This Night's Foul Work Read Online Free Page B

profound or vacant thought. Perhaps it was possible that a whole year would go past before the
commissaire
noticed that his team had acquired a new member.
    The other officers, however, had not missed the considerable opportunity offered by the arrival of a New Recruit. Which was why Veyrenc found himself stuck here in the broom cupboard on the seventh floor of a building, carrying out an excruciatingly boring surveillance duty. Normally, he should have been relieved regularly, and at first that had happened. Then the relief had become more erratic, with the excuse that X was depressive, Y might fall asleep, Z suffered from claustrophobia, or irritation or backache. As a result, he was now the only officer still mounting guard from morning to night, sitting on a wooden chair.
    Veyrenc stretched out his legs as best he could. Newcomers usuallyget treated this way, and he was not particularly downcast. With a pile of books at his feet, a pocket ashtray in his jacket, a view of the clouds through the skylight and his pen in working order, he could almost have been happy here. His mind was at rest, his solitude was overcome, his objective reached.
    1 The events in Canada which prompted this protection, and are referred to occasionally hereafter, are described in
Wash This Blood Clean from My Hand
(Knopf Canada, 2007).

V
    D R L AGARDE HAD MADE LIFE COMPLICATED BY ASKING FOR A DROP OF barley water in her café au lait, but at last the drinks had arrived at their table.
    â€˜What’s the matter with Dr Roman?’ she asked as she stirred the frothy liquid.
    Adamsberg made a gesture of ignorance. ‘An attack of the vapours, he says. Like ladies in the nineteenth century.’
    â€˜Gracious me. What kind of a diagnosis is that?’
    â€˜His own. He’s not suffering from depression, no serious symptoms. But all he can do is drag himself from one sofa to another, between a siesta and the crossword.’
    â€˜Gracious me,’ said Ariane again, with a frown. ‘But Roman’s a tough guy, and a very competent pathologist. He loves his work.’
    â€˜Yes, but there it is, he’s suffering from an attack of the vapours. We hesitated a long time before getting a replacement.’
    â€˜And why did you ask for me?’
    â€˜I didn’t ask for you.’
    â€˜I was told the Serious Crime Squad of Paris was clamouring for me.’
    â€˜Well, it wasn’t at my request. But I’m glad you’re here now.’
    â€˜To get these two guys away from the Drug Squad.’
    â€˜According to Mortier, they aren’t just two guys. They’re two villains,and one of them’s black. Mortier’s head of the Drug Squad. We don’t get on.’
    â€˜Is that why you’re refusing to hand these bodies over?’
    â€˜No, I’m not chasing after bodies for the sake of it. It’s just that those two should come to me.’
    â€˜As you said before. So tell me about it.’
    â€˜We don’t know anything about them. They were killed some time in the night between Friday and Saturday, at the Porte de la Chapelle. To Mortier, that means only one thing: dope. According to him, blacks do nothing all day long but deal drugs, that’s all their life consists of. And there was a syringe mark on the inside elbow in both cases.’
    â€˜I saw that. The routine analysis didn’t turn anything up. So what do you want me to do?’
    â€˜Take a look and tell me what was in the syringe.’
    â€˜Why don’t you buy the drugs hypothesis? No shortage of narcotics round La Chapelle.’
    â€˜The mother of the big black guy tells me her son never touched the stuff. Didn’t use it, didn’t deal it. The other one’s mother doesn’t know whether he did or not.’
    â€˜And you’re ready to take the word of their old mothers?’
    â€˜My own mother always used to say I had a head like a sieve, the wind went in one side and came out