Dead Horsemeat by Dominique Manotti Page A

the car next to him. Guy named Moulin. And I didn’t see a thing, I was asleep.’
    ‘Ah, now we’re getting somewhere.’ False innocence: ‘Were you alone? Where were you, Romero?’
    With as much dignity as he could muster. ‘At the party, I accidentally sat on a plate and injured myself. I went home.’
    ‘Don’t feel bad Romero, it happens to all of us, more often than you’d imagine. Berry, your turn to make the coffee. We’re going to try this one.’ Hands him the packet of Brazilian coffee. ‘Do a good job, it’s an honour and a step up. And don’t forget, a weak one for Le Dem. And then, to work.’ Daquin smiles. ‘Now we’re finally getting to the heart of the matter.’
    Audible sighs of relief.

    After the break, everyone seated, pens and notebooks poised. Lavorel describes the explosion: two bodies in the car, the arrival of the gendarmes who took charge of the investigation, identification of the victims, clues, forensic reports, eye-witness accounts.
    ‘I introduced myself to the captain and explained what I was doing there. He’s expecting to hear from you.’
    ‘Did you mention the party at Massillon’s to him?’
    ‘No, I decided to leave that to you.’
    ‘You did the right thing.’
    Daquin thinks for a moment, doodling on a blank sheet of paper.
    ‘In two hours I want written accurate, detailed reports on the identification of Rouma, the party at Massillon’s, and Senanche’s customer network. Meanwhile, Le Dem, you come with me, I want to find Massillon before the gendarmes do. On my return, I’ll edit your reports before passing them on to the chief, then I’ll contact the gendarmerie and the public prosecutor. My line of action will be to try and cooperate with the gendarmes over Nicolas Berger’s murder, and to give them the list of Senanche’s customers in exchange. They’ll be happy and it’ll free us up to chase bigger fish. We’ll have to be discreet about it, because the one thing the police department doesn’t forgive is cooperating with the gendarmes.’
    ‘Amelot and Berry will carry on with their job and finish it, cross-referencing all the lists, the new registration numbers, and the tapped phone conversations. Lavorel and Le Dem, you take Rouma. You can start by going to see the gendarmes in Vallangoujard. I’ll let them know you’re coming. I’m certain they already have files on him. A gypsy farrier in a godforsaken village in the Val-d’Oise is hardly inconspicuous. And Romero and I will handle Nicolas Berger’s murder.’

    Massillon’s villa looks empty, door closed, windows open, but there’s a Porsche parked in the garden and the gates are still open. Daquin climbsup to a wrought-iron balcony and clambers over it without any apparent effort. After a second’s hesitation, Le Dem follows.
    The ground floor is deserted, and is an indescribable mess. Daquin freezes, looks and listens for a moment. Nothing appears to have been touched since the end of the party, yesterday morning. There’s disaster in the air. Daquin motions to Le Dem and rushes over to the staircase that leads up to the first floor. Doors open onto the landing. Only one room is occupied. Pale blue fabric on the walls, a pink and white en-suite bathroom, virtually no furniture, a big bed, a jumble of shot-silk sheets, and, lying across the bed, asleep on his stomach, a naked young man with a finely chiselled, slender muscular body. Daquin lingers for a moment, ill at ease. On the long-pile rug, a very young girl is asleep; she’s naked too. The boy’s hand is resting on her buttocks, and her hands are tied to the foot of the bed with a gold chain, secured with an elegant padlock inscribed with entwined initials which she probably wears as a necklace in other circumstances. A few red marks, dotted with dark spots on her lower back, buttocks and thighs. And beside the bed, next to an empty champagne magnum, a jockey’s riding crop, a vicious weapon in itself. Judging by the