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.‘She’s a pain in the arse, your protégée‚’ he says to Maréchal.‘I disagree.’ Frostily: ‘And don’t forget you can’t tell me you know nothing of all this.Are you sure this isn’t to do with your friend Park’s system of bogus invoices?’‘Yes, it probably is.’‘Park was embezzling company money, that’s his business and yours.But I won’t stand for him mixing up our names in it all.Your dumping ground for the unemployed can burn down for all I care, but for you to fail to lift a little finger to help the workers who were inside, that’s a disgrace.What’s more it wouldn’t have bothered me in the least if Bouziane had taken the rap for the fire, with everything else he’s got on his conscience.But finger Nourredine, one of the few reliable workers out of the whole bunch, simply because he led the strike – no way will you get me to swallow that.And don’t, whatever you do, tell me the tale of what happened to Étienne Neveu.You scare me.Your story’s full of holes.I only ask one thing of you: make sure you leave me out of your master cock-up.Understood?’The door slams.When Quignard returns to his office, the driver is standing before the bay window contemplating the trees in the valley rippling in the wind.Montoya had fallen asleep fully dressed on his bed.He awakens fairly late in the morning, body aching and mind numb.The first thing he does is to switch on the bedside radio and tune into a local station to try and find out what happened to him last night at the Oiseau Bleu.Schmaltzy music as he glances at his watch: the news will be on soon.First of all, have a wash.His reflection in the bathroom mirror is not a pretty sight.Jacket and shirt ripped.Flashback, the mercenary’s burly frame above him as he lay on the floor, cornered in the alcove.Allowing himself to be caught out like that, black mark, lack of vigilance.I knew what I was getting myself into.Won’t happen again.Then, the blow, dodging it, neat, nice move, nothing to say about that.Kneeing him in the balls: bullseye.Certainly effective.Smile.I bet the Hulk’s finding it hard to walk today.And the explosion … Full inventory: only minor damage.Three nasty cuts to his scalp which he washes and disinfects, that’ll do.Scratches on his face, hands, a wound in the neck, he applies an antiseptic cream.He steps under the shower.On the radio, the news.Metz football team is the main item.I don’t give a shit.And then immediately afterwards:Last nighty‚ around three a.m., a mysterious explosion caused major damage to the premises of the Oiseau Bleu, the well-known Nancy nightclub.Was it accidental or deliberate? The state prosecutor, who has opened an investigation, is keeping an open mind.Some fifty casualties were treated at Nancy hospital, around thirty people have been kept in, but nobody is in a critical condition and there were no deaths.The Oiseau Bleu remains closed for the time being.He turns off the radio and meticulously puts on a beige silk and cotton mix shirt.He does the buttons up slowly, one by one.Quignard is embroiled in this for sure.He had numerous opportunities to meet Tomaso in Brussels or in the valley.His car and driver? Check them out No tie, no appointments that require one.What about Tomaso? He remembers Valentin’s words: It’s a case that requires intelligence, skill and imagination, lots of imagination.Black trousers, checks the crease, impeccable, black leather belt with a polished steel buckle.Give your imagination free rein.Tomaso is probably involved in the drug business, the secret services reckon, but it’s not proven.So, it’s recent, otherwise they’d know for sure.He has access to the ideal network of dealers through his drivers and bodyguards.They know the consumers who are loaded and have dealings with the concierges in the big hotels.Woollen cardigan in a slightly darker beige than the shirt.And the factory security guards in another sector of the market.Black lace-up shoes, English leather.If he wants to get involved in drugs, either he goes into business with those who are already there, or he ousts them and takes their place.Initially, he teams up with the Hakims.Then he takes advantage of his connection with Quignard and the local big shots to have them arrested.They take their revenge by blowing up the Oiseau Bleu.A moderate explosion: they’re still in the negotiation phase.It all stacks up.A final touch of the comb to disguise the gashes as best he can.There’s still Bouziane.He fits into this somehow, but I don’t know how.He looks at himself in the mirror.That’ll do.I’d better move fast.It won’t take Tomaso and Quignard more than twenty-four hours to exchange notes and identify me.Keep on thinking.Bouziane isn’t one of the security guard mafia.What emerges from the initial evidence against him is that he’s been a small-time dealer for years, and everyone knows it.So Bouziane works with the Hakims.Tomaso and Quignard both used him, one to bring down the Hakims, the other to finger him as the arsonist.It still holds up.Montoya slips on his black leather jacket.He feels on top form [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]