‘Well then?’
‘First, what will you drink?’
‘Vodka with orange.’
Romero took a whisky, sat down in an armchair on the other side of the table, smiled at her. She drank a mouthful, still looking anxious.
‘What do you want, Romeo?’
‘To talk to you in peace. Things have been happening … And I think I may be under surveillance by the embassy. So, no public places. I don’t want to compromise you.’
‘Answer me honestly. Am I, in some way or another, responsible for Sener’s death?’ She looked anguished.
‘Certainly not.’
‘I should have told the ambassador about our conversation.’
‘Definitely not.’
‘Did you kill him?’
‘What makes you think that?’
‘You were in the Champs-Elysées.’
‘I was following him.’
‘Yes.’ She was not convinced.
It was the right moment. Don’t play the scene wrong.
‘I’ll tell you what I think about Sener’s murder. I certainly owe you that. First, I’m not a member of the Fraud Squad. I belong to an anti-drug unit …’
Yildiz, her eyes lowered, finished her drink. He refilled her glass.
‘We’ve been working for nearly three months in the Paris area. And we’ve found practically nothing, apart from a few small dealers. But on the way we’ve come across the networks. I won’t mention prostitution. And in the ready-to-wear business, in the Sentier.’ At this point, described Berican, Paulette and Sener in detail. A brilliant account. Yildiz laughed, she was moved. ‘That’s where you come in, Yildiz, and you helped me to follow Sener.’
‘You still haven’t explained to me who killed him, and why.’
‘I’m not at all sure. But we think the Berican workroom isn’t an isolated case. There’s probably a much wider network in which Sener was the kingpin. His associates liquidated him before we could interview him.’
‘All over selling a few clothes?’
‘But it all adds up to a lot of money.’ Yildiz looked sceptical.
‘And I need you for something else.’
‘Why?’ She was on her guard.
‘The embassy is concealing all the leads, to prevent a possible scandal. But two people know a lot about it, and they are Dogan Carim and Tahar Bodrum, who were with Sener in the Champs-Elysées. We think they were on their way to a business appointment linked to the dealing in the Sentier. We interviewed them but got nowhere.’
‘They’re attached to the embassy.’
‘We suspected it. And that’s why I need you. Who are those two men? Where were they living until yesterday? Who are their friends and acquaintances? Only you can supply me with a starting point from where I can go forward. Without you I’m stuck, I’ve come to a halt.’
‘I feel remorse, Romeo. I feel I acted wrongly. And it came to a bad end.’
‘I beg you to believe me, you didn’t act wrongly. Sener was always on the fiddle, all for money, and he was liquidated by his own buddies. Yildiz, help me.’
Silence. Yildiz stared fixedly at her glass and twiddled it round in her fingers.
‘I’ll do what I can, Romeo. Tomorrow.’
Romero stood up. Went towards the kitchen. Came back with a bouquet of red roses, knelt at Yildiz’ feet and placed the bouquet on her knees.
‘Yildiz, will you marry me?’
She was astonished.
*
When the cousin came back at midnight, as arranged, she found all the lights on, the dinner untouched in the kitchen. Romero and Yildiz, fast asleep, in her bed. The auburn hair spread out over the pillows and Romero buried beneath it.
25
8 a.m. Passage du Désir
Daquin was making coffee.
‘Well, Romero, where have you got to?’
‘Nothing very positive. The embassy’s blocking everything to do with our investigation, and they’re not bothering to be discreet about it. Because of that the Crime Squad drops it and pretends to believe in the attack by the Armenians. My contact at the embassy will bring me nothing.’ He paused. Bright image of Yildiz’ breasts, pale ringed nipples and endless freckles. ‘I think she’s been playing a double game from the start. She gave me a few clues while the ambassador was hoping we were going to get rid of Sener quietly for him. Now the scandal threatens to be too big and so it’s blackout.’
‘And you didn’t take any risks with her?’
‘No, none.’ A moment’s hesitation. ‘Still, that depends on what you call risk. I’ve asked her to marry me.’ Daquin waited for the follow-up. ‘And if she accepts, I’ll go through with it.’
‘When it’s all over, will you explain it to me?’
‘When it’s all over, I’ll introduce her to you. To come back to what I’m doing, I think the only way to go further is with Paulette or Martens.’
‘Paulette has committed suicide. She hanged herself at her home yesterday afternoon. Thomas wasn’t there and didn’t come back all night. He found her this morning when he returned.’
Once again Romero had to take in bad news. Why was this story so moving? Daquin went on: ‘There remains Martens. You can go and interrogate him if you’re sure he’s not in the network. Otherwise it’s too dangerous.’
‘In my opinion he’s not. Moreira doesn’t know him directly, his clients are very varied. He has his own business. Sener was the only member of the network whom he knew.’
‘Well, let’s play it like that. Your two acolytes in Drugs, Marinoni and Rimbot, will do the interview, which the three of you will prepare together. Try to sort it by the end of the day.’
9.30 a.m. Rue Raynouard
Daquin took Lavorel with him for a second search at Anna Beric’s place. They entered the apartment, Daquin went straight to the bedroom and opened one of the cupboards. The wickerwork trunk was still there, in the same place. Relief or disappointment?
‘Take a good look at that trunk, Lavorel. It’s the only thing I came here to see. Have you taken it in? The wickerwork, the corners, the clasp, the dimensions?’
*
Return in silence to passage du Désir. Daquin and Lavorel went straight down to the basement where a few objects involved in current investigations were kept.
‘There’s the trunk in which VL’s body was found.’
‘It’s the same as the one we’ve just seen at Anna Beric’s place. No possible doubt about it.’
‘When I saw it yesterday I thought it was Anna’s. It’s not hers, but it’s identical with it. We’re going to have a great many subjects of conversation with that lady.’
10 a.m. Rue des Jeûneurs
Attali went to Julie La Tour’s, the manufacturer where Virginie Lamouroux had been working on the morning of Friday 14 March and approached the boss.
‘I’m extremely sorry to disturb you again but yesterday we found the body of Virginie Lamouroux. She was killed on 14 March in the afternoon. As far as we know you were the last people to see her alive. So all the details are important, you understand?’
‘Certainly. How was she killed?’
‘She was whipped to death.’
‘No!!! Some sadist?’
‘No doubt.’
The manager called out to everyone: ‘We’re closing for half an hour, everyone in my office!’
The accountant, the secretary, two salesgirls, the cutter, the retoucher, the accessorist and the manager were all there.
Attali repeated the information for everybody. A weighty silence. Then the manager made an announcement: ‘I’ll try to describe that Friday morning. If anyone remembers the slightest detail, then tell us. Virginie arrived at 10 o’clock. She was always on time. She went up to the showroom with the retoucher. The models were already up there. I went up in my turn, I told her in which order to present the models and then I came down again.’