That seems strange, the Mayor mused. These Arab families tend to stay
together the old ones move in with their grown children. But a Harki and a war
hero? Maybe he was worried about reprisals from some young immigrant hotheads.
You know, these days they think of the Harkis as traitors to the Arab cause.
Maybe thats it. And because he wasnt religious perhaps some of these Islamic
extremists could see him as a traitor to his faith, Bruno said. Yet he didnt
think Muslim extremists would want to carve a swastika into someones chest.
But were just guessing, Sir. Ill have to talk to Momu about it later. It must
have been a chore for him and Karim, driving over every day to pick up the old
man for his dinner and then taking him home again. Maybe theres more to Hamid
than meets the eye, and perhaps you could ask Momu if he remembers any details
about that old football team his father played in. Since the photograph has
disappeared, it might be significant. I think they played in Marseilles back in
the Thirties or Forties.
Ill do that, Bruno. Now I must go back inside and collect my wife. The Mayor
turned and held up a fist as he often did when he had prepared a mental list of
what was to be done, unclenching a new finger to illustrate each different
point. He always had at least two points to make but never more than four,
probably because he would run out of fingers, thought Bruno, with a rush of
affection for the old man. I know you understand how delicate this could be,
Mangin said. Well probably have a lot of media attention, maybe some
politicians posturing and making speeches and marches of solidarity and all
that. Leave that side of it to me. I want you to stay on top of the
investigation and keep me informed, and also let me know in good time if you
hear of any trouble brewing or any likely arrests. Now, two final questions:
first, do you know of any extreme right or racist types in our Commune who might
conceivably have been guilty of this?
No, Sir, not one. Some Front National voters, of course, but thats all, and I
dont think any of our usual petty criminals could have carried out an act of
butchery like this.
Right. Second question. What can I do to help you? The fourth finger snapped
to attention.
Two things. Bruno tried to sound as efficient as his boss when he spoke to the
Mayor, aware of a sense of both duty and affection as he did so. First, the
Police Nationale will need somewhere to work, with phone lines and desks and
chairs and plenty of space for computers. You might want to think about the top
floor of the tourist centre where we hold the art exhibitions. Theres no
exhibition there yet, and its big enough. If you call the Prefect in Périgueux
tomorrow you can probably persuade him to pay some rent for the use of the
space, and theres room for police vans too. It might be useful for people to
see a reinforced police presence in the town. If we do that, they owe us. Its
our town property so theyre on our turf, which means they cannot bar us
access.
And the second thing?
Most of all, Ill need your support to stay close to the case. It would help a
great deal if you could call the Brigadier of the gendarmes in Périgueux and
also the head of the Police Nationale, and ask them to order their men to keep
me fully in the picture. Theres good reason for it, with the political
sensitivities and the prospect of demonstrations and tension in the town. You
know our little Police Municipale does not rate very high in the hierarchy of
our forces of order. Call me your personal liaison.
Right. Youll have it. Anything else?
You could probably get hold of the old mans military and civil records and the
citation for his Croix de Guerre faster than Ill get them through the
gendarmes. We know very little about the victim at this stage, not even whether
he owned the cottage or rented it, what he lived on, how he got his pension, or
whether he had a doctor.
You can check the civic records tomorrow. Ill call the Defence Ministers
office I knew her a bit when I was in Paris, and theres a chap in her cabinet
who was at school with me. Ill have Hamids file by the end of the day. Now,
you go back up to the cottage and stay there until you can bring Karim back to
his family. Theyre getting worried. Any trouble, just call me on the mobile,
even if it means waking me up.
Bruno went off comforted, feeling rather as he had in the Army when he had a
good officer who knew what he was doing and trusted his men enough to bring out
the best in them. It was a rare combination. Bruno acknowledged to himself,
although he would never admit it to another soul, that Gérard Mangin had been
one of the most important influences in his life. He had sought Bruno out on the
recommendation of an old comrade in arms from that hideous business in Bosnia.
The comrade happened to be the Mayors son. Ever since, Bruno the orphan had
felt for the first time in his life like a member of a family, and for that
alone the Mayor had his complete loyalty. He got into his car and drove back up
the long hill toward Hamids cottage, wondering what arts of persuasion he might