Murder in Monte Carlo

by Michael Sheridan

  He paused, as was his habit, laid his notebook on the table, took out his pen and asked the couple to confirm their identity.

  After an hour of questioning Dupin had received confused and contradictory explanations for the fate of Madame Levin. They were simply without logic and incredible. There was a suggestion from Mrs Goold that the victim’s lover had burst into the room, killed her and left. They merely attempted to get rid of the body to avoid being implicated in the tragedy. He listened patiently, took notes and dismissed such nonsense in his mind.

  However, he had established that the victim was Swedish, a widow of a rich stockbroker in Copenhagen and was staying at the Hotel Bristol in Monte Carlo, where the Goolds had been residing from the previous October in the Villa Menesini. He felt that to continue interrogation would be a waste of time, until he had preliminary post-mortem results, so that he could be more specific. They had so far admitted disposal of the body but denied responsibility for murder.

  He informed them that they might as well be more frank and forthcoming in the next interview as an examining magistrate would now begin a judicial investigation and the hearings would be in open court.

  “Let us say that my judicial counterpart, Monsieur Maliavalle, will be far less tolerant in the surroundings of a court of law. Therefore, given that hunting packs of the press will be slavering at the mouth over the case and will show even less mercy, it would, I humbly suggest, be in your interest to speak the truth as early as possible in the investigation process. The magistrate will of course organise a lawyer to act as your defence. If you have a preference for any member, you can let him know.”

  Goold thanked him in a low whisper, while his wife maintained an air of silent defiance. They were then removed to their respective cells.

  Dupin made his way to what was popularly referred to as “the room of the dead”. Despite the connotation it was a particular source of pride to the force. It had been set aside and fitted with the assistance of Lacassagne’s department at Lyons University and a grant from the Sûreté, in tandem with the commitment to Locard’s laboratory.

  Most morgues were makeshift and set up wherever suited the purpose, with no facilities whatsoever. Bodies were thus exposed to changes in the ambient temperature and other organic influences which could frustrate the efforts of the pathologist to come to definitive conclusions about matters such as the time of death, then mistakenly concentrated on body temperature and nothing much else. In this case as well as others, in the absence of witnesses, a reasonably accurate deduction of the time of death could tie the perpetrators to the location of the crime – or not.

  In the morgue under Dufour’s supervision, the trunk and valise were opened yet again. Everyone present steeled themselves for the sight, even Dupin who had already beheld its horrors. What Dufour, his assistants and the young fresh-faced policeman Carlin were to witness was beyond imagination. Even more shocking were the contents of the valise: the head shrouded by thick brown hair, mouth wide-open and steel-blue eyes staring wide underneath the legs. The full impact of the victim’s death was amply illustrated by her facial expression – one of frozen fear, the eyes reflecting the horror.

  There had been little effort made to cover the mortal remains of a once beautiful woman. Portions of her clothes were stuffed hurriedly, it appeared, under and around the torso, presumably to remove all traces of her from the original scene of her murder.

  For those not used to such sights, the impact does not dissolve for some time. None had experienced dismemberment. There is something intensely sickening about a headless corpse. It speaks of further gratuitous humiliation in death, even when expertly carried out by the executioner. It is hard to look and equally hard to look away. The focus of the sight always returns to the bloody neck.

  Dupin released Carlin whose pretty face had been suffused with greenish colour and told him to go back to the main office to rest, and get refreshments if he was so inclined, which he suspected for the moment he would not be. He was to pass a message on to his fellow-policemen not talk to anyone, not their colleagues outside the unit or their nearest and dearest. Utmost secrecy was needed until he decided on his next move. He had earned their loyalty and knew that he could trust them.

  He and Dufour paused for some moments.

  “Poor Carlin! There is more blush on the victim’s face than his, right now,” mused Dupin.

  “There are two reasons for that – his shock and the physiological impact of the lack of oxygen after death. Funny how a purple blush has never usurped the pale marble representation of the departed,” observed the pathologist. Of course, he added, he had the utmost sympathy for the young policeman – after all, he himself had fainted his first time in the anatomy room as a student.

  “You get used to anything and everything in time,” Dufour said, an uncharacteristic smile creasing his grizzly grey visage. “But I understand there is something more upsetting about dismemberment. It is almost like dealing with two bodies as opposed to one.”

  Then Dupin signalled for Lazare to begin the pattern of work. The photographer set up his camera and for the next 30 minutes from various angles and heights recorded, again and in more detail than before, the horrific scene within the trunk and the valise.

  Dupin noticed not a twitch in his photographer’s eye and admired his total dedication and professionalism. He had selected his team with the utmost rigor and now watched in action confirmation of both his reason and instinct in the matter. Lazare’s eye was now one of an investigator and yet he had not abandoned his artistry. Dupin had always held the opinion that scientific logic could be enhanced by artistic imagination.

  As Dufour was about to effect the removal of the remains from the trunk to the slab, one of his team entered the morgue and informed Dupin that he had received a call from a Madame Castellazi to say that her friend Madame Emma Levin, a widow of a Danish industrialist, had been missing from her hotel, the Bristol in Monte Carlo, from the previous evening and she had her suspicions of who might be responsible.

  She had given him two names, saying she knew they had planned to travel to Marseilles, and their address which was the Villa Menesini in Monte Carlo. She suggested that Madame Levin’s jewellery might be in the possession of the couple. She had also left her contact details. He passed the note to Dupin.

  “Aha! The British aristocrats who apparently own the trunk. And independently confirmed, the name of the victim.” He turned to one of the police team. “Very well, good Bloc, search Mr Goold’s other luggage and remove any items of jewellery.”

  Dufour and his dieners had removed the body parts carefully and placed them on the slab.

  In the bottom of the trunk there was a salmon-coloured bodice with a number of bloodstains. It was removed and bagged as evidence.

  Quickly the pathologist identified two stab wounds on the torso, which had pierced the site of the heart from the front and the back. These, he established in his external examination, were probably fatal. There was also indication of blunt-force trauma to the head, possibly carried out in advance of the stabbing.

  There were numerous contusions on the face, eight wounds on the head, small wounds on the neck, all caused by the same instrument and the two wounds on the back and front caused by the second instrument. The contusions possibly indicated there had been a struggle, more likely than not.

  Rigor mortis was no longer present in the limbs and body, indicating that the murder had been committed up to 48 hours previously, fitting into the picture of an effort to get rid of and transport the body away from the original site of the killing but with the interval of perhaps one night.

  He also noted that the dismemberment had been carried out with implements that had with most probability been a common saw and knife. There was also a deep incision in the stomach region and a removal of a portion of the intestines.

  “For what purpose?” enquired Dupin.

  “More likely than not to disguise, rather crudely, the effects of
putrefaction. After all, this corpse was supposed to travel to London after a one-night stop in Monte Carlo, and another in Marseilles, not to mind the rest of the journey.”

  “I am more and more inclined to believe this murder was planned.”

  “No doubt,” replied the doctor.

  “Which does not explain what was to happen to the head and legs,” proffered the investigator.

  “I am assuming – and this is pure speculation which I do not like to indulge in at any time – they were to be disposed of in the sea in this very port. The trunk might attract too much attention.”

  “And what of the intestines which were removed?” asked Dupin. “There has been no trace of them.”

  “I would imagine they have already been committed to the sea. Don’t you agree?”

  “Almost certainly. I will get some of my men to comb the beach, in case by chance the entrails could be washed ashore again.”

  The cause of death at this stage, in his opinion, was the stabbing. He told Dupin he was confident that his completed post mortem, after internal examination, would confirm the initial finding.

  “The question is,” the detective posed, “was there more than one person involved in the execution of the crime?”

  Dr Dufour replied that he would attempt to establish that fact. And in his opinion there would be remnants of bloodstains at the original location as there would have been little time to properly dispose of that evidence. He presumed that the perpetrators planned to be well away by the time this was discovered.

  “It is quite extraordinary how difficult it is to efficiently remove all trace of blood,” he said. “There is not yet a cleansing agent that will get it properly out of clothes.”

  “Thank you, Dufour, I will let you finish your work in peace while I return to the office and consult my team.”

  Dupin left, glad to be away from the claustrophobic atmosphere of the morgue and the next grim stage of the pathologist’s examination.

  Back in the central office, he noted the time and quickly set about and received permission from Monsieur Malavialle, the examining magistrate in Marseilles, to arrest and question the suspects. While he would continue the investigation under French law, a magistrate would also be involved and would begin preliminary examination of both suspects and witnesses in a public court.

  He contacted his counterpart Inspector Garonne in the Monte Carlo Direction of Public Safety who agreed to conduct a search of the Villa Menesini and, contingent on his findings, seal the crime scene and get back to him. Within an hour he received the call from Garonne. There were bloodstains in the bedroom of the villa and in a wardrobe under some clothing his team had discovered a saw and a large knife with some discolouring, indicating there had been an attempt to clean them but not efficiently. There was no sign of the intestines which had yet to be located.

  There was a niece of the couple at the villa, who apparently had been living with them, but in his opinion knew nothing of the murder.

  Dupin expressed the desire to travel to Monte Carlo to continue his investigation and interview witnesses, including the Madame Castellazi who had contacted his office. In advance he would send some members of his forensic team to examine the scene and secure evidence. Garonne was more than happy to oblige and offered the services of a Dr Corniglion to assess the medical forensic aspects of the crime scene.

  “He is excellent at the interpretation of blood-spatter patterns which I think you will find in this case particularly appropriate.” “Thank you, Garonne, I am indebted to you.”

  Garonne laughed. “Not at all, Dupin, I will be in your debt because the trial will take place on my patch. And all the evidence will be of crucial value to the success of the case. Bonne chance!”

  Indeed, Dupin mused, indeed. But he also knew he would not be erased from the picture. For the moment the investigation was his and when it came to the Principality, all French expertise was welcomed. Crime was no stranger to Monaco but the frequency of murder was low compared to Marseilles.

  But, as always, he could not afford to put one foot out of place. All the more so because the eyes of Paris were fixed in the most concentrated way on Marseilles. Having promoted the all-powerful Sûreté over the incompetent municipal cousins, Marseilles principal among them, Hennion would make sure everything about the investigation would go right. And Dupin expected a call from him.

  With utter certainty, the detective knew that he must watch his front, his back and every side that the human frame possessed. Like a good athlete, the one he had been in his youth, he would envisage the tape and then count every footfall until he reached the finish line – first. It did not matter who was breathing down his neck. He banished every competitor from his mind. The one most capable of inflicting defeat was himself.

  He gathered his team around his desk in the office, having first ordered them to bring in their coffees.

  “Lazare, take the next train to Monte Carlo. Carlin will assist you. Here are the details of the address. Consult with Garonne and get the photographs of the scene from him. Froissart and Bloc will stay with me for the interrogation. Then we will take things as they develop. We hope to join you tomorrow morning, all things being equal.” He paused and looked intently from one face to another. “For reasons that must be obvious to all of us, this operation needs to be carried out quietly and without fuss and for the moment far from the sniping attention of the newspapers. That will happen, but it is the last thing we need now. Already they could be on the trail, for all we know.”

  They were. And, in this arena of public discourse, the investigators would have no control. The elements and the facts, as even cursorily gathered would be far too big for anyone to keep under wraps. The Fourth Estate would be soon on the case and as unrelenting in its pursuit of information as the investigators of the crime.

  Dupin and Dr Dufour discussed Mr Goold’s condition.

  The doctor gave his assessment thus: “He is a hopeless alcoholic, completely dependent both physically and mentally, and will without doubt experience delirium tremens. With the help of the medicine he will calm down in a day or two. He is at the moment completely confused and nothing he might say would be acceptable in a court of law.” The doctor then prescribed sedatives when necessary to calm the prisoner and lessen the effects of the hallucinations he would inevitably experience.

  They analysed the obvious line of defence of insanity, which more than likely would be taken up considering his present condition. The woman? Dufour, conceding that he had not engaged with her, judged from what Dupin had told him from the first interview that she was the stronger of the pair and would continue to deny her part in the crime. It appeared that she might be the dominant partner in the relationship.

  “The man,” he suggested, “is not only weakened by dissipation but by the very relationship which under normal circumstances should be a source of strength.” The doctor then continued, taking the thought straight out of Dupin’s mind, “I would, when it comes down to the examination of character, bring Professor Lacassagne into the equation.”

  “Agreed,” replied the investigator. “His experience in the Gouffé case will prove invaluable. Most particularly in the matter of the balance of power between the protagonists. I am convinced that Mrs Goold will be an unwilling person in the process, while her husband will in time co-operate as fully as possible.”

  They discussed the murder from a number of angles – motive, opportunity and guilt, the last of which they harboured little doubt about. What they found more worthy of debate was the method of the murder and the grisly mechanics of attempting to cover it up. The attempt to transport the body parts to England for disposal was worthy of note. The risks appeared to the medical man to overwhelm such a modus operandi with insurmountable odds.

  “However,” posited Dupin, “it always seems that way in retrospect. Like the Gouffé case, the method of concealment – which I hold was the inspiration for the Goolds – was attended with great risk. Bu
t let us say that if the body of the bailiff and that of Madame Levin had reached their intended destination, who could have predicted the outcome? With more attendance to detail, each case might well have remained a mystery and evaded the scientific process that we rely upon to convict a murderer.”

  Perhaps, conceded Dufour, but pointed to the more clinical method adopted by Eyraud and Bompard. The mess was left by the passage of time and the process of decomposition. With the Goolds, the mess was created at the beginning in the most savage fashion, in a scene more redolent of an abattoir. The motives were fairly close but the psychological element somewhat different. The reverse, it seemed.

  The Inspector telephoned Professor Lacassagne who was more than willing to help. When all was in readiness, he would travel to Marseilles to interview the perpetrators.

  He concurred with Dufour’s view of Mrs Goold. “She will behave in a hysterical manner when probed about the truth, hide in denial and refuse to co-operate. Mr Goold, I am positive, will be more forthcoming. While considered as monsters, they will initially view themselves as victims. Hard to imagine, Dupin, but true of many of their kind. But there is a grain of truth in that stance and it is that grain that we need to unearth.”

  Lacassagne then enquired about what background or antecedents of the couple had been established.

  “Very little so far,” replied Dupin. “Goold said that he is from Waterford in southern Ireland. All we got from his wife so far is that she is originally from Isère.” Lacassagne paused. “The latter will be fairly easy to establish. The former might be more difficult but I may be of help. I made the acquaintance of the professor of medical jurisprudence in Cork University in Ireland at a conference. There may well be information about the Goold family in the university archives. I will make enquiries.”

  Dupin put down the telephone. Not a bad day’s work, he thought. But we never know what is around the corner. He was prepared to encounter whatever was thrown his way. One way or another, he knew full well that he would not get off lightly. There were other tasks to undertake.