Wash This Blood Clean from My Hand

XXIII

STRANGE HOW THREE DAYS ARE ENOUGH TO DISSIPATE FEELINGS OF disorientation, so that one slips readily into a routine, Adamsberg thought, as he parked in front of the RCMP buildings, a few metres from the diligent squirrel who was as usual guarding the doors. The feeling of strangeness was disappearing. Everything was beginning to find its niche in the new territory, shaping it to its own form, as a favourite armchair shapes itself round the body. So the whole group was back in position in the meeting room this Monday, listening to the superintendent. After the fieldwork the laboratory, with extraction of the samples, which were to be placed on paper discs two millimetres in diameter, then inserted into the ninety-six wells of the process plate. All these instructions Adamsberg noted approximately, for his report to Mordent.

Adamsberg let Fernand Sanscartier get out the cards, prepare the discs and switch on the robotic punch. Sitting in front of a white guardrail, they both watched the machine going to and fro. For two days now, Adamsberg had been sleeping badly and the monotonous movement of the synchronised scores of punches mesmerised him.

‘It makes you sleepy, doesn’t it? Shall I go and get us a regular?’

‘Make that a double regular, Sanscartier, as strong as you like.’

The sergeant returned, carrying the plastic cups carefully.

‘Watch out, it’s scalding hot,’ he said, passing one to Adamsberg.

The two men took up their positions, leaning on the rail.

‘Time’ll come, won’t it,’ said Sanscartier, ‘when a guy won’t be able to piss in the snow without setting off a barcode and three helicopters full of cops.’

‘Time’ll come,’ said Adamsberg echoing him, ‘when we won’t even need to question the guy.’

‘Time’ll come, when we won’t even need to see him, hear his voice, wonder whether yes or no he could’ve done it. We’ll just turn up at the crime scene, take a smear of his sweat and the guy’ll be picked up at home with a crane, and dropped into a cell just his size.’

‘Time’ll come, when we’ll be totally pissed off.’

‘What do you think of the coffee?’

‘Not a lot.’

‘It’s not our specialty.’

‘Are you happy in your work, Sanscartier?’

The sergeant thought before answering.

‘What I’d really like is to be back out doing hands-on stuff. Where I can use my own eyes, and piss in the snow when I feel like it, if you get my meaning. Specially since my girlfriend lives in Toronto. But don’t tell the boss, or I’d get an earful.’

A red light flashed and the two men stayed still for a moment watching the machine come to a stop. Then Sanscartier moved heavily away from the rail.

‘Better get a move on. If the boss sees us taking a breather, he’ll start bawling at us.’

They emptied the plate and set to work on another set of cartons, discs and wells. Sanscartier activated the robotic process again.

‘Do you do a lot of hands-on work in Paris?’

‘As much as I can. And I walk a lot too, I just walk round the streets and think.’

‘You’re lucky. Do you work things out by shovelling clouds?’

‘In a way,’ said Adamsberg with a smile.

‘Got anything good on at the moment?’

Adamsberg pulled a face.

‘That’s absolutely the wrong word, Sanscartier. I’m shovelling earth with this one.’

‘Skull and crossbones, eh?’

‘Worse than that. I’ve come across a whole skeleton. But he’s not the victim, he’s the murderer. A dead man, an old man who’s still going round killing people.’

Adamsberg looked at Sanscartier’s brown velvety eyes, almost as round as the ones on children’s toys.

‘Ah,’ said Sanscartier. ‘So if he’s going round killing people, he can’t be entirely dead.’

‘Well yes, he is,’ Adamsberg insisted. ‘He really died, I have to tell you.’

‘In that case, he’s fighting it then,’ said Sanscartier, ‘he’s struggling like a devil in holy water.’

Adamsberg leant on the rail. At last, someone prepared to stretch out an innocent hand towards him, like Clémentine.

‘You’re an inspired cop, Sanscartier, you really should be doing hands-on stuff.’

‘Think so?’

‘I know so.’

‘Well, anyway,’ said the sergeant, shaking his head, ‘time’ll come, when you’ll get your hand caught in a mangle with this devil. If you’ll allow me to give you some advice, you’d be wise to watch out. Some people will say you’ve completely flipped.’

‘Flipped?’

‘Lost the plot, making stuff up.’

‘Oh, that’s already happened, Sanscartier.’

‘Then you’d better clam up, and don’t try to convince them. But in my book, you’ve got what it takes, so you should follow your hunches. Keep chasing your damn killer, but until you collar him, lie low.’

Adamsberg remained leaning on the rail, feeling the comfort and relief brought by the words of this warm-hearted colleague.

‘Why don’t you think I’m crazy, Sanscartier? Everyone else seems to.’

‘Because you aren’t, that’s easy to see. How’s about lunch? It’s after twelve.’

The following evening, after another day spent doing automatic DNA extraction, Adamsberg regretfully said goodbye to his kindly colleague.

‘Who are you working with tomorrow?’ asked Sanscartier, walking over to his car with him.

‘Ginette Saint-Preux.’

‘She’s a good pal. You’ll be in safe hands with her.’

‘But I’ll miss you,’ said Adamsberg as they shook hands. ‘You’ve done me a lot of good.’

‘How come?’

‘You just have, that’s all. Who are you working with?’

‘The whopper. What’s her name?’

‘The whopper?’

‘Well, er, the big fat one,’ said Sanscartier, embarrassed.

‘Ah, Violette Retancourt.’

‘Forgive me for asking, but when you do catch this dead man walking, even if it’s in ten years’ time, can you let me know?’

‘Are you that interested?’

‘Yes. And I’ve taken a shine to you.’

‘I’ll let you know. Even if it takes ten years.’

Adamsberg found himself going up in the lift with Danglard. His two days with Sanscartier the Good had calmed him down, and he postponed his decision to pick a bone with his deputy.

‘Going out tonight, Danglard?’ he asked in a neutral voice.

‘No, I’m knackered. I’m going to have a bite to eat, then go to bed.’

‘How are the children? Everything OK?’

‘Yes, thanks,’ replied the capitaine, looking a little surprised.

Adamsberg smiled as he went to his room. Danglard wasn’t very skilled at subterfuge. The previous night he had heard him start his car at 6.30 p.m. and return at almost two in the morning. Time to drive to Montreal, listen to the concert and do his good deed for the day. So he was short of sleep, as one could tell from the rings round his eyes. Good old Danglard, so certain that he was undetected, keeping his mouth shut about the secret that was a secret no longer. Tonight was the last concert in the series, which would mean another return trip for the gallant capitaine.

Adamsberg watched from his bedroom window, as Danglard made his furtive getaway. Drive safely and enjoy the concert, capitaine. He was watching the car’s tail-lights, when Mordent called.

‘Sorry not to get back to you before, commissaire, but we had a crisis on. A guy who was trying to kill his wife and call us at the same time. We had to surround the building.’

‘Any damage?’

‘No, his first bullet went into the piano and the second into his own foot. A complete loser, luckily.’

‘Any news from Alsace?’

‘Simplest thing is, I’ll read you the article. It was on page eight of the Friday paper. “Doubts about the Schiltigheim murder? Following the investigation by the Schiltigheim gendarmerie into the tragic killing of Elisabeth Wind on Saturday 4 October, the authorities have placed in preventive detention the man who was reported to be helping them with their enquiries, Bernard Vétilleux. However, according to information that has reached us, Vétilleux was allegedly questioned by a senior detective from Paris. According to the same source, the murder of this young girl may be linked to a serial killer who has struck elsewhere in France. This theory is however firmly rejected by Commandant Trabelmann who is leading the investigation. He dismissed it as an idle rumour, and said that the arrest of Vétilleux was on the basis of cast-iron evidence.” Is that what you were after, commissaire?’

‘Absolutely. Can you hang on to the article for me? I’ll just have to pray that Brézillon doesn’t read the Nouvelles d’Alsace.’

‘Would you prefer them not to charge Vétilleux?’

‘Yes and no. It’s hard to shovel earth.’

‘OK,’ said Mordent, non-committally. ‘Thanks for the emails. It sounds interesting but not exactly fun, all those cards and discs.’

‘Well, Justin’s in his element, Retancourt can adapt to anything, Voisenet’s supernaturally good at it, Froissy is just going through the motions, Noël is getting impatient, Estalère is perpetually amazed, and Danglard is becoming a concertgoer.’

‘And what about you, commissaire?’

‘Me? Oh I’m the shoveller of clouds. But keep that to yourself, Mordent, same as the article.’

From Mordent, Adamsberg went straight into the arms of Noëlla, whose growing passion was certainly a distraction from the irritating discovery in Montreal. A most determined girl, she had quickly resolved the problem of where to meet. He would pick her up at the Champlain stone, then it took them a quarter of an hour to walk along the cycle track to a bicycle-hire shop; one of its sash windows didn’t shut properly. Noëlla brought in her rucksack everything they needed, sandwiches, hot drinks and a camping mattress. Adamsberg left her at eleven, returning by the portage trail, which he could now walk blindfold, passing the timber site, waving to the watchman and greeting the Ottawa River before going back to sleep.

Work, river, forest, willing partner. Not so bad after all. Forget about the new father, and as for the Trident, keep repeating Sanscartier’s words: ‘You’ve got what it takes, just follow your hunches.’ Sanscartier was the one he wanted most to believe, although from various allusions by Portelance and Ladouceur, he was not thought to be the brains of the group.

There had been a slight shadow cast over the scene that evening by Noëlla. A short exchange, which luckily went no further.

‘Take me back to Paris with you,’ said the young woman, as she lay on the camping mattress.

‘Sorry, I can’t, I’m married,’ said Adamsberg instinctively.

‘You’re lying.’

He had kissed her then, to put a stop to any further conversation.