He shook his head at the whole mess. What had started out as a silly prank by the roadside on the way to Saint-Raphaël had expanded to something far more serious. Two people were dead, several more were in hospital, as many as nine were in custody facing a range of charges, a business empire was vulnerable and communities were coping with the fallout.
“I see you couldn’t sleep either,” André Rousseau said, coming onto the patio with a coffee in his hand.
He sat opposite Burke.
“Yesterday was incredible,” Burke said.
“Well, what’s the plan for today? A visit to the police station?” Rousseau said.
“I think so,” Burke replied. “There will probably be a news conference and I should be there if there is one.”
“Do you think we’ll head back home today?”
“Probably after the news conference if that works for you,” Burke said.
“I should get back today since I have to open the shop tomorrow morning,” Rousseau said. “Besides, I have household chores to catch up on.”
They sat quietly, both lost in their thoughts.
They had another coffee and took turns showering.
When Burke was getting dressed, he heard his phone buzz with a text. It was from one of the producers at the TV station where he did the Monday panel show. The producer asked if Burke would do either a short Facetime or Skype interview with the station since he was in Vaison and had participated in the race the day before. The producer hoped to have the interview for the morning’s current affairs program.
Burke phoned the station, connected with the producer and agreed to the interview. They made arrangements to do it by Skype in 10 minutes.
And then Burke got a text from François Lemaire.
Everyone was up early this day, Burke thought.
Lemaire was asking Burke to produce a short blog with some video.
“There will be hard-news coverage by the press agencies and so I just want you to comment on the scene and mood this morning,” Lemaire said.
From a tranquil start, Burke’s morning was rapidly getting busy.
He told Lemaire in a text he’d have a blog done by noon unless something got in the way.
“Earlier would be better, Paul,” Lemaire replied. “Do what you can.”
Burke told Rousseau about the requests.
“Our day just got busier,” his friend said with a smile.
Burke did the TV interview with a reporter he had never met. The questions focused on the chaos of the day before and the arrests. The reporter also asked Burke to speculate on what would happen on this day. Burke said he didn’t know, but guessed there would be a news conference where the police or a prosecutor would announce charges.
“Do you think Bosco Yablonski will be around?” the reporter said.
“A lot of people are probably wondering that,” Burke said. “I expect the only one who knows the answer is Yablonski himself.”
After three more basic questions, the reporter said the interview would be on the current affairs program probably within the hour.
After the call ended, Burke turned on the TV, doubtful he’d get the Nice station. But, to his surprise, he did and so he made a new pot of coffee and waited.
The clip with Burke showed up 40 minutes later with the host of the program saying one of the panelists on the station’s special Monday sports program would be providing background. Burke thought the announcer guilty of hyperbole, but figured it was standard practice to build up an upcoming segment.
With Rousseau beside him on the couch, Burke watched the clip. It was acceptable but not enlightening.
Then the announcer provided an update on the dozen people rushed to hospital from the VIP tent the day before.
“Eight people have been released while four remain in hospital,” the announcer said. “Two of the victims are still listed in serious condition, but are expected to make a full recovery.”
“I was wondering about them,” Rousseau said.
Burke had been, too. He had been concerned that someone was going to die. The scene at the VIP tent had appeared serious.
The announcer finished by saying the station would provide updates on any developments.
“You sounded like you knew what you were talking about,” Rousseau said.
“I didn’t say anything new.”
“True, but you said it with authority,” Rousseau said.
Burke’s cellphone rang. It was François Lemaire.
“I saw you on TV a moment ago,” Lemaire began.
“I didn’t have much to say that was of any value,” Burke said.
“Good, because I would have been disappointed if you had given them something that you hadn’t given us,” Lemaire said.
Burke could see Lemaire’s point – competing interests. He should have thought about it earlier when the TV station had asked for the interview. On the other hand, Burke was not an employee of Lemaire’s, just a blogger doing contract work. However, he opted to keep that to himself. He’d take his medicine and be quiet.
“Since you were on TV a few minutes ago, let’s capitalize on it and do a video blog for our website,” Lemaire said. “It’ll make it seem like the major media outlets are using your knowledge and your presence at the scene in Vaison. You can say the same thing if you want. Just give me a minute or two on current developments or what you expect to happen today. Use your smartphone and send it to us. Is your friend Rousseau still there?”
“He is.”
“Excellent. He has a good eye. Get him to video it and send it to me within 15 minutes, Paul.”
Lemaire rang off and Burke told Rousseau what the newsman wanted.
“Now I’m a cameraman,” Rousseau said. “That’s excellent, but it will mean I have to update my resumé.”
Burke took a couple of minutes to plan what he wanted to say and then Rousseau shot a video of Burke doing it for real.
“I think we need to do it again,” Rousseau said. “You were a little awkward.”
Burke knew he had been and so they shot it a second time. The result was much better.
“One more time,” Rousseau said, re-positioning Burke so a background painting didn’t make it seem like horns were growing out of Burke’s head.
“Who are you, Steven Spielberg?” Burke said.
Rousseau laughed. “Given enough time, you never know.”
The third take was good enough to satisfy both. Burke sent it to Lemaire who quickly replied the product was usable.
“It’ll be online within 10 minutes,” Lemaire said in his text. “I still want another blog by noon on developments this morning.”
Burke and Rousseau agreed they would pack, give their keys to the landlord and then go to the Old Town for breakfast after which they’d visit the police station. Burke hoped he could manage a few minutes with Côté or Sauvageot.
Then they would go home.
Chapter 78
Burke and Rousseau stood before the gendarmerie at 8:55. There were already three TV crews set up by the stairs to the entrance and probably another half dozen reporters crowding around. Two burly flics stood motionless by the front door.
Several dozen spectators surrounded the journalists and TV camera crews, hoping to catch some action when it happened.
Burke had clearly missed the announcement of a news conference.
“Maybe you should get some photos and video,” Rousseau suggested, noticing his friend in a daze.
Burke nodded and pulled out his cellphone, snapping several shots and taking a few seconds of video. Then he sent them to Lemaire with a few words of explanation.
Five minutes later, the doors opened and out came Pascal Favreau and a tall, angular, middle-aged man whom Burke didn’t know. After that pair, Côté, Sauvageot and Bonnier appeared with another couple of unfamiliar faces.
“Good morning,” said the tall man. “I am Clément Marignac, the investigating judge in charge of this case. This is Sergeant
Pascal Favreau of the Vaison gendarmes.”
Burke and Rousseau edged closer to hear better.
“Can you film this, André?” Burke asked his friend.
Rousseau nodded and took Burke’s smartphone.
Clément Marignac had the deep, rumbling voice of a TV announcer and oddly piercing eyes. Burke thought he had enough presence to intimidate even the nastiest criminals.
Marignac didn’t waste any time introducing the people behind him. Instead, he got right to the point, relating how three men had been charged with two counts of murder and three others – two men and a woman – with being accessories to murder. He said the charges related to the deaths of two individuals a week earlier in Arles.
Burke thought he might know the identity of the woman – Josette Martel.
Marignac then read the names of those being charged.
And he named Josette Martel.
The judge said three other men had been charged with aggravated assault in connection with the illness of several people in the VIP tent the day before. He named them: Christophe Talbot, Gabriel Belcourt and Grégoire Holz.
Burke was puzzled why Marignac had opted for the aggravated assault charge. Why not attempted murder? After all, several people had been taken to hospital and four were still there. Someone could have died.
The judge continued, adding that the three men faced a series of other charges including arson, assault and use of Nazi symbols.
Burke wondered if the assault charge related to the spreading of carpet tacks on the road above Nice in the second vintage bike race.
The judge said all individuals charged would be kept in custody. The investigation was continuing in other directions, he added. He stopped and questions erupted from the reporters. Where were all the people arrested from? Who were the ringleaders? Why had they taken such action? What were the details behind the people murdered? When would everyone appear in court? What was Bosco Yablonski’s involvement?
The judge answered a couple of questions, saying all the individuals charged were from other communities. He wouldn’t provide details of the deaths of the two people in Arles.
“What about Yablonski?” someone asked again.
“Monsieur Yablonski has not been charged with anything,” Marignac said.
“Are you investigating his possible involvement?” the same reporter asked.
“We have an ongoing investigation,” the judge replied. “As I said, Monsieur Yablonski is not involved in any of the charges I have announced.”
Burke thought the judge’s comments hardly exonerated Bosco Yablonski.
Then the judge with a nod to Favreau turned and went back into the building.
“We will alert you if there are any significant developments,” Favreau told the journalists who kept up their rapid-fire questions.
“Want me to keep filming, Paul?” Rousseau whispered to Burke who nodded in response.
Burke spotted Côté and Savuageot go off to the side. For his part, Bonnier went back into the building. Favreau stayed on the stairs telling reporters to be patient.
“Can you send the video to Lemaire for me, André?” Burke whispered into Rouuseau’s ear. “There are a couple of people I want to talk to.”
Rousseau nodded once, his attention still on Favreau.
Burke left and caught the two flics a few steps later.
“Good morning to you too, Monsieur Burke,” Sauvageot said.
“OK, good morning,” Burke said. “Now what about Josette Martel? Is she facing a murder charge or an accessory charge?”
“Accessory,” Sauvageot said.
“How was she involved?” Burke asked.
“We cannot disclose the details at this time, Monsieur, but I expect you may be able to guess,” Sauvageot said.
Burke paused to think. If she had planned the attack on the cyclist, she would have been facing a more serious charge, maybe even assassination, remembering that the latter charge involved premeditation while murder was more involved with a spontaneous action.
Then it occurred to him that the death of the cyclist had never been planned.
“They killed that cyclist but they never intended to,” Burke said, trying to formulate a scene that included all the details.
Neither Sauvageot nor Côté said anything.
“They somehow discovered the identities of the people going after their boss and they went to scare them off,” Burke said, thinking as quickly as he could.
“If that’s the case, why aren’t the other Yablonski protestors injured or dead?” Côté said.
She was leading him. A year ago, she wouldn’t have done such a thing, but Burke sensed she had developed some respect for him.
“They went in search of the group and spotted Luc Houle,” Burke said.
“Good guess,” Côté said.
“But why do it then? Why not take action earlier?” Burke said.
“It seems the four young men after Yablonski thought they had covered their digital footprints, but, as it turns out, they were wrong,” Côté said.
“The Yablonski protestors were obviously sophisticated about technology,” Sauvageot added. “But if you have money, you can get yourself the best tech experts and, in time, get what you want. Yablonski’s tech wizards had the skills and they finally tracked down who was behind the personal attacks on their boss.”
Burke could see how the circumstances had created new problems.
When Yablonski’s security people had found Luc Houle, obviously alone, they had dealt with him. Since there was no premeditation involved in the charges facing them, they had obviously intended to frighten him enough to get him and his friends to stop. But something had happened and Houle had ended up badly injured, Burke thought.
“When Luc Houle was hurt, was he so seriously injured that he was likely to die?” Burke asked.
Côté and Sauvageot exchanged a look, and Burke could tell they were agreeing on how much more to disclose.
“People often do whatever they can to reduce the trouble they face,” Sauvageot said. “It’s human nature.”
Burke considered what that meant. Then it occurred to him that a member – or two – of the security staff had told the flics what had happened in exchange for a lesser charge.
“OK, so someone in Yablonski’s security detail has talked,” Burke said. “And that person told you Houle was badly hurt in some kind of altercation. But he was probably still able to communicate which meant he could tell someone about the attack. That was a problem for the security people. And so they decided to settle it by killing Houle and moving him to the canal during the storm to make it look like a tragic accident.”
Côté and Sauvageot said nothing.
“And when they were doing that during the middle of the storm by the canal, old Monsieur Vallette saw them with his telescope, or saw something strange that involved them, and came out to investigate,” Burke said. “Since Yablonski’s men were already committed, they had to deal with Monsieur Vallette. They probably figured two people drowning wouldn’t be too strange since in the past there had been many deaths during such storms.”
“I told you Monsieur wasn’t stupid,” Côté said to Sauvageot who nodded.
It was a game the two flics were playing, but Burke was fine to go along. They couldn’t provide him the details, but they could direct his thinking. If anyone ever suggested Côté and Sauvageot had told a member of the media about the investigation into the two murders, they could say with accuracy they had given Burke no such information.
“Of course, your suggestion about the telescope was helpful, Monsieur,” Sauvageot said.
Burke thought how if it hadn’t been for Madame Benoit, he wouldn’t have known about the telescope, the flics wouldn’t have considered looking for photos in the device and Yablonski’s thugs would still be free. She was as crucial as anyone in solving the murders.
Burke decided to tie up loose ends.
“And somehow in the photos
that the old man took, you spotted Josette Martel,” Burke said, taking a guess.
“A modern telescope is an impressive device,” Sauvageot said.
Burke figured Martel must have been in another vehicle accompanying the muscle brigade. When matters had gone wrong, she had stayed with the group and, Burke thought, might have even suggested how to deal with Luc Houle and then Monsieur Vallette.
Burke hoped he could squeeze another couple of minutes out of the two flics. He knew they would be busy soon.
“Why didn’t Talbot, Belcourt and Holz report their friend’s absence?” Burke asked.
Côté and Sauvageot shared another look.
“Maybe their relationship wasn’t going so well at that time,” Côté said.
That was a hint that the group had splintered and Houle might have pulled himself away from any further actions. Maybe he had said he was done with going after Bosco Yablonski and left them, ready to go home, wherever that was. Then Yablonski’s thugs had spotted him – or tracked him down – and killed him without Houle’s friends knowing. If the three remaining group members had seen his face on the news or in the newspapers, they might have thought they would be the main suspects. Or maybe they had thought Houle had actually had an accident and died. So they had kept quiet and maintained their efforts against Yablonski, and maybe even increased them because they were more motivated. There was also the possibility that Talbot, Belcourt and Holz had known if they had gone to the police about their friend, they would have incriminated themselves.
Burke wondered if the three remaining students had also changed how they evaluated the success of their attacks against Yablonski. At the outset, it seemed they wanted to humiliate him and to attract enough attention to Yablonski’s past that someone with suitable resources would dig into the tycoon’s family history and discover the truth, whatever that was. But as the races and stunts had gone on, the greatest damage to Yablonski had turned out to be financial; his companies had suffered on the stock markets and he had lost millions. And so the attacks had continued.
A Vintage End Page 32
