"Is that you, Denis?" "Yes!" "So, you're still here?" "Should your books be less messy," "I would have gone home a long time ago." "Oh, right, I forgot this was the end of the month." "You forget everything." "What time is it?" " 7:25, I think." "It doesn't look like a hot day." "There must be quite a load." "What load?" "On the other side of the road." "The American soldiers' pay." "Well, they're entitled to a few precautions:" "there are supposed to be 500 millions there." "That much?" "That's what I've been told." "Here: the salary of your laziness." "Thank you." "Why only 2.700?" "What about the boiler's repairs?" "You've got no mercy for me." "Are you or are you not, an equal partner?" "And what about the Dutch beer?" "I'm thinking of it." " You're thinking of it!" "It should have arrived two days ago." "You're really not fun, I tell you:" "I have to take care of everything." "Every time I take care of something," "I never do it the right way." "You're always grumbling." "I'm grumbling when I have to." "What I call common sense, you call grumbling." "It really was more endurable when you used to join me upstairs." "You were considerate then." "And you took advantage of it." "A girl must take advantage of middle age, while it's still lusting." "Yeah, well, don't forget the Dutch beer, alright?" "Wake up, Gaston, it's pay day!" "Thank you, boss." "I wasn't sleeping." "I never close more than one eye, like an Alsatian." "I filled her up." "When it comes to filling up, I trust you." "Oh, mister Farrand." "Just a tiny litre." "My motto being: drink while you're thirsty, never more." "Good morning, mister Farrand." " Good morning, chef." "Good morning, mister Farrand." "Good morning." "Go and fetch the meat in my car, will you?" "Good morning, mister Farrand." "Good morning, sir." " Good morning, Louise." "What is that?" "Mrs. Farrand came here." "She took away the hare." "And she prefers this?" "This is quite colourful, but it doesn't mean much." "Paintings are like the army:" "better not try to understand." "Hi, love." "Why do you look at me like that?" "No reason." "Did you finish your bookkeeping?" "Yes I did, and let me tell you that it was no piece of cake, thanks to Betty." "Hey!" "You received the proofs of your book!" "How come they're not in colour?" "For a paperback, it would be too expensive." "Your publisher must be quite the ruffian." "Another would be the same." "Hey, here's my hare." "I fail to see why you took it down." "I think it's looking good in a restaurant." "What about this?" "Is this looking good too?" "What is this?" "It might be talcum powder." "Well, what do you know?" " So now it's drugs!" "I don't know anything about it." "I think getting people hooked is abject." " So do I, and you can believe me." "I believe you, Denis, but you'll admit that I've got reasons to worry." "Even in Indochina, I never took any part in the drug business." "Do you think I'd start here?" "What do those bags mean, then?" "They mean somebody's been dealing without my permission, and I don't like it." "Will I be able to rest easy one day, Denis?" "What's keeping you from resting easy?" "All those blokes you associate with." "I don't associate with anybody." "Sometimes, I have a drink with a few old pals, but that's all." "You're taking it back?" " Yes, I am." "Four-One-Seven" "Bartender, please!" " Coming, Ma'am." "I guess you need a pumice stone." "You scum!" "I'll teach you to deal your junk here." "I just wanted to straighten the painting up;" "it was tipped on one side." "I'm going to straighten you face up, just wait and see." "What about this?" "Does she want cigarettes?" "Now I warn you: if you've got other hiding places in here, just take your junk and go away fast!" "And you can tell your friends that I'm a man of my word:" "when I say no, I mean no!" "Get it?" "You made a mistake, madam:" "this is far too much." "Good night, mister Farrand." " Good night, Hélène." "Shall I close the gate?" "No, don't bother:" "I'll close it when I go." "It's closing time, gentlemen." "They say you need a bartender." "Yes, but I want someone young and distinguished." "In that case, you can take your pick." "No offence but I think you're somewhat too effeminate for our standards." "Hands up!" "Hurry up!" "You can tell your boss that this new method won't work any better than the others." "Come out!" "Get in the corner!" "We're going to entertain you." "Go on!" "Have fun!" "Hey, we told you to stay outside!" "Oh, shit, it's the Doc!" " Denis!" "Hey, Yankee!" "Are you crazy?" "Don't touch that!" "Come on: give him a hand!" "And now get the hell out of here!" "Tonio, tell Henri that our contract is off." "Get it?" "Watch the shipping manoeuvre." "You'll pay for this, Yankee." "Come inside, mate!" "What were you doing with those guys?" "Did Savani introduce you?" " No, it was Henri." "Oh, the asthmatic!" "Here, take a seat." "I hope those bastards left two unbroken glasses so we can have a drink!" "The last bottle we drank together was in Saigon, in 1950." "We're not getting any younger." "You didn't change much." "Oh, please!" "I'm like old oaks:" "one more layer every year." "You, on the other hand, are still quite the playboy." "Of course:" "I was kept in a fridge, so I was preserved." " Where?" "Sing Sing." "Six years." " What did you do?" "Nothing much." "I'll tell you the story." "I was unlucky." "Yes but, I say, maybe you're not careful enough." "I already told you so." "You must make your luck." "I came to France four months ago." "I wanted to recoup my losses." "Well, you sure took a wrong turn:" "there's not future in gooning!" "Except in the Élysée." "Well, some friends sent me to Henri." "But I can't possibly work for him now." "Don't worry, I'm not going to leave you penniless." "After what you just did for me, I owe you that much." "It was natural." "Say, I hope you can still hold your own with a fork in your hand, cause I'll have you sample this." "Did you come back a long time ago?" "In 1954." "I felt the wind change, and thought I better not stick around" "So you became a respectable restaurant owner?" "The measure of respectability is the attitude of your tax inspector, and I must say mine is not exactly gentle with me." "You went entirely legitimate?" "Entirely... let's say my business sometimes sees the light of day." "That's why I don't want the other ruffians to deal junk in my place." "Still the same old fighting spirit, Denis!" "I'm so glad I found you again!" "Same here." "Do you know I often talk about you with my wife?" "You?" "Married?" "Yes, son." "More than ten years ago." "And with an intellectual!" "Not in the same league as Lulu from Buffalo Park, do you remember her?" "Well, Lulu was alright, as far as her body was concerned." "Yes, but she had bird food for brains." "And when you start putting on weight, you can't stand those kind of girls anymore." "Does your wife know about your past?" "Well, she knows she didn't marry the beadle of the Madeleine church." "It's thanks to her that I went legitimate though." "Well, legitimate... you can't change what you are overnight." "This beats the army preserves." "After that, you'll have a local speciality, but with a red claret." "Oh, you know, mixing drinks..." "Don't worry about mixing." "Tonight is a feast of friends:" "if you collapse," "I'll be there to pick you up." "Come on:" "let's get this inside before the rain!" "Come in." "I won't put the lights on:" "she might wake up, and that's not desirable." "Come, this way." "this is reminiscent of my humble beginnings, when I worked with a bloke called Riton the Eel." "Did you know him?" "Riton the Eel?" " Yes." "He was in the States in 1933." "I was seven." " Oh, yes, of course." "You'll sleep in the room at the end of the corridor." "The bed is always made for guests." "Oh?" "Did we wake you up?" "We weren't noisy, were we?" "What are you doing with that torch?" "I'm burglarizing my own home." "Here, let me introduce you to my friend Jim." "I told you about him:" "Yankee Jim, who studied medicine." "My wife." " Charmed, I'm sure." "Pleased to meet you, sir." "Where were you?" "In "La Chaumière"." "He came to vandalize it!" "And I wondered what became of him." "Talk about coincidences!" "I don't fully get it, but I suppose your friend comes here to sleep." "Not only to sleep!" "He'll live here." "Of course he will." " I won't bother you, madam." "You're not bothering me." "Of course you're not bothering her." "No, you're not bothering her." "Here!" "Now you just have to sleep: this is your home." "Don't you have any luggage?" "I didn't have the time to pack a suitcase." "No, he doesn't have a suitcase." "And he doesn't have pyjamas either." "Well, you can lend him some, can't you?" "What do you mean, lend?" "I'm going to give them to him." "And I'm not going to give him some pyjamas," "I'm going to give him all my pyjamas." "I can't put on several pyjamas." "I don't have a toothbrush either." "Did you hear that, Marie-Jeanne?" "He doesn't have a toothbrush either." "You must admit he's unlucky." "Indeed." "Now you should go to bed." "Come on, let your friend take a rest." "We can't let him sleep stark naked, can we?" "Say, you must show him your book about Gothic cathedrals," "I'm sure he'll be pleased." "This guys knows a lot of things, and he just loves Gothic stuff." "You're getting crazy, Denis." "Of course I'm not crazy." "I'm a little bit in my cups, but there's no harm done." "Don't you realize?" "Such a gangster, here!" "First he's no gangster:" "he's a paratrooper." "Where is he from?" "Well, better to come from there than to go there." "I met him in Rushes Plain, in 1950." "You weren't even born yet." "That's putting it a bit strong." "Thanks to me, he could get away with his papers in order, because they were all on his trail:" "the Vietnamese, the cops, the Foreign Legion..." "It keeps getting better." "We must hide him, because the others are going to try and off him." "If I understand correctly, somebody's always chasing him." "Cause he's a lion." "A crack, if you prefer." "I don't prefer anything." "Earlier, when he saw me..." "well, he couldn't do it." "He straightened the situation, so you should be happy." "Who wouldn't be?" "We've got to be careful:" "nobody must see him." "What about the servants?" "Tell them he's your American cousin who works in export-import." "The things that I get to see, living with you!" "What about the pyjamas?" "Won't you give him pyjamas?" "See this car?" "The bloke who gets out with a briefcase, is a bank employee." "Every penultimate day of the month, there are several of them going back and forth between here and the "Banque de France"." "As a measure of precaution, they fetch the money in small successive sums." "Alright, now this is the next morning around 7:20 or 7:25." "The Americans prefer to come and take away their soldiers' pay before the bank opens, they think it's safer." "You can see the captain who's in charge of the operation." "This police van is a reinforcement bonus, courtesy of the city council." "At this point, the money is still in the strongroom and will stay there until the very last moment." "Now that everybody's here, the captain knocks on the door." "The teller in chief opens, in the company of the night watchman, whose job is over and who goes away." "Now, we're going to wait a little." "And it's the same at the end of every month?" "Every month." " It's a big project." "Yes indeed, but don't even dream about attacking the convoy:" "it would require all of the bad guys in Katanga." "I'm thinking of something else." "Are you aware of where we are?" " Over the bank." "Yes, and I own the whole floor." "I'm also president of the amateur movie-makers of the district." "At first, I didn't realize how interesting that was, but when I saw the convoy, one morning, I started to think." "And little by little, I realized the job was perfectly feasible." "But the first thing is:" "we must know the combination of the safe." "And do you?" " I can get it." "With one man in the place, it's possible." "And I can have a man hired by the Legarec society who's cleaning the whole bank at the end of every month." "And I even know how to proceed so the bloke won't know me." "You're going to do this job?" "Are you serious?" "To tell you the truth, I was planning it because it was a beauty, but I wouldn't have done it alone." "Since you're here, though, I'm itching to do it." "But aren't you a rich man?" "Yes, I am." "What can I tell you?" "Call it vice." "And also, let me tell you one thing:" "I'm bloody bored!" "You can't imagine!" "I'm as bored as a dead rat!" "On some nights, I feel like I'm 90 years old." "Would you do it?" " With you?" "Always." "I'm warning you." "It will be no piece of cake." "We can't afford the tiniest slip." "Ah, you wanted to recoup your losses, well, big guy, let me tell you you'll be able to count your assets again!" "This is the dough coming out." "Do you see the satchels?" "Three of them." "For a total of at least 500 millions Does it inspire you?" "It's a nice load." "The convoy is about to depart." "Now, there's only the teller and the two cleaners from Legarec inside the bank." "Alright." "Now, you're going to see the best part." "It's a dump truck, isn't it?" "It is." "And soon, it's going to be our friend." "What did you tell him?" "To get a haircut and never come here again." "What are you?" "Nuts?" "I'm the owner." "From now on, you'll get laid by your boyfriends elsewhere and on your own time." "You understand?" "Oh, damn, you've got a nerve!" "If you think I'm going to obey you like a slave, you don't know me." "That was the third one this month, and they're getting shabbier and shabbier." "So you want to direct even my feelings?" "We'll see about that:" "I'm going to screw the first man who happens to come in." "And if you don't like it..." " Please, be my guest..." "Ladies and gentlemen." "If you're in need of affection, Gaston, the lady's in a good mood." "What will you have, sir?" " A beer and a telephone token." "Give the gentleman a beer." "So?" "Is it done?" " The bloke is in the room." "How did it go?" " Very well." "Your system allowed me to talk to him without being seen." "And what about the price?" "Twenty millions." "But we can negotiate." "It's a fair price, you know." "What's his name?" "Maurice Labrousse, an unemployed musician." "No police record?" " No... he's sitting near the front door." "First table on the left." "He's waiting for his instructions." "I'm on it." "Say..." " Yes." "Do you mind if I stay here for a while?" "Why?" " The barmaid." "Do you think I've got a chance?" "Would you mind?" "Absolutely not, I'd rather have you than anybody else in that part, but I'm warning you:" "she's a wild one." "And don't forget that we don't know each other." "It's stout." "I forgot to ask:" "maybe you'd rather have lager?" "Of course, I'd rather have the fairest one." "Sorry." "But the darkest beer." "What about you?" "What about me?" " May I buy you a beer?" "Not a beer:" "I don't want to get fat." "Georges?" "Bring me a brandy." "The boss is sure to grumble about this." "Is he so mean?" " Mostly, he's a bore." "Mister Labrousse!" " Yes." "You're wanted on the phone." "Hello?" "Yes..." "Yes..." "On the other side of the street." "No, I thought you were just a tourist." "Export-import and tourism are not mutually exclusive." "But I would need a guide." "A guide with eyes such as yours, for instance." "Oh, you know, I would be a lousy guide." "I wouldn't know how to explain the architecture of the monuments." "I can do without architecture." "Maybe we could go dancing tonight?" "Do you know a place?" "The Sputnik is alright." "In the Rue Martineau." "The Sputnik?" " A club..." "I planned to go there tonight, I'll be there around 11:00 pm." "11:00?" "This is going to be a long wait." "My name is Betty." " I'm Jim." "Close the door." "First, I want to warn you:" "don't try to learn who I am before the day of the job, or we won't hesitate to kill you." "I know." "I agree." "Alright, now walk to the cupboard on your left." "Open the door." "Take the electrical floor polisher in the left hand corner." "This is the appliance you'll use to inform us." "The lower part includes a transmitter-receiver and there's an aerial in the handle." "Now unscrew the end of it." "See: there's the mike." " I see." "We've booked a room for you at the Hôtel du Colombier, 14 rue Jules Ferry." "So you'll now take the appliance with you and I'll tell you over the phone how to use it." "You'll practise and I'll call you every night." "When you're good at it, you'll bring it back here." "See that nobody but you, touches it." "Also, as far as possible, don't show yourself in town, especially not in bars." "I don't drink." " Right." "You may go now." "He's going to open it now." "Twenty-one for the first combination." "Eighteen for the second combination." "Is the safe open?" "No, there's a third combination, but the teller waits till the soldiers arrive before he enters the number." "They'll be there in fifteen minutes." "It seems somewhat short." "Yeah, let me tell you we'll have to work fast." "That was the initialization of the combination." "Three!" "A gentleman at the bar asks for a "mominette"." "Do we have any?" "Yes, it's pastis in a small glass, like they serve it in Marseille." "Four and three." "Wait:" "I'll serve him myself." "I'll be back in a minute." " Yes, of course." "Hello?" "Yes?" "Is this mister Farrand?" "Say, a bloke just parked his car here." "The license plate is from the Bouches-du-Rhône, the 13." "He asked if you were in town," "I told him nothing, you know me." "What do you mean, nothing?" "Well, that I didn't know." "So he walked toward the Domino." "I didn't like his face." "Well, that's it, I just wanted to warn you," "I don't know if I was right to do so." "You were absolutely right, Gaston, I thank you." "Yes..." "Oh, is that true?" "Well..." "No, I need at least ten or fifteen minutes." "Alright, I'm coming." "What's up?" "Are you leaving me already?" "I'm leaving but I'll be back." "Gee, I didn't expect this!" "It's for my work." "Some urgent business." "Urgent, urgent." "What about me?" "Am I not urgent business?" "I need half an hour." "Couldn't you free yourself completely for once?" "I'm mad at you, you know." "I don't know if you'll find me here when you come back." "Be nice." "Wait for me." "I promise I'll spend the whole night with you." "Hurry up!" "Deal with your client briskly!" "OK, briskly!" "Madeleine!" "I've got a small errand to run," "I'll be back in less than half an hour." "Thank you, sir." "Sir!" "Hands up!" "Get inside..." "Here, on my right." "Up against the wall!" "What are you doing here?" "Tourism." "Is this against the law?" "Who paid for your trip?" " The Club Méditerranée." "Do you know this bloke?" "If it's not my pal, Ange Peresi!" "I thought you were in Spain, Ange." "Here, the air is bad for your health." "You must mistake me for my brother." "Or for your sister, scum!" "Now explain what you're doing here." "You and your brother must have traded jackets." "I'm afraid of bumping into bad people." "You just did." "Is it in working order?" "I guess so." "Don't you want my gun?" "No need." "With this, he'll talk." "Alright, I'm out of here." "Say, did you see this?" "So?" "Did you come to kill me?" "Explain yourself." "I don't explain myself in front of wimps." "You shouldn't talk to me like that, Ange." "You're hurting my feelings." "Don't you like fireworks." "You'd better talk, Ange." "You know me:" "I keep my promises." "Come on, hurry up!" "Don't do it, Jim." " Talk." "I didn't come to kill you." "We don't give a damn about you." "We can get you whenever we want." "So, why?" "To see what the old man is planning." "What do you mean?" "Well, if he teams up with you, we guess it's not in a knitting society." "Did Henri send you?" "Yes!" "Henri sent me!" "I don't give a damn personally." "Diana!" "Brutus!" "Sit!" "I've got an appointment with mister Henri." "I know." "Please come in." "Please allow me." "Here it is." " Thank you so much." "This way sir." "I'm glad to see you, mister Farrand." "Please be seated." "Did you heat up my milk, mother?" "I guess you do not drink milk, mister Farrand?" "You're in good health." "You're in wonderful health, mister Farrand." "You'd probably rather have a small calvados." "I'd rather we talked." "Talking doesn't exclude good manners, does it?" "You've got a weird way of exercising good manners." "I fail to see..." "Oh, you fail to see who sent a bunch of redskins to destroy my joint?" "And what about Ange Peresi?" "That particular angel wasn't sent by Heaven, was he?" "Let's be serious, mister Farrand." "I imagine you came to propose something positive." "I'm selling "La Chaumière" to you." "That's the positive thing." "That looks absolutely reasonable." "Six months ago, I said no to your boss, but I changed my mind since then:" "I'd rather be left in peace." "Because, you know," "I'm getting too old for all this bad boys business." "So I'll sell the joint to you, and then you can do whatever you want with it." "Well, you see, honest people always come to an agreement." "Of course they do." "I'll relay your proposition to my friends." "Although I'm warning you." "I'll agree to this, on one condition:" "you leave my friend Jim Beckley bloody well alone." "See what I mean?" " This belongs to you, sir." "Thank you, madam." "Did you hear?" "If he offers that, he must be working on a caper." "I know the old man well." "Do you know how we called him, in the old days?" "The perfectionist!" "What have you got to say?" "You know I like movies." "Who gave you the key?" " Nobody did." "You shouldn't be such a bully, Denis." "You'd better be nice." "Where are you heading to?" " An association." "What are you?" "Mad?" "What is she doing here?" " Ask her." "I thought you two didn't know each other." "I did warn you, didn't I?" "Now, don't go whining that you don't have a dime, because if you want to recoup your losses, you'll have to bet on a horse!" "You can't call it off, Denis." "I can't, anyway!" "With a broad as a partner?" "Shit!" "We might as well pack a suitcase and head directly to jail." "You must admit I've got brains:" "I managed to understand it all by myself." "It's not a question of brains, it's a question of tongue, you dumb broad." "Four years, rue de Douai, at Antoine Poletti's." "Didn't I hold my tongue?" "Without me, more than one bloke would have taken the plunge." "We haven't got a choice, Denis." "Let's give her 10% and leave it at that." "Look." "I'm doing this only for you." "As for you, you're twisting my arm but I warn you:" "one slip and I shoot you." "I give you my word." "And you may well look at him:" "we're of one mind, he and I." "You don't have to know anything more." "You'll be safer this way." "Do you understand me?" "Do we agree?" "Yes, but what about the dough?" "When do we get paid?" "One half of the split bills now." "The other half, when the job is done." "Fine by us." "But we're broke:" "couldn't we get a small sum in advance?" "We're going to give you a little something for your expenses." "Alright then, it's agreed." " Good for me too." "And now get up." "Examine closely the map before you." "On a day and hour that we'll specify later, you'll take the dump truck and start at point A, in front of number 40 of the rue Jean Mermoz." "You'll stop in front of the 26, then you'll cross the Place Aristide Briand and drive to point B." "Still in the rue Jean Mermoz." "This is number 26." "We can't miss it." "This is a strange job, don't you think?" "Two millions, just for this?" "I smell a rat." "So what?" "Don't try to understand." "I, for one, would even off a grandmother for two millions." "Look!" "Our arrival point is there." "What if it were a carved up broad?" "So what?" "When you're broke you can't afford to be too sensitive, pal." "Alright, if anything goes wrong, you've got my telephone number:" "don't hesitate to call me." "But with that truck, you won't ever get any problem." "Thanks." " Have a good ride." "And I would throw all the bombs, the rifles and the daggers at the bottom of the oceans." "And war being forever banned, bliss will ensue for each and every man." " Of course it will." "Take advantage of the situation:" "go and please him nicely." "He's broke!" "Are you mistaking my bottom for the Salvation Army?" "It's closing time, sir." "Just a quick beer, I'm awfully thirsty." "And I'd like to buy cigarettes too." "Right but I warn you:" "I'm off to bed in five minutes." "Are you crazy?" "This is not the day to get plastered." "Hey, are you nuts?" "Not now:" "we'll need our brains tonight." "Do you have the tank?" " In the garage." "And it wasn't easy." "I was treated to a regular chase." "The bastards are not letting go and they'll get me in the end." "Yes?" "Oh, it's you." "Worried about what, dear God?" "I'm keeping my books, like I do every month." "Nothing strange about it." "No, I promise I'll go home directly, as soon as I'm finished with "La Chaumière"" "Sleep tight, love." "Good night." "Don't walk here:" "I've just polished the floor." "Can't you see I'm wearing espadrilles?" "It's even worse." "Listen." " ... better to do the job properly." "For the wages they pay..." "Hey, I'm not sorry for you:" "you'll get double wages in December." "I haven't got enough seniority." "Say, where did you work before?" "Since I was in Paris, there was no reduction zone..." "This Maurice is a serious guy." " Did you memorize the code?" "You're car number five." "Jim is number four and the dump truck is number six." "If you catch sight of the cops, they're car number twelve, and you tell us from which way they come." "Yours is a good trick, but we'll learn as much with this." "Provided it works." " Don't worry." "I've given intravenous shots every day for six years." "Hey, the teller is coming!" "Good morning, Maurice." " Good morning, mister Goulette." "It's cold outside, isn't it?" "Yes, and they said on telly, it would be colder still tomorrow." "It doesn't bode well for January." "I'm going to deal with Gaston." "Here." "With this, you don't need to wear gloves." "Fingerprints are not an issue:" "it dries instantly." "You and your witches' tricks." "Don't tell me you believe in those." "Of course not:" "I'm having fun." "Are you in a good mood, old pal?" "In a good mood?" "I feel twenty years younger tonight." "And to tell you truth:" "I don't care about the dough," "I'm just interested in a successful job." "Well, I'm interested in the dough." "I didn't ask for your opinion." "Give me Gaston's bottle." "There's enough in it for him to sleep until noon." "He's not interested in the dough." "Did you hear that?" "I know him: it's true." "Then I don't see why he argued so much about my ten percent." "A matter of principle." "Here, gulp this down:" "it's a very good vintage." "Thank you, mister Farrand." "But, you know, I don't really like to spend a lot of money on wine." "Don't worry about the money:" "you'll drink this on me tonight." "Well, if it's on you, it's not the same thing." "And here, for your kids' Christmas." " You're too kind, mister Farrand." "Those bastards parked too close to me." "I can't even move." "Could you give me a hand?" "Say, it doesn't look easy." " Thanks a lot." "Good evening, sir." "Changes again?" "I thought Darot was coming tonight." "No, Darot is doing the docks now." "Alright, follow me." "Take a seat." "There's not much to do, you know." "If the insurance company didn't insist on a watchman each time the army comes for their money, you wouldn't have to take such pains." "What a useless drag." "You never know." "Car number five, here." "No fare in sight?" "Central, here." "No clients." "Are you still available, car number four?" "Are you still available car number four?" "Say, let me explain." "Later, when the men take out the trash through the service door, there.." "you'll go with them as far as the street." "I know the instructions:" "with my gun in hand." "Yeah, well, that's the regulations." "Hey, Daddy-O, will you come and dance with us!" "You assholes!" " Stop if you wanna fight!" "Shut up, Michel, or we'll end up in the police van again." "Come, we're going to see Jocelyne." " Your Jocelyne is a dog!" "The youth of today!" "In my days, we knew how to have fun the intelligent way." "Well..." "I must go and open my piggy bank!" "So?" "Is it open?" " No, not yet." "But I get nervous when the soldiers watch over my shoulder." "So I prepare the first two combinations in advance..." "Thanks... and I always leave the third one on hold." "I only enter it when the officer comes." "It's less of a bother that way." "And what is this?" " This is the alarm box." "It monitors all the security system, all the shock and contact detectors, the interior mikes... and even the alarm ringing in the police station." "I don't even have the key:" "the senior executive does." "It would be such a terrible mess if I got it wrong." "Sirens and all that jazz." "This is really clever, isn't it." "Our strong room can't be breached easily." "Hurry up." "We've got eleven minutes left." "Hold his arm flat on the desk, so he can't move it." "Go wash your windows." "We'll call you when we need you." "Quiet." "Relax." "You just had a fainting spell but you're better now." "How do you feel?" "Weak." "I feel weak." "Gather your strength." "Now you must help us." "You're going to count with me." "Go on..." "One hundred." " One hundred..." "Very good." "Go on." "He's ready." "Can you hear me?" " Yes." "What is your name?" " Charles Goulette." "What do you do?" " I'm a bank teller." "Perfect, mister Goulette." "Do you know the strong room combination?" "Yes..." "I have to..." "Try to remember it." "Try hard." "Tell me the numbers." "First combination." "Twenty-one." "Second combination." "The second one, mister Goulette." "Eighteen." "And nine for the third combination." "He's wrong." "I heard eight." " He can't lie." "I'm sure of it." "Listen very closely, mister Goulette." "The last number." "Would you repeat it?" "Nine..." "Shit, I'm not crazy, am I?" "I counted eight when I heard it." "There's no question about it." "If he says nine, nine it is." "If we get it wrong, there's going to be quite a racket." "Come on, make it nine." "He was right: nine." " You see: my pentothal." "Well, I was sweating for a while, I can tell you." "Alright, now: no noise." "There are microphones inside, directly linked to the director's flat, and they can pick-up the slightest shock." "Car number four." "Car number four." "I've just picked-up a client." "Is car number six in position?" "Car number six in position." "No car number twelve in sight." "Over." "Car number four." "We've got a client for the six." "Got it." "I'm sending it to you." "Central here." "Car number six?" "Car number six." "Listening." " We've got a client for you." "We're coming." "Hurry up." "Three minutes left." "The floor polisher." "Now, pal, your turn." "Don't strike me too hard." " Don't worry, I know the way." "Something is amiss." "Yes, we should call the director." "Go back to the station, hurry up." "Car number six." "Car number twelve behind car number six." "Let it pass." "Well, drive on the sidewalk!" "Take this." "Did you see what happened at the bank, madam?" "I just learned about it." "Is my husband upstairs?" " No, he's having his breakfast." "Five hundred millions!" "That's a sum!" "It can't be, can it?" " What can't be?" "So that's what the two of you have been planning." "Stupid woman that I am, I bought the friendship thing." "The two old pals coming together again." "And all this acting." "How ridiculous I was." "I had misgivings tonight." "I phoned the "Chaumière", the "Domino", but I couldn't imagine..." "You're only thinking of yourself, it appears." "I thought it was over, that you really moved on..." "And here we are." "I can't take it anymore." "If anybody talks to me about this, I won't be able to pretend." "So I'd better go." "It's the best thing for both of us." "I think you're right, love." "Go and have some rest in the South, go." "No, Denis." "I'm leaving for good." "If you cared even a little about me, you would never have done this." "And they put him to sleep with pentagram." "Pentothal." " It's the same thing, isn't it?" "Say, mister Farrand, what a fuss!" " It certainly is." "Any news?" "A bogus watchman did the job." "The real one was found:" "he was knocked out then put to sleep with an injection." "Is mister Goulette alright?" "I think so, since the policemen took his statement." "And the two cleaners are saying the same thing." "You're telling me." "Good morning, sir." "A terrible blow, isn't it?" " Don't tell me about it." "And you, on the other side of the street, you didn't notice anything?" "No, and I was in the "Domino" for a good part of the night, keeping my books." "Oh, yes, I heard some young people noisily passing by, but that's all." "Well, it was hard to hear anything anyway." "Everything happened inside." "It's a master caper." "May I go to the safe?" " Yes, of course, mister Farrand." "If you don't mind," "I'd like you to come to the police station this afternoon, so I can take your statement." "I'll be glad to, commissioner." "Whenever you want." "Are you still leaving tomorrow?" "It's safer." "If the cops interrogate me, they won't be long in finding out who I am and where I'm from." "Can you imagine?" "Six months without you." "Things will be quieter then." "I'll be able to take my share and have it moved to Switzerland." "We'll meet there." "And in the meantime, you'll send me postcards." "Be sensible about it." "If I stay here, what the others will send me, won't be postcards." "How can I be sensible when I know you're leaving me?" "Oh, Jim, you can't know how much I'm fed up with this bar, this town, this cockroach life." "Take me with you." "Without money, it's not possible." "Denis doesn't want us to touch it before six months, and he's right." "Tell me that you care about me, Jim, and that you'll miss me a little." "I'm going to miss you a lot." "Our trash picking schedules are always the same." "Of course, a mistake on the part of our employees is out of the question." "Thank you very much." "What mister Coulomb, the director of the road network service, just said will be confirmed by two men." "Misters Habib Bouarid and Ali Kamza, who work for the cleaning service." "The police were highly interested in what they had to say." "It was all done." "It was all done." "You mean that when you arrived to work on the rue Jean Mermoz, the trashcans had already been emptied?" "Yes." "Everywhere, there were trashcans but no trash." "All emptied." "We hope those testimonies will help commissioner Leduc, in charge of the investigation, and we will now follow up with a nicer topic:" "everybody knows that Paris is a Lesser Britain city..." "Did you see?" " It was to be expected." "But they'll understand everything." "Even if they do, where will it lead them?" "To the garage." " I would be surprised." "They were there." " When?" "At six o'clock." "Gaston just told me so." "He was interrogated." "Commissioner Leduc and his whole team were there." "What was he asked?" "He didn't tell me that." "But the point is they searched everywhere." "We must warn Denis at once." "I tried to call him, but he's not home." "What about "La Chaumière"?" "He had already left." "I'll try again in fifteen minutes." "Hello?" "Yes." "Who?" "I'm coming..." "Another reporter." "They are the sticky type!" "And they make passes at me too!" "The accident occurred yesterday, in the late afternoon." "A parked railcar's brakes failed suddenly." "The railroad was sloping, so the railcar built on speed and, at the end of a mad race, crashed into..." "Ah!" "You scared me, sir!" "Good evening, Angèle." "Is Madam in bed?" "No." "Madam left after the phone call." "What phone call?" "They called her around eight thirty." "Who did?" " I don't know." "She was told that you fainted." "I thought that she rushed to your side." "Are you feeling better, sir?" " Yes, it was nothing." "Also, some gentleman asked for you twice." "He didn't want to say his name." "He's supposed to call again." "Thank you, Angèle." "You may go to bed." "Good night, sir." " Good night." "I'll get it." "Yes?" "I can't hear you properly." "Who is this?" "And where is she?" "You're a motherfucker, Luigi." "I'm fishing where there is fish." "I want everything." "Do you understand what I mean?" "All of your nightly work." "Well, bring the dough anyway." "As soon as I get it, you'll be allowed to take back... the package." " Where?" "And what guarantees do you offer?" "My word as a man, Denis." "It has to be sufficient." "Well?" " You were right, asthmatic!" "He cares about his old lady." "Is Jim upstairs?" " Yes." "I think so." "Stay here." "There are still clients left." "What's up?" " They kidnapped Marie-Jeanne." "Savani?" "Yeah." "And he wants all the dough, or they'll kill her." "What?" "And I know them:" "they won't hesitate to do it." "So we must send them the dough, and I came to ask for your agreement." "Are you crazy, Denis?" "We can't give them the whole sum." "We can save her some other way." "The trouble is we're not playing with our lives, this time, but with hers." "And I don't have a right." "Look, you saw me working, you know what I can do." "I'm sure we can manage it." "No, I don't want to take that chance." "My wife's life is in the balance and that's more important than anything for me." "But you won't have to regret it, believe me:" "I'll need a little time to find all the money, but you'll have enough to go away and wait for the rest." "When do you want to give them the dough?" "Tonight. 3 A.M." "It's necessary to get it out of the pit." "Maybe you could do it?" "I already did." "I knew that, but I'm happy to hear you say it." "What?" "You don't think I would double-cross you, do you?" "I don't think anything but we've got no time to lose." "The cops went to the garage, they looked everywhere and interrogated Gaston." "Why didn't you call me?" "Betty tried to reach you at the "Chaumière", you just left there." " So?" "So I put the bags in the trunk of the Fiat, which I parked downstairs, rue Jean Mermoz, until we make our decision." "Here are the keys!" "Now you just have to make your delivery." "Although it makes me sick." "I thank you, Jim." " The wheels." "What about the wheels?" "I parked them at the crossroads, there!" "Are you sure?" " I'm not crazy." "Where's Betty?" "She went out less than five minutes ago." "Say, Gaston, did commissioner Leduc come to the garage, this afternoon?" "Commissioner Leduc?" "No, I didn't see him." "Did she have a second key?" "In my opinion, she's got a second key for each and every lock." "Shit." "Let me tell you we're not going to see the dough again any time soon." "Go and see them." "Tell them you couldn't take the satchels with you." "I'll manage to follow you." "Impossible." "They would be wary." "I swear, Denis." "I'll take the other car, and I'll tail you." "You're going to take the other car, but in order to do something else." "Don't move." "Where are the satchels?" "There are no satchels." "Take me to mister Henri." "I've received no orders about this." "I've got to see him." "It's urgent." "Marcel!" "Follow us." "OK, give me the wheel." "He doesn't have the dough." "But he wanted to see you." "What is the matter, mister Farrand?" "I come to ask you for some extra time." "I couldn't get the money out." "You surprise me." "Cop trouble." "They watch the zone where I hid it." "You'll have a hard time convincing Mr. Savani of that." "Don't move." "What game are you playing, mister Farrand?" "You've been here for ten minutes, saying nothing." "Well, I'm going to tell you something now, but tell your goons to get out." "I want to talk to you alone, and what I have to say is very important." "Alright, but if you try the slightest trick, your dear wife..." "You've got nothing to fear." "Well?" "Somebody stole the 500 million from me." "Let's be serious, mister Farrand." "I'm very serious." "But you're going to have my wife released immediately, and I'll have your old mommy released in turn." "What are you saying?" "I say you must phone her place right now, and my Yankee pal will give you news of her health." "Sit down." "Yes?" "Jim Beckley here." "Yes, your mother is here." "Do you want to talk to her?" "Don't give in, Henri." "I've lived my life, they can kill me, but don't give in." "As you can see, she's perfectly alright." "It's now 3:30." "You've got until 4:00 to save her." "Come on, hurry up, have my wife released." "Yes, but it's a delicate matter, you understand." "And a dangerous one." "Savani will be here at any moment." "Even more so." "Hurry because let me tell you the Yankee will not spare your mother." "Alright, come with me." "Open, Antoine." "Everything is in order." "Come, Marie-Jeanne." "It's settled." "Immediately on your right, you'll find a staircase to the front yard." "When you get out of the estate, take the first road on your left." "Three kilometres further, you'll find an open gas station where you can make a phone call." "Hurry." "What about the money?" "It's upstairs." "Everything is in order." "Wait a second." "Don't go so quickly." "Let them go." "Hands up!" "Go, quick!" "And don't forget to make the call." "This is going to cost you a lot." "Don't move." "My only consolation is that you'll lose your head." "Jim?" "Everything is in order, you can let the granny sleep." "Now listen closely:" "I'll meet you at the railway station buffet at 9:00." "A train leaves for Paris at 10:00." "I'll bring you some dough." "You raised your son badly." "He disobeyed you." "Madam, police!" "Your papers, please." "Yes." "What's the matter?" "The matter is that you overtook another car at the summit of a hill, you crossed over a yellow line and did not respect the speed limit." "We've been following you for a while." "I'm in a hurry." "My mother is quite ill." "That is no reason to play with the life of other people." "You do not own this car?" "No." "My boss does." "Mister Denis Farrand." " Yes." "What are you going to do now?" "I'm going to fetch some money for Jim." "He's waiting for me at the station." "He's got to get away, you understand." "Of course." "Shall I go with you?" "Will it be expensive?" "You'll probably be disqualified from driving." "You're definitely unlucky." "Is the spare tire in the trunk?" "Oh, no, thank you, I'm used to this." "Come on, we're not that bad, we're going to give you a hand." "I'm not asking for anything." " If you take it like that..." "I don't need anybody." " I thought you were in a hurry." "It's my business." "Go..." "Go!" "So, what's in that trunk?" "I forbid you to search my trunk!" "You don't have the right!" "And, pray, what is this?" "I just need five minutes." "Good morning, mister Farrand." " Good morning." "Thank you." "Well, mister Farrand," "I've got a feeling that you didn't tell me everything you know about this case." "Translated by:" "Goupil66" "Timed by:" "McDuck June 2009"