‘But always the cool one, that right?’ prompted Herr Kohler, nudging her, she drawing away from him sharply. ‘Never anything else,’ he continued. ‘Dangerous-wasn’t that what you said when I asked it of you? Damned dangerous?’
Again he touched her. Again she pulled away. ‘Well?’ he demanded.
‘Dangerous and brave. When flying over the Andes Mountains, he and … and the other pilots of that airmail service he worked for had to draw their own charts and make their own repairs if forced down by bad weather or engine failure.’
‘Or walk out, Louis.’
‘He … he had two ranches. The one much nearer to Buenos Aires was for cattle and horses, while the one far to the southwest in Patagonia was for sheep. He …’
‘Had a wife and two children,’ said Madame Rouget, sucking in a breath and waiting to see their reactions. ‘A wife who betrayed him.’
Had she tasted it? wondered Kohler, Louis too.
‘Maman, that is only a rumour,’ blurted Denise. ‘You know he mightn’t have done what Abelard told you and Madame de Brisac.’
‘He did! He didn’t make that night flight he was supposed to, but returned to his cattle ranch, Inspectors, and took care of that wife and the lover she had taken behind his back!’
‘He … he cut Riviere’s throat first as that one slept and then … then made her watch as he cut those of the children,’ said Denise, unable to keep the sadness from her voice, the heartache of it, thought Germaine. ‘Riviere was his boss. Only then did Monsieur Raymond cut her throat and burn the hacienda to the ground.’
‘She … she had repeatedly begged him to let her and the children return to France, was terribly lonely and didn’t even speak Spanish, but he … he wouldn’t listen,’ said Germaine emptily.
It was Denise who said, ‘He refused to give up everything for her.’
‘A rancher, Louis. Sheep and cattle. Successful and then broke, a naturalized Argentinian who had adopted the country as his own and then had to run because he was unable to stay.’
‘And what of Flavien Garnier, mademoiselle, and Hubert Quevillon?’
Had this Surete asked it thinking the worst of her, having seen it so clearly? ‘I felt more comfortable with Garnier than with his subordinate. Garnier is very direct, very thorough and businesslike. He … he doesn’t try to force himself on a woman, has a wife and grown children, is very professional and is not in any way …’
‘Threatening?’ prompted Louis gently.
Denise leaped to her feet, the look she gave pleading with her not to say anything, thought Germaine.
‘We know,’ grunted Rouget, tossing his cigar hand in dismissal. ‘What you two do in private is disgusting, in public …’
‘Hercule …’
‘Vivienne, that daughter of yours had best deny it right now. No men in her life beyond those first few unfortunate and fleeting attempts at normality? Mixed swimming parties and afternoon dances she didn’t want to attend and was mortified when she had to suffer through them and was pawed by some boy who only wanted to get his fingers sticky? Did you actually believe I wouldn’t notice her tears? A daughter of mine?’
‘Papa …’
A fist was clenched, the cigar stubbed out. ‘Just deny it. Don’t and I will disown you.’
Homosexuality wasn’t only against the law but a definite no-no, especially if admitted in front of an SS. ‘Garnier’s not like Quevillon, Louis, but is a veteran like the others. So where has the Agence Vidocq got Oona Van der Lynn, Standartenfuhrer, or are we to read about it in the press?’
Kohler’s attitude would never change. ‘That you will have to find out for yourselves on Monday at 1000 hours, the avenue Foch.’
12
They were now alone in the judge’s flat. ‘Oona, Louis,’ said Hermann. ‘The boys on your street. Your boys, mine too.’
They had perhaps a day, didn’t even know where any of the Agence Vidocq lived. Bien sur, Delaroche must have been told by Oberg to take Giselle, and when Garnier and Quevillon had failed-if they really had-Oona had been necessary.
‘Let me have that Surete blunderbuss of yours and the spares. Don’t argue.’
Fingers were impatiently snapped. Clearing things away on the judge’s coffee table, Hermann broke the Lebel and emptied it and the ‘brand-new’ packet of 11 mm, black-powder 1873s whose cartridges rolled about until silent. Spreading them, he muttered, ‘Verdigris. No wonder you people lost this war.’
It wasn’t a moment in which to disagree. It was 0422 hours Sunday, 14 February 1943 and they had until 1000 hours Monday. Shoving most of the cartridges to one side, Hermann chose six to reload and that … why that, of course, left only five as spares. A folded handkerchief was produced, a girl’s, a woman’s-clean, white, ironed and decorated with a diligent bouquet of beginner’s needlework.
‘Lupins,’ he said, smoothing it out. ‘Oona dropped this in the foyer of Madame Guillaumet’s building. She left it for me, Louis. Deliberately.’
It was the handkerchief her two children had presented to her on her birthday, days before the Luftwaffe’s Stukas had repeatedly bombed Rotterdam on 14 May 1940. ‘You’re in love with her and deeply, I think.’
‘Just don’t relay that to Giselle if we find her. If, Louis. Germaine de Brisac let it slip that there had been two involved in the kidnapping of Adrienne Guillaumet outside the Ecole Centrale. One to wait with the bicycle taxi and, though she didn’t say it, to later commit that assault, and one to call out Adrienne’s name as classes were let out and to lead her through the crowd to that very taxi.’
‘Two at place de l’Opera and now another two, one of which was common to both.’
‘That one having a wedge of shoulders and big hands. She also made a point of telling me that Delaroche could call on some of the municipal sewer workers.’
‘Most of whom are decent, hardworking men who consider themselves a breed apart, but the Church of Saint-Nicholas des Champs is very near to the Ecole Centrale and opposite it, one of the main entrances to the sewer system. Boats can be hired …’
‘Men can come up and go down at will and later rob a stamp store, eh? Two and two and two, Louis, the one down under the streets gathering a little mud while the other one was attacking Adrienne Guillaumet in the passage de la Trinite. Old soldiers, admit it!’
‘With another to undertake the Drouant mugging, having first assisted with the taxi theft. Veterans, yes, it’s quite possible, but I don’t think the two who isolated the owner of Take Me in place de l’Opera’s street urinal and then stole that taxi were sewer workers. They’d have had their waterproofed suits and hats and have had no need of using fish-oil margarine.’
‘Unless wanting to keep their identities to themselves.’
‘Walter uses the Agence Vidocq from time to time, not knowing they’ve been working against him and are on their own agenda.’
‘But does Oberg now know what they’ve been up to?’
‘Has he offered them absolution if they get rid of us?’
‘The Fraulein Remer now being nothing but insurance, Louis, Standartenfuhrer Langbehn having been told only so much?’
‘And the agency absolutely confident nothing will be pinned on them, they having the protection of the SS, as does the judge.’
Suzette Dunand heard them leave. Clutching Teddy, she had run to the door, had stood before the two detectives in her nightdress, ashamed, terrified and embarrassed until Herr Kohler had said, ‘Please don’t cry. We’re here to help.’
They hadn’t stayed more than a few minutes. She had told them everything she could about Jeannot Raymond, most especially that he was the one who always handled the recovery of stolen property and was often away from the office for days on end.