"Milan Central Station" "Why don't you take the train with us?" "Because I'm going by car with your dad." "There they are." "Pierrot, when we get to France, we'll never move again." "We'll always be together." "You understand?" "We may arrive before you do." "Buy us some shirts." " I'll remember." "Don't worry." "It'll be okay." "She wanted to warn him to be careful." "But what was the point?" "Since starting to pack and unpack, she'd said nothing." "Or almost nothing." "The children followed." "They lacked for nothing, except a school." "For this last trip, she had packed only the essentials." "Her handbag contained the last of their money." "But to leave Italy and cross the border required a lot more." "And money was something the two men knew only one way of getting." "This man was Abel Davos, sentenced to death in absentia." "On the run for years, he had watched his resources dwindle, even as his anxiety kept him on the move." "With the Italian police closing in each day," "France was again the best bet." "Maybe he'd been forgotten." "And this was his friend Raymond Naldi." "For them, the city was neither pleasant nor unpleasant." "They took no notice of it." "And the people were no more real." "We don't have a choice." "It can't be worse than Turin." " How much?" " 500,000." " You're kidding!" " I'm not." "It'll do for the trip." "We can't hang around Ventimiglia." "The thing is to get there." "No reason we shouldn't." "We go ahead as planned." " Where's the bike?" " Outside the Corte Maggiore." "Did you fill the tank?" " Tails." " Heads." "You lose." "I won." "Is he stopping or not?" "Have them put up a roadblock on Route 6!" "The keys!" "Quick!" "Stop, thief!" "You idiot!" "You let him take the car, just like that?" "Raymond!" "We're the greatest!" "BUS STOP" "Mommy!" "Mommy, watch this!" "Can I go in the water?" "Just to dip my feet!" "No, darling!" "Mommy!" "Here they come!" "Abel." "I was at the end of my rope." "See?" "We made it." "And Ferucci?" " He's at the house." "I'm off." " How much did they tell you?" " 6 or 7 million." "Damn them!" "Hello, Naldi." "Without that roadblock, it would've been easy." "There wouldn't have been any risks." "I had it all planned." "Now it's impossible." "I understand." "And holing up in a border town is even riskier." "So now what?" "What can I say?" "We can't backtrack." "San Remo's still our best bet." "There are tons of tourists." "What'd he say?" " To go by way of San Remo." " San Remo it is." "Thérèse!" "Come on, honey." "We'll go into the sailor's house." "Pierrot, you go down, too." "It's Menton." "Keep to the right." "They're asleep." "Let them sleep." "We'll wake them when it's time." "Slow down." "We're making too much noise." "What will we do with the boat?" "We'll lash the helm and send it out to sea." "Kill the engine." "C'mon, Thérèse." "Home, sweet home!" "Pierrot, keep an eye on Daniel." "Hey, you there!" "What're you doing there?" "Keep your hands where they are and walk this way!" "Raymond!" "Thérèse!" "Raymond Naldi." "An ex-crony of Pierrot le Fou." "A good shot?" "And the woman?" "Dunno." "Never saw her before." "The first time was in Rome." "An attack on a bank courier." "One man dead." "Then Genoa and Turin." "Two dead." "Describe him." "A big guy." "Wide shoulders." "Dark hair." "Square face." "Dressed in blue." "With a child of 7 or 8, and another about 4 or 5 years old." "Make a report." "Cover all stations, roads, airports, hotels most of all." "As far as Marseilles." "Children eat at regular hours." "And they get sleepy fast." "FATAL SHOOT-OUT BETWEEN CUSTOMS OFFICERS AND GANGSTERS ... on the run with his children." "Measures have been taken to prevent the fugitives from leaving the area." "Pierrot..." "Listen closely because what I have to say is very important." "We can't walk together in the street like before." "You have to walk behind." "Hold Daniel by the hand, and always stay together." "Keep about 10 yards behind me." "Like from here to the pillar." "You see?" "But if I don't call you..." "If I don't call you, don't come to me." "And if, one day... you see men surrounding me," "don't come any closer or shout." "Nothing." "Just walk the other way with your brother." "Where do we go?" "Here, to a church." "You'll ask to see the priest." "But don't worry." "It won't happen." "Now we'll go outside, and I'll call some pals to come get us." "That's it." "So we do like we said?" "Paris on the line, sir." "Henri Vintran, please." "That you, Riton?" "It's Abel." "Abel?" "I don't believe it!" "It's really you?" "I'm in Nice." "Things are bad." "I'm sick." "I have the kids." "You hear me?" "Sure I hear you." "Thérèse is dead." "My God!" "That business was because of you?" "Yes, and it's urgent." "My God!" "I'm stuck, Riton." "Hold on." "Got any change left?" "Sure, sure." " Benazet." " Who?" "Be-na-zet." "Quai de Lunel." "But you gotta get down here, with an ambulance or something like that." "We can meet like before." "Like before." "I heard you." "Like before." "Don't you worry." "Get the others." "Jeannot, Fargier, the whole gang." "They still there?" "Sure." "Don't you worry." "I'll call again in two days." "In two days." "Don't you worry." "Between the Saint Denis and Saint Martin gates, there were 50 men called Riton," "but there was only one "Riton of the Gates."" "He wasn't the kind to mistake a slap on the back for friendship." "Business was business." "Beer." " What's the matter?" " Nothing." "Denise..." "When Jeannot comes by, tell him to meet me at Fargier's." "At his hotel." "So that Italian business was him." "Yeah." "And the meeting point?" "At the Grimaldi post office, like before." "An ex-safecracker," "Raoul Fargier owned a hotel and a villa in Le Vésinet." "He'd still get his hands dirty, but very cautiously." "Jean Martin, alias "Kid Jeannot," was still hard at it but unlucky." "And in two days, I'm the one he'll call again." "You already said that." "A situation like this calls for some hard thinking." " It looks simple to me." "Everything's simple for you." "We go down with an ambulance and a machine gun and come back with the kids." "Isn't it what he wants?" "What's that mean, "we go down"?" "I can say the same." "But you forget one thing:" "To start with, you can't go." "He's out on bail." "I don't get you." "What are you talking about?" "No way you can leave town, not even for a day." "If the judge suddenly summons you, what'll you do?" "And we haven't the right to send Abel someone who's in hot water." "I'll go even further..." "Same goes for Riton." "And for me, too." "It's not our job." "Still, I swear, Jeannot," "I want to go, too." "But people can talk." "They know we're friends of his." "What we need is a guy who won't attract attention." "Somebody reliable." " That's a rarity." "Not 50 men... one!" "You can find one." "Maybe so." "But right away." "Sure." "And organize everything from my place." "Go over to Nevada's." "I'll call him at his bar." "Trust me for the rest." "We're going to buy an ambulance, with papers and all." "No need to get worked up." "See you." "See you later, Jeannot." "I know them all." "Your Fargier will never stick his neck out." "Not true." "Abel didn't have his number, or he would've called him." "Give him the number, then." "Too late now." "Give it to him and let's leave town." "This way Fargier will have to pay his debt." "I've got a debt, too:" "This bistro." "Abel put up the cash." "But Fargier owes him his life." "Abel got him out of prison." "I know what I have to do." "I know Fargier, too." "And I'll let him think it over." "He always comes up with something good." "And we'll back him up." "You're going down together?" "I don't think so." "Jeannot can't go." "As for Riton, he'd go if I went." "But I'm not going." "What did you say?" "Look, Sophie, I said I won't go, but we'll get him up here, safe and sound." "And once he's in town, I'll take care of him personally, like a brother." "Daniel!" "Come here!" "Take your ball." "Here they are!" "Hi there, kids!" "Hello, mister." "Come here, you pirate!" "Know what you are?" "A package." "Know what I do to packages?" "Stop it, you're tickling me!" "My balloon's out of air." "It won't fly." "Help me set the table and I'll blow it back up." "Go get the plates, quick!" "How come the sea doesn't move where the boats are?" "It's on purpose." "So they won't bang into each other and break." " It's a port." " Right, it's called a port." "The phone's yours, Abel." "Thanks." "Be right out." "The number still doesn't answer." "Not bad." "How much?" "450." "Hi." "It's the best I could do." "Not new, but it still runs." "It'll do fine." "You can hide a kid... and a machine gun." "All we need now is a driver." "So what does Nevada say?" "That they're scarce." "At first, I couldn't believe it would get this bad." "But you gotta face facts." "Now the cops check the hotels three times a day." "You know, Abel, they say I'm dependable." "It's true." "Nobody ever had trouble under my roof." "But you don't blend in, Abel." "Sure, you're cautious." "But people have eyes everywhere." "And a guy alone with kids gets people to talking." "You can't stop 'em from talking." "I never should've taken money for the room." "Your problem isn't a question of money." "You did what you could." "Daddy?" "What is it?" "We gonna stay here long?" "When will they come get us?" "Soon." "Where will we go then?" "To Paris." "My name's Stark." "Eric Stark." "Nevada told me about you." "So here I am." "Excuse me a second?" "Mr. Nevada." "Raoul Fargier." "I have someone here who says you sent him." "Stark." "Sorry, but this is no minor matter." "So you're one of us?" "So to speak." "I work alone." "It has its advantages." "They tell you about me?" "Not much." "I'm Abel's friend." "His best friend." "We were partners." "In those days, we made the decisions for everyone." "No one's ever decided for me." "Depends who you deal with." "But that's all in the past." "You shouldn't be here now." "I should be driving the ambulance." "But that's impossible." "Totally impossible." "It's too long to explain." "Your business is your own." "I talk and talk, but I haven't thanked you for doing this." "I appreciate it." "Really, I do." " Good." "You know Abel?" "By name." "We'll get you a photo." "You meet at the Grimaldi post office at 4." "It's an old meeting point." "I have to warn you." "If you run into a roadblock," "Abel won't have a choice anymore." "It's part of the trip." "If you were a guy just for hire, we could sweeten the pill." "But with someone like you, I don't have the right." "And so?" "So when can you leave?" " Whenever." " Right away?" "If you want." "If I understood you right, you're always available." "For certain things." "Good." "C'mon." "I'll introduce you to Riton, Jeannot, and the ambulance." "BLASTONE THEATRICAL TOURS" "Fargier sent me." "I have the ambulance." "Let's get out of here." "What's your name again?" "Stark?" "And the others?" " They're waiting." "You work with Fargier?" "Why are you here?" "Angel Nevada told me Fargier needed a man." "So you came just like that, for a total stranger." "For no reason." "Feel sorry for a guy on the lam with two kids?" "I had a friend named Raymond Naldi." "You knew Raymond?" "They don't know in Paris." "I didn't want to tell you either, but with what you're thinking, it's better if I did." "You know..." "It was about time you got here, but it shouldn't be you." "I'm glad to be here." "We'll get you out of here easy." "We'll go get the kids." "I try to keep things cheerful with them." "We have to try to keep it up." "No reason why we shouldn't." "An ambulance is the only thing I haven't been in yet." "They said you were in Switzerland at one time." "In the beginning." "In Geneva." "Then we trailed around Italy." "Never able to settle anywhere?" "At one time I thought we could." "When Daniel was born." "We were living on a lake near Lugano." "It was like a picture postcard." "There was a guy who built boats." "We got along well." "I even did some work for him." "And then..." "What do you think of Fargier?" "A cautious guy." "What the hell?" "Keep still!" "Let go of me!" "Got a problem?" "We don't need anyone." "Yes, we do!" "Hey, you!" "The one good thing about me is my left." "I can't stay here." "Where you headed?" "He was going to Nice." "Me, Paris." "Got a suitcase?" "Let's go get it." "You an actress?" "He's the tour manager." "I wanted to stop." "He didn't." "What will you do now?" "The same work, but with other people." "I hope I don't get you into trouble." "If you leave us, the kid might wake up." "Want to give me a hand?" "The guy in the back had trouble with his wife." "Nothing new, but this time she took a shot at him." "She was crazy about him, but he wanted a change." "So she shot him." "We're taking the kids to an uncle." "They sent her to Switzerland, to where I live." "Get the picture?" "How awful." "They're well-known and we're breaking the law." "Bullet wounds are police business." "We didn't report it." "So sometimes there are roadblocks." "And if there are?" "They could ask for his papers, then take us to a hospital." "The wife could go to prison." "Bad start for the kids." "Then you're not an ambulance driver." "Nope." "I'm his friend." "My name's Eric." "Liliane." "I'll help in any way I can." "There's a white coat in back." "Put it on and get in the back, in case the cops stop us." "Not too uncomfortable?" "He asleep?" " Is it serious?" " Skull fracture." "How far to Paris?" " About two hours." "You okay?" "Let's go." "Roadblock!" "Hide, Pierrot!" "Papers, please." "Got a patient?" "If you don't mind." "Sorry." "What's he got?" " Skull fracture." "Go ahead." " Can I see you again?" " If you like." "I like." "I live at 58." "Madame Weber's." "Good-bye, and thanks." "Good luck." "Good luck for everything." " It's Riton." " Hang on." "Abel's in town." "He just called." "Meet at my place in a half hour." "I'm on my way." "White wine." "It's still early." "You've been to hell and back, eh?" "He was worried sick." "He couldn't sleep." "At first, he wouldn't even talk to me about it." "We are who we are." "You called." "We had to act." "But it wasn't easy." "Times have changed." "But we did what we had to." "We found you a good man, didn't we?" "And you're better off here than in Nice." ""Better off here." That depends." "We still have to find the kids a place to live." "It won't be easy." "Sure it won't." "From that angle, Paris or Nice, same difference." "Take the kids outside, will you?" "C'mon, Daniel." "Leave that." "What's got into you?" "For me, Paris or Nice isn't the same difference." "In Nice, I don't have friends." "In Paris, I do." "Riton, for instance." "What could he do?" "I'm talking to Riton." "Well, I'm his wife." "Then "his wife" can go sit over there so we don't have to hear her." "Abel..." "I'm so happy." "What's going on?" "I was just telling Denise she was never my partner." "But with you, and Jeannot, and Riton..." "Riton of the Gates." "But not with his wife." "Sure, but she didn't mean it." "Then what do you mean?" "When you called from Nice, I couldn't go down." "I was out on bail." "I still am." "Now I see you with your kids, but all I've got is a small hotel room, where you couldn't even spend an hour." "I'm just a useless friend." "But you gotta believe me..." "Since you left, I've been in and out of the pen." "I haven't done much." "All I got now is a phone number." "Call me when you want." "For anything at all, it'll be the two of us." "Thanks, Jeannot." "Honestly, Abel, it's a terrible situation." "At home, with Sophie, it won't do." "She's changed badly." "You wouldn't recognize her." "She's like a zombie." "But I tried everything." "We saw all the doctors we could." "Nothing doing." "The slightest emotion could kill her." "So I remembered a cousin of mine in Brittany." "He doesn't keep in touch but I think he's still there." "I doubt he'd say no." "You see, the hard part would be finding the way." "You understand me..." "the way to word it all." "But anyway..." "I can still try writing him." "When Sophie asked me to get you out of prison... where you'd still be otherwise..." "I didn't talk about any cousin in Brittany." "I didn't say I'll try writing him." "I know that, Abel." "We all know that here." "But who sent a total stranger to Nice for me?" "It was you." "And you." "You two are pretty foxy." "You figure I didn't have much of a chance." "So it starts off with a driver you hope not to find, and it ends with a cousin in Brittany." "I didn't come for milk." "If you'd listened to me, we'd have left him in Nice." "He hasn't changed a bit." "Mr. Chapuis." "Abel!" "What are you doing here?" "You haven't heard?" "The shoot-out near Menton..." "That was you?" "And Thérèse?" "You poor guy!" "Come on, let's walk a bit." "And your kids?" "That's just it..." "I don't know what to do with them." "I can't keep dragging them around." "It's me or social services." "I thought of paying people to take them in, anyone..." "But if they started asking questions, it would mean disaster." "How much do they know?" "When Thérèse was alive, they thought we were traveling." "But the other night on the beach..." "I tried to lie to them, but the words wouldn't come." " Where are they?" " Over there." "Mr. Chapuis is a very nice man." "His sister will take care of you, but you have to do as she says." "You'll live in a very nice house, like Uncle Ray's." "It's like the country." "There's a garden." "Then we won't be living in Paris?" "It's right nearby in a place called Arcueil." "You coming with us?" "Sure, but not just yet." "Don't worry." "They won't leave you." "You'll see Eric, too." "He'll come over a lot." "And school?" "You'll go there." "Now we're going to take the Métro and the bus." " You're swell, Mr. Chapuis." " It's nothing." "Stay here." "I live in Passage Doisy." "There are two entrances." "No one knows my address." "There's a maid's room on the seventh floor." "You'll be fine there." "He been working in that museum long?" "All his life." "Just like my father." "They were in the war together." "They were wounded together." "And then came the Maritime Museum." "These yours?" "Shall we go?" "I never expected the kids to sleep in the same room with me." "At their age, I spent vacations with the Chapuis in Arcueil." "Pull on your end." "Leave it." "I'll finish it myself." "You know..." "Riton and Fargier... you should forget them." "I already have." "They don't exist anymore." "Want an alarm clock?" "No, thanks." "I just want to sleep." "Thanks for everything." "You sleep up here, but you're always welcome downstairs." " Any other rooms?" " We saw everything, Lieutenant." "Then I can head back to Paris." "Mr. Benazet..." "Lieutenant Blot, Homicide." "You have lodgers here?" "You had lodgers?" " Unregistered?" " A man with kids?" "An ordinary man with kids wouldn't be serious, but this man was Abel Davos." "And you knew it, Mr. Benazet." "Better go get your coat." "Bad luck." "Nice is big." " And Paris even bigger." "I'm warning you." "If you start asking questions, I'll lie." "It's a questionee's right." "It's an optional right." "Like a bus stop?" "Not bad, kids." "But something's bothering me." "It's your "Hey!"" "We don't sense the bus coming." "Maybe it's not you, maybe the line's bad." "I could rewrite it, but for me that bus is Fate." "You can't miss that bus." "We'll skip it for now and go back to scene one with Christian, Marguerite and Régine." "I went by your place." "They said you'd be here." "You see, we're rehearsing." "So I see." "Am I disturbing you?" "Not at all." "How are the kids?" " Fine, just fine." "And your friend?" "Much better." "And his wife?" "His wife?" "She's fine, too." "And the machine gun?" "That was some story." "I came to tell you what happens next." "If you're interested." "You enter, slam the door, walk to the corner of the table and that's when you speak." "At the roadblock..." "if things had gone wrong, would your friend have used the gun?" "He didn't use it." "That's all that matters." "You like seashells?" "Seashells?" "What do you really do in life?" "Really wanna know?" "Thief." "But we all have our past." "Sure and we all know it." "Especially when talking about it can't change much." "So..." "So?" "In spring, they pick up everything they find:" "Straw, bits of string." "Then they don't know what to do." "They've forgotten." "They're tame." "That's why they're clumsy now." "It's like they're sick." "I hadn't noticed." "You just had to look." "When you look, you learn lots of things." "It's true." "Excuse me." "Am I disturbing you?" " Not at all." "THE SHOOT-OUT IN MENTON" "It's me, Eric." "You okay?" "Nice day." "I have the papers and passport." "You can stick your nose out now." "I saw the girl from the ambulance again." "She know anything?" "She's a good kid." "And she wants to come with me to visit your kids." "Well, if she wants to..." "You know, you don't have to go out." "I can help you." "Bumming money off people is no solution." "What I mean is, we could work together." "No, thanks." "The last one was with Raymond Naldi." "The results were enough for me." "What are your plans?" "They're not clear yet." "I'm still trying to figure it out." "And when I make my move," "I want to move alone, and one time only." "To wrap it up." "Understand?" "As you like." " Well, I'm off because..." " Get going." "Liliane, look!" "They asked for their father." "I said he was on a trip." "And their mother?" "Daniel asks for her sometimes." "Pierrot never mentions her." "Did you know her?" "She was a good girl." "But Abel did some bad things in his youth." "Thérèse only found out later when they had to run for it." "Pierrot was already born." "And they were too much in love to listen to anyone." "When you're happy, you stay together." "Since he can't come, tell him I always hoped for something good for him." "I don't know what, but I always hoped for it." "Abel's in town, Fargier." "He helped you out a lot." "I wonder if you'd help him or me." "Neither one of you." "The past can awaken overnight." "Mine isn't asleep, it's dead." "Without leaving debts?" "That would take several lives." " And as you have only one life..." " I treasure it." "Good-bye, Lieutenant." " What did he want?" " Nothing, dear." "It was about a foreigner who may check in under an assumed name." "Do you love me?" "You all right?" "See you tonight." "I'll pick you up." "You all right?" "Yes." "And you?" "Just fine." "He's home." "It's you?" "So, happy?" "You stop believing in it, and then it happens." "I'm glad to hear it." "Let me tell you something else, if you ever decide to do something else," "something where you're sure to sleep in your bed every night," "I'll be glad to hear it, wherever I am." "I've heard that before." "I'm telling you because we always think we're clever." "But if you stop standing your ground, you're nothing." "You slip a little more every day... until... until you're nothing." "Like today." "Don't talk like that." "But that's not why I came." "It's for something else." "Tomorrow, I'm doing a job." "What is it?" "Nothing much, but it'll tide me over." "And allow me to get some money for the kids." "Maybe they can change their name, too, because Davos" "isn't a name anymore." "Then I'll go away." "So I came to ask you... in case it doesn't go like I plan... to watch out for them" "until the eldest can get by." "Sure thing." "It's just in case." "INTERIOR DECORATOR" "Mr. Arthur Gibelin, please." "We'll see about that." "Hello, Gibelin." "If this isn't a surprise." "Abel in person." "I never expected to see you." "You alone?" " As you can see." "I mean, a man in your situation coming here..." "You might meet someone on the stairs." "Don't worry about that." "Put yourself in my shoes." "I thought you were dead or gone to the devil." "It's pretty much the same thing." "The way people talk, you start believing things." "Have you seen Fargier again?" "The main thing is to breathe easy and not forget old Gibelin." "I can't come again." "I leave in an hour." "Got any available cash?" "Depends on what you call available cash." "40,000." "That's a tall order." "You know, times are tough." "40,000 takes some doing." "Before, buyers were begging to buy." "Nowadays, I have to beg to sell." "They're worth four times as much, and I won't go a cent lower." "Without cash, no point in showing them to you." "I have the money, but are your rocks worth that much?" "They're fake." "Glass." "You've been had." "That's impossible." "You're crazy, Abel!" "I trusted you!" "Just imagine they're blue-white diamonds!" "I've got nothing!" "I was bluffing!" "Honest to God." "Hurry up." " You wouldn't do it!" " You bet I would." "I've got nothing to lose now." "So?" "In the desk drawer." " Which one?" " First on the right." "Go sit down." "The keys." "There's almost 50,000 there." "Be glad I'm not checking the accounts." "You made a packet off me since you've been buying gems at a quarter of their worth." "Who's that girl outside?" " My daughter." " You have a daughter?" "My wife's." "I remarried." "Get this place in order and call her." "Tell her to run an errand and leave the door open." "Fix your hair." "Idiot!" "Child, go to your aunt's and tell her it's okay." "Okay for what?" "She'll know." "Just a second." "We're talking." " Close the door." " If I feel like it." "Feel like it now?" "You go first." "Move it." "Get in here." "Anybody else in the house?" "A woman doing the laundry in the kitchen." "So long, Gibelin." "Just write it off." "I'd better not see you again." "He'd rather not see them." "When does he leave?" "In three days, I think." "But I'm staying here." "Pierrot!" "They already have friends?" "Kids their age make friends in five minutes." "Everything's fine, then." "The money in Chapuis' name, the passport..." "Everything." "Except that I have to leave." "Your first time overseas?" "Gibelin made a big stink." "He said his trust ruined him." "Ruined him..." "Let's not overdo it, please." "It's worse than you think." "If Abel starts robbing people, where will it stop?" " How should I know?" " We better find out." "Look, I had a long talk with Gibelin." "I explained it all to him." "He sees our point of view." "Did I scare you?" "I thought you were the man down the hall." " Down the hall?" " He always pesters me." "I'll get out of your way." " No hurry." "Thanks." "I won't be a minute." "He must've got ideas, since I'd meet him on the stairs and smile at him just to be polite." "Careful who you smile at." "What's the matter?" "This is the time everybody picks to wash." "So here..." " So what do we do?" " We wait." "I see." "You haven't been living here long?" "I work for the doctor on the fourth floor." "I see." "Here it is." "Go on." "And what do you do?" " As you see, I draw water." "Who sent you?" "I'm warning you." "I'll use this." "Detective agency." "Know where I live?" "5 Passage Doisy." "Third floor." "Great." "Then let's go." "Not bad here." "Get lots of visitors?" "So you're looking for someone living here." "You won't say why." "You won't say for who either." "Look, fella, I was an M.P. In the army." "I've seen it all." "You could've knocked me off back there, easy." "But in your own place, it's tough." "With the neighbors, the noise, the body..." "Right?" "Maybe so." "That didn't make much noise, did it?" " Feel better?" " I'm okay." "Your name's Jacques Imbert." "You work for the Péreire Agency." "The boss doesn't tell us everything." "He pays, we work." "I had to shadow you until I could find out your friend's address." "Something about a woman." "Your friend stole some guy's wife." "The guy wants her back or something." " Did you see my friend?" " No, I swear, I didn't." "You will." "Your boss, too." "Everybody will be happy." "I'll speak to Mr. Bacérès and call you back." "I'd like to see Mr. Bacérès." "Is he expecting you?" "An assistant won't do?" " No, him or no one." "Who sent you?" "Mr. Jacques Imbert." "It's urgent." "Go on in." "Sir?" "The guy shadowing me is still alive." "So are you." "You should be happy." "Sir, threats have no place here." "Nor rudeness." "There are laws that protect the work we do." "Laws made for everyone." "All depends when." "First, let's see the Stark file." "Not bad." "And who ordered this prank?" "A man looking for his wife." "Go on." "First, he talked to me about someone named Stark." "He gave me the address of a bar he frequents." " Nevada's?" " That's the one." "It seems Stark knows his wife's lover." "And I'm the lover?" "You match the description." "What's your client look like?" "I never met him." "You work like that, blind?" "So long as they pay..." "What's his name?" "Mr. Jean." "How do you contact him?" "I call a number." "They let him know and he calls back a half hour later." "Then you're gonna call him now." "Say you have the address." "He's to pick you up here." "Ring three times." "And then?" "You dismiss the staff and we both wait here." "Move it!" "Let's go." "Come in." "So it seems I stole your wife?" " Look, Abel, I can explain." " I'm sure of it." " They didn't mean any harm." " They just want my address." " I wanted to talk to you." " Then talk!" "It's about the money." "It's a real hole in my pocket." "You're slipping, Gigi." "You used to be smarter." "Thought I'd return your money?" "That I'd pay it back just by seeing you again?" "Poor Gigi!" "You expected me to swallow that?" "Tell me the rest on the way." "Got a car?" "Then let's go." "You didn't know Stark." "Who told you about him?" "Fargier." " And Riton?" " I only saw Fargier." "You went crying to him to get your dough back." "He agreed to help provided you turn me in later." "It suited Fargier." "You can't believe that." "Fargier gave you Stark's address as a favor to me?" "As if he didn't know a fence like you is two-faced." "You'd sell your own mother." "You're crazy!" "What are you saying?" "What can you be thinking?" "You imagine too much." "I forgot your address." "You don't forget what you have trouble finding." "You're scared." "You've slipped so bad, you can hardly breathe." "Pull over here." "You wouldn't." "What are you doing here?" "I just saw Gibelin." "He's dead." "End of the line, Raoul." "For who?" "For one of us." "Or both of us." "I'd like to see Mr. Vintran." "He's in the back room." "Fargier?" "He had a hotel." "He was retired." "Maybe that's why." "You were retired, too." "Whoever killed Fargier shot fast." "A bit like Abel, if you see what I mean." "No one ever saw him again." "Honest to God, no one." "The past is the past." "Abel's as good as dead to me." " But he's alive." "I have a warrant here." "You're under house arrest." "You're stuck here or in the apartment, until further notice." "Stuck." "God!" "What's happening to me?" "It's just a piece of paper." "It all depends on you." "We're not in any hurry." "We'll get Abel when he's done with you." "But if you give us a lead, we can get him when his guard's down." "And I could leave the bar?" "You could." "Homicide Squad." " Is this a joke?" " It could be anything you want." "Concierge?" "Does Mr. Stark live here alone?" " I don't have to answer you." " You do." "What are you doing?" "The concierge says he has a maid's room on the 7th." "Idiot!" "Trying to warn him?" "The door." "Out of the way, ma'am." "Get inside!" "You really don't want me to stay?" "Should I come back tonight?" "Stay at the restaurant." "Better avoid moving around." "I wondered if you'd come." "You see?" "I'll be back on my feet in two months." "And harboring a fugitive won't cost me too much." "It's not so bad for Stark." "It's just his leg." "He's in the hospital." "I found Riton's hideout." "Hotel Concordia in Neuilly." "Want to go there now?" "Here." "Fargier?" "No, on the bottom." "SOPHIE FARGIER DIES OF HEART ATTACK" "Sophie..." "She was the best." "Rotten luck." "For her." "But for Riton, he's lucked out." "Because I'm calling it quits." "This is good-bye, Jeannot." "What's got into you?" "I've had it." "Thérèse." "Naldi." "Sophie." "And now Stark." "I can't do anything for him!" "Understand?" "Here's what I can do for Stark." "See about getting him a lawyer." "Abel's gone." "There's nothing left." "Get the hell out, Jeannot." "Do me a favor." "Get out of here." "A few days later, Abel Davos was arrested." "He was brought to trial, sentenced and executed."