The Erasers

2

The businessman leaves. Now his mind is made up. It is Dupont who was right: the chief commissioner is in the murderers’ pay. His behavior cannot be explained in any other way.

He wanted to allay Marchat’s suspicions by persuading him that there was no conspiracy at all and that Dupont has committed suicide. Suicide! Luckily Marchat stopped in time before he spilled everything he knew No, there was nothing to fear there: the commissioner knows perfectly well that Dupont isn’t dead, since Doctor Juard is keeping them informed. They are pretending to believe he is dead to achieve their purposes in a few days. What they want now is to get Marchat into the little house to kill him in place of the professor.

Well, it’s simple: he will not go to pick up the files-not at seven-thirty, or at any other time (for he isn’t stupid enough to fall into the commissioner’s trap: the killers, no doubt about it, will remain on the alert all afternoon). Even Dupont, when he finds out just what the situation is, will no longer insist. Roy-Dauzet will just have to send another commissioner.

Marchat is not going to be satisfied with these purely negative measures; the murderers would have no difficulty finding an opportunity to take revenge for their failure. He must protect himself against any new attempt. The best way to do it is to leave the city as soon as possible, and to go into hiding somewhere in the country. It might even be wiser to take the first boat and get across the ocean altogether.

But Marchat cannot make up his mind. Since early in the day he has wavered between one plan and the next, convinced, each time, that the last idea that has occurred to him is the best:

Take the police into his confidence-or deceive them; escape without delay-or wait here in the city; inform the professor of this decision-or say nothing; go get the files right away from the house in the Rue des Arpenteurs-or not go there at all He has, in fact, not given up all thought of doing this favor for his friend. And he keeps seeing himself in front of the house surrounded by spindle trees He pushes open the heavy oak door, to which Dupont has given him the keys. He climbs the stairs-slowly…

But from step to step he walks more and more slowly. He never reaches the top.

This time, he is certain of what is waiting for him if he goes all the way to the study. He won’t go. He will inform the professor and give him back his keys.

On the way, however, he ponders the difficulties of the undertaking: Dupont-he knows him-will not be willing to admit his reasons. And if Doctor Juard, who will certainly listen at the door, manages to overhear their discussion and consequently learns that Marchat is not going for the files, the latter will also lose his last chance of escaping the murderers; for instead of waiting for him until seven-thirty in the trap where he is supposed to appear, they will shadow him from now on, so that he will not even have the subsequent freedom to hide or run away.

It would be better to get out of the country immediately, while the others may not have begun watching him.

He climbs the stairs. As usual, the big house is silent…