" Good night, sir." " See you tomorrow." "We're closing, sir." "I'm really sorry, but I must..." "We'd like to talk." "If you want today's takings, you've really bummed out, guys." "Put away your money." "Let's talk of the past." "The past?" "On April 3, 1974 in rue de la Paix a jeweller by the name of Chabry was attacked." "I'm sure you remember." "Cop?" "We belong to a certain organization." "But our files are as complete as those of the Prefecture." "Sometimes more so." "If necessary, we have access to electronic data." "This, too." "When it's unavoidable." "The times have changed, M. Mignot." "We like to think that what we've lost in folklore, we've gained in efficiency." "So what do you want?" "So, in 1974 the jeweller Chabry was attacked." "He tried to defend himself and was killed with two bullets." "One in his belly, the other in his heart." "From his safe a packet of diamonds vanished, valued at 4 million francs." "Are you with me?" "Those diamonds were never found." "The police ended up by arresting a known gangster with a rather fat file on him." "The man had a bad reputation, a fragile alibi, a mediocre lawyer." "He got 15 years." "His name is Darnay, and he was your friend." "Five months later you bought this place." "I won at the races." "Ah yes, we know." "Jacques Darnay has been granted parole." "He'll be out in a week." "We need information on him and we want the diamonds." "Look, guys." "Darnay and I had been friends, that's true." "But by 1974 we'd stopped seeing each other." "It was a matter of generational differences, if you like." "He's 10 years younger than me." "See?" "You know, Mignot, we're not really communicating." "It would be better if we understand each other." "Listen carefully." "Either you talk, and return safely home with your day's takings." "Or a bistro owner is going to be killed tonight by hoodlums who set their sights on his petty cash." "Be reasonable, Mignot." "Be rational." "There's no choice." "I know nothing about Darnay." "What do you want me to say, if I know nothing." "Let's face it, Mignot, most often obstinacy and stupidity go hand in hand." "It was you who fingered the jeweller to Darnay, for a pathetic commission." "And Darnay is going to collect the jackpot as soon as he's out." "Think." "No one in sight." "Neither the cops who pretend to have forgotten, nor the robbers who are wary of the cops." "But I know they are all here." "I have 1000 francs in the pocket and a 10 year old suit of clothes, and something tells me that the best thing is to keep cool and see what happens." "Jacques Darnay?" "Follow us." "Your address in Paris?" "You looked, and you found nothing." "Next time you want to search me, do it by the book, or you'll find yourself in hospital." "You have 48 hours to establish a fixed address." "Go fuck yourself." " Hello?" " M. Mignot." " He's not here." " When will he be back?" "I don't know, he's ill." " Give me his home number." " He's not at home." " So where is he?" " I don't know, he calls from time to time..." "Paroled." "Got out this morning." "May I come in, or do you prefer me to stay here?" "I passed by on the off-chance." "I thought you'd have moved." "No husband, no kid?" "No." "I have a strange feeling nothing's changed here." "Except the furniture." "And me." "I'm 8 years older." "That's all?" "That's all." "That's a lot." "That's a few months without anyone." "Then 2 years with a gambler who died in a car crash." "That's a child... that I lost." "That's some men who just passed by." "Some who stayed for a while." "And now?" "Now it's quiet." "The last time I touched a woman was here" "8 years ago." "What are you thinking?" "That I'd like you to touch me again." "But you are not obliged to." " You still work at..." " No." "I'm at Crazy Horse." " Check girl?" " Yeah." "I have to go." " You have money?" " Yes." "Under the towels, if you need it." "It was even better than I remembered." "For me, you can imagine." "Hello?" " M. Mignot, please." "He's..." "Is it you who called earlier?" " Yes." " Hold on, I have a number for you." "Thank you." "I'll be back by five." " Why don't you ask questions?" " Would you answer?" " No." " That's why." "Have a good day at work." " Yes?" " It's me." "Where have you been?" " I'm hiding." " Hiding?" "Yeah, I've been roughed up by some youngsters." "Be careful, they're looking for you." "They wanted to know about..." " Not on the phone." "When can we meet?" " You remember the old place?" " Yes." " I'll be there in 30 minutes." "What do you need?" " What do you think?" "You look hot." "Can't take it off for 10 days." "Or else I get scars." "That would be a pity." "I'm not like I used to be, Jacques." "I'm no good now." "It's been 8 years." "You know, after 8 years behind the cash register, you just no longer have the guts for it." "I wouldn't know." "I was in prison." "So, some youngsters roughed you up." "Who do they work for?" "Lorca, Ruggeri, Martel?" "I don't think so." "They showed up at closing time." "They were very cool." "Just wanted to know about you and the diamonds." "If I hadn't made a break for it, I wouldn't be here now." " What were they like?" " Big curly guy, and two others." " How did you escape?" " I pushed one of them, made it to the door." "They shot at me." "I got away and lay low." " The one who kisses me..." " What's that to do with kissing?" " If they wanted to shoot you, they would have." "They let you get away." "That's what they wanted." "How did you get here?" " Taxi." "You think they tailed me?" " I think if they left you alone, it was for a reason." "I need new papers." "I'll retrieve the stones, leave the country, and when I'm home free," "I'll send you your share." " They won't let you go." "If they followed me, they'll be waiting outside now." "If you slip away, they'll get me and make me talk." "We have to cut open this sore." " I'm not starting a war, Pierrot, just because you got scared." "I'm fresh out of jail, the cops are on my tail." "That's how it goes." "So let it go." " And you'll leave without the stones?" " With." " No." "Listen." "Can you be sure they were not tailing you from the moment you got out?" " No." "A team like that can follow anybody, easy." " See?" " OK." "Let's see what they're made of." "Are you armed?" "Let's go." "No lights." " The bin." " What?" " Get the garbage bin." "When I tell you, throw it as far as you can." "Now!" " You coming?" " Where are they?" " Should have been here, but we miscalculated." "Come on." "I don't get it." "You go back to Suzanne, or you come with me?" " I go back." "If they're not here, they don't know where I hide." "I'm less sure about your place." " Now that you're in the clear, you can safely crawl back inside." " I'm 50, Jacques." "I can't get involved in this." "Call me tomorrow about the papers, that I'll do for you." "For the rest, count me out." " Kiss Suzanne for me." " Need a ride?" " I'll take the metro." " Going home?" " No." "You'll have to take a few days' vacation." " How come?" " I'm sorry." "I didn't want to get you involved, but now it's done." "Remember Pierrot?" " Mignot?" " They killed him last night." "They want to put pressure on me." "I can't leave you out in the open." "You could be next." " Is it about the diamonds?" "Rouxel came to see me 3 weeks ago." "I didn't know you were coming out, so I didn't understand." "Now I do." "He is a superintendent now." "Jacques..." "Was it you who killed the jeweller?" " Didn't you read the papers?" "They said Chabry surprised me by the safe, and I fired." " And what do you say?" " I say nothing." "I'll take you to Versailles." "It's big and it's far enough." "You'll stay out of trouble." " Oh well, I'm on the run." " No, you're not, because I have no intention of running." " So what are your plans?" " To get in the fray and get it over quick." "There are three possible outcomes." "One, they kill me." "Two, Rouxel throws me back inside." "Three, I succeed and vanish with the diamonds." "Shouldn't take more than 3 days, at most." " At most." " What the hell am I going to do in Versailles?" " You'll fit right in at the Trianon." "Will you wait for me?" " I do it even against my will." " Nice prison." " I'll stay at your place, give me the keys." "I need a place while I figure out what's going on." " Because you haven't the faintest idea?" " Just a glimmer." "Not really." "Thanks." " You haven't slept." "Won't you rest a bit before going?" " Do it for both of us." "And lock up after me." "I'll call you." " Fuck." " Have you booked, sir?" " No." " Then if you'd care to wait..." " No." " Beg your pardon?" " I want M. Ruggeri." " He is not here, sir." "But if you'd wait at the bar..." " I'll wait there." " What name shall I...?" " No name." "Just a friend." " Just a friend." "Son of a gun!" "I had you marked in my diary for 1987." "Paroled?" "Well, it's good to see you." "The suit is out of fashion, otherwise you look good." " For the moment, trouser make is the least of my problems." "I need your help, Gino." " Look..." "The old Gino is dead." "I'm 100% on the level." "I make money." "I have kids." "I take them to the park on Sunday, and if I misbehave, it's only taxes." "You get the idea?" "Will you eat?" "Sorry I can't join you, but afterwards you'll tell me everything." " Not hungry." "Look." "Some greenhorns are on my tail." "They killed Mignot last night." "You may have read about it." " No." "I only read the sports page." " All I know is, their top gun is a big curly guy, around 30." "I've no idea who they are and who they work for." " How do you want me to know?" " Any of the old guard still around?" " Some of them." " Martel?" " Dead." "He had to have an operation for his varicose veins, but it went wrong." "They had to amputate a leg." "He died two days later." " And Lorca?" " They buried him 2 years back." "Had a heart attack in his bath." "Go figure." "I'm the only one left." "A bourgeois living on his memories." "So the heat is not coming from us, Jacques." " But someone has to be guiding the greenhorns." " Guiding them where?" " OK." "I need some papers." " Jacques, those days are over." "If you want a place to stay, some cash, a woman - that's easy." "But that's it." "Try to understand." " Enough, Gino." "You can do papers." "And that way all stays quiet." "Otherwise, I may lose patience listening about your Sundays in the park." " Where do I find you?" " Nowhere." "I'll wait right here." " 'Chez Gino', how can I help you?" "Very well, no problem." " Here's an address." "I'm afraid it could be very expensive." "I'm sorry, Jacques." " What about?" " All this." "The passing time, the things that change." " Is it your fault that time passes?" " No." " Don't apologise, then." " Hi Darnay." "Rouxel." "In case you forgot." " Superintendent." " Ah, you've heard." "Good." "Read the papers?" "Mignot got snuffed." " Yep." " Seems there were four young guys in a grey car." "How had Mignot got in their bad books is a mystery." "Did you see him after you got out?" " No." " So, what are your plans?" " Find a quiet studio and go to work." " Really?" "And what kind of work?" " Restaurant business." "I've already spoken to Ruggeri." "Remember him?" " How can I forget, him being so meek, so law-abiding." "Do we have to walk so fast?" " Yes." " All right." "It wasn't you who shot the jeweller." "You're too professional to do something like that." "I think you had an accomplice, probably an amateur." "Mignot taught you to open the safe, the other fingered the diamonds to you." "Perhaps somebody close to Chabry, which is why he had to kill him." "What do you say?" " Nothing." "I'm listening." " And I think your accomplice wants the stones." "You thought he'd leave them to you because you took the rap alone." "But he wants them." "And as if by chance, poor Mignot, who lived quietly for 8 years, gets killed just as you are realeased from prison." "That's troubling, no?" "It's either you or him, Darnay." "I can afford to wait, and grab the one who's left." "What do you think?" " Interesting." "All right." "If they wouldn't come, let's go find them." "Bye, kiddo." "Samatan, Sebastien." "Born Dec 5, 1959 in Toulon." "Some surprise." "Following M. Darnay quietly along the street, you enter a building and find yourself in the basement face to face with the same M. Darnay." "Amusing, eh?" "Who sent you?" " You're mistaken, Pops." "Take my wallet if you like, but I've never seen you before." " And Mignot?" " Who is he?" " Right." "I'll recommence." "Who do you work for?" " Sauvat." "Gerard Sauvat." " The big curly one?" " Yes." " But he is not the big boss." "Who gives orders to Sauvat?" " I don't know." "I swear!" "I'm just a foot soldier." " Why was Mignot killed?" " Sauvat had a contract for him." "But the deal was to kill him in your presence." "That was the job." " Stick to talking, leave guns to me." "How long have you been on my tail?" " We picked you up at the train station." "Never lost sight of you since." "It wasn't difficult." " Why didn't you grab me?" " That wasn't the job." "Sauvat knew everything." "He knew that if you didn't find Mignot you'd go to your bird." "We waited for you at Ruggeri's, and we even saw you with the cop." "You didn't have too many options." "Like with the diamonds." " Really?" "Tell me." " In '74, before Rouxel arrested you, you had been to your place, then to Garches, and then to your bank." "So you coudn't have hidden the diamonds anywhere else." " How do you know all that?" " Sauvat." "He knows everything." " Does he know where exactly I was in Garches?" " No, but..." " What's funny?" " Nothing." "I'm just thinking." "You're an idiot, Pops." "Because all I tell you won't help you any." "While you're fucking about with me, my pals are taking care of your bird." "In Versailles." "So if you want to see her in one piece, you'd better take good care of me." "It'll be a plain swap." "With the diamonds thrown in, of course." "Goes without saying." " Without saying." " Hotel Trianon." " Room 312." " It's late, sir." "In principle..." " Fuck your principle, give me room 312." " Very good, sir." " Yes?" " Clarisse!" "Is everything OK?" " I slept, I went for a walk, I shopped, now I've run out of ideas." "When are you coming?" " Now." "Lock the door and open to no-one." " You want me all to yourself?" " Get dressed and wait for me." " Who is it?" " It's me, open up." "You ready?" "Get the suitcase, I'll settle the bill." " Where now?" " I don't know, but I'll keep you with me for the time being." " Will you tell me anything, or shall I die an ignorant fool?" " In the car." " Hey, did you have breakfast five times?" " I was bored." " And for the telephone, how much is it..." " I told you I didn't want to die a fool..." " Don't talk... don't talk..." " It hurts... fuck..." " Superintendent Rouxel." "Show me his statement." " Here it is, sir." " You're dangerous to know, Darnay." "First Mignot, now Clarisse." "Do you think Ruggeri should be worried?" "By the way, do you know the insurance company will pay 10% of the value of the stones for their return?" "At the official evaluation, they're worth 6 million." "Quite a packet." "Don't you think?" "A present from my colleagues, for my promotion." "It's gold." "You can't get to the diamonds." "The only sure way to get them is to tell me where they are." " You're after the 10% reward?" " It's as good as mine." "But you don't have to be dead for me to get it." "Because this time it's you they'll be gunning for, not your friends." "You follow?" " No." " The hell you don't." "They'll kill you so that they don't have to share." "But they can't do it until they have the stones." "That's why they clean up around you." "They killed Clarisse and Mignot, who could have helped you, to make you go and get the stones sooner." "At 40, with your history, and your pride, you're not going to work." "They know it." "And they clean up." "You're fucked, Darnay." " Can I go?" " Oh yes." "You're free." "Wait." "I'll give you a lift to Paris." " Why?" " Because I'm worried." " I'm not." " Don't argue, it's bad for my blood pressure." " It's cold in your car." " Heater's busted." "You know, if you trusted me, I could pull it off." "Make them pay you the 10% reward in cash." "Think about it." " And what do you want in return?" " The killer of Chabry." " I am the killer of Chabry." " No you're not." "If it's you, I'll retire tomorrow." "Well?" " It's a fair deal." " We're on?" " No, I just said it's a fair deal." "If I knew where the stones were, it might have worked." "It's a pity I don't." " Shall I take you to Clarisse's place?" "It won't be sealed off until about 11." "She's dead, kiddo." "I'm so sorry." " Yvette Chabry." " Dr Chabry, please." " But my husband has been dead for 8 years." " I beg your pardon." "Jean-Marc Chabry." " Ah, the doctor." "I haven't seen my nephew for years, but I think he has a practice in Chartres." " Did you say Chartres?" " Yes." " A million thanks, Madame." " Yes?" "I don't want it." " What's that?" " Whatever you're selling." " I'm not selling anything." " Then what do you want?" " Shall we start again?" "Are you Mme Chabry?" " Yes." " Marc Barois." "A friend of your husband." " The name doesn't ring a bell, but I think I may have seen you before." "Come in." "Follow me." "Take a seat." "So you're my ex-husband's friend." " Ex?" " Or soon-to-be-ex." "We're divorcing." "You didn't know?" " No, I haven't seen Jean-Marc for..." " How long?" " Eight years." " Really?" " Yes, I was abroad." " I suppose he owes you money?" " Yes, but how did you...?" " Oh, he's no longer the man you used to know, Monsieur..." " Barois." "What happened to him?" " He's a sick man and an alcoholic." " I see." "Excuse me." " I will reimburse you." "How much was it?" " Oh no, you can't pay the debts of a man you're divorcing." "Is he in Paris, or still at Chartres?" " Stay for lunch." "The kids are at school, so we can talk." "You don't mind an omelette?" " Not at all." " Was it a large amount?" " It was to open his surgery." "He said his uncle would give him a loan and he'd pay me back." " His uncle was killed." " Oh." " He was a jeweller." "One day he surprised a thief and was shot dead." "Runny?" " Sorry?" "Yes." "Not too much." " It was finally my father who helped him, but then he started drinking." "How much does he owe you?" " 15,000 francs." " I'll pay you back." "I have the money." "It's better that way." " You don't want to tell me where he is?" " The last I heard, he was renting a flat in rue de la Convention." " Very well." " Very well what?" " I'll accept reimbursement from you, but no check." " Cash?" "If you think that..." " Neither check nor cash." " You have to go?" " Yes." " To Paris?" " Generally, yes." " What are you going to do there?" " I live from one day to the next." "No particular plans." " Take me with you." " No." "That would complicate things." "In a week or two I'll go abroad." "I'm just passing through." " I know how it is." "I ask for nothing except what you can give." "And then I'll go back to my bourgeois, provincial life." "No complaints." " And your children?" " Mother?" "Could you pick up the kids from school?" "I have to go to Paris." "Just two or three days." "Excellent." "Lucien coughs a little, give him some syrup." "And keep Virginie from going out alone like last time." "I'll call you." "There you are." "Three days." "No time to lose." "Come in." " Nothing by chance, nothing unexpected ever." "Always being watched." "Impossible." "Thank you." "And for me, to give up the inexpected is to give up living." "That's my philosophy." "What about you?" " I completely agree." " What next?" "A little walk, or straight to bed?" " You can suit yourself, but I have things to do." " You're dumping me?" " Just for an hour or so, can you stand it?" " Won't be easy." "Oh well." " Jean-Marc Chabry?" " First floor, last door on the left." "Knock hard, he's probably drunk." " Is he often drunk?" " All the time." " Back to square one with 1,000 francs." " I'd say you look tired, Jacques." "Scotch, martini?" " Some whiskey with lots of Perrier." "Gino, I need money." " No problem, Jacques." "I take 25%, and that's only for friends who have a guarantor." "But that's just your case, isn't it?" "So, how much?" "10 thousand, 20?" "More?" "40?" "I can do 40." "That won't bankrupt me." " What if I get killed?" " No, not now." "At first, after the death of Mignot, I wouldn't have bet on you." "But you're still around." "You found those kids?" " No, not yet." "I also need a gun, Gino." "Could you manage that?" " I think I could find something." " Gino?" "You're different from last time." " Of course." "Last time you were trouble, now you're a customer." "Business is all I care about, as I told you." "Sit tight." "Here you are." "40,000 francs, and a Python that's clean." " You're a true friend, Gino." " Oh no." "I'm charging you 8,000 for the gun." "It cost me four." "In 6 months I get back 60,000." "If that's friendship, everyone is a saint." " You know, all the time I'd thought that" "Martel, Lorca and you would be waiting to give me a hand with the stones." " You forget one thing." "Everybody knows it wasn't you who killed the jeweller." "And that you didn't shop the one who did it." " What are you talking about?" "Honour among thieves?" " Call it what you like." "Here." "'The underworld is going through a sea change." "The old rules of gang law and the verdicts of their judges are no longer applied." "The new violence is anarchic, the new criminal is armed to the teeth and knows no compunction.'" "Etc, etc." "These are the bastards you're dealing with." "Tomorrow they could come to offer me protection, and I'd have to accept, because I have no back-up." "So don't say I'm helping you for nothing." " Thanks anyway, Gino." "Well, if I don't get killed and find the stones, you'll get your money back." " No one has any reason to kill you now." "By the way, do you have a place to stay?" " No." " I have a flat in the 15th." "Nothing exceptional, but quieter than a hotel." " Whereabouts in the 15th?" " Here it is." "It's simple but comfortable." " It wouldn't be your bachelor pad?" " Let's say it's a place that comes in useful." "1,000 francs a day, plus the phone bills." "You'll be safe here." "The place is yours." "Bed's empty but that can be arranged." "Just say the word." "A sweet, fresh girl of 22." "The way I like them." "I always say, a pretty girl is better than any doctor's prescription." " And how much for the pretty girl?" " For 1,500 she's yours for the night." " Tell her to be here at ten." "What's her name?" " Dolores." " It's perfect." " Thank you." " How much?" " 2,950." " What do I do with these?" " Either keep them, or sell them, or give them to the guys who follow me around all day." "Have a good day." " So, you didn't come to see Clarisse off." "Nor Mignot." "You're not big on funerals." "A white martini." "You worry me." "You'll get into trouble." " You always had a soft spot for me." " Me?" "I almost forgot that you exist." "My hands are full with the murder of Jean-Marc Chabry." "It's funny that you were seen at a hotel with his wife, but no need to see a sinister side to that." "Merely curious." "Damn." " It was Jean-Marc Chabry who killed the jeweller." " His own nephew?" "And a doctor to boot?" " A doctor who tried to open his own surgery, and whose family refused to help." "We were drinking acquaintances." "One day he told me the story of his life." "Including the jeweller uncle." "So we decided to snatch some stones, with Mignot's help." "But the uncle showed up at the wrong moment and shot at us." "And Jean-Marc shot back." "I hadn't even known that he was packing a gun." "The same day, he rented a safe deposit box." " So, I was way off the mark." " Way off." "I never even saw the diamonds." "And I've been looking for my share ever since I got out." "Who bumped off Jean-Marc?" " According to the concierge, he had a visitor before you." "Tall, arrogant, with curly hair." "Perhaps the one who killed Clarisse and Mignot." "Oh well." "My wife is cooking a gigot." "I'd better run." " Your wife?" "With that dirty tie and those cigars?" "You watch too much TV..." "Columbo." " I don't know what you're talking about." " Mme Chabry checked out, sir." " Very well, thanks." " It's open." "Put on the light." " Hello." " Close the door." "The latch, too." "That's it." " We've already met..." " You purse." "Put it on the table." "Slow." "So you put in some overtime away from the cash register." " Shall we have a drink?" " You should know where everything is." " What do you drink?" " Whatever." " It's not the way it seems." "Gino keeps me for himself." " Really?" " Well, it doesn't matter." " What's that?" " That you don't want to." " Where are you going?" " It's Gino who sent me." " I know." "But you don't have to." " There's too much light." " You know what?" "Gino was very generous to me today." "But now he's outdone himself." " Do you have a girl?" "I was a kid in '74, but I read the papers." "I told myself, he was right to take those diamonds." "I've been with Gino for 4 years." "Since I was 18." "He promised he'd divorce his wife." "I'm still waiting." "The Italians are not quick to divorce." "So I'm at the cash register." "Do you think that's fair?" " It's your business." "Will you take the whole night with the story of your life?" "It's me who answers the phone at the restaurant." "And Gino often talks in my presence as if I were some furniture." "Will you let me stay if I tell you what I heard?" " Let you stay?" "Why?" " Because otherwise they'll kill me." "That day after you left, he called Sylviane Chabry in Chartres." "As soon as I recognised you, I got the drift." "I swear it's true!" "It wasn't the first time." "And I heard him talk about Mignot and Clarisse with a guy called Gerard who comes often." " You thought I'd buy this?" "It's impossible." " It's possible, because Gino would kill me if I leave." "Because without you I'm stuck between his bed and the cash register." "Because you're my only chance." "That Gerard you mentioned, is he tall and dark, with curly hair?" " That's him." "Something happened the other day." "Gino came in early and in a bad mood." "With Gerard and another guy." "They spoke in the back about one other who didn't show up." "Sebastien Samatan." "Ruggeri, you son of a bitch." " Will you let me stay?" " Yes, Dolores." "I'll let you stay." " My name's Nathalie." "Dolores is a phoney." " All right, Nathalie." "You're just a kid." " Look..." " Yes?" " He must be getting worried." " So?" "Take this." "Speak of the devil." " Hey, aren't you stretching your night a bit?" " What are you talking about?" " Dolores still there?" " Yes, why?" "Are you her Dad?" "Look, I like her." "I made an arrangement with her for 48 hours." " Sweet, but who will tend my cash register?" " Oh, by the way." "I'm vacating the flat." "We're moving to a hotel." " Why, aren't you comfortable there?" " Yes, but I need to get closer to my object, see what I mean?" " And those gangsters, you're not afraid of them?" " No, that's taken care of." "I'll just get the you-know-what, convert it into cash and send back the girl with what I owe you." "Bye now." " Bye Jacques... and good luck." " I think he begins to regret sending you here." " I think so too." "How soon do we leave?" " 10 minutes." " Fuck!" " They have to be here." " The tall one on the bench, that's Roberto." "He and Gino often speak in Italian." " Must be another one in front, and somebody behind us." " No, I don't see anyone." "Ah yes, the small dark one, wearing a jacket." "I've seen him before." " Perfect." " Taxi?" " Metro." "I wouldn't want Roberto to lose us in a traffic jam." " You know, my life's been so ugly." "Gino kept saying how sweet I was, and all the time he deducted rent from my wages." "At first I believed his promises, and then I finally realised." "One day I said something, and he looked at me in a strange way." "Very cold." "And he said," "'Shut up, you have no choice.'" "And I knew he'd get me killed rather than let me go." "I'll take him with me." "I carry him everywhere, he's my lucky charm." "I'm ready." " No regrets?" " Not me." " Well, let's go." " You shouldn't have." " It's only for an hour." "If I don't call you in an hour, take a taxi to the Frantel and get a room there." "Amuse yourself, spend some of Gino's money, and I'll call you." "But leave my bag here, and say at the reception that I'm keeping the room." " I don't get it." " You wait an hour." " I got that." "But I don't want you to go." " We'll have all the time in the world later." " That's what they say." " I have a feeling we're being tailed." " That was the plan." " Fine." " Stop at that store on the corner and wait a few minutes." " Not that!" " Go back to the car." "I'll just check for another exit." " Don't move." " Will you play, or have you forgotten to turn the tap off?" " I have indeed, yes." " We'll take your car." "Roberto will drive." "If one of you sneezes without permission, I shoot." " What are you going to do?" " I think you like surprises." "Clarisse and Mignot had good ones." "Now don't spoil mine, just drive." " We had orders." "We were brought from Marseille." "It's Ruggeri who..." " I know." "Another 50 yards, then stop on the left." "There." "Well." "You wanted the diamonds?" "You'll have to work for them." "Then you'll be able to tell Gino how you helped." "Roberto, you first." " Where?" " Right there." "Three feet deep." "Leave the spade." "Your turn." " You don't by any chance plan to..." " Plan what?" "Go sit down, Roberto." "You were a big help." "Pradier, Francois, 72 rue Jouffroy." "Roberto." " Who is it?" " Roberto." "Don't be stupid." "You won't stand a chance." "Now, let me bring you up to date." "I sent Sebastien Samatan to a hospital, as you know." "I whacked Roberto and his friend." "The little..." "Christian." "Before croaking, they remembered that you'd been among Mignot's killers." "Same for Clarisse in Versailles." "Is that right?" "Well, think, old man." "I've no time to lose." "Good." "Now stand up." "Your hands." "Tell me about Sylviane Chabry." " I saw her at Gino's." " How do they know each other?" " Through Sauvat." " The tall dark one?" "I don't think so." " Sauvat worked at the Chartres hospital, and he slept with Sylviane." "She told him about the death of her husband's uncle." "And about the diamonds." " How did you meet Sauvat?" " We were inmates together at Poissy 5 years back." "We'd have managed ourselves, but Sylviane insisted that we contact..." " Ruggeri?" " Yes." "They met, Ruggeri hired me, then Sauvat called in a team from Marseille." " Look, they scored." " May I smoke?" " Be my guest." "Tell me..." "How did Sauvat know that the stones had to be either at Mignot's, or at my place, or else in Garches?" " From Jean-Marc." "He followed you after the job." "He was scared shitless, but he wanted the diamonds." "He lost you in Garches, then picked you up again on the highway." "He was outside the bank when Rouxel nabbed you." "Then he was so scared you'd talk that he hit the bottle." "And finally he cracked." "He told his wife." "And there you are." " And there you are." " Good evening, M. Darnay." "This was left for you not ten minutes ago." " Please wake me up at 8:30 tomorrow." " I'll make a note of it." " Please bring me a bottle of mineral water." "Whatever's at hand." " Yes?" " It's me." "Are you comfortable there?" " Yes." " I got your message." "Is everything well?" " Yes." "Are you coming?" " No, not tonight." "You all right for money?" " Are you crazy?" "I've spent almost nothing." "I went to a movie, then a few shops." "That's it." "You know, it's like I am in a different city." "You're really not coming?" " No." "I'll see you tomorrow." " All right." "Hug you." " Me too." " Come in." " Good evening, sir." " On the table, please." "And could you put the 'do not disturb' sign on the door?" " Gino, it's me." "Do I disturb you?" " No, I'm listening." " I need to see you." "I have the stones, but it has not been easy." " Where are you?" " The Boulogne Forest." " Is it a field phone?" " Cut out the jokes." "I had to lose the tail on my way back from Garches." "I'm waiting for you." " Better come to my place." " No way." "I skip the country tonight." "You have 20 minutes." " OK, I'll be there." " It's in your interests." "Something went wrong." " Yes?" " It's me." " Did I wake you?" " Jacques, what's wrong?" " I just couldn't sleep and started thinking of you, all alone in your bed." "Are you all alone?" " You don't trust me?" "You think I still work for Gino?" "Or else you're in love." " I'm in love." " Then come and do something about it." " No." "I'm too old to rush across town for a girl at 2am." " You prefer a girl to jump into your bed all warm?" " That's it." "See you tomorrow." "Sleep well." "Stop right there, Darnay." "And don't move." "Back seat." " Mme Chabry!" "What a nice surprise." " You know, Gino is very broad-minded." "Just say the word, and he'll give us some privacy right here." "If there's time." "I don't know the plan." " It's very simple, Jacques." "We get the stones, we kill you and dump you in the Seine." "Search him, Sylviane." " Do it properly, please." "Sorry, it's a habit." " He hasn't got them." " Now where?" " To Saint-Cloud." " Gino, I'm sorry, but you'll never get the stones." " Where's Nathalie?" " I thought her name was Dolores." "She's gone, Gino." "She said she'd had enough of you." " When you called, I already knew you'd killed Pradier." "I wasn't sure about Roberto and Christian." " I was to meet with Pradier today at his place." " I know where the diamonds are." "In Garches." "And you haven't touched them yet." " Was it necessary to kill Chabry?" " Everything was necessary." "That's why Sylviane slept with you, and why I sent you Nathalie." "Where is she?" "If you touched one hair on her head, you'll take a long time dying." " Unlike you, I'll die in bed, Gino." " Faster." "I need to be back in an hour." "We can't kill you until we know where the stones are, but we can make death seem a welcome relief." "And that's what we'll do, old man." "If Rouxel wasn't after Sylviane, and if I didn't have to find Nathalie, we'd start right away." "But it's for the best that you will have time to think." "See you soon, old man." " Jacques!" " You'd do better to call the police." " Did you hear that?" "Down there." "It's locked." "Do you have a hammer in the car?" " I'm a taxi driver, not a..." " 1,000 francs." " Well, how am I supposed..." " 2,000." " I don't have a hammer, but I may have a wrench." " Go find it." "Are you all right, Jacques?" "Are you all right?" "You got a knife?" " Where did you fall from?" " Well, you wanted a girl to fall into your bed?" "So I got a taxi, and I got to your hotel just as Gino was grabbing you." "So we followed." " Impossible." " Why?" " How did the driver agree to a tail job?" " I had to motivate him." " How much did you charge her?" " 27 francs per km." " That's honest." " As long as it's Gino's money." " Right you are." " Shouldn't we be pushing off?" " Come on." " Careful." " Why did Gino send you?" " I thought you trusted me." " Why should I?" " You think all this is false?" " No." " So you trust me completely?" " Not at all." " No?" " No, except if you worked for Gino, why would you go to Saint-Cloud?" " Obviously." "Now make love to me." " What is it?" " Police!" " Did you fall out of bed?" " Nathalie Dumont." "Ruggeri's chick." "Naturally, you spent the night together." " Yes, why?" "Two large coffees and one small." " Remember Sylviane Chabry?" "Found in a hotel room in the 9th with a man." "Both dead." "You'll notice the guy is big and curly." "Some fishermen dragged a body out of the river." "Guy by the name of Pradier." "All three shot by the same gun." "Pradier lived in rue Jouffroy with a certain Gilbert... who is wanted for questioning." " Did he kill them?" " Maybe." " Who could have thought." " Beg your pardon." " Thank you." " Rouxel, could you?" " And my T-shirt, please." "There." " One lump or two?" " No sugar, thanks." "I'm afraid you're in big trouble, Darnay." " You have nothing on me, Rouxel." "I haven't been out all night." "Isn't it true, Nathalie?" " It pains me to tell you this, sir, in front of him, but this night I had almost no sleep." "And so, if Jacques had absented himself," "I'd have noticed." " Nathalie Dumont." "Convicted as a minor for stealing and receiving." "Just 12 months out of prison." "I'd be careful in your place." "She could disappear with your loot." " What loot?" " The killers of Clarisse and Mignot are now fighting among themselves." "The concierge, the bellboy, and this lady here all swear you haven't stirred all night." "But you couldn't be not involved." "Perhaps you made an arrangement with Ruggeri?" " How's that?" " You give him a share of the loot, and he cleans up around you." "Then it was he who shot those three." "It's for me." "Rouxel." "No, leave it, and return to the precinct." " A death in the family?" " Gino Ruggeri also spent the night at home." " Really?" " Are you planning to stay together?" " We're thinking of it." " I'm lost." "Who killed Sauvat, Pradier and Sylviane Chabry?" " Gino, of course." "You want more coffee?" "He waits for tonight, when he is sure to make me talk by torturing me." "Then he'll kill me, put in my hand the gun that he used to kill the others, and go calmly to retrieve the diamonds." "Rouxel will be stumped." "Not a bad plan, eh?" " But you're no longer in the basement." " Which will not prevent me from keeping the date." "But in case it goes sour, this is what we'll do to prevent the diamonds from being lost to the world..." " I need two tickets for Madrid." " What date?" " This evening." "As late as possible." " Everything well?" " The flight's at 11:10." " Keep them in your purse." "It's not something to leave around in a hotel room." "Want to see them?" " No." "Later." "Don't go back there." "You have what you wanted." "Let's just leave." " No." "He has to die." " Why?" " For Mignot, for Clarisse." "And because I want it." " And if you don't come back?" " If I'm not here at 10:45, take the plane." "Then skip Madrid the same day." "London, Amsterdam, Zurich - whatever you like." "And sell the stones one by one." " Don't go, Jacques." "I have a bad feeling." " Don't worry." "Gino is tottering, and I'll be there to give him the last push." "Anyway, this is the last risk I'll be running." " Exactly." "I saw this a hundred times at the movies." "It's always at the last moment that a guy gets killed." "Just as everybody starts thinking he'll make it." "It's fate." " No it's not." "It's the censorship." " It's what?" " Nothing." "You're only a kid." " Not such a kid." "Remember what Rouxel said?" "Nathalie Dumont." "Convicted as a minor and just 12 months out of prison." "I told you I'd been with Gino all that time." "Why didn't you ask anything?" "You don't give a damn?" " I don't." "It's only your actions that matter." "And remember:" "if I don't return tonight, then it's time to be careful." "And to run." "Because he'll be after you, wherever you are." " You're not afraid I'll disappear with the diamonds?" " Don't move, Jacques." "Hand behind your head." "Now turn." "You thought you'd be here first and bag me?" "Didn't work out." "I knew you'd come." "Come on, old man." "Let's talk quietly." "Turn." "Hands down." "There." "And now, who let you out?" " Nathalie." " Where is she?" " In a hotel room, with the diamonds, waiting for me." "If I'm not there at 10:30, she'll call Rouxel." " Why him?" " To tell him that you killed me, and to give him the diamonds for the 10% reward." "So you see, I left no way for you to win." "It remains to ask why you started all this and why you massacred your own people." " For the stones, Jacques." "I couldn't just grab you and make you talk, because Rouxel would have been after me." "So I did it another way." "For 6 million you can afford to forget your bourgeois habits." "And now you'll take me to Nathalie." " No." " Frankly, Jacques, you don't have a choice." " OK, but we'll share." " 25%?" "Less what you owe me." "And I take the girl." " Agreed." " Stop." "You drive." "Is it far?" " No." " What's the hurry?" " Don't fret." " Slow down!" " Are you car-sick, or what?" " Stop, or I'll..." " What, shoot?" "Go ahead, Gino!" "What are you waiting for?" "Go ahead!" "Might as well have left the gun in your pocket." " You'll kill us!" " No, Gino, just you." "Bye, Gino." " Jacques!" "I was in the bathroom." "Did you think that..." " No." " Well?" " Well, I'm back." "Shall we go?" "Let's." " Madrid." "Thanks." " Please follow me." " Our flight's in 10 minutes." " It's a formality, won't take long." " So..." " Leaving without saying good-bye to your friends?" " The flight's in 10 minutes, Rouxel." " Fine." "We'll be quick." "Go ahead, Lebon." "What do you think, Darnay?" " That we'll miss the flight because of your stupid pranks." " Don't worry." "The plane's not leaving without my word." "You got a knife, Lebon?" " The best, boss." " What's this, Darnay?" " What?" " This!" " Must be the loot you mentioned." " Nathalie, get the suitcase." " What will you do in Madrid?" " We'll go on to Andalusia." "I hear that's where the sun is." " What will you live on?" " We have a bit saved, and then we'll think of something." " She can walk the streets." " Why not, if I have to." " Well, it's not that we're bored, Maigret, but..." " Get out!" " And still you don't trust me." " What are you talking about?" " The diamonds." " There were never any diamonds." "Look, the sun shines, the world turns, leave the rest to me." " The rest?" " Leave it." " M. Darnay, Mlle. Police." "You got a moment?" "May I?" "Thank you." "Do you know a certain Gino Ruggeri?" " Yes." " He was found dead." " Dead?" " It looked like a car accident at first." "But in fact he was shot." "Two in the head." " You don't say!" " I suppose you have an alibi for the night of the 13th?" " Yes." "Do you want to question us separately?" " Something tells me that your stories will match exactly." " It's not unlikely." " Thank you for your time." " Did they come just to ask us that?" " No, they came to search our room." " How long will it drag on?" " It's over." "Rouxel made his last shot." "And we leave tonight." " Really?" "Where are we going?" " Buenos-Aires." " Why?" "What shall we do there with no money?" " You exaggerate. 6 million does not make us exactly poor." " The diamonds?" " But what did you think?" "I posted them from Paris to the Central Post Office at Buenos-Aires." "You pack, Dolores, I'll settle the bill." " Jacques?" "Kiss me first." "I was really in love with her, but I'll never tell her that the diamonds were in fact in Rio." "I've seen too much to trust anyone." "Translated by Tiberio for KG" "To Rene Clement, my teacher."