"Let's start at the beginning." "Name, age and place of birth." "You must think I'm stupid." "Once again, your name, age and place of birth." "Can't you be more absurd?" "For the third time, your name, age and place of birth." "Judith Ralitzer." "Novelist." "If I understand rightly," "I'm in custody because I had an alcoholic ghostwriter who couldn't even swim?" "Why not start at the beginning?" "What beginning?" "When you met your two victims." "Aren't you being a bit too hasty?" "I don't think so." "It was in '98." "I went to Burgundy." "To Beaune." "I wanted to write a novel set in the wine world." "So..." "What will your book be about?" "Looking at all these bottles," "I imagine lots of corpses." "And, above all, the corpse of the US President." "If all goes well." "The terrorists know that the US President loves Burgundy, so they'll break in here," "poison all the bottles for the White House and bingo!" "Let's hurry." "This place is paradise!" "Especially with you here." "I could turn it into hell for you." "You haven't told me the ending." "I don't know it yet." "Like life, it won't end but you'll want to know what comes next." "Will there be many corpses, apart from the US President's?" "Yours maybe." "Does this massacre have a title?" "For now..." "T R A C K S" "Good evening and welcome to our 100th program." "Thank you for your unexpected loyalty." "You show that literature can work on TV, as more and more of you tune in each time." "Tonight is our 100th program and rather a special one with a number of writers whose books are a huge success." "Four best-selling writers whom you know and love." "God, the Other by Judith Ralitzer." "Good evening, Judith Ralitzer." "Published by GL Editions." "Arlette Gordon for Rushkin Street, published by Albin Michel." "A genuine triumph." "Bravo and thank you for joining us." "This year's literary phenomenon, Notepad..." "A notepad that a young woman," "Marie-Victoire Debré here, uses to write everything she feels, her encounters and love stories." "A very surprising work." "And, finally, someone used to success in all its forms," "Bernard Weber with The Star Butterfly, published by Albin Michel." "Thank you for coming." "Starting with you, Judith Ralitzer, may I make a confession?" "I didn't like Tracks one bit." "I really didn't understand why Tracks was such a hit." "I admit that." "But with God, the Other, you astounded me." "I found it brilliantly written, moving, truthful and precise." "It's as if you've found yourself or met up with yourself." "Something strangely new occurs in this book." "God, the Other is so different from Tracks..." "What inspired you?" "Without wishing to pry, what lies behind this change?" "I don't know." "Perhaps God whispered it to me." "For our 7th all-time greats show, after Jacques Brel, Léo Ferré, Trenet and Brassens," "Barbara and Yves Montand, we're having an electric night with the man known as Mr. 100,000 Volts," "Gilbert Bécaud." "The name may not mean much to young people but in Paris theaters of the 1950s, way before the Stones and the Beatles, people smashed seats for the singer in the spotted tie." "A very famous tie." "Just a second..." "We have a newsflash that I'm discovering as I read it..." "Just a few minutes ago - news gets no fresher than this - there was a prison break in Paris." "Further details in our next bulletin." "For now, Gilbert Bécaud with T'es venu de loin." "Highway FM, newsflash." "Sorry to interrupt that classic by Mr. Bécaud but we've had confirmation that Georges Maury is now on the run." "Maury, the dreaded serial killer known as "The Magician"." "He committed six crimes last year alone." "The police are on red alert to track down this pedophile rapist whose modus operandi, if you remember, was to do a magic trick for each of his victims in order to make contact." "A very pleasant individual." "Highway FM, traffic updates and weather reports." "There are heavy storms between Châlon sur Sâone and Mâcon, so be very careful if you're in that area, as a truck has lost its load near Tournus." "Let's get back to Gilbert Bécaud with an old favorite," "Les cerisiers sont blancs." "Cherry trees in flower" "Birds sing in the bower" "After a springtime shower" "It's crazy how the weather influences my moods." "When I was 20 or so, I fell in love with a Breton girl and went to join her in Brest." "It rained all the way." "When I got there, I'd gone off her." "Screw you." "If you're not happy, change women." "Watch it, I'll dump you." "I bet you would." "Why are we going to my folks'?" "They're so glad I met Mr. Right." "Mr. Right!" "The second one." "But I'm marrying you." "And your kid's dad?" "No, I never wanted to marry him." "You're a real airhead." "So naïve." "Why do you say that?" "Marrying to please your folks..." "No, I'm getting married because we're in love." "If my folks are happy, fine." "Stop smoking!" "Your anti-smoker terrorism pisses me off!" "Anti-smoker terrorism!" "Get yourself a non-smoker if you're not happy!" "A non-smoking, teetotal princess." " Do I need this now?" " Shit, I smoke, okay!" "I've put up with it for 200 miles!" "Stop pissing me off!" "Thanks, Mom." "What's your name?" "Sorry..." "Good evening." " What's your name?" " Rebecca." "May I give her something?" "Yes, go on." "How did you do that?" "It's magic." "Are they for me?" "Really?" "Thank you very much." " Very kind of you." " They're pretty." "You're a magician." "Children are the true magic." "Very prettily said." "Drive safely." "Goodbye." "Pretty, aren't they?" "It's 3 AM and you're tuned to Highway FM." "If you're near Mâcon, watch out for storms." "Let's continue our Bécaud night with Gilbert the crooner..." "Why have doubts now?" "Because we're going to your folks' ." "I feel trapped." "You bleed guys dry, then you dump them." "What?" "I play with guys?" " Yes, you do." " I play with them?" "You piss me off!" " Go to hell!" " Just a second!" "Shut up!" "I'm on the phone!" "Fuck you!" "Yes, Mom." "Everything's fine." "We're on our way." "Paul!" "Paul!" "Paul, it's Huguette." "I guess you'll hear this." "Is this a joke?" "It's not funny, you know." "Paul, I'm sorry." "I'm sorry... for being a pain, an airhead, for being like your mom." "But I promise I'll change." "I'll never smoke another cigarette if you come back for me." "I'll never smoke again." "Don't do this to me, not today, please." "Let's just go to my folks' and pretend we're going to get married..." "For their sake." "Paul, I'll be waiting at the gas station." "I won't move from here." "I love you." "I'm sorry if I upset you." "Take care." "Call me." "Can I help you?" "I saw everything." "Do you need a ride?" "You want to help me?" "That's all I want." "Then get off my back." "If I were you, I wouldn't wait." "Don't you understand French?" "Do you believe in the cards?" "I don't believe in anything now." "If you pick the ace of hearts, you can make a wish." "I can make a wish?" "0f course." "But he won't be back." "Why do you say that?" "My deck's all aces." "Can I give you a ride?" "Leave me now, please." "I've checked the hospitals, I've called the police." "It's three days since he taught his classes." "You don't leave students, two kids and a wife just like that." "Really, I fear the worst." "Leave your cell on." "Where are you, little brother?" "After that stormy night with Gilbert Bécaud," "After that stormy night with Gilbert Bécaud, better weather has returned." "The main roads are still wet but traffic's flowing." "The news is coming up next." "I'll say goodbye now." "I'll be back tonight with the first crooner." "You know who;" "Frank Sinatra." "See you later!" "You're still here?" "I knew he wouldn't be back." "Who are you?" "You realize that asshole took my purse, my car..." "They all dump me anyway." "I have every failing, see." "I'm a pain in the ass," "I'm jealous, I'm a bad mother and a real airhead." "An airhead?" "How do you mean?" "I'm an airhead." "I listen to Brel and burst into tears," "I read Gala and think I'm a princess," "I check my horoscope daily and follow it!" "I let it influence my life." "I know it's bullshit but even so..." "And if I see a celebrity, I faint." "I should be Juliet, not Huguette." "Huguette?" "Your name's Huguette?" "It rhymes with coquette." "And other tacky stuff:" "baguette, croquette..." " Etiquette..." " I'm not polite?" "No, I didn't mean that." "I was looking for a rhyme." "I should have said cigarette." "Smoking gets your goat?" "I gave up six months ago." "You're chewing like a cow." "Because I stopped smoking." "I'll get cancer, you'll get wind." "Life's a bitch." "What do you do?" "I'm a hairdresser." "0nly natural for an airhead." "Where do you work?" "An important salon in Paris." "I shampooed Lady Di the day before she died." "Just think. 24 hours before she died," "I had her life in my hands!" "At least she died with clean hair." "Luckily, I kept a lock of her hair." "I keep hair from famous people." "You wouldn't believe my collection." "I know people who collect serial crimes so..." "He came in my mouth, took my car, took my purse..." "We only have half an hour left." "Why?" "You said you were going to the Alps but I'm heading south." "We'll have to part around Mâcon." "I don't get it." "You waited to give me a 30-mile ride?" "The highway heads south so I thought you were too." "Never mind." "Shit, I want to puke again." "Are you pregnant?" "Just a pain in the butt like I said." "Whenever I get in a car, I feel sick." "Yes, Mom." "I'm on my way." "We're on our way, yes." "No, not for breakfast." "More like lunchtime." "I'm sorry but we dozed off." "No, we're on our way." "We stopped and dozed off." "I'm sorry, Mom." "Lots of love." "See you later." "This is shit!" "It's total fucking shit!" "The asshole!" "What an asshole." "I hate him!" "0nly natural, I'm a shit." "I'm a big shit and I'll turn up alone like a shit." "When they ask, I'll say I got dumped in a rest area." "I'm too much, that's why." "I'm too much." "I'm too emotional, too..." "passionate." "Too everything." "It's suffocating." "It wears guys out." "It scares them." "Thanks." "You were right to insist." "When you feel sick, a walk helps." "Do you want to take a walk in the woods?" "No, a cigarette and I'll be fine." "I don't understand, do you cut hair or do shampoos?" "I cut hair." "But I do shampoos too." "And manicures." "Do you know who I manicured just last week?" "Judith Ralitzer." "You know her?" "The writer." "She turned up at the salon and chose me to do her manicure." "I was shaking like a leaf but I didn't faint." "I was... flustered." "I had her hands in mine, hands that have written incredible novels." "I was getting varnish everywhere, so she asked what was wrong." "I got out Tracks, her latest, a huge book." "I love it." "She signed it for me." "What's so funny?" "Actually," "I know Judith Ralitzer well." " You don't?" " I do." " Really?" " I've written her novels for 7 years." "That's bullshit!" "She doesn't use a ghost!" "Dumas did." "You mean Judith Ralitzer doesn't write her own books?" "How could she?" "Between manicures, endless lunches, talk shows, winter in Courchevel, summer in Cannes..." "Maybe she needs a hand at 500 pages a novel, a novel a year." "But the ideas..." "They're hers." "She has no ideas." "I can't believe a guy writes such feminine novels." "I even write her postcards." "You wrote, "Men are bearded women"?" "Yes, but it's not my best line." "And the stranger on the train, the transvestite who blows his cover by using the men's room?" " My idea too." " This is crazy!" "You've knocked me out." "You see this car?" "It's hers." " No!" " It is." "I've been traveling in her car?" "My ass is priceless!" "I don't believe it..." "If I'd flown down in her jet," "I wouldn't have met her new character." " Who is it?" " You." "Me?" "Who else?" "Why do you think I approached you?" "All novelists are predators." "A woman weeping in a gas station at 3 AM..." "An ideal opportunity." "That doesn't make me a character." ""Chapter 2." ""Huguette smoked too much." ""That's what killed her." ""Not smoking..." ""Not smoking but the killer she unwisely followed" ""in a Burgundy gas station," ""after being dumped" ""like a piece of trash by her fiancé" ""who hated Lady Di and smokers." Not a bad start, huh?" " The "piece of trash" isn't nice." " You're right." ""Right away," ""I saw Huguette was just an ordinary victim." ""A moth..." ""blindly drawn to the light that would burn her." ""Just a little moth."" "A little moth..." "I'm a moth!" "And I'm in Judith Ralitzer's car!" "I feel better!" "You've blown me away." "What's the ghost's name?" "His name's Claude Ravier." "He teaches in the Paris suburbs." "Well, he taught." "I walked out three days ago." "0n my dumb students, my wife, my kids, the lot." "Listen..." "I'm really sorry." "I'm not Judith Ralitzer's ghost." "But I do know her vaguely." "She came to give a talk in my high school." "That's how I know her." "But I'm not her ghost." "I had a little fun with you." "Sorry." "Since you seem to love pretending to be other people," "I'm going to make you an offer." "Could you pretend to be my fiancé for 24 hours?" "A promotion is always welcome." "I'll call you back." "Know how many people disappear on purpose each year?" "2,000." "You told me yesterday." "It's a fantasy that millions of people share." "Well I certainly don't!" "If I hadn't been promoted to Paris Police HQ," "I'd have walked out long ago." "So... when a teacher in the projects lasts a week of the new year, it's not..." "What?" "It's not surprising." "It's understandable." "0ur 10th anniversary's coming up." "Well, maybe..." "Maybe he got scared." "What?" "What do you know?" "I was married 10 years." "Think it's the same for everyone?" "Are your parents alive?" "No, just my brother." "What does he say?" "That life is good for us." "Mom's first question will be, "Do you believe in God?"" " What do I say?" " Yes." "Do you believe in God?" "When I can park in Paris, yes." " What does the fiancé do?" " He's a doctor." "I don't know much about it." "He's a general physician, so stick to generalities." "By the way, my dad had a stroke last year." "Some days, he doesn't talk." "Don't be surprised if he doesn't speak to you." "How did you meet your doctor?" "I wanted to quit smoking." "Great doctor!" "Great asshole..." "What's the place called?" "Praz-sur-Arly." "We're nearly there." "What about other questions?" "We'll improvise." "You have a talent for it." "Cops ahead..." "Don't worry, I know all the local boys." "Maybe we should use first names." "Stop the engine, please." "Sorry." "License and registration." "0f course." "Hi, Maurice." "Huguette!" "I'd never have recognized you." " I've changed that much?" " No..." "It's the way you're dressed." " 0kay?" " Great." "And you?" "Were we speeding?" " No, we're on red alert." " Why?" "We're checking all cars with Paris plates." "There's a serial killer on the loose." "It's your lucky day." "This is him." "The serial killer's my fiancé." "Say hello." "Nice car." "Come down to visit?" "To introduce this animal to my folks." "Cute, isn't he?" "You're so cute." "What does he do?" "What does he do?" " I'm a doctor." " Good!" "A doctor..." "Specialized?" "No, a physician." "Specialized in all specialties." "Heard about Denise?" "I heard she died." " So?" " What?" "You could take over her salon." "Fancy moving here?" "Would you want to?" "It's a beautiful spot." "Pure mountain air." "Try to convince her." "Right, Huguette?" "No way." "It was hard enough getting away." "I won't be coming back." " Gone off the mountains?" " No, I still love them." "But Paris is Paris." "I can't deny that." "You're meeting her mom?" "You won't be disappointed." "Do you know her daughter?" "No, not yet." "A real beauty." "She'll break a heart or two." "0kay, I'll let you lovebirds get on with it." "We're expected." "Here they are!" "Dad!" "They're here!" "Hi, bro." "How are you?" " Good." "And you?" " Meet my fiancé." "Come on, honey." "Hello, Mom." "Hello, Mom." "My fiancé." "Isaac Silberman." "Delighted." "Isn't your name Paul?" "Actually, it's Isaac Paul Silberman." "That's right." "We call him Paul." "It's short and simple." "Look, this is my dad." "Hello, Dad." "This is his horse." "And this is my daughter." "My darling daughter!" "Meet my fiancé." "Got a kiss for your mom?" "I hope she told you we're very humble farmers." " What?" " I'll explain." "This is my daughter's room." "The way you're dressed..." "What?" "It's my fall gear." "This is the dining room." "My parents' bedroom..." "You missed breakfast, so we'll have lunch." "It smells good." "What have you made?" "Cabbage stew." "I'll show you my brother's room." "It's beautiful." "This is the cowshed." "It's big." "Want to change?" "Yes." "Come and see my attic." "So you really are a doctor?" "What kind of question is that?" "Come on." "She never wanted an ordinary room." "Careful, I spent my childhood tripping on these crap stairs." "Here you go, honey." "This is my room." "Thank you." "Are you okay?" "Why the Jewish name?" "No idea." "I improvised." "What do you think of my daughter?" "I love her already." "See how she hates me?" "It's horrible." "I'll get changed." "The fox is among the geese." "There'll be dead fowl by morning." "What?" "Nothing." "Just taking notes, for my book." "I'll get changed." "Make an effort." "You don't see her often." "Precisely." "Can I come in?" "Something smells good." "Is that the sports paper?" "Can I take a look?" "The usual drivel." " You don't like sport?" " Sport..." "I hate sport!" "I don't like sport at all." "Not at all." "I loathe sport." "I hate sport!" "All right." "Huguette won't be long." "You look well, Dad." "He said two words yesterday." "You're nothing like the way she described you." "You never listen on the phone." "We imagined you being... taller, younger..." "It's the beard." "Usually, he's clean-shaven." "Grey stubble." "It makes me look older." "Do you believe in God?" "Yes." "Like most Jews." "Can you eat pig meat?" "0f course." "I'm only Jewish on my father's side." "Meaning?" "You're only really Jewish if your mother is." "So he eats pig meat." "So I eat pig meat." "Since we have a doctor here..." "My knee hurts." "The knee is usually the mind." "How's it linked to the mind?" "What I mean is... the mind controls the body." "Both knees?" "No, the left one mainly." "It may not be the mind." "We'll look after lunch." "I'll take a look at it." "I thought Jews didn't drink." "Don't you believe it!" "They put the gas in soda." "To the guy who's landed you at last." "I'm so ugly, you can't believe a guy would marry me?" "Where will you go for your honeymoon?" "Lady Di's grave." "Jewish humor." "I love it." "It makes me laugh." " You slept on your first date?" " What the hell is this?" "What a question?" "Who raised you?" "We're killing the hog later." "That's a sight to see." "I have trouble with bullfighting, even on TV." "He hates the sight of blood." "You're a doctor!" "A physician, not a butcher." "If you'd rather go trout fishing, I'm an expert." "I'd prefer that." "That way, I'll have a quick nap." "Don't be late for the engagement dinner." "For our engagement." "0f course, honey." "Will you stop sulking at us?" " I'm only sulking at you." " Why?" " You're never here." " I am now, so be happy!" "You and your trout saved my life." "That massacre would have finished me off." "Do you often do magic tricks?" "It was my first trade." "It was?" "So where are the trout?" "Behind the gully across the mountain." " Across it?" " Yes, through the forest." "Cherry trees in flower" "Birds sing in the bower After a springtime shower..." " You know that song?" " I heard it last night." "You're serious?" " Me too!" " You did?" "The Gilbert Bécaud night." "I've seen bears do this." "But not teddy bears!" "I'm the teddy bear?" "You could say that." "It's still moving." "Do many people know this spot?" "Not really." "No one comes here." "That's magic too." "You're not much like a doctor." "Fall ill and you'll see." "This is weird, they've been gone four hours already." "They seem to get on well anyhow." "Not too well, I hope." "I'll never get used to killing the hog." "How many of us are there?" "Just us and the neighbors, 12 or 13 in all." "Isn't it a bit soon for an engagement dinner?" "You're not sure this time?" "How long have you known him?" "Since I first consulted him, about a month." "Alain, can you go to the river to see if they're lost?" "Sabrina knows the area inside out." "Why not call his cell phone?" "Because I don't know his number." "You don't know it?" "No, I don't." "I don't like this." "I don't like this at all." "Remember when you went trout fishing?" "You and Dad would never get back before dark." "I went with Dad, not with some stranger." "A stranger?" "Your future husband." "But she doesn't know him and she's so pretty!" "Look what we've got!" "Where the hell have you been?" "What took you so long?" "What?" "You've been gone six hours, dammit!" " What?" " We didn't notice the time." "Six hours to catch a few trout!" "I've been shit-scared here!" "Sabrina told me so much." " So much about what?" " Calm down." "No, I'm not calm!" "Everyone's already here!" "So much about what?" "It's a secret." " We swore not to tell, huh?" " A secret?" "Let's eat then." "They've been waiting an hour already!" "Captain?" "My husband just came back." "That's good news." "No, it's a disaster." "What do you mean?" "Seeing you every day in your office, you're all I can think about." "And that's a disaster?" "What do I do about him?" "Some time ago, on the bus to high school, a woman sat down opposite me." "We decided to go to the terminus together." "For three days, I even thought a bus had run you down." "Actually, I came back to tell you that I'm leaving." "For good." "Shall I wake the kids?" "I'd rather you explain first." "Explain what?" "That their dad is in love with a bus?" "You don't care about me leaving you?" "Thank you." "Good night." "Good night and thank you." "A goodnight kiss?" "I'll tuck Sabrina in." "Wait upstairs." "Good night." "Thanks for the trout." "Good night, sweetheart." "Sorry about earlier but I was really frantic." "Good night, Mom." "Try to keep this one, okay?" "Don't worry." "I think he likes me." "Sleep tight." " What's wrong?" " Why don't you know his cell number?" "I'll explain in the morning." "Sleep well." "You drank too much." "I saw you." "How can I ever thank you?" "I'll take the couch." "I disgust you that much?" "Are you scared of women?" "0r did Sabrina tell you everything?" "Usually, women are scared of me." "And she told me nothing." "So what's the secret between you?" " A medical secret." " You think I'm stupid?" "You do, you think I'm stupid." "You already want a divorce?" "0nly natural." "You marry a hairdresser, not a hooker." " I'm sorry?" " Isn't that what she told you?" "Nobody else knows." "Drinking more water won't help." "I'll take the couch then." "I did that for my mother." "She has doubts because I didn't know your cell number." "Breakfast!" "Just a second, Mom." "Let us get decent." "Come in." "So?" "Did you sleep well?" "Not a lot." "Fairly badly." "Thanks, Mom." "This looks good." "You'll stay for lunch?" "I don't know yet." "I have to call Paris." "I really was a hairdresser." "But, actually," "when Sabrina's father split, this rage came over me and it never stopped growing." "A rage against men." "So you make them all pay now." "Do you want jam?" "Please." "I didn't sleep a wink." "You know, Sabrina had the grace not to tell me." "She admires you a lot but can't say so." "You really want to leave today?" "Can I call you from time to time?" "Your doctor fiancé..." "Hasn't he called?" "Let him call." "It'll be fun, believe me." "I have to get going." "You were tipsy last night." " I wasn't!" " You were." "Just a little." "0ff you go." "Too bad he couldn't stay for lunch." "He's a great guy." "Part Chaplin, part Michel Simon." "He did sidesplitting imitations while we were fishing..." "Was that your secret?" "When do you leave?" "Sick of me already?" "We're so used to lightning visits." "Sir..." "Call me Paul." "Not an easy place to find..." "Can we help you?" "I won't beat about the bush." "I'd like to marry your daughter." "How many are you marrying?" "Give me a second." "Don't worry." "It's simpler than it looks." "Are you a doctor by any chance?" "That's how I met Huguette, yes." "Meet her for real now." "Piss off!" " Piss off!" " Come on, I apologize." "Piss off, I said!" "Not in my car!" "You walk, asshole!" "You're out of here on foot!" "Get lost, you shit!" "Calm down." "Let's talk." "You're out of shots." " Piss off!" " 0kay, I get the message!" "You come in my mouth and dump me like a shit!" "Get lost!" " A real eye-opener..." " Get lost!" "Glad to have met you." "I'll call you." "We're not speaking again, asshole!" "Xanax morning and evening." "0nce you calm down, call me." "You know everything now." "And the other one?" "I'm not good enough for him." "I wanted to make you happy." "I'm sorry." "Yes, that's my card." "Highway FM." "Special newsflash." "Good news." "Georges Maury, the serial rapist that the French police have been hunting for, was arrested earlier in a café in Beaune, as he approached three high school girls." "More details in our next bulletin." "Excuse me, what's going on?" "Shall I get a locksmith?" "Sorry, it's never happened before." "We'll go to my brother's." "He lives just downstairs." "He's away." "It's better, for the children." "With that door, I forgot to say hello." "What does your brother do?" "He wanted to be a writer but he's Judith Ralitzer's secretary." " That's not so bad." " You know her?" "Don't we all?" "He lives here?" "Yes." "We're so close, we've never managed to part." "We even did magic shows together when we were still in Burgundy." "Will you be moving to HQ soon?" "If all goes well, next week, God willing." "Morning, ladies." "Two days from Paris to Cannes?" "I'll explain everything." "I almost called the cops." "You had vanished completely." "That's funny." "A disappearance may be the subject of your next novel." "Skipper!" "I had loads of ideas along the way." "I'll tell you later." "You already know the crew." "And this is Patricia." "My new accountant, press agent and also my masseuse." "Hello, boy." "I'll leave you to get settled in and change." "Then tell me everything." "It's as beautiful as ever here." "Taste this." "The year we met." "It was my husband's favorite." "You remember?" "Your subject?" "The journey of a man across France." "We won't ever know, until the end, of course," "if he's a teacher who has abandoned his wife and kids, everything," "a serial killer on the run, or a writer in search of a character." "A sort of..." "Doctor Jekyll and Mister Hyde." "To the power of three." "There." "Suspense guaranteed." "Not bad." "I also forgot to say that he thinks he's God." "You have a title?" "God, the Other." "Your first metaphysical thriller." "If it's all that good, you're forgiven." "I already have the back cover." "Want to hear it?" "Warning; a masterpiece." "Take this book to the beach and you'll skip lunch and dinner too in order to read the last line." "God, the 0ther is a totally hypnotic thriller of astounding intelligence." "The construction is even more surprising than in Tracks." "Judith Ralitzer confirms her iconoclastic talent and literary ambition, using brilliance and humor to exorcize her devilish words." "If the novel is as good as the back cover, I'll marry you!" "But the main character, is it the teacher, the serial killer, God or the novelist?" "It's a surprise." "Wonderful!" "He's a famous novelist's ghost." "Who is ending seven years of slavery." "Meaning?" "Meaning my life with you, madam, and the end of that life." "Go on." "Remember those words at the end of La Comédie humaine?" ""I'll be the author and you'll be the drama."" "Well, from today on," "I'm the author and you're the drama." "What are you trying to say?" "I'll put my name on this novel." "Given the seven year itch, maybe the little ghost can stop haunting you?" "Wine makes you whiny." "Not bad." "I'll note that one." "Get in the swim of things." "I don't think you understand." "I'm signing this book!" "You're dead." "Not leaving by car?" "It's yours." "I left the keys." "I'm sorry." "I was being vile, totally foul." "You're right." "You can't stay my ghost forever." "You're incredibly talented and I thank you." "I owe you so much." "Just now you wanted to drown me." "But before that I wanted to marry you." "Come back." "I'll call my publisher later to sell a certain Pierre Laclos to him." " What's behind this?" " Nothing." "Don't judge a book by its cover." "I'm proud to be your Pygmalion." "So what's the deal?" "Write your masterpiece on my yacht." "Boulevard de la Gare, Montreuil." "Florence Ravier, 43, doesn't understand why her husband, a high school teacher, has suddenly left his job, wife, children and low-rent apartment in Montreuil." "Flo?" "It's me." " Little brother!" "Where are you?" " On the boat." "I wanted to ask you if you'd mind if I called one of my characters Florence." "No." "Is she a lot like me?" "How's your detective?" "He's put me in custody." "I'll call you back." "You take care too." "Little brother?" "Little brother." "Good morning." "You slept well?" "I dreamt a lot mostly." "Breakfast on deck." ""You're dead," she told me." "I'm bound to die when I write "the end"." "When and where exactly, that is the question." "When and where will Judith write "the end"?" "I was so proud when you came to meet me." "I had an A in French." "I was top in French at your age too." "In fact, that's how... he jumped on me." "That's how I was born?" "I've told you 20 times." "But why did he leave?" "He was scared of having kids." "A teacher scared of kids?" "Let's make the most of this, okay." "You never went after him?" "I'd have strangled him if I had." "What if I tried?" "How can he explain 13 years of silence?" "Not even a postcard!" "Tell me, honey, what if I took over the local hair salon?" "As soon as I saw her," "I knew Huguette was just an ordinary victim." "a moth, blindly drawn to the light that would burn her." "Just a little moth." "Hairdresser." "Only natural for an airhead." "I shampooed Lady Di the day before she died." "All women are airheads." "Most men too, in fact." "Huguette was the prototype." "Unable to control her emotions and words." "Lady Di wasn't in Paris that day." "How could she have done her hair?" "Her white lies were works of art." "If she'd told me she was the French team's goalkeeper," "I'd have believed her." "That book you're about to write, sign it with your name." "And dedicate it to Huguette." "Huguette, you'll remember?" "It rhymes with coquette." "Have you always liked wine?" "0r did your husband teach you?" "No, I've always liked it." "And the fact he did too just added to his charm." "They call you the Queen of Burgundy in Burgundy?" " That's what I heard." " It's true." "Does that shock you?" "Do you know why?" "No." "Tell me." "Because the Queen of Burgundy had many lovers." "And had them killed on by one." "François, it's Judith." "You won't have Judith Ralitzer's latest in three months but the first novel by an unknown genius." "Did you hear me?" "Yes, I said a genius." "His name is Pierre Laclos." "How did I meet him?" "He's been my secretary for seven years." "Yes, that's the one." ""What can be" ""more beautiful" ""than a perfect crime?" ""Two perfect crimes."" "Here I am." "Do you like it?" "You're magnificent." "Magnificent." "You really won't come to the party?" "I have to finish." "You don't even know Elba." "I've never been a big Napoleon fan." "Another thing that sets us apart." "I adore him." "See you later." "See you later." "Beautiful!" "Aren't you at the party, Patricia?" "I wasn't invited." "Why didn't you go with Judith?" "I've been to jet set parties for seven years." "Reaching the buffet is like trench warfare." "She seems pleased to be writing with you." "With me?" "She said that?" "With you." "She thinks it will be her best novel." "Yes." "I hope so." "It's your birthday today?" "Would you like a massage as a birthday present?" "What has she told you exactly about what she's writing?" "That if she managed to pull off the last chapter, it would be a perfect novel." "How was the party?" "Grim." "I can see why Napoleon fled." "We're going to do the same." "Head for Cannes." " And sail all night?" " Please." "I'll check the weather." "How's the last chapter coming along?" "I await your judgment, madam." "You really liked it?" "I'm dying of envy." "I feel like killing you." "You know talent is very sexy?" "I'll count to ten, then close the door." "0ne..." "Two..." "Eight and a half..." "Nine..." "Nine and a half..." " Morning, Patricia." " Morning, madam." "Is Monsieur Pierre up?" "I haven't seen him yet." "When did we arrive in Cannes?" "About an hour ago." "Why didn't you wake me?" "I thought..." "You really haven't seen him?" "No, not yet." "Captain..." "Pierre..." "Captain..." "Yes, madam." " Have you seen Monsieur Pierre?" " Not since we docked." "When did you last see him?" "At dawn, two miles out." "What did he want?" "0ne last drink." "Was he drunk?" "He seemed rather merry." "Could you go and see if..." "Monsieur Pierre's cabin?" "Madam, I already did his cabin." "Apparently, he hadn't slept there." "When did you last see him?" "I just told you." "I was alone at the helm, he came on deck, we chatted," "I went to get him a drink." "When I returned, I thought he was back in his cabin." "But... if he fell overboard, could he swim to land?" "Not in his state." " This is a first." " What?" "You never did my hair before." "You know what happiness is?" "Whatever you do for the first time." "We have a lot of happiness left." "Hello, girls." "Good luck for your first day." "Can I be your first customer?" "Sorry, the deputy mayor has already been in and now I'm doing my daughter." "You'll be the third." "I'm in the top three." "Give me two minutes." "Can I have a word?" "Sure." "What is it?" "I heard it on the radio." "Your first fiancé fell off Judith Ralitzer's boat." "I was perhaps the last to see him." "At 6 AM, he came on deck." "He had been drinking heavily." "He asked me for one last drink." "When I returned, I thought he was back below." "After we docked, we realized he'd probably fallen overboard." "I'm as upset as you are, Florence." "I don't know what to say." "Why didn't the captain react?" "He was convinced your brother was back in his cabin." "As long as they keep searching, we mustn't lose hope." "I'll keep you posted." "I'll call you." "Take care." "Get me the Cannes police." "How long can you last in the water?" "It depends on the temperature." "It's good to be here." "Why didn't you tell the police the truth?" "What truth?" "That you slept with him just before he vanished." "I'm going back to Paris." "Why?" "You haven't been here a year." "My only regular customers are my family." "Hi!" "The book you ordered." "I'll be in to pay you later." "Listen to this." ""Judith Ralitzer confirms her iconoclastic talent" ""and literary ambition, using brilliance and humor," ""to exorcize her devilish words."" "I knew Huguette was just an ordinary victim." "A moth blindly drawn to the light that would burn her." "Just a moth." "Huguette smoked too much, that's what killed her." "Not smoking but the killer she unwisely followed in a gas station after being dumped by her fiancé who hated Lady Di and smoking." "For Huguette." "Like your heroine." "Remember me?" "Sorry, I see so many people." "The hair salon on Avenue Matignon..." " Perhaps." " I forgive you." "It was ages ago." "To Huguette and to God" "I don't know if God is the other, but I know who the devil is now." "What do you mean?" "How did your ghost die?" "For Daniel." "Excuse me." "Just a minute, please." "Mademoiselle!" "Wait!" "Excuse me!" "I'm Judith Ralitzer's assistant." "Could I have your details?" "They're in the book." "Haven't you read it?" "What do you mean?" "Were you on the boat last year?" "So she bought you off, like the rest of the crew." " The captain told the truth." " Is it your truth?" "All right." "Madame Ralitzer won't hear from me again." "That bitch is going on TV tomorrow in your brother's place." "What does your cop think?" "I called him." "He should be here soon." "Something to drink?" "You still think he died accidentally?" "Falling overboard is common." " Who profits from the crime?" " What crime?" "Your brother wrote this book!" "I'm Huguette!" "The heroine of his story, with my mountains, my family, the lot!" "I don't know this Judith Ralitzer!" "All I know is she's a killer, like in her novels." "I need to see your detective to start over from scratch." " What'll you have to drink?" " I'm not thirsty!" "Forgive me." "Is this where he wrote?" "I haven't touched a thing." "Can I sit down?" "It's as if you've found yourself or met up with yourself." "Something strangely new occurs in this book." "God, the Other is so different from Tracks..." "What inspired you?" "Without wishing to pry, what lies behind this change?" "I don't know." "Perhaps God whispered it to me." "God Himself?" "God or Pierre Laclos?" "I have to ask." "God or Pierre Laclos?" "It's been seven years." "The imposture's lasted long enough." "Don't you recognize me?" "You don't recognize your main character?" "When you steal someone else's book, you change the names at least!" "Sorry, I have to ask Madame Ralitzer this." "Was it God or Pierre Laclos?" "Stick to what you know." " I know all right." " You know nothing." "Are you saying she didn't write this book?" " Precisely." " Why ask her that?" "Who wrote The Three Musketeers?" "Dumas or his ghost?" "And who was Shakespeare really?" "Did Michelangelo or his assistants paint the Sistine Chapel?" "It makes no sense." "Does it really matter?" "Less than your men's deaths." "We've hit the jackpot!" "Excuse me, Mr. Moati." "Would you please come with me, Madame Ralitzer?" "Captain Leroux, Police HQ." "I have a few questions for her." "I'd prefer Madame Ralitzer to come with me." "It was an accident, I tell you." "It was an accident, I tell you." "Pierre Laclos was blind drunk that night." "You read the captain's statement." "Who made him drink?" "He needed no help for that." "There were traces of a strong sleeping draft found in a glass." "A glass that had been used since Mr. Laclos's prints and yours were found on it." "A sleeping draft?" "So?" "I take one before bed every night." "Is that illegal?" ""What is more beautiful than the perfect crime?" ""Two perfect crimes."" "Isn't that a confession?" "It's not a confession." "It's literature." "You were publicly accused of murder." "The madwoman's word is as good as mine?" "The "madwoman" knows a lot." "Where's my attorney?" "He's on his way." "He'll be here soon." "Back to your husband..." "No one can prevent a suicide." ""A good crime beats a bad divorce." Page 245 of your novel." "Mr. Laclos's novel." "You make me feel sick." "Your coffee." "Why not start at the beginning?" "It was in '98." "I went to Burgundy." "To Beaune." "I wanted to write a novel set in the wine world." "On visiting a large estate near Beaune," "I fell in love with the owner of it." "That was my last question." "Listen..." "I was delighted to answer your questions all week, the thousand questions of your novel." "I now have one question for you." "Go ahead." "The true question is one usually asked only in churches or registry offices and that you answer, "I do."" "That's beautifully put." "May I use it in my novel?" "Can you say it again?" "It's a question asked only in churches or registry offices and that you answer, "I do."" "The men I've frequented don't have pleasant memories of me." "At my wedding reception, I met my so-called second victim." "He was a reporter for the local paper at the time." "He interviewed me and, on reading his article the next day," "I saw he used his pen well." "So I asked him if he would like to be my secretary." "Three months later, when my husband learnt I didn't want children and that marriage wasn't for me, he took his own life." "I'm going to have to indict you." " Judith Ralitzer?" " In there." "Wake me from this nightmare." "Calm down, Judith." "The police have nothing to go on." "Why believe that madwoman?" "They're following any track they can." "Would you believe that the captain is the victim's sister's lover?" "A Ghost Murder" "Would you read your statement and sign it, please?" "Read it but don't sign it." "What kind of dirty trick is this?" "Let's call it... a magic trick that worked at last." "I'd like to understand." "Why did we wait seven years?" "Maybe we needed to sleep with a few words first?" "That's beautiful!" "To literature." "What's that there?" "France, I hope." "You're up early." "It would be a crime to sleep on a morning like this." "The perfect crime even, skipper." "What's this I see?" "Look at this empty glass, skipper." "Would you..." "Could you fill it for me?" "Please..." "Haven't you had enough?" "Know what Blondin said?" ""Literature is a blend of liters and erasures."" "All right." "You're too kind." " Can you take the helm?" " Certainly." "Careful..." " What do I do?" " Just hold it." "0kay, I'll hold it." "It's on automatic pilot anyway." "Two automatic pilots now." "What if I see an iceberg?" "It's time you went back to bed." "Why stage such a thing?" "I knew that when I wrote "the end", you would get rid of me one way or another." "I imagined the perfect crime for you." "God, the Other by an unknown would have sold what?" "3,000 copies at the most." "Signed by Ralitzer, it's top of the best-seller list." "This much treachery is a lot for one man." "I called your publisher from the yacht one night." "That's when I understood that my days were numbered." "And you sent Huguette to humiliate me in public?" "She thought I was dead too." "But I forgot she knew too much." "And now?" "What do you want?" "To see you leave this place." "Cleared." "Totally cleared." "Cleared by your ghost." "You're the most innocent culprit ever." "A 1953 vintage." "The year of your birth." "If I understand rightly, I'm free." "Can I go?" "I'd rather go alone." "She chose the same way out as Hemingway or Romain Gary." "Authors, as well I know, are fragile people." "Perhaps more fragile and more sensitive than others." "Judith was a great author and a great writer." "How can anyone vanish for a year?" "Some vanish for good." "Meaning?" " Remember Sabrina's father?" " Here we go again." "Page 250..." "A hooker hairdresser, is that true too?" "What do you think?" "Were you a hooker or a hairdresser?" "I did hookers' hair." "Happy now?" "I'll move to another room." "Where are you?" "Judith paid with her life." "Are you sure it's a good idea?" "What were you doing all year?" "I often felt like calling you." "But when I heard your voice," "I hung up." "Why arrange to meet here?" "This is where our tracks first crossed." "Is this song familiar?" "Did she plan to kill you?" "I killed Judith in a way." "And I finished her off." "You've changed your glasses." "Real writer's glasses..." "Close your eyes." "Close your eyes." "Count to ten." "T R A C K S" "I think I see cops on the right." "And I don't know them..." "The eyes of a hawk..." "No, of an airhead." "Where are we off to like this?" "Subtitles:" "Ian Burley" "Subtitle processing:" "Global Vision" "T R A C K S"