 'ritain with several books and (?&roms to her credit and a weekly column in one of the better )unday papers. )he had been married to 5eo a talented art historian and curator of sculpture at the Gictoria and !lbert 8useum for sixteen years. Their boy Sach was past the mothering stage and would eventually be leaving home to go to university. )he didn0t know it then but she was poised on the brink of a new chapter in her life and buying the mill caused her to dive in. )he had always been impulsive. 2ow she became reckless. 'arely four months after she had bought the mill she embarked on a passionate affair with 4ulian Holbrook who was an old friend of 5eo0s. ! couple of painful years later she and 5eo were divorced. Sach who0d taken badly the news that his mother had been having an affair with a friend of the family opted for living with his father. The house in #slington and the cottage in 7iltshire were sold. !nd Harriet faced with the evidence that her relationship with 4ulian was not one that would thrive on daily intimacy and reali3ing she had given up something valuable for a fanciful alternative decided to move to 'urgundy. The liaison continued with ad%ustments. !n icy desert stretched between Harriet and 5eo occasionally broken by civili3ed e&mails about their son. !nd Sach calmed down. Eventually he was accepted at "xford and came to stay in 'urgundy every now and then. Eventually the iciness of 5eo0s e&mails gave signs of thawing. 'ut onl a little. !nd eventually Harriet who had continued to go to 5ondon fre@uently to see her publishers learnt to mu33le the insidious feeling of waste and guilt that came upon her as she alighted from the Eurostar at 7aterloo. Time and distance helped to still old feelings and Harriet got on with her life. 'ut 4ulian0s death had stirred everything up again confusing the issues adding anxiety where there had been only guilt and regret. (oming up to the mill Harriet stopped short when she saw 4ulian0s Rover parked under the lime tree. #n the few hours she0d been at 8ado0s then on her walk she had forgotten it was still there. )he averted her eyes from its bron3e smoothness and weary as an old woman climbed up the three steps on the porch. The house when she entered it felt alien. !imlessly she walked about for half an hour straightening pictures and plumping up cushions then made herself a cup of tea and went out on the terrace. The mill stood on a large piece of land by the )erein river. The bank opposite was lush with pastures edged on the waterside by alders and willows. The sound of water was

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everywhere.

#t lulled Harriet to sleep every night

for her bedroom was high above the

waterwheel and now on a warm still day it cooled the air and filled it with music. The wide south&facing back of the old mill&house was covered in a glorious white 4apanese wisteria which had been in full bloom the week before and was now %ust beginning to wilt. #ts scent was still almost overpowering. There was a 8editerranean feel to the stone& flagged terrace with its comfortable worn cane garden furniture and its formal arrangement of oleanders agapanthus citrus and olive trees in tubs and large #talian terracotta pots which Harriet fearing early 8ay frosts had only %ust brought out of the greenhouse. The garden was looking wonderful and would look even more spectacular in 4une. 1rom the terrace a well&kept grass path smooth as velvet led to a tall deep arbour also hung with a floribunda wisteria & this one the palest pink & and a Kiftsgate rose covered in buds. "n either side the path was edged with six young willow&leaved pear trees whose velvety silver leaves looked down on Harriet0s herb beds. There were two large outhouses connected to the mill&house by means of a glassed in corridor. The first which was formerly a stable had been converted into Harriet0s study and library. The second & a former barn & was now Sach0s domain and had a lovely view over the garden and river. 'eyond the arbour and the barns herbaceous borders curved richly on either side of a lawn. The garden was prolonged by an orchard part of the ancient orchard that had surrounded the house when she had first seen it. )ome of it had had to be sacrificed to create the garden. 7hat was left of it sloped gently down to a small boathouse and the bend of the river. To the left of the borders was a vine&covered pergola which Harriet used on hot days as a shady outdoor kitchen and dining&room. "n the right a vegetable garden a small greenhouse and various gardening sheds. 7hen Harriet bought the house the orchard was long established but terribly neglected and there was no garden to speak of. )he had started to plan and work on it when she and 5eo used the mill as a summer retreat but it was only when Harriet came to live in 5a Tuilerie that the garden as it existed today took shape. The planning of it occupied much of her first long harsh 'urgundian winter and the advance from her !merican publishers for a (?& Rom on 1rench regional cooking paid for most of it it and for the pretty Edwardian&style greenhouse. #t would take another few years for the garden to be truly established but its structure as it was now had promise and already satisfied her craving for growing and nurturing plants.

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Harriet loved the garden although it was in the kitchen that she usually felt happiest of all. #t was there she suspected that most of her genuine self&expression and creativity were given voice. Today however the kitchen like the rest of the house felt like an alien place and it was the garden that offered solace. )o despite a heavy heart she spent a couple of hours tidying clipping deadheading picking the odd weed and pottering in the shed. ?uring that time she had four telephone calls & Emily 8ado and <inny 7illiamson checking up on her then her agent in 5ondon with tidings of two more foreign editions of her latest book. 5ater after she had made herself a second cup of tea and was drinking it on the terrace she had another phone call. This time it was 4ean&4ac@ues 5Aonard who living in an isolated farmhouse with his lover Hugo Gan Ri%n had only %ust heard the news of 4ulian0s death. -# can0t imagine how it is that none of our friends thought of letting us know. #t0s been twenty&four hours for heaven0s sake 0 he complained in his slightly camp voice. 2evertheless his condolences sounded genuine and Harriet was warmed by his words of comfort. )he knew he had been fond of 4ulian. )he herself was particularly fond of 4ean&4ac@ues. 1or one thing she found him extremely beautiful to look at as she did 8ado with whom he shared a strong physical resemblance though they were in no way related. 'oth had similar dark good looks and a glowing olive skin. 'oth had brilliant white teeth long slim hands with beautifully shaped nails and long thin feet. !nd that loose&limbedness that physical self&confidenceO. "f course Harriet was pre%udiced. 'eauty and grace had always held her in awe. )he herself with her tall lanky figure had felt gawky since adolescence. -How0s Hugo/0 she asked suddenly remembering a scene at the cafA the day before which had unsettled her. 4ean&4ac@ues had %oined her 8ado and Emily and a little later Hugo had appeared looking like a thundercloud. Hugo a ?utchman was twenty&five years older than his handsome young lover which put him in his late fifties. He had as far as they knew been the first foreigner to settle in the area a good thirty years before and as such considered himself the doyen of their little community. 1or twenty of those years he had been a wine broker then decided to set up an anti@ue and brocante business which he now ran with 4ean&4ac@ues from one of the barns on his property a large isolated farm now beautifully restored about eight kilometres from 5a Tuilerie. Harriet had met the couple in the market very soon after she had bought the mill and she en%oyed their company. 'oth of them were accomplished cooks well&read and lively but they were also gifted amateur

ID

musicians who sometimes entertained their friends after dinner with works for piano and viola. Though not particularly intimate their relationship with Harriet was warm and dependable and them she certainly considered to be her friends. !fter 4ean&4ac@ues had said @uickly that Hugo was fine and sent his condolences he rang off with a promise to call and see Harriet the next day. Harriet sat back in her armchair with her tea. )he was still pu33led. <iven the dramatic events of the day before she had not had time to dwell on the unusual scene at the cafA. There had been a palpable tension between Hugo and 4ean&4ac@ues. #t hadn0t been a simple tiff between lovers she was sure of it. )he had sensed a darker cause. 2ow she replayed it in her mind. "n that market 7ednesday as they all waited for 4ulian to turn up Harriet had been dismayed to see that the usually even&tempered urbane and courteous Hugo had appeared to be in the foulest mood when he %oined the rest of the group. 7ith barely a greeting his basset&hound face puckered into folds and %owls he had stood towering over them alternately looking at his watch and glowering at 4ean&4ac@ues. -)it down Hugo and have a drink with us 0 8ado had said. 8ado who occasionally restored or gilded furniture for him was a great favourite of his. -# don0t want a drink. # want to go home. !re you coming/0 Hugo had sounded like a petulant child. -$ou go home if you like 0 4ean&4ac@ues had answered mildly. -#0d like another glass of wine and another cigarette0 & he had pulled out a <itane from his pack. -#0m sure somebody here will give me a lift back.0 There was a silence. Hugo looked mutinous. -Here Hugo have my chair. #0ve got to go 0 said Emily gathering her newspaper and shopping basket and signalling to the waitress for her bill. !fter she had left Hugo had dropped into her chair with bad grace and had sulkily ordered a .ernod. -! good evening at Emily0s last night don0t you think/0 Harriet had said brightly in order to lighten the atmosphere although to her the evening had been dismal. )he might as well have poured oil onto the flames. .ositively bristling now Hugo had glowered at her while 4ean&4ac@ues had turned a studiedly blank glance at the crowds dawdling in the s@uare. -"h dear 0 Harriet had thought -what have # said now/0 ! little upset but mostly concerned with Hugo who she noticed had gone pale under his bushy brows she had taken a large sip of her *ir and had choked.

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8ado dear 8ado had come to the rescue thumping Harriet on the back as she would one of the twins and babbling to Hugo about some seventeenth&century mirror she was restoring for the owner of the (hXteau de )aint&1argeau. Hugo had unbent a little at least long enough to finish his drink. 'y then Harriet had started worrying in earnest about 4ulian0s absence. The s@uare was emptying fast. !t the terrasse of the other cafA, the 7illiamsons had gone and 1aye ?unning was gathering her shopping basket and ice&box. )he had waved at the group as she went past but had not stopped. -(urious woman 0 Hugo had said following her with his ga3e. -5ast night at Emily0s she got really @uite tipsy and put both her arms around my neck calling me her dearest friend. 7hich was offputting to say the least.0 -#0m sure she0d hate to be reminded of that 0 8ado had said. -)he0s so reserved as a rule.0 -# wish #0d seen that 0 4ean&4ac@ues had said with a smile to let Hugo know he did not hold his bad humour against him. 'ut Hugo0s brow had darkened again. -# didn0t see it either 0 Harriet had put in hurriedly to defuse the situation. -7hen did it happen/0 -$ou0d already gone home by then 0 Hugo had said icily. He had banged his .ernod glass on the table startling them all and had looked threateningly at 4ean&4ac@ues. -#t0s half&past twelveO0 -!ll right Hugo all right.0 They had all stood up gathering their belongings Harriet anxiously scanning the s@uare for a sight of 4ulian. 4ean&4ac@ues had kissed her warmly. Hugo0s goodbye kiss had been noticeably more perfunctory. Replaying all this in her mind Harriet now wondered whether she hadn0t made too much of it. 'ut her gut feeling told her she hadn0t. Had something happened at Emily0s after Harriet had left/ #t seemed likely. 7as it important/ .robably not. ?id it have anything to do with 4ulian0s death/ )he doubted it. )he laid her head back on the top of the cane armchair and allowed her feelings of dismay to wash over her.

CHAPTER $

IH

1rom the open window of 8artine 5a 'arri6re0s office high up in the .alais de 4ustice of !uxerre you could see the top of trees in the botanical park surrounding the 2atural History 8useum. The investigating magistrate was sitting behind a double pile of documents sipping from a glass of 'adoit. Two more glasses stood on the desk before (otinaud and Roussel. #t was warm in the room and the drone of traffic on the neighbouring 'oulevard Gauban made a distracting background noise. Roussel looked glumly at the water. ?espite his earlier resolution to skip lunch he had given in to gluttony =and he now suspected to a little provocation after ?r 8ougins0s warnings> and was now regretting the unsuitable duck confit he had ordered at (amille0s one of his favourite bistrots while !mina .ottier had eaten a sober chicken salad and ?u@uesne a grilled steak with spinach instead of #rites% !ll that moderation depressed Roussel. The meeting had been conducted at a commendable pace with 5a 'arri6re listening to each of them in turn with that @uiet concentration that characteri3ed her interrupting only very occasionally to clear a point. )he had %otted down the odd note on the pad in front of her but Roussel knew it was hardly necessary for she had a formidable memory. He reflected once more that she was the least ob%ectionable of all the juges dinstruction he had worked with in !uxerre and briefly wondered what her private life was like. He had heard that she was divorced but beyond that and the fact that she came from (ondon in southwestern 1rance he knew nothing personal about her. !fter (otinaud and Roussel had delivered their reports there was a moment0s silence while the magistrate gathered her thoughts. -Right 0 she said finally glancing at her watch. -#0ll recap briefly. #0ve got a meeting with the .rosecutor at five&thirty so we don0t have much time. ?o0 she glanced coldly at each of them in turn -please correct me if # leave anything out0 & that in the tone of somebody whom no one had ever dared correct. (otinaud shifted in his seat before settling his thin haunches more comfortably on the hard chair. Roussel sat still a blank expression on his face. 5ike the day before he was suffering from indigestion and felt bad&tempered. -1irst of all 0 started the juge in that li@uid velvet voice of hers while she steepled her fingers together -it0s now absolutely clear from the autopsy that we0re dealing with a homicide.

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?eath was inflicted by means of a blunt instrument the nature of which is yet to be ascertained. !ll we know is that it probably had a vaguely rounded head. $our people !d%udant&chef 0 she said directing her pale blue ga3e towards (otinaud -have not found anything remotely resembling the type of weapon we0re looking for anywhere in or around the Roilly church nor indeed anywhere else in the town. 2or have actual witnesses been found. 'ut there are important developments nevertheless and we shall come to them in a minute.0 5a 'arri6re took a sip of 'adoit before resuming. -The time of death was confirmed by ?r <renache as being between ten o0clock yesterday morning and eleven possibly a little earlier say ten forty&five.0 -2ow (ommandant 0 she said turning towards Roussel -let0s deal with the more relevant findings you reported. 1or the time being the fact that the victim may or may not have been bisexual may be irrelevant since ?r <renache did not find any recent evidence of any homosexual activity. 2evertheless we shall keep this information in mind in case it ties in with other things.0 -(orrect me if #0m wrong (ommandant 0 her eyes glinting behind her rimless glasses challenged Roussel with the merest hint of a smile -among all the findings from the autopsy and the scene of crime reports there are so far four items we must regard as possible clues.0 8artine 5a 'arri6re flicked out her thumb. -"ne is a baffling piece of evidence in the shape of a tiny shred of polythene which ?r <renache found impaled on a bone splinter from the victim0s skull. 2either the medical examiner nor the #dentitA %udiciaire can as yet shed any light on this but we must keep it in the forefront of our minds as something that may turn out to be an important clue.0 -2ext 0 and out came the index finger -there is the matter of that piece of earth from a shoe ridge that you (ommandant found near the corpse. The forensic boys tell us that it0s a compacted mixture of alkaline soil peat and heath mould with various fertili3ing components. The soil is of the chalky type found in all our region* the peat and heath mould are additions* the fertili3ing components are similar to what comes out of any coomon&or&garden compost heap. #t looks like the kind of soil used in our limestone area when one wishes to grow plants that do not thrive in purely alkaline soil. !nd since our fellow&countrymen have now developed a passion for gardening that e@uals only their passion for pets and politics this kind of mixture may indeed be found in almost any garden in this area. # wish you luck both of you. #t may be like looking for a grain of sand in the desert especially since the shoe ridge it came from could not be identified more precisely than possibly & possibly - coming from an inexpensive trainer the kind you buy at

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Roilly market on a 7ednesday morning. )o that0s something for you to pursue !d%udant&chef. 8eanwhile everyone must keep a look out for the gardening connection.0 )he paused for breath then went on. -"ur first two 9clues: are not much help right now. 'ut it is important to keep them in mind.0 !nother sip and she continued. -5et0s now come to the third piece of evidence. The toxicology report shows traces of cocaine in the bloodstream consistent with nasal insufflation of about IB mg of powdered cocaine about eight to ten hours before Holbrook was killed. This was borne out by ?r <renache0s findings when he performed the internal examination of the head. He found that the state of the nasal capillaries suggest that the victim used the drug regularly though not extensively. 7hether the drug angle has anything to do with the murder or whether it is completely independent is irrelevant & we must treat the fact that the victim was a user as a piece of evidence. !s the toxicology report has %ust been delivered there has been no time to look into the possibility that any of our known dealers was in the vicinity of Roilly or 5a Tuilerie. $ou0ll follow this up won0t you (ommandant/0 Roussel stirred and said -#0ll coordinate with the 'rigade des )tupAfiants on that.0 He went on -#f # might interrupt you for a moment adame le <uge, the night before the murder the victim and his mistress and hostess 8rs 4ames went to a dinner&party given by an !merican novelist living in 5a Tuilerie. 8rs 4ames went home early pleading a headache and doesn0t know when 8r Holbrook came home. # have a feeling she was uneasy about the evening. There0s a possibility that someone there gave 8r Holbrook the cocaine. #0ll pursue this angle as well as the local dealer angle.0 -<ood. 2ow the third & and only really usable P piece of evidence so far is a multiple one that ties in with some of your findings !d%udant&chef.0 The magistrate gave a nod in the direction of (otinaud who sat up a little straighter. -!mong the hundreds of prints lifted from the crypt & most of them latents & there was a fresh partial handprint which ?umas found half&way down the base of the bier parallel to the corpse as if someone bending over the body had leant for support on the bier. 1irst of all this partial handprint turned out to yield the same axle grease residue that was also found lightly smeared on both the outer and inner pockets of the victim0s %acket. Lnfortunately the fabric of the %acket did not yield legible fingerprints.0 )he paused. -'ut the handprint did and & eurekaO& we have a matchO0 5a 'arri6re0s southwestern origin pointed under her vowels like crocus tips in a

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winter lawn. Roussel0s mouth twitched. The juge dinstruction knew how to play to her audience even though she was simply recapping their own findings. 5a 'arri6re took another sip of bubbly water. Her skin was turning @uite rosy with animation. -The handprint was run in and the computer came up with a match one0 & she glanced down at her notes & -Henri (arteau otherwise known as Riri or Riton. This young man +, years old lives with his mother on the outskirts of Roilly. 'oth of them are rmistes long&term unemployed and on minimal income and Riri has a record as a smalltime crook.0 5a 'arri6re paused. -"f course it0s unusual for a smalltime crook of that ilk to turn suddenly into a vicious aggressor but there0s always a first time. Has anyone checked on the drug angle there/0 -There0s nothing in (arteau0s file to suggest that he was ever a dealer 0 Roussel. (otinaud concurred. -He0s really strictly smalltime 8adame le 4uge. (ar and spare parts theft mostly the odd break&in mostly of holiday homes while the owners are away. There0s never been any violence so far.0 -7ell look into it will you/ 8aybe (arteau0s fallen in with bad company. To go back to our story when your people !d%udant&chef canvassed the town today they were told by the owner of the 'ar de la 8airie near the town hall that one of their young patrons was 9throwing a bit of money around: at lunchtime yesterday. He identified him as 9Riri:.0 -$es 0 said (otinaud. -The 'ar de la 8airie is a meeting place for some of the local youths and it0s unheard of for any of them to have any extra money. 'y the way 8adame le 4uge (arteau apparently has a motorbike which may explain the axle grease.0 %2either (arteau nor his mother were at home on the two occasions the gendarmes called today but you !d%udant&chef 0 & a nod from (otinaud & assure me that it0s a matter of a few hours before your people bring the boy in.0 (otinaud flushed. -# have left two men to guard the house. 8eanwhile # shall be needing a search warrant 8adame le 4uge.0 -7ell get yourself a warrant and #0ll sign it before # go.0 'efore (otinaud could open his mouth 5a 'arri6re had gone on to her next point. -1inally (arteau0s description tallies with the description given by0 & 5a 'arri6re glanced at her notes & -one .hilippe 8artinot a %eweller of !uxerre who was approached at opening time this morning by a young man trying to sell him a 4aeger 5e (oultre watch. This was before answered

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the gendarmerie0s description of 8r Holbrook0s watch was circulated. The %eweller did not think the young man and the watch belonged together so he sent the man away with a flea in his ear. Then he received the gendarmerie0s description and immediately rang you !d%udant&chef. To cap it all this afternoon and thanks to your presence of mind (ommandant Roussel 0 & (otinaud shifted uneasily as if his buttocks were pinching while Roussel0s grey stare became lost among the tree tops framed in the window & -one of the (rim0 technicians was able to recover the young man0s fingerprints plus indeed a full handprint from the %eweller0s counter. !nd what do you know/0 5a 'arri6re spread her hands like a magician con%uring up a white dove from nowhere -they matched the other partial handprint identified as Henri (arteau0s.0 5a 'arri6re sighed with relief. -7ell done gentlemen. # needn0t tell you how important it is for us to solve this crime promptly. #t looks0 & she ga3ed insistently at each of them in turn & # repeat it loo*s as if we may be on the right track. #t would be wrong to take it for granted however. 7hich is why #0d like you both to pull out all stops and get the whole thing wrapped up fast. Really fast while continuing to pursue other lines of en@uiry. 4ust in case we0ve got it wrong and it0s something more complex.0 !nother sip of 'adoit and she went on. -'ut first things first. !d%udant&chef # want (arteau0s house searched and (arteau brought in whatever you find or don0t find in his house. <et all the paperwork you need signed forthwith and get on with it.0 !s she rose from her chair Roussel spoke up. -7hat about the .ress 8adame le 4uge/0 5a 'arri6re sighed. -!h yes. The .ress. The blasted .ress. Even if this turns out to be a mugging that went wrong we0ll probably be hounded not only by the .onne rpublicaine but by the national papers no doubt also by the 'ritish press. The !uxerre %ustice and police department haven0t yet recovered from the Emile 5ouis affair. #t0s best to let the .rosecutor0s office handle the .ress. #0ll prepare a statement right now for the .rosecutor. 8eanwhile # don0t want either you or any of your respective staff to have any dealings direct or indirect with the .ress.0 )he glanced at her watch and started gathering her notes. -<et to it 8essieurs. (all me here or on my mobile as soon as you have any new information. 7e0ll meet tomorrow afternoon at the same time. !nd now if you0ll excuse me # must prepare my statement for the .rosecutor and go and brief him on our progress. #0ll be here for another few minutes !d%udant&chef if you want me to sign your warrant.0

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RRRRRRR

!fter (otinaud had obtained his search warrant and had it duly signed he and Roussel walked down the corridor and rather than wait for the lift took the stairs down. The lobby of the .alais de 4ustice was throbbing with agitated people standing in small groups lawyers in black robes talking to their clients young policemen in leather or denim blousons gendarmes in uniform and throngs of court fans & people many of them retired who spent most of their spare time haunting the courts of %ustice. ! young man wound his way towards them through the crowd. 8edium&tall curly& headed bright&eyed and wearing a tan cotton bomber %acket. -(ommandant we0ve met before. #0m <illes ?eray from L.onne rpublicaine% #0m told the body that was found yesterday in the Roilly church turns out to be that of an Englishman who was murdered and cleaned out. (an you confirm /0 -<ood evening 8onsieur ?eray 0 said Roussel pleasantly -The office of the .rosecutor of the Republic is where you should be heading. That0s where you0ll find the information you0re seeking. #0m sure you know your way there.0 -'ut (ommandantN0 -That0s all #0m prepared to say 8onsieur. Bonne soire, onsieur%0 -7ell 0 commented (otinaud as they made their way out of the .alais de 4ustice and towards the car park -even if news doesn0t travel as fast in !uxerre as in my own neck of the woods it travels fast enough for me. They0ll be milling around Roilly next.0 -They0re probably there already 0 said Roussel curtly. -!fter all it0s been more than twenty& four hours since the body was found. Y.eople love to talk.0 (otinaud looked nervous. -#0ll have to tell my staff right away to keep their mouths shut and refer any %ournalists to the .rosecutor0s office.0 He glanced sideways at Roussel. -2ot that they0re talkative you understand but we0re not really used to that kind of crime c'e5 nous% #nvolving foreigners and so on. 7e hardly get any muggings as it is let alone murders. 7ith us

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it0s more a @uestion of petty thieving or someone finding his wife in bed with the plumber and wiping them out with a shotgun before turning the shotgun on himself * or else we might get a battered wife who0s had it with her bloke0s violence and shoots him with his own gun knowing she0ll probably get off relatively lightly. The news makes its way into the #aits divers column of the regional press has at most a paragraph in the national press and usually that0s that until the trial. # suspect this case will get @uite a different treatment.0 Roussel looked at him speculatively from under his bushy pepper&and&salt eyebrows. -There0s no doubt in your mind # take it that Henri (arteau bashed 8r Holbrook on the head in order to steal his watch and wallet.0 -#t0s plain as the nose on your face0 retorted (otinaud who stopped walking for a second. -7hy isn0t it obvious to you /0 -7hat is obvious to me is that (arteau was in wrongful possession of the watch since we know he tried to sell it. !ny other evidence including the money he0s supposed to have been throwing around yesterday is circumstantial or hearsay and needs to be confirmed by evidence.0 5istening to his own sententious tone Roussel thought he probably sounded insufferable but he shrugged mentally the !d%udant&chef had a knack for irritating him. !nd if truth be told Roussel was disappointed by the speed and relief with which 4uge 5a 'arri6re had accepted the evidence they had gathered at face value. "'e, not Roussel should have hammered in the point that most of the evidence they had was circumstantial or hearsay should have brought up the sub%ect of reasonable doubt and adapted her directions accordingly. His past dealings with her had shown him that she was thorough. 2ow he felt let down though he could understand her concern for a speedy and satisfactory outcome. This he decided would not prevent him from pursuing the investigation according to his own convictions. -7hat about the smears on the %acket and the handprint / )urelyN.0 -"h these place (arteau at the scene of the crime alright & #0m not saying (arteau is not involved there0s every reason to think he is & but as murder evidence these facts are circumstantial and do not in themselves prove that he is responsible for the murder .0 The two men stopped by Roussel0s car. (otinaud looked baffled. -"f course he0s responsible & it all seems perfectly cut and dried to me. 7hat are your misgivings based on (ommandant/ -They0re based on reasonable doubt 0 answered Roussel more soberly. -Even if the evidence we found so far points at (arteau0s involvement we don0t know for sure the extent of

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that involvement. #0m not entirely convinced we0re on the right track. 7hat if (arteau came upon the body a#ter the murder and helped himself to the wallet and watch /0 (otinaud considered this. -#t is a possibility of course. 'ut if this were the case we0d be faced with a whole different ballgame.0 That perspective obviously did not appeal to him for after a second he resolutely shook his head. -2o (ommandant # am convinced we0ll find out that our Riri was the culprit. 1or what it0s worth in my experience things always turn out to be simpler than one thought.0 -$es well 0 murmured Roussel whose own experience was not @uite like that. Then in a brisker tone -#0ll say goodbye for now !d%udant&chef. 7e each have a lot of work still to do before we can wrap this case up.0 -$es indeed.0 (otinaud took his mobile phone from the pocket of his uniform. they0ve made any progress with (arteau m3re et #ils% developments of course.0 -)plendid 0 said Roussel shaking (otinaud0s bony hand. -7e0ll be in touch.0 -# must phone my people over at Roilly to warn them about keeping mum to the .ress and see whether #0ll keep you informed of any

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-# don0t like it 0 said Roussel sipping his coffee and looking down at the river from his office window. !mina .ottier was perched on the arm of the leather armchair Roussel had personally provided to make his office a little less bleak 'arri6re. -<iven our conversation last night is it the fact that it0s all too neat that0s giving you misgivings .atron/0 a blue&%eaned leg ending in a black high&top swinging backward and forward as she reflected upon Roussel0s account of the meeting with 5a

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Roussel shook his head more at himself than at .ottier0s @uestion. ?espite the truth of the argument he had voiced to (otinaud there was something else about the Holbrook killing that was niggling him. .ottier continued. -5ast night we didn0t have the facts. The fact for instance that Riri has a record that he tried to sell the watch and that his prints turned up at the crime scene and at the %eweller0s. !dd to this the allegation that he was seen spreading money around in the bar after the murder. ?o you find it all unsatisfactorily simple/0 -2o it0s not that. There0s no doubt in my mind that (arteau0s involved in some way.0 -Then what is it /0 -#t0s more the general picture that doesn0t hold together. # know Riri0s type. 7e all do. They0re not very bright and they0re arrogant enough to thieve around without any concern about leaving fingerprints. Then they spend the money they0ve stolen carelessly as if nobody0s going to notice. Riri0s a petit mal#rat greedy opportunistic dim as a 1C&watt bulb and probably self& destructive. 'ut & and despite the general escalation of violence we have witnessed in this country over the last few years & it remains true especially in rural areas simple assault and battery. deliberate violence.0 -)o we0re back to the overkill issue.0 Roussel turned from the window. -<renache confirmed that the cause of death was assault with a blunt instrument delivered with considerable force. !nd as the assault was focused on the head of the victim it looks as if it was meant to kill not %ust put him out of commission for a short time.0 -2o sign of the weapon yet/0 -!las no.0 -<et the weapon and you0ve got the man 0 said .ottier thoughtfully. -7ell it would certainly speed us on our wayO0 Roussel went on. -There were six separate in%uries !mina. "i-9% "ne blow that felled the victim a second & the fatal blow & then four other overlapping blows all of them delivered with great force. To my mind and in my experience here in 'urgundy this doesn0t %ibe with a straightforward case of assault and battery by a smalltime crook. 7e0ve all looked at Riri0s that when petty crooks of Riri0s type are driven to commit a more serious crime they usually go no further than 8urderEs rarely on their agenda. Especially murder which reeks of

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record. There0s nothing more serious there than repeated car thefts and breaking and entering empty rsidences secondaires to steal the odd hi&fi or ?G?&player.0 -!nd 4uge 5a 'arri6re wasn0t prepared to consider this /0 Roussel shrugged. -)he is longing for this case to be swiftly despatched so that it doesn0t cause any international ripples. )o # expect she prefers to deal with the more obvious aspects first and look at different options only if the obvious aspects prove misleading or wrong.0 -'ut this might cost us precious time mightn0t it /0 -(ertainly. 1or even if (otinaud and his merry men bring in (arteau and he is charged given the circumstantial nature of most of the evidence if it turns out that he only stole the watch and wallet and did not kill Holbrook it will mean that the murderer will have had plenty of time to get away or get his act together.0 - 0is act / !re you excluding the possibility that it may have been a woman /0 -"f course not. #0m not excluding anything or anyone at this point. 'ut it0s a good point !mina. # must guard & as we all must & against %umping to conclusions be it subconsciously.0 -2evertheless going back to the fact that you instinctively used the masculine pronoun for the murderer do you think this particular crime is more likely to have been committed by a man/0 -<iven the extreme force with which the blows were dealt # do indeed think that it0s li*ely that the perpetrator was a man. 'ut # don0t exclude the possibility it may have been a very angry andVor strong woman.0 -8rs 4ames /0 -#f she was angry enough certainly. )he has a fiery temper as some of her reactions showed when we @uestioned her. # also suspect she0s a strong woman despite her slenderness. 1rom what # have seen of her garden from her windows she0s probably used to heavy work. There is also that bit of garden soil that was found at the scene of crime. #t proves nothing but it makes one wonder.0 -8aybe she has a gardener. )he certainly has the money for it.0 -.ossibly but # doubt it. )he looks like a keen gardener to me. Her nails were grubby and her tennis shoes were soiled with grass. !nd # suspect the clothes she came to the church in were her gardening clothes. 7e might have to check her other shoes for a ridge matching the one the earth was sticking to. 'ut for the time being we donEt have a leg to stand on. 7eEll never get a %udge to sign a search warrant on such flimsy suspicion.E

1C H

He was silent for a few seconds. -# wonder whether 8rs 4ames was aware of Holbrook0s other sexual proclivities. 7e0ve only barely started to scratch the surface there. There0s so much to do if (arteau turns out not to have killed Holbrook. # want to interview all the people who were at the 5indberg dinner party. 'ut meanwhile we have to go and check on our more immediate priorities.0 -The coke angle / #0ll start on this now.0 -$es you need to work hand in hand with the 'rigade des )tupAfiants on that. $ou can also while you0re at it make discreet en@uiries in the gay and bisexual milieux in the area. Holbrook may have met someone there for all we know if he was ever away from 8rs 4ames0s eyes. Hm 0 he added pensively # wouldn0t mind @uestioning 8rs 4ames again.0 !mina said suddenly -)he phoned by the way.0 -"h yes/ 7hat did she want/0 -4ust to know whether we0d made any progress. # told her you were in a meeting and that we had nothing concrete we could tell her yet.0 -Hm.0 Roussel was thoughtful. !mina fidgeted. -.atron what if & # mean %ust supposing Riri turns out to be both the thief and the murderer & aren0t we running the risk of being accused of harassment if we start treating all those posh foreigners like potential suspects / 8rs 4ames was extremely annoyed about our so&called interrogation methods last night.0 -Harassment eh/ $ou0ve been watching too many second&rate police series !mina.0 -Hey .atron 0 she said in a falsely %ocular tone -do you think # have time to watch TG working for somebody who doesn0t like it when a crime turns out to be relatively straightforward but has to go and lift every stone %ust to make sure nothing0s lurking underneath /0 Roussel looked at her carefully. -?o you think #0m over&reacting !mina /0 .ottier sighed and stood up from the arm of the chair stretching her shoulders. -2o you know # don0t. 5ike you # think there0s more than meets the eye in the Holbrook case. The overkill factor makes me uneasy. )o do the drug and bisexual issues = i# the latter indeed turns out to be the case & after all it can simply turn out to be some @uirky personal practice on the part of someone who0s basically heterosexual>. !ll this only adds to the general picture of the victim as someone complex shady manipulative someone who en%oyed having secrets and probably made a lot of enemies. #n fact despite what you %ust said about 8rs 4ames0s

1C I

possible anger and physical strength it would not surprise me if she was ignorant of the extent of Holbrook0s @uirkiness & # mean the coke and ambiguous sexual practices . 'ut of course all these things may turn out to have nothing to do with the fact that he was murdered.0 -"r on the other hand they may. 7hat bothers me most about the case as it stands now is that Holbrook0s murder gives off a reek of extreme violence. The kind of violence that is caused by greed revenge anger fear. 'y passion of some kind. #ts presence is almost palpable in the details of this murder %ust as it was palpable in the atmosphere it left behind in the crypt.0 .ottier snorted. -'etter make sure 4uge 5a 'arri6re doesn0t hear you. )he likes solid facts not palpable atmosphere.00 -"h #0m sure that this did not escape the juge0s eye despite her decision to go for the most obvious scenario. #tEs her %ob to keep her mind open and be sensitive to the general picture a murder suggests. This has nothing to do with having hunches !mina. #t has to do with observation not only of the murder scene and forensic details but also of the larger picture. The jugeEs %ob is to investigate c'arge et dc'arge, to seek both exculpatory and incriminating evidence% )he is not here as a prosecutor to prove the guilt of a suspect. Her %ob is also to exonerate a suspect where necessary. Though she is not the %udge at the final trial she is the one who prepares the entire dossier. )he conducts the investigation in as neutral a way as possible % )he is the holder of the scales the true figure of 4ustice.E E7ow what elo@uence .atronO $ou sound both admirative and wistful. 7ould you have liked to be a juge d=instruction yourself/0 Roussel was saved from having to reply to a @uestion he had asked himself a hundred times by the providential ringing of the land line. ?u@uesne0s voice. -(hief #nspector ?unhill from 2ew )cotland $ard for you .atron.0 There was some crackling on the line at first but eventually ?unhill0s voice came through as clearly as if he were in the next office. Roussel switched on the loudspeaker for .ottier0s benefit. -.ierre old friend how0ve you been keeping /0 -#0m well Reggie and yourself /0 !mina .ottier slid an amused glance over her boss. Her English was correct but not really fluent and she often teased Roussel whose known anglophilia was a bit of a %oke in the !uxerre (rim0. )he had to admit that he spoke the language with commendable fluency. -2ot getting any younger but # can0t complain. How0s that lovely Elvire of yours /0

11 C

Roussel sneaked a glance at .ottier who was looking at her nails. -2o longer around Reggie. 7e parted ways.0 ?unhill made unconvincingly sympathetic noises but could not help adding -!micably # hope /0 -2o.0 Roussel0s tone was curt. -"h dear # am sorry. )till it0s probably all for the best eh /0 Roussel grunted. -!bout this information your lieutenant & ?ucane is it/ & asked us for .ierre.0 -?u@uesne. $es what about it /0 -7ell first things first. $ou reali3e that Holbrook0s death =?ucane explained by the way> will stir a hornet0s nest over here when it0s out in the papers. # don0t think the art history world has @uite recovered from the !nthony 'lunt affair and that0s how many years ago/ #0m telling you this so that you know the press0ll be on your heels and will be looking for all sorts of %uicy tidbits so the sooner you wrap this up satisfactorily the better for everybody including us over here.0 -Thanks Reggie 0 said Roussel in a wry tone. Lnfa3ed the other policeman continued. -To go back to your @ueryM we have nothing at all in our files about Harriet 4ames. )he0s s@ueaky&clean. #0m faxing you biographical details though if you haven0t prised them out of the #nternet by now.0 Roussel had indeed seen the thick file of biographical details ?u@uesne had left on his desk that morning. 'ut he said nothing. -)he also has a pretty sna33y website 0 ?unhill continued -and #0m told she0s very well& known and extremely good in her field. #0m also faxing you info about Holbrook. There0s @uite a lot there too. He was one of the top art historians in the country. !n internationally famous figure. 7hile we0re on Holbrook....0 Roussel0s pulse @uickened -he0s in our files.0 !h thought Roussel that0s something my technical whi33&kid has missed. There had been nothing in what ?u@uesne had put on Roussel0s desk that morning that hinted at Holbrook having a police record. -5et me guess 0 he said.. -1or being in possession of cocaine/ "r solliciting in men0s lavatories/0 There was a small pause. -How interesting that you should say that. #0d heard vague rumours that he was gay =or rather bisexual & he0s been involved with a lot of women>. 'ut no if

11 1

this is true

he0s been extremely discreet about it. !s for cocaine 0 he snorted -?0you know a

single person in the art world who0s not using/ 7e don0t even bother with them any more. #t0d cost us too much time and money to pursue them.0 -7hy is he in your files then/0 Roussel tried to curb his impatience. -Holbrook my friend was arrested three years ago for disturbing the peace. He was in a pub on the 'rompton Road called The 'unch of <rapes having a drink with friends when in walked someone else he knew and they came to blows. 2early broke the place up.0 -(ame to blows %ust like that/0 -7ell no they had an argument first. The other guy seemed to be rather the worse for drink they argued then started to push each other around and ended up in a tangle on the floor having first smashed all the glasses and half the furniture. The publican called the cops and they were both taken in and charged for disturbing the peace.0 -?on0t tell me the other man was also an art historian.0 -$ou0re getting warmer.0 ?unhill0s tone was tantali3ing. -2ot 5eo 4ames/0 asked Roussel suddenly excited. -'ingoO0 -7ell...well....0 -$es # thought you0d be pleased. !nd ;0m pleased to see you haven0t lost your touch you old rascal.0 -7ell 0 said Roussel modestly -it wasn0t that difficult to guess. The Gictoria and !lbert is %ust round the corner from The 'unch of <rapes isn0t it/0 -.ractically opposite.0 Roussel nodded to himself then askedM -?id the incident get into the papers/0 -7ell no the whole thing was s@uashed probably through Holbrook. He had friends in high places. 'oth men were charged though and given a bit of a fine. They also had to pay for the damage to the pub. 'ut the story never made the papers.0 Roussel forgave ?u@uesne for missing out on this point. -!nd 0 ?unhill continued -after # found out about the fight # called a friend of mine who0s in the arts and he confirmed what # suspected namely that the Harriet 4ames you were making en@uiries about used to be married to 5eo 4ames.0 -$es. )he told me the marriage broke up because she0d been having an affair with Holbrook.0

11 +

-That0s right. #n fact Holbrook was cited by name in the divorce proceedings.0 Roussel was pleased that ?u@uesne had obtained that extra little snippet of information. ?unhill went on -Holbrook in fact used to be a very close friend of 5eo 4ames0s.0 Roussel whistled silently. -His wife said they were colleagues of sorts but never mentioned a friendship.0 -7ell apparently they were as thick as thieves before all the hoohah with 4ames0s wife. !nyway when # found out about the divorce # decided to ask 5eo 4ames one or two @uestions & hope you don0t find this an offensive interference on my part.0 -2ot at all Reggie. "n the contrary. 7hat did you find out/0 -7ell that0s the point you see. # couldn0t find him. 5eo 4ames isnEt in 5ondon. 2ot even in 'ritain as it happens. His secretary at the G U ! told me he is in 'urgundy doing research.0 !gain Roussel whistled to himself. !mina edged closer. -Hello hello .ierre are you still there / ?id you hear what # said /0 -# did Reggie thank you. This is most interesting. ?o you know when he arrived in 'urgundy /0 -"n Tuesday # believe.0 -!nd did the secretary by any chance tell you his whereabouts/0 -7ell apparently he0s going to be moving around and he0s one of those difficult people who loathe mobile phones. The mind boggles doesn0t it / 7here would we be without a mobile phone eh/ !nyway she was given a landline number where he could be reached over the next few days. ?o you have a pencil /0 -# do. <o ahead.0 ?unhill rattled off the number while Roussel wrote it down. -#t0s the Tonnerre area 0 muttered Roussel. -Reggie # can0t thank you enough.0 -?on0t be silly old man. $ou0d do the same for me.0 -$ou betO # owe you Reggie. 'y the way do you happen to know what kind of car 5eo 4ames is driving presuming of course he0s not allergic to cars as well as mobile phones.0 -"h yes # nearly forgot. #t0s a red +CC, )aab. This is the registration numberN0 Roussel wrote down the car details. -#0ve got it. Thanks Reggie and let0s keep in touch.0 -!bsolutely. <oodbye for now. !nd .ierreN0 -$es /0

11 ,

-#0m sorry about Elvire. # really am.0 -$es wellNthanks.0 Roussel put the telephone down with a thoughtful look on his face. -!mina 0 he said -can you check this Tonnerre number right away please/ Then you can get on with the drug angle and the rest. 'rief ?u@uesne about it will you. #f anything important comes up be sure to get me on my mobile.0 -!re you going to Tonnerre then .atron /0 -"h yes. #0m really @uite keen to meet the mobile&hating 8r 4ames. # was telling you yesterday that # was curious to know where he was and what do you know the gods have dropped him in our lapO0

CHAPTER &

Roussel0s nose was challenged as he entered the gravelled courtyard. )omeone nearby was degla3ing the %uices from a roasting tin. His sensitive nostrils detected the scent of meat & veal he guessed & shallots thyme perhaps summer savoury and white wine & and ever true to form his
11 ;

stomach started to rumble. "nce a working farm but now a maison d'>tes, 1osse ?ionne where 5eo 4ames was apparently staying

the 1erme de la

had been restored in recent years.

Roussel remembered it as a hapha3ardly shored&up ruin but had not seen its startling transformation for he had not ventured for years near the 1osse ?ionne a bluey&green pool nestling in an amphitheatre of old houses and surrounded by an extremely pretty eighteenth& century lavoir shaped like a horseshoe. !fter parking his car lower down in the street he had walked round the old washhouse for a few minutes ga3ing at its sloping roof and wooden pillars decorated with hanging flower baskets. He reflected that civili3ation & or at least what passed as civili3ation these days & had at last come to Tonnerre. $et pleasant as the pool and the former farm now looked he felt a pang of nostalgia for the crumbling old neighbourhood he remembered from his youth. !nd now surrounded by cooking scents as by a bodily halo he made his way across a courtyard dotted with tables and tubs of flowers. The familiar noise of a cork popping greeted him as he entered the building further conditioning his appetite. #n a large dining&room in which a table d'>tes stood surrounded by smaller tables like a steamer amid small boats a middle&aged man was opening bottles of 'urgundy. Roussel greeted him and picked one up to look at its label. #t was a youngish 'ourgogne&(Ztes d0!uxerre from a grower in )aint&'ris Roussel0s own home village. The middle&aged man turned out to be the owner. !fter complimenting him on the restoration Roussel introduced himself and showed him his police card then asked whether an Englishman called 5eo 4ames was staying there. -$es he is 0 the owner said warily opening yet another bottle and glancing curiously at Roussel. -7hat0s he done/0 Roussel ignored this. -#0d like to have a chat with him.0 -7ell you %ust missed him0 & did Roussel detect the subtlest hint of satisfaction/ wouldn0t be in to dinner tonight.0 -?id he give you any idea of where he went/0 ! shrug. -$ou can try 50!bbaye up the hill but he was there two nights ago and said he found it a bit formal for his taste. !nd since there0s no place in Tonnerre where you can have a decent meal =except this house of course> and 8onsieur 4ames is fond of his food one assumes he went out of town.0 -He was here until about a @uarter of an hour ago. Then he took his car and left. He confirmed he

11 B

-7here do you think he went/0 !nother shrug. -7here would you go 8onsieur if you wanted a good meal/ $ou look like une bonne #ourc'ette yourself and your accent tells me you0re a local. There0s nothing in the immediate area. 2earest place would be )ainte&Gertu if you0re happy with simple fare. #f not (hablis or of course !uxerre. 8y guess would be (hablis.0 -How long has 8r 4ames been here/0 The owner fiddled with a dishcloth. -He arrived on Tuesday afternoon.0 -Has he stayed here before/0 -"h yes. 5ast year he was here for two or three weeks. !bout the same time of year a little earlier perhaps. !nd the year before also he stayed for a few days.0 -!ny idea how he spends his time when he0s around/0 -7ell running a table d0hZte as well as letting rooms you get to chat to your guests. 8onsieur 4ames is an art historian and works in a museum in 5ondon. 5ast year he made a lot of sketches and took photographs of local sculptures. He made Tonnerre his base and from here went elsewhere in the $onne and (Zte d0"r but also up east to (hampagne. He sometimes showed us his sketches when he came back from his %aunts. .retty good they were too.0 -7as he here on 7ednesday morning/0 -$ou mean yesterday/0 Roussel nodded. The hotelier shrugged once more. -"n 7ednesday mornings # go to the vegetable market by the station.0 He thought for a minute. -He was certainly here at breakfast time because that0s when we like to take our guests0 reservations for the table d0hZte lunches and dinners. He said he probably would be having a snack somewhere at midday and would be in for the evening meal & which he was.0 Roussel smiled. -7hat was on the menu last night/0 -! tourte au- escargots to start with followed by poached pike with chives then pork chops la dijonnaise% !nd a tarte tatin for dessert. 0 -)ounds good. ?id you see 8r 4ames after breakfast/0 -2o # went shopping soon after half past eight. 8y wife may have seen him. $ou can ask her if you like.0

11 D

The owner0s wife when summoned to the dining&room

said she had seen 5eo 4ames

coming out of his room soon after nine the previous morning. -He had his camera sketchbook and notebooks with him so # expect he was going out for the day as he usually did last year. He was in again at about four o0clock had a nap # imagine or worked in his room then went for a walk and had dinner at the table d0hZtes around eight o0clock.0 Roussel @uickly scribbled his mobile number on his card and left the card with the hZteliers asking them to tell 5eo 4ames to get in touch with him as soon as he came in. 'ack in his car he punched in the number for the Roilly gendarmerie and was put through to (otinaud. -!ny news on (arteau/0 he said after greeting the gendarme. -2o he still hasn0t come home but his mother0s been in and sheEs fretting and fidgeting because there are two gendarmes sitting in with her waiting for him to come home or telephone. !nd a couple more in a car in front of the house ready to arrest him the moment he turns the street corner. )o far there0s been no sign of him. 7hat does that tell you eh (ommandant/0 -#t tells me that either (arteau0s done a bunk or that he doesn0t like cops and will probably not come home if they0re so blatantly waiting for him.0 -He0s guilty as hell (ommandant let me tell you.0 E?id you search the house/E E"h yes. #t was clean of anything remotely resembling what weEre looking for. 2o watch no wallet or credit cards no notebook no money. The (arteaus mother and son do seem to have an inordinate number of brand&new electrical appliances for people whose revenue is the R8#. 'ut thatEs another story. 7e took some samples of the axle grease in (arteauEs garage where he keeps his motorcycle and had them delivered to your forensics department.E -<ood. 7ell good luck !d%udant&chef. 8eanwhile could you ask your people to be on the lookout for a 'ritish&registered red +CC, )aab.0 He gave (otinaud 4ames0s registration number. -!h and would you please ask if the car was seen around Roilly yesterday morning.0 -7hose car is it/0 -#t belongs to 5eo 4ames 8rs 4ames0s ex&husband.0 E!nd he0s in 'urgundy/ How does this 4ems come into the picture/ $ou didn0t mention him at the meeting except to say that 8adame 4ems was divorced.0

11 F

E# only learnt of his present whereabouts when # got back to my office this afternoon. 5eo 4ames seems to have been a little inimical to the deceased. They even came to blows in a 5ondon pub. )o when # heard he was in the area # thought it might be a good idea to take a look at him.E -$es well # guess you might as well though it seems clear to me that (arteau0s our culprit. 'utN how is it they have the same name if they are divorced/0 -#n the LK it is possible for a divorced woman to keep her ex&husband0s name.0 -"h # see. How bi3arre. #t must make things @uite confusing when the ex&husband remarries.0 -#t probably does.0 2ext Roussel called !mina .ottier. The team was getting on with its en@uiries but there was no breakthrough as yet. 1or a while he sat in his car indecisively smoking one of his cheroots with the window open. He felt the case was at a crossroads. 7hich way it would go depended on a number of things the first being ascertaining (arteau0s role in the murder. Roussel however found that what intrigued him most about the case so far was the relationship between the two art historians. There had already been physical violence between them which was reason enough to want to interview 5eo 4ames. "n the strength of this alone Roussel had no doubt he could obtain a warrant to search his effects. 'ut what intrigued him even more was the personality of the two men. "ne of them he had only seen as a corpse but already everything he0d discovered about him pointed towards the fact that this was no simple characterM undoubtedly brilliant manipulative controversial. The other man in the e@uation was as yet a barely sketched figure. Their images both composite and separate provoked him. Here were two men who used to be close friends but were now foes & men with the same professional status from presumably similar social and academic backgrounds moving in the same small circle within the academic art world around monuments with a little notebook. 4ulian Holbrook0s notebook had been stolen together with his watch and wallet. 7as the notebook an important item/ (ould it have been the reason behind the murder/ "r would it eventually be found casually thrown in a rubbish container/ The 4ames&Holbrook connection bothered Roussel like a bad itch. #t was all too tempting to imagine that it was central to the murder. with an interest in roughly the same period in art history and an involvement with the same woman. 7hat was more each went

11 H

Roussel0s reason told him that however keen he was to find that link he should not dismiss (arteau as a mere ancillary element. He was aware that part of him for selfish reasons wanted there to be a more complex motive to the murder than aggravated assault. This was & or might prove to be & pro%ection on his part and he knew pro%ection was extremely dangerous. #t killed ob%ectivity and added its own distortion. )o however much the notion stuck in his throat appeared. 2evertheless in the absence of further information 5eo 4ames who so conveniently turned up in 'urgundy at the time of his rival0s murder must be considered a serious suspect. Roussel found it frustrating that nearly twenty&eight hours after the murder was discovered their two most serious suspects were still eluding them. )oon this being provincial 1rance en@uiries would stop for the night. Roussel did not trust (otinaud to keep his staff working through the night if (arteau failed to come home. Even at the (rim0 for the night. !nother precious day would have been lost. Roussel had no intention of packing it in but he hesitated about his next move. He could drive through (hablis looking for 5eo 4ames0s )aab outside its various restaurants or in the car park of the Hostellerie des (los which seemed the most likely venue if 5eo 4ames0s tastes ran to haute cuisine. 'ut if as the owner of the 1erme de la 1osse ?ionne had intimated he had found the Restaurant de l0!bbaye in Tonnerre too formal what would he say of 5es (los/ Roussel could try his luck at 5a Tuilerie & perhaps 4ames was paying his ex&wife a visit. He could of course wait around the 1erme de la 1osse ?ionne for 4ames to get back. He could even wait for 4ames inside the maison d0hZtes preferably even at the table. He wondered fleetingly what the menu was tonight then impatient with himself for being such a slave to gluttony started the car and took the direction of !uxerre. !t the crossing to $rouerre he turned left and drove through the slowly darkening countryside towards 2oyers. There was indeeed a good chance that 5eo 4ames had gone to see his ex&wife. #f he had not he Roussel could do with another chat with Harriet and after that go back to Tonnerre to intercept 4ames. RRRRRRR .ottier ?u@uesne and the others would work a little longer but unless something really dramatic broke would eventually give up he needed to keep in mind that (otinaud might be right and that things might be simpler than they

11 I

The second part of Harriet0s afternoon had been filled with meaningless activities and trying to fend off the 1rench press on the telephone. The phrase 6Pas de commentaires became automatic after the fourth or fifth phone call. )he dreaded to think of the moment when the 'ritish press would start to hound her. The prospect of evening chilled her. )he made herself a cup of tea and paced about. !lthough she had been asked to supper by 8ado 1aye and the 7illiamsons she had refused pleading exhaustion and the need to be on her own. 2ow she half regretted it. )he wished she had a cigarette but she had given up smoking when pregnant with Sach and had never missed it until now. !t no point did she try to get in touch with 5eo. )he thought about it of course. )he knew he disliked mobile phones and therefore would not have one with him wherever he was. )he could perhaps find his whereabouts via his secretary. "r maybe Sach had his father0s schedule and knew how to get in touch with him. 'ut she did nothing about it dreading the sound of his voice. )he forced herself to sit down in her study and finish a piece she0d started for her )unday maga3ine column on the 1rench asparagus industry. )he whipped up three recipes in almost as many minutes and sent off the piece by e&mail. Then she felt at a loss. "ne of her aimless trips about the house took her to the kitchen where she was promptly followed by .ilgrim who was never far from the source of food. 7hen she opened the refrigerator to give him a tidbit she was overwhelmed by the sight of all the stuff she had bought at the market the day before. )he was conditioned to believe that throwing away any food was abhorrent. Even if she could not eat any of it right now she might tomorrow. "r she could give away some of it. !nd some she could cook and free3e. There was also all the food her friends had brought. This she started to label and put in the deep&free3e at once. To her surprise she found that although her stomach rebelled at the thought of eating the thought of coo*ing was not distasteful. Here was something concrete and useful something she could do without too much thinking. )he had bought two young pigeons at the poulterer0s. )he had intended to adapt one of Hannah <lasse0s eighteenth&century recipes for roast duck served with cucumbers and onions but now she decided to stuff the pigeons under the skin and inside with herbs and cook them in a casserole. That she could actually imagine what a herb&stuffed pigeon might taste like was surely indecent. 'ut there she was hallucinating the taste %ust as she had done all her life. Torn between guilt and relief she went out into the garden with a small trug and some scissors and

1+ C

walked down to the herb&border where she cut handfuls of chives coriander and flat&leaved parsley. Then she walked down to the kitchen garden and picked shallots a do3en baby turnips and some of her first crop of long pink and white summer radishes. Her stomach went into spasms when the shallots started to si33le in the butter and she thought she was going to be sick. 'ut she pressed on standing very straight and stirring the finely chopped vegetables with a wooden spoon. )oon she reali3ed that the spasms might be due as much to hunger =for she had eaten nothing but a piece of toast all day> as to shock and fear. )o she made herself another piece of toast buttered it lightly and felt better after she had eaten it. !t eight o0clock having fended off more calls from the press & two of them from 'ritish %ournalists & and dinner invitations from her friends she was thinking of pouring herself a shot of whisky when the telephone rang again. )he stiffened when she heard 5eo0s cheerful voice on the line.

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CHAPTER 1'

E?o you remember that scrumptious meal we had at 5E#sle&sur&)erein the day you decided to buy the mill/ )hall we go there now and see whether they0re still as good/0 5eoEs voice which Harriet had not heard for a long time sounded as if he were in the room with her and they had %ust been reminiscing together. E5eoO 7here are you/E she cried. E#Em at the telephone booth in your village s@uare wondering whether youEd consider another fine meal at 5e .ot dEEtain in my company. # promise # Ell be civili3ed and urbane. 4ust as you like all your men to be0 he added after an infinitesimal pause. !t any other time Harriet would have bristled at the barb. !s it was all she could say was E5eo # need to know. $ou must tell me the truth.E E'ut darling #Eve never lied to you. 7ell... almost never.E E5eo donEt banter. This is serious and you could be in dreadful trouble.E EHarriet what are you talking about/E E#tEs about 4ulian.E E"h E said 5eo as his voice fell. =0im% 7hatEs he done now/E E?o you mean you donEt know/ $ou havenEt heard/E E?onEt know what/ HavenEt heard what/ Harriet you donEt sound yourself. #Ell be with you in less than two minutes.E The line was cut off abruptly.

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Harriet shaking tried to calm herself as she made her way to the door stopping on the way by the hall mirror to peer at her face and run a hand through her hair. )he looked dismal pale and scruffy. 7ell that was too bad, it would have to do. )he opened the front door as 5eo pulled up in the street in his red )aab. He %umped out in his usual gangly way all arms and legs and rushed up the gravelled drive. )he noted that he had lost weight. His face was a little more lined than when she had seen him last but otherwise he still had the boyish figure and round curly&haired head that were so familiar to her. #n spite of her anxiety she was relieved to see him. 5eo0s step faltered when he saw 4ulian0s bron3e Rover parked beside Harriet0s (lio under the big lime. -He0s not here is he/0 he asked coldly. )he shook her head. They hugged self&consciously at first but then Harriet held on tightly comforted by the familiar feel of his arm and the warm dry smell of his skin. EHarriet E he said holding her away a little so that he could look at her face. E8y old Hat. How good to see you. 7hy my dear girl youEre shakingO 7hatEs the matter. Has anything happened/E Harriet sighed and led the way inside. E)omehow # thought Sach might have told you. # spoke to him late this morning.E ETold me what/0 Harriet shaking her head found she could not get the words out. 5eo went on -# was in Troyes all day. !nd # haven0t talked to Sach since # left 5ondon. !s you know # donEt have a mobile phone..E E7ell you should E said Harriet roundly. E2ow Harriet E he warned. E7eEve been through this before and # haven0t changed my mind about mobiles. 'ut tell me whatEs wrong. !re you ill/E He peered at her face. E$ou donEt look ill. ! little pale perhaps but...E E2o #0m not ill. #tEs about 4ulian.E E"h that bloody manO 7hatEs he done now/ ?one a bunk with your best friend/E E5eo listen. #tEs very serious. 4ulian was found dead yesterday afternoon. HeEd been staying with me.E 5eo sat down suddenly on one of HarrietEs sofas. He looked stunned. E1ound dead/ 7hat of/E

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EHe was murdered.E E7hat 'ere/E E2o in the church at Roilly. 8ore precisely in the crypt. His body was found behind the Entombment. HeEd been battered to death.E E(hristOE exhaled 5eo adding after a second with a lopsided smile and a mock atrocious accent for his 1rench was really @uite good -Cest le cas de le dire90 -5eo stop bantering. This isn0t funny. 4ulian0s dead. +ead9 ?0you hear/0 Harriet started to make her way to the drinks cabinet. -!nd about time too.0 Harriet wheeled around. -$ou can0t mean that.0 #mpenitently 5eo said. -(an0t # %ust/0 Then seeing her expression -1orgive me darling this wasn0t in the best of taste.0 'ut straight from the heart nevertheless thought Harriet. )hivering she brought over two tumblers half&filled with whisky and handed him one. He took a sip. E)till faithful to the old 5agavulin # see E he said weakly. )he relented. E)orry about the shock.E 5eo looking @uite pale now took another sip exhaled slowly looked up at Harriet and patted the cushion next to him. E(ome and tell me about it.E 7hen she had settled next to him nursing her drink he said s@uee3ing her knee with his free hand E!re you okay old thing/ #t must have been a terrible shock for you.E )he sighed. E#t was though # donEt think itEs @uite hit me yet.E )he looked at 5eo. E5eo look me in the eyes and swear that you had nothing to do with it.E EHarrietO0 cried 5eo half %umping out of his seat. E# don0t believe #0m hearing thisO0 He stared at her. -$ou0re not telling me you suspect me of killing that bugger/E E# donEt know what to think 5eo. #Eve been in turmoil ever since Sach told me you were in 'urgundy.E EHarriet you can0t suspect me. Tell me it0s a %oke.0 E#Em sorry 5eo. 'ut # must know. )wear that you didnEt harm 4ulian. !fter all you once beat him up.E -"h you heard about it.0 He paused. - 1rom 4ulian # expect.0

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-$es. ?on0t forget you were charged with disturbing the peace. #f the 1rench police hear about it & and # wouldn0t put it past the guy who0s in charge of the investigation to0ve done his homework he looks @uite dogged to me P you could be in deep shit.0 E7ell # shan0t be in deep shit -cos # haven0t laid a finger on your precious old 4ulian since.0 E)wear it on SachEs head.E E?onEt bring Sach into it Harriet.E ! warning tone familiar from ancient @uarrels. E)wear it.E 5eo sighed and shook his head. E#f it really makes you feel better #Ell swear & on SachEs head & that # didnEt kill that bastard.E E'ut you0re glad heEs dead.E #t was more a statement than a @uestion. 5eo took a hefty sip of #slay and paused. E(anEt really say #Em sorry can #/ # loathed the bugger.E E7ell what did you expect me to say for heavenEs sake 0 he went on after a look at her closed face. -#Em not 9glad: heEs dead. # wouldnEt have wished it on him # suppose.0 He shook his head like a caricature of an #ndian. -7ell not seriously at any rate. 'ut now that he is dead # canEt say #Em exactly devastated. That would be the height of hypocrisy.E Harriet her face still closed laid her head back on the back of the couch. )he felt drained with the tension of the last two days. ETell me how it happened 0 said 5eo more soberly.

RRRRRRRR

7hen Roussel reached the village of )ainte&Gertu he stopped at the !uberge du 8oulin on the offchance that 5eo 4ames had chosen to have dinner there. 'ut the red )aab was not in the restaurant car park. He drove on. He had %ust left the village when his mobile phone started to ring. #t was (otinaud. E$ou know that +CC, )aab you asked about (ommandant/E E7hat about it/E

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E#t was nearly given a ticket by one of my men for parking where it should not have been.E Roussel sat up at the wheel. -7hen was that/0 E$esterday morning in the centre of Roilly.0 Roussel made a fist of triumph in the privacy of his car. (otinaud went on unaware of the effect his words had had. -#t was parked in one of the streets off the market place. "n 7ednesday mornings those streets are non&parking areas. 'ecause of the market you understand.E E!h yes. ?o you know what time the car was seen/E ETen forty&one precisely. 8y man was about to write a ticket when the owner appeared. !n Englishman spoke @uite good 1rench apparently. He was let off with a warning then drove away.0 EThank you !d%udant&chef. # may need to talk to your gendarme but # guess it can wait until tomorow . #0ve something more urgent to do now.E E)o suddenly each of us has a pet suspect eh/E said (otinaud cheerfully. E#Ell race you to the finish (ommandantOE Roussel chuckled unexpectedly finding (otinaud more sympat'ique% 7hen a @uarter of an hour later he drove into 5a Tuilerie and made his way down Harriet 4amesEs riverside lane he was not surprised to see the red )aab parked by the house. !s he opened the door of his car he saw a tall thin woman with a more than homely face walking awkwardly towards Harriet 4amesEs door holding a steaming soup tureen in her hands. He remembered seeing her on that same doorstep the day before when they had driven Harriet and 8adeleine RAgnier back from Roilly. -Bonsoir, 1aye ?unning. He nodded to her politely said adame and rang the doorbell for them both. The scent escaping from the tureen

caused his stomach to rumble again. ! vegetable soup of some kind. Harriet 4ames opened the door. Her face was flushed her long thick fringe in disarray and Roussel could see that underneath she had straight reddish&brown eyebrows. Though he was aware he0d always been partial to women0s eyebrows he was surprised at the effect the sight of Harriet 4ames0s had on him. They made him more aware of her vulnerability than anything that had happened the evening before. )he was wearing a dark red shirt in some kind of slubbed material tucked into a pair of wide&legged black cotton pants which were held in place by a striped and frayed ethnic fabric belt. Her feet were bare the toenails unpainted. #t struck Roussel again that she was a striking&looking woman.

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E1ayeOE she exclaimed. E!nd (ommandant Roussel. ?o come in both of you Eshe said in English then blushed and repeated the words in 1rench for RousselEs sake. )he opened the door wider to let them in. EHarriet dear E said 1aye ?unning also in English E# imagine youEve not felt like eating all day but a little soupEs easy to digest and so comforting. !nd you really must make an effort to eat. #tEs @uite hot & #Eve %ust made it. !nd if you want to come and have a natter and a little brandy later on #Ell be in all evening.E )he had a deep @uiet voice not unlike 4uge 5a 'arri6re0s contralto. !nd her accent was to Roussel0s ears pure ''( =though they no longer called it that these days. 7hat did they call it/> or rather what a ''( accent sounded like before the politically correct cultivation of regional accents came into being. Roussel still hadn0t got over that and mourned the old ''( that symbol of 1rench anglophilia. E"h 1aye 0 said Harriet 4ames warmly -thank you you are kind. Here let me take this into the kitchen.0 -'y the way 0 she added in 1rench -do you know (ommandant Roussel of the !uxerre .olice 4udiciaire who is heading the en@uiry/ (ommandant this is 1aye ?unning a good friend.E -7e met briefly yesterday 0 said 1aye ?unning taking Harriet0s cue and using 1rench. 7hile the two of them shook hands in the hall Harriet disappeared down the hall with the tureen. EHello 1aye E said a nonchalant male voice from the living&room doorway. Roussel saw a tall slim man in his early forties with a great head of curly brown hair. He was coming out of the living&room holding a glass of clear amber li@uid. He wore off&white cotton %eans and a brown tee&shirt. #f this was 5eo 4ames he looked @uite unlike what Roussel had imagined. $ounger for one thing and @uite undandified for another. 1or all their shared traits he and 4ulian Holbrook were physically and sartorially worlds apart. EHello 5eo E said 1aye ?unning in a pleasantly surprised tone giving him a @uick peck on the cheek. -#t0s been a while.0 4ust then Harriet 4ames reappeared. E5eo this is (ommandant Roussel of the 1rench .olice 4udiciaire. 0 she said in 1rench. -(ommandant my former husband 5eo 4ames.E The two men shook hands. E5etEs all go inside shall we/E 5ike the day before Harriet 4ames seemed to be slipping into her social role. 'ut how did one behave with the police/ wondered Roussel. 7ere all social graces suddenly expected to vanish to be replaced with purely formal @uestion&and&answer games/

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1or the second time in two days Roussel was ushered into the huge room which was aglow with the last of the evening light pouring in from the windows though some lamps had already been lit. !s they all stood around awkwardly Harriet 4ames said again in 1rench E!ny news (ommandant/E E7ell 8adame 8r HolbrookEs death was confirmed as homicide.E He looked around at each of their faces slightly surprised by their blankness. !h the 'ritish... he sighed to himself quel sang-#roid quand m?me 9 'ut then he reflected that <renache0s conclusion was hardly surprising and that a verdict of homicide was what everyone had been expecting even if they thought it had been the result of a mugging. E?o you have any leads/E E7e do but #Em afraid there is nothing much # can tell you yet. # hope that by tomorrow weEll have more definite news. "n the other hand there are a few more @uestions #Ed like to ask you. !nd also 8r 4ames since he is here.E He turned towards 1aye ?unning. E#Ell need to interview you as well at some point 8adame. 'ut it wonEt be tonight.E EThatEs fine (ommandant E she said all coolness and reserve. EHarriet will tell you where # live wonEt you Harriet/E !fter 1aye ?unning left again urging Harriet to eat and %oin her later Roussel said to 5eo 4ames. E)hall we sit down 8r 4ames/ # have a few @uestions to ask you. #Eve %ust come from the 1erme de la 1osse ?ionne where # left a message for you to contact me.E E"h yes/E said 5eo 4ames sitting down. He showed no surprise that Roussel had known he was in 1rance and where he was staying. He sat in a seemingly relaxed pose on a sofa balancing his glass of whisky on his crossed knees. He was wearing red canvas hightops without socks noticed Roussel a young man0s footwear. E#Ed like to sit in on the interview E said Harriet. E'y all means 8adame.E E'efore you start would you like something to drink/E Here was the hostess act again with her props. ?rinks the all&purpose social panacea. E2o thank you 8rs 4ames.E They sat under a large black and white abstract that Roussel had not consciously noticed the day before but which he now glanced at with interest while pulling out his notebook. #t reminded him of a )oulages painting he liked. (oming back to earth he started by asking 5eo 4ames which language he preferred for the interview. "n being told that 4ames felt more

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comfortable in his own tongue he asked him in fluent and barely accented English the usual basic data. Then he homed in on his presence in 'urgundy. E7hen did you arrive in 1rance 8r 4ames/E E"n Tuesday afternoon. # came via the (hannel Tunnel.0 E!re you here on a research trip/E E$es.0 He added easily - # am revisiting old haunts for a new book #Em writing.E Roussel was silent allowing 4ames to volunteer information. E#Em doing a study & a series of monographs within the same book & on sculptors and craftsmen of the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.E EThe imagiers/E 5eo 4ames looked surprised. EThatEs right. !re you familiar with the sub%ect/E E"nly very peripherally. !ndE Roussel nodded in Harriet0s direction E last night 8rs 4ames was kind enough to lend me your book on Entombment monuments which talks at length of the imagiers. !lso as you know in this area of 'urgundy bordering on (hampagne we0re well placed for examples of their work. #s that what made you decide to use Tonnerre as your base/E 4ames hesitated very slightly. E7ell yes. Tonnerre0s ideal for the northern 'urgundy and (hampagne part of the study. 'ut # shall have to find an eastern base as well. (olmar perhaps/ ThatEll be later in the year perhaps even next year.E <ratuitous information thought Roussel. 7e0re both playing for time. ETonnerre is also conveniently close to 8rs 4ames is it not/0 E# donEt think this has much to do with my choice of a base. # was in Tonnerre last summer and the year before and did not see my ex&wife. # even went to Roilly and never bumped into her.E Harriet 4ames stirred in her armchair the light from one of the lamps falling on her flushed cheekbones. Roussel0s eyelids hooded over his eyes for a moment. He was willing to bet that she had not been aware of her husband0s stays in the area. E7here were you yesterday morning between ten and eleven 8r 4ames/E Harriet 4ames let out an involuntary gasp. )o much for 'ritish sang-#roid thought Roussel. -#s that whenN.er/0 -7hen 8r Holbrook was murdered yes 0 Roussel answered easily. -(an you remember where you were at the time/0

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E5etEs see E answered 5eo 4ames looking casually around the room. E$esterday morning # went to visit the collAgiale 2otre&?ame at 8ontrAal.E E!t what time did you get there/E ERound about eleven.0 8ontrAal thought Roussel was about a fifty0s minutes0 drive from Tonnerre* and a twenty minutes0 drive from Roilly. #f 5eo 4ames had left Roilly immediately after he was stopped by (otinaud0s man he0d indeed have arrived at 8ontrAal at about eleven. E?id you see anyone there/ "r more precisely do you think anyone saw you and can vouch for your presence there/E 4ames shrugged. E# donEt remember offhand. The place is pretty empty usually. "h yes wait a minute there (as an organist who looked down at some point while # was examining the choir stalls. "ur eyes locked as # looked up. He may remember me.0 He looked blandly at Roussel -?o # really need an alibi (ommandant/ !m # a suspect/E EThese are %ust routine @uestions 8r 4ames E said Roussel woodenly scribbling away in his notebook. -?id you go straight from Tonnerre to 8ontrAal/E E$es. $es # did.0 E$ou didnEt stop anywhere/E E# may have stopped & # did stop & in 2oyers to get some petrol.E E2owhere else/E E2o.E Harriet 4ames got up suddenly and went to stand by one of the windows. Her back was straight but her shoulders very stiff. E!re you sure about that 8r 4ames/E EQuite sure.E There was a silence as if Roussel was expecting 5eo 4ames to change his statement. !fter a minute the policeman went on. EHow is it then that you narrowly missed being given a ticket by a gendarme in Roilly at ten forty&one yesterday morning/E 5eo 4ames shrugged again and looked away while his former wife wheeled around from the window to stare at him. To Roussel 4ames suddenly looked like a sullen teenager caught lying by his parents. He wondered whether that had been a feature of the relationship before the divorce. He waited patiently.

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E"h very well E the Englishman said petulantly. E# did go to Roilly. # went fairly early knowing it was market day and hoping to catch Harriet. #t seemed easier to sort of bump into her casually rather than call her at home and risk being cold&shouldered.E -7hy did you lie about it %ust now/0 5eo 4ames shrugged and again looked away. -8r 4ames/0 Roussel prodded. -# was embarrassed to admit # had hoped to meet Harriet.0 Roussel let it go at that. E!nd at what time did you get to Roilly/E E!t about nine&thirty # guess.E This Roussel thought was consistent with the statement given by the wife of the owner of the 1erme de la 1osse ?ionne who had seen 5eo 4ames come out of his room and leave the hotel %ust after nine the previous morning. E7hat did you do when you got there/0 EHad a coffee and several croissants at one of the cafAs. )aw 1aye in the distance walking towards the market then a little later Emily 5indberg also on her way to the market # guess. 2either of them saw me. 'ut # didnEt see Harriet.E -7hat time did you see 8iss ?unning and 8iss 5indberg/0 -Gery soon after # arrived.0 Harriet 4ames put in E5eo couln0t have seen me or 8ado because we dropped 4ulian at the church and went on to the car park beyond the .orte ?orAe. 7e went to the market through the lanes at the back and didnEt get to the s@uare until after weEd finished shopping.E Roussel glanced at her. )he had left out her trip to the 5adies0 toilets. "r had she been elsewhere and had unwittingly given herself away/ Harriet 4ames saw him looking at her stared back with a hint of defiance and was about to say something when 5eo went on addressing his former wife. E# waited until well after half past ten then decided # didnEt want to 9bump: into you in full view of all your gossip&monger friends. )o # left for 8ontrAal.E E7ere you aware that 8r Holbrook had died/E asked Roussel. E# only %ust heard about it this evening from Harriet. # didnEt even know the bloody man was in 1ranceO $ou wouldnEt have caught me dead in Roilly if #0d known he was staying with HarrietOE Harriet 4ames came back to her armchair and sat down with a determined lack of expression on her face.

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-7hy is that 8r 4ames/0 asked Roussel innocently. 5eo 4ames looked at Roussel then at his ex&wife then back at Roussel. The mimic suggested surprise whereas his earlier protest implied that he had taken it for granted that Roussel knew what role Holbrook had played in the 4ames divorce. -?o you mean you don0t know/0 -Know what/0 -# thought Harriet would have told you that 4ulian Holbrook was the reason she and # split up.0 He peered at Harriet. -?idn0t you tell him Harriet/0 )he looked towards the darkening windows but said nothing. 5eo 4ames took a gulp of his whisky and said to Roussel. -7hy am # being @uestioned then/0 -'ecause 8r 4ames we0re @uestioning everybody who knew 8r Holbrook and was in the area when he died.0 -#s everybody a suspect then/ !re we all guilty until proven innocent/0 Roussel smiled. -Everyone who knew 8r Holbrook is being @uestioned as a witness. 2ow 8r 4ames 0 he continued -the way you talked about 8r Holbrook a minute ago suggests that you bore him a certainN.inimicality shall we say/0 -#nimicality/ <osh (ommandant # wish # spoke 1rench as well as you speak English. 7here did you learn your English by the way/0 Roussel remained silent looking steadily at 5eo 4ames. #n her deep armchair Harriet 4ames was still as a statue. -$es well 0 said 5eo 4ames draining his glass and refilling it. -There isn0t much point in beating about the bush is there/ !ny of these gossip&mongers out there will tell you that # did bear 4ulian Holbrook 9a certainNinimicality: as you put it. "f course # did. !nd with good reason.0 He looked Roussel straight in the eyes for perhaps the first time that evening. -'ut # didn0t kill him.0 -# see 0 said Roussel mildly. !fter a few seconds he remarkedM -2evertheless the hostility you had for him nearly sent you to %ail three years ago according to the 'ritish police.0 -#t takes two people to fight (ommandant 0 5eo 4ames replied with some spirit. -#f # had a bone to pick with 4ulian three years ago he certainly had one to pick with me.0 -7hat do you mean by that 5eo/0 Harriet 4ames had raised her head and was staring at her former husband.

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He waved his hand dismissively. -2evermind Hattie. #t isn0t important.0 Roussel speculated silently on 4ames0s statement while 4ames0s ex&wife glared at him. -<oing back to your whereabouts at the time of the murder did you stay in the cafA from nine&thirty to nearly ten&forty/E he asked. E$es E said 4ames. -7hatEs wrong with that/E His tone was challenging. E#t seems an awfully long time to stay in a single place on a beautifully warm morning E commented Roussel mildly. E"h come on (ommissaire & # mean (ommandant & OE protested 4ames. EHave you any idea of how blissful it can be for one of usE =his glance embraced his ex&wife> -to sit for over an hour in a 1rench provincial s@uare on a sunny market day drinking cafA&cr6mes eating croissants and reading Le onde/ #t may be a foreignerEs clichA to you but to me itEs heaven.0 -$ou did not see 8rs 4ames when she went to the toilettes at P what P ten&twenty or ten& thirty # think you said 8adame/0 5eo 4ames stared at his ex&wife who looked back with an inscrutable expression. -2o 0 the tone was tentative. -7hich cafA were you sitting in/0 persisted Roussel. -"h # can0t remember what it0s called. The one with those ridiculous cast&iron tables and garish umbrellas. 7e used to call it 91lorian0s:. -!fter the owner/0 asked Roussel. -2o 0 there was a hesitation. -!fter another cafA.0 -#t0s called the 'ar des !rcades 0 murmured Harriet 4ames looking away from the two men.. 1lorian0s is it/ thought Roussel/ 8ust be an English %oke. 7ell if the 'ar des !rcades is called 1lorian0s the other one must be dubbed Quadri0s. Roussel had a vivid memory of the two Genetian cafAs especially of 1lorian0s hot chocolate on a cold winter day. His stomach dead on cue rumbled again. He really had to get on with that interview and go in search of sustenance. -2either of you saw each other/0 he asked. -7ell # certainly didn0t 0 said Harriet 4ames. -'ut then # was in a hurry and in any case # went to the other cafA the (afA du (ommerce.0 -!nd # didn0t see anybody # knew except as # said earlier 1aye and Emily on their way to the market. 'ut then # was reading the papers not paying much attention to my surroundings.0 -# thought you said you were on the lookout for 8rs 4ames 0 remarked Roussel.

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-# was. # looked up from my paper every now and then and scanned the s@uare. # must %ust have missed you Harriet.0 Harriet 4ames picked an invisible piece of lint from the arm of her armchair. E?id you go into the church 8r 4ames/E asked Roussel. E2o (ommandant # did not.E 5eo 4amesEs tone was firm. E?espite the presence there of the Entombment/E E8onsieur Roussel the Entombment has been there since 1;I;. !nd please <od itEll still be there well after the maggots have cleaned me up. # never intended to go into the church yesterday and # did not.E E7as the church in Roilly on your list of 9old haunts: that need revisiting for this new book/E E"f course it is. #tEs to be the pi3ce de rsistance. That and the church of )aint&4ean& 'aptiste in (haource. # was leaving them both till last. They were going to be the high point of this trip. !nd now....E E!nd now/E @ueried Roussel. E!nd now )aint&!ventin0s been desecratedOE The ad%ective and the tone in which it had been delivered had an adolescent ring to them but through the histrionics Roussel thought he could detect the voice of real sadness and outrage. Then he reflected that the words expressed perhaps more than grief at the -desecration0 of a masterpiece. .erhaps 5eo 4ames was unwittingly also expressing distress at the death of an erstwhile friend. -7hat did you think of 8r Holbrook /0 asked Roussel after a pause. 4ames stared morosely into his glass and said in a monotone -He was a fine art historian.0 -#s that all/0 -# admired his thinking and his writing. He0ll be sitting next to <ombrich and Kenneth (lark right up there in the art history pantheon. #s that a good enough eulogy for you 8onsieur Roussel/0 -7hat did you think of the man/0 -# thought he was a shit.0 Roussel avoided looking at Harriet 4ames who sat mutely on her linen&covered chair. -7as that because he was the direct cause of your divorce from 8rs 4ames/0 -'ecause of that yes. !nd other things.0

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-7hat other things/0 5eo 4ames leant towards the table and once more refilled his glass. -!ll sorts of things. Lnsavoury ones. 4ulian Holbrook was not a very nice man. He was perverse both in his pursuit of pleasures and in his hunting out and exposal of people0s weaknesses. He was a collector of people0s foibles of their small dark secrets. 7hat can # tell you/ He was an ambiguous and manipulative son of a bitch.0 He took a deep gulp of his drink. -7as he also ambiguous sexually/0 Harriet 4ames looked up and stared at Roussel incredulously. -"h yes 0 5eo 4ames0s tone was casual. -7hatO0 exclaimed Harriet %umping to her feet and glaring down at her former husband. -?idn0t you know Harriet/0 5eo 4ames looked up at her a faint smile lifting the corners of his mouth. -$ou0re not that naive surely. $our friend 4ulian swung both ways.0 -# don0t believe itO $ou0re lying. $ou0d say anything to besmirch 4ulian. $ou0ve no decency 5eoO0 5eo 4ames shrugged sipped his whisky and ga3ed across at Roussel. -$ou don0t look surprised (ommandant. 'ut then # expect few things surprise you about human beings.0 He looked at Roussel penetratingly. -!nd since you asked the @uestion you probably had some idea about it. # imagine that evidence to that effect was found at the post& mortem/ "r that the 'ritish police told you about 4ulian0s sordid little secret.0 He took another sip and added -Though to my knowledge 4ulian was never arrested for solliciting. He should have been though.0 Roussel ignored that. #nstead he looked at Harriet 4ames who was now angrily pacing the floor. -8rs 4ames did you have any idea of 8r Holbrook0s bisexuality/0 -7hat/0 she exclaimed incredulously. -$ou too/ )urely (ommandant you don0t take what 5eo says seriously. He0s %ust being spiteful.0 -#0m afraid # do 8adame. 7e have some evidence & physical evidence you understand & showing that 8r Holbrook may have ... indulged in activities of a homosexual nature.0 Harriet sank back into her armchair with a look of confused incredulity. Her face was @uite pale now. -8rs 4ames/0 )he said nothing but stared blindly ahead of her.

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-There is something more 8adame.0 )he turned her head slowly to look at him. -7ere you aware 8adame that 8r Holbrook had snorted some cocaine the night before he died/0 5eo 4ames gave a dry cackle and choked on his drink. -(ocaine/0 she whispered her left hand shading her eyes. Then she looked up at Roussel. -2o # wasn0t aware of any drug&taking or bisexual activities. #n fact # was %ust wondering whether we0re talking about the same person.0 -"h stop wondering Hattie darling 0 said 5eo 4ames with sudden venom. -$ou0d better believe it. $our friend 4ulian who was my old pal 4ulian at the time even came on to me and when # wouldn0t play turned to you. 'ut he never forgave me. That0s why # said earlier that he had a bone to pick with me. He didn0t take kindly to re%ection our old 4ulian.0 -# don0t believe youO $ou0d better shut up now 5eo. # don0t want to hear any more of these lies.0 !s they had been talking the level of the bottle of 5agavulin which 8rs 4ames had left on a low table by the sofa had been going down steadily. Roussel decided that there was not much point in dragging out the @uestioning. #nasmuch as he ever allowed himself to feel guilty in his @uestioning of witnesses he felt somewhat burdened by what he had %ust revealed to Harriet 4ames. The woman looked numb with shock. "r else the cold professional side of him argued she was an exceptional actress. !s far as 5eo 4ames was concerned Roussel was in two minds. 4ames was by far the best suspect they had perfect really down to the fact that his involvement might help explain the disappearance of Holbrook0s notebook. The trouble was that despite the earlier easy lies there was something about his testimony that rang true. His alibi such as it was would have to be checked and double&checked of course both in Roilly and 8ontrAal but Roussel to his chagrin was not at all convinced that in 5eo 4ames they had their killer. E7e shall need a photograph of yourself 8r 4ames to verify your alibi.0 5eo 4ames looked put out. -#0ve only got my passport photograph. Have you kept any photos of me Hattie/0 He looked mischievously across at his ex&wife. )he shrugged looking away. -#0ll take your passport then 8r 4ames 0 said Roussel. -7e0ll make a copy of the photograph and return the passport to you within the next two days.0

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-!ll right 0 said 5eo 4ames sullenly pulling his passport from the back pocket of his %eans and handing it over to the police officer. Roussel @uickly scribbled a receipt for it. -$ouEll be at your Tonnerre address for another few days 8r 4ames/E E"h yes. #Em not going anywhere for the time being.E 5eo 4ames gave his ex&wife a sidelong glance. )he glared back. Roussel silently wished the man luck. E)hould you decide to move on #Ed be grateful if you would let me know where we can reach you.E -HaO0 said 5eo 4ames -# thought the phrase was 9?on0t leave town.:0 Roussel smiled politely and got up putting his notebook in his pocket together with 5eo 4ames0s passport. 4ust as he was about to shake hands with Harriet 4ames who had risen from her chair and 3ombie&like but obeying some automatic social code was about to see him out of the room his mobile telephone shrilled from his %acket pocket. EExcuse me E he said. ERousselE he said into the mouthpiece. 'ackground sounds like metal noises and loud voices erupted in his ear and suddenly there was (otinaudEs agitated voice. E(ommandant #Em in a disused @uarry three and a half kilometres from Roilly in the direction of (hXtel&<Arard. # think you should %oin us right away. #Eve %ust talked to 8adame le 4uge and sheEs on her way. )heEs asked me to contact you and youEre to send for the #dentitA %udiciaire team as well.E E1or heavenEs sake whatEs going on !d%udant&chef/E E7e were called in half an hour ago when a man driving from Roilly to (hXtel&<Arard saw an explosion. 7hen we got here it was too late.E Roussel was suddenly very still. E(arteau/E EHow did you guess/ $es (arteau. He must have fallen from the top of the @uarry with his motorbike. #t caught fire. 'y the time we arrived he was burnt to a cinder.E EHow did you identify him/E EThere were enough dAbris of the bike left to identify it as his. !nd we found Holbrook0s watch on him damaged but recognisable.E

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F!(day

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CHAPTER 11

Harriet had expected to have a sleepless night but upon waking early on 1riday morning she was surprised by the deep restful sleep she0d had without recourse to sleeping pills. !fter Roussel grim&faced had departed for what was obviously an emergency of some kind she had wanted to throw 5eo out of the house. )he felt sick with anger at everything she had heard about 4ulian. #n the first flush of shock she had denied it all her anger compounded with outrage at the fact that those accusations were directed against a man who was no longer there to defend himself. !s she calmed down nevertheless a tiny inner voice whispered that perhaps not all of 5eo0s and Roussel0s allegations were to be dismissed so thoroughly. !nd once the voice of doubt was allowed to make its way into her consciousness certain memories odd little things she had noticed over the years but pushed out of mind pattern. #n the end she had decided not to throw 5eo out after all. 1or one thing she needed to know more. )he had to be sure of certain facts before she could start making sense not only of the last few hours but of the last few years. 5ater she admitted to herself that she also needed the comfort of his familiar presence. The four&year hiatus in their relationship seemed never to have taken place. Their old rapport their fondness for each other spiked with bickering and moments of exasperation had reinstated itself . They understood each other. )he did not have to explain anything to him nor did he have to spell things out for her. !nd despite the fact that she had betrayed him with 4ulian he was generous enough to listen to her with what appeared to be a certain empathy. "f course if one wanted to be cynical one might say that 5eo held the winning hand in the present situation. His rival was dead and his ex&wife in a state of need. Except for the fact that the police suspected him which was an unpleasant situation for anyone to find themselves in he had gained considerably from the event. )he could see why he made a good suspect =his violent physical fight with 4ulian in 5ondon and his lies about his whereabouts on 7ednesday morning had not helped> but & Harriet was now convinced of it & he0d had nothing to do with 4ulian0s death. Her thoughts turned to 4ulian and to what she had learnt about him the night before. The facts in themselves though a shock to her were perhaps not all that shocking ob%ectively.
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re&emerged and started to sketch out a dim

'isexualityN. (ocaineN. This lifestyle was banal enough these days. Harriet was no prude & or at least she did not think she was. )he had no pre%udice against sexual preferences that were different from her own nor was she particularly shocked by the possibility that some of her ac@uaintances used recreational drugs. )he herself as a student =like Sach today she supposed> had smoked grass and experimented a little with other drugs and this had hardly turned her into an addict. )o if 4ulian had snorted coke occasionally who was she to throw the first stone/ $et she felt really dismayed by what she had learnt. 1or one thing she felt such practices had no place in her own life today. )he had grown up moved on. .erhaps she had become embourgeoise cocooned in her own set of values. !nd if this were the case so what/ 7e all develop our own sets of values and willy nilly end up being defined and perhaps confined by them. 'ut the problem she reflected lay mostly elsewhere. )he knew that what had really upset her had little to do with moral or social values. 7hat rankled was the fact that she had not *no(n about these things. !nd here she was compelled to acknowledge their presence in her life because they had been part of someone she had considered to be very close to her. )he felt invaded betrayed not so much by the revelation of 4ulian0s sexual ambiguity and use of drugs as by the fact that he had kept this knowledge from her. )he had never been given the choice to approve or disapprove to make up her own mind about it but had been led to believe he was a different person altogether. )he wondered briefly what she would have done had he been more candid with her/ 7ould she have remained in the relationship regardless of his other proclivities/ 7ould she have fled/ !nd where/ 'ack to 5eo always assuming that 5eo had wanted her back/ #n fact had she known about the seamier side of 4ulian0s life would she have left 5eo in the first place/ These were dangerous thoughts. They could lead Harriet to a complete re&@uestioning of her life. .erhaps it was necessary and might do her good but she did not think she was up to it right now. )he0d have plenty of time by and by to reassess things and see where this led her. -'ut surely 0 5eo had said the night before -you knew deep down. $ou must have sensed something.0 -2o 0 she replied . -# didn0t know. 2ot consciously at any rate. "f course # knew 4ulian was a complex personality. !nd # didn0t really expect him not to have other women occasionally in his life. 'ut # never suspected he had such different sides to him.0 -$ou saw in him what you wanted to see.0

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-.robably but don0t we all/ !nd don0t forget that # also saw what 4ulian wanted me to see. This must mean something.0 Her anger displaced at first towards 5eo and Roussel then onto herself for having been so gullible was eventually redirected towards a more accurate ob%ect & 4ulian. )he felt she had been used and manipulated by him. "n one level it wasn0t she knew a rational accusation for he had never promised her anything. Theirs had been a relatively long&lived but casual affair with =despite what she had pretended to Roussel the day before> nothing or very little said on either side about commitment. !t another level however if what 5eo had alleged was right & namely the fact that 4ulian had made sexual advances to him before eventually taking up with 5eo0s wife & then she Harriet had been well and truly manipulated. )he remembered thinking to herself after she had come to live in 1rance that the affair had grown tepid. 4ulian had stepped back from her. (ertainly during their encounters in 5ondon or elsewhere he was no longer the sexually passionate lover he had been earlier in their liaison. !t the time she thought their new geographical distance was to blame for that. #n the light of what she now knew a different interpretation might be in order. 4ulian might indeed have taken a distance from Harriet because after her divorce from 5eo she was no longer of real interest to him. 7hat he had probably wanted after 5eo had repulsed his advances was to get back at him through Harriet. 4ulian0s pri3e had probably been the destruction of the 4ames marriage. )he Harriet had been cast as the fool and fool indeed that she was had %umped into that role with both feet. )he had occasionally noticed in 4ulian a tendency for mischief&making but it had always come gift&wrapped in wit and thus had always seemed harmless enough. )he knew now that she0s been in denial about it. 'ut then 4ulian0s mischief had always been directed to others. That she should find herself the butt of his manipulation truly rankled. !nd yetN.#t was also true that a relationship of sorts had continued between 4ulian and Harriet after she was no longer -useful0 to him. This was one of those imponderables that made life so difficult introducing grey areas where there should be only black and white. Harriet sighed. #t would have been so much easier for her to believe that 4ulian had truly had no time at all for her after her divorce. He would be so much easier to hate now. 'ut he 'ad had time for her. He had given every sign of still en%oying her company & if not her body & and you can0t very well fake that for years can you/ There0d be no point in it. He must have become @uite fond of her after all. That she had allowed herself to feel committed to him was her own business. !nd why had she/ )ince the evening of 4ulian0s death she had been forced to face that @uestion as well as the

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issue of the depth of her commitment. )he had an inkling that there was a certain amount of self& deception at play there. .erhaps she too had used 4ulian. .erhaps she had used their continued relationship as a shield against the feelings of waste and sadness that threatened her whenever she thought of her divorce from 5eo. 'eing convinced that she felt committed to 4ulian gave her an alibi of sorts keeping her from fully acknowledging the fact that she had wrought havoc on two lives & three when you counted Sach0s. Her -commitment0 was her alibi against guilt and endless self&reproach. )o after Roussel0s departure the night before Harriet and 5eo had sat down and talked. The first bottle of 5agavulin had been finished and another broached. #t had been Harriet now recalled smiling what 8ado would call -le grand dballage0. Harriet seemed to be fated since 4ulian had died to be visited by an unsettling impression that there was a surreal @uality to some of the scenes she was experiencing. )he felt that way when past eleven o0clock 5eo complained that he was starving. They must eat he decreed and assisted by .ilgrim who after sulking at 5eo at first for his long absence had given tentative signs of forgiveness he had started rummaging in Harriet0s refrigerator. There he discovered the pigeon casserole she had prepared earlier. "n the counter also was 1aye0s vegetable soup. They re&heated the lot and 5eo set the kitchen table properly adding candles for good measure. They had a bowl of soup then polished off the pigeons mopping up the %uices with pieces of wholemeal bread. #t felt very strange to Harriet that having bought the pigeons as a treat for 4ulian and herself she was now eating them with 5eo. Lnlike the day before when she had heard the 8o3art aria and felt a deep pang of loss the feelings she now had were more mitigated and complex. )he found the whole thing extremely disturbing. The evening had ended companionably. !fter the meal Harriet found that she was dropping with exhaustion. )he felt that she had talked herself out. They had both had far too much to drink and she knew it would be dangerous for 5eo to drive back to Tonnerre. $et when he suggested that he should stay the night & -in the spare room of course Hattie0 & she refused. 2either did she feel guilty about it. )he gently pushed him out of the door told him to drive carefully and made him promise to telephone her when he got safely to Tonnerre. #t took all her energy to stay awake until he did. 'ut as soon as she put the receiver from the bedroom extension down she switched off the lights turned over in bed shaping .ilgrim back into the crook of her knees and fell headlong into a dreamless sleep.

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2ow on 1riday morning as she pushed open her white louvred shutters and looked out onto the garden and the faint mist shimmering over the river she keenly felt the promise of the new day. Her mood was lighter than it had been for a long time and though she reminded herself that a man about whom she had cared had died in tragic circumstances she could not feel any real sorrow. )he thought that sorrow might come in time and that she would eventually be able to grieve properly for 4ulian. )he hoped so. 8eanwhile callous as it seemed she could not pretend to herself that any sadness she felt was not purely cerebral. #t suddenly dawned on her that the lightness she was feeling might be relief. Relief yes however inappropriate it sounded. )he imagined that a lot of it was due to her certainty that 5eo was not involved in 4ulian0s death. #t now seemed plain to her that his death had been a terrible misadventure the result of a mugging. !dded to this was the selfish relief that she Harriet was still alive on that beautiful morning. Though she knew from having read about it that this was a natural feeling to have it seemed somehow unacceptable even a bit shameful. 7hat was least acceptable of all a difficult situation. )ighing she turned back from the window and headed for the bathroom. !s she looked at her face in the mirror she had a sudden and overwhelming longing to be elsewhere far from unwholesome truths unhounded by telephone calls unsuspecting friends and police visits. 1or a minute she fantasi3ed about taking the car and heading south for a few days to .rovence or Tuscany. 'ut she @uickly dismissed the idea as irresponsible for her presence might be needed by the police and she also wanted to be there for 5eo should & <od forbid & Roussel decide to take him in as a suspect. )he did not know what to make of the big policeman. )he had been brought up in a culture that had no time for the police or worse despised them but she found to her surprise that she did not feel hostile towards Roussel. He was the first policeman she had ever met at close @uarters and he was not at all what she had expected. #n fact she now admitted to herself with a wince that until now if she thought of policemen at all she had unimaginatively categori3ed 'ritish and !merican cops as philistine brutes and 1rench policemen as laughable blunderers clones of #nspector (louseau.. & now that she had been told of 4ulian0s darker side & was the suspicion that her relief was also partly due to the fact that 4ulian0s death had extricated her from

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7ell Roussel seemed very far from those stereotypes. He was obviously shrewd and had a presence and a @uiet authority. He had shown during his interviews of 5eo and herself that he could be tough but he was also attentive and did not seem to lack compassion. !nother surprising thing about him was his fluent English and his familiarity with 'ritish culture. This in the circumstances was a godsend. However good Harriet0s 1rench was the events of the last two days had cruelly reminded her that she was a foreigner in her host country ha3y about legal procedures and not always aware of all the little nuances that could make or break a statement or situation. The last thing she had expected from a provincial 1rench policeman was that he would speak good English. Roussel was @uite evidently an educated man. 'ut then she reminded herself that one of the things she most appreciated about the 1rench was that unlike the 'ritish they had a healthy respect for education and culture. Even physically she found him reassuring. He looked 'uman% He was no young girl0s dream to be sure. #n a few years0 time he might even be a good candidate for a coronary but for now he looked as if comfortable middle age hadn0t claimed him yet & his muscular bulk and broken nose that reminded her of a rugby player0s physi@ue took care of that. His hair needed cutting his suit was ancient clean but wrinkled his face was a study in crags his voice gravelly. 'ut Harriet thought while dabbing her face with cleansing lotion a slightly rough physi@ue and a rumpled appearance are comforting in a man. )he could now admit to herself that she had never really liked 4ulian0s smoothness or the attention he paid to his appearance. )he had always secretly felt there wa a self&righteous prissiness about it..

RRRRRRRRRRRRRR

-# came to return this0 said Harriet

handing 1aye the soup tureen. -!nd to thank you for a

delicious and comforting soup. 5eo and # ate it down to the last drop.0 -(ome in Harriet and tell me how you are.0
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1aye0s kitchen smelled of toast and freshly&made coffee. !nd 1aye herself was dressed for gardening in a madras shirt %eans and espadrilles. Harriet reflected that only 1aye could managed to invest that casual get&up with such an air of elegance. 7hen she had first met her Harriet had been struck by the cruel plainness of the older woman0s facial features. 2ow she never even noticed them because she0d got used to them but also because 1aye was 1aye and Harriet liked her as she was. !s though to compensate for the shortcomings of her face 1aye kept her figure trim and straight dressed well and made the most of her truly remarkable hands and feet. )he always looked very soignAe keeping her short hair impeccably styled and distracting the eye from her face with an attention to detail that must have taken her years to perfect. Harriet who0d been a self&conscious and surly teenager could well imagine what torments had beset 1aye at that sensitive age. -# hope #0m not too early 0 she said. -'ut it0s such a beautiful day # knew you0d be up and about.0 -"h you know #0ve always been an early&riser. 'ut #0m surprised youre up and about so early. !fter what must have been a harrowing two days.0 -!s a matter of fact 0 said Harriet -# slept astoundingly well & and without any sleeping pillsO0 1aye0s eyebrows went up a little. # suppose thought Harriet that people even friends expect me to be frantic with grief. 'ut they don0t know what # know about 4ulian and #0m certainly not about to tell them. 1aye said -Have a cup of coffee Harriet. Have you had breakfast/0 -$es thanks but #0d love some coffee.0 !s 1aye made Harriet and herself demi&tasses of espresso from her #talian state&of&the&art machine the younger woman said. -#0m sorry # didn0t turn up last night. 'y the time (omandant Roussel left it was @uite late and 5eo and # had a number of things to talk about.0 1aye looked at her from her under her carefully plucked eyebrows that more than anything else in her appearance betrayed the generation she belonged to . -?on0t worry about it. # imagine you were very tired. !nd it was a very informal invitation.0 -# know 0 said Harriet. -'ut stillN.0 )he felt awkward as if the revelations of the night before and her own introspective cogitations had split her in two leaving one public Harriet and one private one. -5et0s take our coffee through to the living&room shall we/0 said 1aye leading the way.

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! pause then in a casual tone -# was glad to see 5eo. #t had been agesN. He0s looking well # thought. 'ut # hope that big policeman didn0t poison your evening.0 -7ellN0 said Harriet stalling while sipping the very hot coffee. )he didn0t know how much to tell 1aye or indeed anyone. )he did not feel much like talking about the police or about 4ulian0s death. "n the other hand she knew her friends would be keen for news. )he shrugged with an apologetic smile and said no more. 1aye responded with a pacifying gesture of her hands. They drank their coffee in a slightly uncomfortable silence. )crabbling about in her mind for something to say Harriet looked around the room with its white&trimmed windows and glowing colours. -# do love this room 0 she said sincerely. -#t0s so warm and welcoming and you have such beautiful things. 7henever # think of your house 1aye and your lifestyle # am reminded of those linesM 6L, tout nest quordre et beaut,@ Lu-e, calme et volupt% -How flattering - 1aye replied. -'ut # don0t know about volupt, she laughed. -# feel there0s a singular lack of that in my life. Remember that 'audelaire wrote that poem for 8adame )abatier of whom he expected the greatest delights.0 -# rather think that what he was after when he wrote those lines was a permanent invitation to her literary salon% .oor 'audelaireO !nd #0m not sure 9volupt4 is meant to be taken in purely sexual terms here. Rather in a sensual sense don0t you think/ 9.leasure: rather than 9voluptuousness:/0 -$es # suppose so. .erhaps 9voluptuousness: has a more sexual connotation in English. # must say that poem still moves me every time # read it. # feel that whatever his murky motivations 'audelaire managed to evoke the perfect contemplative life. #t0s a love poem but there0s no fire in it have you noticed/ "nly longed&for serenity and pleasure in @uiet things. #n little luxuries. 7hich # guess when one0s reached the stage when all passion0s spent is the best one can hope for.0 -7hat a dismal prospect 1ayeO0 -?o you really think so/0 said 1aye with some amusement. -That0s probably because you0re young. !nything short of passion must seem unthinkable to you. # seem to have reached a point in my life where serenity has an allure that passion never had. ?on0t forget that passion often mind.0 -2o it certainly isn0t 0 laughed Harriet. -'ut it does make one feel alive.0 & indeed probably always & goes hand in hand with anxiety and anguish. #t isn0t a restful state of

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-That0s for sure.0 1aye looked thoughtful for a minute. -!lthough # must admit # don0t think # ever felt passion for a person.0 -Really/0 -1or ideas yes. 2ot politics & # was never interested in that. "r philanthropy or any of those virtuous causes. 'ut literature art musicN. "h yes # certainly felt passion for those & # still do. They0re the only things that never let you down.0 How sad to feel that thought Harriet. -$ou once told me you0d been engaged. To an !merican # think. ?id you not feel passionate about him/0 )he paused. -#0m sorry this is a very indiscreet @uestion.0 1aye had got up and gone to the window as if the @uestion had disturbed her. 7hen she answered however her voice was @uite light. -2o not passion. 1ondness certainly. !nd respect. 'ut with hindsight # reali3e he was %ust a means to an end. He was my bid for independence. # longed to get out of my family0s clutches. HoweverN.0 she came back to the sofa -it didn0t work out soN.0 Harriet reflected wistfully that 1aye had had to wait for a long time before she could attain her independence and achieve that longed&for serenity. 1aye finished her coffee then carefully putting the small cup and saucer on her polished mahogany butler0s tray she looked levelly at her friend. -# have to tell you Harriet dear that # find this conversation very bi3arre. $our life0s been rent asunder by murder invaded by the police and all we find to talk about is 'audelaire and the merits of passion versus serenity and vice versaO0 Harriet winced and placed her cup next to 1aye0s. -# know and #0m sorry 1aye. #t does feel strange to be talking about anything but 4ulian0s death. # suppose #0m looking for any excuse to skirt the issue.0 -8y dear girl # understandO .lease don0t worry about it.0 Harriet grimaced. -# can0t even begin to tell you how awful it0s been. The shock the fear the fanciful imaginings the memory of his battered faceN!ll that bloodN.!nd all the @uestions # keep asking myself.0 -"h my dear0 & 1aye spontaneously put her arm around the younger woman0s shoulder and hugged her & -#0m so sorry. # didn0t mean to drop you back into the nightmare.0 Harriet almost blurted out what she had learnt about 4ulian the night before. The impulse of sharing that knowledge with a sympathetic woman like 1aye was suddenly strong. ?iscretion

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however reasserted itself or perhaps it was a dim desire to preserve for 4ulian0s friends an untarnished image of the man. )o she answered almost lightlyM -# have to tell you that what # really long for is to get away from Roilly if only for a few hours.0 -Then you must do so 0 said 1aye firmly. -Take the day off go somewhere different go to an exhibition or a museum. <o to .aris.0 Harriet looked pensive. -?o you know that0s %ust what # might do. $es # think that0s a very good idea. Thank you 1aye for suggesting it. # don0t think #0d have dared to even think of it.0 )he smiled apologeticallyM -#0m too prone to guilt. #t0s not considered seemly is it for a grieving woman to go gallivanting about two days after her lover0s death. #t smacks of disrespect.0 -2onsenseO $ou0ve been through the wringer. ?on0t you think you deserve a little time off/0 -# suppose so but other people will not be as unconventional about it as you are.0 -7ell tant pis for other people. #t0s what you need that counts.0 - ?o you think the police will think #0ve done a bunk if they look for me and don0t find me at home/0 -"f course not. #f # were you however #0d warn 5eo. He might worry.0 -# think he means to get on with his research today. He0ll be away all day. He won0t miss me. (ommandant Roussel grilled poor 5eo last night. # suppose he makes a good suspect.0 -5eoO # thoughtN.at least that0s what the grapevine saysN. that 4ulian was mugged. #t0s bound to be a local0 -#t does look like it but # expect the police need to cover all eventualities. )o they0re @uestioning anyone who knew 4ulian. #0m sure you0ll be hearing from them.0 -$es (ommandant Roussel said as much last night.0 1aye walked Harriet to the door. -7ould you like me to tell 8ado you0re taking the day off/0 -2o thanks # think #0ll call her and tell her myself. )he # know will worry if she doesn0t find me.0 "n the doorstep Harriet embraced 1aye. -?ear 1aye thank you for the coffee and for helping me shed off that awful middle&class penc'ant for guilt.0

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1aye laughed and gently pushed her out. -En%oy your day Harriet. Try not to think of anything but what you0re seeing. !nd treat yourself to something very specialO0

CHAPTER 12

-)o where does this leave us now/0 asked ?u@uesne tucking into his lamb chops. Roussel looked across the road at the sun&spattered river. 1or centuries traffic had been busy on the $onne thanks to the #lottage bAc'es perdues, the 'urgundian method of floating logs down from the 8orvan forests all the way to the big cities & !uxerre 4oigny )ens and .aris after the $onne merged with the )eine. This pictures@ue and hectic method became obsolete in the 1I+Cs and today though the river was no longer the important commercial waterway it had once been the twenty&first century had discovered its recreational possibilities and it was teeming with converted barges and boats of all sorts. !cross the road from the restaurant terrace were anchored houseboats attractive things with painted woodwork and gleaming brass fittings all mod cons and tubs of geraniums on the upper deck. They were a lot more glamorous today than they had been twenty years before. 2evertheless when he was a young ambitious bachelor before his career in the .olice 4udiciaire took him all over 1rance Roussel had longed to buy a houseboat. #ndeed he had gone as far as putting in a bid for one. He liked the whole idea of it & the compact lifestyle the potential freedomM one gesture and he could cast off. 'ut it was the magic of living on the water that seduced him most. The price of the houseboat had been high but with a little effort his budget could be stretched to cover the mortgage. The night before signing the promesse de vente however unable to sleep he had suddenly sharply known for sure he could never live on the water. His roots and his soul were firmly bound to the earth. He snapped back to the present. ?u@uesne had said something. -7hat did you say/0 he asked returning with a shudder to the plain green salad in his side plate.

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-# was wondering where the new developments left us what with (arteau dead and 5eo 4ames0s alibi verified by !mina this morning0 said ?u@uesne meeting .ottier0s eyes and raising a @ui33ical eyebrow. -#0m still not clear about (arteau0s role in all this. 1orgive me .atron 0 he added in a lower tone -but are you all right/0 Roussel shot him a %aundiced glance. -7hy are you asking/0 -$ou haven0t ordered much %ust plain poached fish and a green salad. !nd you0ve hardly touched your wine.0 -7ill you stop mothering me ?u@uesneO0 ?u@uesne smirked apologetically. -)orry .atronO0 .ottier who had not said much since they had sat down to eat =in fact all three of them had been uncharacteristically silent since the beginning of the meal> now remarkedM -# hear 4uge 5a 'arri6re cancelled your four o0clock meeting.0 -$es. 7e & the 4uge !d%udant&chef (otinaud and # had an impromptu meeting of sorts at the gendarmerie in Roilly at two o0clock this morning after <renache finished his preliminary examination of (arteau0s body. 7e0ll meet again tomorrow at some point after <renache has delivered his report and #0ve @uestioned more people.0 He looked at .ottier from under his bushy eyebrowsM -5eo 4ames0s alibi for the Holbrook killing is really holding water then/0 This was a rhetorical @uestion for the sub%ect had been discussed earlier as Roussel and his officers were walking from the (rim0 to the restaurant.. #t was almost as if Roussel wanted to reassure himself or buy time before considering other suspects. .ottier sighed. -!s much as any alibi does .atron. 'oth the waiter and the owner of the 'ar des !rcades were adamant that he sat en terrasse reading his papers and not stirring from the time he arrived which was - & she took her notebook out of her shoulder bag which was hanging from the back of her chair and flicked a few pages before adding &-nine&thirty =they remembered because he ate the last three croissants and they had to send for more from the boulangerie> until he left at about 1C.;C. 7hat0s more this was corroborated by the 'ar0s accountant a local woman who comes in once a week and does their books at one of the tables %ust inside the cafA. !fter they mentioned her presence there that morning # went to see her and sure enough she says 5eo 4ames sat there all the time sitting in the sun and reading the papers. Her table looked out onto his and even if she was checking her figures she swears she would have noticed any movement. He did get up once to go to the lavatory inside the cafA but came back two minutes later.0

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Roussel grunted -?amn. 4ames was the perfect suspect.0 !lthough the evening before at 5a Tuilerie he Roussel had been inclined to think that the Englishman had been telling the truth. -7hat about 8rs 4ames/0 asked ?u@uesne. -)he0s a good suspect too. .erhaps even a better suspect than her ex. 8aybe she reali3ed before you both told her that Holbrook had been lying all the way down the line and decided she0d had enough.0 -$es 0 said Roussel slowly -8rs 4ames (ould @ualify as a good suspect. 'ut except for those seven or eight minutes when she supposedly went to the 5adies she0s alibied by her friend 8me RAgnier & they alibi each other.0 -7hat about those seven or eight minutes/0 -7ell yes there0s that especially as !mina told us no one at the (afA du (ommerce remembers her coming in to go to the loo. They do however remember her sitting later that morning at the terrasse with other people. 5eo 4ames didn0t see her either and he was supposedly on the lookout for her. )o her story0s unverified.0 -7hile # was in Roilly this morning 0 said .ottier -# walked at a normal pace from the covered market to the crypt allowed three minutes for the murder including the time the murderer spent frisking the victim and cleaning himself up =which is surely the minimum we can allow for it> and walked back to the 'alle% The whole thing took nine and a half minutes. # really don0t think it could have been done in less time unless the murderer ran from the church but there were people about and it would have looked odd.0 -"r 0said ?u@uesne -perhaps 8me RAgnier got it wrong and 8rs 4ames was away longer than those seven or eight minutes. .erhaps both of them are lying.0 -$es 0 concurred .ottier -that0s always a possibility. "n the other hand 0 she continued -it0s also possible 8rs 4ames did go to the loo unnoticed. !ll the waiters said they were particularly busy that morning because the weather had brought out the crowds.0 -7ell 0 said ?u@uesne -since no one here is willing to consider (arteau as the Holbrook murderer my money0s on the stunner. )he0s not alibied for those missing minutes either. )he could have skipped over to the church when 8rs 4ames went to pee.0 -7e0ll come back to (arteau in a minute 0 said Roussel. - 'ut 8me RAgnier as the murderer/0 He shook his head. -# don0t see what her motivation could have been. )o far at least. 8rs 4ames0s something else of course. )he had plenty of motives to wish Holbrook dead. 'ut0 he sighed # -d be inclined to think she0s got nothing to do with all this.0 -7hy0s that 'oss/0

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Roussel pushed his fish around his plate. -1or the obvious reason that if we surmise that whoever killed Holbrook also killed (arteau then 8rs 4ames is in the clear because she was with me at the time of (arteau0s death. This of course also goes for 5eo 4ames. Lnless....0 -Lnless 0 said ?u@uesne with sudden animation -we have two murderers. )ay 8rs 4ames killed Holbrook and 8me RAgnier & or somebody else & killed (arteau. # wonder whether 8me RAgnier has a good alibi for last night.0 -2either she nor her husband were in this morning when # called at 5a Tuilerie 0 said .ottier morosely. -#0ll try again this afternoon.0 Roussel put a piece of pike in his mouth swallowed it with some difficulty washed it down with a sip of 'adoit and put down his knife and fork. He did not feel hungry which was unusual for him. He had gone home briefly at five o0clock to shower and shave then had driven to !uxerre to start the paperwork and preliminary report on the second murder make comparative notes with Holbrook0s murder brief (ommissaire Toussaint and his team and attend the post& mortem which (otinaud also attended =with more self&possession than Roussel would have credited him for since this had turned out to be the gendarmerie chief0s first post&mortem and a particularly gruesome one at that given the state of the corpse>. !lso there was something about (arteau0s murder that depressed him. He was feeling tired and listless. This new development & the killing of (arteau & opened perspectives that needed to be addressed urgently while at the same time it blurred the issuesM one of the suspects had now turned victim. Early that morning in his @uiet empty office facing the cork&lined wall on which were pinned notes and photographs of the victims and crime scenes he had tried to set down his thoughts in a structured way feeling the need to contain them in some kind of framework before they dispersed . This wasn0t usually the way he worked. His normal method was to make a few notes %ot down ideas as they occurred to him and hold the details in his head trusting the structure of the case to reveal itself eventually as of its own accord. 'ut it was becoming clear that the Holbrook&(arteau investigation called for a different method. -7as it obvious that (arteau had been murdered/0 asked ?u@uesne. -"h yes 0 said Roussel. -2o doubt about it. The state of the body didn0t help but despite the badly charred skin the in%uries to the skull face and neck plainly suggested that (arteau was attacked and killed before being thrown down from the top of the @uarry. #t would appear that the motorbike was thrown in after him landed on him and exploded on impact.0

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-(ould the in%uries not have been sustained when he fell from the top of the @uarry/ He could have got battered on his way down couldn0t he/ 7hat # mean is could his death not have been accidental after all/0 -2o (arteau was already dead when he hit the ground. His skull was crushed in a way that could not be satisfactorily explained by the fall since he fell in a dense bed of bracken which cushioned him but caught fire after the explosion. ?r <renache felt last night that it was likely he had been assaulted and killed first and the clinical examination at the post&mortem this morning confirmed this. #n addition there were no inhaled carbon particles in the larynx or windpipe which would have shown that (arteau had been alive when he was burnt. !nd the lab0s analysis of the heart blood for carbon monoxide was negative. )o he was definitely dead before the fire engulfed him. 7hat0s more examination of his lungs showed a series of tiny fatty embolisms blocking the blood vessels. This is consistent with a person having been sub%ected to violent in%ury before death. )o in answer to your @uestion ?u@uesne no his death was not accidental. #t was definitely murder.0 -#f the body was badly charred 0 said .ottier - it must have made identification difficult. !re we absolutely sure it0s (arteau0s/0 -$es the details of dental work the gendarmerie obtained this morning from ?r Trappe the dentist at Roilly identified (arteau without any doubt. !lso & though this could be considered to be unacceptable as evidence for identification & the remains of a 4aeger 5e(oultre watch were found on him.0 -7ere (arteau0s in%uries (arteau similar to Holbrook0s /0 -There are similarities but also some differences. (arteau also died from violent blows to the head delivered by a blunt instrument. Lnlike Holbrook though he was first attacked from the front as he was standing facing his assailant. He was a small man 1 BI metres only and the first two blows came from a height indicating that the perp was @uite a bit taller. .robably a right& hander too. 4ust as in the Holbrook case. 5ike Holbrook (arteau was finished off when he was lying on the ground. Holbrook was killed with a flattish but rounded weapon. #n (arteau0s case the murder weapon is different. The type of fractures and the shape of the puncture wounds on the forehead and over the right eye suggest that a hammer was used. $ou0ll find <renache0s estimation of the hammer head dimensions back at the office. 2eedless to say the hammer0s not been found. 'y now it has certainly been scrubbed clean and is hanging innocently with similar tools in somebody0s workshop.0

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?u@uesne groaned. -"h greatO #t0ll be like looking for a needle in a haystack. #n our part of the world every male past his teens has a workshop.0 He suddenly looked up -Has anyone considered the possibility that (arteau was killed by one of his little gang/0 Roussel said -$es of course. The gendarmerie are looking into that. 'ut # don0t believe in it. 1irst of all it isn0t 9a gang: as you called it it0s %ust a group of largely unemployed youths with too much time on their hands. !nd if one or two of them are suspected to have done a couple of breaking&and&enterings =unlike (arteau who had form they0ve never been caught> but there0s never been any violence about it.0 He drained his glass of water. -2evertheless as # said (otinaud0s looking into it.0 Roussel called for coffee. (affeine had been keeping him going since the night before. "nce upon a time sleepless nights were all in a day0s work so to speak. 2owadays he found it increasingly difficult for his body to catch up on lost sleep. -!nd as for looking for a needle in a haystack the gendarmerie has its work cut out especially since the brigade only numbers seven including the (hief. 8ind you our techs are going to be busy as well. !s a matter of fact 0 he continued. -the whole crime scene0s a nightmare. 2ot only because unlike the first murder this one took place in the open ground and is therefore as you know far more difficult to process but also because the disused @uarry and the part of the wood immediately around it have been used as an illegal dump for the last few years. The scene of crime techs spent most of last night and this morning sorting through garbage and dumped stuff tyre tracks old shoes dead cats household items trampled vegetation and so on. 7hether any of the stuff they collected will turn out to be relevant to the crime is anybody0s guess. The processing of evidence on this case is going to take a while.0 -$es 0 said .ottier with some sympathy -we heard some of the techs complaining about it.0 -7e can0t expect too much from the crime scene then 0 she added after a moment. -2o 0 answered Roussel sipping his coffee. -2ot only because of the nature of the site but also because the whole area was very badly trampled last night by the emergency medical team the gendarmes and the fire brigade trying to put out the fire which threatened to spread since the vegetation has been pretty dry lately. 2or can we expect much from any tyre marks that the techs made casts of. There must have been upwards of a do3en vehicles at the site last night. !nd hundreds of old and recent tracks from people going there in their car to dump their rubbish. They promised they0d do their best but #0m not hopeful.0 -!t least 0 .ottier said -we know the precise time of death for the second homicide.0

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-$es give or take a minute or two time for the murderer to dump the body and the motorbike down the top of the @uarry. !t +1. CH p.m. according to the Roilly gendarmerie log book a motorist driving to (hXtel&<Arard saw the explosion through the woods and called them immediately on this mobile.0 -# suppose he was checked up on/0 asked ?u@uesne. -$es the gendarmerie were @uite diligent about it. He is a local builder. He was going home from a site in his four&wheel drive. His two workers were in another car behind him and their stories match.0 -'it late to be working on a site isn0t it/0 asked ?u@uesne. -)ome people don0t @uibble about working late and the daylight was still strong.0 Roussel0s tone was acerbic. ?u@uesne shrugged almost imperceptibly before going on. -)o what0s your take on this second crime .atron/0 Roussel was silent for a few seconds gathering his thoughts. -!s you both know my feeling from the beginning about the Holbrook murder was that there might have been two people involvedM one being the murderer & faceless so far & and the second being (arteau who # believe happened upon Holbrook0s body after he had been killed and helped himself to his watch and wallet.0 -7hat about the notebook 8rs 4ames mentioned/0 interrupted .ottier. -?o you think this was taken by the murderer/0 -#t must have been. The notebook bothered me from the beginning. #t was one of the elements that made me suspect 5eo 4ames as soon as # knew he was in the area. Here we have two art historians & professional rivals of a sort and entangled with the same woman & each with a notebook that goes everywhere with him and in which he %ots down observations and ideas and makes sketches which may or may not find their way into a book. #mportant notebooks for the kind of work they both do.0 -!nd Holbrook0s notebook was missing 0 added ?u@uesne nodding. -That0s right 0 said Roussel. -"nly the ballpoint pen was found on the floor of the crypt very close to one of the statues. ='y the way !mina remind me to get 8rs 4ames to identify the pen>. Thus Holbrook must have had his notebook out when he was assaulted and was probably making notes in it. The notebook and ballpoint pen fell as did the panama hat. #f (arteau had come upon the notebook he would have examined it and found it uselessM the notes in it were undoubtedly in English and can0t have meant much to him & he was after easily disposable goods.

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)o he would left it there and we would have found it smeared with the same axle grease as Holbrook0s pockets were. "r he would have thrown it away somewhere and the gendarmerie would have found it in their search of the town. !s it is my idea is that the murderer not (arteau took the notebook possibly because of something that was written there. 5eo 4ames was the perfect suspect. Lnfortunately as it turns out his alibi seems to prove that though he was in Roilly on the morning Holbrook was killed he did not leave the cafA. He left Roilly at ten&forty and was in 8ontrAal by eleven & the organist at the 8ontrAal collegiate church saw him come into the church and make drawings of the choir stalls there. 'ut that0s beside the point for by then Holbrook was already dead.0 -?o you think (arteau might have seen the murderer then .atron/0 asked !mina .ottier. -$es that0s my working hypothesis at the moment 0 replied Roussel waving at the waitress for the bill. -7hat # think may have happened is thisM (arteau observes a well&dressed foreigner go into the church thinks there might be something in it for him goes into the church himself and sees someone other than his @uarry come out of the crypt. He goes into the crypt finds it seemingly empty goes behind the monument finds Holbrook0s body there puts two and two together helps himself to what0s in the pockets comes out of the church and greedy little thing that he is @uietly starts hatching a plot to get some blackmail money out of the person he thinks killed the foreigner.0 -7hich means it was someone familiar to him at least by sight 0 said .ottier. -That0s right. 'ut it might have been %ust about anyone he0d seen before around Roilly or at the market. $ou know what little market towns are like. .eople look familiar if you0ve seen them around even if you don0t know their names. This certainly makes it unlikely that the murderer was a complete outsider.0 Roussel paid the bill waving away .ottier0s and ?u@uesne0s contributions. -This was a working lunch 0 he said. -#0ll put it on expenses. # think it0s about time the )R.4 treated us for all the overtime we0re going to be putting in.0 They lingered in silence for a few minutes each thinking about the case. Roussel0s mobile rang. He listened giving occasionally one of his characteristic grunts. 7hen the conversation was over he replaced the mobile in the pocket of his rumpled suit and looked at his colleagues -That was the !d%udant&chef.. They @uestioned (arteau0s pals this morning. 2ot only do they all alibi each other for the time of Holbrook0s murder =they were standing smoking on the parvis in full view of the market crowd and that0s been corroborated by other people> but they0re

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also out of the picture for the time of (arteau0s deathM the whole group & five of them & were in the 'ar de la 8airie from H p.m. to the small hours celebrating a friend0s engagement. Rock&solid alibis for them all & not that # thought they had anything to do with (arteau0s death. 'ut (otinaud didM he continues to believe in that fiction that the two murders are smalltime gang& related. !nyway he told me something that further confirms our working hypothesis. !pparently one of the boys mentioned that when (arteau treated them all to drinks on 7ednesday he let drop that there would be 9plenty more where that came from:.0 -(ouln0t be more pat 0 said .ottier drily. Roussel grunted -)o it really does look as if whoever killed Holbrook also killed (arteau 0 offered ?u@uesne. -'ut we don0t have enough suspects. 7ho0s heading our list now/0 Roussel hesitated -#f pushed #0d say reluctantly the duet 8rs 4ames&8me RAgnier. 8me RAgnier0s alibi must be very carefully checked for last night at +1.CH. !mina you can do that this afternoon. $ou0ll also need to get from the Roilly 8airie a plan of all the municipal market stalls. #0ll start interviewing everyone who had any truck with Holbrook since his arrival in this country. 7e0ll try to trace and time their movements exactly on 7ednesday between ten and eleven and on Thursday at about nine p.m..0 He looked at ?u@uesneM -How did you get on with the list # gave you yesterday .atrick/0 -)till working on it .atron. #0ve got a large file on la 5indberg and her books and a lot of info on that ?utch guy. There0s nothing suspicious about either of them so far. !nd #0m pressing on with the rest.0 -<ood. .ut whatever you0ve got so far on my desk. #0ll have a look at it if # get back to the office early this evening. #f not tomorrow.0 He suddenly remembered that ?u@uesne had failed to find out that the HolbrookV4ames fisticuffs had been recorded in police files in England. -Had you checked to see whether Holbrook had a record in 'ritain/0 he asked. ?u@uesne0s face went puce. -!s a matter of fact .atron # didn0t since you0d asked me to ask )cotland $ard whether they had anything on him. # didn0t think there was any point in duplicating their work so # got you what other info # could about the man. 2one of the 'ritish newspapers # consulted mentioned the fight with 5eo 4ames.0 -2o someone high up s@uashed it up.0

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-There you are then.0 He looked at Roussel unblinkingly. -$ou mustn0t think we can get everyt'ing on the #nternet .atron.0 Roussel smiled slyly. -2o/0 -2o 0 echoed ?u@uesne forcibly. -#t0s a myth to think that everything0s accessible. 7hat kind of a world would we be living in if it were/0 -Everything0s not perhaps accessible to the common&or&garden variety of net&surfer of which you0re not one. 'ut what about hackers/ !ll those clever friends of yours throughout the world/0 ?u@uesne was reluctant to get drawn into that sub%ect. -Hackers are something else. Even so they can0t get into everyt'ing% -7ell fancy thatO !nd there # was thinking # had a magician on my team.0 -$ou mustn0t believe all the gossip at the .4 'oss.0 -He0s being a hypocrite sir 0 intervened .ottier. -$ou wouldn0t believe the stuff he can get out of the 2et.0 )he rolled her eyes. -.eople are no longer safe from prying eyes. !ll the details of their lives are availableM professional personal political financial police records health tastes diet sexual fantasies you name it he can get them all. #t0s unbelievable and if it weren0t so useful to us it should be severely repressed. 8ost of it0s illegal anyway.0 -2ow .atrick let0s be seriousM without getting the department into hot water can you find out as much you can personally and professionally about those people on the list/0 -$es sir.0 The tone was sober but the smile was wide. -# have a useful network. #t0ll be a doddle. 0 -Really/0 Roussel suddenly felt old. 2ot old and tired %ust old and out of it a long way from this new generation of mutants. #t must have shown on his face for !mina said with a laugh -# agree with you .atron it0s pretty nightmarish. 2ot one 'ig 'rother watching you but millions of little ones.0 -'illions 0 said ?u@uesne. -7ell 0 Roussel said more briskly getting up from the table the caffeine kicking in. -5et0s get a move on mes en#ants% 7e have a busy afternoon ahead. $ou and # !mina will be heading for Roilly. 'ut we0ll go in two separate cars. $ou0re to go to the 8airie first for the plan of the municipal market stalls make a couple of photocopies of it then meet me in the church. !fter that you0ll go to 5a Tuilerie to see 8me RAgnier. <et her to show you on the plan exactly what her movements were in the market. !nd check her alibi for last night.

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-8eet you in the church .atron/0 -$es. # want to look at that crypt again. # can0t get rid of the idea that the setting of the first murder may hold the key to both crimes. Then #0ll start interviewing some of those 9posh foreigners: you were talking about yesterday.0 !s they left the restaurant a young man bare&chested and in cut&off shorts was polishing the brass fittings on the nearest houseboat. Roussel stopped to look at him caught up in this image of a long&lost fantasy.

CHAPTER 13

The church was cool and silent as it had been two days before when 4ulian Holbrook had met his death. Had he also met his maker Roussel wondered idly without @uite knowing what the expression meant really meant to those who believed in an afterlife. He himself was not a believer & he was raised a (atholic but without ever noticing had slid into atheism as he got older. However as many atheists did he found the sub%ect of faith tantali3ing. He doubted that Holbrook had been a believer either. He0d been too cynical for that. The more Roussel learnt about him the more complex and e@uivocal he seemed. .erverse possibly even twisted. There was something about Holbrook that reminded him of the character of Galmont in Les Liaisons dangereuses, the gamesmanship the possession of others through tactical manipulation the ultimate destructiveness% Roussel had a fleeting image of Harriet 4ames0s stricken expression when he had confirmed her ex&husband0s revelation of 4ulian Holbrook0s bisexuality and thus of his betrayal. Lnless Roussel was grossly mistaken expression. His mind went back to the discussion at lunch. (arteau0s part in what had happened to Holbrook now seemed clearer and 5eo 4ames had a viable alibi for both murders. 8rs 4ames had a cast&iron alibi for the second murder. 7hat was left was either an investigation that had to take he did not think she could have faked that

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into account the possibility that they were dealing with two separate murderers

or a cast of

faceless suspects. "r both of course. 1rom the beginning of the investigation Roussel had had the inkling it would be a complex undertaking and that he must heed the wisdom of the old adage that said that the key to a murder was to be found in the character or life history of the victim. He walked down the nave to the crypt. !s he had done on 7ednesday he stood for a minute on the steps %ust past the low carved doorway to the Entombment chapel. He found the light switch on the left of the door and turned it on. "n the former occasion the gendarmerie and later the #dentification %udiciaire technicians had set up powerful spotlights that had illuminated the body and floor area throwing the stone mourners into deep shadow. 2ow the scene was restored to its usual crepuscular gloom which the low&wattage bulb did little to relieve. #t was made more mysterious by the fact that in a little enclave on the left of the shallow steps were four life&si3ed stone figures of tomb guardians which were part of the scene but peripheral to the main Entombment group. "ne of them stood and the oher three crouched at his feet. Roussel reali3ed that he had almost forgotten about them though his search of the crime scene on 7ednesday had of course included them. 2ow he examined them critically assessing their presence as part of the composition. They represented the Roman soldiers who had guarded (hrist0s tomb but in accordance with the fashion of the time they were shown not dressed in Roman garb but rather in fifteenth&century armours that still bore traces of polychromy. The standing soldier though impressive had a bland expression as he looked over his companions. 'ut it was the other three soldier figures that Roussel found forbidding.They were crouched in a circle near the left&hand wall of the crypt. Their faces were grotes@ue and grimacing animated with hatred and greed like faces in a 'osch painting. "ne of the soldiers was shown in the act of throwing a pair of dice. 5ying crumpled on the floor within the circle was the pri3e they were playing for a stone garment with beautifully carved folds that showed faint signs of reddish paint & the robe of (hrist. (ringing by the side of one of the figures was a small stone dog a kind of dwarf greyhound its ears dangling in cowed misery its coat still showing traces of black paint. #t was altogether a remarkably dramatic and naturalistic scene. The bestiality of the guardian figures served as a foil to the luminous monument that stood in the middle of the crypt. He went down the steps and stood facing it with his back to the chapel wall. 1or a few minutes he allowed himself the luxury of fully experiencing the awe that the sight of the Roilly Entombment always aroused in him.

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The scene depicted preparations for the burial of (hrist. Two tall masculine figures representing 4oseph of !rimathea and 2icodemus both of them dressed as fifteenth&century burghers were shown in the act of folding up the shroud over the dead figure of (hrist which lay on a simple unadorned bier. 'ehind them stood the mournersM the aging Girgin 8ary bending down for a last sorrowful look at her son supported by a wide&eyed haggard young )t 4ohn head slightly averted in pain and awe at the task awaiting him. ! voluptuously youthful 8ary 8agdalene with a wide dAcolletA and lush uncovered hair rippling down her shoulders with which she had %ust anointed the dead (hrist. The sight sent goose pimples down Roussel0s back. !s always he was awestruck by the consummate art of that anonymous sculptor who had been able to con%ure out of an inert mass of limestone such natural expressions of grief sadness and love. #f the response the artist had intended to elicit from his fifteenth&century onlooker had been compassion a feeling of kinship with the mourners and a reflection on the human condition then now in the twenty&first century the message still came across loud and clear. The rest of the message however was lost on Roussel. 2ot a believer he was insensitive to the spiritual teaching of Entombment scenes namely the hope of resurrection and everlasting life and the consolation of faith. 7hat he felt remained firmly on a human level. Here before him was evidence that love sorrow loss were emotions that linked mankind through the ages and spoke in a single voice. The impact of the Roilly Entombment like that of its famous counterpart in (haource in neighbouring (hampagne lay in the sober naturalistic treatment of the seven traditional figures surrounding the dead (hrist. Here sorrow was extreme but controlled. #n stark contrast with the almost caricatural depiction of the guardian&soldier group there was no unnecessary gesture or gratuitous decorative detail that came to perturb the unity of the composition a unity that was reinforced by the fact that all the mourners shared a strong family resemblance. Roussel had read in 5eo 4ames0s book that sometimes sculptors used a single model for all the figures. )ome used their own family as models others included portraits of rich patrons. )everal of the great <othic imagiers showed a predilection for a single facial type. Roussel had seen evidence of it in the (haource Entombment and in many of Tilman Riemenschneider0s sculptures. Here in Roilly the wide&set eyes the high flat angle of the cheekbones the slightly curved nose and thin&lipped mouth were echoed from one face to the other regardless of the age or gender of the character. #t looked eerily as if members of a single family were mourning one of their own. was flanked by the other two holy women and shown in the act of closing the flagon of perfumed oil

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The monument had been commissioned in 1;I; from an unnamed sculptor or workshop by a couple of wealthy burghers of Roilly whose effigies much smaller in scale than the life&si3ed figures of the mourners & indeed almost doll&like &showed them kneeling in prayer in a niche to the right of the monument. !n inscription on a flagstone showed that their bodies had been buried at the foot of the bier %ust behind the figure of 2icodemus. This indicated that symbolically they hoped to have front seats for the Resurrection and 4udgment ?ay. 5ess than forty&eight hours previously Holbrook0s body had been found close to the donor0s funerary slab and once more Roussel wondered whether the setting was relevant to the murder and whether the key to the investigation might not to be found here in the significance to both murderer and victim of that remarkable feat of sculpture. He heard footsteps in the church. -#0m in the crypt !mina 0 he shouted from the open doorway. 'ut the person who appeared at the top of the steps turned out to be not !mina .ottier but 5eo 4ames looking fit and youthful in a faded pair of blue %eans and a long&sleeved white shirt. "nce more Roussel was struck by how different he looked from the over&dapper Holbrook. -Hello there 0 said 4ames in English. -# saw your car at the foot of the parvis steps and recogni3ed it from last night.0 -# thought you were leaving the Roilly Entombment till last 0 commented Roussel. 5eo 4ames grinned with disarming charm. -(ouldn0t keep away could #/.0 -Even though you feel it0s been desecrated/0 -!h well....0 4ames shrugged at that reminder as if to say -7hat can # do/0. Then more soberly. -# was working in )emur but suddenly got worried about Harriet and went over to 5a Tuilerie to see if she was all right. #0d been trying to get her since this morning on the phone and kept getting the answering&machine.0 -!nd is she all right/0 -!pparently. )he decided to take off for the day according to 8ado whom # went to see in desperation. ?o you know 8ado & 8me RAgnier/0 "n an affirmative nod from Roussel he went on. -8ado said Harriet sounded fine this morning but decided she needed a change of scenery. )he0ll be back this evening.0 He %oined Roussel in his contemplation of the monument leaning his muscular back against the chapel wall. Roussel glancing at him noticed that his face bore a rapt expression -8arvellous isn0t it/ .retty bloody marvellous 0 he repeated almost to himself. -7e still can0t figure out exactly how the whole enterprise was achieved. They must have knocked a wall

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down to get those huge blocks of limestone in. They would never have got the blocks in through the door otherwise.0 -)urely the individual statues could be carried through0 commented Roussel. -"h but there are no individual statues here apart from the standing guardian.0 He looked at Roussel. -Hadn0t you noticed/ The eight figures of the main monument counting (hrist were carved out of three huge pieces of limestone. !nd the crouching soldier group out of a fourth. The standing figure0s a single statue but # think it was an afterthought put in to increase the dramatic effect.0 -How interesting 0 said Roussel. -# hadn0t noticed.0 He peered curiously at what 4ames was showing him. -)ee hereM the bier (hrist 2icodemus and 4oseph of !rimathea are carved out of a single hori3ontal block. 'ehind it you have two vertical blocksM the Girgin and )t 4ohn symbolically sculpted out of the same block to show that they are united in grief and in the task of spreading the message of (hrist* and then the three lesser 8arys making up the third block. # like 8ary 8agdalene don0t you/ religionO0 He laughed. -#t never ceases to ama3e me how often medieval artists slipped in erotic features into some of their most religious or macabre representations. 'ut then the medieval mind was both lewd and deeply religious at the same time. They understood all about Eros and Thanatos and the link between them.0 -7hat do we know about the monument/0 asked Roussel. -2ot much 0 said 5eo 4ames cheerfully. -!ll we know for sure is the identity of the donors and the date of the commission because all this is written on their funerary slab. The rest is all con%ecture.0 -(an you trace any influence/0 -!gain not with any documented certainty. The naturalistic style of the Roilly Entombment and the fact that it targeted the emotional sensibility of the onlooker is closer to the Troyes )chool than to the 'urgundian )chool proper. 'ut it also shows similarities with other styles. #f we0re talking details the figure of (hrist here for instance looks remarkably like its counterpart in the cathedral at 5angres which is dated 1;+C and is the earliest of the monumental compositions in 1rance. !nd # see in the treatment of the Girgin and )t 4ohn strong similarities )he looks as if she must have been a good&time girl before she got

1D ,

with the group at 'inche in 'elgium them/0

which is about twenty to forty years later. ?o you know

-2o 0 admitted Roussel -but # saw photographs of them in your book.0 5eo 4ames nodded. -'oth the 5angres and 'inche pieces are by unidentified sculptors and all it tells me is that there is a faint possibility that the Roilly master travelled to those places and made drawings of those monuments. #t tells me 3ilch about who he was whose workshop he studied in or whether he was a sedentary or travelling imagier.0 -#t would be a feather in any art historian0s cap wouldn0t it to identify this unknown master 0 commented Roussel peering at 5eo 4ames in the ambient gloom. The younger man shrugged -7e0re not there yet.0 He took a couple of steps sideways. -Though yes you0re right it would certainly be a considerable feather in one0s cap.0 He was silent for a minute as if wondering whether to speak up or not. #n the end he said casually almost dismissivelyM -7hen # was in northern )pain a few months ago doing research for my new book # found in an area which numbered less than a do3en sleepy hillside villages three individual statues of saints that bore a remarkable similarity to the work not of the 8a[tre de Roilly himself but of one of the other sculptors who worked with him0 & he gestured towards the group of guardian&soldiers & -the one who was responsible for this remarkable sidepiece.0 -Really/0 said Roussel his interest aroused. -?id you manage to identify him/0 -2o though he is referred to in the only relevant document # could find as 9El 1rancAs: the 1renchman.0 -)ounds promising.0 -Hm.0 5eo 4ames smiled -5et0s hope so. 7hat0s interesting about it if # can identify him is that it might lead me indirectly to the identity of the 8a[tre de Roilly the man in whose workshop that other sculptor worked.0 -)o said Roussel -you feel certain the 8a[tre de Roilly did not work alone/0 -"h this is @uite obvious from the different styles of the two groups here. 'esides sculptors hardly ever worked on their own when they were faced with such monumental commissions. #t would be unusual if not impossible for a single artist to carry out the whole endeavour. )ometimes especially with sedentary imagiers, there were family workshops. Here0 5eo 4ames0s gesture embraced the crypt -you can detect three hands. The 8a[tre de Roilly whoever he was was clearly the most gifted and experienced of the three. He was certainly the head of the workshop. He was responsible for the overall composition which is masterful and did

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all the heads and hands of the eight main figures and most of the drapery including & #0m pretty certain & the crumpled robe of (hrist which the soldiers are playing for. ?id you notice those folds/0 Roussel nodded while 5eo 4ames went on. -# detect another hand in the figures =but not the faces> of 4oseph and 2icodemus which have a certain stiffness that is @uite absent from the other figures. This second sculptor probably also sculpted the body of (hrist and the standing soldier figure $ou can see they0re well done but @uite bland0. -Then 0 continued 5eo 4ames to whom lecturing to a rapt public was obviously second nature =Roussel did not complain he was rivetted by what he was hearing though he could not see any relevance to his investigation> -you have a third sculptor @uite gifted more expressionistically inclined. He did the crouching soldiers.0 -!nd you think he may have been your putative 91renchman: 0 mused Roussel. -He at least must have been a travelling imagier if you found evidence that points to his presence in )pain.0 -+oucement, Commandant, your enthusiasm is running away with yourselfO # didn0t say the 91renchman: was one and the same as the creator of these soldiers %ust that their work showed a remarkable similarity. #0m light years from finding serious evidence about it.0 -)o what0s your take on this 8r 4ames/0 Roussel gestured to the two groups of statues. -# think it0s very likely to have been a family workshop.0 -5ike the )onnette brothers who produced the Tonnerre Entombment/0 -Exactly. #n their case fortunately we know @uite a bit about who they were how they worked and who they were apprenticed to.0 -They were pupils of (laus )luter0s weren0t they/0 -#ndeed they were 0 5eo 4ames sounded amused. -$ou0ve obviously done your homework (ommandant.0 -7ell #0m a 'urgundian 8r 4ames and # take great pleasure in the art of my region.0 -<ood for youO0 cried 5eo 4ames as if encouraging a .hilistine. !h the 'ritish thought Roussel quelle condescendance9 Then he admitted to himself he had been showing off with his (laus )luter remark and that 4ames had responded accordingly. -The family resemblance between the figures here is striking 0 remarked Roussel. -#ncluding the faces of the soldiers despite their grimacing0 -$es indeed if you look beyond the distortion the features are similar.0 though definitely

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-?o you think the 8a[tre de Roilly and his acolytes used their own family as models/0 -#t0s possible. #t might even0 & his eyes twinkled P -if #0m lucky in my present research become a working hypothesis.0 They walked slowly around the monument pausing every now and then to look at a detail. 5eo 4ames hesitated then askedM -7here was he found/0 -8r Holbrook you mean/0 -$es.0 -"ver here 0 showed Roussel pointing to where 4ulian Holbrook0s body had lain. 4ames looked at the spot with undisguised curiosity and said flippantlyM -#t0s been cleaned up a treat hasn0t it/ "ne would never suspect..... !lthough # expect if you used luminol the whole place would light up like the fourteenth of 4uly.0 -5uminol eh/0 commented Roussel mildly. -!re you a fan of !merican thrillers 8r 4ames/0 5eo 4ames shrugged. -?id the Roilly monument have any particular significance for 4ulian Holbrook/0 Roussel0s @uestion took the two men back to present reality. 5eo 4ames looked baffled. -)ignificance/ .rofessionally personally or symbolically/0 -7hatever.0 -7ell on a personal or symbolic level you0d have to ask my ex&wife. # wouldn0t have the foggiest. "n a professional level other than it being a masterpiece that he would have admired whatever his particular speciali3ation # can0t see what significance it could have had for him. He never wrote about it in any of his books. 2ot his period stylistically.0 4ames took a few steps around the monument thinking. -4ulian was a Renaissance specialist (ommandant 0 he explained. -8ost of his books dealt with Humanism the classical influence the importance of perspective and so on. He had the mistaken mindset that a number of Renaissance scholars still haveM he considered the 8iddle !ges as a barbaric period a kind of ?ark !ges of the mind before enlightenment came to change all the rules of the game. 1or him the Renaissance opened out all perspectives. 5ike the classical age it venerated it deified the body whereas (hristian <othic ideals mortified and humiliated the body.0 -?espite the erotic features you mentioned/0 smiled Roussel. -!s # said eroticism religion and death were intimately intricated in High <othic art. The voluptuousness of 8ary 8agdelene next to the corpse of (hrist served as a memento mori% $ou can see how the Roilly Entombment is still firmly entrenched within the medieval mentality.

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#nstead of focusing on the here&and&now it showed the faithful that life was transitory and death the only path to a better world. That0s the chief message of Entombment scenes. #t was very important to the (hurch that believers be reassured in those terrible times that they0d have a better life after death. ?on0t forget how nightmarish the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries must have been & endless wars famines the 'lack ?eath and other great epidemics. 7e0re very far from the unremittingly sensual here&and&now of the Renaissance world. 4ulian. He worked in a totally different context.0 -'ut0 said Roussel -isn0t it true that in 1;I; when the chapel of the )Apulcre was commissioned the Renaissance and its concepts had been established in Europe for a while.0 -$ou0re absolutely right. 'otticelli was a well&established artist 5eonardo was finishing the Last "upper, 5oren3o de0 8edici had only recently died the 8oors had been driven from )pain. )nd !merica had %ust been discoveredO !lthough # doubt whether the members of our workshop here were even remotely aware that all these events were taking place not too far from them.0 He faced Roussel. -The two so&called historical periods overlap. The terms 98iddle !ges: and 9Renaissance: are artificial conventions defining very different concepts and approaches which overlapped chronologically in Europe for several decades.0 They slowly made their way out of the crypt turning the light off after them. -$our ex&wife did say that your field of interest as an art historian switched from the Renaissance to the late 8iddle !ges 0 said Roussel looking curiously at 5eo 4ames. -$es.0 There was a small silence. -# find the 8iddle !ges riveting both from an artistic and a psychological point of view. # also have felt consistently over the last ten years that the medieval period has been maligned and misrepresented by art historians. $et it was such a brilliantly inventive and symbolic period. The sculpture in particular. $ou can read carvings like a book.0 Roussel must have looked sceptical for 5eo 4ames suddenly stopped. -Take these capitals for instance 0 & he gestured at the capitals adorning the nave. -'eyond the 'iblical stories they tell they reveal a whole world of symbols and philosophy. They must be decrypted like hieroglyphics. 5ook here 0 he said pointing at the capital under which they had stopped. -7hat do you see/0 )o to go back to your @uestion # don0t @uite see what the significance of the Roilly Entombment could have been for

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Roussel peered up. 1ortunately the light in the church was stronger than it had been in the crypt. -# see a man with long hair and a pleated tunic pouring what looks like grains of wheat into a funnel held by another man who0s holding a sack. 7hy 0 he cried -this is very similar to a capital at GA3elay. #0d never noticed it hereO0 -$es 0 said 5eo 4ames. -'ut if you think this is merely a country scene depicting seasonal work you0d be missing the point altogether. This capital represents the mystic mill. The man pouring the grain is supposed to be the prophet 8oses and the man with the sack the apostle .aul. The grain represents the "ld Testament the flour that comes out of the mill symbolises the ?ivine 7ord of the 2ew Testament. The mill in between the grain and the flour represents the (hristian <od. The message to the onlooker is that conversion to (hristianity implies a deep transformation of the self. #n addition the flour also evokes the body of (hrist which is symbolically contained in the Eucharist wafer.0 Roussel was entranced. He0d often admired the sculptures of GA3elay and !utun but had never paused to find out about the symbolism behind them. -The @uestion that keeps coming back to irk me 0 he said changing the sub%ect reluctantly and aware that he was discussing his thoughts with a witness in the investigation -is why Holbrook was killed in this particular place.0 5eo 4ames looked at him curiously. -# suppose it0s out of the @uestion that his murder could have been a street crime of sorts/ !fter all from what Harriet tells me 4ulian was robbed as well as bashed on the head.0 -! street crime was indeed a hypothesis.0 Roussel debated on how much he could tell 4ames. -7e had some indication 0 he pursued -that seemed to point in that direction. Lnfortunately 0 he added -our chief suspect himself was murdered last night.0 -!h 0 said 5eo 4ames nodding in understanding. -$our phone call of last night.0 -.recisely.0 -Gillains falling out/0 -# don0t think so 0 said Roussel slowly. -#t now looks more likely that our erstwhile suspect was blackmailing the murderer and was himself killed because of it.0 5eo 4ames stared at him. -'ut that might mean that the murderer was someone who knew 4ulian. "ne of us/0 He suddenly gave a dry cackle. Roussel remained silent.

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-$es by <odO0 4ames clapped his hands enthusiastically. -That makes sense.0 -7hat does/0 asked Roussel. -That he was murdered by one of that dreary group of expats. #0m sure that if you dig around long enough you0ll find plenty of reasons why any of them might have done it. 4ulian was highly clubbable.0 -(urious 0 remarked Roussel. -7hat is/0 -$our last remark. 8y lieutenant made exactly the same comment after our first interview with 8rs 4ames.0 -# hope (ommandant that you don0t suspect HarrietO0 -Right now 8r 4ames we cannot exclude anyone totally from the list of suspects. 8rs 4ames has an alibi for the time of the second murder as do you. 'oth of you were with me at the time. 'ut unlike yours her alibi for the first murder is unverified.0 5eo 4ames looked relieved at first then glum. -#0m glad you were able to verify my story 0 he said -though # had no doubt you would. 'ut (ommandant you0re barking up the wrong tree if you think Harriet had anything to do with 4ulian0s death.0 Roussel was silent. Then as if it was an afterthought he pulled 5eo 4ames0s passport from the pocket of his %acket. -Here you are 8r 4ames. !s you can see the photograph did come in useful.0 -7ho was your suspect/0 4ames asked curiously pocketing his passport. -The one who was murdered last night/0 -"ne Henri (arteau a petty criminal from Roilly. 8r Holbrook0s watch & or what remained of it & was found on his body.0 -How did he die/0 -He too was bludgeoned. Then he was thrown down a steep @uarry and his motocycle was thrown in after him. #t caught fire.0 4ames winced. -How ghastly. 7as he burnt to death/0 -2o he was dead before he was thrown over the edge.0 -.oor bastardO0 )uddenly 5eo 4ames saidM -! @uarry you say/0 -$es a disused limestone @uarry. 1or years now it0s been used as an illegal dumping ground. 7hy do you ask/0

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5eo 4ames hands in his pockets looked pensive. -#t might be interesting to have a chemical analysis made of the limestone in the @uarry and compare it with that of the monument here. "r ask the 8onuments Histori@ues whether this was ever done. They might have some data on it although in my experience they0re a pain in the arse where giving away info is concerned. 7e =art historians # mean> have always found that the local availability of material went hand in hand with the establishment of local sculpture workshops. This might give us an indication that the 8a[tre de Roilly was a local and sedentary imagier%0 Roussel nodded slowly. -!nd it might be yet another link with the significance of the monument in the two murders.0 -! couple of minutes ago 0 continued Roussel -you referred to the group of expatriates who live around Roilly as possibly harbouring 8r Holbrook0s murderer. 7hy is that/0 -"h0 shrugged 4ames. -# suppose it0s a bit of an exaggeration. 'y now (ommandant you must be aware that # shoot my mouth off rather easily. They0re not t'at dreadful. 'ut they would never have been Harriet0s friends in any other context. Except for 8ado who0s a real friend =but then she0s not an expat is she/>. !nd perhaps 1aye ?unning who0s a very sympat'ique and interesting woman. 'ut the rest of themN.0 -Tell me about them 0 said Roussel. 5eo 4ames snorted. -?on0t count on me to give you the low&down on them (ommandant. #-m not inclined to be an indic as you call them. 2or do # know them that well. !fter all # didn0t come that often to 5a Tuilerie when Harriet and # were still married. !nd #0ve been persona non grata ever since our divorce.0 -$et you blithely suggest that one of them might have a motive for doing away with 8r Holbrook.0 -5ike # said (ommandant my words sometimes get ahead of me.0 5eo 4ames was saved from further embarrassment by the sound of footsteps and the appearance down the aisle of .ottier. Roussel introduced 4ames to his lieutenant who looked at him attentively. )he was holding a roll of papers in her hand. !s they made their way to the church door they heard a clap of thunder. -!h here it comes 0 said Roussel. -The limited. to was right for once.0 !s the descendant of several generations of wine&growers his confidence in the national meteorological office was

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!s they stood on the parvis steps the first fat drops of rain started to fall. They ducked back in the doorway. "ut in the s@uare people were scuttling away except for a curious figure who seemed impervious to the rain. !n unkempt old man scowling and muttering to himself sitting on the fountain cope surrounded with plastic bags. He looked like a sans-abri% -!h 0 said 5eo 4ames. -Here0s old 9)ac \ puces:. # hadn0t seen him in a few years. ?oesn0t look a day older than when # used to come regularly to this part of the world.0 -#s he a homeless person/0 asked !mina. -# don0t think so. He must live somewhere around here. He0s @uite a fixture in Roilly.0 4ust then the rain started to fall in earnest and the old man gathering his polythene bags loped away towards a side street and disappeared from sight. -#t doesn0t look as if this will stop for a while 0 said 5eo 4ames looking skywards. -# think #0ll go back into the crypt.0 !fter he had gone back into the church .ottier remarked to RousselM -)o that was the famous 8r 4ames. He doesn0t look at all like # imagined.0 -How did you imagine him !mina/0 -"lder for one thing. !nd well more formally dressed. 8ore like Holbrook.0 -!h but Holbrook was a dandy. ! dangerous dandy. 8r 4ames is a new&style art historian.0 -.hysically at least he seems much more suited to 8rs 4ames. Quite dishy too.0 Roussel was amused. .ottier was not in the habit of making such remarks. 'ut he could see what she meant. There (as something attractive about 5eo 4ames. 7hether his boyish smile hid something more sinister was yet to be discounted. 'ut Roussel reminded himself his double alibi meant that in principle he was out of it. -?id you learn anything from 8r 4ames today .atron/0 -# had a riveting lecture on art.0 -"h yes/0 Roussel looked at !mina. -# mean it. #t was really @uite fascinating. # could literally have stood there for hours listening to him.0 -7hat did it say to you about him though/0 -That he feels passionately about his sub%ect.0 -.assionately enough to have killed a rival/0 -#f Holbrook had in some way threatened his territory perhaps yes.0

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-.ity about the alibis.0 -$es.0 Roussel was silent for a while. -# think !mina that you will need to go through that first alibi again with a fine toothcomb. 8r 4ames does make a very credible suspect.0 -#f so then we0re back to the two&murderers theory.0 Roussel sighed. -#f this is the case we still have loads of work ahead of us.0 -?o you want me to re&interview the cafA people and the accountant about 5eo 4ames0s alibi now or go straight to 5a Tuilerie/0 -(heck off the alibi again first then go to 5a Tuilerie.0 -"kay .atron. Here0s your own copy of the municipal market plan.0 )he unrolled the bunch of papers she was holding handed him one and rolled the rest up again. -Right then. #0ll be on my way before it starts to pour down in earnest. #0ll phone you after #0ve seen 8me RAgnier. 7hat would you like me to do afterwards/0 -<o back to the office !mina finish up your reports and give ?u@uesne a hand with the collection of information on the people on our .ossibles list. 7illiamsons or if they0re not at home some of the others.0 # myself will interview the

CHAPTER 14

)heets of rain reduced the windscreen wipers to fren3ied ineffectiveness. Lnable to see more than a metre away Roussel thought of stopping the car by the road side then decided to press on. He did not have far to go. The 7illiamsons lived in a hamlet called 1ontanges&sous&Roilly about three kilometres from the market&town. !nd indeed by the time he reached the hamlet the rain had eased down enough for him to distinguish the road and the houses. #t was not difficult to find the 7illiamsons0 place which went by the name of 5e 8anoir de la 1ontaine aux !nges. Turrets proclaimed its whereabouts well above the line of the other houses as a medieval castle might tower over serfs0 hovels. !ny resemblance with a medieval castle stopped there however. This was a pink brick&and&stone late nineteenth&century manor house with a slate&covered roof two ivy&clad turrets and an improbable dovecot. ! frie3e of decorated tiles ran the whole width of the house %ust below the second&floor windows. Roussel remembered other houses that had been built in similar style in the !lpes de Haute&.rovence by men who had gone to )outh !merica to find gold had made good and eventually came back home
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to raise grandiose abodes that left the locals in no doubt as to their new wealth. The house was indeed a nouveau&riche man0s dream and a purist0s nightmare. #t was not in Roussel0s eyes as hideous as others he0d seen simply a little silly as if it were made of paste&board as dAcor for an operetta and it stuck out incongruously among the stark stone cottages and farmhouses of the hamlet. ! dark blue ornamental metal gate adorned with gold curlicues was open revealing a handsome drive lined with flowering shrubs. The gate was flanked by a wooden panel stating uncompromisinglyM -Proprit prive% Roussel drove up to the house with the half&repressed thought that he should go up to the door cap in hand. The woman who answered the bell had an astonishing head of curly magenta hair which looked like a wig but probably wasn0t. He remembered her as one of the two 'ritish women who had been waiting at Harriet 4ames0s doorstep when the police had driven her and 8me RAgnier back from the church on 7ednesday evening. )he was he guessed fifty&five going on thirty&four with perky breasts and a small but rounded build revealed by a fitted fuschia silk shirt and tight grey toreador pants worn with backless sandals with eight&centimetre heels. should not cross the threshold. -8rs 7illiamson/0 -$es/0 she said tentatively in English the syllable lengthened so that it sounded like -yeees0. Roussel who had his vanities chose to take this as a tribute to his English accent. He continued in the same language. -# am (ommandant .ierre Roussel of the !uxerre .olice %udiciaire.0 The blue eyes opened wider and he handed her his )R.4 card in its leather holder. -"hO0 she said glancing at it and then up at a wide flight of stairs that disappeared into the upper regions of the house. )he0d obviously forgotten she had met him before. The hall was huge almost baronial with a flagged stone floor and an enormous glass chandelier centred over a round walnut table. "n it stood a large blue and white porcelain vase filled with a formal arrangement of foliage and flowers. 8rs 7illiamson asked abruptlyM -7hat do you want/0 (hina blue eyes opened wide in surprise at his proferred police card which he was sure she had not taken in so determined did she seem that he

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Roussel was slightly taken aback by her rudeness. -#0m investigating the death of 8r 4ulian Holbrook. # believe you and your husband were ac@uaintances of his. #0d like to ask you both a few @uestions.0 8rs 7illiamson0s fuschia&tipped talons clutched Roussel0s card&holder as a bu33ard might hold a mouse and a wary look came in to her eyes. 4ust then there was the sound of a door opening on the first floor and a man0s voice shoutedM -7ho0s that <inny/0 Girginia 7illiamson looked up. -#t0s the police Edward. They want to ask @uestions about poor 4ulian.0 Lneven steps sounded above them and a man appeared on the first floor landing peering at Roussel over his half&moon glasses. He slowly came down the stairs leaning on a mahogany cane. !s he came down to their level Roussel ever&mindful of the yet unidentified murder weapons noticed that the cane0s head made of some material that looked like ivory was in the shape of a horse0s head. 2ot what they were looking for then. He turned his attention to his host. Edward 7illiamson was in his late fifties Roussel guessed of average height slight of build and seemed to be suffering from arthritis. His shoulders were stiff his back stooped and the fingers that clutched the cane showed the beginning of deformity. #n another few years they would be like claws thought Roussel sympathetically. His own father also had suffered from arthritis and like 7illiamson at an early age. #t had not prevented him from working in the vineyards until cancer had felled him in his late sixties but every movement had been painful. 7illiamson was a good&looking man with a leonine head of grey hair blue eyes and an a@uiline nose. Two long creases went from his nose to the corners of his mouth giving him a craggy look. He wore a lime&green cotton shirt and white flannel trousers of a type Roussel thought had gone out with !gatha (hristie and Twenties tennis parties. incongruously peeped out a pair of white Reeboks. 8rs 7illiamson suddenly conscious that she was still holding Roussel0s card&holder proferred it to her husband who took it and examined it with great care. )he shot a @uick glance at Roussel and hissed to her husband. -The NerN#nspector speaks English.0 -Really/0 said her husband peering at Roussel over his glasses. His very blue eyes were curious but shrewd. -(ommandant Roussel 0 he said politely giving the card back -what is this all about/0 -# believe you knew 8r Holbrook who died last 7ednesday.0 'eneath them

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-Knew/ Hardly. 7e met socially a few times $ou could say we were ac@uainted that0s all.0 The pitch of 7illiamson0s voice was a little on the high side with an accent that Roussel still referred to as a ''( accent. -2evertheless #0d like to ask you a few @uestions. !nd your wife as well.0 7illiamson gave him a level stare. -Gery well. 5et0s go into the conservatory shall we/0 He looked at his watch. -Tea&time # think <inny dear.0 Recalled to safe social duties 8rs 7illiamson was suddenly bright and busy. -Tea. "f course 0she said with effusive relief. -#0ll bring it along in a minute.0 The two men made their way slowly to the back of the hall and through an informal room which Roussel took to be their family room. #t was relentlessly chint3y with white&panelled walls and fancy plaster mouldings on the ceiling. ! s@uashy three&seater sofa and two deep armchairs with matching footstools all upholstered in primrose&coloured flower&patterned chint3 faced a huge flat&screened television. #ndifferent paintings mostly water&colours were hung on two of the walls regardless of any sense of aesthetic balance and a glass cabinet displayed a collection of blue and white china. !nother wall consisted of sliding glass doors which gave onto a conservatory filled with a profusion of plants. There were no books anywhere. They sat in the conservatory on elaborate white cast&iron garden furniture that reminded Roussel of those in one of the Roilly cafAs. The noise of the raindrops on the glass roof was loud and the atmosphere in the west&facing conservatory steamy despite the air vents. Roussel felt overdressed in his cotton %acket but kept it on. Through the conservatory windows he could %ust make out the outline of a large garden with a swimming&pool and a tennis court in the background. He took his notebook and pen out of his %acket pocket. -7hat is your full name 8r 7illiamson/0asked Roussel -Edward .ercy 7illiamson.0 -!nd your wife0s/0 -Girginia !dele 7illiamson nAe Lr@uhart.0 -How do you spell that please/0 -L.R.Q.L.H.!.R.T.0 -Thank you. How long have you been living in 1rance/0 -!bout six years.0 -!re you retired/0 -$es.0

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-7here did you live before coming here/0 -#n Richmond )urrey. 2ot far from 5ondon. -?id you work in 5ondon/0 -$es.0 -7hat was your profession/0 -# was a businessman. #mport&export. (ommodities mostly.0 -# see 0 said Roussel scribbling away. -8ay # know the name of your firm/0 -(ertainly 0 answered 7illiamson taking a packet of 'enson and Hedges from his pocket and lighting a cigarette with an onyx table lighter that stood on the round white cast iron table. 'elatedly he reopened the packet and offered it to Roussel who refused politely the gesture not lost on him. -Though # can0t imagine what this has to do with 4ulian Holbrook0s death.0 -4ust routine sir.0 -How is it that you speak English so well #nspecteur/0 -#t0s (ommandant 8r 7illiamson. !nd you haven0t told me the name of your employers in 5ondon.0 -"h # was self&employed. E...7illiamson 5td.0 Girginia 7illiamson arrived with a tea&tray laden with rose&patterned china and a plate of chocolate biscuits. -!h teaO0 said her husband heartily clearing the table of the newspapers and maga3ines that were on it. 8rs 7illiamson poured and served commenting inconse@uentially on the rain. -# was asking the Commandant here <inny0 interrupted 7illiamson in a rather loud tone -where he learnt such good English.0 -$es indeed 0 said 8rs 7illiamson. #gnoring this Roussel sipped his tea =he loathed tea> and continued with his @uestioning. -How did you meet 8r Holbrook/ !nd when/0 -7e met him a few years ago. Through Harriet 4ames who0s part of our local 'ritish contingent -said 7illiamson. Roussel nodded. -!h yes of course you must have met her. 7ell....0 -Harriet was a close... friend of 8r Holbrook0s 0 added Girginia 7illiamson managing to enrobe the word -friend0 with cloying innuendo. -He used to come and stay with her a few times a year.0

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-'ut we didn0t see much of him 0 continued her husband. -7e0d have dinner occasionally.0 -# believe you had dinner together the evening before he died 0 remarked Roussel. Girginia 7illiamson0s hand flew to her bosom. -$es poor 4ulian. He was in such good form too.0 -Emily 5indberg0 said 7illiamson -& you must have met her (ommandant0 Roussel remained silent. - & had us over for a meal 0 said 7illiamson. -!lthough a 9meal: doesn0t do %ustice to the @uite splendid food she served. $ou have to know 0 he added addressing Roussel in a confidential tone that seemed to suggest he was part of the same social milieu rather than a policeman in the course of his duty -that since we0ve had in our midst a distinguished food writer in the shape of Harriet 4ames we0ve all been driven to distraction in our efforts to produce dinners that would not completely disgrace us.0 He paused sighing. -#t0s @uite a strain really.0 Roussel glanced at 8rs 7illiamson who was sipping her tea looking slightly smug. -(an you tell me something about the dinner at 8iss 5indberg0s/0 -7ell 0 said Girginia 7illiamson leaning forward in animation -we had a wonderful spinach soufflA to start with....0 -#0m sorry 8adame. # meant about the people at the dinner and what was talked about0 interrupted Roussel. 8rs 7illiamson sat back with her cup looking put out. Edward 7illiamson shot her a glance that Roussel could not interpret. -5et0s see. 7ho else was there/ Harriet and 4ulian of course he being the guest of honour. Hugo van Ri%n and young 4ean&4ac@ues. They0re anti@ue dealers. !nd ah yes 1aye ?unning.0 He paused. -# suppose (ommandant that you0ve interviewed or will be interviewing all these people.0 Roussel ignored this. -8ore tea/0 asked 8rs 7illiamson with a propped&up smile. -2o thank you 8adame. How did the evening go/ ?id 8r Holbrook seem his usual self/0 There was a small silence then both 7illiamsons started to speak at once. -"h it was very pleasant.0 8rs 7illiamson. -He was in excellent form.0 Her husband. !nother silence. Roussel0s patience snapped. -8rs 7illiamson 8r 7illiamson. ! man you knew has been murdered. 7hat he did whom he saw whom he talked to what he talked about since he arrived in this country almost a week ago is to us the police a matter of the utmost importance. 2ow # shall ask you once more whether there was anything at that dinner party on Tuesday evening that was in any way unusual.0

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8rs 7illiamson cleared her throat and looked da3ed.

Her husband pouring himself

another cup of tea said without looking directly at Roussel. -7ell now. #t doesn0t make me feel comfortable to talk about it you understand. 'ut now that you mention it we er did notice some.... what can # call them/....undercurrents # suppose.0 -"h they were more than undercurrents EdwardO0 ob%ected 8rs 7illiamson loudly. )he leaned forward staring earnestly at Roussel with her pale blue doll0s eyes. -#nspector....0 she started. <inny.0 -7hat/0 -#t0s Commandant dear.0 -7ell nevermind.0 Then looking at her husband irritatedly. -$ou interrupted me again Edward O0 -8rs 7illiamson 0 cut in Roussel calmly. -$ou were saying that there were more than undercurrents/0 -.es%0 )he looked defiantly at her husband. -There was a most a(*(ard situation between 4ulian Harriet and our hostess.0 Roussel nodded encouragingly. -#n what way was it awkward/0 -7ell 0 8rs 7illiamson went on. -you have to understand Commandant & she shot her husband a venomous look & -that Emily is occasionally.... how shall # say/0 Her husband sighed. -# think perhaps the word you0re looking for is 9predatory: dear.0 -.redatory. # see. 7ith whom/0 asked Roussel. -7ith other people0s husbandsO0 said Girginia 7illiamson roundly. -"r lovers. #t was known to us all and has been for years that Harriet and 4ulian were what one now calls an 9item:. 7ell # for one noticed that since last year Emily had been making eyes at 4ulian.0 -"h <inny you sound like....0 -)hut up Edward that woman0s a nymphoO !nd #0m well&placed to know it.0 - <inny she0s your #riend.0 -)hut up Edward.0 -8rs 7illiamson 0 intervened Roussel -please go on. 7ere you saying that 8iss 5indberg was making advances at 8r Holbrook during the dinner party/0 -)dvances9 # suppose you might call them that.0 Girginia 7illiamson sat back in her armchair. -<ive me a cigarette Edward.0 Her husband interrupted her wearily -#t0s Commandant

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-'ut <inny you don0t smoke.0 -#0m going to smoke no(.0 7ithout a word 7illiamson fished the pack of cigarettes out of his pocket and handed it to his wife. )he took one shaking with mutinousness or excitement & Roussel could not say which & and lit it exhaling the first mouthful of smoke in a long emission that hung above them like an awkward smell. -"n Tuesday evening there was more to it than business as usual with Emily. $ou have to understand that we0re @uite used to her flirting with all the men whatever their age or shape. 7here men are concerned she0s omnivorous. 8ostly it doesn0t mean much except that she takes a malicious pleasure in discomfiting wives. This time there was more. There was something going on between her and 4ulian which was....0 )he paused looking for the right word. -$es/0 encouraged Roussel. -# was going to say that it seemed not %ust openly defiant but....deliberately hurtful to Harriet.0 There was a silence. -?id you also feel this 8onsieur/0 Roussel asked 7illiamson. The older man cleared his throat and looked away. -Hm. 7ell yes # did notice that Emily and 4ulian seemed pretty well engaged in some kind of dalliance. <inny and # even discussed it on our way home. #t was frankly in very poor taste. There was Harriet trying to look as if she hadn0t noticed anything and the rest of us well going along with that. 7hat else could we do/0 -Harriet left early 0 said Girginia 7illiamson. -# myself think she shouldn0t have. #f she0d really cared about 4ulian she should have stayed and made more of a stand for herself. #t was very humiliating for her.0 -7hat happened after 8rs 4ames left/0 -7ell it became even more obvious that something was going on between Emily and 4ulian. !fter Harriet went home 4ulian behaved %ust as if he was the man of the house fetching glasses from the kitchen pouring after&dinner drinks & he and Emily had a lot to drink.0 -7e all had a lot to drink dear0 said Edward 7illiamson. His wife pouted then remained silent. -!t what time did the party break up/0 asked Roussel. -5et0s see. Harriet must have left at about eleven. 7e talked about the usual things food art 1rench politics 'ritish politics the situation in the 8iddle East usual dinner party talk.

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Hugo told us a story about some anti@ue dealers0 ring and 4ulian described art frauds he0d discovered.0 -!rt frauds/0 -$es some forger in 'elgium who0d apparently sold collectors a whole lot of forged Renaissance paintings. # can0t remember the details. #t wasn0t very interesting. !nyway we left at about midnight.0 -?id the others stay on/0 -$es. 7hen we left they were going great guns. They all looked as if they had a second wind. The next morning when we saw 1aye in the market she said the party went on till nearly two o0clock in the morning.0 -!t what time did you get to the market on 7ednesday/0 The 7illiamsons looked at each other. -!t about nine forty&five or so 0 said Edward 7illiamson. -# didn0t look at my watch.0 Roussel unrolled the market plan he had brought with him. and he thought that 8rs 7illiamson looked faintly alarmed. -?id you shop together/0 Roussel asked. -2o we never do0 answered 7illiamson. -7e0re past the age when standing together in @ueues is fun.0 -?o you remember what you did when you got to the market/0 -7hen ; got to the market 0 corrected 7illiamson. -<inny dropped me near the market then went to the #ntermarchA supermarket %ust outside town.0 -# also went to the post&office and to the newspaper shop 0offered Girginia 7illiamson. -)o you 8rs 7illiamson were not at the market itself for any length of time.0 -7e told you0 she said testily. -# dropped Edward near the market in t'e car, drove outside town where the supermarket is shopped then drove back into town. # parked by the .orte ?orAe went to the post&office bought the papers & oh # went to 8adame 'ourin0s as well. The baker you know & and met Edward at eleven at one of the cafAs. 7e had a coffee with 1aye ?unning as we usually do on market day then drove home.0 Roussel showed them the market plan with the stalls clearly marked both within and outside the 'alle. -8r 7illiamson could you please show me on this plan which stalls you shopped at.0 7illiamson looked curious

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-"h it0s @uite simple 0 said 7illiamson after studying the plan for a minute. -# @ueued here0 & he pointed at one of the vegetable stalls & -and at the fishmonger0s here. Then went to buy some cheese.0 He pointed to the cheese stall that was marked as being at the corner of the covered market and the rue de l0Eglise. -?id you at any point see 8r Holbrook/0 -2o # didn0t.0 -?id you know he was in the church/0 The 7illiamsons looked at each other again. -7ell 0 Edward 7illiamson said slowly -# think it was mentioned on Tuesday evening that he0d be going to the church while Harriet shopped at the market.0 -?id you see anybody else/0 -# bumped into Emily 5indberg in the fishmonger @ueue.0 -2obody else/0 -2o 0 said 7illiamson drawing out the monosyllable. -2ot that # remember. Then of course we all saw each other later on in the s@uare.0 -Er 0 he asked after a pause leaning confidentially towards Roussel. -7hen exactly was the & er & crime committed/0 -?uring market hours 0 replied Roussel pleasantly. -Thank you 0 he added rolling up the market plan. -"ne other @uestion. 7here were you last night between eight&thirty and nine& thirty/0 The 7illiamsons looked at each other. -5ast night/0 7illiamson echoed with a pu33led raising of his eyebows. -7hy/0 asked Girginia 7illiamson simultaneously her former bluntness returning. -.lease answer my @uestion.0 -7e were here 0 said 7illiamson firmly. -'oth of you/0 -"f course.0 -7hat time did you have dinner/0 -7e usually have an early supper at seven&fifteen or seven&thirty in order to watch the news on 1rance + at eight & not that we understand 1rench that well. )till it0s good for us to try.0 -7hat did you do after supper/0 !nother look passed between them. -# went to my study 0 said Edward 7illiamson. -7hat did you do in your study/0 Roussel0s tone was patient.

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-# surfed the 2et a little then played chess. # have a chess (?&Rom.0 -# see.0 Roussel turned towards 8rs 7illiamson -7hat about you 8adame/ 7hat did you do after supper/0 -# watched television. There was an #nspector 8orse film in English on one of the satellite channels.0 -!nd what time did you go to bed/0 -Eleven0 said 8rs 7illiamson. -!bout twelve0 said her husband. -Thank you.0 Roussel pocketed his notebook and pen. -2ow would you mind very much if # asked you both for a photograph of yourselves/0 -$es # do mindO0 cried Girginia 7illiamson. -This is perfectly intrusive9 7e0re not criminals #nspector.0 -<inny dear be @uiet 0 said her husband putting his hand on her arm. )he swiped at it. -7hy should you want a photograph of us/0 Her doll0s eyes positively bla3ed red. -1or elimination purposes 8adame.0 -#0ll go and get you some photographs (ommandant 0 said 7illiamson rising stiffly from his chair. 7hile 7illiamson went inside and started rummaging in the desk Roussel getting up from his chair said to 8rs 7illiamsonM -#t0s purely routine 8adame. 7e have to do this with all witnesses. 7e0ll return the photographs in due course.0 )he shrugged looking away. -<oodbye 8rs 7illiamson0 he said holding out his hand. (onditioned social manners warred with instinct but eventually still scowling she extended a limp hand. Having given Roussel a snapshot of himself and his wife sitting by a swimming&pool 7illiamson saw the policeman to the door. !s they shook hands Roussel warned him. -7e may want to interview you both again 8r 7illiamson. !nd you will eventually be summoned by the juge dinstruction 8me 5a 'arri6re to give your statement. 8eanwhile if you remember anything that might help us with our investigation please give me a ring. Here0s my card.0 7hen 7illiamson opened the door they saw that the storm had moved on. ! brilliant sun had reappeared and the air smelt fresh and damp. !s Roussel neared his car he threw a long look at the garden mindful of the police lab0s description of the compacted piece of soil mixture he had found in the crypt. #t was the report had said the kind of mixture one used to grow plants that

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did not thrive in alkaline soil.

Roussel though no gardener himself

knew these included

hydrangeas a3aleas rhododendrons heathers and the like. )ure enough there was a healthy group of a3aleas growing in a bed near the car. 1or a second he was tempted to pick up a handful of soil and store it in one of the plastic evidence bags of which he always kept a supply in the car then his reason reasserted itself and he drove away.

CHAPTER 15

Roussel negotiated through the shrub&lined drive and took the road back to Roilly. #n his career virtually all the criminals he had dealt with were tough habitual liars professional stonewallers. He had often dealt also with difficult witnesses who hedged and lied and tried to manipulate. 8ore occasionally as today with witnesses who left him limp with exhaustion because the tension they generated was like a vacuum machine that sucked up his energy. -'lack&hole witnesses0 he called them.

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7earily he took his mobile phone out of his %acket pocket and punched in the number for .ottier0s mobile. )he answered almost at once. -.ottier.0 -7here are you !mina/0 -"n my way back to !uxerre .atron. -!ny holes in 5eo 4ames0s alibi/0 -Lnfortunately not. The patron of the cafA the waiters and the accountant all were adamant he was there in front of them the whole time except for those two minutes he went to the lavatory.0 -.ity. !h well it was a thought. 7hat about 8me RAgnier0s alibi for Thursday evening/0 -!s good as they come. Her husband had organi3ed a barbecue with a couple of musician friends and their wives and children. There were altogether six adults and five children. The guests arrived at seven&thirty and stayed till past eleven o0clock. There was no way 8me RAgnier could have taken her car dashed to the @uarry killed (arteau and dashed back again.0 -?id anybody confirm this/0 -8me RAgnier0s husband and kids first of all. # must say they all took my @uestioning remarkably in their stride. 2o fuss. 7hile # was at it # also asked where 2icolas RAgnier the husband had been on 7ednesday morning. #t seems he was working at home with the same two musicians. !fter # left # called the latter and they confirmed both the 7ednesday and the Thursday alibis. #t0s all above board .atron.00 -<ood. "ne less thing to worry about then. # didn0t think 8me RAgnier made a very good co&conspirator or a good murderer for that matter.0 -7here are you .atron/0 -"utside 1ontanges&sous&Roilly.0 -!h the 7illiamsons0 place.0 -$es. Their house is called 5e 8anoir de la 1ontaine aux !nges would you believe it. (ome to think of it 1ontanges is probably an ancient abbreviation of that name & the 1ountain of !ngels. #t0s probably a medieval hamlet though the manor house is anything but.0 -)ounds fancy.0 -"h fancy it is.0 -7hat were they like the 7illiamsons/0 Roussel sighed. -?ifficult. "pa@ue. (onservative. He with the usual patroni3ing attitude hiding under suave manners she nouveau&riche with the rudeness that sometimes goes with

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conservatism. !nd the pruriency once you got past a certain stage in the conversation. Quite a lot of tension between them. )he has an hysterical streak which makes her seem @uite batty though # think she is far from it. )he0s probably @uite perceptive underneath it all. 'oth of them were hiding something and relieved to be talking about other people.0 -)omething about themselves/0 -# think so. 7illiamson was evasive about his past and tried to change the sub%ect when # asked about his former business in 5ondon. !nd she seemed to be guarded when # said #0d come about Holbrook. 7hen you get to !uxerre ask .atrick to get a move on and try to obtain some information on them from his magic network. "therwise we0ll have to go through Reggie again.0 -#0m sure .atrick would feel he failed you if you go through (hief #nspector ?unhill again.0 -Lmm 0he answered distractedly. -!nd another thing....0 -$es .atron/0 -<et (ommissaire Toussaint to pull out all the stops and find out from the 8onuments Histori@ues or whatever whether they know from which @uarry the Roilly )Apulcre stone came from.0 -The stone, -$es #0ll explain later.0 -!ll right sir. 'y the way did you learn anything more about Holbrook/0 -7eeell according to the 7illiamsons he had something going with Emily 5indberg.0 -!h.0 -Right. !pparently they made @uite a spectacle of themselves at that dinner party on Tuesday evening. 8rs 7illiamson made a remark which # thought interesting because it fits with what we know of Holbrook. )he said that it seemed to her that their behaviour was deliberately hurtful to 8rs 4ames.0 -?o you mean that they set out to humiliate her publicly/0 -)ounds a bit like it.0 -Hm. 7ell it certainly seems to fit with the murkiness of the sexually ambivalent 8r Holbrook doesn0t it/0 -$es. # think 5eo 4ames hit it on the head when he said Holbrook was manipulative perverse and ruthless.0 -2ot a very nice man. (lubbable as # said from the beginning.0 -$our friend 5eo 4ames also said that. He used that word exactly.0

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.ottier laughed. -# do like the sound and look of that man. #f only he weren0t a witnessO0 -?ream on !mina.0 -7here are you off to now .atron/0 -# want to drop the 7illiamsons0 photograph at the gendarmerie. 7illiamson was at the market about the time Holbrook was killed.0 -'ut not the 8rs/0 -)he apparently was shopping elsewhere. )he may be lying though. That0s for (otinaud to determine when he eventually shows the photos to the stallkeepers.0 He whistled tunelessly for a second. -Right now # think # might have a little chat with the predatory 8iss 5indberg.0 -Have you read any of her books/0 -2o. Have you/0 -2o. # don0t even know whether her books are translated into 1rench but # guess they must be if she0s so famous. )he0s supposed to be really @uite good.0 -Really who told you that/0 -!fter .atrick printed her biography # went on the #nternet and looked up her books on !ma3on&dot&com. They sing her praises. )he0s written at least a do3en novels and one review called her -the !merican answer to !nita 'rookner.0 -7ho0s she/0 -Really .atron and # thought you were an !nglophileO0 -?on0t tell me you0d heard of her before.0 -2o but # looked her up on the #nternet as well. #t seems she is one of the most distinguished 'ritish novelists of the last thirty years.0 -7ell fancy that0 commented Roussel.

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The gendarmerie at Roilly served very good coffee Roussel was pleased to discover. #t drove away the horrible cologne&like taste of 8rs 7illiamsons0 china tea. )@uee3ed in one of

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(otinaud0s uncomfortable metal&and&plastic chairs he finished putting the !d%udant&chef up to date with his part of the investigation. They were interrupted by the ring of (otinaud0s telephone. -$es 8adame le 4uge0 (otinaud anwered raising his eyebrows at Roussel. -$es.... $es that should be fine.... $es right you are..... 7ell as a matter of fact he0s sitting right here. $es certainly #0ll put him on. Lntil tomorrow then 8adame le 4uge.0 He passed the receiver to Roussel moving the telephone nearer to him. -Bonsoir, adame le <uge 0 said Roussel. -7hat can # do for you /0 -(ommandant #0ve %ust been given a huge new corruption affair0 & Roussel was aware of this through the grapevine & -and it0s eating into my time. # want to schedule a brainstorming meeting between the three of us. The only time that0s going to be free for me before 8onday is tomorrow evening )aturday.0 -# see.0 -# suggest we have a working dinner in !uxerre. #0m sorry if this cancels out any of your personal plans0 she added sanctimoniously. -2ot at all 8adame le 4uge.0 He looked up at (otinaud raising his eyebrows in @uestion. (otinaud nodded. -7here do you suggest we meet/0 -!t my office at eight o0clock/ #0ll have some food delivered.0 -Right you are 0 said Roussel. -Lntil tomorrow then 8adame le 4uge.0 He hung up. -7orking dinner eight o0clock in her office 0 he said to (otinaud . The gendarmerie chief s@uared his shoulders. -# for my part have hounded down all the stallkeepers from 7ednesday0s market. 2o mean feat # can tell you because they come from all over the dpartement and they0re away to different markets all the time. However we0ve managed to get hold of all of them and #0ve scheduled a general meeting with them for tomorrow )aturday at 1F.CC hours. 7e shall need all the remaining suspects0 photographs by then.0 -$ou0ll have them. 7here0s the meeting going to be/0 -!t the 8airie. There are too many of them to fit in here. $ou0re very welcome to %oin us (ommandant.0 -Thank you !d%udant&chef # shall.0 (otinaud looked tentatively at Roussel. -# hope you won0t be offended by what # have to say.0 Roussel warily drained his coffee cup.

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(otinaud went on diffidently. -#t struck me %ust now how very formal we 1rench are particularly in provincial !dministration. # know there0s nothing to be done with 8me 5a 'arri6re & we have to address her by her title. 'ut between you and me do you not think that we can dispense with 9!d%udant&chef: and 9(ommandant: in every sentence/0 #0m .hilippe by the way.0 -!nd #0m .ierre.0 They grinned at each other and shook hands. !part from the scheduled meeting with the stallkeepers (otinaud did not have much to report. His people armed with warrants had visited the workshops of all (arteau0s ertswhile buddies as well as those of a number of known offenders in the canton had taken away all hammers and had submitted them to the gendarmerie laboratory for testing. 2ot much was expected from that. -How is (arteau0s mother coping with her son0s death/0 -2ot well but she seems to have a good support system. !nd the social services are there to help if necessary.0 -7hen0s the funeral/0 -7hen the body0s released by !uxerre. #0ll let you know.0 (otinaud walked Roussel to his car in the small gendarmerie car park. !s they were saying goodbye Roussel suddenly remembered the old man he had seen earlier in the town s@uare. -There0s an old guy who apparently has been hanging around for years. He0s got long unkempt hair and looks pretty dirty. !nd he seems very uncoordinated.0 (otinaud smiled. -#t0s old )ac \ .uces.0 -$es # believe that0s what # was told he was nicknamed. 7hat0s his real name/0 -(laude !lain. He0s a local. 5ives in a dilapidated old cottage in the woods outside town. Quite harmless. Eccentric.0 -8ore than eccentric #0d say 0 said Roussel. -How does he get around/ He can0t have a car or a moped with his obvious disabilities.0 -He walks 0 said (otinaud. -He0s a great walker is old )ac \ .uces. !nd he hitchhikes though it0s only brave people who want to take him on board their car.0 -7as he around on 7ednesday/0 -"h he0s always around on market days. He0s around most days if truth be told. 7e don0t take much notice. He0s part of the scenery.0 -Has anyone thought of asking him if he saw anything unusual on 7ednesday/0

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-"h yes he0s one of the first people we thought of since he0s always around. 'ut every time one of us approaches him he gets into a state and shoos us off by hurling insults and making grotes@ue faces at us.0 -#s he psychotic/0 -# don0t think so. ?r (oste & she0s our new doctor here you should see her she0s young and0 (otinaud lowered his voice though there was no one else to hear him -easy on the eye & she says he0s got some kind of genetic neurological disease. #0ve forgotten what it0s called. !pparently his father had it and his grandfather before him. 'ut he0s not really mad at all. 4ust lives in a different world.0 -?oes he allow anyone to go near him/0 (otinaud thought for a minute. -He seems to like ?r (oste. #n fact she often gives him a lift in her car as she0s on the road half the time seeing patients.0 -7ell it might be a good idea to get ?r (oste to ask him whether he0s seen anything unusual around the church on 7ednesday morning.0 -!ll right. Though don0t expect anything from it. "ld )ac \ .uces lives in a different world from the rest of us. 7hat may seem unusual to us may not do so to him and vice versa.0 Roussel did not want to labour the point. He could not risk upsetting the delicate new improved relations between himself and (otinaud. !fter all it had probably taken generations of rivalry and @uibbling before a gendarmerie chief and an officer of the police %udiciaire in these provincial waters could overlook their ranks and call each other by their (hristian names.

1H I

CHAPTER 1"

Roussel headed east out of Roilly his car window wound right down. The road dipped and rose between fields of wheat oats and barley and bright yellow rape now a little past its flowering prime. The rain had released its cloying scent which clung to the nostrils like that of an overripe fruit. "n the hori3on a large field of pale blue cut through all that green and yellow like a small inland sea. #t was a beautiful landscape made even lovelier by the bluish ha3e the recent rain had released. 'ut Roussel not far from home suddenly longed for the familiar sight of hillside vineyards. #t was only two days since his late&night walk in the vineyard at )aint&'ris but it felt like weeks. This investigation was young yet. However unlike many of the cases he was used to it felt unstable and treacherous undermined by currents he could not @uite identify. He thought it was perhaps because he was confronted here with a bunch of individuals who danced to a tune he could not yet read. 2ot that the criminals he generally dealt with were easy to read but they functioned within a system he was familiar with and could therefore anticipate. %ealousy uncontrolled sexual drives #t had been a while since he had worked on a murder that was likely to have little to do with patrimony greed deficient impulse&control drugs or gang retaliation. The suspected motive behind (arteau0s murder was banal enough & blackmailers often were at the losing end of the deal & but the motive behind Holbrook0s was still unclear. The evening before & was it only the evening before/ & they had two ma%or suspects and Roussel had felt frustrated that both seemed to be eluding the police and gendarmerie forces. 2ow one was dead and the other seemingly whiter than white. !s always when his mind meandered about this case his thoughts came to rest on the personality of the first victim. Roussel had read Holbrook0s biographical details and had found the man0s achievements impressive. #mpeccable academic references high professional and social status an internationally famous name in art history both for his scholarly and for his more popular works which included twenty&six books and heaven knew how many academic papers and articles in art %ournals & the man had been a high achiever no doubt about that. 8ulling on this
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he was suddenly struck and dismayed by the @ualitative difference he was unintentionally making between the two victims. 'etween the complex highly cultivated interesting 4ulian Holbrook nevermind his murky motivations and wavering sexual identity* and that poor idiot of a Riri (arteau betrayed by his own petty greed and lack of insight. (arteau0s death enraged him. #t was stupid and tragic a young life raised on poverty and lack of opportunities wasted and ultimately thrown away unfinished literally on a garbage heap. )omeone more cynical than Roussel might argue that neither of these deaths were the result of accident or a deus ex machina phenomenon. 'oth appeared to result directly from the character and personality of the victimM one might say that both Holbrook and (arteau had taken risks with their lives had almost courted death. 'ut to Roussel even after twenty&five years in the police force a life was a life and a prematurely finished life a waste. The first houses of 5a Tuilerie appeared. 'efore stopping at the 5indberg address Roussel had a sudden fancy to see whether 8rs 4ames had returned from her little trip. He drove to the mill and saw that her red Renault (lio was parked in the drive and that the mill door was open. )he appeared as he was parking his car on the road. )he had clearly been shopping and was in the process of unloading her vehicle. #t was not until he had come out of his and was walking up the short drive to greet her that he reali3ed something was different about her. Then he had itM she had cut off her hair. <one was the shoulder&length bob and thick fringe that came down to the bridge of her Roman nose. Her hair now was short and cut in shiny uneven wisps and tendrils like an urchin0s. #t was obviously an expensive cut for it set off the shape of her head coming down into a delicate duck0s tail around the nape of her neck. Roussel thought it suited her made her look younger and more vulnerable like a chick or a duckling. )he was dressed for town in a short straight oyster& coloured skirt that set off her brown legs and a very smart emerald green %acket. )he wore high& heeled sandals. !ltogether she looked so different that he was suddenly put out as if faced with a perfect stranger. -Have you come to see me/0 she asked in English with a shy smile. -# was on my way to see 8iss 5indberg & sorry s% 5indberg & 0 answered Roussel with a responding smile. -'ut # intended to drop in on you later on. 7ill you be at home/0 -"h yes. #0m not going out tonight. #0ve been in .aris all day. !re you coming to see me for anything in particular/0 -#0d like to ask you some more @uestions about 8r Holbrook if you don0t mind.0

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Her face which had looked relaxed when he arrived was now fenced in as if he had reminded her of a reality she had fled if only for a few hours.

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Emily 5indberg sat on a plum velvet sofa under a large abstract painting. )he sat precisely in the centre of the sofa legs crossed at the knee the shade of her dusty rose linen top echoing exactly a single splash of colour in the grey and white whirls on the painting. ! very deliberate woman was Roussel0s first impression. 1rom his black leather 'reuer armchair he could see that the rest of the room was %ust as deliberate meant for effect rather than comfort. Though the outside of her house a village cottage flanked by two other houses looked small and rural she had ushered him directly into a single surprisingly large room which would have been more at home in an urban penthouse or the pages of an architectural review than in a village in northern 'urgundy. #t appeared to serve as a combined living&room dining&room and open&plan kitchen. !part from the limed oak beams that fanned out dramatically the lower part of the house had been completely gutted to create that space down to the 'urgundian flagstones that were found in every old house in the area and which here had been replaced by pale grey terra33o tiling. The room was brilliantly lit by four windows giving onto the street and a wall of glass facing the patio. #t was spotless and furnished in a minimalist style that favoured mostly straight lines and shades of whites and greys with black accents. There was the odd touch of colour such as the splash of rose in the painting the plum velvet sofa & more of a chaise&longue really P and two identical fuschia orchids in matte metal pots set side by side on the <ae !ulenti coffee table. !nother !ulenti detail the large .ipistrello lamp sat on an austere limed oak side&table adding a touch of softness through its rounded glass top. <lancing at the open&plan kitchen which had polished grey granite counter&tops Roussel saw in the kitchen yet more evidence that 8iss 5indberg was a fan of le design. #n its own way the room was as conventional as what he had seen of the

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7illiamsons0 house. The terms of reference were different that was all. !nd here too =but he found it curious in a writer0s house> there was not a book in sight. Roussel looked around the corners of the room trying to spot a 5e (orbusier chaise& longue surely as much of a must for design lovers as the !ulenti stuff. That or an Eames chair. 'ut he couldn0t see either. "ne or the other of them must be in her study he decided. 1or she must have a study elsewhere in the house a room with books everywhere where sheets of notes and other papers had the run of the place and were not set straight and flattened into perfect rectangular submission. .erhaps he thought there is life somewhere in this house. ! fantasy that she might own a cat a sleek fastidious tidy creature but a living cat nevertheless was immediately s@uashed. 2o this house was barren. -How can # help you (ommandant Roussel/0 asked Emily 5indberg in a husky voice. )he spoke good 1rench with a very slight accent. He had chosen not to let her know that he could speak English wishing @uite consciously to deny her the advantage that speaking in her own language would give her. 1or some reason he had not expected her 1rench to be so good. He smiled glancing at her taking his time. )he had let him look around the room without filling the silence with chatter or changing a centimetre of her position. "ther people might have fidgeted a little at the sight of a police officer sitting in their salon. )he had composure and the gift of stillness. 7hether these stemmed from inner poise and serenity or perfect self&control was yet to be discovered. 'ut Roussel felt dimly that like some large cat she might pounce on him suddenly. .erhaps he had been conditioned by the 7illiamsons0 description of her as a predator. He reali3ed as he studied her casually that despite the mildness of her appearence & softly permed hair that fell in a wing over one cheek greyish&green eyes pale freckled skin & there was indeed something about her an intensity in the watchfulness perhaps that made him think of some creature that might devour not only other species but also its own. -# am here to ask you @uestions about 8r Holbrook 8adame 0 he said taking out his notebook and pen. -'ut meanwhile #0d be grateful if you would answer a few @uestions about yourself.0 -$ou0ll find all basic facts in B'os B'o or the #nternet website which is @uite informative.0 -'asic facts about people who knew 4ulian Holbrook won0t help us find his killer 8adame. 7e need more than that.0 -!h yes 0 she said coldly. !nd are you any closer to finding out who killed him/0 8onsieur Roussel. # have a

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-7e have some leads 8adame.0 -<ood 0 she said mildly. -# hope you catch them soon and that meanwhile you0ll protect the rest of us.0 )he paused tongue in cheek. -7e shall all sleep better knowing you0re around.0 Quite so thought Roussel. !loud he askedM -How long have you been living here/0 -)even years. 7hat has this to do with 4ulian Holbrook0s death/0 -7hat exactly was your relationship with 8r Holbrook 8iss 5indberg/0 -He was my lover.0 Her bluntness obviously meant to shock failed to take Roussel by surprise. <iven the deliberateness that was the most obvious feature of the woman and her house he0d half expected something of that ilk. 'ut whether her statement was true or not still remained to be seen. -!nd how long had you been lovers/0 He kept his voice mild. -1or a couple of years.0 -# see.0 -?o you/ $ou0re probably aware that 4ulian Holbrook also had a relationship with Harriet 4ames. 7hich is why he and # mostly met in 5ondon where # often go to see my 'ritish publishers.0 -7as yours a serious affair/0 Emily 5indberg gave a throaty chuckle which sounded like the half&pur of a tiger before it pounces. -!ren0t all 9affairs: serious/ #t wasn0t an adventure if that0s what you mean. #t was serious enough to have lasted a couple of years although neither of us was remotely monogamous.0 -7ould it have led anywhere/0 Her laughter when it came sounded genuine. -?o you mean marriage or <od forbid 0 she lowered her voice suggestively -living toget'er /0 !nother cackle. Her long very modern steel or silver earrings @uivered in the wake of her amusement. -2o (ommandant there was no chance of that. legitimacy whichever form it takes.0 -7hat about 8rs 4ames0s relationship with 8r Holbrook/0 )he gave an elegant shrug. -7hat can # say/ #t was their business. # was perfectly content to carry on as we were.0 -7as 8rs 4ames aware of your affair with 8r Holbrook/0 2either 4ulian nor # are made for

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-(ommandant Harriet like any good middle&class Englishwoman sees only what she wants to see. )he may occasionally have guessed that something was afoot but chose to repress that knowledge consciously or subconsciously. 7e all find ways of adapting reality to suit our needs. 7earing blinkers is a choice. !nd on the whole 4ulian and # were discreet.0 -# believe 0 said Roussel choosing his words carefully -that she may not have had much choice on Tuesday evening.0 -!h 0 grinned Emily 5indberg -you0ve been talking to some of the others. Hugo or the 7illiamsons/ They all thrive on gossip. "r to Harriet herself perhaps. Though something tells me she is not @uite ready to acknowledge publicly that...0 -$es/0 Roussel prompted encouragingly but his hostess chose not to continue. #nstead she calmly got up and asked him whether he wanted a drink. He would dearly have liked one for his throat was parched but he politely refused. 7hen Emily 5indberg returned with a glass of clear li@uid in which floated some ice cubes and a piece of lime she saidM -"n Tuesday evening (ommandant #0d decided #0d had enough of all that discretion and hypocrisy.0 -7hat did you hope to achieve by provoking a situation/0 -7hy (ommandantO .rovocation is an end in itself. # felt like stirring all that cosy....let0s call it smugness or complacency to see what came out of it.0 -7hose smugness/ -"h Harriet0s mostly but 4ulian0s also. This arrangement was @uite cosy for 4ulian. wanted to see how he would respond to my upsetting the apple cart.0 -!nd how did he respond/0 -'rilliantly. He caught on to the game at once and....0 -The game/0 Emily 5indberg placed her glass on the !ulenti coffee table. -7hy (ommandant # believe #0ve shocked you.0 Roussel ignored her. !nd though his ga3e was mild he suddenly felt he0d had enough. He would go and type his report and mull over what he had heard in that beautiful cold room. He would come over the next day possibly with !mina & it would be valuable to have her opinion & and continue this interview. 2evertheless he saidM -The post&mortem showed that 8r Holbrook had nasally insufflated some cocaine on Tuesday evening. ?o you know anything about that 8iss 5indberg/0 #

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1or a fleeting second there was a look of surprise on her freckled face. )he picked up her glass again then let out another chuckle. -7ere you aware that 8r Holbrook was a user/0 )he shrugged. -#0ve seen him snort a pinch or two at parties. 'ut (ommandant if he was a user he was a very very occasional one. He didn0t like drugs. $ou have to understand that 4ulian liked being in control. That0s what drove him in fact. 7ith drugs you0re never @uite in control.0 -!re you a user yourself 8iss 5indberg/0 -#f # were do you really think #0d tell you 8onsieur Roussel/0 There was a silence. The Emily 5indberg said slowly. -To answer your @uestion no # don0t 9do: drugs as they say these days. # also like to be in control.0 Roussel looked bland. -)ome other evidence came up at the post&mortem.0 )he looked up from contemplating the piece of lime in her glass. -7hat evidence/0 -#t looks as if 8r Holbrook had certain sexual proclivities.0 Emily 5indberg laughed. -How coyly put (ommandant. #s this a reference to 4ulian0s polymorphous tastes which included men women and whatever0s in between/0 -$ou were aware of it/0 -"f course # was. 4ulian never made a song and dance about it. He didn0t shout it from the rooftops but those of us he was close to knew about it. -!nd0 she added looking s@uarely at Roussel -didn0t mind.0 Roussel0s face must have expressed some doubt for she went onM -"h # see. Harriet didn0t know. Lmm.0 )he took a sip of her drink. -7ell #0m not surprised. That0s another thing her upbringing couldn0t tolerate # suppose . )he0s such a prude. potato.0 -.erhaps 8r Holbrook cared enough for 8rs 4ames to protect her from this knowledge.0 -# don0t know how he felt about her (ommandant 0 she said coldly. -2or do # care. !s # said earlier it was their business.0 Roussel looked at her without believing a word of it. 1or the second time that afternoon he was reminded of Les liaisons dangereuses% Had Emily 5indberg played 8adame de 8erteuil to Holbrook0s Galmont/ #f she0d found out about it earlier she0d have dropped 4ulian 9comme une c'aussette sale4, or as we say !merica like a hot

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He asked her to show him on the municipal market plan exactly where she had been on 7ednesday morning. -7hat time did you start shopping/0 -Earlyish at about nine&thirty or nine&thirty&five # guess. # always aim at arriving in Roilly early. The place gets crowded after ten.0 -!nd when did you actually finish shopping/0 -#t didn0t take long. # suppose # was finished by ten or %ust after.0 -7hat did you do after that/0 -# walked around a bit went to the cash point and to the newspaper shop down in a cafA and read my paper.0 -?id you see 8r 4ames/0 - ister 4ames/ ?o you mean 5eo/ "r do you mean Sach/0 -5eo 4ames. He was sitting in the 'ar des !rcades from nine&thirty to ten&forty. He saw you crossing the s@uare on your way to the market.0 -7ell now how interesting.. # didn0t even know he was in 1rance. #f he says he was sitting there on 7ednesday # simply must have missed him. #t0s @uite easy to do that on a market day. The place is thronged.0 -!nd did you see 8iss ?unning/ )he arrived in Roilly a little before you and was also seen to go in the same direction.0 -# caught a glimpse of her in the market then not until # was back in the s@uare. )he was having coffee in the other cafA with the 7illiamsons.0 -That was from eleven onwards # believe.0 -# suppose so. # myself arrived on the s@uare earlier.0 -7as 8iss ?unning already there/0 -# don0t remember noticing her then.0 -?id you see anybody else at the market/0 Emily 5indberg thought for a moment. -# saw a lot of people # knew & #0ve been here a long time. 'ut presumably you are referring to members of our little group. # did see Edward 7illiamson soon after # got to the 'alle% 5ike me he was @ueuing up for fish%0 )he hesitated. -5ater when # came out of the newspaper shop # t'oug't # saw Harriet coming down the rue de l0Eglise and going into the covered market.0 -+o(n the rue de l0Eglise/ )he wasn0t coming up from the s@uare/0 then settled

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-2o she was coming down the street by the side of the church.0 Roussel was silent for a second. Then he asked -7hat time was this/0 -5et me thinkN. # guess it must have been about ten&twenty or thereabouts.0 -!re you sure/0 -#0m more or less sure about the time because that0s roughly when # was coming out of the 8aison de la .resse. 'ut #0m not absolutely sure it was Harriet. # wouldn0t s(ear to it in court. #t was some distance away and #0m short&sighted anyway and far too vain to wear glasses or contact lenses. #t looked like Harriet but # wouldn0t swear to it.0 -# see.0 Roussel looked at her levelly. -(an you tell me where you were last night 8s 5indberg between eight&thirty and nine&thirty/0 -7hat on earth for/0 Her surprise seemed genuine. -.lease answer my @uestion 8adame.0 -5et me think back for a moment. 5ast night was Thursday wasn0t it/ "h # knowM # went to have a drink with 1aye ?unning. )tayed about an hour. 7ent home %ust before eight had a light supper while watching the news on 1rance + then went to my study where # worked until bedtime.0 -(an anyone corroborate this/0 )he looked incredulous. -Corroborate, 7hat0s this/ !nybody0d think there was a new murderO0 -There was 8iss 5indberg.0 Roussel0s tone was grave. -7hat/ 1or heaven0s sakeO 7ho was killed/ !nd why haven0t # heard of it/ #t wasn0t one of our lot was it/ #0ve been working all day so # haven0t seen anyone.0 -2o 8adame 0 said Roussel coldly -have no fear. #t was not someone from your group of friends. ! young man from Roilly named Henri (arteau.0 -# see. !nd what does that have to do with 4ulian0s death/0 -7e think the two deaths may be connected.0 -Really/ 7as this other man also mugged/0 -#0m sorry but # can0t tell you any more about it for the time being.0 -"h dear 0 said Emily 5indberg seemingly at a loss for once. !s Roussel got up to take his leave he suddenly askedM -How did your evening end on Tuesday/0

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To his ama3ement Emily 5indberg blushed. Roussel would never have believed that so cool and controlled a woman could blush. 'ut blush she did. He pretended not to see the pink flush that washed over her neck and cheeks thinking unkindly that it too matched the streak of rose in the painting above her. -#t ended late & for these parts you understand & at about two in the morning. Harriet went home earlier on some pretext as you probably know. #n a huff of course. The 7illiamsons must have left at about midnight & that seems to be their limit these days. The rest of us & Hugo 4ean&4ac@ues 4ulian 1aye and # drank on chatting and listening to music. !t some point 4ulian went into a huddle with 1aye. He0s always liked her.0 -#s she an artist herself/0 asked Roussel. -2o not at all. )trictly a spectator. 'ut well&read. Quite modest too. # like her.0 ! throwaway line but Roussel interpreted this as an indication that 1aye ?unning did not present a challenge of any kind to Emily 5indberg. -7hat happened then/0 he asked trying to steer her back to whatever had made her blush. -Lm let me think. 7e0d all had @uite a bit to drink by then. Then well # guess they all left.0 -!ll of them/0 The blush took on new life. -$es.0 -8r Holbrook too/0 -$es.0 )he got up from her sofa and took a few steps into the room keeping her back to Roussel leaning on one of the white&covered dining chairs that clustered around an anti@ue dining table & the only period piece Roussel had noticed. Then she whirled round to face him. -$es # thought that after giving every (ommandant # admit # was somewhat surprised myself.

indication that he was en%oying the game # had initiated that evening he0d have stayed for our grand finale. 'ut no he went off into the night with 1aye Hugo and 4ean&4ac@ues.0 )he sniffed delicately. -# suppose he suddenly worried that Harriet might give him his marching orders. 7ell more fool he.0 -?id you see him after that/0 asked Roussel thinking that it sounded more as if Holbrook0s sense of self&preservation had reasserted itself at the end of that evening. )taying on at Emily 5indberg0s might have been a little like giving oneself up willingly to the embraces of a praying mantis.

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-2o. !las that was the last # saw of 4ulian. $ou could say that our relationship came to an abrupt end.% Roussel could not help askingM -?o you feel sad about it/0 Emily 5indberg0s guffaw sounded a bit like a hiccup. -"ad/0 )he guffawed again more bitterly. -"f course # feel sad (ommandant. # was extremely fond of 4ulian. 7e had good times together good sex. He was gifted brilliant even. He died young. #t was a waste of a life. !nd you0re asking me whether # feel sad/ # may not wear my heart on my sleeve 8onsieur Roussel but # am not a monsterO0

CHAPTER 1# (oming out into the street Roussel took a long deep breath. #n Emily 5indberg Holbrook had found his match. He exhaled again happy to be out of that beautiful cold house away from that woman whose statement still resounded in his ears. -# may not wear my heart on my sleeve but # am not a monsterO0 7hat he had seen of her had not convinced him she was right. 'ut that did not necessarily make her a murderer. The evening air was fresh and fragrant. )omeone nearby acknowledging the cooler weather had lit a wood fire and the ghost of it hung over the village with sweet persistence mingling unseasonally with the scent of bedding flowers. He walked to his car which was parked in the village s@uare a wide shapeless space contained between the 8airie at one end and the fifteenth&century church at the other with a little pond in front of an ancient washhouse and a boules patch thrown in for good measure. 1rom it radiated four roads heading logically if a little approximately north south east and west.

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)itting in the car Roussel took out of his notebook the photograph Emily 5indberg had given him %ust before he had taken his leave. He studied it for a minute. #t was a close&up shot of her sitting at a table not @uite frontal enough but perfectly ade@uate for his purpose. He would drop it in at the gendarmerie in the morning. Emily 5indberg had no proper alibi for the time of 4ulian Holbrook0s murder. -7alking about0 could mean anything. Her calling at the cash point and at the newspaper shop would have to be verified. The timing device at the former would have a record of her transaction if there had really been one and the manager of the might remember her especially if she was a regular customer. the critical period. 7hile she was getting the photograph he had given her garden a @uick glance from the window. #t wasn0t a garden at all but a 4apanese&like courtyard as foreign to its north 'urgundian setting as her interior though not unpleasing to the eye. #t was all boulders and carefully raked gravel with a few plants in strategically placed pots a3aleas and 4apanese maples mostly again plants that re@uired acid&type soil. !ll he could do now was to make a note of it. Emily 5indberg made a plausible suspect thought Roussel. Her motive/ The fury of a woman scorned perhaps/ 8ight this imply that her attachment to Holbrook was more serious than she had let on/ That she0d really been in love with him/ Roussel was not convinced of that though he believed her when she0d said that she was sad that Holbrook had died. #t was more likely that her ego & a considerable one to be sure & had been wounded by Holbrook0s defection at the end of the Tuesday dinner&party. 'ut was this enough to make a murderer of her/ ?espite the inclination to pounce Roussel had perceived in her this was a woman who lacked passion. !nd it was passion or a strong emotion of some sort he was convinced of it P lust revenge extreme anger extreme fear perhaps & that had caused 4ulian Holbrook to be battered to death. Roussel did not know what to make of Emily 5indberg0s statement that she thought she had seen Harriet 4ames coming down the street by the side of the church at about ten&twenty. #t sounded disingenuous especially after the venomous comments she0d made on the other woman in Holbrook0s life. Roussel wouldn0t put it past her to to try and plant in the police0s mind a totally spurious piece of information out of %ealousy or a taste for mischief&making. #t might well be %ust another game to her. "n the other hand it might be true. The time element was troubling. Roussel was still not absolutely convinced that 8rs 4ames was out of the e@uation for Holbrook0s murder. aison de la Presse This might help time her

movements that morning. !s for the evening of (arteau0s murder she had no verifiable alibi for

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Those missing minutes in her alibi still bothered him though if he pursued the hypothesis that whoever had killed Holbrook had also killed (arteau 8rs 4ames was logically out of it. Roussel rubbed his face with his hand. His cheeks were rough with five o0clock beard and his eyes felt gritty. 5ack of sleep and a relentlessly busy day were beginning to take their toll. He knew however that his day was not yet over. He needed to spend a couple of hours writing out his notes and putting down his impressions of the 7illiamsons and Emily 5indberg while they were still fresh. !s suspects every one of those three new witnesses had possibilities which considerably widened his field of investigation. He had a lot more information than he0d had earlier and it all had to be set down and processed before he could see whether it was relevant. He knew he should stop now and go home even though he had told Harriet 4ames he would call in on her. He had to come back to 5a Tuilerie in the morning anyway to interview 1aye ?unning. The ?utchman and his partner also had to be @uestioned. He could see 8rs 4ames then. He almost started the car again then thought he might as well go and see her now. !s he got out of the car he saw in the distance heading west in the direction of Roilly and standing out against the colouring sky a lurching silhouette he thought he recogni3ed. #t looked like the old man known as -)ac \ puces0 but Roussel s@uinting at it in the failing light knew it could be any old man walking with humped shoulders and a shambling gait. He set out on foot for the mill which beckoned like a lighted beacon a couple of hundred metres away. Harriet 4ames came to the door. )he had changed from her city clothes to a pair of %eans and a clinging long&sleeved tee&shirt under a purple waistcoat with a long red silk scarf wound around her neck. <one were the high heels* her brown feet were encased in scarlet espadrilles. !gain he was surprised to see how much her new haircut challenged the image he originally had of her & that of a woman hiding behind a thick fringe and a curtain of hair. )he had apparently now chosen to expose her face and as a result looked naked to the onlooker as a short&sighted person might after switching from glasses to contact lenses. He knew enough about women to sense what such a radical change in looks might imply. They shook hands. -5eo called half an hour ago 0 she said in English slightly breathlessly and without preamble as if their ac@uaintance suddenly precluded certain formalities. -He said his alibi0s been verified. 'ut he told me that someone else has been murdered. ! young man.0 -That0s right 8adame.0 -That0s dreadfulO !nd you think that whoever killed him also killed 4ulian/0 -#t0s a possibility.0

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-'ut why/ 7hy was that young man killed/0 -.ossibly because he knew the identity of 8r Holbrook0s murderer.0 Harriet 4ames0s eyes opened wide. -'ut 0 continued Roussel -we0re of course examining other possibilities as well.0 They were still standing in the hall %ust inside the front door.. -#0m so sorry (ommandant. .lease come in0 she said her good manners reasserting themselves. )he surprised him however by suggesting that they sit in the kitchen. -# didn0t have time to have lunch and #0m starving0 she explained. -)o if you don0t mind talking to me while # prepare supper....0 7ithout checking to see whether he agreed she preceded him down a corridor lined with a series of framed drawings. !t the kitchen door she turned round with a small smile. -# know it0s unconventional to ask a police officer into one0s kitchen while one0s cooking and # wouldn0t have dreamt of doing so had your nice lieutenant been here but ... well.... 0 she smiled tentatively -if (ommissaire 8aigret does it perhaps you can too.0 He returned the smile noncommittally and followed her into a large s@uare kitchen which he imagined would be extremely sunny in full daylight. !s he expected in the home of a food expert the cooking range set in an island in the middle of the room was a professional piece all stainless steel and gleaming knobs. 'ut the rest of the kitchen was simple and comfortable with pale green rafters from which hung baskets dried herbs and strings of onions garlic shallots and the small fiery peppers that came from the 'as@ue country. 5ooking out on the darkening garden there was a long windowsill chock&a&block with pots of fresh herbs and flowering bulbs in decorative soup tureens. )he sat him down at the round pine table in a wicker armchair from which he would have no problem extricating himself while she went over to switch on the oven. -7ould you like some of that #slay you seemed to like the other night (ommandant/ "r would you %oin me in a glass of (hablis/0 -! glass of (hablis will be very welcome 8adame.0 )he took a bottle out of the refrigerator and shooting him a challenging look handed it over to him together with a bottle opener. -#n for a penny in for a pound0 she smiled more widely revealing a couple of dimples on either side of her mouth. -5et0s not stand on ceremony.0 )he took two wine glasses from a cupboard and placed them on the table. 7hat0s all this/ thought Roussel suddenly visited by a sense of unreality. Harriet 4ames0s demeanour had aparently undergone the same sea&change as her appearance. !nd he could swear she was flirting with him. .art of him was amused by her sudden familiarity but an internal warning

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bell told him not to get caught up in it. 7hat she was showing now might well be her natural face. "n the other hand she could be trying to manipulate him. "n 7ednesday and Thursday she had been in a state of shock and distress. He reasoned that he had never seen her in normal circumstances and that she might indeed turn out to be @uite different from what his earlier impression had led him to believe. )till his guard was up. 7hile she took a white chef0s apron from a hook and put it on double&winding its long ties around her slender frame he opened the (hablis a 1IIH .remier cru 8ontAe de Tonnerre from a very good grower. !utomatically as if he were at home he smelt the cork then poured a thimbleful in his glass rolled it about and inhaled the aroma. #t had a delicate chardonnay scent with a drier slightly woody undertone which hinted that it might turn into the classic (hablis gunflint taste as it went down. He poured some wine into both glasses and handed her one. )he rolled her glass around from the base and sniffed it appreciatively then took a small sip. -Lmm this is good 0 she muttered her eyes closing with pleasure then took another sip before going to line up some utensils beside her cooking range. -!re you a 'urgundian (ommandant/0 she asked casually removing a thick bunch of green asparagus from the refrigerator and standing at the island counter across from where he was sitting. -$es # am.0 -7here from/0 -2ot very far from here. )aint&'ris&le&Gineux.0 -!h 0 she said looking up -)auvignon country. # always think it odd that little enclave of )auvignon in that huge sea of (hardonnay.0 -$es people often say that. 'ut you know including (hardonnay and !ligotA.0 -# know 0 she smiled -but for me )aint&'ris will always mean )auvignon. !re your people wine&growers/0 she asked trimming the sandy stalks of the asparagus. -$es 0 he said mindful of his own warning not to get involved but at the same time not wanting to be discourteous -they have been for generations.0 -!nd you didn0t feel tempted to follow in their footsteps/0 -2o. 8y elder brother was groomed to take over. Then he died in a motorcycle accident. 'y then it was too late. #0d already made my way in law&enforcing. 8y cousin has now taken over my father0s vineyards.0 we do have other cpages in )aint&'ris

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-?o you ever help at grape harvest time/0 )he rinsed the asparagus carefully in a stainless steel colander. Roussel took a sip of wine savouring its dryness. -"h yes and whenever # can spare the time.0 -!nd do you still live at )aint&'ris/ "r have you moved over to !uxerre/0 -# came back to live in )aint&'ris a few years ago after being transferred all over 1rance for years.0 )he left the asparagus to drain in a colander. 2ext she0ll be asking me whether #0m married he thought at which point # shall have to bring this conversation to an end. 'ut she didn0t. He watched her moving around the kitchen her movements sure and @uick. #t felt like a very long time since he had watched a woman in her kitchen. He reali3ed with a start that he found it erotic. He had loved watching Elvire move about as she cooked natural graceful oblivious of anything but the matter in hand. Elvire had been a very good cook a little classic perhaps but with a brilliant knack for sauces and seasoning. 'usy with her work as a barrister she only cooked proper meals at week&ends or when they entertained but this had slowly dwindled to extinction well before they separated during what he thought of as their -twilight years0. He watched with a slightly guilty pleasure this other woman tall slim and much more at ease in her kitchen than she appeared to be in her salon, as she spread a thick layer of coarse salt in a gratin dish placed the asparagus stalks on top of it seasoned them and dri33led on some olive oil before popping the dish into the oven together with a do3en baby goug3res% He was intrigued having never tasted baked asparagus but did not comment for fear she took it as a hint that he wanted to stay. He thought it said a lot for the way in which their relationship & if you could call it that & had progressed in the course of the last fifteen minutes. Harriet 4ames took a couple of steps towards the table and picked up her glass of wine looking at Roussel speculatively. )he said in @uite a different toneM -?o you find it terribly callous of me to have gone to .aris and had a good time splurging while 4ulian is lying in a drawer in the morgue/0 Her change of tack unsettled him further. !gain it was transgressing boundaries for she was obviously asking this less of Roussel the policeman than of Roussel the man. 'ut he felt he owed her an answer. He did not want to say brutally that a manic type of behaviour is a common feature of bereavement.

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-2ot in the least 0 he replied. -$ou were very angry last night. )hock sadness and anger do not mix well. .erhaps you needed to do something a little wild. 7hat you did has not harmed anyone or anything & except perhaps your bank balance.0 )he kept up the eye contact.. -# can0t tell you how good it felt to go away this morning. )o... liberating. # have 1aye ?unning to thank for that. 7ith her usual commonsense she encouraged me to take a few hours off.0 He nodded and she went on. -!nd then coming back this evening facing the reality of what happened two days ago then learning of that other death.... # don0t know.... # felt a great rush of guilt.0 Roussel was silent. <uilt was inevitable. 'ut she knew that and what she wanted from him was the kind of comfort he could not give her. !fter a while she shook her head sighed and went to the refrigerator from which she removed a piece of what from where he was sitting looked like parmesan cheese a sealed packet of #euilles de bric*, those 8oroccan sheets of papaer&thin pastry and a good&si3ed duck magret. )he waved the latter in his direction. -$ou (ill stay and share this with me won0t you (ommandant/0 Here it comes he thought and this time the warning bell was so loud and clear he could not ignore it. #t was time to draw back. -!las 8adame 0 he said - # cannot. # came to ask you a few more @uestions. .erhaps we should get on with this then # shall leave you to your supper.0 -"h0 her disappointment was palpable but after a few seconds she reacted briskly. -Then # shan0t have the magret all by myself. #0ll have an omelette with the asparagus later on.0 )he replaced the duck breast in the refrigerator and brought the parmesan on a wooden chopping board to the table. )he took a small sip of wine then proceeded to shave thin slices of the cheese with a potato peeler. -<ive me a minute 8onsieur Roussel then # shall be all ears.0 !s she got up from her chair the cooker timer pinged and she moved to take the asparagus from the oven. Roussel0s stomach rumbled and he cursed both the ethos and the professional caution that prevented him from sharing a meal with a witness who was still on the suspect list but he also knew how dangerous this could be. Real ob%ectivity was illusory. 5ike shrinks policemen were trained and strove hard to be ob%ective but rarely succeeded totally. 7hat kept them from danger was a formal respect for boundaries and an internal system of warning&bells. )he looked up and smiled beguilingly. -These asparagus do smell good. # shall presently wrap them in a #euille de bric* (ommandant/0 and bake them again. !re you sure you won0t stay

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-Quite sure 8adame. 'ut thank you for asking.0 -Right - she said scattering the shavings of parmesan over the hot asparagus. -# shall leave these to cool and wrap them up later. 'ut # have to nibble on something now before # faint with hunger.0 )he removed the hot goug6res from the oven and put them into a bowl then with a small perforated spoon fished small black olives out of a glass container that stood on one of the counters. )he brought both bowls to the table with a couple of small paper napkins. -Here we are.0 He accepted a goug6re and bit into the small hot cheese puff. #t was fluffy and buttery and melted in the mouth while tiny bits of cheese that had been pushed %ust under the surface crunched under his teeth releasing a stronger aroma. .erfection. 'etter than any he ever remembered tasting. Harriet 4ames who was already munching on her second puff put both elbows on the table and saidM -!sk away (ommandant.0 Roussel settled deeper into his chair. -!s you have gathered from 8r 4ames whom # met earlier today in the church we now have a second murder and we believe the two killings are related. #ndeed it0s likely =but of course not certain> that they were committed by the same person. 2ow # have been interviewing some of the people that 8r Holbrook met or spent time with since he came to 1rance last )aturday. $ou yourself described on 7ednesday evening how you had spent the last few days. #0d like you to go over this once more in a little more detail and see whether there is anything about these people or about what 8r Holbrook might have said that you might have forgotten.0 Harriet 4ames took an olive and was lost in thought for a second. 7atching her and noting the lack of protest at what he0d %ust implied Roussel had the feeling that whatever she had said earlier the full reality of Holbrook0s death had not yet hit her. -5et me see. 4ulian arrived by car on )aturday afternoon. 7e had dinner at home that evening. The next day & )unday & we went early to (hablis market then to buy some wine from 5ouis 8ichel0 & this was a reputable (hablis grower. -Then we rushed back to Hugo van Ri%n0s at the 1erme de 'ellefond where we had brunch.0 -# believe the RAgniers were there also0 said Roussel flipping back the pages of his notebook.

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-That0s right. There was Hugo and his partner 4ean&4ac@ues 8ado & 8me RAgnier P her husband 2icolas and their two children.0 -?id anything particular happen at that brunch/ !nything that strikes you as odd or out of place/0 Harriet 4ames thought for a few seconds then shook her head. -2o we had a very pleasant and relaxed time. The weather was wonderful. 7e had brunch on the terrace overlooking the valley. The children played with Hugo0s dogs. 7e chatted of this that and the other. Then we all went home for a nap.0 -7hat did you talk about/0 -1ood art music. 2icolas0s a %a33 musician he plays the clarinet and the piano and both 4ean&4ac@ues and Hugo are gifted viola and piano players. 7e gossiped a bit about the people who live in the area & not %ust outsiders like us but locals too. 7e have come to know them @uite well and 4ulian liked to keep up with local news. !t some point Hugo showed us his latest ac@uisitions & he0s an anti@ue dealer & and discussed a few technical points with 8ado. )he0s a gilder and furniture restorer she works mostly freelance for museums and collectors but occasionally works for him as well.0 )he thought a little more. -#t was all perfectly relaxing and a very pleasant day.0 -How did 8r Holbook seem/0 -!s # said very relaxed. He likes & liked & Hugo and 4ean&4ac@ues and was fond of 8ado who0s a close friend of mine.0 -# see. !nd on )unday evening/0 -"n )unday evening we went for a long walk at about six taking 8ado0s dog with us & he needs a lot of exercise.0 Roussel remembered vividly his encounter with the creature. -Then we came back had a drink on the terrace inspected the boatshed which needs painting cooked a small roast and so on. 2othing special but all very peaceful. 7e debated whether to go to .aris the next day to see an exhibition but 4ulian said he0d had enough of large cities so we decided to go to ?i%on instead.0 Roussel nodded encouraging her silently to go on. He could not resist helping himself to another goug6re. )he beamed her approval. -7e left early on the 8onday and drove to ?i%on where we visited the .uits de 8o]se for the umpteenth time & that0s the problem with art historians they never seem to tire of visiting

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the same places over and over again. Then we drove to (hagny where # had booked a table at 5ameloise.0 Roussel kept a blank face. ! bastion of 'urgundian gastronomy 5ameloise was his favourite restaurant and because of its prices strictly reserved for celebrations. He took another sip of (hablis. -!nd after lunch/0 -!fter lunch/ "h dearO0 sighed Harriet 4ames remembering. -7e meant to drive to 'eaune and see the Gan der 7eyden triptych =again for the umpteenth time> but the sight of all those names as we made our way north again & .uligny&8ontrachet 8onthAlie Golnay .ernand& Gergelesse .ommardO & was too much. )o #0m afraid we threw caution to the winds and as an English friend of mine likes to say erred on the side of extravagance. 'y the time we got home we were exhausted and not a bit sober. Lnfortunately we couldn0t %ust go to bed without supper for # had promised 1aye to bring 4ulian over for a drink.0 -?id he know 8s ?unning well/0 -2ot particularly but he liked her. !nd it0s 8iss by the way. )he0s a single woman and unlike Emily is not fond of being addressed as 98s.:0 -# sympathi3e 0 said Roussel with a smile. -)o do # really.0 )he smiled back. -# do loathe political correctness. Have you not interviewed her yet/0 -2o #0ll be seeing her tomorrow.0 -# think you0ll find her an interesting woman.0 -#n what way 8rs 4ames/0 -)he0s an unusual combination of reserve and warmth. )he0s a 5ondoner very well&read and cultivated though not a show&off.0 )he added after a while -2othing like Emily 5indberg or the 7illiamsons.0 -#s 8iss 5indberg a show&off/ # hear she0s a well&known writer.0 Harriet 4ames grimaced. -)he certainly will never let you forget it.0 -#s she a snob/0 -!n intellectual snob yes. # have to say that to her credit she0s not at all a social snob.0 Then she destroyed her statement by adding maliciously -)he hobnobs with %ust about anyone as long as they0re male and under ninety.0 Roussel had to hide his amusement. This again was a side of Harriet 4ames he had not met before. He had known she had spirit but had not imagined her to have a biting tongue. )ince

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the sub%ect was now Emily 5indberg he debated on whether to pursue the matter and try to draw 8rs 4ames out about the events of the Tuesday dinner&party but abandoned the idea as he knew this would shatter the fragile status @uo between them. -7hat about the 7illiamsons/0 he asked @uickly before her forthcomingness could abate. -"h 0 she said with a wide smile. -They0re a bit "TT.0 -# beg your pardon/0 -".T.T. "ver the top.0 -!re they/ -asked Roussel blandly. -"h come on (ommandant you must have noticed if you went to their house. $ou0re obviously very familiar with our culture.0 =Roussel0s vanity was being stroked. He was aware of that but at the same time could not help being absurdly pleased that she had noticed.> -The 7illiamsons display all the clichAs of conventional 'ritish middle class & chint3iness a little shabbiness here some blue and white china there = not # expect the real thing but probably bought at .eter 4ones0s & what a dreadful snob # am aren0t #/> a conservatory and0 & Harriet 4ames lowered her voice conspiratorially -an )ga ordered all the way from England.0 )he laughed. -2ot to mention the dovecotO "h don0t mind me (ommandant # can be as catty as the next person.0 )he raised her glass. -'lame it on the (hablis.0 !nd on relief reflected Roussel. #t had occurred to him that 8rs 4ames0s new di33y&chatty self might be the result of relieved anxiety. )he looked and sounded as if a great weight had been lifted from her mind. His thoughts immediately went to her earlier reference to the fact that 5eo 4ames0s alibi had been verified. -7hat have those poor 7illiamsons done to you 8rs 4ames/0 -"h dear now you make me feel @uite guilty. The answer is not what they0ve done but what they are% # think they0re fakes.0 -1akes/: he repeated. -This is a serious thing to say about anybody. #n what way do you think they0re fakes/0 -"h # don0t know. They0re not @uite what they make themselves out to be. They0re perfectly pleasant not particularly interesting or well&read but # can0t help feeling there0s something not @uite kosher about them.0

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Roussel knew exactly what she was talking about but did not comment. -5et me ask you a specific @uestion 8rs 4ames. ?o you think either 8iss 5indberg or the 7illiamsons could have been involved in those two murders/0 Harriet0s face suddenly reflected genuine contrition. -"h <od noO 2o (ommandant # didn0t mean to suggest anything of the kind. #0ve allowed my tongue to run away with itself. .lease don0t thinkN.2o o# course not% 2one of them could be involved. #t0s unthinkable. # simply meant that the 7illiamsons don0t @uite fit in with this low&key community. # can0t help feeling they0d be more at home on the Riviera. "r 8iami somewhere like that expensive and flashy. They have plenty of money. 7hy come to such a modest part of 1rance/0 -'urgundy0s not that modest0 he protested feebly. -"h dear now #0ve offended you.0 )he laughed and he shook his head with a broad smile. -"f course 'urgundy0s not that modest. The (Zte d0"r is not. 'ut our region is and thank <od for thatO 7e0re far from the madding crowd here not on a direct tourist route. The countryside though pretty is not particularly pictures@ue. "ur life here both personal and social is very @uiet. That0s why we love it & and why the people who come to visit us love it.0 -?o you find that 8s. 5indberg fits in better than the 7illiamsons/ #0d have imagined her more easily in 2ew $ork or 5ondon.0 -!h you0ve seen her interior. 'ut yes curiously despite her predilection for minimalism and modern design she fits in muc' better than the 7illiamsons. )he leads a very @uiet life writes a lot of the time loves walking in the countryside goes mushrooming in the woods. !nd more than any of us has a number of 1rench friends. )he0s well integrated.0 -!nd doesn0t own an !ga 0 smiled Roussel. Harriet 4ames laughed. -2o nor does anybody else apart from the 7illiamsons. # must say it0s the !ga that gets me. #t0s such a ridiculous and meaningless status symbol these days unless one0s had it in one0s house for generations. !s if it0s the stove that makes a good cook.0 )he laughed again. -"f course # can talk with my big cooking range. 'ut # can be forgiven & #0m a professionalO Emily by the way is an excellent cook. )o is 1aye. !nd both of them have very modest stoves.0 -Talking of 8iss ?unning 0 Roussel said -what is it that makes her so interesting to you/0 Harriet 4ames picked another olive. They were Roussel noticed the kind he liked best the tiny black niCoises. 2ot much flesh but a fragrant taste.

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-# think she0s a plucky woman. )he hasn0t had an easy life. )he had rather difficult parentsM a mother who was an invalid & 1aye stayed at home to look after her & and a father who didn0t believe in education for women.0 )he munched away at another goug6re. He resisted but with difficulty. -!lso her career was unusual.0 -Her career/0 asked Roussel. -# thought she stayed at home to look after her mother.0 -$es she did most of the time & # don0t know the details. 'ut she also had a strange kind of offbeat career when she was younger. )he was a freelance hand model.0 -! what/0 asked Roussel thinking he had misheard. -! hand model a person who in fashion or advertising photography models hands. # didn0t reali3e this until 1aye explained but modelling isn0t %ust what you see in the papers & beautiful creatures modelling clothes or %ewellery. #t apparently is a highly speciali3ed profession in which people model bits of themselves that are perfect. $ou know a breast eyes a beautiful foot a fine back a scrumptious backside or whatever. !nd faces of course. )ome models who have wonderful faces may have an imperfect body or ugly feet and hands that can0t be shown in a photograph. )o bits of other models are susbstituted. $ou may for instance have a photograph of a woman with an angelic face admiring a diamond ring on her hand. 1aye explained to me that in many cases the face will belong to one model and the hand with the ring to another. "f course all this was before the age of the virtual image and digital photography. 7hen 1aye was younger it was all done done with contortions and make&believe.0 Roussel was silent imagining not %ust the technical make&believe but also the curious relationship that a -parts0 model =for want of a better word> might develop with her body and her whole self the obsessive care lavished on one elected area the inherent dangers of a possible splitting of self&image especially when as was the case with 8iss ?unning the rest of her physical being was so plain. -#t0s a cruel society 0 he commented -that places such premium on the appearance of physical perfection that it dissects individuals into parts.0 -# agree with you0 said Harriet. -That0s why # think 1aye is brave and unusual. )he has survived a number of difficult situations and has finally found serenity here.0 -#n this 9modest: part of 'urgundy - smiled Roussel. -7e were sidetracked 0 he added before she could protest in guilt -and your supper is now @uite cold.0

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-2evermind that 0 she answered pouring them both another glass of wine. -7here were we/0 -$ou were telling me about your drink at 8iss ?unning0s with 8r Holbrook.0 -$es well we en%oyed that. 1aye and 4ulian liked each other. 7e chatted in a desultory way. To tell the truth it was mostly 4ulian who talked. He0s & was P a good raconteur very witty and with a nice streak of maliciousness. He regaled us with stories about the art scene in 5ondon and 2ew $ork where he0d %ust been. Then he poked around a bit looking at 1aye0s books and a painting she recently bought at an auction in 5ondon. Then we went home and collapsed.0 -!nd on Tuesday/0 -"n Tuesday we decided to be abstemious since we0d gone over the top the day before and were due to go to Emily0s for dinner that night. 7e went to the .uisaye to visit some potters # know.0 )he pointed to a number of stoneware plates on her huge white dresser. -7e didn0t @uite manage to skip lunch & but it was a modest affair in )aint&1argeau. (ame back had a rest then went to Emily0s.0 )he fell silent after that her ga3e lively only a minute ago now sobered up. -7hat happened at that dinner/0 asked Roussel in a neutral tone. Harriet 4ames sighed. )he took her time to find her words. -7hat can # tell you/ #n retrospect # feel that dinner was a turning&point for me. # imagine the 7illiamsons lost no time in telling you that 4ulian and Emily behaved outrageously.0 Roussel was silent. -1rom your expression # can see that they did tell you. 7hat they didn0t know was that after seeing that indecent performance # felt so sick that # decided to break up with 4ulian. # never got round to telling him. # suppose # was trying to buy time. ?escribing %ust now how he and # spent the few days before his death makes me think in retrospect that until Tuesday night # was & # must have been & @uite happy to let things go on as they were. .erhaps # wasn0t ready to rock the boat. 1or a long time & in fact since my divorce from 5eo & there has been no passion between us. 4ust a pleasant and relaxed companionship. 7e had sex on )aturday night nothing earth&shattering. Then nothing at all. He did not initiate further intimacy and neither did #. 7e slept in the same bed =except for Tuesday night when he came in late and knew that # was hopping mad at his behaviour>. 7e were # think @uite content to read companionably then go to sleep. #t was like... a fifty&year old marriage.0

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)he ate another cheese puff absentmindedly. -7hen he was around we took time off together almost as # would have done with any other friend who0d come to stay. 7hen he was elsewhere # hardly thought of him never missed him. To be truthful # don0t think #0m going to miss him much now. 'ut we0ll see won0t we. # guess #0m still a little anesthesi3ed by shock. !nd anger.0 )he looked Roussel in the eye. -# have to know (ommandant. ?o you still consider me a suspect/0 -7hy are you asking 8adame/0 )he had a movement of impatience. -?o you always answer a @uestion with another @uestion/ #0m asking because # need to know. #t feels rotten knowing that you0re suspected of something you didn0t do. 0 )he got up and started to pace about. -# was at the market with 8ado when 4ulian was killed.0 -Except for those eight or so minutes when you went to the toilettes, 8rs 4ames0 Roussel reminded her in a steady tone. -)omeone has told us they thought they0d seen you coming down the rue de l0Eglise and enter the covered market at about ten&twenty.0 )he wheeled around stunned. -7ell they must be mistaken 0 she said roundly. -# was down at the s@uare using the toilettes in that cafA.0 -How is it then that 8r 4ames who had been looking out for you did not see you going into or coming out of the (afA du (ommerce/0 Harriet shrugged and resumed pacing. -How do # know/ He was probably reading the papers at the time. "h for heaven0s sakeO How many times do # have to tell you (ommandant/ # & didn0t P kill& 4ulian.0 Roussel was silent. )he whirled around to face him. -'esides if you think it likely that whoever killed 4ulian also killed that young man then # have the best possible alibi don0t #/ # was with you and 5eo at the time. !nd what possible motive could # have had to kill 4ulian/ # told you our relationship was companionable and relatively limited. # decided it might be time to put an end to it when # saw that he was no longer pretending we were a couple.0 -4ealousy0s a strong motive.0 -'ut # wasn0t %ealousO # was angry with him & and Emily & for making a fool of me in front of my friends. # won0t pretend # wasn0t humiliated. 'ut that0s no reason for killing someone. !t least in my book it isn0t.0 -2evertheless anger and humiliation are strong motives as well.0

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-"h really (ommandantO0 )he shook her head in disbelief. -7e0ve been digressing 8adame.0 )he opened out her arms in a frustrated gesture then shrugged and came back to sit at the table. Her earlier mood of friendly complicity had vanished leaving a wariness that stood -7here were we/0 she asked wearily. -$ou were talking about that dinner on Tuesday and your decision to break with 8r Holbrook.0 )he sighed looking down at her hands. -$es 0 she said in a low voice. 7hat happened that evening at Emily0s caused me to ask myself whether the game was worth the candle. !nd the answer that evening was negative.0 -!nd that was why you left early.0 -$es. # saw no reason to continue to play the part of the patsy.0 -The patsy/0 -The stooge le pigeon%0 -# see. !nd at what time did you leave the dinner/0 -!bout eleven. # don0t know how long the party went on for but 4ulian didn0t come home till ten past three in the morning.0 -How can you be so sure of the time/0 -# was lying awake and # looked at my alarm clock when # heard him come in.0 -?id anything in the dinner conversation strike you as pertinent now that you know that 8r Holbrook was killed the very next day/0 )he thought for a minute then shrugged and made an indeterminate face. -# don0t recall anything in particular probably because # was so uncomfortable watching those two make a spectacle of themselves that # wasn0t listening properly. #t was the usual dinner&party talk. !rt literature some gossip.0 -7hat gossip/0 -# don0t remember exactly. # wasn0t really paying much attention.0 Roussel got up. -8rs 4ames # shan0t keep you from your supper any longer. Thank you for all this information. )nd the wine and goug6res.0 )he led him to the door looking @uite depressed. !s they shook hands she said in a low voice looking him in the eye. -# didn0t kill him.0 awkwardly between them like an unwanted guest.

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Roussel looked at her without smiling but s@uee3ed her fingers a little in his big paw and went out into the night.

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Sa) !day

CHAPTER 1$

Roussel had set the alarm clock for B a.m. He had been too tired the night before to write out his notes. "n his way home he had stopped for a late meal at the )aint&'ris a restaurant a few streets away from his house where he was a familiar figure and no one made a fuss about serving him after normal hours. !fter he ordered his single&course meal and had a short chat with the owner he sat nursing a glass of sauvignon and thinking about his interview with 8rs 4ames. He could feel a sly becknoning of the dark mood that had hounded him in the last few months and which had seemed to have miraculously been put to sleep since he had started to work on the Holbrook case. .erhaps tiredness was to blame. "r perhaps 8rs 4ames0s despondency at the end of the interview had rubbed off on him. He did not believe she had killed Holbrook but could not be certain of it since they had still not found a witness to verify her alibi. There was also that statement of Emily 5indberg0s about seeing her coming down the rue de l0Eglise that had to be taken into account. He was inclined not to take it too seriously but it had to be checked out

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all the same and the coincidence in the timing bothered him. 8ost important and however she might protest 8rs 4ames0s motivations still earned her a place on the suspects list. Keeping 8rs 4ames on that list supposed that they were dealing with two murderers. #f they decided to follow the single&murderer hypothesis then Harriet 4ames was out of it. Roussel was still in two minds about which course to follow though he was inclined to favour the second. 1or once however he found himself unwilling to trust his intuition because he suspected that where both 4ameses were concerned he was beginning to lose his ob%ectivity. #n the presence of such doubt he knew it was best to remain open to all possibilities. 2either could he fathom 8rs 4ames0s ca%oling familiarity early in the interview This as he has guessed at one point in their conversation might be attributed to her relief that 5eo 4ames0s own alibi was verified but could e@ually well be interpreted as a clumsy attempt to manipulate Roussel. He could not make up his mind about it and it made him feel a little off&base a little de%ected. Earlier in the evening he had argued with himself that perhaps her friendliness should be taken at face value that freed from the stress and anxiety of the last two days she could finally afford to be her natural self. 2ow he was no longer so sanguine about it. He wavered from one point of view to another all thoughout his meal a dish of tender pork fillet and veal kidneys in a mustard sauce and a half&bottle of 'ourgogne&(Ztes d0!uxerre which he should have en%oyed but did not. His mood took a further downward turn when arriving home he found no trace of the cat. He left some food out in the kitchen changed the water made sure the catflap was not blocked in error and went to bed. Half&way through the night as he was turning over he felt a large lump of warm flesh settling back against his legs. He smiled long enough to register that this was indeed a first then sank back into oblivion. 7hen the alarm clock sounded at B he turned it off with a groping hand and do3ed on for another half hour. !fter his shower he toddled naked into the kitchen to be greeted by a nearly silent mew and an elo@uent look at an empty dish. "bediently he refilled the cat0s dish and while it was eating set about preparing himself a real breakfast grinding coffee beans and plopping into the toaster two slices of wholemeal bread he had begged off the restaurant owner the night before. He even fished out of the refrigerator some ancient cherry %am which still had some taste though not much. There was little trace of all the mental toing and froing he had done the evening before. The night had obviously done its work of reshuffling priorities while he slept. #t was now clear that he had to pursue the single&killer hypothesis. 2either was there any trace of the incipient

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depression he feared he had glimpsed. 1or the first time in months Roussel felt physically and mentally alive. The energy that had been so conspicuously absent lately was resurfacing. He glanced around the kitchen. #t was time he started looking after himself which meant for a start stocking up his refrigerator and larder. He should also make an inventory of the house0s contents to sort out what could be thrown away and what should be kept.. He might also think about reviving the old vegetable patch at the back of the house and buying seedlings at the market. He drew the line at %oining a gym club but the potager would give him some physical exercise. The mild weather meant that the orchard would be drowning in cherries come 4une. He would probably not have time to make %am from his trees but he thought he might try to persuade his cousin0s wife Emmeline to make some for him. !nd perhaps if the investigation was resolved by then and 8rs 4ames =no longer a suspect> had not flown back into connubial bliss with her ex& husband he might bring her a few basketfuls of the dark red )aint&'ris cherries and see where this took them. !mused but slightly taken aback by this new train of thought he admonished himself for thinking of such trivialities in the middle of a murder case and left for the office as the sun was rising. !t !uxerre he @uickly despatched the contents of his in&tray brewed some more coffee and started putting yesterday0s notes in a legible and logical form then typed out on his word& processor a report for 4uge 5a 'arri6re and (ommissaire Toussaint. !fter the rest of the division arrived he personally took Toussaint0s copy of the report to him and remained for a chat and a smoke both men sharing a taste for small cigars. There existed a reserved mutual affection between them. #n other circumstances spared the formality that coloured hierarchical relations in provincial 1rance they might have been friends. !fter listening to the latest developments in the Holbrook&(arteau affair Toussaint agreed with Roussel0s decision to pursue the single&killer hypothesis exhorting him however to keep his mind open to other possibilities. !s usual he was happy to let his chief officer get on with his work as he saw fit. He0d always been supportive but lately to Roussel0s regret his attention had grown a little slack. Toussaint was a year away from retirement and his once&dynamic running of the division had slowly transmogrified into an amiable but largely virtual presence. 8ost days when you went into his office you0d find him practising his putting on the wall&to&wall carpeting or reading .liny or "vid in the original. 2evertheless he was still officially in charge of the division0s cases and had to be kept appraised of all developments.

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8oreover Roussel valued the older man0s still undiminished capacity for putting things into perspective. 'ack in his own office Roussel called in .ottier and ?u@uesne. -!ny news/0 he asked when both assistants were seated around his desk. 7ithout waiting for the answer he added -$ou0ll see from the report # %ust e&mailed to 4uge 5a 'arri6re that # made a little headway in my interviews. #0ll be continuing them this morning.0 ?u@uesne placed a thick folder on Roussel0s desk. -Here0s what # could find on the two 4ameses the two RAgniers 8iss ?unning and 8iss 5indberg. They0re all clean apart from the fight between 5eo 4ames and Holbrook. 2othing # found so far looks odd to me but have a look yourself. $ou never know.0 -7hat about the others/0 -Gan Ri%n also seems to be all right. 'ut his boyfriend 4ean&4ac@ues 5Aonard was arrested about three years ago in .aris for being in possession.0 -(ocaine/0 -+ans le mille, mon Commandant90 'ingo. -7ell done ?u@uesne.0 -7hat # don0t understand .atron is that # got nothing & and # mean 3ilch & on Edward .ercy 7illiamson and Girgina !dele 7illiamson nAe LrNwhatever.0 -2othing at all/0 repeated Roussel. -Due dalle9 2o address anywhere except here no 'ritish national insurance number not a single mention of them prior to their coming to live in 1rance. They simply didn0t exist.0 -7hy am # not surprised/ ?espite your considerable talents and contacts .atrick it might be worth asking for )cotland $ard0s help on this one. 'etter still get the gendarmerie at Roilly to e&mail them that photo of the 7illiamsons # left there yesterday.0 -#0ll get on to that right away .atron. The 7illiamsons are obviously comfortable financially but nothing in their 1rench bank statements accounts for the sort of lifestyle that might go with owning a manor&house. # found out moreover0 ?u@uesne tried to look modest but failed -from the estate agent they bought it from that they paid cash for it. ?o you know many people who pay cash for a house these days/0 #t was a rhetorical @uestion. -7hat # find odd 0 ?u@uesne went on -is that they have no bank account in England. Expatriates of any social standing usually keep an account in their own country. 8y feeling is we

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have to look across the !lps. "ne of my contacts has a very useful entrAe in the )wiss numbered accounts system. # might try that next.0 -# thought those were super&well protected0 said .ottier. -# don0t want to boast butN.0 -!ll right all right .atrick 0 said Roussel -remind me to think of another place to hide my nest egg when # strike it richO !nd for heaven0s sake be discreet. 7e don0t want the (ommissaire dragged over the coals by the 8inister of 1inance.0 -#f you get positive results from ?unhill andVor yourN erN contact 0 Roussel continued -call me on my mobile and #0ll try to include the 7illiamsons on my visiting list again.0 He raised his eyes towards !mina .ottier. -#0 said !mina -went to @uestion a couple of dealers that the 'rigade des )tups earmarked for me all the others they tracked having proved negative.0 -!nd/0 asked Roussel. -7ell .atron neither had heard of Holbrook or recogni3ed his description or photograph. 'ut both have occasionally provided for someone else on our list.0 -$oung 4ean&4ac@ues.0 -Right.0 -#s he a heavy user /0 -2o not by any means. 'ut he likes to have his little stash.0 -Enough to be dealing himself/0 -"h no. He0s only a private user and relatively modest at that. 'ut my bet is that this is where Holbrook got the coke that was found in his urine.0 -$es probably. 7ell we shall see what 8onsieur 5Aonard has to say about it when # interview him this morning. !nything else/ 7hat about the gay angle/0 'oth officers shook their heads. -That has yielded damn all both for Holbrook and the Gan Ri%n&5Aonard duet0 said !mina. -#t0s unsurprising about Holbrook since the post showed that the rectal scarring was not fresh. !s for the other two either they0re a monogamous couple or they shop elsewhere & like .aris.0 -Right.0 Roussel stood from his desk. -)hall # come with you .atron/0 asked !mina. -2o !mina. #0ll interview the three remaining people who were at that dinner&party and get their photos to (otinaud. !fter that the ball will be in his camp. 5et0s hope the stall&keepers

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will be able to shed some light on our witnesses0 movements . $ou look after my post and in&tray for me. #f there0s anything urgent call me on my mobile. "therwise deal with it as best you can. !nd you .atrick when you phone Reggie ?unhill ask him to look into the deed&poll register for us.0

RRRRRRRRRRRR

Roussel stopped at the gendarmerie in Roilly to drop in Emily 5indberg0s photograph. The chief was out so he left the photo with the young female gendarme =in casual and politically&incorrect parlance known as a gendarmette>. 1eeling thirsty he left his car in the gendarmerie car park and walked to the s@uare. He sat outside the (afA du (ommerce where he ordered a half bottle of 'adoit. Even for him it was still too early for a ptit blanc and he felt he0d had enough caffeine. !s he sat finishing his water he saw coming into the s@uare simultaneous but from different ends the old man with the bags & he0d forgotten his name and could not bring himself to call him -)ac \ puces0 & and (otinaud walking next to an attractive dark&haired young woman. He hailed (otinaud. -Hello .hilippeO0 -!h .ierre good morning.0 (otinaud erased his rapt expression stood up straighter and unknotted his hands which in true gendarme fashion had been locked behind his back. -8ay # introduce ?r !urAlie (oste. (ommandant .ierre Roussel of the !uxerre 'rigade criminelle.0 Roussel who had lumbered up to his feet as the couple were approaching shook hands with the doctor then with the ad%udant&chef. (lose up she was indeed very pretty with the olive skin Roussel liked and lively brown eyes. 5ong almost black hair was pulled away from her face in a low pony&tail which emphaised her sharply defined maxillaries. )he was stylish too for a country doctor wearing slick fawn leather trousers which set off a slim waist and shapely 2o wonder (otinaud looked smitten. Roussel idly backside and a burnt&orange cotton %umper with a cream cotton pullover tied around her neck. !ltogether an attractive young woman. wondered what his married life was like. -Have you come to see me/0 asked (otinaud.

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-$es but only to drop in a photograph. 7hich #0ve given to your young sergeant.0 Roussel dropped some coins onto the table and said. -#0ve got to get going. !ny luck with this man .hilippe/0 He looked towards the old man who like the first time Roussel had spotted him was now sitting on the fountain coping surrounded with his plastic bags his face ravaged with tics and twitches. (otinaud explained to ?r (oste that the day before Roussel had suggested that (laude !lain & ah yes thought Roussel t'at0s his name & be asked whether he had seen anything unusual around the church on the previous 7ednesday. -#t0s no use any of us approaching him !urAlie. He immediately goes into one of his fits. )o we were wondering whether you could do it on our behalf since he seems to like you.0 7hile the doctor looked doubtful Roussel asked her what was wrong with !lain. He half expected her to make a fuss about patient confidentiality but she replied readily enough. -He suffers from <illes de la Tourette0s syndrome.0 -7hat0s that/0 asked Roussel. -#t0s a neuro&behavioural disorder which was once thought to be rare but is now more fre@uently diagnosed.0 Roussel0s interest was pi@ued. -#s that because it occurs more fre@uently or because it0s more easily detected/0 -The latter. 7e know a little more about it so we0re less prone to misdiagnosing it. #n the past many of its symptoms were fre@uently confused with those of schi3ophrenia extreme forms of obsessive&compulsive disorders autism epilepsy various choreas etc.0 -Korea/ !s in the country/0 asked (otinaud who seemed to be listening with great attention. )he smiled fondly at him & obviously the soft spot went both ways. -2o chorea spelt with a ch. (ommonly called )t Gitus0s dance. )till today patients suffering from Tourette0s syndrome are misdiagnosed as having )ydenham0s or Huntington0s chorea because of the tics and abnormal involuntary %erky movements.0 )omething tugged at Roussel0s mind but it vanished as soon as he tried to get hold of it. -7hat are its causes/0 he asked. -! neurochemical alteration in the brain causing an abnormal activity of neurotransmitters. The exact etiology has not been firmly defined yet. 0 -#s it genetically transmitted/0

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-$es. !t least what0s genetically transmitted is what we call a 9vulnerability: to the disorder that is a constitutional chance of developing it if one of your parents has it. 1rom what # gathered from 8onsieur !lain both his father and his grandfather suffered from the same symptoms. They must have been inbred for generations as a lot of these isolated country families are. They were never diagnosed as suffering from T). 2either was he by the way until he came to see me for a bad bronchitis and # persuaded him to have some tests for his neurological problems. !s a matter of fact it was one of those English ladies from 5a Tuilerie who called my attention to him.0 -Really/0 asked Roussel with interest. -7as it 8rs 4ames/0 -2o 0 answered ?r (oste. -#t was the older lady 8iss ?unning. )he0d known someone with Tourette0s )yndrome and called my attention to 8onsieur !lain. 'ut there was nothing # could do about it until he came to see me of his own free will.0 -#s there a treatment for this disease/0 asked Roussel. -Haloperidol and pimo3ide can reduce some of the symptoms. 'ut nothing can actually cure the disorder and some of the treatments may cause side effects that can be as distressing as the symptoms themselves. #0ve prescribed low doses of Haldol which is the most common treatment for T). 'ut he doesn0t take his medecine. He says he doesn0t need it. He is incurably suspicious of anything 9official: and would never even have come to see me had his bronchitis not really started to plague him.0 -#s 8onsieur !lain mentally impaired as well/0 asked Roussel. -2ot a bit of it. His intelligence is normal if a little primitive. !s a result of the disorder however he is suffering from psychological difficulties such as attention deficit obsessive& compulsive behaviour immaturity aggressiveness paranoid&like suspicion and so on. He is also very uncoordinated physically which means he can0t drive or use any power tools.0 )he paused for a moment looking at both men in turn. -$ou have to understand that this is a very distressing illness both for the sufferer and for those around him. "ne of the most common results is social and emotional isolation which in turn affects the behaviour of T) victims. This man has lived alone since his parents died. He has no siblings no friends and he frightens off anybody who goes near him. 7hen he gets upset he %erks about aggressively and screams obscenities & this is known as 9coprolalia: by the way and is one of the classic symptoms of his illness. .eople feel aggressed and frightened and leave him alone. #t0s a vicious circle.0

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-7hat # meant is 0 cut in Roussel -is would he be able to answer a few @uestions/ He sits @uite often by the fountain # believe. He may have seen something last 7ednesday morning that might help our investigation. 7ould you be willing to ask him/0 !gain ?r (oste looked doubtful. -# can try but # can0t guarantee how he0s going to react.0 -# understand. #0d be grateful nevertheless if you could try.0 -?o you mean now/ He0s seen me talking to the two of you and policemen send him into a blue funk.0 -.lease you might as well.0 Reluctantly she crossed the s@uare towards the fountain. Roussel and (otinaud tried to pretend to be casually chatting but were surreptitiously observing the scene. 7hen he saw ?r (oste approaching (laude !lain started shaking his head from side to side. His eyes blinked furiously his nose twitched and he grimaced pathetically. Roussel looked away. 7hen he looked up again ?r (oste was speaking to the old man. )uddenly he got up and started moving in little hops his right arm striking out. The doctor backed up a little but continued talking calmly. The head shaking started again faster and faster till it looked to Roussel as if the head would take off of its own accord. (laude !lain stuck out his tongue repeatedly grimaces twisting his face horribly then poured out a stream of loud sounds and words. Roussel and (otinaud looked at each other trying to make them out but the words were unintelligible. ?r (oste persevered with her @uestions but the old man was obviously extremely upset. )creaming what sounded like abuse he suddenly picked up his bags and loped off towards the rue de l0Eglise looking behind his shoulder repeatedly his mouth working furiously. The doctor came back slowly to where the two men were standing. -# did warn you0 she said matter&of&factedly. -?id you understand any of it/0 asked Roussel. -2o most of it was a stream of sounds except towards the end when # t'in* he said # was a whore0s offspring.0 -!re there times when he is calmer/0 asked Roussel. -7ell yes. 7hen # meet him in the street and we0re by ourselves he is @uite calm and civil and # understand most of what he says. !nd that time he came into my office for his bronchitis he was scared but relatively calm apart from the usual twitches.0

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-)omething must have upset him today0 said Roussel. -.erhaps our presence set it off. "r the @uestions themselves.0 -.robably both. The mere fact that a murder was committed here a few days ago must have perturbed him enormously.0 -$ou don0t think0 started (otinaud cautiously -that he might have had anything to do with that/0 -"h noO0 cried ?r (oste shocked. -!bsolutely notO 8onsieur !lain0s aggressiveness is only verbal and gestual. # found him to be a very gentle person.0 )he looked scornfully at (otinaud. -How can you suspect himO0 -!ll right all right !urAlie du calme90 he said with an appeasing gesture of his hands. -# was only clutching at straws.0 -7ell clutch at them elsewhere do0 retorted the doctor coldly tugging at her sweater in anger. -<oodbye 8essieurs.0 )he strode off towards a side street. -$ou0ve blown it there .hilippeO0 said Roussel with a smile. -Haven0t # %ust/0 (otinaud smiled back adding with a measure of gloating. -)ome temper she0s got that one.0 -# left my car in the gendarmerie car park0 said Roussel getting his car keys from his pocket. -#0ll walk you back.0 !s they turned the corner of the s@uare Roussel looked back. The old man had stopped half&way up the rue de l0Eglise and was staring back at him. His face was no longer twitching but white and mask&like. There was something ominous about it. ?espite the sun that was warming his shoulders Roussel shivered

CHAPTER 1&

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Harriet lay on her bed staring at the ceiling. #t was still very early. )he had not slept well indeed had hardly slept at all. Lnlike 1riday morning when she had woken up refreshed despite what she had learnt about 4ulian from Roussel and 5eo today she felt sluggish and depressed. )he supposed it was a delayed reaction to 4ulian0s murder. #t had been na]ve of her to think that she could bypass that stage in the process that grief would come later in its own good time. )hock and anger had anaesthesi3ed her giving her the illusion that the energy she felt was life reasserting itself. 2ow she saw it had been a reaction a kind of manic response to the shock. !nd now also the reality of 4ulian0s death was beginning to make itself felt. )he knew that her little %aunt in .aris the day before the haircut and the shopping binge had been a way of pushing back the inevitable moment of having to acknowledge that reality. Even when she was talking to Roussel the evening before she had not truly taken in the implications of 4ulian0s death. He had not %ust died in an accident or from a heart attack or as she0d wanted to believe at first as the result of a mugging. !ny of these alone would have caused her shock and distress. 'ut 4ulian had been murdered% )omeone had wanted him dead. !nd murder was another kettle of fish altogether. #t undermined foundations shook up certainties turned one0s bearings topsy turvy. )he0d read somewhere that after a murder nothing was ever the same again. )he could well believe it. The evening with Roussel too had left a bad taste. )he0d talked too much prattled on thoughtlessly been indiscreet about her friends. That was unforgivable. How could she have been so unkind / !nd so silly to bootO #t made her cringe to think about it. )he had also been relatively candid about her relationship with 4ulian. )he blamed it all on the falsely alluring impression she0d had that the big policeman was to be trusted. That he was not unfriendly and would believe her. !t first she had felt very comfortable with him reassured by his large @uiet presence and the fact that he spoke English fluently and was familiar with her own culture. !bove all she had been buoyed by relief that 5eo0s alibi for 7ednesday morning had proved to be true. 7ithout openly admitting it to herself from the moment Sach had told her his father was in 'urgundy she had secretly feared that 5eo had had something to do with 4ulian0s disappearance and death. )he forced herself to go through her morning routineM feed .ilgrim make herself a cup of tea =she couldn0t face breakfast> have a shower cream her body do her hair put on a smidgen of make&up dress make her bed air the house.

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!fter that she felt at a loose end. )he walked around the house looking for something to do. The place was immaculate thanks to GAroni@ue her cleaning lady who had come the day before while Harriet was in .aris indulging in what a friend of hers called -a little gentle retail therapy0. The garden. There was always something to do in the garden. )he walked out and surveyed the state of her herb beds and mixed borders. )ure enough young weeds had sprouted virtually overnight. That would do she told herself with some relief for she0d always found weeding therapeutic. 4ust as she was about to change into gardening clothes the telephone rang. )he looked at her watch. #t was barely eight&thirty. -How0s my old Hat this morning/0 5eo0s voice was indecently cheerful. -?own in the dumps.0 -?0you know where the expression comes from/0 -7hat expression/0 -The one you %ust used 9down in the dumps:.0 -2o 0 said Harriet -!nd # couldn0t care less.0 -#0ll tell you anyway. #n Tudor and Eli3abethan times the dump was a lament usually played on the lute with improvisations on the basic chords. #n other words a mournful or melancholy air. Hence the expression.0 -Thank you 5eo. !s ever you0re a bottomless font of riveting information. #0m sure that knowing the origin of the term will improve my mood no end let alone my mind.0 -# was only trying to cheer you up.0 -)weet of you.0 He sighed. -Hattie darling. 5ife shouldn0t stop because 4ulian0s been killed.0 -<o away 5eo. $our sensitivity0s too much for me.0 -Harriet it won0t do you any good to sit at home and mope. (ome out with me for the day.0 -#0m going to wage war on weeds.0 -7eeds can wait. (ome with me.0 -7here are you going/0 -# want to start exploring some of the small country churches that #0ve never been to. !round the !uxois area for instance. ?oesn0t that tempt you/0 -2o.0

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-2evermind.0 He continued unfa3ed -7e could leave at about ten drive around explore have a bite to eat at )emur or 1lavigny. The weather0s glorious. #t0ll do us good. (ome on Hattie.0 Harriet hesitated. -Hat/0 -$es okay. .ick me up at ten.0 )he sounded as gracious as she felt. -That0s my girlO0 2o sooner had she put the receiver down than the telephone rang again. #t was 8ado asking whether Harriet wanted to go to the Tonnerre market with her. They had talked briefly the evening before after Harriet had got back from .aris but before Roussel had arrived. -2o thanks 8ado. #0m going to the !uxois with 5eo.0 -"h...good.0 8ado0s tone was carefully non&committal. -2ow then 8ado 0 Harriet said in a warning tone. -# didn0t say anything 0 her friend protested. The next telephone call was from Emily. -Harriet sorry about the early call. #0ll be leaving in ten minutes for Tonnerre market. # imagine you0re not going there yourself and was wondering whether you needed anything.0 Harriet gritted her teeth. -Thanks Emily. !nd no thanks #0ve got everything # need.0 -# hear 5eo0s around.0 Ha thought Harriet Tonnerre market my foot. #nformation0s what she0s after. -That0s right.0 Harriet hoped her tone would discourage Emily. 'ut nothing ever seemed to discourage Emily. -7hen did he arrive/0 -2o idea 0 lied Harriet. #0ve hardly talked to him.0 -7ell 0 said Emily -#t0ll be good to see him again. #s he staying long/0 -)orry can0t help you there either.0 -2evermind 0 said Emily -#0m bound to run into him if he0s staying around.0 There was a silence. -)ure there0s nothing # can bring you from the market/0 -Quite sure Emily thank you.0 Harriet put the phone down. 7ell at least she had the decency not to ask how #0m feeling she thought. )he glanced at her watch. #f she had to be ready at ten there was not much point in

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starting the weeding. )he might as well make herself a cup of coffee. 1or good measure she nibbled on a piece of dry toast. )he took her mug out to the terrace and sat down to think. 4ulian had been murdered. 7hich meant that someone had decided he must die and acted upon it. The enormity of that fact knocked Harriet sideways. (ould the step between the wish to kill someone =surely a relatively common fantasy> and the act itself really be so easily crossed/ This was life not fiction. The people in Harriet0s world were not the kind who acted out their fantasies. They controlled their impulses. This was what civili3ation was all about. They were all of them civili3ed. "r were they/ 7ith a sinking feeling Harriet reali3ed how little she knew about them. How well did you get to know people if you only met them socially/ 7hat did she know for instance about the 7illiamsons/ "r about Hugo/ toN.To what/ ! sudden image of Hugo0s face as she had last seen it on 7ednesday sent goose pimples down her back. He had looked angry enough Her mind refused to consider the possibility that any of her friends or like ac@uaintances had had anything to do with 4ulian0s death. Even the ones she least liked

Emily or the 7illiamsons. !nd what about that young man who0d also been murdered/ #f the police were right and the two killings were connected this implied that the killer had struck again. 7hat guarantee did they have that he would stop now/ !nd ('y had he killed/ 'efore she could dwell on that issue the shrill of the telephone summoned her back into the house. #t was 4ean&4ac@ues 5Aonard. -Harriet hello. # was slightly concerned about you yesterday. # dropped in on you as # promised # would on Thursday but you weren0t in.0 "h dear thought Harriet. #0d forgotten all about that. )he explained she had taken a few hours off. -# know 0 4ean&4ac@ues said. -# dropped in on 8ado and she told me.0 "h <od thought Harriet is there anything one can do in this place without everybody else knowing about it/ -!re you going to Tonnerre market/0 he pursued. -#f yes we0d love to have a coffee with you. #f no is there anything you0d like us to bring back/0 Harriet said that she had everything she needed and promised to call on them soon. 7hen the telephone rang next it was <inny 7illiamson. -Harriet dear. How are you feeling/0 -#0m all right thank you <inny.0

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-!re you going to Tonnerre market/0 -2o #0ve got everything # need.0 -7ell come and have lunch tomorrow & a very simple lunch # warn you nothing fancy. !nd bring 5eo. # heard on the grapevine that he was at your place yesterday. #t would be nice to see him again. 7e0ll have a game of tennis after lunch. #0ve asked 1aye too.0 -5unch would be lovely thank you. #0ll let you know about 5eo though. He may have made other plans.0 -Rightey&ho then we0ll see you tomorrow hopefully both of you. one/0 -That0s fine. <oodbye <inny. )ay hello to Edward for me.0 )he was walking back to the terrace pondering on that strange turn of events which had led to 5eo being welcomed back to the fold as if nothing had happened in the last few years when the telephone rang again. )he sighed then laughed. This time it was 1aye. -#f you mean to ask me whether #0m going to Tonnerre market the answer in 9no: said Harriet in a semi&%ocose growl. -!nd # don0t need anything thank you very much.0 -7hoa Harriet whoaO $ou sound as if our well&meaning friends have been overwhelming you with unsolicited offers.0 -Lnsolicited is right. "h don0t mind my crossness. #0m being unkind. They do mean well. )re you going to Tonnerre market/0 -2o as a matter of fact #0m not. Thought #0d do a bit of gardening.0 -$es # thought #0d do that too but 5eo persuaded me to go gadding about the !uxois with him.0 -5ovely idea. #t0s a perfect day for it. # was ringing to see how you were and whether your little %aunt away from this place yesterday was successful.0 -#t was. # went to .aris. Had a good time.0 -#0m sure it must have helped if only for a few hours.0 -#t did. # went to see a photography exhibition #0d been meaning to go to for a while then spent lots of money on clothes # shall probably never dare to wear. !nd0 continued Harriet -# got my hair cut.0 -Harriet did you really/ #s it very different/0 -$es it0s @uite short and kind of layered.0 Twelve&thirty for

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-#0ve never seen you with short hair. #0m sure you look wonderful. 7ell my dear en%oy yur day. 7ill you and 5eo come to have a drink with me when you get back/0 Harriet had a strange feeling of dj vu. 2ot six days before she had gone with 4ulian to have a drink at 1aye0s. )he shivered. )he didn0t think she could sit in that drawing&room with 5eo beside her. -Thanks 1aye 0 she said -but # think we shall probably be back too late for that.0 -!ll right dear some other time then. "r until tomorrow rather. # believe we0re all going to <inny0s and Edward0s.0 'ack on the terrace Harriet sat down again muttering -7here was #/0 go up and change into something a little %ollier for her day out with 5eo. 'ut her concentration had gone. <lancing at her watch she saw that it was nearly nine forty&five. Time to

*************

The road wound and rolled along the )erein valley affording an occasional glimpse of the river through fields and orchards glimmering with tiny dots of colour as in an #mpressionist painting. Roussel drove at a gentle pace humming a tune from Porgy and Bess% !s he neared the crossing towards !nnoux and (hXtel&<Arard he heard the whine of a fire engine behind him. He pulled the car to the side of the narrow road to let it go by. 2ot one but two fire engines overtook him and turned right at the crossing. He drove on looking on his right occasionally to see whether he could spot the fire but the 1or^t de (hamplive was thick with spring growth and from where he was he could see nothing burning. !bout eight kilometres out of Roilly on the way to 2oyers and Tonnerre he turned into a lane signposted -La 7erme de Belle#ond !2T#QL#TE). 'R"(!2TE0. houses around. He parked his car outside !bout one kilometre further on he came upon a large fortified farm standing on a grassy knoll. There were no other next to a $onne&registered battered old van and entered the complex through a porched archway. Two golden retrievers who had been lounging

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in the sun came lolloping towards him wagging their tails. -<reat guard dogs you two make 0 he said to their grinning faces. Roussel thought the main body of the building probably dated from the seventeenth century or earlier the age of the structure suggested by the proportions of the main house and the thick s@uare central tower. ! huge lime and an even taller walnut tree spread their leafy limbs over the grassed&in courtyard wide as a cloister court and enclosed within solid stone outbuildings. .aths bisected it and the edges of the buildings were softened by gently curved beds of perennials and annuals. 2othing mannered nothing fancy* the ambience was one of sensual serenity. ! far cry from the 7illiamsons0 manoir. !lthough Roussel told himself with a passing thought for 8rs 4ames here an !ga would find its rightful place. He used an ancient ram0s head knocker to rap on the farmhouse door. -They0re not here0 a voice said behind him. He turned around and saw standing at the door of one of the outbuildings 8adeleine RAgnier. )he was dressed in a one&piece %umpsuit a workman0s bleu de travail, clinched at the waist by a wide red belt% Rock music drifted out of the door. He walked towards her. -Hello (ommandant 0 she said -can0t shake hands with you.0 #ndeed her hands clad in latex gloves were stained with chemicals. -#0m 1rench&polishing a 5ouis&.hilippe semainier for Hugo and looking after the shop while they0re at Tonnerre market.0 Roussel remembered it was )aturday and that probably the other people he wanted to see that morning & 8iss ?unning and possibly the 7illiamsons & would be at the market. )hortsighted of him not to have taken that into account. -#0ll be back later then 0 he said. -7ould you tell them # came by/0 -(ertainly.0 )he peered at him from under her thick black eyebrows. -8ay # ask how the investigation is going/ 7e had the visit of your nice lieutenant yesterday and # heard through the grapevine that there had been another murder. responsible for all this/0 -7e0re making progress 8adame0 he said tired of the same old police responses. He peered back at her. )he really was a beauty this gypsy&like young woman with her long dark hair carelessly pinned up and her chased silver earrings. )he breathed a kind of natural sensuality. -Have you remembered anything that might help us/0 )he shook her head. -!re we all still suspects/0 -Lntil we find the murderer we must look into everyone0s movements.0 !re you any nearer to finding out who0s

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-# hear the police think the two murders are connected. ?oes that mean you0re looking for a single murderer/0 -#t0s a possibility.0 -#f this is so you can discount Harriet 5eo and myself can0t you/ !ll three of us can account for our movements. !nd two of us can even claim you as an alibi as # understand.0 Roussel was silent. -Has the exact time of 4ulian0s murder been established/0 she asked. -'etween ten and eleven on 7ednesday morning 0 he said giving her the official estimate. -4ust when Harriet and # were in the 'alle% There you are then we0re doubly in the clear.0 -Except for those few minutes when 8rs 4ames was out of the covered market.0 )he guffawed. -$ou can0t be seriousO0 -"h we0re very serious 8adame.0 -"h for <od0s sake (ommandant you can0t believe seven or eight minutes =and # can0t even be sure it was t'at long> would be long enough for either Harriet or myself to go to the church from the covered market bash poor 4ulian on the head clean up and dash back then resume our place in a @ueue as if nothing had happened/ #t0s absurd.0 -7e0ve timed it. #t0s a possibility we must continue to keep in mind.0 8adeleine RAgnier0s face closed. -Then you0d be looking for t(o murderers.0 -7e have to look at every possibility.0 -Have you excluded the hypothesis that these were random murders/ $ou know 0 she hesitated -the work of a 9serial: killer for instance.0 He sighed. ! serial killer was what many witnesses evoked as a possibility when they did not want to face the fact that the murderer might be someone they knew. .rofessionally Roussel had yet to come across a real serial killer in his own neck of the woods. He hoped he never would. -7e think it unlikely 8adame.0 -Then # take it the suspects are restricted to people who knew 4ulian. This seems soN.far& fetched.0 -?id you see anyone you knew at the market/0 asked Roussel -$ou already asked me that the day 4... the day you came to interview me at home.0 -# know. # thought you might have remebered something in retrospect.0 -7ell # don0t think so.0

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-7ould you try to cast your mind back now and see whether you remember anything else.0 )he shrugged pushing back a loose strand of hair with the back of one stained glove.05et me see. ! few ac@uaintances from Roilly and 5a Tuilerie who didn0t know 4ulian from !dam. "f our little group of friends # did catch a glimpse of Edward 7illiamson shopping outside the 'alle% Emily 5indberg and 1aye ?unning are early risers and like to get their shopping done before the @ueues start getting long so we didn0t see them until later in the s@uare. 7e must %ust have missed Hugo and 4ean&4ac@ues. They usually go to the market slightly later like us. )o do <inny and Edward usually. 'ut on 7ednesday they were obviously there earlier. !nd when we came to the s@uare at eleven they were sitting having a coffee with 1aye at 1lorian0s0 P she caught a glimpse of Roussel0s expression & -# mean the 'ar des !rcades.0 Roussel knitted his eyebrows. -.erhaps you0ll be able to tell me 8adame RAgnier. 7hat0s all this business with 1lorian0s/ #s the other cafA called Quadri0s/0 8adeleine RAgnier looked relieved at the change of sub%ect. )he smiled. -!h you got the reference did you/ )illy isn0t it/ "nly an Englishman would have found it clever to dub two miserable 1rench country cafAs with the names of the most famous Genetian watering places. ?on0t you find it offensively patroni3ing/0 Roussel smiled back. -4ust self&consciously clever perhaps. 7as it an idea of 4ulian Holbrook0s/0 -"f course not 0 she said scornfully. -4ulian was a frightful snob and indeed could be patroni3ing too but he was wittier than that. 2o this was Edward0s doing. Edward 7illiamson. !nd what enrages me is that the nicknames have stuck. 7e0re all calling them 1lorian0s and Quadri0s now even #.0 -?id you see anyone else you know at or outside the market/0 -5et me see.0 )he moved her head a fraction thinking. -There were people # know but who didn0t know 4ulian. The local doctor with the head of the gendarmerie.0 = !iens donc, thought Roussel> -and the 8ayor of Roilly. # also saw Roland (ochin the owner of the local garage. "h and of course old )ac \ puces who0s a fixture there. ?o you know who # mean/0 -$es 0 said Roussel. (laude !lain.0 -That0s right. .oor old man. Everyone0s frightened of him including my own kids.0 -?o you think he might have had something to do with the murder/ -"h noO # think he0s harmless. ?on0t you/0

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Roussel was forced to agree. #ndeed despite its violence the whole flavour of the crime made it unlikely that someone with (laude !lain0s disabilities could have carried on the undertaking without leaving any traces. 8adeleine RAgnier shifted her stance turning her face towards the sun. Roussel noticed that her skin was like an apricot firm and downy and gorged with sunshine. # wonder he thought what she would do if # suddenly gave in to my fancy and bit lightly into her cheek/ )ome cannibalistic gleam must have shown in his eyes for 8adeleine RAgnier looked at him curiously then averted her eyes. Reflecting on his interview of her on 7ednesday evening Roussel thought she had seemed to be relatively upfront about her feelings concerning Harriet 4ames0s relationship with her ex& husband and 4ulian Holbrook. 'ut then she was under the effect of shock and that can loosen up tongues. )he looked more guarded now. 2evertheless he thought bringing her back to the sub%ect worth a try. -# know you and 8rs 4ames are close friends 0 he said. -!nd you told us what you thought of 8r Holbrook. 'ut how did you really view their relationship/0 Her expression showed that she was debating whether to answer his @uestion or not. Eventually she said looking straight at him -1rankly # was sorry he was embroiled with Harriet because # think she0s an innocent and he was probably up to no good....#.....0 -Lp to no good/0 asked Roussel perhaps a little too promptly for she immediately became more cautious. -5et0s say # don0t think he deserved Harriet. "ne sensed he had other agendas. !nd temperamentally they weren0t suited to each other.0 -'ut0 she shrugged going into the workshop -#0ve given up trying to understand love relationships.0 -$ou think this was a love relationship/0 he asked following her. )he shrugged again and idly straightened up the tools on the work table. "n the radio the ?oors were playing -5ight my 1ire0. -#f you don0t mind (ommandant #0d rather not talk about it. # think you0re barking up the wrong tree. Harriet did not kill 4ulian. #0m sure there are other avenues to explore.0 -7ould you care to be more specific/0 -2o # would not.0 Her tone was flat. - # know nothing relevant to your investigation and # don0t intend to answer any more @uestions. !nd now if you don0t mind (ommandant # have to get back to work. #0ll tell Hugo and 4ean&4ac@ues you came by and will return later.0

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)he turned her back on him and started busying herself around the seven&drawered chest she had been working on. 1irmly dismissed Roussel was grinning as he drove southwards again. 'ut the grin soon gave way to a look of concentration as he again turned over in his mind the confusing evidence they had. Even if <renache0s private estimate of the time of death could be trusted namely that the first murder had taken place between ten and ten forty&five it still placed Harriet 4ames0s little excursion to the 5adies0 firmly within the critical time span. ?espite Roussel0s opinion that she was innocent of Holbrook0s death this nagged at him. "f course she had a rock&solid alibi for the time of (arteau0s death. Lnless as had been evoked several time streering&wheel. Here # go again he thought. Roussel found himself extremely reluctant to face this possibility. His gut feeling & and it was a strong one & told him the two murders were related and committed by the same person. !nother thought now occurred to him. 7hat if & Roussel suddenly sat up at the wheel. 7hat if the murderer was already waiting in the church when Holbrook arrived / 1or a second he was stunned. How could he have failed to envisage that possibility/ !ll along and despite what he0d always drummed into his officers he had done what he held to be dangerous and unprofessionalM he had assumed% He had assumed that the murderer had gone into the church a#ter the victim. 2ot be#ore% 1urious with himself he hit the driving wheel with the palm of his hand. 'ut there was no point wasting time in self&recrimination. This different perspective opened up a new range of possibilities. 1or one thing it exonerated Harriet 4ames. 1or another if it proved to be true it established that the murder was premeditated and not the result of a moment of unleashed fury. "n Tuesday evening Holbrook had told his fellow&guests at the 5indberg dinner that he intended to go and visit the Roilly Entombment the next morning. #f Roussel now followed his new hypothesis it confirmed the fact that the murderer was one of the people at that dinner party. his working hypothesis was indeed wrong and they had not one but t(o murderers on their hands. His hand tapped on the

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CHAPTER 2'

Half expecting to find that 8iss ?unning had gone to Tonnerre market Roussel was pleasantly surprised when having pushed open the gate to her village house he saw her kneeling beside a huge gla3ed dragon pot in which a shrub with decoratively twisted branches dripped with fat yellow catkins. )he greeted him with a smile while with gloved hands minute weeds from the soil around the plant. -7hat an extraordinary shrub0 he said in English. -7hat is it/0 -Corylus avellana contorta,0 she said. -The corkscrew ha3el. 1or some bi3arre reason it0s kept its catkins a little later this year. Lsually by now it0s in leaf.0 )he got up in a smooth movement and stood back beside him to admire the shrub. -#sn0t it a beauty/0 -7onderful. #t reminds me of a (hinese painting.0 He glanced around the courtyard. #t was @uite large entirely paved with old flagstones and enclosed on all sides by buildings or walls. 1ar from inducing in the onlooker a sense of claustrophobia however it appeared to open out perspectives. This he noticed was due to the clever arrangement of levels and the different heights and shapes of pots and the plants they contained. 5ike a benevolent guardian the fifteenth&century church tower of 5a Tuilerie ga3ed over the garden behind a high stone wall smothered in a vigorous climbing rose with small cup& shaped pale yellow flowers. 1rom where he was standing Roussel could smell its scent heady fruity and slightly spicy. To one side three young silver birches growing out of a trough of earth between the paving stones swayed gently over a cane table and matching armchairs. !nd everywhere a profusion of plants flowering or with ornamental foliage grew out of pots of all shapes and si3es. #n the dappled shade of one tall pot planted with a 4apanese maple slumbered an !byssinian cat. she continued to pull

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Roussel was enchanted. -$ou0ve created @uite an oasis here 0 he commented. -# had to0 said 1aye ?unning her arms akimbo surveying her demesne with a critical eye. -# have no land to speak of except for a small vegetable patch behind that barn over there. !nd # love plants so # had to imagine a partly vertical container garden.0 -7ell it0s very successful0 said Roussel sincerely. -Thank you0 she replied with a small appreciative nod. )he had @uite a charming smile which softened features that were to say the least unprepossessingM an overlong nose a lantern %aw eyes that were small and set too close together a sallow skin. 'ut her voice like her smile was attractive deep and mellow. )he smelt of soap and shampoo. Even though it was wet you could see that her short dark hair was elegantly styled with a dramatic white lock curving across like a bold paintbrush stroke )he was wearing a pale blue oxford shirt tucked into three& Her slim @uarter length navy %eans of the type the 1rench regrettably call - pantacourts. someone of her age looked cool in rubber flip&flops. -$ou0re not looking for Harriet are you/0 she asked removing her gloves and looking up at him. Though she was @uite tall for a woman he still towered over her. -"nly she0s gone off with 5eo for the day.0 He glanced down at her hands. !fter what Harriet 4ames had told him he was not surprised to see that she had ex@uisite hands though age had started to take its toll sprinkling their thinning skin with brownish spots. Her fingers were tapered her nails perfect ovals cut relatively short and like her toenails painted a dark plum. -!s a matter of fact0 replied Roussel. -# was looking for you. # wanted to ask you a few @uestions since you were one of the people who saw 4ulian Holbrook the night before he died.0 -7ell then #0ll get us something cool to drink.0 )he glanced at her watch. -7hy it0s - 2ot too early for a real drink is it/0 Roussel smiled. ?id these already elevenO0 she said

beautifully tended feet with their nails painted a shade of very dark plum surprising to Roussel in

people ever do anything but drink/ He wasn0t one to disapprove but stillN -7hat about a mint %ulep made with genuine & she pronounced the word lamricaine - Kentucky bourbon / "r would you prefer some cold tea or a citron press,0 -! mint %ulep please. #0ve often read about them but have never tasted them.0 -! good choice0 she approved. -(ome inside.0 He followed her in the house which was really a cottage not unlike Emily 5indberg0s from the outside. #nside however the contrast could not have been greater. Roussel0s first impression

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was of warmth and colour. The hall was s@uare painted a matte saffron with glossy white woodwork and walls covered with paintings and drawings. !t the far end a decorative cast&iron spiral staircase led to the upper floor. 1aye ?unning led Roussel through an archway into a spacious living&room white&painted oak&beamed and lined with bookshelves and more paintings. "n the original dalles de Bourgogne, polished to a high sheen were scattered a number of old kilims their mellow colours glowing softly rose blue and yellow. -#0ll only be a minute 0 said his hostess. 5eft alone Roussel walked about looking at paintings and at the titles of books impressed by the way the latter seemed to be organi3ed by sub%ect&matter and within that category in alphabetical order of authors0 names. ! disciplined person 8iss ?unning. He heard his hostess shout from the kitchen -Have you a sweet tooth/0 He %oined her in the kitchen where like Harriet 4ames the evening before she sat him down at a table while she busied herself with the drinks. )omething tickled at the edge of his mind but he put it down to the feeling of dA%\ vu. There must be something about those middle& class English women thought Roussel that made them feel completely unselfconscious about inviting a stranger & let alone a policeman & into their kitchen. 2o 1renchwoman and certainly not one like Elvire reserved and slightly formal would have dreamt of doing so. #t would be as intimate a gesture as inviting a stranger into one0s bedroom. 7hat very different cultures they were the 'ritish and the 1rench. How close geographically yet at times as far apart as East and 7est. Roussel the !nglophile who0d spent many holidays in 'ritain characteristics than he0d done in the course of all his travels. 1aye ?unning took a couple of tumblers from the refrigerator. They immediately misted over. -?o you always keep some glasses chilled/0 he asked surprised. -"h yes # find there0s nothing more soothing when it0s warm than having a drink & even a soft drink or cold tea & in a chilled glass. #t0s so civili5ed%0 )he handed him a bag of corn chips and a small salad bowl. -7ould you mind putting these in there (ommandant while # get the bourbon/0 Roussel shook his head while the sense of dj vu increased. This familiarity too must be a cultural phenomenon. -?o you have a sweet tooth/0 she asked again. -2ot particularly 0 he said. )he dissolved two lumps of cane sugar in a little water stirring vigorously then went to the side of her huge refrigerator where at the push of a button she filled each of the tumblers with thought that since the beginning of this investigation he0d probably made more headway into observing !nglo&)axon

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crushed ice. )he added enough bourbon to cover the ice and stirred then added sugar syrup. 1rom the window&sill lined with pots of fresh herbs she picked a large handful of mint sprigs ran them @uickly under the cold tap and tucked half a do3en of them in each glass crushing them a little with a spoon. Taking two straws from a drawer she added them to the tumblers and with a flourish said to RousselM -Eoil9 Kentucky comes to 'urgundy.0 They settled in the cane armchairs out in the courtyard. Roussel could not help sighing silently as an insidious feeling of well&being started to invade him. -(heersO0 said 1aye ?unning raising her glass. -To poor old 4ulian. 5ong may he make them laugh up there0 & she raised a finger heavenward. -!nd to your investigation (ommandant0 she added in a more sober tone. The mint %ulep was refreshing and fragrant both sweet and tart. -7hat did you want to ask me 8onsieur Roussel/0 she asked. -7ell then 0 he said almost regretfully drawn back to the investigation. -How long have you been living in 5a Tuilerie 8iss ?unning/0 -Eight years this month.0 -7hat made you choose to come to this part of the world/0 )he smiled. -#ts @uietness. !nd its unassuming beauty. !fter my parents died # didn0t want to go on living in England & ghastly place. !nd it seems to have become even ghastlier in the last few years. # find my fellow&countrymen increasingly philistine rude and materialistic. !nd the pace of life in 5ondon never suited me. #0ve always liked 1rance but did not want to live in the south. Too warm and too crowded with non&1rench. 5ittle did # know that the $onne would also have its share of foreigners. !h well nevermind. They0re not that bad and some of them like Harriet are even extremely nice.0 -7hat did you think of 8r Holbrook/0 asked Roussel refraining from taking out his notebook and pen in order not to dispel the mood. -He at least you cannot call a philistine.0 )he chuckled. -2o he was not that. (ertainly not that.0 )he took a tiny sip from her glass then went on. -# was very fond of him. He was intelligent and he made me laugh.0 -This seems to be a recurring comment.0 -1rom women # take it. "r from young 4ean&4ac@ues. # can0t imagine either Hugo or poor Edward & or indeed 5eo 4ames & saying that. # don0t think men appreciated 4ulian0s wit which was often at other people0s expense. "r his gossip either. # think it shocked them. 7e women

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are more wicked au #ond, and incurably curious% #0m also convinced we have a sense of humour about ourselves. !t least more than most men seem to have. 0 -?id 8r Holbrook make %okes at 8r van Ri%n0s or 8r 7illiamson0s expense/0 -(ertainly not. He0d never be that crude.0 -'ut # believe he could be cruel in his wit.0 -"ccasionally yes but he was subtle about it.0 -)ubtlety is sometimes more humiliating than crudeness.0 -True enough.0 )he played with her straw trying to poke among the ice cubes without breaking it. -!part from finding him intelligent and amusing what did you think of him/0 -# admired him very much as an art historian. He0s written some extremely good books. 8ind you as art historians go # find 5eo0s work curiously more stimulating than # ever did 4ulian0s. 8ore original. Have you read any of his books/0 -# have looked at certain chapters in his book on Entombment sculpture.0 -'rilliant isn0t it/ He has a gift for bringing that whole period of history to life not %ust the art and literature but the social and human context as well. !nd the 8iddle !ges & at least the waning of the 8iddle !ges which is really where his interest lies & isn0t an easy period. .eople are generally more attracted to the Renaissance & it0s more accessible. 'ut what # particularly like about 5eo as an art historian is the fact that he raises @uestions whereas 4ulian had =or thought he had> all the answers. 4ulian had certainties and made statements. 5eo engages the reader in thinking things out for himself. # find that a real gift in any author.0 -# understand what you mean 0 said Roussel. more about the Renaissance than about the 8iddle !ges.0 -True but that0s not really what # meant. !ll # wanted to say was that # find as a reader that # am more stimulated by writers who raise @uestions than by ones who state immutable facts.0 Roussel silently agreed with her but he felt it was time to change tacks before the interview became a general discussion on the role of the art historian as writer. -?id you know either 4ulian Holbrook or 5eo 4ames before you came to live in 1rance/0 -2o though # once attended a lecture by 4ulian at the (ourtauld. $ears ago it was. "n 8antegna. # met both men through Harriet. 5eo first of course & she was still married to him -2evertheless they wrote about @uite different artistic concepts didn0t they/ !nd the historical context too was different. 7e know

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when she bought the mill. # like him too. # hope.....0 she did not finish her sentence but sucked a little mint %ulep through her straw. -7hat do you hope 8iss ?unning/0 -# was going to say # hope they get together again Harriet and 5eo. # was happy last night to see that they were on speaking terms again.0 Roussel raised his eyebrows to encourage her along.. -# used to find 5eo a little immature emotionally all those years ago despite his undoubted brilliance but he may have changed. # always thought he should have made more of a stand for himself when he found out that Harriet was having an affair with 4ulian. He kind of made a big fuss about it at first then %ust caved in instead of fighting for her. 'ut perhaps #0m being old&fashioned. !nd anyway 0 she shrugged - it0s none of my business.0 -$ou0re being very candid about it.0 -7ell #0m fond of them all particularly of Harriet. # think she0s too young to be living on her own. #t0s sad to grow older without someone to share things with.0 ?espite her words her tone of voice was exempt of bitterness or self&pity. )he went on after a whileM -'ut somehowN. # don0t think 5eo & even the new 5eo & is what Harriet really needs.0 -7hat do you think she needs/0 -"h what most intelligent and sensitive women needM a man who0s mature enough to be able to share who combines deep steady love with some passion a mensc' if you know what # meanN.0 )he looked up and grinned suddenly. -?on0t let me ramble on (ommandant.0 Roussel said after a second or two -<oing back to 8r Holbrook do you know whether he had any enemies/0 Her reply was unhesitating. -"h #0m sure he must have had. He was the kind of man people love to hate as they say. He didn0t suffer fools gladly and was merciless with art&history writers who were not scholarly enough or played too much to the gallery. Even though he occasionally wrote accessible books himself he loathed populari3ation and wrote the most scathing reviews of books and articles that did not meet his approval. )o yes he must have made his share of enemies.0 -?o you have anybody in particular in mind/0 -2o # don0t. The best person to ask would be 5eo.0 -#0ve already asked 8r 4ames.0

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-!nd/0 -!nd he could not or would not come up with any names.0 -There you are then. $ou0ll have to do your own digging (ommandant won0t you/0 1aye ?unning0s smile did not @uite make up for the slight malice in her voice. -2ot to worry 8adame. 7e0ve got 2ew )cotland $ard onto it already.0 -'ully for you (ommandant.0 Roussel went on imperturbably. -!mong the people 8r Holbrook saw since he arrived in 1rance last )aturday can you think of anyone who might have wished him dead/0 1aye ?unning sighed. -2o (ommandant.0 -Really/0 -Really. $ou have to take into account the fact that none of us are exactly intimate with our so&called friends around here. 7e see each other very often socially play a little tennis gossip have drinks and dinner parties. 'ut # don0t think our knowledge of one another goes very deep. !nd that0s probably fine with most of us. !fter all the ma%ority of us chose to live in this @uiet part of 1rance to get away from people.0 -7hat about 5eo 4ames/0 asked Roussel bluntly. -?on0t you think he had a good motive for murdering 8r Holbrook.0 -7hy don0t you ask him (ommandant/0 -#0m asking you 8iss ?unning.0 -#0m sorry # have no view on the sub%ect.0 -$et you said only a few minutes ago that you wished 5eo 4ames had fought more for his wife.0 -$es but he didn0t did he/ He accepted Harriet0s 9defection:0 . )he uttered the word as if it had inverted commas. -This surely must mean something. 'esides # don0t see 5eo ever getting passionate enough to do anybody in. He0s not passionate at least not about people. The real passion in his life is art history.0 -$ou think this was a crime of passion then 8iss ?unning/0 -Either that or a violent street crime in a manner of speaking of course since it took place inside a church.0 -They0re two very different things.0 -$es but the method surely could apply to both.0

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Roussel absentmindedly tapped his knee. -7hile we0re on the sub%ect 8iss ?unning can you describe your movements between ten and eleven on 7ednesday morning/0 -?ear me am # a suspect/0 )he sounded @uite amused. -4ust routine 8adame.0 )he could not help laughing. -)orry (ommandant. # thought they only said such things in books.0 )he thought for a minute. -7ednesday seems so far away. 5et me think.0 Roussel was silent while she thought back to 7ednesday morning. -# went to the market early 0 started 1aye ?unning. -# always do. # don0t en%oy @ueuing up when there are lots of people.0 -7hat time did you get there/0 -2ine&thirty or so. There are hardly any @ueues then.0 -7hich stalls did you go to/0 -# went to the butcher0s* then to the cheese stall.0 -The one within the 'alle/0 -That0s right. Then to the fishmonger0s and finally to the vegetable and fruit stall.0 -How long did all that take/0 -2ot long at all at that time of morning. # was finished by ten or %ust after.0 -7hat did you do then/0 -# went to the cash point at the (rAdit !gricole then went to collect some dry cleaning. Then let me think. "h yes # bought some bread and goug6res at 8me 'ourin0s then the papers of course. 1inally # went to one of the cafAs and read the papers until the 7illiamsons %oined me.0 -7hich cafA was that/0 -1loN.The 'ar des !rcades.0 -7hat time did you get to the 'ar des !rcades/0 -# guess ten&thirty or ten&forty something like that.0 -$ou didn0t notice 8r 4ames sitting there/0 -5eo/ 2o was he supposed to be there/0 -He was there until about then but he must have left %ust before you got there. ?id you see anybody while you were at the market/0 -# caught a glimpse =or indeed several glimpses> of Emily 5indberg and Edward 7illiamson.0 -?id you talk to them/0

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-2o # was in a hurry to get done. # don0t en%oy markets as much as # used to when # first came to live here.0 -!nd can you tell me 8iss ?unning where you were on Thursday evening at nine o0clock/0 -"n !'ursday, 7hy/0 -4ust answer me please.0 -"h # understand0 she said. -That must be when that young man was murdered poor boy. # heard about it on the grapevine. The tlp'one arabe, you know. 'ut surely you can0t think the two deaths are related/0 -7e can0t be sure that they are not 8adame. ?o you remember where you were/ "n Thursday evening/0 -5et me think for a second. "n Thursday evening/ !h yes. Emily dropped in for a drink at about six&thirty. )he stayed about an hour perhaps a little less. !fter she left # made some soup for Harriet suspecting she hadn0t eaten all day and would not feel like cooking. Then # went to deliver it and ....bumped into you on the doorstep.0 Roussel nodded. -That was at about half&past eight. 7hat did you do then/0 -# went home of course0 she answered. -Harriet said she might drop in later on. # cooked and ate a light supper. Harriet didn0t turn up so # watched a program on East&European migrants on !rte and went to bed at about eleven.0 -Thank you0 said Roussel wishing he0d taken his notebook out He0d have to write down all the details as soon as he reached his car.. -(an we %ump back in time a bit 0 he continued. -#0d like to have your version of what happened on Tuesday evening at 8iss 5indberg0s.0 1aye ?unning sighed and looked upset. -"h dear. $ou heard about it from the others.0 7hen Roussel nodded briefly she put her drinking straw on the table and sipped at the dregs of her mint %ulep burying her face in the sprigs of mint. -That was a stressful evening.0 Roussel was silent. -Emily was in one of her 9moods:. )he can be tiresome. )uffice it to say that it was a pretty gruesome display of show&off on Emily0s part and insensitivity on 4ulian0s. # really #elt for Harriet. 7e were all sad to say relieved when she left early.0 -7ere you aware before that evening of any...extracurricular... relationship between 8iss 5indberg and 8r Holbrook/0

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-Extracurricular/0 remarked 8iss ?unning. -#0m impressed by your command of English (ommandant. 7here did you learn to speak so well/0 Roussel ignored this by smiling politely and went back to his @uestion. -7ere you aware of any relationship between them/0 -2o. Bas there a relationship/0 -$ou tell me 0 said Roussel. 1aye ?unning shook her head slowly. -2ot to my knowledge. 'ut #0ve seen Emily at work when she0s got it into her head that she0s going to seduce a man. )he can be @uite ruthless.0 -!nd she was ruthless that evening regardless of 8rs 4ames0s presence.0 -#0ll be cynical (ommandant and suggest that Harriet0s presence may have been an incentive.0 -!part from 8iss 5indberg0s and 8r Holbrook0s...er...behaviour did anything else strike you as unusual that evening/0 -2othing # can think of right now. 7e all had @uite a lot to drink so conversation was a little loud and not always very coherent.0 -$ou stayed till the end # believe.0 -$es. To tell the truth # was curious to see whether 4ulian would choose to stay on at Emily0s.0 -'ut he didn0t.0 -2o at least not while we were there He Hugo 4ean&4ac@ues and # left together at about two. Hugo had come directly from ?i%on where he0d gone to buy a piece of furniture. )o they had two cars between them. Hugo left first then 4ean&4ac@ues and 4ulian very kindly walked me back to my house. # expect that 4ean&4ac@ues then drove back home and 4ulian walked back either to Harriet0s or to Emily0s.0 )he pinched off a mint leaf and chewed it absentmindedly. -# hear from ?r (oste 0 said Roussel that you called her attention to 8onsieur (laude !lain0s condition.0 1aye ?unning looked up surprised at the change of topic. -# did yes. ?r (oste was newly arrived and # didn0t think she0d noticed 8onsieur !lain. # had already tried to get her predecessor ?r 4ourdain interested in the case but he was convinced it was rampant schi3ophrenia and as 8onsieur !lain was not a threat to anybody and seemed @uite content to go on as he was he never did anything about it.0

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Roussel was curious. -7hat made you aware his condition might be caused by Tourette0s )yndrome/0 -!h 0 said 1aye ?unning with a grim smile. -# was familiar with the symptoms (ommandant. $ou see my mother suffered from T) and # looked after her until she died. "f cancer # might add.0 -#t must have been very hard on you 8iss ?unning.0 )he looked at him her face suddenly gaunt and old. -#t was. 'ut not as hard as it was on her.0 -7as your father alive when she was ill/0 -"h yes. )he was diagnosed with T) when she was in her late forties and when she died she was in her eighties. 8y father survived her by eleven months then he too succumbed to cancer.0 Roussel did not think she would welcome any expression of sympathy. He thanked her for her time and rising left her a card with his telephone numbers. He also asked her for a photograph and explained why he needed it. 7hile she went inside to get it he took a last look at the courtyard. #t was really a lovely place. The only thing that might be needed to make it perfect was perhaps the sound of water. CHAPTER 21 To the east of the bleak granitic 8orvan the !uxois region of 'urgundy is breeding country for fat sheep ponderous draught horses and the white (harolais cattle that yield some of the best meat in 1rance. #t is a landscape of lush green valleys and rounded hills spiked here and there by limestone spurs that are crowned with fortified medieval towns most of them remarkably well preserved. ?riving east towards the 1orges de 'uffon Harriet and 5eo meandered at an easy pace down the !rmanTon valley to (hXteauneuf an eyrie&like walled town that formerly commanded the plain below and the road from ?i%on to !utun. #t was )aturday and there were a few tourists but not nearly as many as there would be in the summer. They spent an hour and a half strolling in narrow lanes beneath the flamboyant <othic fortress looking at ancient houses and sculpted lintels then drove back north&east towards )emur&en&!uxois. !fter an indifferent lunch at )emur they set off to the area 5eo wanted to explore. 5ike dedicated art historians anywhere 5eo was nothing if not systematic. His ultimate goal was to

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visit any country church he did not already know within a radius of a hundred kilometres from Roilly. 'ut for today he had made a s@uare grid for himself that showed every single village in a much smaller area. -'ut are you sure the churches are worthy of interest/0 asked Harriet after they had come out of their fifth virtually bare country church. The only decoration that one displayed had been a hideously kitsch 8adonna and (hild of the )aint&)ulpice school. -They are none of them mentioned in the guidebooks.0 -That0s the whole ob%ect of the excursion 0 replied 5eo in a pointedly patient tone. Harriet shrugged and persisted. -#f they really contained fine sculptures it would be known.0 -?arling don0t pretend to be dense. #0ve already explained. #0m not after #ine sculptures # know where those are & they0re documented. 7hat #0m after is undocumented work simple sculptures by a hand # might be able to recogni3e. ! lot of modest and nameless sculptors travelled these roads in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.0 Harriet grumbled. -# rather hoped we might stumble on an unknown tiny )luter or (laus de 7erve.0 5eo laughed. -?ream on Hattie.0 )he mumbled crossly under her breath. -'loody waste of timeO0 -7hy are you so pissed off/0 asked 5eo glancing at her disgruntled profile. -?on0t look at me 5eo. 5ook at the road.0 -$es 8adame.0 !fter a minute she saidM -5eo #0ve been thinking. #f the police are right in assuming that the two murders are related and that the local riff&raff had nothing to do with it then it0s possible that the murderer is one of us.0 -$eees.0 -7hat do you think/0 -7ell 0 he said lightly. -#t isn0t me it isn0t 8ado and it isn0t you.0 He looked sideways at her. -!t least # don0t think it is.0 )he swatted him. -5eo be serious. #t might be one of the others.0 -7ho are you putting your money on/0

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-#0m not putting my money on anyone dammitO0 she snapped. -This isn0t a game. Two people & one an old friend of yours even if you no longer considered him as such & have lost their lives. Their murderer might be someone we know. )urely this is worth taking seriously.0 -# am taking it seriously.0 -2o you0re not. Either these murders don0t touch you at all =which would confirm that you0re an insensitive self&serving bastard> or you haven0t @uite taken them on board.0 -<ood old Hat 0 muttered 5eo changing gears. -5ife0s all black and white to you isn0t it/0 -2ot at all 0 she replied offended. -#t0s %ust that you treat everything like a %oke.0 -7ell life is a %oke innit/0 he said lightly. -5ook at us here we are bickering as if the last few years had never taken place. 7e should be happy and grateful to0ve found each other again.0 -7e haven0t F#ound4 each other 0 said Harriet darkly. -"h have it as you willO There0s no point in talking to you when you0re in this mood.0 There was a broody silence in the car for a few minutes. Then Harriet broke it. -# keep thinking of all the people in our little group and # can0t come up with a single motive that makes sense to me.0 -!ll right then 0 said 5eo making an effort to be conciliatory. -7hat are the usual motives for murder/ #0d say money blackmail love lust %ealousy revenge.0 -)ounds very crude to me. #0m sure there are shades in motivation.0 -)uch as/0 He swerved to avoid a hare. Harriet looked at the road ahead without seeing it. -# don0t know. )uch as self&protection for instance. 1ear. .ower. Turning the tables on someone to make up for past humiliation.0 -That comes under revenge 0 said 5eo firmly. -This type of motive seems @uite credible to me. Especially fear. "r self&protection.0 -!ll right then. 7ho could have been afraid of 4ulian/ #t would make sense if we had in our midst another art historian whose work was based on plagiarism and who was afraid 4ulian might expose him. 'ut we haven0t. 7hat could 1aye or the 7illiamsons or 4ean&4ac@ues fear from 4ulian/0 -Hugo might fear 4ulian had designs on 4ean&4ac@ues 0 said Harriet thoughtfully -since you tell me he was that way inclined.0 #t was the first time she reali3ed that she0d been able to refer to that hurtful truth since Thursday night. -'ahO0 said 5eo. -Hugo0s very %ealous you know.0

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-# really don0t see civili3ed urbane Hugo bashing 4ulian0s brains out.0 Harriet shuddered remembering first 4ulian0s battered head as she had seen it in the church then Hugo0s dark brooding face in the cafA on the morning of 4ulian0s murder. -.erhaps 0continued 5eo -1aye ran out of patience with 4ulian0s talents as raconteur. (ouldn0t stand it any longer.0 -There you go againO0 cried Harriet. -$ou can0t take anything seriously.0 -Harriet # love you but you0re beginning to be a bore.0 !s if she hadn0t heard Harriet suddenly said. -Emily might have a good motive.0 There was a small silence. -# never told you on Thursday 0 continued Harriet me so sick that # had to leave early.0 5eo was mute. -5eo/0 -Hm/0 -7hy aren0t you saying anything/0 -?o you really want to play this game Harriet/0 -5eo for the umpteenth time this isn0t a gameO 4L5#!2 H!) 'EE2 8LR?ERE?. <et it into your head that there0s probably a murderer among us.0 -5et the police take care of it.0 1or once 5eo0s tone was sober. -7e0re more familiar than the police with all these people. 5et0s use this knowledge.0 -Even if it means delving into people0s private lives/ Harriet have you thought of the conse@uences if we did that under the pretext of trying to uncover a murderer/0 -#t isn0t a pretext. #t would be uncovering the truth. #n the pursuit of %ustice.0 -5eave the pursuit of %ustice to the professionals Hattie.0 -!nd what do you mean by conse@uences/0 she blundered on. -?o you mean danger to ourselves/0 -2o # don0t mean that. # mean the risk of upsetting the whole balance of existing relationships. The risk of uncovering in the process things that were better left covered up.0 -7hat are you talking about 5eo/0 -Harriet let the police do their work. That man Roussel looks to me both shrewd and competent.0 -but at her dinner&party on Tuesday evening she made a very overt play for 4ulian. #n fact both of them behaved despicably. #t made

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-7e can help move things along. 7e know far more about Emily the 7illiamsons etcetera than Roussel does.0 -Etcetera.0 -7hat do you mean by that/0 -:Etcetera: Harriet includes people you consider to be your friendsM to wit 1aye 4ean& 4ac@ues Hugo without mentioning the others. Harriet was silent. Then she grumbled -7ell # don0t think it can possibly be any of those three. 5et0s start with the others. 7e were talking about Emily.0 -.ou were talking about Emily. 5et it go Harriet.0 -2o # shan0tO 7hat is the matter with you 5eo/ #t0s almost as if you were protecting Emily.0 )he peered at him incredulously when he did not answer. -$ou0re not are you/0 -$ou0re the one #0m trying to protect. $ou0ll burn your wings at this game Hat.0 )he sighed. -#t isn0t a game. #0m serious about this 5eo. 7hat could Emily0s motivation be if she turned out to be the murderer/ 5ustO That0s what it could be. )he0s so predatory.0 -Harriet for the last time leave it be.0 )he slapped her thigh. -$ou are protecting EmilyO # don0t believe this. something you0re not telling me.0 )he shook his arm. -Harriet let go of me. 7e0ll have an accidentO0 -7hat is it you0re not telling me/0 she cried. -This is making me very upset 5eo.0 5eo stopped the car under a plane tree by the side of the road put the brake on and swivelled in his seat to face Harriet. -!re you really ready for this Harriet/ 1or this is the kind of thing you might uncover if you start digging where you shouldn0t.0 Harriet stared at him wide&eyed. )he was very still. -$our 9friend: 4ulian has been having an affair with Emily 5indberg for at least two years.0 Harriet blinked twice. -# don0t believe it.0 )he felt the blood drain from her face. -$ou0d better believe it. #t0s an open secret in 5ondon.0 )he repeated da3ed. -# %ust don0t believe it.0 $ou know ?o you really think that trying to uncover their little secrets their private foibles is not going to affect your future relationship with them/0

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He shrugged. -7ell don0t believe it then if you don0t want to. 'ut it0s true. Every time Emily came to 5ondon to see her publishers she stayed at 4ulian0s. ! friend and # bumped into them on .rimrose Hill one day and their behaviour left no one in any doubt as to their relationship. !ll our friends in the art and literary world knew about it.0 )he shook her head without saying a word. He glanced at her with cold concern then started up the car. -7hy did you tell me/0 she asked finally as they swung back onto the road. He sighed. -#t was the only way # could make you reali3e what a dangerous course you were embarking on.0 )he looked grimly at the road ahead. -!re you sure/ (an0t you be mistaken/0 -#0m @uite sure. !s # said it0s an open secret in 5ondon.0 -7hy didn0t you tell me on Thursday/0 -?on0t you think you0d had enough shocks as it was/0 )he settled back into her seat. -7ell 0 she said exhaling forcefully. -4ust one more unpalatable truth to process.0 !fter a moment -That two&faced bitchO0 she exclaimed. -"nly this morning she rang me up asking whether # wanted anything from the market at Tonnerre. 7hat a bloody hypocriteO )he must think #0m as thick as two short planks.0 -?id you really have no idea about it/0 asked 5eo. -2oO # didn0t imagine 4ulian lived like a hermit when # wasn0t around. 'ut # never thought he0d strike so near home.0 -2ot even on Tuesday night/0 -2ot even then. They behaved badly and my guard was up and # was sickened by the whole thing. 'ut #0ve seen Emily make a play for other men before. # intended to make 4ulian face up but then he came home very late and the next morning he behaved as if nothing had happened. The ironic thing was that by then # had more or less made up my mind to break up with him0 -?id you tell him that/0 -2o. # didn0t get round to it. "r perhaps # wanted to give myself a little more time.0 -7hy didn0t you tell me about it on Thursday night/0 asked 5eo swerving onto a side road leading to a small hillside village they could %ust see through the trees.

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Harriet turned her head towards her window. -# was ashamed. #t0s a horrible feeling being humiliated. !nd in public too.0 5eo sighed. -$ou0ve had a rough time over the last few days haven0t you my old Hat/0 He patted her thigh affectionately. The village was modest and curiously for that area of well&preserved medieval villages unpictures@ue. -7ell this looks promising 0 said 5eo happily parking the )aab in the shade of a giant lime by the little church. -7hat is this village/0 asked Harriet getting out of the car. -#t0s called0 & 5eo looked at the #nstitut <Aographi@ue 2ational map on which he had drawn his grid & -(ousy.0 -#0ll wait for you here 0 said Harriet sitting on a stone bench which stood under the tree. 1rom there the view over the valley was breathtaking. There was no one about. #t felt peaceful. !fter a slight hesitation 5eo nodded and started up towards the church. !lone Harriet took a deep breath. )he felt battered da3ed but also unexpectedly calm. #t was obvious that she had no control whatsoever over her life. )he0d been as na]ve as a three& year&old. !n idiot that0s what she was. )he lay down on the bench her head on her shoulderbag sunglasses shading her eyes from the glare of the afternoon sky. ! wave of acute misery washed over her. 'efore she knew it she had fallen fast asleep.

RRRRRRRRRRR

Hugo Gan Ri%n was pacing up and down the long room looking like an irate Hush .uppy which was disconcerting for Roussel had always found basset hounds amiable. 5ike those dogs too Gan Ri%n was gravity&challenged. He had a clumsy body the top half disproportionately long in relation to the legs. He was wearing baggy cotton pants which did little to counteract his low& slung bottom and a pale lemon cotton sweater. !s he walked his overlong arms flapped & if that was rhythmically against his thighs his %owls shook and his down&tilted eyes looked possible & both angry and mournful.

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The recipient of his bad humour was elegantly seated opposite Roussel in a brown leather club armchair imperturbably smoking a <itaneM 4ean&4ac@ues 5Aonard eyed graceful. 'eauty and the 'east. The interview with the two men & conducted in 1rench & had become tense as soon as Roussel had broached the topic of the dinner&party at Emily 5indberg0s. Roussel had originally intended to @uestion the men separately but decided against it when he saw that this might further antagoni3e Gan Ri%n and compromise any information one might obtain from him. The interview had started peacefully enough with the usual @uestions which both men had answered in an urbane and friendly manner. !n excellent bottle of very dry sherry had been produced and the wine poured into eighteenth&century Genetian glasses. delicate ob%ects. )moking a slim panatela Gan Ri%n recalled how he had come to the area twenty years before and decided to run his !msterdam wine business from 'urgundy. This long residency made him the senior member of the local expatriate community a status he seemed to value for he mentioned it twice. He also explained the reasons for his later decision to abandon the wine trade and start an anti@ues business. !s for 5Aonard after a general arts degree he had worked in an art gallery in .aris then for a 1ar Eastern specialist at the 5ouvre des !nti@uaires where he had met Gan Ri%n. They had been living together at the 1erme de 'ellefond for the last five years and had met Harriet 4ames & and hence eventually 4ulian Holbrook & when Harriet had come to live in the millhouse after her divorce from 5eo 4ames. The latter they said they had never met. !nd the last either of them had seen of Holbrook had been at Emily 5indberg0s on Tuesday evening. 'efore Roussel could even ask the two men what they had thought of 4ulian Holbrook it became evident that the 5indberg dinner party had been an unresolved sub%ect of dissension in the household. #n the course of his career but also in his social life Roussel had occasionally come across couples in which one of the partners was pathologically %ealous. That this was the case with the Gan Ri%n&5Aonard partnership now became clear. The sore spot it seemed was not the much&reported amorous byplay between Holbrook and Emily 5indberg or the public humiliation of Harriet 4ames for whom both men professed the greatest admiration and affection. #t was rather the mystery of what had happened to so seriously delay 4ean&4ac@ues0s return home after Hugo had departed from 5a Tuilerie in his own car. This Roussel carefully wrapped his huge paw around his glass with the anxiety that every large man feels when handling olive&skinned brown&

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was what was causing Hugo to pace up and down his splendid sitting&room like a basset&hound on amphetamines. -# left at two a.m. and you didn0t come back until nearly three&thirty. 7hat did you do for an hour and a half/0 -# told you a hundred times Hugo. 4ulian and # walked 1aye home then we sat down in the village s@uare and talked.0 -7hat did you talk about/0 4ean&4ac@ues took on a martyred look. -7hat does one talk about when one0s had far too much to drink/ 7e gossiped told %okes talked about art wine women whatever.0 -Bomen9 -Hold your horses Hugo. 4ulian was having trouble %uggling Harriet and Emily and # empathi3ed that0s all.0 -.ou empat'i5ed/ !re you implying (e0re having trouble/ ?id you talk about us/0 Gan Ri%n had by now completely forgotten about Roussel0s presence. 5Aonard glanced at the police officer with an embarrassed half&smile. -?id you fuck him 4ean&4ac@ues/ 7ell did you/ ?id you/0 Hugo repeated shrilly as his lover tried not to s@uirm in his chair. -He never came out with it but # always suspected he wasn0t strictly hetero. 7ell did you fuck him/ ?id you give him head/0 -)hut up Hugo you0re being obscene.0 -"bscene am #/0 The short man looked like a high&explosive shell about to take off. !t this point Roussel thought it wise to intervene. -!t the autopsy 0 he said calmly -8r Holbrook was found to have traces of cocaine in his system. #t seemed he had snorted the stuff eight to ten hours before his death.0 Gan Ri%n stared open&mouthed at 4ean&4ac@ues. Roussel continued -7e know you0re a user 8onsieur 5Aonard. 7e0ve talked to your dealers. ?id the drug come from you/0 There was an sudden explosion as Gan Ri%n the erstwhile picture of urbanity hurled his glass at 4ean&4ac@ues0s feet. #t shattered in myriads of tiny pieces of crystal turned gold with the spilt sherry while the younger man with a deep sigh casually moved his leg away from the mess. -)orry about the melodrama 0 he whispered to Roussel. 'ut Gan Ri%n was not spent. -$ou said you had stopped 0 he hissed to his lover. -$ou said you would no longer take thatN. thatN. saloperie9 4ean&4ac@ues

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-"h for heaven0s sake Hugo 0 said 4ean&4ac@ues getting up in exasperation. -# have a tiny snort every now and then. There0s no harm in it. !nd yes (ommandant 0 he turned to Roussel -4ulian and # did a few lines together after we saw 1aye home.0 He turned back to Gan Ri%n. -Then we talked. There was nothing else. !nd that0s it.0 -$ou promised you0d stop 0 said Gan Ri%n disconsolately dropping into an armchair. -7ell # didn0t. !nd if you weren0t such a prima donna #0d have told you about it.0 He looked at Roussel steadily. -$ou0re not going to prosecute me (ommandant are you/0 -That0s not my task 8onsieur 5Aonard though #0d be careful if # were you. #0m here to try and find out more about 8r Holbrook0s murder. !nd indeed about the murder of a young man from Roilly which we think may be connected with the first murder.0 -7e heard about that 0 said Gan Ri%n who seemed to have recovered from his bout of hysteria. -7as that young man gay/0 -2ot as far as we know 8onsieur.0 -!h.0 -# have to ask you both to describe your movements on 7ednesday morning and Thursday evening.0 -2ow wait a minute #nspecteurN..0 -#t0s (ommandant 0 corrected Roussel coldly. -(ommandant 0amended Gan Ri%n. -$ou can0t possibly think we0re suspects.0 -Lntil the investigation is over 8onsieur we have to consider every possibility.0 !nd you he thought have %ust given a convincing demonstration that you had a possible motive for bumping off Holbrook. !loud he said - 2ow 8r Gan Ri%n where were you on 7ednesday morning/0 -7e went to the market at Roilly as we do every 7ednesday.0 Gan Ri%n0s tone was sulky. -!t what time did you get to Roilly/0 Gan Ri%n looked at 4ean&4ac@ues. -7e usually go at about ten but last 7ednesday we didn0t get there till after eleven.0 -7e spent the earlier part of the morning @uarrelling if you must know 0 added the younger man rolling his eyes. -#t0s a miracle we went at all.0 -(an anybody vouch for your movements between ten and eleven/0

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-(ertainly 0 said Hugo petulantly. -"ur cleaning lady was here all the time. )he gets in at eight and doesn0t leave till twelve.0 -#0ll need her name and telephone number 0 said Roussel. -Then 0 continued Hugo with a triumphant note in his voice -we bumped into the 8aire of Roilly as we were parking the car and we stopped to have a chat. )o there you areO 7e didn0t see anyone we knew at the market itself & # guess they0d all finished by then. 7e had a drink with Harriet 8ado RAgnier and Emily in the s@uare afterwards.0 -7hat time was that/0 -# got to the s@uare at about eleven forty&five and Hugo %oined us fifteen minutes later. 7e left Roilly at half twelve.0 #f their alibi held they were in the clear. Holbrook had been dead before they had arrived in Roilly. 2evertheless Roussel asked them to describe their whereabouts from eight&thirty to nine&thirty on Thursday evening. -7e were with some friends at a concert of chamber music in the .alais des ?ucs in ?i%on. 7e stayed overnight at the HZtel de la (loche.0 This too would have be verified but it did look as if the turbulent couple were out of the picture as possible murderers individually or collectively. !s a precaution however Roussel asked them for a photograph then with a measure of relief he took his leave.

CHAPTER 22 ?uring Roussel0s @uestioning of Hugo Gan Ri%n and 4ean&4ac@ues 5Aonard his metabolism as yet unused to his recent and unexpected healthier&life resolutions had started to clamour in no uncertain terms that it was feeding time. 7ith the photographs of the last three witnesses in his pocket Roussel decided to kill two birds with one stone before going back to !uxerreM he would deliver the photos and invite (otinaud to lunch. #t wouldn0t hurt to sustain the new improved relations between the (rim0 and the gendarmerie.

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'ut as had happened earlier that morning

(otinaud was not to be found at the

gendarmerie when Roussel arrived there. The young female sergeant )ergent Gallon was still manning the shop and there was no sign of anybody else. 7hen Roussel gave her the photographs and en@uired whether the (hief would be back before lunch the girl told her that he the other gendarmes and the Roilly 1ire 'rigade were trying to contain a fire in the 1or^t de (hamplive. Roussel remembered the fire engines he0d seen earlier that morning as he was driving to the 1erme de 'ellefond for the first time. -#t0s old )ac \ .uces0s house that0s burned down 0 added Gallon with the self&important look of one who likes to impart such news. -7e0ll be lucky if half the forest doesn0t burn with it.0 Roussel felt a sudden tremor of alarm. 2ot another victimO Had (laude !lain seen something or someone he shouldn0t have/ Roussel had had vague misgivings about the old man. )hould he have been more insistent that they try and draw him out/ -7here is 8onsieur !lain0s house/0 Roussel asked Gallon. -(ould you show me exactly on the #<2 map/0 !s she complied his alarm increased when he reali3ed that the old man0s house was not far from the @uarry at the bottom of which they had found (arteau0s body. !nger blew away any incipient feelings of warmth he might have nurtured for the gendarmerie chief. Knowing that !lain lived so near the @uarry should have made it imperative for him to be @uestioned carefully and at length. (otinaud had been remiss. #f anything happened to !lain because of the gendarme0s neglect Roussel would not let him get away with it. )uddenly he remembered that he0d seen (laude !lain in Roilly barely half an hour before the fire engines overtook him on the road to 'ellefond. His busy morning had wrought havoc on his sense of time. He knew from what (otinaud had told him that the old man did not have a car but walked everywhere or when he could hitchhiked . #f he was at Roilly that morning it was likely that the fire had started in his absence. Roussel silently heaved a sigh of relief. (laude !lain was most probably safe but there remained the @uestion of what had caused the fire. 7as it due to a criminal act or had it been a simple accident an oversight on the part of a confused old man/ Roussel was suddenly aware that he did not even know whether (laude !lain lived alone or with members of his family. He could not remember whether (otinaud or ?r (oste had said anything about it. He drove north well over the speed limit crossed the )erein at Tormancy and took the narrow road to !nnoux that cut across the forest. ! couple of kilometres down in a clearing off the road he came across the two fire engines and the blue gendarmerie van.

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! fireman with blackened face was sitting on the step of one of the trucks sipping from a plastic cup. Roussel flashed his )R.4 card at him. -!ny victims/0 -?oesn0t look like it but they0re still searching.0 1rom where they were the smell of burning was strong. Roussel could see remnants of black smoke hanging among the trees but he had to walk two hundred metres down a path before he could get to the actual site of the fire. The bla3e itself had been controlled but the house built in a small clearing had been seriously damaged. #n fact thought Roussel as he looked more closely it was a write&off. The vegetation around it mostly bracken and weeds had been consumed by the flames for it had been very dry despite the short downpour of the day before. however beeches and oaks had been spared. The ruins were still smoking & a steamy oily smoke that smelt foul. 1igures dressed in firemen0s garb were milling about fallen masonry poking with poles at smoking ob%ects. The stone house was single&storied but larger and more solid than Roussel had anticipated =he reali3ed to his shame that for some reason he0d pictured a small wooden hovel a sort of woodsman0s hut>. (otinaud his usually immaculate uniform stained and blackened with soot was sitting on a log discussing with one of the firemen. !nother gendarme was taking notes and the rest were poking gingerly about the ruins with the firemen. 5ooking up (otinaud nodded grimly at Roussel. -7hat happened/0 the policeman asked. The chief shook his head. -#t0s almost like a replay of Thursday evening. The fire department was called at about nine&thirty this morning when someone crossing the forest on his way to (hXtel&<Arard saw the bla3e.0 -#t must have been soon after we0d seen 8onsieur !lain in Roilly. 7hen # first heard about the fire # was afraid he0d been a victim.0 (otinaud exhaled. -There0s no sign of any victims fortunately. 8onsieur !lain had no family and lived like a hermit. There0s evidence however that the fire was not accidental. 1rom what the boys tell me it was started deliberately. They found three points of origin so far.0 Roussel grunted. -!re they @ualified to actually investigate/0 (otinaud shook his head. -They0re firefighters not investigators. They0re competent but it goes no further than that. # guess we0ll have to call in the proper authorities.0 The trees surrounding the house

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-Three points of origin in a place this si3e would imply that the intent to destroy was a serious one. This is more than mere mischief. ?o you know of any arsonists or suspected arsonists in the area/0 (otinaud pulled a face. -7e once had a farmer0s boy out near 8assangis who liked to play with fire. He caused us no end of grief at the time but he0s become an electrician since and is living near ?i%on.0 (otinaud raised his bushy eyebrows. -Heaven protect his clients. "therwise no # can0t think of any arsonists in these parts.0 -#t has occurred to me 0 said Roussel carefully -that this might be the work of our faceless suspect. ;# - and that0s still to be ascertained & if (laude !lain saw something or someone he shouldn0t have seen that would make him a target for the murderer.0 (otinaud sighed. -# also have been thinking along the same lines and # blame myself for not making the connection earlier between the @uarry where (arteau0s body was found and the site of !lain0s house. They0re within less than a kilometre as the crow flies and old )ac \ .uces is always poking about in the woods. He may well have seen something.0 Roussel made up his mind. -#0ll call 4uge 5a 'arri6re and explain. # think we should let the #nformation 4udiciaire take a look at the place.0 5a 'arri6re was in and listened attentively. Roussel then called ?umas. !s he clicked off his mobile he nodded at (otinaud saying -They0re on their way0. )uddenly two figures appeared at the edge of the clearing & ?r (oste and (laude !lain the latter extremely agitated and uttering little cries of distress. -7hat on earth happened here/0 asked !urAlie (oste holding on to the old man0s arm to prevent him from rushing into the smoking ruins of his house. -7as anybody hurt/0 (otinaud explained. Roussel found it difficult to tell whether !lain understood or even heard what was being said. He looked terrified his face ravaged with tics his head bobbing as on a spring his shoulders heaving and twitching. .ointing to the house and straining to get away from ?r (oste he started barking then screaming with bloodcurdling piercing howls. (oste tried to hold him containing him within the circle of her arms talking to him in a calm voice. The old man was trembling fat tears coursing down his face. 'ut when Roussel approached to see if he could help (laude !lain spat at him like a wounded cat. Roussel retreated. )uddenly before ?r (oste could react the man reared back screamed once piercing cry & and fell in a dead faint on the ground at their feet. & a high The doctor Roussel and

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(otinaud rushed to his side trying to lift him but he had gone completely rigid. He lay full length stiff as a board. !urAlie (oste knelt at his side taking his pulse but his arm was so rigid that she could hardly perform that simple gesture. His eyes rolled upwards so that only the white showed and his breathing seemed to stop. -(all an ambulance 0 said ?r (oste @uickly to (otinaud. !nd to Roussel -<et a stick a piece of wood anything to keep him from swallowing his tongue. He0s going into a <rand 8al sei3ure.0 !nd indeed !lain0s body now started to convulse slowly at first then faster and faster. Roussel whipped up from his pocket a small electric torch no bigger than a thick pen and with ?r (oste holding her patient0s face managed to insert it between !lain0s teeth. -The ambulance is coming 0 said (otinaud kneeling at their side his mobile phone still in his hand. The old man0s convulsions stopped. #t had only been a couple of minutes perhaps three since the beginning of the sei3ure but to the onlookers paraly3ed with helplessness it seemed much longer. (laude !lain0s muscles loosened up as suddenly as they had sei3ed up. ! spreading dark stain appeared on his trousers as he lost control of his bladder. ?r (oste wiped his face with a tissue the gesture more humanly tender than purely medical. The man0s breathing became noisy a dry rasping sound and he foamed at the mouth but his features were now relaxed and Roussel was surprised to see that he was younger than he had appeared to be possibly not older than fifty. Lnder the dirt and sweat his features were oddly familiar. #0ve seen this man somewhere thought Roussel even before # first saw him at Roilly. 'ut where/ !nd in what context/ -4ust watch over him while # get my bag and a blanket 0 said ?r (oste getting up and hurrying away. 7ithin a few minutes she was back with a blanket that she spread over the unconscious figure. Then she took from her doctor0s bag a sealed syringe unsealed it and filled it from a vial of colourless li@uid. -#0m giving him dia3epam.0 7hile she kneeled by her patient (otinaud and Roussel sat on the log silently waiting for the ambulance and the scene of crime technicians.

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-Harriet HarrietO0 Harriet woke up with a start and sat up. )he felt stiff from having lain on the stone bench and had a crick in her neck. !utomatically she rubbed it and twisted it right and left a few times as far as it would go. 5eo was standing over her his curly hair haloed in the western sun. #t took her a moment to remember where they were and what had happened. -Harriet # found something. (ome and see.0 )he followed him unsteadily into the church. #t was an austere heavy&buttressed country church with a double aisle on either side of the nave which suggested that it had once been used as a shelter for pilgrims probably going to GA3elay one of the great stops on the road to (ompostella. )callops on some of the pillars confirmed her hypothesis. The interior was as austere as the exterior indeed almost bare. 8ost of the stained&glass windows had been destroyed over the centuries and replaced with plain leaded glass. !part from an ugly baro@ue pulpit and four statues of saints set high up on four facing pillars there was little decoration but after the five much barer churches they0d seen earlier this felt to Harriet as if they had struck it rich. -5ike most of these churches this one was modified and added to several times over the centuries 0 explained 5eo. -)ome of it0s Romanes@ue but most of what we0re seeing today dates from the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. !ll four statues date from the fifteenth.0 "ne of the statues & Harriet easily identified )t (atherine with her broken wheel & was of wood the gilt and paint now very faint. The other three were of stone also with polychrome traces. Harriet recogni3ed )t 4erome as a hermit in the desert looking like a gruesome Hamlet with a skull in his hand and a virginal )t 8argaret with her dragon. Those three were pleasant enough statues very typical of their period and with a strong similarity between them. Even Harriet0s relatively untrained eyes could see that they had probably been the work of the same craftsman. #t was the fourth sculpture however that obviously held 5eo0s attention. -This0 he said with a smile -is what #0m really excited about. 5ook at it.0

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The pilgrim theme was what struck Harriet first in the fourth statue. #t represented a bearded middle&aged man a little top&heavy dressed in a pilgrim0s cloak and long boots and holding a pilgrim0s staff. 7ith his left hand he pointed to a naturalistic&looking sore on his left thigh. 'y his right foot a thin black dog like a dwarf whippet looked up at him holding a flat round ob%ect in its %aws. Lnlike many statues of that period which showed smooth expressionless bland faces despite the depiction of torture this saint0s face expressed great pain. He looked ravaged with it his eyes narrowed his features sei3ed up in a grimace of agony. -7ell what do you think/0 asked 5eo. -?oes it remind you of anything/0 Harriet looked at it attentively. -$eeees 0 she hesitated. -There0s something familiar about it but #0m not sure # know what it is. 7hich saint does it represent anyway/0 -)aint Roch or Rocco 0 said 5eo. He was much venerated in #taly and 1rance in the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. He was supposed to protect people from the plague. ?on0t you remember visiting )an Rocco0s church in Genice/0 -$es # do 0 said Harriet. -7hat0s his story/0 -He was supposed to be 1rench and came from a rich family. 7hen his parents died he gave all his inheritance to the poor and set off on a pilgrimage to Rome. 7hen he arrived in #taly he found there was an epidemic of plague. He helped with the sick and effected a number of miraculous cures. 7hereupon he caught the plague himself. $ou see him here showing us his bubo.0 -$uck 0 said Harriet. -#t reminds me of those very realistic )panish (hrists with their gaping wounds.0 -#t is pretty naturalistic 0agreed 5eo. -<o on with your story 0 said Harriet. -7hat0s that dog doing there/ !nd what0s it holding in its mouth/ # can0t @uite make it out.0 -7ell 0 continued 5eo -when )t Roch knew he had caught the plague he went off to a forest to die on his own. 'ut he was kept alive by a dog who appeared out of nowhere and brought him a loaf of bread every day. That0s what you see in its mouth a flat loaf.0 -"h yes # see. )o what happened to )t Roch/0 - He recovered and went on to perform other miracles. )ome sculptors and painters also show him with an angel but # like the dog best.0 -#0ve seen that dog somewhere 0 said Harriet.

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5eo0s face was split by a huge smile. -$ou have indeed.0 -7ell don0t %ust stand there tell meO0 said Harriet. -#t looks very much like that small dog by the statue of one of the soldiers in the Roilly crypt.0 Harriet clapped her hands. -)o it doesO How extraordinary. #t is indeed very similar down to the mini&greyhound shape and prominent ribs.0 -!nd doesn0t the saint0s face remind you of the soldiers/0 asked Hugo beaming. -$ou0re right it doesO He has the same kind of scowl though the soldiers0 faces express hatred and his expresses pain.0 -There0s also the way the cape folds around the figure that0s very reminiscent of one of the soldiers0 cape. There0s a rounded movement that0s @uite idiosyncratic. !nd look at the treatment of the flowing beard. 2ote how the hairs flow downwards like inverted flames. This also is unusual and very characteristic of the beards on the Roilly soldiers.0 -5eo do you really think they0re by the same sculptor/0 -There0s a very good possibility yes. #n fact #0d be ready to wager they are. #0m going to have to study this statue in greater detail and from closer up. #0ll have to get permission from the 8aire of this village & what0s its name again/ & and come back with scaffolding and spotlights. Then #0ll be able to photograph it from all angles.0 -"h 5eo how exciting for youO 7ell done. ?o you think this could lead you to the identity of the elusive 8a[tre de Roilly/ #f you find out who he is you0ll be famous.0 -#0m famous already 0 said 5eo modestly. -'ut you understand don0t you that the soldier group was by a member of his workshop not by the 8aster himself.0 Harriet rolled her eyes. -"f course # know that. 'ut are you any nearer to identifying this particular sculptor/0 5eo looked secretive. -# may be but you0ll know more about it when you read my next book.0 -# want to know now.0 -#t0s a long story. #0ll tell you over dinner.0 -5ook 0 said Harriet pointing -there seems to be something written on the base of the statue. Round the side look. #t0s very faint.0 -$ou0ve got better eyesight than # have 0 grumbled 5eo whipping out his driving glasses which he had put in his pocket.0

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'ut even with his glasses on he couldn0t decipher the inscription which was small and indeed faint. He looked around for a ladder but of course there wasn0t any. #n the end he placed a church chair on one of the pews and manoeuvred the contraption under the statue. -5eo you0re mad you0ll fall. This is not a good idea.0 -Hold on to it Hattie. # really need to see what0s written there.0 -5eo let0s go out and find a ladder. "r come back tomorrow and borrow one from one of the villagers.0 -2o # have to know no(% "therwise # shan0t sleep.0 7ith Harriet bracing herself against the pillar and holding on to the unstable makeshift scaffolding 5eo climbed up gingerly until his eyes were level with the base of the statue. -7ell well 0 he murmured. -7ell wellN.0 Then looking down -#0m coming down Hattie. Hold it steady.0 That the operation was carried out without mishap was a mystery to Harriet. -7ell/0 she asked when 5eo was once more on terra #irma% -7ell what/0 he asked with a smile. -?on0t be tantali3ing it doesn0t suit you. 7hat did the inscription say/0 5eo was scribbling something in his notebook. 7hen he0d finished he held it out to Harriet. Three words and a dateM -<uglielmus Haslinus fecit 1;IH0.

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CHAPTER 23

-7ho the hell is <uglielmus Haslinus /0 asked Harriet as they were driving back to 5a Tuilerie. -"r presumably if he was 1rench <uillaume Haslins.0 -He may not have been 1rench 0 said 5eo. -The imagiers were a mixed bunch remember/ #0ve never heard of him certainly. There (as a 1lemish sculptor who worked in Troyes in the sixteenth century called 2iklaus or 2icolas Halins without the middle 9s:. He became @uite well& known. He was born if # remember correctly at the end of the fifteenth century. He may have been a descendent or relative of this <uglielmus Haslinus although # must say our Haslinus0s style doesn0t in the least look 1lemish. #f anything it reminds me of the style of 7eit 7agner who was working more or less at the same time. ?o you remember seeing his work in )trasbourg/0 -#ndeed # do & those distorted faces in the 8ount of "lives monument in the (athedral. 'ut this statue is much less flamboyant in style than 7eit 7agner0s figures. #n its own way it0s a bit primitive isn0t it/0 -:Expressionistic: #0d say in the interpretation rather than the workmanship. !lmost caricatural. 5ike the soldier figures in Roilly. 'ut @uite idiosyncratic & which is what # find really intriguing.0 He drove on deep in thought. -7ell 0 he continued eventually. 2ow that we have a name # might be able to trace him and find out who he was apprenticed to. His style is so different from the 8a[tre de Roilly0s that #0d wager he did his apprenticeship in the north&east somewhere & possibly in )trasbourg & before being roped in on the Roilly monument.0 -Have you abandoned the idea that it might have been a family workshop/0 -2ot at all. There0s a very definite resemblance in both features and treatment between the )t Roch statue and the soldiers at Roilly and the latter in turn have remarkably similar features to the characters in the main Roilly monument. 2o #0m %ust testing different hypotheses until # can

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gather more information. 2othing precludes the possibility that one of the members of the family trained elsewhere before %oining up with the family workshop.0 -$ou might be able to find references in the archives in ?i%on. .ossibly also in Troyes.0 -$es and if # find out who this sculptor was apprenticed to and trace his movements afterwards it might eventually lead me to the identity of the 8a[tre de Roilly.0 -That 0 said Harriet with a brilliant smile -would really be something.0 -7ouldn0t it/0 5eo grinned at her. He looked so much like the young history undergraduate she had met at the 1reshmen0s 1air in their first week at "xford that she felt a little pinch in the region of her heart. )he turned her face towards the passing scenery. -This turned out to be @uite a day didn0t it/0 said 5eo. -7hen # think how negative you were about visiting all those decrepit country churchesO0 Harriet wrinkled her nose at this but his excitement was contagious. -7e must celebrateO0 exclaimed 5eo putting on his indicator then stopping the car by the side of the road. -<ive me your mobile.0 -# thought you hated them 0 said Harriet un3ipping her bag. -They have their uses. 2ow what0s the 1rench number for directory en@uiries/0 -7ho are you ringing/0 -$ou0ll see if we0re in luck.0 5eo got out of the car and stood by the kerb a few metres away turning his back on Harriet so that she could not hear what he was saying. He was gesticulating as he was talking. The call lasted a good five minutes. 8eanwhile Harriet fidgeted and thought how difficult it was going to be to deal with Emily. How would she be able to resume her social life now that she was aware of the extent of Emily0s relationship with 4ulian. The mere thought of talking to Emily made her nauseous. #n a way 5eo had been right. This was one stone that should perhaps have been allowed to remain unturned. "n the other hand wanted to spend her life. 5eo returned and got the )aab on the road again. Harriet peered at him curiously. He looked extraordinarily pleased with himself. -7ell are we going to celebrate/0 -"h yes and in style. $ou0ll have to dress up. 4ust as well # brought my %acket & it0s in the boot of the car & though # don0t have a tie. #0ll have to borrow one at the restaurant.0 -7here are we going that0s so chic you0ll need a tie/0 -7e are ch6re 8adame going to 50EspArance.0 living in a fool0s paradise was not how she

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-!t )aint&.6re&sous&GA3elay/ "n a )aturday night/ #n 8ay/ 7hy they0re booked months aheadO0 -# know but # asked to speak to the great man himself. # got to know him @uite well a couple of years ago when # was working in GA3elay. # %ust told him # was going to propose to you again and that he must find us a small table somewhere. !nd he said he would.0 -"h what it is to have friends in high placesO0 )he did an about turn -?id # hear the word 9propose:/0 -!s a matter of factN.0 -?on0t even think of it 5eo. #t0ll spoil our dinner.0 5eo shook his head grinning. -)omehow # knew you0d be saying that. !lways pissing on my suggestions. 7here0s your sense of fun Hattie/0 -8y sense of fun0s been conspicuous by its absence lately.0 -#0ll sayO0 He patted her hand. - 2evermind then we won0t talk about proposing or indeed about ourselves. 7e0ll talk about 8onsieur 8eneau0s heavenly cuisine and <uglielmus Haslinus whoever he might be.0 -"h one other thing Harriet - said 5eo a moment later glancing at her. -2ot a word of this to anyone.0 -"f course not 0 said Harriet offended. -7hat do you take me for/0

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! hour and a half later Harriet stood before the cheval glass in her bedroom while 5eo was having a shower in the guest bathroom from which fortunately she had erased all traces of 4ulian. )he had decided to try out one of the fruits of her intemperate excursion to .aris. This was a sleeveless printed silk chiffon dress by a 4apanese designer she had never heard of but who the bouti@ue assistant assured her gravely would leave the 8iyakes and $amamotos of this world

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panting behind. #t had an abstract pattern in a wild mixture of colours a demure front an indecently plunging back and an asymmetrical hem. #t was mode feminine slightly di33y @uite unlike her normal style of clothes and a perfect complement to her new haircut. )he was not displeased by the result and twirled and pirouetted in front of the full&length mirror. High&heeled sandals and a small 1endi handbag completed the outfit. )he rummaged in her %ewellery box and fished out a pair of long !rt ?Aco %ade drop earrings that her grandmother had left her. ! dab of L0eure bleue and she was ready. )he went downstairs to feed .ilgrim who was sulking because he had been left on his own all day and sensed as animals always do that he would be left on his own again shortly. 4ust then the telephone rang. Harriet was surprised to hear Hugo0s voice. )he had not spoken to him since that fateful 7ednesday morning in Roilly. 4ean&4ac@ues had called her several times but she had not heard directly from Hugo. )he was still in the dark about what had happened to set off his mood that day but now that she knew about 4ulian0s proclivities she suspected the answer might lie in that direction. )he was aware of Hugo0s fierce exclusiveness with regard to his young lover. !ny hint that 4ean&4ac@ues might find another man attractive would she knew be enough to set Hugo off. -Harriet.0 Hugo0s tone was sober. -Hello Hugo how are you/0 -#0m fine thanks. Er Harriet # wanted to apologi3e for having been so boorish on 7ednesday.0 -Think nothing of it.0 -'ut # do # feel really bad about it. !nd it was all a mistake anyway.0 -7hat was/0 -# imagined something that was not true and blew it out of all proportions. !nyway # wanted to apologi3e about that and say how terribly sorry # am about 4ulian. #t was a tragic way to go and is a great loss to us all.0 -$es.0 Harriet was perplexed. Talking to Hugo had always been easy in the past. 2ow she felt as if they were strangers.. 'ut she supposed murder did this to one. 8urder and the discovery that people were more complex than they appeared. Even friends. !nd that they lied. Hugo asked -!re you going to 1aye0s for drinks tonight/0 -2o. 5eo0s taking me to 50EspArance0

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-5ucky youO 7ell #0m sorry we shan0t be seeing you. 8aybe soon.0 Hugo0s tone was @uite dry. Harriet was suddenly aware that it might seem inappropriate to be taken by one0s ex to a famous restaurant a mere three days after one0s lover was murdered. )he did not want Hugo to get the wrong idea. -7e0re celebrating you see. 5eo0s %ust made a discovery that might lead to some crucial new information about the sculptures in Roilly.0 Too late she remembered that she0d promised to keep mum about this. )he bit her lip and hit her head with the flat of her hand. -How interesting 0 said Hugo smoothly. -!nd what might that be/0 -# can0t tell you any more about it Hugo. He0s not even certain he0s on the right track. .lease don0t mention any of this to the others.0 -:# course not, Harriet. #0ll talk to you very soon. Have a lovely evening. !nd we0d be thrilled to meet 5eo one of these days. 7e0ve heard so much about him and # for one have read all his books.0 They rang off after more social niceties with Harriet visited once more by a feeling of strangeness. This however paled next to her self&disgust. How do # get myself into these situations she thought furious with herself. )he remembered her mother calling her a bungler and a scatterbrain. There was certainly some truth in it. 'y the time 5eo came down the stairs smelling of lemon and rosemary she had managed to work herself into a fren3y of guilt.

CHAPTER 24 5a 'arri6re had done them proud. Her idea of a working dinner did not as Roussel had feared consist of plates of indifferent sandwiches washed down with a bottle of 'adoit and eaten on one0s lap around her desk. )he had had her office furniture rearranged for the occasion. The desk had been pushed back and her conference table removed altogether. #n one corner of the room there was a large whiteboard standing on an easel and by the window a round table had been set for

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three with proper dining chairs a pristine starched tablecloth gleaming wine and water glasses and silverplate cutlery. 7ell well thought Roussel amused and ravenous. 2ever underestimate a native of the south&west when it comes to all the trappings of eating especially one who0s a 'urgundian by adoption as well. 5et0s hope the @uality of the food matches the setting. -7e0ll eat first 0 declared 5a 'arri6re. -then get down to business.0 (otinaud and Roussel exchanged a surreptitious glance of connivance. They0d had a busy afternoon what with the fire and the stallkeepers0 meeting and they had not taken time to have lunch or even a nibble. The food was served by an attentive young professional waiter. #t was obvious that the magistrate had ordered the dinner from a good restaurant or a reputable traiteur% !nd an excellent meal it was too consisting of a scallop and crayfish terrine with a light watercress sauce roast duckling with baby turnips and a potato gratin cheese and a moulded #ondant au c'ocolat% There was a bottle of (hablis for the first course and a bottle of .ernand&Gergelesse with the duck. 7hile they ate they discussed the latest government measures the situation in the 8iddle East the future of the 1rench trade unions and the miraculous football match that had only the week before opposed the .aris )aint&<ermain and !uxerre clubs. !fter coffee had been served and the table cleared 5a 'arri6re rubbed her hands together and said -5et0s start.0 Roussel and (otinaud moved the white board to the middle of the room and arranged the chairs in an easy semi&circle around it. Then taking it in turns they summari3ed in a few sentences the latest events in the Holbrook&(arteau affair. The juge dinstruction had been receiving their written reports daily and had been told of the fire at (laude !lain0s house on the telephone but was yet to hear details of today0s developments. !fter they finished sketching the situation there was a silence as 5a 'arri6re digested the new information. -)o 0 she said eventually. -7hat we still lack so far is direct evidence to tie the arson case to our two murders. 2evertheless for the purpose of this investigation we shall consider them as being related which means for one thing that our little bunch of suspects will have to provide alibis for the time the house in the woods was set on fire. 'ut in order to spare you more interviews (ommandant and save time # suggest they all come to see me at the .alais de 4ustice to make their statements once and for all. #0ll have to play around with my time&table butN.shall we sayN..0. )he opened her diary riffled through a few pages humming tonelessly under her

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breath and said -8onday at five p.m. #0ll send them a summons which you will be kind enough to deliver !d%udant&chef.0 -(ertainly 8adame le 4uge.0 -2ow 0 continued the magistrate the forest road/0 -#t would be a matter of minutes 8adame le 4uge. The fire was reported at nine&twenty& seven and given the method used it can0t have taken more than five minutes for the whole place to go up in flames. )o #0d say the crucial period for alibis might be considered to be around nine& twenty this morning with a little on either side for the arsonist to get there and leave the place.0 Roussel intervened. -The scene of crime technicians and the firemen before them found evidence that the method of ignition was our good old 8olotov cocktail beloved of rioters everywhere. They found three points of origin where the petrol&filled bottles were hurled in through the windows. 2eedless to say there were no fingerprints on the bottle shards. #n fact the fire was so strong that the shards all but melted.0 -?oes the use of 8olotov cocktails tell us anything about the arsonist/0 mused the magistrate. -#n a city it might immediately suggest a young person0s or a dissident0s crime. !re we absolutely certain that (arteau0s pals are out of the picture/0 -$es 8adame le 4uge 0 said (otinaud with for him an unusual tone of confidence. -Their alibis were verified for the two murders. # think we can safely discount them. 7hat0s moreN.0 He hesitated. -$es !d%udant&chef/ 7hat were you going to say/0 -7ellN0 (otinaud0s tone was diffident. -in rural areas like ours a person such as )acN # mean (laude !lain fulfils in some ways the old role of village simpleton. !lthough technically he is not simple desprit% !s he is harmless people let him be or may even feel protective about him. # really can0t see anybody from Roilly wanting to harm him.0 5a 'arri6re looked sceptical but said nothing. -!nd 0 intervened Roussel -anybody who watches the news on television and has followed the recent lot of riots in the .aris suburbs knows that a 8olotov cocktail is very easy to make and extremely effective. #n fact # even believe the instructions can be found on the #nternet.0 her ga3e on the gendarmerie chief -how long do you reckon it would have taken once the fire had been started for the flames to become visible from

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-Lmm 0 said the 4uge not convinced but eager to move on. -7hat about the origin of the bottles/ (an what remains of them give us something about their manufacturer and hence their distributor/0 -They were plain wine bottles apparently a commodity that0s not exactly rare in our region. 1orensics are trying to trace their manufacturer but # have little hope this will lead anywhere.0 -!ny traces of tires or shoes/0 -2o traces of tires near the house. 7hoever started the bla3e must have come on foot. The techs are doing their best with what they have but as the place was badly trampled by the firemen it0ll take time to sort things out.0 -The suddenness and violence of the bla3e seem to suggest that murder was intended 0 commented the 4uge. -7ith all due respect 8adame le 4uge 0 said (otinaud. -# think most people who even casually go to Roilly may be aware of (laude !lain0s habit of being constantly on the road. # feel it not unlikely that the murderer knew the house was empty.0 -$ou think it more likely that it was meant as a warning then/0 (otinaud nodded with caution while Roussel said -#t0s a possibility we0ve discussed.0 -#n any case we must take it as likely that 8onsieur !lain witnessed something he shouldn0t have something to do with either the Holbrook or the (arteau murder or both.0 -7hat bothers me 0 said Roussel -is why this attack or warning should occur no(, at this particular moment and not earlier. !fter all Holbrook was killed on 7ednesday (arteau on Thursday. 7hy wait until )aturday morning to deal with (laude !lain/0 -.erhaps it is only recently that the murderer became aware that !lain witnessed something. How is 8onsieur !lain by the way/0 -'etter thank you 0 answered (otinaud. -He was taken to the (entre Hospitalier at !uxerre. He0s under sedation and the doctors will take the opportunity to give him a battery of tests for his disease.0 -7hat will happen to him when he comes out of hospital/0 -?r (oste and the )ocial )ervices will sort it out. The 8aire is talking about calling on volunteers to help rebuild his house =apparently it0s been in the family for generations> and ?r (oste bless her heart seems to have a vested interest in his well&being.0

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-.lease make sure that his room at the hospital is watched round the clock. =#f you0re too short&staffed !d%udant&chef #0m sure the .olice 4udiciaire can see to that.0 Roussel nodded and made a note of it.> #f the torching of 8onsieur !lain0s house was a warning we want to make sure nothing else happens to him. There have been enough dramas in this investigation as it is. !nd 8onsieur !lain may turn out to be an important witness. 7hen will the doctors allow us to @uestion him/0 -#0ll find out 0 said (otinaud. -1or the time being they0re being very protective and he0s under heavy sedation anyway. #N.0 -$es # understand 0 interrupted 5a 'arri6re. -This will have to wait. 1or the time being #0d like to take a look at the various suspects and their alibis for the two murders and see what the meeting with the stallkeepers brought up.0 )he glanced briefly at her notes. -)hall we start with the suspects whose alibis have been verified/ ) vous, Commandant%0 Roussel lumbered up to his feet. 7ith the marker he scribbled at the top left&hand side of the board -GER#1#E? !5#'#)0 listing underneath in a single column -8adeleine RAgnier =U husband> 5eo 4ames Hugo Gan Ri%n 4ean&4ac@ues 5Aonard0. -)o the Gan Ri%n&5Aonard alibis were actually corroborated 0 said 5a 'arri6re. -$es 0 said Roussel. -Their cleaning lady confirmed they were at the 1erme de 'ellefond until they left for Roilly at about eleven on 7ednesday. !nd the 8aire of Roilly told me he saw them park their car near the .orte ?orAe at about ten past. # also contacted their friends in ?i%on and the manager at the HZtel de la (loche who all verify that Gan Ri%n and 5Aonard spent Thursday evening in that city.0 5a 'arri6re nodded. - Bien 9 $n voil deu- de moins% .ity about 5eo 4ames being in the clear. He had the most credible motive.0 -His alibi for 7ednesday morning was verified twice and it stands. !s for ThursdayN0 -# know he was with you. 'ut it still remains that he had an excellent motive for bumping off Holbrook.0 -7e0re not short of motives 8adame le 4uge.0 said Roussel. -5et0s have a look at them serious motives.0 then 0 said 5a 'arri6re ad%usting her ample derri6re in the chair in readiness for mental action. -5et0s start with 8adame 4ames. )he0s another one with

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-#t is true 0 said Roussel writing -H.4ames0 on the white board under the title 9)L).E(T): -that 8rs 4ames also has a very plausible motive. .ossibly the best. 4ealousy and humiliation. #f in addition we surmise that she knew of Holbrook0s ambidextrous tendencies before 5eo 4ames and myself informed her about them on Thursday evening then the %ealousyVrevenge motive becomes @uite strong. #n terms of alibis however things are rather more complicated. "n 7ednesday morning 8rs 4ames was absent from 8me RAgnier0s sight for seven or eight minutes which & my people timed it & just, but really only %ust might have given her time to go from the 'alle to the crypt @uickly murder Holbrook clean herself up a bit and rush back again. #n fact the reconstruction took nine and a half minutes so it0s really pushing it a little to think that she could have done it in less.0 2evertheless he scribbled -7E?. F&H min c. 1C.+C&1C.,C0 next to Harriet 4ames0s name adding -THLR. verified0 underneath. -$ou said 8iss 5indberg saw her going down the rue de l0Eglise towards the market at about ten&twenty 0 said 5a 'arri6re. -8s 5indberg said she t'oug't she saw her but couldn0t swear to it. 8rs 4ames flatly denied she was there. 8s 5indberg may indeed have seen her or else may have her own agenda. )he struck me as a highly malicious and manipulating woman so # wouldn0t discount her trying to make mischief on this point. !nd her own motives are pretty strong but we0ll come to those in a minute.0 He continued facing his audience. -8rs 4ames maintains she went to the 5adies at the (afA du (ommerce. 2o one remembers her though they do remember seeing her sitting in a so it group outside after eleven o0clock. !nd 5eo 4ames who had been sitting in the other cafA looking out for her did not see her either. 'ut then he was reading his papers most of the time doesn0t prove anything.0 -8adame 4ems0s alibi for Thursday at least exonerates her from the (arteau murder 0 ventured (otinaud. -$es 0 Roussel gave a wry smile. -That alibi could not be more solid. Lnless of course she murdered Holbrook and someone else murdered (arteau.0 5a 'arri6re blew up her cheeks. -Two murderers. #ndeed that is a possibility we cannot afford to ignore. 'ut that0s another ballgame altogether. 5et0s get on with the single murderer hypothesis for now.0

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-!nother possibility we must examine 0 said Roussel looking at his audience and passing his marker from hand to hand -is that the murderer was already in the church when Holbrook got there at ten.0 The wide&eyed expression on their faces told him that like himself neither 5a 'arri6re nor (otinaud had thought of that possibility. #t did not make him feel any better for failing to spot it earlier. -#n which case 0 commented (otinaud with some enthusiasm -the murder may have taken place nearer to ten o0clock. This would exonerate 8adame 4ems but might implicate people who are known to have been at the market earlierN.0 -8iss 5indberg and 8iss ?unning for instance 'arri6re. -Exactly.0 -# like it. !ll right let0s keep this possibility in mind. 7ho0s next on our list/ 8iss 5indberg/0 -Emily 5indberg0 said Roussel as he added her name to the suspects list -went to the market at nine thirty or thirty&five a few minutes after 8iss ?unning. They both caught glimpses of each other.0 -8s 5indberg 0 said Roussel scribbling on the board -also said she saw 8r 7illiamson in the market soon after she arrived so at nine&thirty five or so.. =The 7illiamsons by the way say they didn0t get to the market until about nine forty&five so someone0s lying or mistaken here.> !fter that her alibi0s unverified and fairly vague. )he said she walked about went to the cash point and to buy the papers. The shopkeepers of course were too busy to remember the time customers came into their shop.0 -?o they remember seeing her in the shop at least/0 -$es 0 answered (otinaud -but they can0t pin it down to any particular time.0 -'ut the cash point0s easy to verify 0 said 5a 'arri6re. -Have you asked the (rAdit !gricole to check the names of all the people who took money out of the machine that morning and the time they did so/0 -2ot yet 0 said (otinaud flushing. -7ell for heaven0s sake pleased. do so !d%udant&chef & it0s importantO0 The 4uge was not and possibly the 7illiamsons 0 said 5a

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-!s for Thursday 0 continued Roussel still scribbling on the board while (otinaud mortified busied himself shuffling the papers in his folder. no visits and no phone calls.0 -!ll right. 5et0s put Emily 5indberg high on the suspects list. )he had the means. )he had the motive & a perfectly plausible one. 4ealousy and anger. Holbrook0s 9defection: on Tuesday may have rankled more than she allowed you to see (ommandant. 2ow what about 8iss ?unning/0 -8iss ?unning 0 said Roussel continuing with his scribbled notes on the board -arrived in Roilly at nine&thirty %ust before 8iss 5indberg finished about half an hour later also went to the cash point then to collect some dry cleaning then to the baker0s and to the newspaper shop. #n all that time apart from 8s 5indberg and 8r 7illiamson whom she saw earlier at the market she says she did not see anyone who interests us.0 -# do find this hard to believe 0 said 5a 'arri6re especially since they all seem to have gone to the same places.0 7ith a timid cough (otinaud intervened. -7ith all due respect 8adame le 4uge # feel # have to point out how busy Roilly is on a market day. There are great crowds as in (hablis on a )unday and it0s easy for people to miss one another.0 -.oint taken !d%udant&chef. 7hat did our 8iss ?unning do on Thursday evening/0 -# myself saw her at eight&thirty 8adame le 4uge 0 said Roussel -when she brought 8rs 4ames some soup. )he told her she would be home all evening and invited her to go and have a coffee with her. Then according to her testimony she went home cooked ate and watched television. "f course 8rs 4ames never made it to her house because she had 8r 4ames and myself there until almost nine&thirty.0 -?id you check about the television programme.0 -$es. There was indeed as she said a documentary on East European migrants on !rte but that doesn0t prove that she didn0t read about it in the television programme or in the papers.0 -7hat would 8iss ?unning0s motive be with regard to Holbrook/0 6 yst3re et boule de gomme, 8adame le 4uge. !s things stand # haven0t been able to suss out any possible motive. )he seems to have genuinely liked Holbrook but of course that doesn0t mean she didn0t murder him.0 -How did she strike you when you @uestioned her/0 -8s 5indberg0s alibi is unverifiable because after she returned from 8iss ?unning0s she spent the evening writing in her study had

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-)he seemed intelligent sensible and sincere & that0s all # can say. )he may on the other hand be a remarkable actress.0 -2ever mind for now. 'oth these ladies go high up on the suspect list. 7hat about the 7illiamsons/0 -2ow that0s where it gets more interesting 0 said Roussel. -The 7illiamsons were # think deliberately vague about when they arrived at the market about nine forty&five they said and he added that he didn0t look at his watch. 'ut he was seen about ten minutes earlier by 8s 5indberg. They stated that they shopped separately he going to the market proper and she to the supermarket and other shops that are nowhere near the church. "ne interesting point is that unlike the others Edward 7illiamson0s alibi is verified by two stallkeepers. # suppose it0s because he stands out as being so very 'ritish. 'ut what is even more to the point is that a stallkeeper who had gone to the toilettes publiques in the rue de l0Eglise was adamant he saw Eirginia Billiamson come down the street at about half past ten % )he0s usually very recogni3able with her mop of pinkish red hair her fancy clothes and obstreperous manner. !pparently she steadfastly refuses to speak 1rench and addresses people in English or by pointing at things. )o she is memorable. "n 7ednesday however she was apparently wearing plain clothes and a hat that hid most of her hair. 2evertheless because the stallkeeper knew her by sight he recogni3ed her.0 The magistrate sat up. -The top of the street is where the side door of the church is isn0t it/0 she asked. -.recisely.0 -!nd she told you she never went anywhere near the church.0 -That0s right. #t does sound as if she deliberately dressed down in order to be less noticeable. 2evertheless all this so far is circumstantial. 0o(ever,0 added Roussel -it gets even better.0 )tretching the suspense he circled the 7illiamsons0 names with the marker drawing an upward&going arrow from them. -8y lieutenant .atrick ?u@uesne who0s a dab hand at surfing the 7eb and has a useful circle of hacker friends0 & 5a 'arri6re looked interested & -could not find the slightest trace of them anywhere prior to six years ago when they came to live in 1rance. This made him suspicious. 7e e&mailed their photograph to (hief #nspector ?unhill at 2ew )cotland $ard and bingoO 7illiamson turns out to be a false name. The couple have completely remodelled their identity. Their real name is )tephenson with a ph and they appear to have left England hastily ten years ago only hours before the 'ritish 1raud )@uad went to arrest him for insider trading. He was indeed in commodities as he told me but not in his own right & he was

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in fact working for a merchant bank & !rnolfers. He made use of his information to make a huge personal killing on the stock market and immediately absconded from the country with his wife. They simply disappeared into thin air. )cotland $ard could not trace them and it0s only when we sent them the photos that they were able to identify the 7illiamsons as being the )tephensons.0 5a 'arri6re0s lips twitched and (otinaud allowed a little sound of surprised gratification to escape him. Roussel went on. -)imultaneously one of ?u@uesne0s contacts who seems to have access to the )wiss numbered accounts system0 =5a 'arri6re0s eyes twinkled and Roussel said -$ou really don0t want to know about this 8adame le 4uge0> -has managed to pin them down and they are rolling9 1rom that point on it was straightforward. 7hen # returned earlier this evening from the meeting at Roilly we got on to the )wiss police. The 7illiamsons seem to have lived in )wit3erland for four years then eventually moved to 1rance. They were obviously well prepared before they disappeared from England because the )wiss account was opened two years before he made the killing on the stock market.0 -)o 0 mused 5a 'arri6re -if Holbrook got wind of their true identity that might have been a sufficient motive for wanting to do away with him.0 -# think so. .ity no one actually saw 8rs 7illiamson come out of the church. 2evertheless 8adame le 4uge 0 added Roussel -with the stallkeeper0s statement such as it stands and the false identity we have enough to bring them in for @uestioning. !s for )cotland $ard (hief #nspector ?unhill referred the matter to the 1raud )@uad who are extremely interested to meet 8r 7illiamson after all these years.0 -Right let0s bring the 7illiamsons in tomorrow. 7ill you see to the paperwork (ommandant/0 Roussel nodded. The 4uge went onM -7e might even think in terms of a garde vue% ?eep in thought she shook her foot %erkily. -2ormally #0d %ust summon them but if they0re skittish they might make a run for it. # know you0re short&staffed !d%udant&chef but will you please arrange for their house to be kept under discreet =and # mean discreetG surveillance until our visit tomorrow. # want to be in on this when you go to get them (ommandant but # have a meeting tomorrow morning that # can0t possibly cancel. )o it0ll have to wait until tomorrow afternoon. 7hy don0t we meet here at +.,C p.m./ $ou0ll bring with you the mandat damener and a search warrant.0

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-7ell 0 she added rising from her chair and rubbing her hands together with a gleeful glint in her eye -5et0s see where that leads us and we0ll take it from there. essieurs9 RRRRRRRRRRRR !s Roussel dragged himself up the stairs to his porch the telephone was ringing inside the house. He looked at his watch. #t was past one o0clock in the morning. 'y the time he fiddled with his key and rushed inside tripping over the cat who yelped and hissed the ringing had stopped. He looked at the caller #? number on the 8initel screen. #t was a Tonnerre number which looked vaguely familiar. He pushed the flashing message button. The same number appeared on the screen. 2ext to it was a mentionM -, appels% He pushed the voice mail button and was taken aback to hear Elvire0s voice. They had not talked for months. -Hello .ierre 0 the sultry voice said. -Cest moi% How typical he thought with irritationM my wife leaves me for some fancy guy spends months without giving any sign of life then rings up in the middle of the night saying -Cest moi as if she assumes she is still the only woman in my life. There was a slight hiatus then the voice went onM -#0m staying with my grandparents at Tonnerre over the week&end. # thought it might be nice to get together. 7e have things to talk about. (all me when you0re back.0 (lick. This probably means she wants a divorce thought Roussel pouring himself a glass of water in the kitchen. How do # feel about that/ 2ot so long ago the idea would probably have sent him plummeting down into the deepest gloom. 2ow he reali3ed in earnest that he no longer cared. 8ore than that that what he felt was a measure of relief. "ver the last few days a page had been turned. He resolved to call her back in the morning. <e vous remercie,

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S nday

CHAPTER 25
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#t felt odd to be wandering about a market barely four days after 4ulian0s death. 'ut then Harriet reflected time itself had been distorted as had her own sense of what was natural and what was reactive. )he knew her manic shopping spree on 1riday had been the latter. 'ut this morning when her first thought upon waking had been it0s )unday # musn0t miss (hablis market it did not feel unnatural. 4ust odd that after such a profound upheaval habits resurfaced virtually unscathed. 5eo was coming to supper. The evening before had gone swimmingly unadulterated by any sentimental or nostalgic talk. The food had been inspired the drive home through the (hablis vineyards smooth despite the considerable amount of wine they0d both imbibed. They sang old 'eatles songs at the top of their voices. The only slightly awkward moment was on parting when 5eo had made a half&hearted =or so it seemed to Harriet> pass at her. "r perhaps amorous advance was a better term given their history together. !s she had done on Thursday she had firmly pushed him out of the door with instructions to drive carefully and call her on arrival in Tonnerre. )tanding in the charcutier0s @ueue she reflected that if only she and 5eo could get past this awkward stage they might find themselves in a much better place in their relationship. #t was obvious that they still cared deeply for each other and that they could have good times together. 'ut Harriet could not see herself slipping back into their old relationship. )he wasn0t sure 5eo did either but he seemed to be giving it a good try. #t was important to talk things over together. !nd there was also Sach to think of. )he didn0t want Sach to harbour false hopes of harmonious parental togetherness. 'etter for him to be faced with harmonious parental separateness which now seemed conceivable. #t was sad to think that this new situation had been made possible by 4ulian0s death. )he shuffled along in the @ueue and bought duck pXtA boudin blanc and slices of jsus, the fat short saucisson from the 4ura region. These she would store away into the cold box in the boot of her car. 1rom warm the weather had turned sultry. There would probably be a storm before nightime. The market crowd in the <rande Rue throbbed and danced like an animated snake. Thirsty Harriet went into her usual cafA 5e (hablis 'ar hoping she0d find room on the terrasse. There wasn0t any. !s she stood there blinking in the sunlight a tall figure stood up up and said in a bass voice -.lease have my seat 8rs 4ames.0
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#t was Roussel. 2ot expecting to see him in this setting Harriet blushed furiously when she remembered that when she had last talked to him he had not denied she was still a suspect in 4ulian0s murder. -"h hello (ommandant0 she said a little coldly. -!nd no thank you. # was %ust leaving.0 -'ut you only %ust arrived. .lease do sit. # shall get another chair.0 )itting down with misgivings Harriet belatedly noticed that Roussel was not alone. The woman he had been sitting with looked coolly at Harriet who for the first time understood the term -si3ing someone up0. )he was a striking&looking blonde though she must have started life as a brunette for her skin had the kind of sallowness that goes with very dark hair. Her eyes were black khol&rimmed and lustrous beautifully arched eyebrows and she wore a ruby&coloured red lipstick. Her features were a trifle on the sharp side which gave her the air of someone who0s a habitual detractor. Her highlighted hair was %aw length very smooth and cut in an asymmetrical bob which must cost an arm and a leg to maintain. )he wore a figure&hugging black linen spencer over cream trousers and black suede sandals which looked very #talian. To Harriet in her tee&shirt and blue %eans she looked modish and intimidating if a mite overdressed for a morning at the market. -.lease sit down 8rs 4ames 0 repeated Roussel. -8ay # introduce Elvire 1ournier/0 he went on in 1rench. -Elvire this is 8rs Harriet 4ames.0 ! perfunctory handshake from the blonde without the merest ghost of a smile. 1eeling extremely awkward Harriet sat down in Roussel0s chair while he deftly removed another chair from the next table. He asked what she would like to drink and she asked for a .errier&citron. There was silence all round. Roussel fiddled with his coffee spoon and Harriet peered vaguely at the other customers praying that Emily would not suddenly appear to compound an already embarrassing situation. !fter stirring her coffee rather more vigorously that was warranted the cheek saying in a husky voice -<e tappellerai% #f not exactly audible Roussel0s sigh of relief was obvious. 7hen the waitress came with Harriet0s drink he ordered another coffee for himself. 5ooking right into Harriet0s eyes he said this time in English. -That 0 a slight pause -was my ex&wife. 5ike you # have an ex.0 -#0m afraid she wasn0t very pleased that you asked me to sit with you.0 the other woman gulped it down reached for her handbag got up gave Harriet a curt nod and pecked Roussel on

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-2o she wasn0t was she/ 0 grinned Roussel. -# have to admit 8rs 4ames that # shamelessly used you to get out of a tight spot.0 Harriet laughed. -<lad to0ve been of use.0 )he added after a moment -)he0s a very attractive woman.0 -"h do you think so/0 said Roussel @uasi rhetorically. Harriet thought it prudent to change the sub%ect. -How is the investigation going (ommandant/0 -The plot is thickening 8rs 4ames.0 )he laughed. -# thought they only said that in books.0 -They do but it is.0 -7hat0s been happening/0 -There0s been anotherN incident.0 -"h noO0 exclaimed Harriet distressed. -7ho was it this time/0 Roussel sighed. -#t was the old man who often sits by the fountain in Roilly. The locals know him unkindly as 9)ac \ puces:. His house was burnt down.0 -"h poor 8onsieur )acapuceO0cried Harriet -7as he hurt/0 -2o fortunately he was away when the house was set on fire though later when he saw what had been done he had an epileptic fit and is now in the !uxerre hospital.0 -.oor man 0 repeated Harriet genuinely upset. -?oes he have any family/0 -2o.0 -7hat0s going to happen to him now/0 -)ome arrangement will be found. ?r (oste is seeing to it.0 -#0m glad. )he0s such a kind woman. !nd a good doctor too.0 There was a silence. -?oes that mean (ommandant that you0ll be wanting more statements from all of us/0 -!las yes 8adame. !nd 4uge 5a 'arri6re would like to see you all at her office in the .alais de 4ustice at five p.m. on 8onday.0 -#0ll make a note of that. 7hen was the house burnt down/0 -!t about nine&fifteen to nine&thirty.0 -7hat this morning/0 -2o sorry # should have said. #t was yesterday morning.0

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Harriet took her mind back to the day before. !t the time Roussel had indicated she had been preparing to go to the !uxois with 5eo. -# was at home 0 she told Roussel defensively -7aiting for 5eo to pick me up. 7e spent the day driving in the !uxois region.0 -7as anyone with you/ ?id you talk with anybody on the telephone/0 -"h yes. The phone didn0t stop ringing. 1irst it was 5eo at eight thirty. Then soon after that 8ado. Then Emily 5indberg about a @uarter of an hour later. )he was on her way to Tonnerre market. Then a few minutes later <inny 7illiamson inviting me to lunch today. Then a few minutes after that 1aye ?unning.0 -7ell all this should be easily verified.7hat time was it when you stopped talking/0 -#t was about nine forty because # reflected a few minutes later that #0d better get dressed. 5eo was coming for me at ten.0 -!nd you received those calls on your land line/0 -$es of course though # couldn0t tell you whether the incoming calls were made from land lines or from mobiles.0 -2ever mind it0s easy to check.0 He looked at her from under bushy eyebrows. 1or some reason she didn0t find him intimidating. Quite to the contrary. )he had always had a soft spot for big men though curiously neither 4ulian nor 5eo could be counted as such. Tall yes but not big. Her father of course had been a big man. )uss that out ?r 1reud. Roussel had a tall wide frame and though he was large and lumbering he was not fat. )he liked the fact that when he spoke his voice seemed to rumble through endless underground caverns. )he also for some reason endearing. )he stirred and looked away embarrassed by her thoughts. -7ell 8rs 4ames 0 the ob%ect of those thoughts now said -#f your telephone calls are verified it looks as if you0re in the clear & at least from my point of view.0 He had stressed the -my0. Harriet could not help laughing. )uddenly it felt as if the old complicity of 1riday evening that had petered out later was back between them. -'ut will it convince the formidable 8adame le 4uge/0 -# should think so.0 Harriet sipped at her .errier&citron. -?o you always come to (hablis market on )unday/0 she asked conversationally. thought his broken nose

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-# haven0t in ages. # usually work on )undays. 'ut this morning both my refrigerator and my cat looked askance at me so # thought #0d better stock up. -"h you have a cat.0 -$ou sound surprised.0 -# didn0t see you as a cat person.0 -2either did #. Till # got adopted/0 -$es cats do that. #t0s @uite an honour really when they let you know they have adopted you.0 Roussel was saved from further indignity by the shrill of his mobile telephone. He said -Excuse me0 to Harriet 4ames fished the phone out of his pocket and said frowning. -Roussel.0 Harriet looking at him suddenly saw his expression become grave. He whipped out his notebook and pen. -7hen/0 N.. -7here did it happen/0..... -How/0..N.. -How is0NN 7here is he/0N..0Right #0ll be there0 he glanced at his watch -as soon as # can. 8ake sure someone0s stays there until # get there myself.0N. -$es0N.. -7here0s the car/0.....0"kay.0 (licking off his mobile he looked silently at Harriet his face tense. -'ad news/0 she asked sympathetically.0 -8rs 4ames 0 he started but she interrupted him. -8y name0s Harriet 0 she said with a smile. -# couldn0t possibly call you that 0 his response was more brus@ue than she had anticipated and hurt she averted her eyes at the rebuke. He saw that and added a lame explanation. -1orgive my manners. $ou know how formal we 1rench are especially in official matters.0 1eebly she tried to banter -# thought this coffee was only half official.0 -8rs 4ames 0 Roussel took a deep breath. -7e0re wasting time. #0m afraid #0m going to have to put things bluntly.0 Harriet0s eyes had not left his face. 7hat she now saw there sent an icicle down her back. -7hat is it/0 -$our husband & # mean ex&husband & was in a car accident earlier this morning.0 Harriet half rose from her seat. -5eo/ #s he dead/ He can0t be deadO0 -2o no 8adame breathed out her relief. nothing of the kind. .lease don0t fret. He seems to have broken a shoulder bone an arm and a few ribs and he0s a little concussed. "therwise he0s well.0 Harriet

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-He had a lucky escape 0 continued Roussel. -His car was a write&off.0 -7hat happened/0 -!pparently his brakes gave out as he was driving down a steep hill on his way to - & he consulted his notebook -a village called (ousy.0 -$es 0 said Harriet -we were there yesterday afternoon. There was a statue in the church he wanted to photograph in detail so he went back today.0 -His car0s not an old one 0 said Roussel. -?o you know whether he had any problems with it recently/0 -# don0t. #t was working very well yesterday. !nd 5eo0s always careful about having his car checked and serviced before he goes on any %ourney.0 -# see 0 said Roussel looking at the tab and leaving some euros on the table. -(ome with me 8rs 4ames. 7e0ll go and see him now. $ou can follow me in your car to the (entre Hospitalier. 7here are you parked/0 )he told him. -7ait for me there #0ll go and fetch my car.0 Twenty minutes later they were in !uxerre. They made their way to the emergency entrance of the hospital. !t the desk there they learnt that 5eo had been transferred to the orthopaedic department. !s they walked along the corridor towards the lift bank they were surprised to find 1aye ?unning waiting there with a bunch of flowers in her hand. -1ayeO0 exclaimed Harriet. -# can0t believe how fast news travels in this country.0 -7hat do you mean/0 said 1aye. -Hello there (ommandant.0 -8iss ?unning 0 Roussel acknowledged her with a smile. -7hat do you mean what do # mean/0 Harriet0s grammar deserted her. -$ou0re here about 5eo aren0t you/0 -Leo,0 1aye0s voice was immediately concerned. -7hat happened to him/0 -He had a car accident.0 -"h no 0said 1aye her face falling. -#s he all right/0 -$es thank heavens. He0s broken a few things but is otherwise okay. 7e0re on our way to see him now. 'ut if you0re not here for 5eo why are you here/0 -# came to see poor 8onsieur !lain whose house was burnt down yesterday.0

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-8onsieurN. / !h yes 0 said Harriet -(ommandant Roussel told me about it. .oor man.0 )he added inconse@uentially -# didn0t know that was his name.0 -How did you hear about it 8adame/0 Roussel asked 1aye. -?r (oste rang me this morning to tell me. )he knows # give him a lift whenever # see him on the road. He walks everywhere can0t drive you know.0 -That0s very brave of you 1aye 0 murmured Harriet. -# have often seen him on the road but have never dared give him a lift. He frightens me.0 -He0s totally harmless poor old thing.0 -# know but stillN.0 -7here is 5eo/0 asked 1aye. -#0ll pop in and see him afterwards.0 -He0s in orthopaedics.0 -Right well #0ll see you later. !re you still going to lunch at 1ontanges by the way/0 -"h 5ordO0 cried Harriet. -#0d forgotten all about it. 2o # won0t obviously. 'ut #0ll call <inny and explain.0

RRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

! young policeman sat on a stool outside the door. 5eo 4ames was in a single room that looked out onto a leafy courtyard. His face was badly bruised and tightened in pain. His left shoulder and entire upper torso were wrapped in bandages his right arm was in a cast and he had two large shiners coming on. His nose was bisected by a deep cut. He welcomed Harriet and Roussel with a crooked smile which obviously hurt. -?o you remember what happened/0 asked Roussel taking out his pen and notebook while Harriet sat by the bedside looking both relieved and troubled. 5eo 4ames0s voice was weak. -7asn0t going particularly fast. !bout eighty kilometres if that. # started to decelerate to go down a bend as the road started downhill then when # tried to slow down further # felt the

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brakes go all of a sudden. #t was really @uite frightening. # engaged in low gear but it didn0t seem to help. Everything happened so @uickly after that. # think the steering wheel packed up too. Then nothing. 'lank. 7hen # came to # was in an ambulance.0 Harriet s@uee3ed 5eo0s hand. -How are you feeling now/0 -?a3ed and aching all over.0 -?o you want any water/0 -$es please.0 Roussel excused himself and went out of the room. #n the corridor he punched up .ottier0s mobile number. -Hello !mina. !re you at home/0 -$es 'oss doing my laundry and pining after the office.0 -7ell pine no longer. 5eo 4ames was in a car accident. He0s in the (entre hospitalier.0 -#s he okay/0 -$es a few broken bones and a bit of concussion. 'ut we need to find out how accidental his accident really was.0 -$ou think it was helped along do you/0 -#t0s a possibility.0 -7hat happened/0 -The brakes gave out as he was going down a hill. Then it looks as if the steering wheel packed in too.0 -!h.0 -Exactly.0 -7here0s the car now/0 -!t the (ommissariat car pound.0 -#0ll be there in ten minutes. 7ant me to phone .atrick/0 -8ight as well. #0ll meet you both there as soon as # can. # want to go and see 8onsieur !lain first since #0m at the hospital.0 -How is he/0 -2o idea. # came to see 8r 4ames first. #0ll see you at the car pound.0 Roussel then rang the (ommissariat and asked them to arrange for 5eo 4ames0s hospital room door to be guarded round the clock. He also rang (otinaud on his mobile. -"h it0s you .ierre.0 (otinaud lowered his voice. -#0ve %ust had an earful from my wife about coming home so late.0 Roussel reflected that the life of a small&town gendarme must be

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@uite different from that of a city policeman if one late working evening provoked a sc3ne de mnage% Roussel told him about 5eo 4ames0s accident. -Then you think 8onsieur 4ems was on the murderer0s list as well 0 said (otinaud on hearing about the brakes and steering&wheel. -#t0s a possibility.0 Roussel was cautious.0 -Have you told 4uge 5a 'arri6re yet/0 -2o 0 said Roussel. -#0m waiting for confirmation that the car was tampered with before # say anything. #0ll be going to the car pound as soon as #0ve visited 8onsieur !lain.0 -# can0t make head or tail of it 0 said (otinaud. - Holbrook (arteau )ac \ puces and now this 4ems & if indeed the last two incidents are related to the murders. # don0t see any pattern there do you/0 -2o 0 admitted Roussel -'ut there must be one. 7e0re simply not seeing it yet. !nd 0 he went on after a pause -as # said last night what bothers me is the timing. #f 8onsieur !lain did indeed see something he shouldn0t have why did the murderer not strike earlier/ !nd what made him decide to take 8r 4ames out now/ 7hy not yesterday or the day before/0 Roussel went back to 5eo 4ames0s room. Harriet was sitting in an armchair by the bed holding 5eo0s unharmed hand. His eyes were closed and he looked asleep though not peacefully so. !verting his eyes from the scene Roussel said to Harriet. -There0s a possibility that 8r 4ames0s car was tampered with and #N.0 Harriet0s eyes opened wide and Roussel fancied she had paled under her light tan. -(an you think of anything that happened yesterday or in the last two days that might conceivably have put his life in %eopardy/0 Harriet shook her head. -7e didn0t meet anyone at all yesterday. 7e spent the whole day by ourselves. 7e drove to the !uxois walked around (hXteauneuf had lunch at )emur then visited some country churches in the afternoon.0 -!nd in the evening/0 -7e had dinner at 50EspArance.0 :n ne semb?te pas, thought Roussel with undisguised envy. 5ameloise and 50EspArance in the same week. 2o decidedly he Roussel could not afford 8rs 4ames even if he might want to. -?id you meet anyone there/0 he asked.

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)he shook her head. -7hat about 1riday/0 Roussel asked. )he thought for a moment. -!s you know # was in .aris on 1riday. # didn0t see 5eo at all that day. # think he was driving around researching. He phoned in the evening before you came by. !nd that0s all.0 -)urely it could have been an accident0 she suggested gingerly after a few seconds. Roussel made a sceptical face. -1irst the brakes then the steering wheel. #t0s a bit of a coincidence don0t you think/ !nd # tend not to believe in coincidences.0 Harriet looked indecisive loath to take in what Roussel0s words implied. -7ill you be staying here for a while/0 -"h yes 0 she said ga3ing at the sleeping form. Then she looked up at Roussel. -?o you really think he0s in any danger (ommandant/0 -# don0t know 8adame. # have arranged for a round&the&clock guard for him. The policeman outside will stay until the next one gets here. )o there0s nothing to worry about. 'ut it wouldn0t be a bad idea if you stayed with 8r 4ames for a while. ?o you have a mobile phone/0 )he gave him her number. -#0ll call you as soon as we0ve examined 8r 4ames0s car.0 !t the reception desk Roussel asked for (laude !lain0s room number. #n the nurses0 station on !lain0s floor he flashed his card and asked how the patient was doing. (laude !lain had been on sedation since the day before and his condition was stable. !fter the week&end he would be having a number of tests. 5ike 5eo 4ames !lain was in a single room guarded by a policeman in uniform. 8indful of the fear and mistrust he had shown previously Roussel knocked softly and went in wondering whether he should not have asked a nurse to go in with him. 1aye ?unning had obviously been and gone* her bunch of anemones now arranged in a vase added a little colour to the cheerless room. 'ut Roussel needn0t have worried. !lain was asleep on his back still obviously sedated his thin arms poking out of the short&sleeved hospital gown. He had been washed and his long gray hair combed off his face was fanned out on the pillow. He looked peaceful. "nce again Roussel was struck by the fact that !lain looked a lot younger in repose than he did when his face was convulsed. 2ow that his face was relaxed and clean and his hair no longer falling all over it you could see his features. There was something timeless even handsome about themM a strong bone structure wide&set eyes a long well&formed nose a strong chin. The man looked like a priest or a prophet. <a3ing down at him Roussel was reminded of (laus )luter0s sculpture of the

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half&blind 4eremiah from the .uits de 8o]se in ?i%on. .erhaps this explained the impression he had had the day before of having seen !lain in the past. There was no point in waking the man. ?espite the sedation he might still go into a fit at the sight of the policeman. Roussel stood a few minutes at the foot of the bed wondering why he had come at all and what he had hoped to achieve. "f course !lain would have to be @uestioned at some point but now was obviously not the time. 4ust as he was about to turn and go !lain0s eyelids opened fluttered opened wider and his mouth worked painfully. had sounded more like -)b(a% <ently so as not to frighten the man Roussel poured some water from the %ug on the bedside cabinet into a plastic goblet and holding up !lain0s head gave him a few sips of water. He was rewarded by a look of recognition and the sweetest smile he had ever seen on a man. 'efore he had even put the goblet down !lain0s eyes closed again and he fell asleep. Roussel tiptoed out of the room. Roussel was about to go and call a nurse when he heard !lain0s voice a thin rasp of a voice saying -) boire% "r at least this is what Roussel surmised it was & it

+I ,

CHAPTER 2"

5eo slept on. !fter Roussel left the room Harriet took her mobile phone out of her shoulder bag. !s she was punching in 8ado0s number a nurse came into the room with a blood&pressure cuff. -2o no no 0 she cried when she saw Harriet0s mobile. -2ot allowed in hereO0 )he gesticulated to make her point speaking as many people do when they0re dealing with foreigners as if the latter are not only deaf but abysmally stupid as well. -$ou must turn it off or go outside.0 Reluctantly Harriet turned off the mobile. )he badly wanted to talk to 8ado and had to try to get hold of Sach who should be told about his father0s accident. 'ut she did not want to leave 5eo despite the fact that there was a policeman sitting outside his door.. !s the nurse was leaving the room with a final admonishing finger in Harriet0s direction there was the sound of voices outside the door and 1aye came in carrying a laden tray. -1aye where did you get that/0 whispered Harriet who had been longing for a coffee. -!t the hospital cafeteria where else/0 1aye laid down the tray on the table by the window taking care not to wake 5eo. -# thought you needed feeding since you0re not going to 1ontanges so # got you a croque-monsieur and a piece of cake. !nd some coffee for us both.0 !nd the papers though it0s only yesterday0s Le onde% -"h 1aye 0 said Harriet touched -you0re an angel. $ou haven0t stopped feeding me since this whole thing started. # can0t tell you how welcome this tray is. # was ravenous and thirsty and # daren0t leave 5eo0s side.0 -'ut he0s all right isn0t he/0 -"h yes it isn0t that. #t0s %ust that until we know whether the car was tampered with #00d rather not leave his side. (ommandant Roussel also thinks it0s wiser if # stay.0 -The car tampered with/0 1ay0s expression was incredulous. -#s the (ommandant not getting a tiny bit paranoid/0

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-# don0t know

but he seems to think that 5eo0s accident and the burning of 8onsieur

)acapuce0s house may be related to 4ulian0s death & and the death of that young man as well.0 -"h dear will there be no end to this/0 1aye0s expression was sombre. -#t0s true that it doesn0t sound like Roussel to be paranoid. He struck me as eminently sensible when he came to interview me.0 -$es 0 said Harriet. -)hrewd too. !nd very human.0 1aye looked at her curiously. -$ou like him.0 #t was a statement. Harriet considered this. -$es # suppose # do. # trust him also. He0s a far cry from what # imagined a 1rench policeman would be like.0 1aye smiled. -7hy/ ?id think he0d be an #nspector (louseau/ # suppose we all harbour stereotypes however broadminded we think we are.0 !fter a moment she added -# must say # find him far from antipat'ique myself.0 They drank their coffee companionably while watching the sleeping 5eo. -8en are so touching when they0re asleep aren0t they/0 said 1aye. -They look so vulnerable and you can see what they must have looked like as children.0 This was a side of 1aye Harriet had not seen before. )he0d always thought her committedly unmaternal. 'ut the caring she had shown Harriet over the last few days and this last comment showed an unsuspected side to her. )uddenly Harriet felt a great urge to unburden herself. -7ill you be in this evening 1aye/0 -$es dear. 7e0re supposed to be playing tennis after lunch and #0ll be home after that. 7ould you like to come and have some )unday night pasta en t?te--t?te, -That would be lovely thank you. # need to talk to you.0 -7hat0s on your mind Harriet/0 -#t0s too long to go into now but it concerns Emily. # have a real problem there.0 -!ll right we0ll talk about it tonight then.0 1aye glanced at her watch. -?ear me twelve already. #0d better be on my way. # told <inny #0d be there at twelve&thirty.0 -"h dear. #0d forgotten about <inny. 1aye before you go would you mind staying with 5eo for a few minutes. # must phone <inny and 8ado and Sach as well. 'ut they won0t let one use mobiles here. )o #0ll have to go outside. # shan0t be long.0 -<o ahead and don0t worry about 5eo. #0ll watch over him. !nd tell <inny # might be a few minutes late.0

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<inny exclaimed at length and said she was devastated about the accident. )he made Harriet promise to keep them informed of 5eo0s progress and to tell 1aye not to worry about being late. 8ado was at home cooking for her family. Harriet0s news distressed her . -#0ll come and see you both after lunch 0 she promised. Harriet felt better after that. )he did not intend to tell 8ado about Emily0s affair with 4ulian yet & she preferred to have 1aye0s advice first & knowing how scathing and dismissive 8ado was likely to be. 'ut she needed her warmth and friendship right now when she was feeling fraught with uncertainty. )he was relieved also to talk to Sach who after a few minutes of anxious @uestioning announced that he would be coming over to 1rance the next day bringing his own car in order to take his father back to England. -"h # doubt whether he0ll be going back so soon 0 said Harriet. -He0ll probably need another few days in hospital. They0ll want to watch that concussion. !nd then when the doctors let him out it will probably be wiser to let the insurance handle his return to 5ondon. 'ut yes darling do come tomorrow by all means. #t0ll be lovely for us both to have you here.0 !fter they said goodbye she reali3ed that 5eo0s return to 5ondon was another problem she was going to have to face. )he had got used to his presence in the last three days and she knew it would be a wrench as well as a relief to see him go. 'ack in the room she found 5eo awake and 1aye reading to him some of the front page titles in Le onde% 5eo0s face was white with pain. -#0ll call a nurse 0 said Harriet concerned. -They0ll give you another dose of painkiller.0 1aye left for the 7illiamson lunch. 2urses came and went taking 5eo0s pulse and temperature bringing him medicine and encouraging him to eat with Harriet0s help an unsuitable lunch of boeu# bourguignon and sautAed potatoes which he could not swallow. Harriet asked for some soup instead and when this eventually came fed it to him spoonful by spoonful. 7hen he had eaten and gone back to sleep she ate her toasted sandwich by now miserably cold and heavy as stone gulped down the chocolate cake and settled as comfortably as she could in the hard armchair. )he needed to think things out. )he was finding it difficult to take on board the fact that the police were considering the incidents involving 8onsieur )acapuce0s house and 5eo0s car as possibly being related to the two murders. )he couldn0t imagine how those four incidents could be connected but if they were her mind baulked at the implications. )he had by now unwillingly accepted the fact that the murderer was probably someone she knew. )he had

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discussed it with 5eo in the car the day before. 'ut if the police were right then the killer was even more ruthless and dangerous than she had imagined. !nd what was more he was getting restive. )he suddenly felt overwhelmed. !n image from her childhood came to mind. 7hen things got too much for her she used to say to her mother -# want to get into a little hole and pull the lid over after me.0 Her impulse now was to do %ust that metaphoricallyM to crawl into an empty mental space away from all the dire possibilities invading her consciousness and wait until it was safe to come out. 'ut she couldn0t do that. )he had to face reality. The possibility that the killer was one of the people she called her -friends0 nagged at her. The day before in the car even before 5eo had pulled the wool from her eyes she had con%ured up Emily0s name as that of a possible suspect. 5ust had been the motive she had suggested then. 2ow that she knew the extent of the woman0s involvement with 4ulian she could see a shift in the motive she had so willingly attributed to her. 4ealousy was one of the most powerful motives there was. Harriet did not know what had transpired between 4ulian and Emily after she had left the dinner&party on Tuesday. Had 4ulian indicated that he had no intention of breaking up with Harriet/ Had Emily felt scorned/ Her monumental ego would find it difficult to cope with that. ?espite her cold&mindedness Emily had often shown she could be roused if only to verbal sparring of a malicious kind. !nd of course she had the morals of an alley cat. 'ut Harriet found it difficult to imagine her summoning enough passion to bludgeon anybody to death even if she had been spurred on by %ealousy and revenge. !s a writer Emily was reputed to be skilled at exploring the human heart though Harriet had never been able to identify with any of her main characters. $et she herself appeared opa@ue. 7hat did Harriet really know about her/ 7hat did she know about any of that group of people apart from 8ado/ Her mind went back to that dinner&party on Tuesday evening. )he remembered telling Roussel that the evening had been a turning&point. #t had been that for her certainly. Had it also been a turning&point for someone else/ ! turning&point in a situation/ )omething was tickling at the back of her mind a wisp of memory without shape or words. !ware that the subconscious mind excelled at playing hide&and&seek games she deliberately turned her thoughts elsewhere. 7hat had Emily cooked that evening/ !h yes an excellent spinach soufflA with poached eggs that were kind of suspended in it & @uite a difficult feat to achieve. #t showed how self&confident Emily was. Then a beef fillet rare perfect. !nd after cheese aN.

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Lnbidden a picture came into her mind of Edward 7illiamson0s hand holding the cheese knife @uite still poised over the Roilly for a fraction longer than was necessary even if the splendour of Emily0s cheeseboard made one0s choice difficult. Harriet had looked at him and been struck by his pallor and wondered fleetingly whether he had overeaten or had a sudden arthritic twinge. Then had promptly forgotten about it because she herself had other things on her mind. 2ow she wondered about it. 7hat had the guests been talking about that had stayed his hand in that manner/ #n her mind she heard 4ulian0s voice that la3y drawl of his. He was telling them a story doubtless at someone0s expense. 'ut what was the story about/ 'y that time Harriet had been so outraged by Emily0s and 4ulian0s behaviour that she had not been paying much attention. 7hat was it/ ! little earlier Hugo had been telling them about some anti@ue dealers0 ring and 4ulian had counteracted with a story about a 'elgian art fraud. Then he had changed the sub%ect andN. Harriet shook her head in frustration. 7hat had 4ulian been talking about that had affected Edward in this almost imperceptible way/ "r had it really been %ust a twinge of indigestion or pain as Harriet had thought at the time/ -Harriet/0 5eo0s slurred voice made her %ump out of her armchair. )he stood by the bed holding his hand. -How are you feeling darling/0 -?rowsy.0 -#t0s the painkiller they0re giving you. 7ould you like some water/0 -)omething hot to drink.0 -#0ll see if they can bring you some tea though #0m afraid it0ll be 1rench tea.0 -Ts0oright.0 !s she went to the nurses0 station %ust outside the door the memory came back in a flash. 4ulian had been talking about a case of fraudM some 'ritish man who0d been on the point of being imprisoned for fraud but had managed to get out of England in time and had been living it up ever since under a false identity. $es that was it. 'ut how did it concern Edward/ ?id he know the man/ Harriet0s heart missed a beat. 7as it perhaps Edward himself who had bolted with the loot and changed his identity/ 7hat did Harriet know about the 7illiamsons/ 2othing much apart from what they told one & and that was little. )he remembered telling Roussel that for some reason she thought they were fakes that they belonged more among the Riviera nouveau riche crowd than in northern 'urgundy.

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!s one of the nursing auxiliaries came in with a cup of tea for 5eo Harriet0s mobile rang. )he had not switched it off in case Roussel rang. The woman looked up with a frown but said nothing and went out again. #t was indeed Roussel. -#0m afraid it isn0t good news 0 he said. -The car was tampered with as # feared.0 Harriet blanched. -"h noO0 -#0m afraid so. !nd whoever did it is an extremely skilled mechanic. The tampering must have taken place during the night. ?o you know where 8r 4ames parked his car last night/0 Harriet asked 5eo then got back to Roussel. -He says he parked it %ust outside the 1erme de la 1osse ?ionne where he was staying.0 -Right we0ll en@uire there. 7ho knows perhaps someone saw or heard something. 8eanwhile #0m sending another police officer to the hospital. 8r 4ames will be @uite safe. $ou can go home and take some rest if you like.0 -Thank you (ommandant. 'y the way #0ve %ust remembered something.0 1eeling like a sneak she told him what she remembered of 4ulian0s story and described Edward 7illiamson0s reaction. -"f course that doesn0t prove anything. He may have reacted to a twinge of indigestion or something @uite innocent.0 -Thank you 8rs 4ames.0 !n extremely skilled mechanic she thought punching the off&button on her mobile and helping 5eo with his cup of tea well that let Emily off for a start. )he was useless about anything to do with cars electricity or any other technical know&how that some women who live on their own eventually get to grips with. Emily always managed to get people to do things for her preferably men. #t was well&known for instance that she0d been having an on&going affair with Roland (ochin the owner of the .eugeot garage. He probably did all the work on her car for free. (hiding herself for being so catty Harriet dimly wondered whether Emily had got (ochin to tamper with 5eo0s car but dismissed the thought as ridiculous. )he wasn0t a fan of conspiracy theories. The feeling she was beginning to get about the two murders and the attempt on 5eo0s life =she left aside the burning of 8onsieur )acapuce0s as she lacked any real information about it> pointed to a single and extremely determined individual. "f course Emily was both determined and ruthless and Harriet could easily imagine her as a murderer but she could not see her involving someone else. -7hat0s going on/0 asked 5eo weakly. -$ou0re looking grim.0

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)he told him the news. He shook his head closing his swollen eyes. -This is nonsense 0 he slurred. -2ot nonsense 0 Harriet cried mulishly. -# told you the situation was serious and you would make light of it. 2ow look what happened. )omeone tried to kill youO0 5eo s@uirmed trying to sit up a little. -!ll right all right Hattie0 he said weakly. -# believe you. 4ust don0t shout. Everything0s echoing in my head.0 -#0m sorry 0 said Harriet straightening his pillows. -#t0s %ust that #0m so angry. This whole thing0s getting to me. 1irst 4ulian then this poor young man and 8onsieur )acapuce. 2ow you.0 -?on0t worry about me 0 he said. -#0ll be all right here.0 -The police will be guarding your door round the clock.0 -Kind of them 0 he slurred. -# think #0m going to lose that soup.0 4ust in time Harriet rushed to present him with a stainless steel container and he was copiously sick.

CHAPTER 2#

There was no point in bringing out the big guns for the witnesses were not to be arrested only brought in for @uestioning. 2evertheless the convoy meant to impress. They went in three cars & Roussel with 5a 'arri6re riding shotgun leading the way in his own Renault +1 followed (houra@ui and Galvert who had been momentarily taken off their own case in an umarked police

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.eugeot. .ottier and ?u@uesne brought up the rear in an e@ually unmarked (itroen. 2o siren no flashing lights, but the 7illiamsons would be left in no doubt that the police meant business. The sight of the 8anoir de la 1ontaine aux !nges when they alighted from their cars elicited a number of reactionsM an incredulous snort from 5a 'arri6re a stifled giggle from .ottier and ?u@uesne and looks of barely veiled scorn tinged with envy from the other two. #t soon became obvious however three p.m. lunchtime.0 -# can0 believe they don0t have a butler 0 said 5a 'arri6re or at least live&in maid.0 They walked round the back where a wide terrace with a balustrade looked down onto formal flower beds. ! gravel path led down to a swimming&pool on the left and continued towards a tennis court. There was no one on the terrace though the white&aproned table was still strewn with the remains of after&lunch coffee. 'ut they could see that there was a tennis game in progress. Roussel asked the four younger officers to remain at the foot of the terrace and he and 5a 'arri6re made their way to the tennis court. #t was a mixed doublesM Emily 5indberg being partnered by 4ean&4ac@ues 5Aonard and Girginia 7illiamson by 1aye ?unning. They were all dessed conservatively in white polo shirts and shorts or tennis skirts and every one of them looked fit and supple even 1aye ?unning who was the eldest by some years. 7hen she saw Roussel from the other end of the court she gave him a nod and a smile. The others ignored him. Roussel and 5a 'arri6re stood by the wire&mesh fence watching them while Roussel @uietly identified each player for the benefit of the investigating magistrate who knew a great deal about them but had never met them. !s they watched 1aye trying to catch a shot ran up to the net in three long strides and sent a powerful double&grip backhand volley into the opposite court where it was hit on the fly by 4ean&4ac@ues who aimed too short and sent the ball into the net. !t this point Roussel was hailed from behind. He wheeled around and saw coming towards them Hugo Gan Ri%n and Edward 7illiamson the latter leaning on his horse&headed cane. 7illiamson greeted him with every appearance of graciousness. your visit/ )urely not even the .olice 4udiciaire works on a )undayO0 -7hy hello (ommandant 0 he said in English with a welcoming smile. -To what do we owe the pleasure of that their arrival had gone completely unnoticed. Roussel rang the doorbell and and rang and rang again but no one answered the door. #t was -They must be round the back 0 he said. -# believe they were entertaining this

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Roussel smiled back -5ike crime 8r 7illiamson the .4 never sleeps.0 -!ha how very drollO ?o you know Hugo Gan Ri%n/0 -$es. <ood afternoon 8r Gan Ri%n.0 !s the ?utchman nodded then looked away Roussel introduced 8artine 5a 'arri6re. !t the words -<uge dinstruction, Gan Ri%n0s face set and Edward 7illiamson seemed disconcerted despite his pasted&on smile. -7e need to talk to you and 8rs 7illiamson sir.0 said Roussel. -#n private.0 There was a moment of silence then 7illiamson said. -$es of course. #0ll go and call my wife. 7e can go into my study (ommandant.0 !pologi3ing to his guest he added ?on0t go away Hugo. # shan0t be long.0 He hobbled painfully over to the wire&mesh fence and called his wife. The tennis game was interrupted. 8rs 7illiamson reluctantly sprinted over and they stood in silent conclave on either side of the fence for a couple of minutes. Then she said -'alderdashO0 angrily banging her racket against the fence. Turning around and taking a few steps into the court she announced loudly to her tennis partners who were standing together a mixture of repressed shock and curiosity on their faces. -The police say they want to talk to Edward and me. They certainly know how to pick their time don0t they/ !nd on a )unday tooO 'ut don0t go away you lot. 7ait for us on the terrace. Have some more coffee. 7e0ll be out in no time.0 )he strode furiously out of the tennis court and up the path without acknowledging either Roussel or 4uge 5a 'arri6re. Her steps faltered a little when she saw the four police officers waiting at the foot of the steps but she walked on up and into the house her shapely backside rippling with indignation in its tight white shorts. 7hen both 7illiamsons 5a 'arri6re and Roussel were standing in Edward 7illamson0s study a spacious comfortable room on the first floor with mahogany bookcases a partner0s desk and a leather chesterfield facing the empty fireplace Roussel took out of his pocket a folded document which the 7illiamsons eyed warily. -How good is your 1rench 8r 7illiamson/ "nly as 4uge 5a 'arri6re doesn0t speak English it will be better if we conducted this interview in 1rench.0 7illiamson glanced at his wife. -"ur 1rench is not terribly good (ommandant. 'arely ade@uate in fact. )o if the 4uge doesn0t mind since it concerns us #0d rather we spoke in English.0 Roussel glanced at 5a 'arri6re who nodded lightly.

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-#n English it0ll be then.0 He handed 7illiamson the document in his hand. -This 8r 7illiamson is a mandat damener, a summons from the .olice 4udiciaire to bring you and your wife to the !uxerre (ommissariat to be heard on various matters.0 -"n various matters/0 asked 7illiamson in a bland voice. -# thought we went through everything we knew the other day when you came to tea.0 (ame to tea/ The man continued to behave as if this was a social visit. -"n various matters sir 0 repeated Roussel formally. -7e also have a mandat de perquisition, a search warrant0 & he took a second paper from his pocket and handed it to 7illiamson. -This entitles my officers to search your property.0 -This is nonsenseO0 declared Girginia 7illiamson in a voice still full of righteous fury. -7hat are you charging us with/0 -1or the time being 8adame you0re not charged with anything. 7e %ust want to take you in for @uestioning.0 -'ut you have no rig't9 - she protested. -7e have every right 0 answered Roussel calmly. -!ll we need in accordance with articles D, and FF of the (ode .Anal is to have one or more plausible reasons to believe that you have committed or have tried to commit an offence0. -7hat offence are you talking about here/0 asked 7illiamson with an appeasing gesture towards his wife. -Have you parked illegally anywhere dear/0 Girginia 7illiamson snorted and looked at him with venom. -The first offence you0re suspected of 0 continued Roussel imperturbably -is what we call - #au- et usage de #au-% 7e have reason to believe you are using forged papers. This is a very serious offence in this country.0 -7hy that0s absolute nonsenseO0 shouted Edward 7illiamson his cane suddenly @uivering under his hand. He looked around for a chair and sat down as if his legs were no longer holding him. 'ut he sat straight and looked up at Roussel with an indignant ga3e. His wife remained silent lifting her chin with a defiant ewpression on her face. -#s it 8r 7illiamson/ "r should # say 8r )tephenson/0 -# don0t know what you0re talking about 0 said 7illiamson with as much aggressiveness as he could summon while his wife went white under her tan and rouge.

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-2ever mind sir #0m sure you0ll sort it out with (hief #nspector 'ottomley of the 1raud )@uad who0s on his way from 2ew )cotland $ard to have a chat with you. He is most anxious to meet you.0 -# must call my lawyer 0 said 7illiamson calmly. -$ou mentioned the 9first offence: !nd that is absolute nonsense. . #s there something else we0re suspected of/0 -There is indeed 8onsieur. The .olice %udiciaire would like to @uestion you on your possible involvement in 8r Holbrook0s murder.0 -7hat/0 7illiamson sounded genuinely incredulous while his wife exploded showering them with spit. -This is utter nonsenseO $ou0ve no right be be doing this to usO0 she shouted wheeling around and marching to the window where she stood stiffly with her back to the room looking down on her tur@uoise swimming&pool. -7hat evidence do you have of that/0 demanded 7illiamson Roussel had to admit the man showed some composure. -$our wife was seen near the side door of the Roilly church at about half past ten on the morning of the murder which is within the critical time span established by the medical examiner. $et she told me as you will remember that she had simply driven you to the market dropped you there and driven away again to the #ntermarchA.0 -)o what/0 retorted 7illiamson with some spirit -.erhaps she was mistaken. That doesn0t make her a murdererO0 8eanwhile Girginia 7illiamson kept her back to the room her arms crossed and her shoulders stiff. -7e need to go deeper into all this 8onsieur and we intend to take you in for @uestioning 0 said Roussel in a tone that left no alternative. -7hen we get to the (ommissariat you will be read your rights which include placing calls to your family and to your lawyer if you so choose and seeing a doctor. $ou may also choose to remain silent and refuse to sign the statement of rights but this will be duly recorded and taken into consideration. !s you imagine it won0t look good for you.0 #gnoring Girginia 7illiamson0s hissed -That0s blac*mail9 They0ll stop at nothingO0 Roussel looked at Edward 7illiamson to make sure he had understood then continued. -!fter being @uestioned by the .olice 4udiciaire and signing your statement =or refusing to do so> you will appear before the juge dinstruction, in this case 4uge 5a 'arri6re here who will decide whether or not you are actually to be held overnight for further @uestioning =if you wish a registered his voice calm again.

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translator will be present> . This is known as the garde vue% The garde vue lasts for +; hours or less if we decide to release you early. #t can also be extended for an extra +; hours on the decision of the .rosecutor. !fter that the 4uge will decide if you are to be indicted.0 -# am familiar through the media with the 1rench %udicial system (ommandant 0 snapped 7illiamson. -'ut what possible connections do you think we have with 4ulian Holbrook0s death/0 He seemed to know that his @uestion was rhetorical for he gave up when Roussel did not answer. !s if sensing his defeat Girginia 7illiamson wheeled back to face them. -$ou can0t allow them to treat us like vulgar criminals Edward. They have no right. This kind of thing would never happen in England or in any other civili5ed countryN.# told you weN.0 Her husband tried to shush her down. -<inny dear don0t say a word until we0ve talked to our lawyer.0 -'ut Edward we don0t have a bloody lawyerO0 -7e shall. 7e0ll ask Hugo for the name of his. 4ust shut up <inny and don0t say anything at all from now on. 2ot a word is that clear/ $ou heard (ommandant RousselM we have the right to remain silent. !nd that0s what we shall do.0 Girginia 7illiamson turned back to her blind contemplation of the swimming&pool. Her posture was elo@uent. Her husband looked at her back speculatively for a second then up at Roussel who with the silent 5a 'arri6re was still standing. -7hat do you want us to do now/0 Roussel said -$ou and 8rs 7illiamson will come with us to !uxerre. # shall leave two of my officers here. They will proceed to a search of your property. $ou will have to give us your keys 8r. 7illiamson. !nd please take all your identity papers with you including passports and birth and marriage certificates. 8rs 7illiamson may change into regular clothes now if she prefers but 5ieutenant .ottier will have to go with her.0 )ighing 7illiamson got up with the help of his cane. He walked up to the window wrapped his left arm around his wife0s shoulders and gave them a little s@uee3e. -(ome on old girl. #t0ll be all right you0ll see.0 Together followed by Roussel and 5a 'arri6re they made their silent way out of the study.

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CHAPTER 2$

Roussel came out of the interrogation room stretching his back and rolling his stiff shoulders. Then he walked to the watercooler in the corridor where he downed two plastic beakerfuls of water. #t was very warm in the commissariat and getting muggy outside. He wiped the sweat on his forehead with his shirtsleeve and considered the situation. 1or the last two hours he had been @uestioning each of the 7illiamsons in turn on the Holbrook killing together with his chief (ommissaire Toussaint whose English was fluent (hief #nspector though not Roussel fancied as fluent as his own. The forged identity issue would have to wait until the morning. 'ottomley of the 'ritish 1raud )@uad was due in the next day and would be bringing the evidence the 'ritish police had on the )tephenson affair. !lthough forgery and the use of forgery was a serious offence that also concerned the 1rench police since the 7illiamsons&)tephensons were residents in 1rance 7illiamson was in addition a fugitive in the eyes of 'ritish law. )ome formal arrangement would have to be found at a higher level than Roussel or 'ottomley. 8eanwhile Roussel0s priority was the murder investigation. #f one or both 7illiamsons turned out to be responsible for Holbrook0s and (arteau0s murders the attempt on 5eo 4ames0s life and also possibly the burning of (laude !lain0s house their forged identity would become the least of

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their problems or indeed anybody0s problems. 1or the time being however as far as the murders were concerned the .4 had nothing or next to nothing on them only %ust enough to have brought them in for @uestioning. !s if by some telepathic process =for they had been carefully watched on their way to !uxerre and once there been kept in separate interrogation rooms> neither Edward nor Girginia 7illiamson had decided to avail themselves of the right to remain silent possibly because after Roussel0s earlier comment they feared it would look worse for them. Lpon arrival at the commissariat Edward had telephoned the lawyer recommended by Hugo Gan Ri%n. The lawyer lived in .aris and would not be with them until the next morning. 8eanwhile the @uestioning could begin since so far neither 7illiamson nor his wife had actually been charged. Questioned first Edward 7illiamson proved to be a master in the art of stonewalling which hardly surprised Roussel. !fter nearly an hour of unfruitful sparring the two policemen decided to let him sweat in the stuffy interrogation room. Roussel had better hopes of 7illiamson0s wife she of the volatile temper. Girginia0s own tactics was to act scatty opening wide her china doll0s eyes shaking her shock of curls repeatedly and giving contradictory answers to the simplest @uestions. 'uying time. 7ith her Roussel and Toussaint played their own familiar version of -good cop&bad cop0. Eventually after forty&five minutes of relentless @uestioning when Roussel waved for the fourth time under her nose the signed statement of the stallkeeper who had seen her coming down the rue de l0Eglise she suddenly changed her tune and reluctantly admitted to going down to the church -on a whim0. Holbrook she said had indicated that he would be there that morning. 7hen she arrived at the crypt she found it empty so she left and got on with her errands. !sked whether she had seen a green notebook lying on the floor of the crypt she thought for a moment then shook her head with apparent conviction. 7hy had she lied about her presence in the church/ -"h 0 she said airily -after it became known that 4ulian had been murdered # did not want to be implicated and chose the easy way out. )urely you understand #nspN. # mean (ommandant.0 Questioned more closely by Toussaint about the nature of her -whim she coyly intimated that she had found Holbrook attractive and was seeking some opportunity to flirt. 2either Roussel nor Toussaint believed a word of it but in the absence of any direct evidence = .ottier and ?u@uesne were still searching 1ontanges> they decided to leave things as they stood.

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!s for the other incidents both 7illiamsons0 account of how they had spent Thursday evening remained unchanged and any @uestions about the tampering of 5eo 4ames0s car elicited expressions of self&righteous indignation from both. Questioned on their movements on )aturday morning between nine and ten each of them looked blank and confused as if they had strayed into the wrong interrogation room then shrugged off the @uestion. !nd no they had no verifiable alibi for that part of )aturday morning Edward having stayed at home alone and Girginia being on her way to Tonnerre market. !nd yes she had bumped into -the 'oys from 'ellefond0 as she called them at about eleven and had had a coffee with them at 5a Tentation. #t would have been easy thought Roussel for Girginia 7illiamson to have turned off in the forest on her way to Tonnerre and set fire to !lain0s house with no one being any the wiser. blankness had registered as possibly being genuine. !ppraised of the results of this initial @uestioning 4uge 5a 'arri6re decided the couple would be kept en garde vue for +; hours to give the .4 time to collect evidence% #f necessary this could be prolonged by another +; hours. Roussel awaited the results of the search with some trepidation. .ottier and ?u@uesne had not yet returned from the manor house. He hoped particularly that Holbrook0s green notebook might turn up there despite 8rs 7illiamson0s denial that she0d seen it let alone taken it. 1inding the notebook would be closer to the direct evidence they needed as well as being further proof that 8rs 7illiamson had lied. Roussel also held hopes that the soil samples the police officers were instructed to bring back would match the piece of hardened soil Roussel had found near the body in the crypt. This at least would prove that Girginia 7illiamson had stood near the body and give the lie to her story of finding the crypt empty. !ll sports shoes in the house were to be brought to the lab to be compared with the ridge print the 1orensic technicians had obtained from the piece of soil together with any clothes or footwear that might bear traces relating to the two murders and the !lain fire. His back against the corridor wall Roussel assessed the 7illiamsons and Girginia in particular as suspects. 7ith Edward 7illiamson0s presence in and around the covered market confirmed by no less than three stallkeepers it was beginning to look as if 7illiamson had deliberately attracted attention to himself which in turn suggested that the he and his wife were acting as a team. That stood to reasonM if they had decided to neutrali3e Holbrook in order to keep him from revealing the stock exchange scam 7illiamson with his physical handicap would 2evertheless the

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not be in a position to exert any physical strength. ?rawing attention to himself secured him a credible alibi while Girginia small but strong and ostensibly at the other end of the small town did the deed. They had counted on Girginia0s dressing&down to make her appear less conspicuous but it was %ust their luck that it had not worked out that way. The whole thing smelled decidedly off thought Roussel. There was no doubt that the 7illiamsons were implicated in some way. 'ut had Girginia actually *illed 4ulian Holbrook/ He was not convinced of it. 1or one thing <renache had indicated that the first blow to Holbrook0s head had come from someone tall. This was not necessarily conclusive but still it bothered Roussel. #n addition any evidence the .4 had so far was circumstantial or flimsy. #t showed that Girginia 7illiamson had been near the church and she herself had now admitted she had gone into the crypt. #f more direct evidence could be obtained and the 7illiamsons %umped to the head of the suspects @ueue the police0s working hypothesis that (arteau and possibly (laude !lain had seen the murderer and been eliminated accordingly still held. .roving the 7illiamsons0 involvement in those incidents however was another matter. 7hat also bothered Roussel was the attempt on 5eo 4ames0s life. He did not see the connection there. Had 5eo too become a danger to the 7illiamsons because he had seen them & or at least 8rs 7illiamson P at the wrong place/ 'ut 5eo had not mentioned seeing either of them. Roussel felt it was urgent to see 5eo 4ames and find out.

RRRRRRRRRRR

5eo looked if anything worse than he had done that morning. )ome of the results of his car accident were beginning to show through. His shiners turning yellow and black now fully %ustified the 1rench description of them as 9eggs in black butter: and the cut on his nose had become inflamed transforming his nose into an angry pink tuber. The rest of his face normally ruddy was now very pale. He looked da3ed from the painkillers no doubt but also perhaps

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from the after effects of shock. Roussel wondered about the concussion and made a mental note to ask the doctor or nurses about it before he left. He greeted Roussel wanly thanking him for the maga3ine and fruit he had brought. .ulling up a chair by his bedside Roussel told him briefly that the 7illiamsons0 had been detained at police head@uarters without going into details. -)o now they0re your prime suspects 0 said 5eo. Roussel looked non&committal. -7hat would their motive have been in bumping 4ulian off/0 Roussel was hesitant but answered nevertheless. -#t would seem that 8r Holbrook found out something serious about them.0 -"h yeah/0 5eo perked up. -)omething %uicy/ 7hat was it/ .aedophilia/ # must say they do look the part & old Edward the smoothie and gruesome mutton&dressed&as lamb <innyO "h yes9 0 He tried to sit up on his pillows wincing with the pain then gave up. 'ut the expression on his face was brighter than it had been when Roussel had entered the room. -2o it0s nothing like that 0 said Roussel trying not to smile. However impressive he found 5eo 4ames as an art historian there was an adolescent side to him that had been evident the first time they0d met. -#0m afraid # can0t tell you any more about it for the time being 0 he added. ?isappointed 5eo 4ames grunted. -7ell at least it means you0ll now get off Harriet0s back0. He pursed his lips although even that small effort seemed to cause him pain. -7hat # don0t see however is how # come into it. #f you0re right in thinking the 7illiamsons killed 4ulian and that young man and fiddled with my car to kill or maim me # must have threatened them in some way. 'ut # don0t see how.0 -?o you remember seeing 8rs 7illiamson anywhere that morning/0 -2o #0m certain # didn0t. # didn0t see either of them. 'ut then as you know # was reading most of the time.0 He blinked. -.erhaps they saw me and imagined #0d seen them.0 -# suppose that0s always a possibility 0 agreed Roussel without much conviction. -Have you seen them at all since you arrived in 'urgundy this week/0 -2o. 2or would # have wanted to. They0re two of the most unappealing people # know.0 Roussel smiled. -$our ex&wife thinks they0re fakes.0 -)he0s right. There0s something phony about them.0

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-(an you see any possible art connection/0 asked Roussel. -!rt connection/0 5eo 4ames snorted inelegantly through his damaged nose. -2ot with those two. They0re bloody philistinesO0 He shifted painfully in his bed. -(ommandant may # bother you for some water/0 !fter Roussel had helped him drink from a straw 5eo let his head drop back onto the pillow. Then as a sudden thought came into his mind his face became more animated. -"n @uite a different note do you remember when we were in the church on 1riday # told you about having come across some statues in )pain that # suspected might be by the man who sculpted the soldiers in Roilly/0 -:$l 7rancs4, -$es. $ou0ve a good memory. 7ell # had a feeling that there might be more pieces by him in this area of 'urgundy though no one has as yet identified them. )o with that in mind # decided that # would start to visit systematically every country church within a radius of one hundred kilometres from Roilly.0 -That0s a lot of churches 0 commented Roussel. -!nd you started on that pro%ect yesterday/0 -That0s right. # convinced Harriet to come with me & no use her moping about the house & andN. wellN. we came across somethingN interesting.0 -7hat/0 Roussel had sat up in his chair. -! statue. #n a village church. ! very modest village church #0d never heard of. ! place called (ousy. $es 0 he said as Roussel0s expression showed he had recogni3ed the name -# was on my way back there this morning when my brakes went.0 -7hat was the statue of/0 -)t Roch with his dog.0 Roussel nodded. -8any of those about in this area. #n fact in any area where the plague was rife in the 8iddle !ges.0 -(orrect. 'ut the point is that the style of this one looks uncannily like the style of the guardian&soldiers in Roilly. )ome of the details too. signed and dated.0 -2oO0 #t doesn0t prove anything of course it was butN.!nd the best thing about itN. - 5eo paused for effect -is that against all odds

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-$esO0 5ike a child 5eo was delighted with the effect his words had had though it obviously cost him to smile.. He went on. -#t0s signed by a name that unfortunately doesn0t ring a bell with me & and dated 1;IH.0 -1our years after the Roilly monument was commissioned. )o presumably during the time the monument was being sculpted.0 -That0s right.0 -7hy this is very exciting 8r 4ames. 'ravoO0 Roussel was genuinely pleased for the art historian. -#sn0t it %ust/0 5eo0s grin ended in a grimace of pain. -?id anyone apart from 8rs 4ames know of this/0 -2o %ust Harriet and myself and now you.0 -<ood. 5et0s keep it this way.0 1rom the beginning of the investigation Roussel had felt that the Roilly monument had played a role in Holbrook0s murder. 'ut for the life of him he could not see how it tied in with the 7illiamsons. "r indeed with this new discovery of 5eo 4ames0s. !nd he did not want to discuss his misgivings with 5eo. #nstead he said lightly -# was reading the other day in a book on the history of northern 'urgundy that right at the end of the fifteenth century & in fact when your sculptor and the #t 8a[tre de Roilly were working & there was a recurrence of bubonic plague in this area. more statues of )t Roch.0 -$es # know. 7hat dark times those must have beenO $ou know the 'lack ?eath never completely left Europe after the big pandemic in the fourteenth century. There were recurrent regional outbreaks for at least another three centuries. #n some areas like the 5anguedoc apparently there was an outbreak every yearO 4ust like the -flu.0 Roussel looked thoughtful. -#t occurred to me while you were talking 0 he said -that perhaps the 8a[tre de Roilly was a victim of the plague. That he died young like <iorgione in Genice. This might explain why he left only one masterpiece. # am right am # not in thinking that the Roilly monument is the only piece he left/0 -The only one that0s come to light anyway. !bsolutely. #0ve often thought to myself that he must have died young like so many people did in those days otherwise we0d have had more stuff by him. $es well the possibility that he died of the plague0s an interesting thought

claimed tens of thousands of people. #t stands to reason that people wanted to commission yet

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(ommandant.

#t might stir me towards other avenues of research. Records of victims of the

plague for instance if they still exist. - He grimaced a smile again. -Thank you for your possible contribution to art historyO0 They laughed. -'efore # go 0 said Roussel -# have another modest contribution to make. 'ut this time it0s solid stuff.0 5eo 4ames looked at him with curiosity. -Tell me.0 -?o you remember telling me that the local availability of material often resulted in the establishment of local sculpture workshops/0 -#ndeed # do.0 -# got my chief to arm&twist the 8onuments Histori@ues people in order to find out which @uarry the Roilly monument limestone came from. !fter what you0d said # was expecting a lot of red tape and fuss about it. 'ut no apparently all the info0s computeri3ed these days and we were lucky that the person contacted was cooperative.0 He paused for effect. -7ell/0 5eo 4ames tried to sit up again. -7ell your 9hunch: was right and the stone for the )Apulcre came from the @uarry in which Henri (arteau was killed.0 -7onderful (ommandantO That0s fantastic news.0 Had 5eo 4ames0s arms been free he might have clapped or rubbed his hands together in glee. -#t means that there0s every possibility that the 8a[tre de Roilly was a local and sedentary imagier if he had all that stone available so close to where he was working. 'ut it also gives you a connection with the murder in the church.0 Roussel nodded. 5eo thought about it for a minute. -7hat0s the implication of this from the police point of view/ Have you any idea how it ties in with the murders/0 -# don0t know yet 0 admitted Roussel. -# only %ust received the information.0 -7ell done (ommandantO !nd thanks you0ve made my day. #f you ever get tired of being a policeman 0 5eo 4ames said with a lopsided grin -you can always turn to art history. #0ve a feeling you0d make a good researcher.0 Roussel laughed and got up. -# must go now. !nd you need some rest. He placed one of his cards by the telephone on 5eo 4ames0s bedside table. -(all me if you think of anything.0

CHAPTER 2&

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!s Roussel was walking towards his car in the hospital car park his mobile telephone shrilled. -#t0s .ottier .atron. 7e0ve been back in the office for half an hour. 7here are you now/0 -#0m %ust leaving the hospital. # had a talk with 5eo 4ames and #0ve %ust looked in to see how (laude !lain was.0 -How are they both/0 -4ames0s still pretty battered but in good form. The doctor whom # saw as # was leaving doesn0t seem worried about the concussion. !s for 8onsieur !lain he was asleep and snoring a treat.0 -!re you still leaving the guard on 5eo 4ames0s door/0 -"h yes until we0re absolutely certain that whoever tampered with his car will not be tempted to finish him off. There0s also a guard on (laude !lain0s door. 2either can be considered totally safe until we0ve wrapped up the whole affair.0 -'ut the 7illiamsons are being held and there0s a rumour that the garde vue will be prolonged. ?oes that mean you don0t believe they0re involved in the murders and the incidents/0 Roussel was guarded. -7e0ll see tomorrow. 7hat did you find at 1ontanges/0 -2o green notebook #0m afraid. They must have burnt it or thrown it away. 7hat use would it have been to them anyway/0 Roussel sighed. -Girginia 7illiamson said she knew nothing about it. )he admits she went to the church ostensibly to make a pass at Holbrook but says the crypt was empty.0 !mina laughed. -That0s a tall story. ?on0t tell me you believe her/0 -"f course not. )he may have gone to the church to plead with Holbrook not to give them away but the care she took in dressing down seems to indicate rather that she went there with something shadier in mind. 2ow she may be telling the truth when she says she found the crypt empty. #f you remember the body was well hidden behind the monument and could not be seen from the door. #n this case the murder took place before ten&thirty. "n the other hand she may be lying about that also and turn out to be our murderer.0 -7hat0s your feeling about this/0 -# don0t know. )he makes a plausible murderer. )he had the motive the means and the opportunity. 'ut #0m not entirely convinced. The murderer if you remember was supposed to be a tallish person.0

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He was disappointed that .ottier and ?u@uesne had not found the notebook. That indeed would have been serious evidence. -7hat about the two murder weapons/0 -7e brought away some hammers golf clubs and other assorted ob%ects. There0s no word from the lab about them as yet. ?umas was not exactly hopping with %oy at being dragged away from his family on a )unday afternoon. !s for the forged identity the 7illiamsons were really good. #t all looks kosher except that their papers are forged. 8ade by a real pro but forged nonetheless. )o at least we can hold them for that. !s for other evidence that they are not who they say they are we found nothing that links them with their former life. #t0s as if they came naked into the world the day they came to live in 1ontanges. 0 -# can0t believe that. .eople always leave something of their old selves about.0 -!ll the photographs letters and documents we could find are post the period when they came to live in 1rance. There0s nothing that predates that. #t0s really very odd. # guess they must have another hideaway somewhere & in )wit3erland perhaps.0 -$es that0s possible. 7e0ll see what 'ottomley can tell us tomorrow and how we split the work between us. 'ut that0s not my priority now. The murders are. ?id you bring the shoes/ !nd did you have the soil analy3ed /0 -#t0s being analy3ed now. #0ll call you back the minute # hear from ?umas. 7hat are you going to do now .atron/0 -#0ll be heading for home.0 -Right see you tomorrow then.0 Roussel had almost reached )aint&'ris when .ottier rang him back. Her voice was excited. -+ans le mille, .atron O0 -7hat /0 -?umas %ust called. The soil mixture from the a3alea border matches exactly the bit of hardened soil you found. !nd the shoe ridge matches the ridges on a pair of very new cheap trainers belonging to 8rs 7illiamson.0 -!h 0 said Roussel relieved. This at least proved that Girginia 7illiamson had stood near the body. 7hether she had found him dead and %ust stood there or whether she had murdered him was yet to be proved. .ottier went on. -#t0s odd about that pair of shoes because it0s the only cheap one in a cupboardful of very expensive shoes.0 -They0re her gardening shoes # expect.0

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-7ould she be wearing her gardening shoes to the market on 7ednesday/0 -2ot usually for she is a very fancy dresser. 'ut that particular 7ednesday yes. )he planned to go and intercept Holbrook in the church. The care she took not to be noticed does whatever she says seem to indicate that she went there with serious intent. .resumably if she found Holbrook intended to reveal the name of the man whose story he had told at the dinner& party on Tuesday she was prepared to kill him.0 -)o the whole thing was premeditated.0 -"h yes. They must have started plotting the minute they left Emily 5indberg0s on Tuesday night. 'ut are we going to be able to prove premeditation/ That0s another business. 1or the time being she sticks to her story that she went to the church to 9flirt: with Holbrook and found the place empty. 2ow at least we know she stood near the body. 7hether Holbrook was already dead when she found him is another matter.0 -"h another piece of news .atron. 2ow that we have the 7illiamsons0 fingerprints it turns out that one of the thousands of latents ?umas picked up from the crypt matches 8rs 7illiamson0s prints.0 -7here was it found/0 -'y the light switch on the left of the door.0 -$es well she admitted she was in the crypt. #0m afraid those prints are circumstantial. The soil mixture places her closer to the body. 'ut it0s also circumstantial evidence. !ll it proves is that 8rs 7illiamson was in the crypt at the right time. #t doesn0t prove she actually killed Holbrook. 7e0re going have to lean on her more to try and get her to confess.0 -)he0ll be a tough nut to crack. !nd her lawyer will be there tomorrow.0 -"h she0ll break eventually despite the lawyer. )he has a temper. 7e0ll %ust have to needle her a bit. <ood work !mina. #f there0s nothing more to be done your end go home and have a rest. #0ll see you in the morning.0

RRRRRRRRRRRR

#nstead of continuing towards )aint&'ris Roussel found himself heading towards 5a Tuilerie.

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Harriet 4ames did not answer her front door but as her (lio was parked in its usual place Roussel surmised that she was either at a friend0s house in the village or in her garden. He went round the back of the house. He found her kneeling on a gardening mat weeding a herbaceous border. 7ith her left hand she was lifting the edge of a large round cushion of helianthemum covered in delicate yellow blooms while with her right hand she teased out the small weeds that had rooted under it. 'efore she could turn to see who had arrived he noticed that because she was kneeling forward her %eans were stretched @uite low over her hips revealing that she was wearing champagne& coloured lace thong panties. Roussel stopped electrified by an erotic %olt such as he had not experienced in a long long time. -!h (ommandant it0s you 0 she said with a welcoming smile standing up and looking at her watch. 5ike a thirteen&year old caught looking at dirty pictures he shuffled his feet and hoped his tumescence didn0t show. -<oodness it0s late 0 she said unaware of his embarrassed silence. -#0m expected to dinner in forty minutes. # thought #0d do a little weeding this evening before the rain starts. (ome into the house and tell me the latest news. Then #0ll have to leave you and rush into the shower.0 )till reeling from the sight of the two perfect orbs contained by the high&riding string Roussel followed her silently inside the house. He felt disturbed. #t was not %ust the sudden surge of desire. #t was also what it suggested about Harriet 4ames. #n his reactionary male fantasy thong panties were worn by overtly -sexy0 women. He had always imagined that they must be remarkably uncomfortable to wear and that the women who wore them did so mostly to show them off to their lovers. #t also seemed to suggest a sexual self&confidence which was not something he immediately associated with 8rs 4ames & indeed if pushed he0d imagine her lingerie to consist of demure bras and plain or at a pinch flowered cotton bikini pants & but which only served to compound his arousal. #t all goes to show he thought. Every time he saw that woman he discovered something new and intriguing about her. 7ryly he remembered the title of a film he0d seen some years before &ne #emme peut en cac'er une autre% -# think we both deserve a drink don0t you/0 )he said going to the drinks cupboard. 7ithout asking for his preference she handed him a shot of 5agavulin and poured one for herself. 5ike <renache with his <reek cigarettes she must have an endless supply of it. -#0ve %ust come from 8r 4ames0s bedside 0 said Roussel. -He seems to be doing @uite well.0

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-$es. # stayed with him till about four. He slept a lot. 8ado & 8me RAgnier & came to visit but he slept throughout her visit. #s the guard still there/0 -$es and he will be relieved by another guard later this evening. 7e shan0t call them off until everything has been cleared.0 -Lntil everything has been cleared/0 she repeated. -#t sounds as if there been some new development.0 -There is. That0s what # came here to tell you. 7e have taken 8r and 8rs 7illiamson into custody.0 Harriet 4ames gasped. -"h no.0 )he dropped into an armchair. -#t must be a mistake. Edward and <inny can0t be guilty of all that mayhemO - )he stared at him. -)urely not (ommandant.0 -# can0t give you any details 8rs 4ames 0 said Roussel sitting on the sofa. -'ut we have found evidence that points to their involvement in 8r Holbrook0s murder. 7hich most probably means that they were involved in all the other happenings as well. 7e0re yet to find out exactly how.0 -#ncluding the tampering of 5eo0s car/0 -#0m afraid so.0 Harriet 4ames exhaled forcefully. -'ut why/ 7hat could their motive have been/0 -7e think they became aware that 8r Holbrook knew something about them that would have interested the 'ritish police. !nd presumably they feared he would use it against them.0 -!h yes 0 said Harriet. -That episode at the dinner table on Tuesday. <odO That makes me feel like such a sneak. #0m sure there must be some mistake (ommandant. Roussel was suddenly irritated. -8rs 4ames 0 he said firmly. -$ou can0t have it both ways. $ou wanted like all of us that 8r Holbrook0s murderer be caught. $ou were aware of the $ou yourself felt there was possibility that he or she might be someone you knew well. now turn around and reproach yourself for feeling like a sneak.0 -'ut # can and # do. "h 0 she said with a frustrated gesture of her hand understand you.0 -you don0t (ommandant/ 'ut then you0re not like us. 7e the 'ritish have an everlasting

something phony about the 7illiamsons. 7ell you were absolutely right there was. $ou can0t

love affair with guilt. !nd we thrive on ambivalence. Things are probably all black and white to

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-2onsenseO0 Roussel almost shouted.

-$ou are merely being hypocritical. !nd totally

unrealistic. There0s nothing abstract about murder. Two men have been bludgeoned to death another might have died pulveri3ed at the wheel of his car. $et a fourth had his house burnt to the ground. These are dangerous people we are dealing with 8rs 4ames. ?angerous because they are absolutely ruthless.0 They stopped and stared at each other both of them shocked by Roussel0s anger. -7hat if it isn0t them (ommandant/0 -#f it isn0t them they0ll be exonerated. rounders.0 Harriet 4ames looked very white. -#0m sorry (ommandant you may be right in principle but it doesn0t alter how # feel.0 -#0m sorry to have lost my temper 8rs 4ames 0 Roussel0s tone softened. -!nd believe me # empathi3e with your feeling confused. This is what murder does to one. #t turns one over and inside out like a glove.0 )he nodded grimly. -2ow 0 he said more briskly -since we don0t have much time. 8r 4ames told me about your exciting discovery at (ousy yesterday.0 -!h yes 0 she said. -Haslinus0s statue.0 -7hose/0 -<uglielmus Haslinus & that was the sculptor0s name. 7e found it on the base of the statue.0 -# see. 7hat # wanted to ask you was whether anybody else know about it.0 -# don0t thN.0 )he started to say then her colour receded. -"h my <odO0 she cried setting her glass down with a bang. -$ou remembered something.0 )he looked at him wild&eyed. -"h (ommandant. #0ve been such a foolO ! dangerous foolO $ou see after 5eo found the statue at (ousy he told me firmly to keep mum about it. Then a little later that evening before we went out to dinner Hugo Gan Ri%n telephoned. !nd #0m afraid that # thoughtlessly blurted out & but only in the vaguest of terms & that 5eo had discovered something important that might throw light on the Roilly monument.0 -Hugo Gan Ri%n/0 Roussel was pu33led. !t least for the count of murder. !nd the investigation will go on. 'ut you 8rs 4ames must put it into your head that this is not a game of

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-Hugo0s a dear but the problem is that he loves to gossip. He and 4ean&4ac@ues were going & in fact the whole damned group was invited & to drinks at 1aye0s last night. # bet he told them about it although # asked him not to. "h what a fool # am. # feel so guiltyO0 -There may have been another reason for the 7illiamsons to tamper with 8r 4ames0s car. ?on0t blame yourself for that.0 'ut Harriet sat limply on her armchair the picture of de%ection. -8rs 4ames 0 said Roussel getting up from the sofa. -#0ll leave you to your preparations. Try not to blame yourself & it doesn0t solve anything. 7hat0s done is done. 'ut until we0ve sorted everything out please keep very very @uiet about it all.0

CHAPTER 3' #t was still light when Harriet walked down the village to 1aye0s though to the west the sky looked ominous. The to had forecast a storm and she had slung a raincoat over her shoulders. !fter Roussel had left she had felt so depressed by her own blundering that she had thought of ringing 1aye to cancel their supper. 'reeding and a tattered remnant of self&respect told her she could not. )o 3ombie&like she had showered and dressed and put on a little lipstick and blush. The image the mirror sent back shocked her. "n her deadly white face the pink patches stood out like a clown0s make&up and great black circles around her eyes made her look like a startled raccoon. )he was angry with Roussel for speaking harshly to her. 'ut mostly she was appalled by her own carelessness. #f it was indeed her incautious prattling to Hugo that had caused the faceless murderer =she still found it difficult to accept that the 7illiamsons were guilty but if not the 7illiamsons then who/> to tamper with 5eo0s brakes then she Harriet was indirectly responsible for his lying battered in that hospital bed. #f the police were wrong about the 7illiamsons then it was her own again thoughtless testimony that had contributed to their being detained. Even if the police were right and the 7illiamsons (ere criminals she still felt like a sneak. Hypocritical/ .erhaps. ! wimp unable to face the outcome of her actions/ .robably. )o be it she could live with that. 'ut how could she have been so irresponsible/

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-HarrietO Have you heard the news/0 1aye stood in the courtyard by her open door looking more troubled than she0d ever seen her. -The 7illiamsons have been taken into custody.0 -$es 0 said Harriet grimly - Roussel %ust told me.0 -# was at the 8anoir when the police came. # tried to ring you later but you were out and # didn0t want to leave this kind of news on the answering machine.0 )he shook her head with dismay -# find it hard to believe they0re involved in all these events. ?o you think the police may have made a mistake/0 Harriet shrugged. -# don0t know. # don0t understand it either. The police say they have evidence. 'ut they obviously don0t have all the answers yet. # don0t know what to think 1aye. # feel totally muddled. <ive me a drink do. #0m beginning to feel like an alcoholic. !s soon as something0s out of %oint # crave for a drink. Here 0 she added as they went inside handing 1aye a small parcel wrapped in silver foil and a bottle of wine. -8y contribution to the evening.0 -7hat is it/0 -?uck pXtA from (hablis market.0 -!nd a bottle of )antenay. How very nice. Thank you. 5et me put this in the kitchen and open the wine so it has time to breathe then we0ll have a drink.0 !s Harriet dropped into an armchair she heard the first distant rumble of thunder. Here it comes she thought relieved that she had made sure all her windows were closed before going out. )he looked at 1aye0s booklined walls and thought of 5eo lying forlorn in his hospital bed. Earlier when she had suggested a few titles of books she might bring him the next day he0d said grumpily that he0d read them all. )he0d have to borrow some from 1aye. 1aye arrived and poured them two dry sherries. )he looked at Harriet. -# was so upset about 5eo and poor 8onsieur !lain in the hospital this morning that # didn0t even comment on your hair. # like it. #t really looks good shows off your cheekbones and the shape of your head.0 -Thanks 0 said Harriet. 'y now she0d forgotten all about it. "n 1riday morning in .aris longing for a change of some sort that would take her away if only temporarily from thoughts of death and deception that was a laugh. -7hat a dayO0 sighed 1aye sitting on the sofa and taking a sip from her glass. -1irst the news about 8onsieur !lain from ?r (oste. Then bumping into you and learning about 5eo0s she0d decided to have her hair cut short. The 1rench called it - c'anger de t?te, as if changing the way one looks might also help change what is inside one0s head. 7ell

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accident. Then a rather tense lunch at the 7illiamsons with Edward overdoing the genial host act <inny skittish as a hen on speed 4ac@ues playing the lovebirds.0 Harriet smiled weakly. -#t sounds like a nightmare.0 -$es 0 responded 1aye with a wry grimace. -#t was @uite bi3arre. Then our friend Roussel and his posse arrived interrupting the tennis and marched Edward and <inny off to !uxerre leaving the rest of us in a state of shock. Then when # got home # found that my downstairs loo had a serious leak and spent three hours tinkering with it before giving up. #0ll have to call in the plumber tomorrow. 1inally to cap it all Haile disappeared.0 -Highly/0 asked Harriet only half listening. -The cat. Haven0t seen him since this morning.0 -"h Haile. )orry # was elsewhere feeling a bit c>t de mes pompes as 8ado might say.0 -?id you see her today/0 -$es she came to the hospital this afternoon.0 -?oes she know about Edward and <inny/0 -2ot from me. # only %ust heard about it myself.0 )he stretched out her legs and sighed. -"h 1aye # feel as if my whole world0s collapsing around me. The 7illiamsons taken into custody for murder. 4ulian dead. 5eo in an accident that apparently wasn0t one.0 -2ot an accident/0 exclaimed 1aye. -7as the car tampered with then/0 -5ooks like it. 'ut # %ust don0t see what connection the 7illiamsons can have had with 5eo.0 1aye pondered on it. -.erhaps 5eo saw them where they shouldn0t have been at the time of 4ulian0s murder 0 mused 1aye. -$es perhaps that was it.0 #f this was the case Harriet thought with a slight shifting of the weight on her shoulders it was probably not her careless prattling =and Hugo0s supposed gossip> that had almost got 5eo killed. )till she had been inexcusably careless. 1aye was observing her with some concern. -$ou look all in0 she said. -!nd # must say # feel a little shaken too. 7hat we both need is some food.0 Harriet had to smile. 1aye had been providing comfort and food all week. ! more unlikely 4ewish mother Harriet had never seen. -(ome and keep me company while # put on the pasta.0 Emily somber and virtually voiceless and Hugo and 4ean&

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Harriet got out of her armchair with some difficulty. )he felt stiff with tension. 'ut she was glad she hadn0t cancelled supper. -"h 1aye 0 she said -may # borrow a couple of books for 5eo while he0s laid up/ He says he0s read all of mine.0 -'y all means. 7hat sort of book do you think he0d like/0 -2othing too demanding to start with. He0s pretty woo3y from the painkillers.0 -7hat about some short stories/ "r a light murder mystery0 )he stopped. -"h dear that wasn0t very tactful was it/ #0m so sorry.0 -?on0t be silly. !nd # know what you mean. 8urder mysteries are both relaxing and cathartic. 'ut perhaps under the circumstancesN.0 -$es short stories might be best.0 <uiltily they exchanged conspiratorial smiles. -7ell/ Have a look on the shelves. 7hile you0re looking 0 she added disappearing in the direction of the kitchen -#0ll get things started.0 Harriet scanned the bookshelves. 1aye had such neat habits that it was a doddle to find the short&story section. Lnlike Harriet0s books which found their way to her shelves without rhyme or reason = except for her art books which had huge a section to themselves> 1aye0s library was organi3ed in clearly delimited sections interspersed with artefacts and ob%ects. 'ooks on art history philosophy biography fiction crime fiction science fiction all had their place. The cookery books she knew were in the kitchen. "ther practical books on such sub%ects as gardening and ?#$ must be elsewhere probably in 1aye0s study upstairs. 7ithin each section the books were arranged alphabetically. Harriet who always lost an unconscionable amount of time looking for books on her own shelves was envious. !s she0d often done in the past she resolved =-when # have time0> to reorgani3e her own bookshelves along the line of 1aye0s. 'ut then would she remember to put the books back in their rightful place after she0d used them/ 2othing was less sure. The short story section was a mixture of classic and modern writing. !s in the art she collected 1aye0s taste in literature was eclectic. Harriet felt a kindred spirit there. Running her fingers along the spines she dismissed 'orges Henry 4ames 8augham 8aupassant 8elville Tchekov $ourcenar and others as too serious for 5eo0s present condition. )he took out a volume of Karen 'lixen0s short stories and Roald ?ahl0s collected stories which she was almost sure 5eo had not read. -! good choice 0 approved 1aye when Harriet showed her the 'lixen. )he was less convinced however about the Roald ?ahl. -?o you really think he0ll like those/0

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Harriet was surprised. -They0re very entertaining. 7hy shouldn0t he like them/0 1aye shrugged chopping courgettes in long thin %ulienne strips with a lethal&looking 4apanese knife her ex@uisite hands flying expertly. -7hy don0t you take .enelope 5ively0s ) pac* o# cards instead/ The stories are %ust as entertaining but the writing0s a lot better.0 -#s that the collection that includes 9! long night at !bu )imbel:/ 0 -$es.0 -#n that case #0ll borrow it for myself and take 5eo the other two if # may.0 1aye nodded and continued to chop her vegetables. -7hat are you making/0 asked Harriet suddenly starving. -8y version of .asta .rimavera.0 -$um. #f you0ve finished your sherry shall # pour us both a glass of )antenay/0 -$es please.0 7hile 1aye put the pasta in boiling water and @uickly sautAed her mound of vegetable strips in olive oil Harriet set the table in the kitchen. "utside the storm raged on thunder rolled fat drops of rain beat a tattoo on the window panes. They sat companionably at the kitchen table. The duck pXtA was good the wholemeal bread homemade and the 'urgundy full and round and not too grand to go with pasta. -#t feels good to be here 0 said Harriet with a sigh. 1aye smiled and raised her glass to her. -Here0s to 5eo. 5et0s hope he0s out of hospital soon.0 They clinked glasses. -# think Sach will be coming over tomorrow or the day after. #0ll feel happier when he0s here though it0ll be very odd to have the family together again. He0ll be able to stay with 5eo when #0m not around.0 -'ut you don0t need to guard 5eo surely now that the 7illiamsons are en garde vue% -# was thinking more in terms of keeping him company. 5eo0s too energetic to take confinement with e@uanimity. The police are keeping the guard at his door anyway until everything0s been made absolutely clear.0 -"ur nice (ommandant Roussel0s not taking any chances. He0s right.0 Harriet wiped her lips with her napkin. -He is rather nice isn0t he/ $ou should have heard him an hour ago though when he was berating me. He practically shouted at me.#t was @uite unlike what we0ve seen of him.0 -?ear me why did he berate you/0

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-He thought # was being hypocritical. 2evermind 0 Harriet added waving her hand as 1aye looked in@uiring. )he0d %ust remembered Roussel0s parting recommendation. 1aye brought the pasta dish to the table. The scent that rose from it was appeti3ing a fragrant mixture of fresh vegetables olive oil garlic and herbs. -1aye 0 said Harriet changing the sub%ect -when we were at the hospital earlier # told you there was a problem # wanted to discuss with you.0 -#0m listening 0 said 1aye heaping Harriet0s plate with penne and vegetables.

RRRRRRRRRRR Roussel arrived at )aint&'ris in pouring rain. His telephone message light was blinking. -Cest moi 0 said Lrsula0s voice. -7e didn0t really get to talk this morning. (all me when you get in and #0ll come over.0 (lick. Roussel took a deep breath. He0d been taken by surprise by Lrsula this morning. 'efore Harriet 4ames0s providential appearance at 5e (hablis 'ar his former wife far from asking him for a divorce had suggested that they have another go at living together. 2o arguments no entreaties she wasn0t the type to beg him to take her back. $et that was what had been suggested in essence. .repared for an altogether different discussion Roussel had been taken aback at first then had become aware of an une@uivocal resistance on his part. He had used Harriet 4ames0s arrival as a means of avoiding the discussion. 'ut Lrsula was not put off so easily. )he would hound him he knew until they had that talk. Right now was not the time to deal with it however. He called the office for news of the 7illiamsons. They were being held in separate cells had eaten the meal provided with much criticism of 1rench institutional food but had kept @uiet otherwise. #n fact the officer in charge said they were lucky to have their cells to themselves. #t was not a busy night at !uxerre for a change. ?espite this Roussel knew that the night in the cell would leave its mark on both Edward 7illiamson and his wife. The humiliation of being held was little compared with the reali3ation that one0s imagined immunity as well&to&do foreigners in a civili3ed European country had come to an end. !s for lack of comfort this was a detail. The holding cells in the (ommissariat though spartan were not sordid but nor were they the (rillon. Roussel paced about smoking one of his slim panatelas. There was food in the refrigerator from that morning0s expedition to the (hablis market. 'ut he did not feel hungry. He was uneasy.

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Things did not add up. His experience and commonsense told him that this was unsurprising at this stage in the investigation or even later. !fter all it had been only five days since the first murder and they had made considerable progress. #t was frustrating but not necessarily significant that facts were not yet adding up. 1acts like people were often intangible or at least open to re&interpretation. They did not always fit neatly into the shapes one0s hypotheses had fashioned for them. Two and two did not inevitably make four were more likely to make three or five. )till he was uneasy. He telephoned the nursing station in the orthopaedics department at the !uxerre hospital and asked to speak with the police guard. !ll was well. 5eo 4ames was asleep. There had been no visitors after 8rs 4ames and her 1rench friend had left. ! transfer to the general ward where (laude !lain was also reassured him that all was well. He sat at his desk and started to make a rough diagram of the known connections between protagonists and facts in the investigation. #n the centre he drew four circles representing the four crimesM the murders of Holbrook and (arteau =one leading to the other> the arson and the attempted murder of 5eo 4ames. 4ust below he drew a circle with -R mon.0 on it denoting the Roilly monument. Radiating from the centre were satellites with the name of every suspect and witness in the case and in a separate orbit he scribbled the facts and evidence they had so far. He then started to connect the various elements together and spent some time studying them. The patterns that resulted taught him nothing he did not already know. ! waste of time. He went into the kitchen and fed the cat who was sitting by the windowsill morosely looking out at the driving rain. !fter a rummage in the newly stocked refrigerator he made himself a sandwich with slices of rosette, added some halved gherkins and took it together with a glass of wine to the desk. "n one side was 5eo 4ames0s book on Entombment statuary. He leafed through it looking for the section on the Roilly monument. The pages he sought opened on a huge close&up of the head of the young )t 4ohn. Roussel stopped in mid&chew. The face that stared at him with its wide&set eyes straight brows slightly a@uiline nose flat cheekbones and thin lips was a youthful version of one he0d seen not long ago on a hospital pillowM (laude !lain0s. The long hair cascading down in shaggy strands that had eluded him. 'ut was it significant to his investigation or a mere coincidence/ 7ith a @uickening pulse he set down his sandwich and flipped through the rest of the section. !nother full&colour close&up this one of the soldier throwing the dice made him gasp. only served to make the resemblance more stunning. Roussel was dumfounded. There was the likeness

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There was (laude !lain0s face again. 'ut this time it was twitching and grimacing as Roussel had seen it during one of his fits. 2o wonder !lain0s face had seemed so familiar to Roussel. He had seen it in every single one of the Roilly statues. His heart was banging against his chest wall as he started to @uestion the implications of this discovery. )imultaneously for so does the subconscious work the name Harriet 4ames had briefly mentioned as that of the artist who had made the (ousy sculpture popped into his mindM <uglielmus Haslinus. #t was difficult under the latini3ation of the name to know whether it was a <erman ?utch or even 1rench name. #n 1rench it would have been <uillaume Haslin. .ronounced the 1rench way with a silent aitch and a silent ess it would have the same sound as -!lain0. Haslinus. !lain. Roussel banged his fist in his left hand. He had his connection.

CHAPTER 31 !s they started on the pasta Harriet took a deep breath. -#0m such an idiot 1ayeO !pparently 4ulian and Emily had been having an affair for the last two years. !nd # only heard about it yesterdayO0 1aye looked grim. -7ho told you/ Roussel/0 -Roussel/ 2o why/0 1aye did not answer. -How did Roussel know about it/ "h # suppose it0s his %ob to know things like that.0 )he went on -5eo told me. !pparently everybody knew about it in 5ondon. That0s where they used

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to meet the two of them. !ll those trips of Emily0s to see her 'ritish publishers....0 )he was aware that she was sounding bitter. 7ell she did #eel bitter about it. -7hy did 5eo tell you/0 -"stensibly to protect me from something else. ?on0t want to go into it. 'ut now in retrospect #0m wondering whether 5eo didn0t have another agenda when he told me.0 -To sully the image you have of 4ulian in order to gild his own you mean/0 -)omething like that. 'ut also ultimately to pay me back for having left him.0 shrugged. -#t may not even have been fully conscious on his part. 'ut it did hurt.0 -'et it did. !re you sure it0s true/0 -#0m afraid so. #t all makes sense now.0 Harriet had to be careful about how much she saidM 1aye did not know about 4ulian0s darker side & the bisexuality and the cocaine & and she was not about to enlighten her. 1aye hesitated. -#t seemed to me on Tuesday evening that you knew something was going on between those two.0 -# was aware & as you all were & that something was afoot. Emily0s usual game with more refined variations and a willing contribution from 4ulian. # think it was called 9Thumbing "ur 2ose !t Harriet:. #t went too far and # felt angry and sick with humiliation. 'ut # didn0t for a minute think it had been going on for years. ?id you know/0 -2ot really. # mean no # didn0t for sure. 'ut on and off #0d feltN.undercurrents.0 Harriet pushed her pasta around her plate. #t was very good but suddenly she wasn0t hungry. -7ell it0s all in the past now anyway. 8y problem has more to do with the present and the future. !nd that0s what # wanted to discuss with you. How do # deal with the situation/ How do # face Emily/ 7e0re a small community here and # don0t want to disrupt it any further. #t0s already been shaken by the 7illiamsons0 arrest.0 1aye nodded looking at her steadily. Harriet went on -"n the other hand # don0t want to act as if #0m unaware of what0s been going on behind my back. #t0s no fun being made a fool of and #0m pretty angry about it.0 1aye took a long sip of wine and looked thoughtful. -This is where self&knowledge comes in 0 she said after a while. -$ou0re very angry now. 'ut do you see yourself eventually calming down and accepting the reality of 4ulian0s affair with )he

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Emily/ ?o you think you0ll ever be able to be in the same room as her without wanting to aggress her/0 -.erhaps not at the moment but # daresay eventually # might.0 )he paused with her fork pushing the pasta around her plate. -Eventually0 she repeated pensively. !fter all 5eo and 4ulian remained on speaking terms =well %ustO> after # left 5eo.0 )he did not mention the fight in the pub which 4ulian had told her about two or three years before. -How civili3ed of you all.0 -'ut we are civili3ed people.0 -#t0s when being civili3ed e@uals behaving like a hypocrite that one must draw the line.0 Harriet considered what 1aye had %ust said. ?espite the other woman0s sternness she did not feel offended. -'ehaving like a hypocrite would be pretending # know nothing about the bloody affair. This indeed would be tantamount to conniving with Emily. 'ut what if # had it out with her told her # know about the affair with 4ulian and how # feel about it/ Tell her also # think she0s a two&faced bitch and take it from there/0 -#f you think you can achieve this without both of you going for each other like fishwives why not/0 Harriet laughed. -# daresay # might make a good fishwife once # got going. # may look mild but # have @uite a temper. #0m not so sure about Emily.0 -"h Emily may not rant and rave but she can be pretty vicious.0 -7ith her tongue yes.0 -"h yes she0d make a very superior fishwife. !ll innuendoes and sly turns of phrases.0 Harriet smiled. -7ell # may not have her linguistic gifts but you should see my kicksO #0m not a bad shot. #t comes from having been roped into family football practice when Sach was a boy.0 1aye laughed. -)hall we set up a slanging&and&kicking match. 2o holds barred/0 They both laughed and drank a little more wine. -7ell 0 said Harriet. -Thanks 1aye #0m glad # told you about this. #t0s been bothering me since # learnt about that affair. !nd # think it0s helped clear my mind about it.0 )he patted the older woman0s hand affectionately. -$ou0ve been so supportive during this bloody crisis. # don0t know what # would have done without you and 8ado.0

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1aye made self&disparaging noises. Harriet knew she hated anything that smacked of sentimentality. )he went on more robustly -# think what #0ll do is tell Emily # know what0s been going on and what # think of her. #0ll be very cold and very firm. !nd we0ll see how things develop from that.0 -(hoose your moment though.0 -"h yes # have no intention of doing it at the height of anger and when # feel #0ve little control over my lachrymal systemO #0d hate to lose my cool in front of her.0 1aye eyed her sympathetically. -?id you ever actually li*e Emily/0 she asked curiously. Harriet thought. -2ot much # have to admit though. # used to think she was good company. )he can be @uite amusing as we all know and she0s certainly a 9good: writer. =2ow why did # feel the need to put good in inverted commas/ )he is a good writer.> )he0s talented and interesting enough when she forgets about being an intellectual snob. 'ut # can0t say #0ve ever been fond of her. Too hard&hearted and brittle for my taste. 'ut...0 Harriet took a sip of her )antenay. -... she0s part of the community and it0s our community. The only one we have here. )o #0m prepared to make an effort to keep it relatively stable.0 RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR Roussel had his connection. 'ut what did it mean/ He took a deep breath. He needed to talk to .ottier have a brainstorming meeting on this. He rang her mobile but she had switched it off. .erhaps she had gone to the cinema. #t was )unday evening after all. He telephoned (ommissaire Toussaint after that but found the mailvoice system on both his land line and his mobile. He left a message on both asking the (ommissaire to ring him back. Thoughts were %ostling and shoving in his mind like an unruly crowd of people on a shopping )aturday. He took a few listless steps around the room and was about to take a sip of wine when the telephone rang. #t was ?u@uesne. -Hello .atrick. $ou0re not still working are you/0 -7ell .atron after we got back from 1ontanges and started to process the stuff we brought back # thought #0d go and see whether anyone in the 1erme de la 1osse ?ionne and its neighbourhood had seen a person tampering with 5eo 4ames0s car in the night of )aturday to )unday.0 -!nd/0

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-The owners and guests at the 1erme seem to have slept through the night and none of them saw nor heard anything. )o # thought #0d canvas the neighbourhood. 1rom several of those houses high on the hill above the 1osse ?ionne you have a good view. "ne of the people # spoke to lives in a house right across from the 1erme. He is an old man whose arthritis regularly keeps him awake at night. !t about three o0clock that night he got up and made himself some hot milk laced with cognac. He was drinking it in the dark by the window looking at the 1osse which as you know is lit up at night when he saw someone come up the street from the direction of the road below and stop by a red car that was parked %ust outside the 1erme. =He0s not very hot on car makes but he knew from the registration pla@ue that it was a foreign car>. !fter looking around and over their shoulder the person tinkered a bit with the bonnet and managed to open it then bent over it and fiddled for @uite a long time. !nd eventually closed the bonnet and walked away %ust like that.0 -5eo 4ames must be as allergic to car alarms as he is to mobile phones 0 said Roussel. -?amn the manO !nd why did your witness not call the police right away/0 -He didn0t want to get involved. He preferred to peer through the window in the dark rather than have the polic rouse the neighbourhood and demand statements. He likes a @uiet life.0 -8r <ood (iti3en.0 -8r !verage (iti3en more like.0 -?id he describe the person who tinkered with the car/ #t wasn0t by any chance a fellow arthritic and his cane/ #0m rather hoping it was Edward 7illiamson. #t would make our life so much easier.0 -#t wasn0t 7illiamson. !t least it wasn0t anyone with obvious disabilities. He couldn0t even be sure whether it was a man or a woman.0 -7hy not/ )urely if he could see the registration number he could tell which gender the figure was.0 -7ell no. The person was dressed in trousers and a man0s raincoat with a dark hat over its head.0 -7as it a tall person/0 -He said 9plus grand que petit:. # suppose it could have been a tallish woman or an average&si3ed man.0 - He didn0t see the face/0

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-2o it was hidden under the brim of the hat. !nd his window wasn0t that close to the car anyway.0 -?amnO0 Roussel paced with the telephone in his hand. -This kind of lets 8rs 7illiamson out of the picture & she0s tiny.0 He banged the table with his fist. -#f it wasn0t either of the 7illiamsons where does that leave us/0 )uddenly his blood ran cold. -.atrick # must rush over to 5a Tuilerie right away. 8eet me there as soon as you can and try to raise .ottier on the phone. #f you can0t get her get whoever0s in the office to come with you. # need backup. !nd get hold of (ommissaire Toussaint. #0ve tried to reach him but he isn0t answering either of his phones. This is urgent.0 -7hat is it .atron/ $ou sound as if you0ve %ust had a brain wave.0 -2o time to tell you. 4ust meet me in 5a Tuilerie as soon as you can. !nd don0t use the siren.0 -'ut #0ve never been to 5a Tuilerie .atron. 7here do # meet you/0 -.robably in the main street or at the mill on the way out of the village. #t0s a small place.. $ou0ll see my car. !nd .atrick hurryO0 RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR !lthough she0d meant it when she0d said to 1aye that she had no intention of confronting Emily right away Harriet on her way home after a companionable )unday kitchen dinner found her steps slowing down as of their own accord as she approached Emily0s house which was almost half way between 1aye0s cottage and the mill. There were some lights on in the living& room. 'efore she could stop herself she was knocking on the door. Emily when she stood on her doorstep didn0t look like herself though she was dressed in her idiosynchratic fashion. Her face though was pale and drawn with two long lines that Harriet had never noticed before etched out from her nostrils to the corners of her mouth and a third barring her forehead hori3ontally. 5ike one of those 2oh masks of old men thought Harriet coldly. )he did not even stop to wonder what had caused the other woman to look so pinched. -Harriet. #s everything all right/0 said Emily glancing at her watch. -#0d like a word with you Emily.0 -(ome in.0

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#t was only when Harriet walked into the living&room that she saw that Emily had a guest. Roland (ochin the Roilly garage owner was sprawled over the velvet couch. He came awkwardly to his feet when he saw Harriet and put his glass down on the table before holding out his hand in greeting. Harriet noticed that he was barefoot. His shoes had been tossed casually a little to one side. -8adame 4ems 0 he said in 1rench -# was so sorry to hear about 8onsieur Holbrook. !outes mes condolances, adame% Harriet gave a slight bow and stood there uncertainly. Emily came nearer and looked in@uiringly at her. -#s everything all right Harriet/ 7hat brings you here at this hour/0 -# wanted to speak to you Emily.0 )he looked at (ochin. -'ut it can wait. # was on my way home from 1aye0s and saw a light here. # didn0t reali3e you had a guest.0 -7ell please do stay and have a drink with us.0 -2o thanks 0 Harriet said curtly. -#0d better be on my way. 7e0ll talk some other time.0 )he said goodbye to Roland (ochin who was surreptitiously trying to put on his shoes and made for the door followed by a hesitant Emily. 'y now the !merican must have twigged on to the reason that had brought Harriet to her house at such a late hour for she stood stiffly by while Harriet opened the door. -Have you heard about the 7illiamsons/0 she asked in a low voice.0 -$es.0 -#sn0t it terrible/ # can0t @uite believe it. ?o you think the police made a mistake/0 -!'ey don0t seem to think so.0 -7hat a dreadful thing.0 !fter a moment. -#s that what you came to tell me/0 -2o Emily. 'ut #0ll call you.0

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CHAPTER 32

Harriet found herself alone in the dark main street of 5a Tuilerie. )he0d left her watch at home but she supposed it must be after eleven for the municipal lighting was off. 4ust as she turned right to start her way home it started to rain in earnest. ?amn and damn she thought # left my raincoat at 1aye0s. #0ll be soaked. )he looked left towards 1aye0s house. !ll the houses were dark & people go to bed early in the country P except for 1aye0s where the lights were still bla3ing downstairs. #n any case Harriet knew that 1aye was a late&nighter. )he decided to go back and get her mac. 1aye had not even locked her door yet. 7hen Harriet knocked and went in she found her sitting in a deep armchair with a book listening to a 4ames 'owman record. Harriet recogni3ed the haunting strains of Gaughan 7illiams0s -The 7oodcutter0s )ong0. -He that is down need fear no fall.0 How apposite she thought. -?on0t get up 1aye 0 she said. -# %ust came back to get my raincoat. #t0s pouring with rain.0 -$ou must have gone all the way home 0 said 1aye surprised. -$es 0 said Harriet. )he did not want to tell her friendt she0d called in on Emily on an impulse. -Then # reali3ed #0d my raincoat for tomorrow. The to0s not optimistic.0 )uddenly she felt she0d taken a considerable risk knocking on Emily0s door without having prepared for the encounter and in an angry mood to boot. "nce more she berated herself for being so impulsive. The relief that she had not stayed brought with it a pressing need to go to the lavatory.

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-1aye 0 she said with a small embarrassed laugh -may # use your loo/ # don0t think # could last till # get home.0 1aye laughed. -"f course dear. 'ut remember my downstairs lav0s out of order. $ou0ll have to use the upstairs bathroom. 8eanwhile #0m going to make some more coffee. 7ould you like some/0 -$es please. 'ut # feel #0ve overstayed my welcome.0 -2onsense. $ou know # always love having you here/00 !s she made her way up the spiral staircase Harriet thought what a comfort 1aye had turned out to be. ! sensible woman but sensitive also good to talk things over with resourceful and plucky. Lntil a few days ago their relationship had been friendly yet marked with a certain restraint. !nything personal had merely been alluded to never really expanded. #t had taken 4ulian0s murder to bring the two women closer together. Harriet was glad of it glad that something good had come out of that terrible thing. Her only really close friend in 'urgundy was 8ado. )he could do with another. )he turned on the light on the landing thinking of 1aye. $es she was plucky. #t couldn0t have been easy to start all over after sixty in a foreign country and entirely on her own. Even for Harriet who was so much younger it had been difficult at first. 'ut not only had 1aye made a comfortable haven&like home for herself in 1rance but she had also eventually become integrated in the local group of expatriates and after doggedly perfecting her 1rench developed good relations with some of the locals. )he belonged to a number of 'urgundian cultural associations which kept her busy throughout the year and travelled occasionally. )he had in short made a good life for herself. Her self&reliance was another thing Harriet admired in 1aye. #n order to keep her dependence on local artisans to a minimum she had taught herself ?#$ in all sorts of things and had plunged with a certain fascination into the intricacies of computer technology. # too should become more self&reliant thought Harriet who though her profession demanded a certain computer literacy which she had ac@uired long before leaving 'ritain was helpless when it came to practical knowhow and could %ust about change a light bulb. 8aybe when all this is over she thought #0ll take a ?#$ course. There must be some at !uxerre or ?i%on. !nd # must reorgani3e my bookshelves she decided locking herself in 1aye0s upstairs bathroom which was large and luxurious with excellent lighting beautiful wall tiles and wall&to& wall carpeting. Thinking of bookshelves made her remember that apart from her mac she0d also forgotten to take the books she wanted to borrow. ?espite 1aye0s offhand detrimental remark

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about Roald ?ahl0s writing she thought 5eo would en%oy the stories. They were amusing and undemanding %ust what he needed at present. )ome of them were grotes@ue gruesome even. 'ut nevermindM gruesomeness like murder mysteries could be cathartic and 5eo with his flippant side would en%oy some of the more grisly stories. )he smiled as she remembered some of them & -.ig0 -<eorgy .orgy0 -Royal 4elly0 and her favourite -5amb to the )laughter0. )he hadn0t read them in a while and for some reason didn0t own the book herself. )he would borrow it when 5eo had finished with it. )he flushed the toilet and washed her hands with 1aye0s English gardenia soap admiring the collection of anti@ue etched crystal flagons that stood on the top of the bathromm cabinets. 7hy was it she wondered that women who lived by themselves particularly valued those little touches of luxury/ 7as it because they had to compensate in some ways for living on their own/ "r was it & as Harriet herself was more enclined to believe & because some deeply narcissistic trait made them en%oy luxuries and treats all the more for not having to share them/ !s she came out of the bathroom and closed the door Harriet thought she heard a very faint mewing sound. -"h 1aye 0 she called down the stairs -# think # hear Haile. He seems to be locked in somewhere. #0ll go and see.0 )he looked around the upstairs landing. 1aye0s bedroom door was a%ar but the sound didn0t seem to have come from there. The other doors were closed. )he opened the spare room0s door first looking under the @ueen&si3e bed and in the cupboard. 2eat as a pin of course and decorated with more little touches of luxury & one would not have expected any less from 1aye. !nd no cat. Haile must be in 1aye0s study at the end of the corridor. Harriet marched there opened the door found the light switch and looked around calling -Haile Haile where are you kitty&kitty/0 )he was rewarded with a tiny fear&laden mew. The sound seemed to come from a large built&in cupboard with sliding doors that took up a whole wall. !nother wall was given over to two good&si3ed windows in front of which 1aye had placed her desk an old&fashioned walnut desk that would have looked more appropriate in a %udge0s office and must have come from her father. 'etween the windows 1aye had hung a Roger 1ry painting & a portrait of a woman & which 4ulian had particularly admired. The remaining two walls were lined with bookcases. 7alking over to the cupboard Harriet out of the corner of her eye noticed on one of the shelves in the nearest bookcase the small figure of a stone dog. )he glanced at it and saw that it

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was probably very old and that it looked like a mini&greyhound. 'efore she could react to a vague feeling of recognition another tiny mewling sound spurred her into action. )he walked to the cupboard and as she slid open the door a furry dun&coloured rocket sped out nearly knocking her sideways and rushed down the landing and stairs in suddenly vociferous protest. Harriet dimly heard 1aye0s calm voice -!h here you are Haile. 7here were you hiding you bad cat/0 Harriet bent down. Haile0s hideaway had been a lower shelf piled with blankets the top one still bearing his imprint. 1aye must have closed the cupboard door without reali3ing that the cat was sleeping there. !utomatically Harriet straightened up the blanket. The cupboard was half given to bedlinen and half to papers and odds and ends the latter half being decidedly less neat than the former she was glad to note. Too much perfection troubled her and she smiled to think that even 1aye had her untidy side. #t made her even more likeable. )he was about to close the cupboard when a familiar shade of malachite green at eye level caught her eye. Three shelves above the blankets mixed with some ancient rusty tools & chisels a couple of mallets a sledgehammer gouges piled up higgledy&piggledy & was a green leather&covered notebook. There was a rush of instant recognition and with it came an electrifying %olt of shock.

RRRRRRRRRRRRRR The road was slick with rain and the night bisected by distant fork lightning. !s Roussel drove well over the speed limit towards 5a Tuilerie his mind was %ostled by a number of small disparate facts that it had registered over the last few days without his reali3ing their relevance. "ne by one now they slipped into the picture each of them relating to the others all of them forming a pattern. $es he could see it now most of the picture and it did make sense. The excitement he felt warred with the gnawing fear that he might be too late. He swerved to avoid a couple of deer fro3en for a few seconds in the headlights before disappearing into the thickets. ! few kilometres on he ran into great patches of mist @uite thick in places. The river was not far. He dipped his headlights but maintained his speed. 7hen his mobile rang he hardly slowed the car. #t was ?u@uesne. -Hello .atron where are you/0

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-)omewhere between !igremont and 2oyers on the ?IBD. There0s plenty of rain and now #0ve run into mist. 7here are you/ !nd have you managed to get hold of the others/0 -$es we0re %ust setting out now. !mina0s with me and the (ommissaire0s got (houra@ui and Galvert with him.0 -<ood. $ou must hurry.0 -(an0t you tell us what it0s all about/0 !head Roussel saw that the road was blocked by something wide and long that seemed to be slowly moving. He switched on his headlights but could not make out what the hindrance was in the swirling mist. Then suddenly a patch of mist cleared and he saw itM a seemingly unending line of wild boars crossing the road from right to left. ?amn he thought then craned his neck to see what the fields on the right&hand side of the road were like and whether he could bypass the animals. -.atron/ .atron/ (an you hear me/0 ?u@uesne0s voice sounded anxious. -$es .atrick but now0s really not the time to talk. #0ve got a line of boars ahead and there0s no telling how many there are in this mist. #0m going to switch off now.0 Turning off his mobile he decided to risk it. 1rom what he could see the field on his right looked flat and there were no trees. He manoeuvred the car gently down a little bank and drove slowly without mishap for about fifty metres parallel to the road. The line of boars seemed to have come to an end. 4ust before he could swerve to his left in order to %oin the road again he suddenly felt his front wheels plunge into something soft and s@uishy. His back wheels promptly followed and with the car settling comfortably in thirty or so centimetres of slushy mud Roussel found himself @uagmired in the middle of nowwhere.

RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR #t looked like 4ulian0s notebook. Harriet0s first conscious thought was to wonder what on earth 4ulian0s notebook was doing there. 7here had 1aye found it/ Then the implications of what she0d discovered hit her and with this came a short moment of denial. #t couldn0t be 4ulian0s notebook. #t must be some notebook of 1aye0s that looked like 4ulian0s. !fter all 4ulian0s wasn0t the only green notebook

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around. ?enial lost its grip. )he stood there fro3en then dread sei3ed her covering her in a mantle of goose pimples. Her stomach convulsed. Gery slowly as if approaching an animal that might bite she extended her hand and took the notebook. #t was indeed 4ulian0s. The sight of the familiar handwriting brought an unwelcome sting to her Harriet0s eyes. 7ith a shaking hand she riffled through the pages. The last entry was one paragraph long and startedM - 7ednesday 1F 8ay. H.,C a.m.0 4ulian must have written it %ust before breakfast on the morning of his death. Harriet was sei3ed by a terrible reluctance to continue. 'ut she forced herself to read the entry. #t concerned the evening before. 2o mention had been made of Emily0s behaviour or indeed of anything that had transpired during that part of the evening when Harriet was still present at the dinner&party. 4ulian0s note concentrated its venom on a single aspect of the evening which now came to Harriet as a complete surprise. He wrote in his elegant script with its slightly flamboyant fs and ysM -5ast night 1? in her cups whispered she was about to send an article to Connaissance des )rts% )he asserted in a tone that had little to do with that usual diffident way of hers that she had actually identified the 8a[tre de Roilly. )he had a name for him =which of course she forbore to tell me> and dates and other personal and 9conclusive: details that she would not describe. )he said she was writing a book about him. "h the gall of itO The foolishness of amateurs rushing in where angels fear to treadO )he added teasingly that anybody with any sense of observation could have got there %ust as she had done. )he would never have told me this had she not been so tipsy as to be off her guard. (an she be right/ # fear her self&confidence in the matter points to her being @uite sure of her facts and she is not one to boast unnecessarily. 'ut she0ll never convince the art world & she has no credentials. #0ll go to the crypt after breakfast to see for myself.0 'lood rushed to Harriet0s head. 'efore she had a chance to work out the ins and outs of what she had %ust learnt her mind was flooded by a medley of seemingly inconse@uential images memories and snippets from some of today0s conversations & 1aye0s voice earlier this evening talking about her attempts to solve her plumbing problem. Roussel0s voice =-7hoever did it is an extremely skilled mechanic0>. 1aye0s silence after Harriet insisted on taking the book of Roald ?ahl stories to 5eo* her attempt to persuade Harriet that 5eo would en%oy the .enelope 5ively stories more. 7hat had caused 1aye0s reluctance/ Here for no reason that she could think of there stole into Harriet0s mind the sub%ect&matter of her favourite ?ahl story -5amb to the )laughter0. !nd dead on its heels came a faint memory of the scent of lamb and rosemary as she

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entered 1aye0s house on the evening of 4ulian0s death. ! spasm of nausea shook her as she thought of the gruesome implication. #t had been 1aye all along. ! pattern was forming but it did not make sense. 7hat Harriet lacked was the reason why. )he thought of 1aye0s connection with 8onsieur )acapuce and her presence in the hospital this morning. 7hat was it 1aye had said/ -# came to see poor 8onsieur !lainN.0 !lain was 8onsieur )acapuce0s surname. The sound of it reminded Harriet of a name 5eo had mentioned the day before. ! 1lemish sculptor working in Troyes who might or might not have been a descendant of <uglielmus Haslinus. 5eo had pronounced his name Halins in the 1lemish way with a vocal aitch and a pronounced final ess. 'ut if the name was pronounced as the 1rench would it would be Halins with a silent aitch and the second syllable pronounced -ain0. Halins !lain. The names were phonetic twins. Haslinus was the latin form of the same or a similar name & Haslin with a silent ess & which over the centuries had preserved its phonetic identity while its spelling had changed to !lain. 2ow it all made sense. 8onsieur )acapuce was a descendant of 5eo0s <uglielmus Haslinus. The face of the )t Roch statue stole into Harriet0s mind %uxtaposed with 8onsieur )acapuce0s twisted features and the grimacing faces of the s@uatting tomb guardians. $es that was it. There was the link. )imultaneously she turned towards the little stone statue of a dog she had glimpsed a few minutes earlier on one of 1aye0s study shelves. )ure enough it was a double =though in a smaller format> of the thin whippet&like figure of the dog cringing by the group of stone soldiers. ! brother also of the dog holding the loaf of bread by the statue of )t Roch. #f 5eo had discovered an important link between the statues the day before 1aye had independently stumbled on something even more important and was making sure no one got in her way. !'ere was 1aye0s motive. How her discovery tied in with the actual identity of the 8a[tre de Roilly Harriet didn0t know. Lnless as 5eo had felt all along the monument was the achievement of a family workshop and the identity of the secondary sculptor led to that of the 8a[tre de Roilly himself. ! great calm now stole over Harriet. )he did not have the slightest doubt that 1aye had killed 4ulian and that unfortunate unknown young man that he had torched 8onsieur )acapuce0s house and had engineered an accident for 5eo. 2or was she hampered in this by the guilty incredulity with which she had met Roussel0s announcement of the 7illiamsons0 arrest. !t no point as she tried to piece the story together did she ask herself whether she was being paranoid. "r simply misguided.

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-<ive me that notebook.0 Harriet whirled around clutching the green notebook to her chest. 1aye was standing in the doorway filling it with her tall figure. #n her right hand she held a small lethal&looking black gun.

CHAPTER 33 -<ive me that notebook.0 1aye0s voice was calm and cold like her features which had gelled into an expressionless mask. The woman seemed to have undergone a complete transformation. 'ut it wasn0t %ust she
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who had changed & in the last few minutes as the truth dawned on Harriet her own image of 1aye was turned upside down altered out of all recognition and with it seemingly any feelings she0d had for her former friend. )he was faced with a stranger. #n her new detached state Harriet found the sight before her faintly ridiculous & the familiar figure in her silk shirt and well&cut trousers standing there holding that gun without the faintest trace of self&consciousness =or indeed tremor>. )he was like a character out of a #ilm noir. #f Harriet did not feel so chilled she0d laugh. 7hoever had written about the banality of evil had been right. $ou did not have to look like a monster to be a monster. -?on0t be silly 1aye 0 she said @uietly. -.ut that gun down. $ou won0t get away with it this time.0 -<ive me that notebook Harriet 0 said 1aye lifting her hand forward a little and pointing the gun straight at Harriet. -2o # won0t.0 -<ive. 8e. That. 2otebook 0 the woman repeated enunciating each word. -2oO0 said Harriet in a louder voice hiding the notebook behind her back like a child caught stealing. -.ut the gun away and let0s talk.0 -There0s nothing to talk about.0 -There0s plenty to talk about 0 said Harriet firmly. -# want to know why you found it necessary to kill in order to preserve your knowledge. 7hy could you not simply have gone ahead with your discovery/ 2o one would have taken it away from you.0 -"h would they not/0 1aye lifted an ironic eyebrow. -#s that what you thought/ That 4ulian discovery for themselves/0 -#0ve nothing to say to you Harriet. <ive me that notebook.0 1aye0s voice was like steel. -$ou0ll have to take it from me.0 -"h take it # will. ?on0t you worry.0 1aye took three steps into the room and pressed the gun to Harriet0s side. 7ithout stopping to wonder whether it was loaded and with a violence that surprised her Harriet kicked 1aye viciously in the shins and when the woman doubled over instead of trying to take the gun from her rushed to one of the windows opened it and threw the notebook out into the street. -There. 2ow go and get it 1aye.0 & or 5eo & would have appropriated your

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1aye straightened up slowly. Her eyes glittered like black pebbles in a dri33le. )he took a couple of steps backwards out of range of Harriet0s feet. "nce more she pointed the gun at her. -$ou shouldn0t have done that you silly woman.0. 'y now Harriet had reali3ed that she should have tried to disarm 1aye when the latter had been momentarily incapacitated by the kick rather than pointlessly throwing the notebook out of the window. )ilently she cursed herself. !s calmly as she could she crossed her ams against her chest. -$ou won0t get away with it 1aye.0 1aye smiled all canines and incisives. )trange how # never noticed that wolfish smile thought Harriet. #t reminds me of Emily when she0s about to score a point. -The police are on their way.0 Even to Harriet0s ears this sounded lame. The smile continued as if pasted on. -5et me remind you Harriet that the police believe they0re already holding their murderer. "r murderers.0 )he went on knowing that their killers are 'ors dtat de nuire%0 Harriet looked at her with curiosity. -?oes it mean nothing to you 1aye that two innocent people are being held for crimes they didn0t commit/0 -7hy should it/0 -They were your #riends%0 -# don0t need any friends Harriet. Have you only %ust twigged on to that/0 1aye %erked the gun upwards. -(ome along now. 7e0re going to take a little walk. 'ut before that you0re going to pick up that notebook and give it to me.0 ?ear me thought Harriet this is beginning to sound and look more and more like a bad Hollywood script. The chill in her bones however told her she might be overlooking something. -7here are we going/0 )he had to play for time. #t occurred to her on the other hand that if they went out into the street she might be able to call for help. -7e0re going to the mill.0 -To the mill / 7hat for/0 -$ou0ll see when we get there.0 1aye0s voice was grim. !n icy shiver rippled down Harriet0s back. )he intends to kill me in my own place and make it look like an accident she thought. 7hich means logically =and let0s hope logic comes into -8y feeling is that the police especially your nice (ommandant Roussel are already sleeping comfortably tonight

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it> that she0ll only shoot me if she really has to. This makes sense if she hopes to get away with it again. -(ome along Harriet.0 1aye gestured with the gun towards the door. Harriet went slowly down the stairs the mu33le of the gun pressed into her back. !s they went down and through the living&room 1aye turned off the lights one by one. coat rack and ordered Harriet to take hers. -$ou didn0t come here with a handbag did you/0 The ordinariness of the @uestion the casual tone in which it was uttered nearly elicited a half&laugh from Harriet. This was surreal. $et she knew that 1aye was making sure that nothing was left of Harriet0s presence in her house. 1aye turned off the lights in the hall. #n the courtyard they found that the downpour had dwindled to a steady dri33le. Harriet knew it was a waste of time to hope that the wet uneven flagstones might cause 1aye to stumbleM the older woman could find her way around her garden in all weathers and in the dark like a cat. 2evertheless she still hoped and kept herself tense and ready to pounce. 'ut 1aye was as sure&footed as ever. 7hen they came out into the street they saw that it was now entirely dark. Even Emily0s house was in darkness. The whole village was asleep. 7hat0ll happen if # shout -)u secours0 at the top of my voice/ thought Harriet. 7ould she really shoot me/ -?on0t for a moment think of calling for help Harriet 0 said 1aye0s cold voice behind her. -# wouldn0t hesitate to shoot you.0 -#t isn0t in your interest to shoot me though is it 1aye/ $ou0re meant to make my murder look like an accident.0 -#0ll shoot you if # have to.0 -Then what/0 -?on0t worry # have my .lan ' worked out.0 Harriet0s eyes were slowly ad%usting to the all&enveloping darkness. !ny moon there might have been had been smothered by clouds. 1aye draping her raincoat over the gun and holding the latter firmly against Harriet0s ribs ordered her to look for the notebook but she had not thought of bringing a torch. Harriet pretended to search with her foot at the bottom of 1aye0s study window from which she had hurled the notebook out and along the wet road but they could see no sign of it. #n the hall and without letting go of the gun she @uickly grabbed her own raincoat which was hanging on the

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-2evermind the notebook 0 said 1aye harshly prodding Harriet along with the gun. -7e0re heading for the mill.0 -7hat if somebody finds it in the meantime/0 teased Harriet. -2obody will come before morning. #0ll look for it on my way back.0 They might have been chatting like two old friends. They started walking towards the mill. Harriet0s feeling of being in a film persisted and it helped her keep calm. #n a film the hero would now be on his way. )oon police sirens would be renting the night and Roussel would be alighting from his car gun in hand. The evocation of Roussel brought with it a feeling of great longing and she addressed him a silent call closing her eyes and concentrating her thoughts as she used to do as a child after she had read about telepathy and had tried to make her father mother sister dog cat respond to the power of her mind. 'ut the mu33le of 1aye0s gun prodding relentlessly against her ribs recalled her to reality. -Tell me one thing 1aye 0 she said conversationally as they came in sight of the mill. -7hat made you resort to murder/ How does one cross that line/0 !t first 1aye did not reply. Then -# had no other choice 0 she answered. -There are always other choices. 7hat if everybody else resorted to murder in order to find a solution to their problems/ 7here would we be then/0 -"h Harriet Harriet....0 1aye laughed though it was not a pretty sound. -?o you know Emily0s right about you & you do have a conventional mind.0 -2ever mind my mind 0 said Harriet hotly feeling despite the urgency of the situation a little hurt by this description of her. 'ut 1aye continued. -4ulian would have claimed the discovery as his own don0t you see/ He had the name he had the power.0 -"f course he wouldn0t have. He was not like that.0 -He was you know. He lacked moral fibre. )nd he despised what he called 9amateurs: i.e. people like me without @ualifications. 7hat0s more 8a[tre de Roilly would have brought him glory.0 -8lory/0 Harriet snorted. -7hy 1aye you0re way out. $ou0ve blown the whole thing out of all proportion. ?on0t you see/ "f course identifying the sculptor would add to any art historian0s prestige. 'ut that0s all. 'y itself it wouldn0t have made him a household name. !s it will never give you much kudos either. 7ho outside art historians and north 'urgundians have the stakes were too high. #dentifying the

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even heard of the 8a[tre de Roilly/ ?iscovering his identity might not even make the international media. #t would never have the same impact as say (arter0s discovery of Tutankhamen0s tomb.0 #t had been the wrong thing to say. To a person in the thrall of an obsession as 1aye obviously was belittling her discovery was tantamount to denying her very existence. -<et up there 0 said 1aye brutally goading Harriet up the porch steps with the gun. -?on0t put on the lights 0 she ordered. #nside Harriet tried to make for the the sitting&room where she knew she had left her mobile telephone before going to have supper with 1aye a lifetime ago. -2o not in there.0 1aye0s voice was brus@ue. -<o up the stairs. #0ll be right behind you so don0t even think of trying anything/0 "n the first floor landing Harriet hesitated. -<o on up.0 #n the meagre light from the landing window Harriet could see .ilgrim standing by her bedroom door curious at the unusual scene in the dark. -<o away .ilgrim there0s a good cat 0 she said fearing for her pet. .ilgrim disappeared into the bedroom. -Lp you go 0 said 1aye poking the gun in Harriet0s ribs. "n the second landing 1aye directed Harriet to the room that stood immediately over her bedroom. #t was a large attic box room with one central window that opened onto the water and stood two stories above the water&wheel. !h so that0s her plan thought Harriet looking surreptitiously around her to see whether there was anything she might use as a weapon. -"pen the window.0 Harriet had no choice but to open the window letting in the cool moisture&laden air and the noise of the water wheel chugging away in the dark below. The window&sill was at waist& level. )he took a few steps away from it. -)how time Harriet0 said 1aye in a cool voice. -#f you hadn0t been so nosy it would not have come to that.0 -?on0t tell me you feel sorry it has come to that 0 Harriet said still playing for time though she did not hold much hope of anybody coming to her rescue now. )he no longer felt she was a player in a film. 1or her there would be no cops arriving in the nick of time no cavalry to ride her to safety. This was real. !nd time seemed to be accelerating. 7hat0s it like to be rent to pieces by a water&wheel/ she wondered. #s death instantaneous/ ?oes one have time to feel the pain/ !nd what if # don0t die but remain maimed for ever/

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)he heard 1aye0s voice. -"f course # feel sorry it0s come to that. # valued your company you know that.0 Her voice was flat like a recorded voice. The woman0s @uite mad thought Harriet. )he saidM -$ou valued my company but you won0t have any compunction about killing me.0 -2o no compunction. 'ut no satisfaction either. # am not a sadist Harriet. # don0t en%oy killing. 'ut # can0t afford to let you live.0 )he gestured towards the window. -(limb onto the window&sill.0 -Try to make me 0 said Harriet her anger rising and mixing explosively with her fear. 1aye brutally poked Harriet in the stomach with the mu33le of her gun. -Lp # said.0 )he poked again. Harriet positioned her leg into kicking position again but 1aye had learnt her earlier lesson and moved swiftly away keeping the gun still pointed at the other woman. -Lp0 she said. )uddenly there was a noise on the stairs below and a voice cried out -HarrietO Harriet are you there/ !re you all right/0 Taken by surprise 1aye wheeled towards the door forgetting about Harriet who lunged at her tripped her with a football tackle that would have made her son proud of her and brought the older woman to the ground. They fought for possession of the gun. Harriet was younger and heavier but 1aye had going for her the type of determination that is born of despair. 1rom the staircase the voice continued to shout. Harriet did not recogni3e it did not even stop to think whether it was a man0s or a woman0s. -Lpstairs in the attic 0 she shouted back hoping her strangled voice would carry and trying to wrestle the weapon away from 1aye0s hands. 7hen the door flew open the women on the floor were caught fro3en in the light that suddenly flooded the room. "n the threshold stood Emily in a dressing&gown her hair in disarray her chest heaving. #n both hands she was holding a household broom. Harriet was so transfixed that for a second her grip on the barrel of the gun slipped. 5ike lightning 1aye shoved her aside brutally and wrenched the weapon to herself. Harriet rolled away from her and like a (hinese acrobat %umped up and landed on her feet. #nstinctively she held her fists parallel to each other readying for the fight. Her fear was gone

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and she was bla3ing with anger. 8eanwhile 1aye too had got to her feet and cocking the gun was advancing towards her. -"h my <od 1aye 0 cried Emily from the door.-Have you gone @uite mad/0 )he rushed into the room and tried to grab the gun from 1aye. !s the two women struggled and Harriet looked around for something to hurl at 1aye there was a loud bang. Harriet turned round in time to see Emily fall in a heap to the floor. )he had stopped moving and a large red stain was spreading on the front of her dressing&gown. Harriet stood there all feelings fro3en. -2ow will you get up on the window&sill you bloody woman/0 panted 1aye. Harriet found her voice. !nd with it her feelings returned. -2o # won0t. That0s enough0 she said @uietly. -There0s been enough bloodshed.0 -7hat have # got to lose now/ Lp you go.0 )he waved the gun at her. -<o on. 4umpO0 Harriet looked out of the window. #n the dark all she could see was the white froth of water billowing around the water wheel. .erhaps she thought if # dive out far enough # can avoid being torn apart by the wheel. -Lp Harriet. 4ump0 The voice was not harsh now but sly persuasive. #0ll be damned if # go like a lamb to the slaughter thought Harriet to herself. -2o # shan0t get up there0 she said roundly. -!nd # shan0t %ump. $ou0ll have to shoot me 1aye like you0ve %ust shot poor old Emily. !nd # won0t give much for your .lan ' when you do.0 1aye wide&eyed took aim with the gun held at arm0s length. Harriet stood facing her thinking This is it then. )he took a deep breath hoping that if she held it for a few seconds she would not feel the bullet when it hit her. ?espite her resolution to die looking her murderer in the face she closed her eyes.There was a great rush of blood in her ears then a sudden blast. )he had time to think -# am dead.0 7hen the air around her resounded with voices and noise and she smelled the scent of cordite she thought # am not dead after all and opened her eyes. 1aye was lying on the floor a couple of steps away. Her torso seemed to have been blown away. #n the doorway Roussel was crouching a handgun held in both hands. 'ehind him were other people other guns. The cavalry had arrived.

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CHAPTER 34 Harriet0s heels clicked on the tiled floor of the hospital corridor. )he0d worn heels today chic #talian sandals she0d bought in .aris. !nd a skirt. )he was still very shaken from the drama of the night before had hardly slept but she was damned if she was going to look the way she felt. 7hen she walked into 5eo0s room she found Roussel installed there looking relaxed and chatting with her former husband. #n his massive hand he held a glass of white wine. #t was a stemmed glass none of those unbreakable hospital beakers. )o he must have brought it himself as well as the bottle that was standing on 5eo0s bedside table next to another glass. Harriet smiled at Roussel and pecked 5eo on the cheek peering down at him. He looked betterM his skin had lost that pasty pallor the whites of his eyes were clear and he sported a wide grin. His bruises however were resplendent. -4esus 5eo 0 said Harriet drawing a visitor0s chair to the side of his bed -you look like a featherweight that0s been sat upon by a behemoth.0 -)o glad to see you0re back in fighting form old girl.0 Roussel who0d politely got up when she0d entered the room con%ured up another stemmed glass filled it with wine and handed it to Harriet. Harriet0s feeling of unreality that had been flooding her at odd moments for the last twelve hours came back but she smiled and accepted the drink. -Here 8rs 4ames 0 said Roussel -you deserve a toast.0 -7e all deserve a toast (ommandant. !nd it0s 9Harriet:.0 He smiled and said -Harriet0 softly though she thought it must have gone against the grain to be so informal. -!nd you are/0

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-.ierre.0 .erversely Harriet having %ust insisted that they should be on first&name terms knew she0d find it very difficult to call him -.ierre0. -(ommandant0 suited him better* it went with his large frame and his authority. !nd the fact that in true hero fashion he had arrived to save her in the nick of time. 'ut this new situation was her doing and she had to deal with it. 4ust & and this was far more serious & as she was going to have to deal with the shock of discovering what 1aye0s role had been in the mayhem of the last five days. They raised their glass to each other and Harriet helped 5eo drink. The wine was extremely good cold and astringent with the mineral taste typical of the sauvignon grape. -! )aint&'ris/0 she asked/ -$es a seven&year&old wine from my father0s vineyard.0 -#t0s awfully good (ommandant # mean .ierre. Really delicious.0 Harriet fought off an overwhelming feeling of strangeness. Roussel peered at her his eyes shrewd and tired. He couldn0t have had much sleep either. -How are you feeling er Harriet/ ?id you manage to get any sleep/0 -!n hour or so this morning. 8y mind kept going round and round trying to piece things together.0 Roussel nodded then said -$es well this is the reason #0m here today. Quite apart from wanting to check on 5eo 8s 5indberg and (laude !lain # dropped in to try and explain what we think happened in the last five days and how it all came about. )ome of it0s con%ecture of course since 8iss ?unning is no longer alive to confirm or deny....0 There was a thick silence in the room. He stopped for a moment and added -!re you up to hearing about it now or would you prefer it if we left it for a day or so/ $ou0ll need to go and make a formal statement soon.0 -2ow0s all right with me 0 said Harriet @uietly. 5eo nodded. -7ell the good news 0 said Roussel settling back in his chair -is that 8s 5indberg had an emergency operation last night and is out of danger0 -# know said Harriet. -#0ve %ust been in to see her. They0ve taken her out of #ntensive (are already and she0s in a room in the general section.0 -$es 0 said Roussel -fortunately the bullet did not touch any vital organ. 7as she awake when you saw her/0 -$es but very weak. 7e talked a bit. #0ll go and see her again later this afternoon.0 -)he tried to save your life Hattie 0 remarked 5eo.

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-# know. !nd #0m very grateful.0 Harriet was silent for a few seconds. -'ut #0m still angry that she carried on with 4ulian under my nose for two yearsO0 she added defiantly. -7ell hardly under your nose 0 ob%ected 5eo. -They 9carried on: as you say in 5ondon. # hope you0re not going to give her a hard time over it when she recovers. 8y advice is that you stop fretting about it. Turn the page Hat. 'oth of you know the score you can take it from there.0 -That might be a little difficult 0 said Harriet darkly. -'ut #0ll try.0 Roussel asked -?id 8s 5indberg tell you what caused her to go to the mill last night/0 -$es. # told you last night that # dropped in on Emily after dinner with 1aye. !fter #0d gone and Roland (ochin had gone she put the lights out in her house prior to going to bed. )he was standing by her study window looking out into the street when she thought she saw 1aye and me go by. #t was dark but she could still see a little. 1aye had her mac wrapped around something and was poking me in the ribs with it. Emily thought it very strange. )he tried to go to bed but it kept nagging at her. )o she decided to come up to the mill and see whether # was all right. The rest you know.0 )he was silent for a while then added -# don0t believe that0s quite the whole picture but #0m not going to @uarrel with it.0 -7hat do you mean/0 asked Roussel. -7ell 0 said Harriet twirling her glass in her fingers -the reason # had dropped in to see Emily was that # wanted to tell her in no uncertain terms what # thought of her for carrying on with 4ulian whilst professing to feel a certain friendship towards me.0 -"h (hrist Hattie 0 said 5eo wearily. -Emily was never your friend. )he was %ust a social ac@uaintance.0 -7ell 0 retorted Harriet defiantly and not @uite truthfully -# considered her a friend of sorts. !nyway when # went to see her Roland (ochin was there so # couldn0t tell her anything. 'ut # think she could see # was upset and wanted to have it out with her. # believe that after Roland went home this niggled at her and when she saw me go by with 1aye and 1aye behaving so oddly it was perhaps a way of....0 -"f making up for it/0 asked Roussel. -.erhaps.0 5eo snorted with derision. -$ou0ve got it all wrong. 1irst Emily was never really a friend of yours. )econd she0s got no conscience so atonement does not come into it. 'ut # do believe

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she is both brave and intelligent so when she twigged on that 1aye was behaving threateningly towards you she put two and two together reali3ed 1aye was the murderer and rushed to your rescue without hesitation. #f this doesn0t change the course of your present relationship # don0t know what will. However if your little 4udeo&(hristian mind feels happier thinking that she came to your rescue in order to 9make up: for the distress she and 4ulian caused you feel free to do so. 8ore fool you.0 Harriet looked down at her hands. 5eo0s criticism rankled especially because it echoed what 1aye had said the night before about her -conventional mind0. #s that how people saw her/ That was anothing thing she0d have to deal with. )he sighed wistfully. -$es well....# do think she was very brave to try and wrench the gun away from 1aye.0 -7ould you not have done the same thing if it had been the other way round and Emily had been in danger/0 asked 5eo. -# suppose # would have 0 answered Harriet taken aback. -$es of course # would have. This has nothing to do with my anger at her behaviour. "f course #0d have rushed to help.0 'efore 5eo could comment the door opened and Sach strode in holding a huge bunch of indigo anemones. He looked wonderful tall chestnut&haired bearded. He put the flowers on the window&sill was introduced to Roussel came up to 5eo pecked him cautiously on the cheek then turning to his mother wrapped her in his arms and held her tight. -<ood old 8um 0 he muttered his face in her hair. -Ever ready for fun and games. $es0 he added when he saw Harriet0s expression -8ado told me what happened when # dropped my luggage at 5a Tuilerie an hour ago. $ou0d already gone. )he drove me here by the way. # could hardly believe what she told me. How on earth did all this come about/0 -2evermind that 0 said Harriet -7hen did you grow that beard/0 -#n the last month. ?o you like it/0 -Gery much. 8akes you look like that Raphael double portrait in the 5ouvre.0 He looked at 5eo shaking his head in wonder. -)he0ll never change will she ?ad/ !oujours la r#rence artistique9 He sat down and looked at his parents. -5ook at you both. (an0t leave you alone for a second. Real liabilities you areO0 'ut Harriet could tell he was happy to see them both side by side. #t had been a long time since the three of them had been together.

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-!s family reunions go 0 said Sach looking around the hospital room. -#0ve seen better venues.0 -7e0ll celebrate when they discharge me 0 said 5eo. -!nd # like your hair 0 Sach said nodding at Harriet. -<ives you a devil&may&care look.0 Roussel handing Sach a glass of wine said -.erhaps #0ll leave you to it and come back later.0 -2o noO0 said Harriet and 5eo simultaneously Harriet addingM -.lease stay. Sach has to hear what happened. !nd we all want to know how the whole thing hangs together.0 !fter Sach had brought in another chair from the waiting&room and sat down by his mother nursing his glass of sauvignon 5eo saidM -(ommandant... # mean .ierre. #s it completely over/0 -$es 0 said Roussel soberly. #t0s over. There0s no doubt that 8iss ?unning murdered 4ulian Holbrook and Henri (arteau set fire to 8onsieur !lain0s house and engineered your accident 5eo.0 This was not greeted with any exclamations of relief but by a long silence which was broken when Harriet asked -Have the 7illiamsons been set free/0 -#0m afraid not. They0ve been cleared of the suspicion of murder attempted murder and arson but are still being held on other charges.0 -7hat other charges/0 -#0m not free to discuss these at the moment but rest assured that they are real and have absolutely nothing to do with the murders and the other incidents which were all 8iss ?unning0s work.0 Roussel went on after a while. -"f course we0re still gathering facts and evidence. There are always loose ends that must be tidied up and explained at the end of an investigation. 'ut we found some diaries in 8iss ?unning0s study that have helped us shed light on her motivations.0 -"h she told me about that 0 interrupted Harriet. -)he was afraid that 4ulian or later 5eo would claim her discovery for themselves.0 -?on0t interrupt Harriet 0 said 5eo. -Harriet is right 0 said Roussel. -8iss ?unning0s motive was fear and self&protection. 1ear of seeing the one thing that really counted in her life taken away from her.0 -?o the diaries describe the murders/0 asked Sach.

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-2o they stop %ust before the first murder. 'ut they give us a picture of her life which helps to understand what she eventually did and prior to that how she herself came to make her own discoveries about the 8a[tre de Roilly.0 -How is 8onsieur !lain/0 asked Harriet. -Harriet will you please stop interrupting0 said 5eo fidgeting in his bed. -He seems to be responding satisfactorily to his new treatment 0 Roussel answered Harriet. -?r (oste whom # met on my way up here has great hopes of an improvement.0 -7hat0s going to happen to him when he0s discharged/0 -He0ll be relocated in a flat in Roilly while his house is being rebuilt.0 -7as it insured/0 asked Sach. -$es to everyone0s ama3ement it was indeed insured. ?espite his incapacitation 8onsieur !lain appears to have a great deal of common sense. !s a matter of fact this crisis may turn out to be a blessing in disguise for he is beginning to relate to people. The fact that the treatment is reducing some of his more distressing symptoms helps. 7hat0s more the whole town of Roilly is now getting mobili3ed in order to help rebuild his house. They have taken what happened to him very much to heart. #t0s as if they0ve suddenly woken up to the fact that he is one of their own.0 Harriet sighed. -?o you think that the fact that the culprit turned out to be a foreigner will cause a wave of xenophobia in the area/0 Roussel shrugged with a kind of tired helplessness. -.ossibly. 'ut # don0t think so. !nd if it does it won0t last.0 -$ou said %ust now 0said Harriet -that it0s as if the townspeople have %ust woken up to the fact that 8onsieur !lain is one of their own. ?o they know that he is the descendant of the Roilly sculptors/0 -7hat/0 said Sach incredulously. -)h let .ierre get on with his story Sach 0 said his mother. -#0ll tell you all the details later.0 -#n answer to your @uestion no 0 said Roussel to Harriet. -2obody outside the investigation apart from the three of you knows about this yet. #t won0t be long however before the media find out. !nd then (laude !lain will become an instant celebrity. !t least in 'urgundy. .ossibly also in the rest of 1rance. 5et0s hope he0ll be able to cope with that. 'ut how did you yourself work it out Harriet/0 -.honetically 0 said Harriet laconically.

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Roussel smiled. -That0s how # worked it out too.

!nd by the way 0 & he looked at 5eo

& -the family documents that 8iss ?unning stole from (laude !lain0s house before torching it show that the man who sculpted the soldiers & your <uglielmus Haslinus or <uillaume Haslin0 =Roussel pronounced it the 1rench way -!lin0 or -!lain0> as he was known & and the 8a[tre de Roilly whose name was !ntoine Haslin were brothers. !ntoine was the second brother and the most brilliant. He took the head of the family workshop when he was only about +C. $our <uillaume who was the eldest brother went to <ermany for his apprenticeship then came back and worked both in the family workshop and as an independent sculptor. Eventually he travelled & hence his probable presence in )pain which got you 5eo interested.0 Roussel took a sip of wine and continued -!s for the third hand you detected in the figures of 4oseph of !rimathea and 2icodemus it belonged to yet a third brother 1ranTois. There were three sisters and two other brothers so eight siblings altogether & same number as the figures in the main monument come to think of it.. 'oth of the other brothers were described as -dments, madmen% 7e0ll probably never be able to prove it but #0ll wager that they were suffering from Tourette0s syndrome.0 -7hy .ierre all this is fantastic newsO0 cried Harriet. 5eo said nothing but sat back with a curious smile. Harriet glancing at him could see excitement satisfaction that he had been on the right track but also wistfulness that someone else had got there before him. )he had no doubt that it would take him a long time to come to terms with that. )he ached for him. He said -They must have used one another as modelsM the healthy members of the family as models for (hrist and the seven mourners and the T) members as models for the soldiers.0 -That0s what put me on the right track 0 said Roussel. -(laude !lain0s face in repose is an almost exact replica of the head of )t 4ohn. 7hen he has those tics and fits he looks %ust like the soldiers. #t is ama3ing that family traits have remained so true over the centuries.0 -They must have been very inbred 0 suggested Sach. -$es 0 said Roussel. -That0s what ?r (oste says.0 -"ne of the sick brothers must also have posed for the statue of )t Roch 5eo found at (ousy0 remarked Harriet. -He too is grimacing as if in pain.0 5eo agreed. -They must have lived in a very closed family community 0 he added after a moment -!nd in autarchy. They even had their material to hand the family house being a stone0s throw =forgive the pun> away from the @uarry.0

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Roussel nodded. -There0s more 0 he added nodding to 5eo with a smile in his eye. -The second brother the one we call the 8a[tre de Roilly !ntoine Halins the family. 'ut not <uillaume.0 -2ot of the plagueO0 exclaimed 5eo. -$' oui% 7ith his bandaged shoulder and arm 5eo could not clap. 'ut he beamed. -7ell done .ierre. That had been a brilliant inspired guess.0 #n an aside to Harriet and Sach he said -This was one of the (ommandant0s selfless contributions to my research. He found out there had been a resurgence of the plague in this area in the last years of the fifteenth century and wondered whether the 8a[tre de Roilly had not been a victim of the epidemic since no other work by him had been found.0 -(ongratulations .ierre0 smiled Harriet. -$our talents as a detective are many&facetted and far&reaching. 7as all this information included in the article 1aye was supposed to send to Connaissance des )rts, -$es but she0d got it from a bunch of late fifteenth&century papers we found =in ama3ingly good condition> in an old leather box which 8onsieur !lain will have to identify and which 8iss ?unning must have stolen from his house before it was torched. #n fact we think she torched the house in order to hide the theft of those papers and other ob%ects such as sculptors0tools that probably belonged to the 8a[tre de Roilly and his brothers and the stone dog you found Harriet.0 -)o 8onsieur !lain himself knew about his ascendants 0 ventured Sach. -2o. 1rom what 8iss ?unning said in one of her diaries he was unaware of the importance of those papers. They didn0t interest him. They were difficult to read anyway to one not used to fifteenth&century writing. He %ust knew they were old family papers and he allowed her to look through them once when he invited her home after she had given him a lift. That0s when # suspect 8iss ?unning had her revelation and decided she would be the one to officially identify the 8a[tre de Roilly.0 -7as that in the diaries/0 -$es she did write about her feelings on discovering the hard evidence of those family papers. !nd the tools of course. These still need to be dated but according to 8iss ?unning0s diary (laude !lain told her they had been passed on from father to son for generations.0 did die soon after the monument was completed. !s by the way did the third brother 1ranTois and other members of

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-They were in the cupboard in 1aye0s study 0 said Harriet with a grim face -with 5eo0s green notebook. The dog was on a shelf and # recogni3ed it as being a twin to the dog featured in the )t Roch statue and in the soldiers0 group.0 Sach shook his head in wonder. -Talk of autarchy. They even used the family dog as a model. # suppose the boys0 mama posed for the Girgin 8ary and one of the wives & or perhaps a sister posed for that sexy 8ary 8agdelene. That would help push along the inbreeding. ?oes 1aye go anywhere with that in her paper/0 -2o 0 said Roussel. Her paper is rather restrained and tentative since it was mostly written before she actually stole the !lain family papers. )he had only consulted them once enough to be able to identify the 8a[tre de Roilly and place his death during the plague epidemic. #n fact whatever she might have boasted to 4ulian Holbrook on that fateful Tuesday night her article is still only a draft.0 5eo0s eyes were shining with excitement. -7ill # be able to consult the papers/0 he asked. -$es as soon as the instruction is closed. 'ut #0ll sneak photocopies to you before that if you promise to delay publication until everything0s wrapped up.0 -# promise 0 said 5eo solemnly. - That0s really good of you .ierre. # owe you.0 5eo had spoken @uietly but suddenly thought Harriet you could see that nothing else counted for him. !rt history had always been -the "ther 7oman0 in his life. )he knew that eventually the excitement of the news would give way to disappointment that he himself had not been the one to discover the connection and the identity of the Roilly sculptors. 'ut knowing 5eo as she did she felt sure that 1aye0s part in the discovery would not go unacknowledged and that his own research would add considerably to what she had found out. !s for the disappointment he0d have to deal with it in his own way and at his own pace. There was a light knock at the door and ?r (oste appeared. )he was introduced to 5eo and Sach both of whom looked up with no uncertain interest as the attractive young doctor stood looking at Harriet. -# heard you were visiting 8r 4ames. 4ust wanted to see how you were. !pparently you had a rough time last night.0 -7ell 0 said Harriet -it could have been worse. Have you seen Emily 5indberg/.0 -$es # %ust came from her. )he0s doing as well as she can given the circumstances. )he0ll be fine in a few days.0 -!nd 8onsieur !lain/0

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! wide smile lit up her features. -"h psychologically.0

he0s doing splendidly. .hysically and

-$ou know you may have an after&effect reaction after your ordeal 0 she said to Harriet. -?on0t hesitate to come and see me.0 -# won0t0 Harriet promised. -Then #0ll be on my way.0 7ith a brief nod at the men and a smile for Harriet she was out of the room. -7ish she were my doctor 0 muttered Sach. -1orgive me 0 he said to Roussel. -# came on board rather late in this drama and # patched up what # could from what my parents and 8ado told me. (ould you perhaps sum up for me what actually happened how 1aye came to do what she did/0 Roussel hesitated. -8aybe another day. # don0t want to tire your parents. #0ve overstayed my visit as it is.0 -"h #0m not feeling the least bit tired 0 said Harriet. -!re you 5eo/0 7hen 5eo shook his head she said to Roussel -.lease don0t go0. Roussel sighed. -!ll right then. 'ut # think we can all do with a little sustenance. 5et me fetch some coffee for us all.0 -#0ll do it 0 said Sach springing to his feet and disappearing down the corridor. Roussel smiled at Harriet -2ice kid.0 -Hey 0 mumbled 5eo -he0s my boy too.0 -2ice kid 0repeated Roussel smiling at 5eo. RRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR 7hen Sach came back with coffee for them all and an assortment of 8ars bars and other confectionery from the machine at the end of the corridor Roussel started. -#t0s a sad story. !t least # find it so. #0ve met many murderers some of them monsters but # find myself shrinking from bringing too harsh a moral %udgement upon 8iss ?unning.0 5eo snorted . -)he was a ruthless killer.0 -$es she was a ruthless killer there0s no doubt about that but # wonder whether her life & and her victims0 lives & would not have taken a different turn had she not in a moment of

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drunken exhilaration thrown caution to the wind and talked indiscreetly in the ear of someone she knew or should have known to be untrustworthy.0 -$ou mean 4ulian.0 This came from Sach. -$es and we0ll come to him in a moment. 2othing in her life prior to that fatal Tuesday evening dinner&party at 8iss 5indberg0s predisposed her to suddenly acting out her fear rage and frustration. Hers was an unhappy life by some standards but the large ma%ority of unhappy people never become killers. #n the early diaries and letters #0ve leafed through and which go back a long way =# am yet to read them all properly> 8iss ?unning comes out as a plain lonely girl shy and unassertive. !n only child born when her parents were already past their prime. ! well& to&do middle class background. Her father was a conservative even reactionary %udge a cold husband an even colder father. Her mother was by health and inclination an invalid a sort of neurotic Gictorian relic whose only exercise when 1aye was little was taking tea in the roof garden in ?erry and Toms =whatever that may have been> when they lived right opposite Hyde .ark in one of those large mansion flats. ! mother who in her late forties when 1aye was eight was diagnosed as suffering from Tourette0s )yndrome.0 -# didn0t know that 0 said Harriet @uickly. -2o 0 said Roussel. -8iss ?unning didn0t talk about it. 2or did she write much about how her mother0s illness affected her. 'y all accounts she was very discreet about her history and about herself which makes her drunken 9indiscretion: on Tuesday night all the more intriguing. )he did volunteer that information to me though when # went to interview her. # wondered why then and # still wonder why. 7as it an unguarded moment/ 7as she offering me a glimpse of her own unhappy life in order to lull any suspicions # might have harboured/ #t could have been due to a do3en reasons & it doesn0t matter now.0 He took a sip of coffee. #t was hot and scalded his tongue. -)he went to a girl0s public school and later was denied university because her father didn0t believe in women0s education. )he dreamt of "xford and went on dreaming of "xford right until the end.0 Harriet looked sad 5eo unconvinced Sach interested. He sat forward in his hard hospital chair with his elbows on his thighs and his chin propped on his hands the sunlight da33ling on his chestnut hair which was so much like his mother0s. Roussel went on. -)he led a lonely life as an unpaid housekeeper for her parents and a carer for her mother. Her main distractions were art & exhibitions and lectures at week&ends when her father relieved her & endless reading and music. )he was painfully aware of her plainness.

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)he had no boyfriend until she was twenty&four. Then at a concert at the 1estival Hall she met an !merican from Kentucky. He was a bit older a businessman and from her description not exactly love0s young dream. 'ut he must have seemed like a ticket out of her narrow existence. They became engaged much to her parents0 chagrin. Her father tried to persuade her she was making a mistake but she didn0t want to hear. Lnder duress a fulltime carer&cum&housekeeper was found to look after 8rs ?unning. Things became a little easier for 1aye. !fter a few months in 5ondon where he had come to open a branch of his business her fiancA & Ed & went back to the )tates in order to prepare for her arrival there. ! month later he wrote calling off the whole thing.0 Roussel took another sip from his plastic cup. This time the temperature was right but the taste was foul. He perched his cup on the windowsill. -4udge ?unning unable to conceal his %oy announced that he intended to dismiss the carer. 1aye stood up to him & a new development in her life. )he threatened to leave home if he did and the housekeeper stayed. )he looked for work in order to get out of the house and to try and put some money aside for future independence. 'ut she had no formal education and no training. )ecretarial work was an option she would not consider because she was inordinately proud of her hands and did not want to cut her nails short. Her hands were the only part of her anatomy which she could bear to look at. )he read an article about people who modelled various parts of their body for maga3ines and publicity and enrolled in an agency which found her various assignments as a hand model.0 Roussel nodded at Harriet who nodded back grimly. -?id you know about that/0 asked 5eo of Harriet. -$es 1aye did tell me about that curious part of her life once. 'ut en passant% !nd (ommandant Roussel and # discussed it once. <o on .ierre.0 -This became a career of sorts. # can well understand it. )he still had ex@uisite hands when # met her.0 -$et she loved gardening tinkering and ?#$. Things that are not kind to your hands 0 said Harriet. -$es we all know about t'at.0 This came from 5eo. -)he always wore gloves 0said Roussel. -!nd # think that she was not only proud of her hands as beautiful features but also as efficient tools. )he was good to her hands and good (it' her hands. )he took pride in doing practical work.0

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He paused briefly then added. -# can0t help feeling that this curious career with its fracturing of one0s self&image into acceptable and non&acceptable parts may have led to a sort of splitting of the self though # daresay a psychoanalyst would argue that any splitting would have occurred probably much earlier later.0 Harriet stirred.-To cut a long story short 0 resumed Roussel -8iss ?unning continued to live at home. Eventually as she got older there were fewer opportunities in hand modelling. Her father retired and became more difficult. Then her mother developed cancer and 1aye did a lot of the nursing. 7hen her mother died about ten years ago she remained alone with her father. 'y then he was getting senile. 8iss ?unning refused to consider looking for a nursing&home for him and became resigned to her life. 7hen he died barely a year after his wife 8iss ?unning inherited the Kensington flat a handsome investment portfolio and @uite a tidy sum of money.0 He took a small pause and then went on. -1rom the diaries # get the feeling that she went a little mad. )he started splurging. )he bought paintings & she had ac@uired a taste for auction rooms when she still had modelling %obs & and some good anti@ue %ewellery mostly rings and bracelets sold the flat and retired to one of the @uietest and most 9modest: parts of 1rance she could find.0 Roussel smiled at Harriet who winked back imperceptibly. Lndeterred he went on. -!t 5a Tuilerie 8iss ?unning found peace. !nd eventually friendship.0 He nodded in Harriet0s direction. -4ust before she forced me to walk back to the mill last night 0 said Harriet @uietly -she told me she didn0t need friends. !nd # believed her. 'ecause by then she0d become a monster in my eyes.0 Roussel said after a moment0s reflexion -# think we have to make a difference between what 8iss ?unning was like in her relation with you before she became a murderer and the person she turned into after she crossed that line. #t may after all have to do with that splitting of the ego or whatever one might want to call it. # do believe Harriet that she was genuinely fond of you. 7hether she 9needed you: or other friends is a different issue. 'ut she (as fond of you. )he considered you a friend. #t was only when you became a threat to her that she turned against you.0 in childhood. 2evertheless 0 he continued after a moment0s reflection -# suspect that 8iss ?unning0s career has some obscure significance to what happened

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Harriet looked upset. -Here we are again in those difficult grey areas. <ive me black and white issues any day.0 )he found her eyes were watering and wiped them impatiently with her fingers. - <o on with your story .ierre.0 Roussel went on -# think art & and literature but to a lesser degree & was the passion of 8iss ?unning0s life & at least in the latter part of her life. )he read omnivorously. Her later diaries show that there was something almost unremitting about her pursuit of knowledge.0 -#f there was 0 said Harriet -it all.0 -)he would have beenO )he had an inferiority complex the si3e of the Rit3. Especially with people like 8r Holbrook and 8r 4ames around. 7hat she craved for was a pro%ect of her own. )he knew she wasn0t creative enough to be a painter or a writer. 'ut when one day she gave a lift to (laude !lain and looked at him & really looked at him which few people do because they0re afraid of him & she discovered that he bore the most ama3ing resemblance to the statues in the Roilly crypt. The rest followed. That0s how her pro%ect came to lifeM she was going to be the person who revealed to the world of art history the identity of the 8a[tre de Roilly. !nd as she was as single&minded as she was modest she pursued that activity with passion without anyone else being any the wiser.0 -)he never breathed a word about it to any of us 0 said Harriet. -"f course not she couldn0t afford to. )he was afraid you0d all laugh at her. !n amateur among professionals/ ! 'and model among the intelligentsiaO0 -$ou make us sound like a bunch of dreadful snobs 0 said Harriet. -7ell aren0t you/0 asked Sach. His mother shot him a 5ook. -.robably because she had already drafted the piece she intended to send to Connaissance des )rts, she could not resist bragging about it to of all people 4ulian Holbrook. Holbrook whose manipulativeness was not something she was unaware of. # wonder there if there wasn0t some sort of deathwish at work in that act of indiscretion.0 -2ow you0re being too psychoanalytical for my taste .ierre 0 protested 5eo. -He may not be wrong 0 said Harriet thoughtfully. -# find it very strange that 1aye who was such a control freak at all times should have allowed that control to slip with of all people 4ulian. !nd about a sub%ect she kept so close to her chest.0 -7hat happened then/0 asked Sach. never showed. 7e knew she was well&read and knowledgeable about a lot of things & art anti@ues literature. 'ut she was very modest about it

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-The diaries stop %ust after that Tuesday dinner&party. 7hat we can surmise is that after a sleepless night aware that she might see everything she had built over the last few years collapse when & not i# but ('en P 4ulian Holbrook the relentless hunter of self&proclaimed art historians stumbled on her discovery and ridiculed her or even worse claimed it #or 'imsel#, she decided to kill him. #t might have been poetic %ustice to have killed 8r Holbrook with the 8a[tre de Roilly0s sledge&hammer but first she hadn0t stolen the tools yet at that point and second it might have been too much like desecration for her to use the sculptor0s tool to kill. )he killed for her own survival in a way not for en%oyment.0 -$es 0 said Harriet thoughtfully -she told me that. 4ust before she ordered me to %ump out of the window 0 she added bitterly. -#0m not with you there .ierre0 said 5eo roundly. -To my mind you0re getting carried away by your empathy for the woman. ! killer0s a killer. )he was a monster. !nd had you not arrived in the nick of time Harriet here would.....00 -$ou0re right to be angry with her 5eo. !nd # don0t empathi3e with her. 2ot really. # simply think that hers is a sad story.0 -'ollocksO0 muttered 5eo mulishly. -7ell to get back to my story 0 continued Roussel in the choice of a weapon to use on 8r Holbrook 8iss ?unning showed if not a certain originality at least some imagination. 1or she chose to imitate the heroine in a Roald ?ahl0s story who used a fro3en leg of lamb to off her unfaithful husband.0 -:5amb to the )laughter:0 said Harriet. -.recisely.0 Roussel beamed at her. -That was very clever of her. !s one of my assistants said to me unwittingly repeating the words of one of ?ahl0s policemen in the story 9<et the weapon and you0ve got the man.: #n the Holbrook case we never did get the weapon.0 -'ut you did get the woman 0 said Sach. -!fter a fashion0 conceded Roussel with reluctance. -#f the diaries stop before 1aye killed 4ulian 0 remarked 5eo -you0ll never be able to prove it.0 -2o. !s far as the Holbrook murder weapon is concerned our case is built on a hypothetical reconstruction. #t is however reinforced by the fact that the pathologist found a tiny piece of polythene in 8r Holbrook0 s head wounds & #0ll tell you about this in a minute. #t also remains hypothetical =though fairly certain> that 8iss ?unning waited probably behind the

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monument for 8r Holbrook to arrive on that fateful 7ednesday morning and killed him immediately at about 1C.CB.0 He looked around at his audience. -7hat is not hypothetical however is the weapon she used to murder young Henri (arteau with. #t was her own sledgehammer and despite her scrupulous cleaning of it the lab0s been able to match traces they found on it with (arteau0s blood.0 -?id she kill (arteau because he had seen her/0 asked Harriet. -$es. (arteau stole 8r Holbrook0s watch and wallet after he saw 1aye ?unning come out of the crypt. He recogni3ed her as an Englishwoman living in 5a Tuilerie blackmailed her and gave her an appointment at the @uarry where she was to hand over the money. 'efore she went to the @uarry she made sure she had an alibi of sortsM she brought some soup to Harriet and invited her to drop in on her later saying she0d be at home all evening.0 -)he must have been tickled pink that her so&called alibi was also witnessed by you .ierre 0 said 5eo. -?o you think that by then she had become caught up in the 9game: of murder/ .erhaps developed a taste for it/0 -2o # really think that she killed for her mental and emotional survival. 'ut as she was a perfectionist she took care of details.0 -7hat about torching 8onsieur !lain0s house/0 -)he had to get the box with the papers and the stone dog. )he needed tangible proof for her story. !nd she needed to hide the fact that the stuff had been stolen. (laude !lain would have noticed their absence. #n this endeavour too she tried to secure an alibi of sortsM she phoned Harriet from her mobile while she was still in the forest.0 -7ouldn0t 8onsieur !lain have stumbled on to her if she did get her article published/0 -# think she was banking on his disabilities and his unsophisticated reading.0 -)omeone might have told him.0 -)he probably decided to cross that bridge when she came to it. $ou have to reali3e that publishing her discovery had become an ide #i-e, the validation of her entire life. 7hen however she heard from 8r Gan Ri%n at her own drinks party on )aturday evening that 5eo had independently of her made a discovery that might lead to the identity of the 8a[tre de Roilly0 =Harriet blushed and 5eo looked pointedly at her> -she reali3ed that her pro%ect was in %eopardy again. )o she had to act at once.0 -How did you come to suspect 1aye/0 asked Harriet.

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Roussel shifted in his seat. -#t wasn0t through a straightforward deduction. ?espite what you read in fiction the process of deduction in a case like this is neither logical nor linear. Trying to apply Holmesian syllogisms is dangerous and misleading. 2ot only can it lead to absurd conclusions but it also represses possibilities other than the logical one you have deduced. 8y way of working uses logic when it0s inescapable but skirts around it most of the time. #t0s impressionistic and processes information as the case unfolds then my mind conscious and subconscious deals it out where and when it seems to find an echo. There is a 9click:. Eventually things add up and a pattern emerges.0 -# didn0t suspect 8iss ?unning seriously until yesterday 0 he said. -)he wasn0t high on my list of suspects.0 -2o # was 0 said Harriet drily. -$ou were indeed. $ou had plenty of motives.0 -)o did # but seemingly # had two unassailable alibis 0 added 5eo. -!s a witness 0 resumed Roussel -8iss ?unning came over as intelligent level&headed sincere and relaxed a lethal combination in a potential suspect. # couldn0t imagine what motive she might have had to wish Holbrook dead. 4ulian Holbrook0s murder though premeditated was # felt convinced a crime of passion. #ts violence reeked of a powerful emotion & extreme %ealousy lust anger fear or any emotion pitched at its highest. # could not imagine any such motive for (arteau0s 8iss ?unning whereas there was an overabundance of motives for the rest of you.

murder was something else. #t too was premeditated but it was carried out by someone with self&confidence and a cold mind. )o what we had was an extremely dangerous murdererM driven by passion of some sort but at the same time cold and efficient.0 ! nurse came to check 5eo0s pulse looked darkly at all the glasses and the bottle but decided to say nothing. 7hen she left Roussel resumed. -# had registered a number of small disparate facts about 8iss ?unning but not thought much about them. Her strength for instance & # saw her playing tennis at the 7illiamsons and was struck by her powerful backhand which made her a good candidate for the Holbrook murder. # had been to her house and visited her garden and # knew she was well&organi3ed meticulous and creative. # had also registered from what you told me Harriet that she0d had a difficult and frustrating life before coming to live in 1rance and that reaching the sort of serenity she found here must have cost her dearly. # had heard that she was knowledgeable about art. 1rom the beginning # had felt that the Roilly monument was an important feature in the investigation but # could not

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figure out how. #t was not until # made the connection between your <uglielmus Haslinus from (ousy and our (laude !lain that 8iss ?unning immediately came to mind. # knew she had 9befriended: (laude !lain giving him a lift every now and then and calling the newly&arrived ?r (oste0s attention on the possibility that he was suffering from Tourette0s )yndrome. #n fact # saw !lain leaving 5a Tuilerie one evening last week & on 1riday. # suspect he went to see 8iss ?unning or was lurking near her house. He must have developed a sort of obsession with her. The morning # went to interview her she had %ust come back from torching the !lain house. # noticed that she looked as if she0d %ust had a shower & her hair was still wet and she smelled of shampoo which was a little odd since it was eleven in the morning and she looked to me like an early riser.0 Roussel was thirsty. He sipped from his cup again. The coffee was cold and its vileness had not improved. He looked at his enthralled audience. -?is%ointed bits of information then taken in but not processed. Then last night one of my men reported that a witness living near the 1erme de la 1osse ?ionne in Tonnerre admitted he saw a person of indeterminate sex tinkering with your car 5eo in the night of )aturday to )unday. This person was neither 8r nor 8rs 7illiamson who at the time were being held for @uestioning as possible suspects. !t that point # felt that Harriet might be in danger and # rushed over to 5a Tuilerie. $ou 5eo had a police guard at your door =as had (laude !lain by the way>. $ou were safe for the time being though # felt it probable that sooner or later the murderer might have a second go at you. -7here Harriet was concerned the matter was now of the greatest urgency. .erhaps it was this urgency and the fact that my consciousness was less guarded that triggered on my way over to 5a Tuilerie one of those 9clicks: # mentioned earlier. $ou have to know that one of the unexplained evidence we had for the murder weapon in the Holbrook murder was a tiny piece of polythene found embedded in 8r Holbrook0s brain. The significance of this clue came to me as # was driving. # suppose because # was now considering 8iss ?unning as a strong contender my mind suddenly =forgive the image> regurgitated a morsel of information it had stored along with a billion othersM # remembered that when # was standing in 8iss ?unning0s living&room on )aturday morning looking at her pictures and books # had come across a number of familiar books and among them a collection of short&stories by Roald ?ahl.0 Roussel finished his coffee. -"ne of the tales # remembered from thirty years ago when # last read them was as you said %ust now Harriet 95amb to the )laughter:M the story of a

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policeman0s wife who is totally devoted to her husband. 7hen the latter tells her he is about to leave her for another woman she takes from her deep&free3e a leg of lamb and bashes him on the head with it. =#magine what an effective weapon a fro3en leg of lamb makes when it is swung with considerable force.> Then she calls in the police and tells them that when she came home from the grocer0s she found her husband lying dead on the floor. !s the police search the house the lamb is cooking in the oven and eventually she persuades her husband0s former colleagues to share the meal with her in memory of their friend.0 -That0s what she tried with me 0 Harriet said -when # went to her house to borrow a sleeping pill on the evening of 4ulian0s murder. # could smell roasting lamb and as # hadn0t eaten she offered me a piece.0 )he shuddered. -7hat a gruesome and perverse thing to have done. ?on0t tell me .ierre that she thought of me as a 9friend: at that point.0 -#0m not trying to excuse her. !nd you0re right there is a perverse touch there. 'ut # still maintain that she was fond of you until you became a threat to her.0 He straightened his back. -!ll this has taken a long time to explain but when the click happens it takes barely a second. #t0s like a light switch. (lick and # had a perfectly formed image of 8iss ?unning standing in the Roilly crypt with a fro3en polythene&wrapped leg of lamb in her hand using her strong back&hand drive to fell 8r Holbrook. Even if we lack the evidence to He sat back exhausted. 7hen an auxiliary entered the room with 5eo0s supper tray they all stirred as if startled from a trance. -7ellN.0breathed 5eo. -$uck 0 said Harriet looking at the tray. -(ome on ?ad 0 said Sach rising to his feet. -#t0s chow time. 7e0ll leave you to eat this magnificent meal in peace. Thank you (ommandant for this riveting account.0 -$eah thanks .ierre 0 said 5eo yawning with tiredness. -!nd thanks for getting there before you know what.0 He yawned again. -7hat a story eh/ !h well it0s all blood under the bridge now. Toodloo Hattie darling no more gadding about after murderers. 5ook after her Sach.0 RRRRRRRRR They left together Sach for some reason walking ahead out of earshot. prove it #0m convinced that this is how it happened.0

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-"h dear 0 said Harriet suddenly -#t0s 8onday. 7eren0t we supposed to go and see 8adame le 4uge this afternoon/0 Roussel smiled. -Lnder the circumstances it was cancelled. # %ust forgot to tell you. $ou will eventually be called to give evidence as a witness.0 -7ill you be there/0 asked Harriet. -.robably not.0 -Then # won0t see you again/0 )he looked forlorn. He stopped and looked at her unsure of himself all of a sudden. -# know what # shall do 0 she said with sudden energy. -"ne of these days when everything0s wrapped up and we can be ordinary people again # shall cook you a sumptuous meal to make up for the one we might have had on 1riday but didn0t.0 )he added with a sidelong look -#0m a very good cookO0 -Quite a flirt tooO0 )he smiled. -)o are you.0 He hesitated. -7hat about 5eo/0 -7hat about 5eo/ Sach will drive him home to 5ondon when they let him out of hospital.0 -!re you going to live with him again/0 )he looked up in surprise. -7hat with 5eo/0 -$es. $ou look very cosy together the three of you.0 -7ell we0re a family aren0t we/ 7e0ve got a shared history even if we don0t live together any longer.0 -7hy don0t you/0 )he looked levelly at him. -'ecause we don0t want to. 7e0re fine apart. #0m happy 5eo and # became reconciled & he was a great support this last week. 'ut neither of us has the slightest intention & or desire & to pick up where we left off four years ago.0 There was a long silence while they walked out of the hospital courtyard towards the car park. Roussel stole another glance towards Harriet. The weather had become fine again and the late&afternoon sun turned her hair abla3e and played hide&and&seek with the shape of her legs under her thin summer skirt. He found himself tongue&tied all of a sudden. There was so much he wanted to tell her. 'ut it had been a long time since he0d been in that position with a woman.

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He thought also of all troubling times ahead for her. )he would have to accept then digest the events of the last few days. )he would have to give herself time to grieve for the betrayals and loss of people she had cared for. !nd she would have to ad%ust to a new reality. They walked in silence to the car park where Sach was waiting by her red (lio. 4ust before they reached the car Roussel made up his mind. He took a deep breath looked at her steadily cleared his throat and saidM -?o you like %a33/0

THE END

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