Little Demon in the City of Light: A True Story of Murder and Mesmerism in Belle Epoque Paris by Steven Levingston Page B
Authors: Steven Levingston
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raised his voice:“I do not like money to lie idle. I wait for you to reimburse me.”
Other circumstantial evidence pointed to Launé. Goron’s detectives had questioned a woman who claimed she walked into Gouffé’s office just as Launé threatened to kill the bailiff. And he had good reason for wanting Gouffé out of the way. He owed his first interest payments on loans he’d taken from Gouffé for construction of a building in Sèvres, about eight miles from the center of Paris. The payments were due at the end of July but Launé was short of cash—so much so that a few days before Gouffé disappeared he had to halt construction on the project. But the stoppage didn’t last long. Soon after Gouffé disappeared, Launé somehow had come up with the funds to resume construction.
Inspector Jaume wondered if Launé had a large sum of moneyhe’d collected for Gouffé but hadn’t yet handed over. Suspiciously, a ledger containing notes on the amounts in Launé’s possession was stolen on the night of July 26—the night of Gouffé’s disappearance, the same night a mysterious man entered his office. More curious still, Launé showed up at Gouffé’s office the following day and engaged in a bizarre conversation with the concierge. He apparently was aware of the mysterious visitor and the disappearance of the ledger; indeed, it was tempting to surmise that Launé was acquainted with the thief and that he wanted to ensure that his identity remained unknown.
“You are incapable of recognizing him?” Launé asked the concierge several times, anxiously pressing the point, and only relented when the concierge insisted he’d barely had a look at the man and had no idea who he was. “With this,” one report said, Launé “left like a man reassured.”
As this cloud of suspicion settled over Launé, detectives reinterpreted his dramatic reaction on first learning of Gouffé’s disappearance. The exclamation of surprise and the clapping of his hand over his heart were now seen as a flagrant display of poor acting intended to disguise his own role in the crime. But what was that role? Did Launé have a hand in the deed, or was he just a conspirator? Inspector Jaume suspected Launé had an ulterior motive for wanting Gouffé killed. To get to the bottom of the matter, Jaume invited the shifty suspect to lunch and chatted idly until the dessert arrived. Then he brought up the Gouffé case.
“It is well-proven,” the inspector said, sipping his coffee, “that you didn’t take part in this crime. But,” he added with a laugh, “you could have profited from it.” Jaume suggested that Launé had cash belonging to the bailiff still in his possession. “That would have put some butter in your spinach!”
At that, Launé smiled slyly but didn’t say a word.
If he played a role, Launé had made sure to cover his tracks. From morning to night on the day of July 26 he had made a point of being seen all around Sèvres, as one account put it,“going from one person to the next as if to say hello to the whole town.” He even joined in a meeting of the local gymnastics society from eight to ten that evening, during which everyone could have vouched for his attendance. His appearance at the meeting ruled out any possibility that he wason the boulevards in Paris to meet Gouffé after his dinner at Café Véron.
Still, Goron kept the pressure on him, summoning him repeatedly for interrogations at Sûreté headquarters. As one session was nearing its end, Launé suddenly tossed out a tantalizing lead.
“There is a man who disappeared at the same time as Gouffé,” he began. But after dropping this bombshell, Launé immediately backpedaled. He was not pointing toward a suspect; no, he was only indicating a certain coincidence. “This has nothing to do with the disappearance of Gouffé,” he explained. “But since the case is so complicated I just give you the idea.”
So why mention it at all? What was his motive? Was
Other circumstantial evidence pointed to Launé. Goron’s detectives had questioned a woman who claimed she walked into Gouffé’s office just as Launé threatened to kill the bailiff. And he had good reason for wanting Gouffé out of the way. He owed his first interest payments on loans he’d taken from Gouffé for construction of a building in Sèvres, about eight miles from the center of Paris. The payments were due at the end of July but Launé was short of cash—so much so that a few days before Gouffé disappeared he had to halt construction on the project. But the stoppage didn’t last long. Soon after Gouffé disappeared, Launé somehow had come up with the funds to resume construction.
Inspector Jaume wondered if Launé had a large sum of moneyhe’d collected for Gouffé but hadn’t yet handed over. Suspiciously, a ledger containing notes on the amounts in Launé’s possession was stolen on the night of July 26—the night of Gouffé’s disappearance, the same night a mysterious man entered his office. More curious still, Launé showed up at Gouffé’s office the following day and engaged in a bizarre conversation with the concierge. He apparently was aware of the mysterious visitor and the disappearance of the ledger; indeed, it was tempting to surmise that Launé was acquainted with the thief and that he wanted to ensure that his identity remained unknown.
“You are incapable of recognizing him?” Launé asked the concierge several times, anxiously pressing the point, and only relented when the concierge insisted he’d barely had a look at the man and had no idea who he was. “With this,” one report said, Launé “left like a man reassured.”
As this cloud of suspicion settled over Launé, detectives reinterpreted his dramatic reaction on first learning of Gouffé’s disappearance. The exclamation of surprise and the clapping of his hand over his heart were now seen as a flagrant display of poor acting intended to disguise his own role in the crime. But what was that role? Did Launé have a hand in the deed, or was he just a conspirator? Inspector Jaume suspected Launé had an ulterior motive for wanting Gouffé killed. To get to the bottom of the matter, Jaume invited the shifty suspect to lunch and chatted idly until the dessert arrived. Then he brought up the Gouffé case.
“It is well-proven,” the inspector said, sipping his coffee, “that you didn’t take part in this crime. But,” he added with a laugh, “you could have profited from it.” Jaume suggested that Launé had cash belonging to the bailiff still in his possession. “That would have put some butter in your spinach!”
At that, Launé smiled slyly but didn’t say a word.
If he played a role, Launé had made sure to cover his tracks. From morning to night on the day of July 26 he had made a point of being seen all around Sèvres, as one account put it,“going from one person to the next as if to say hello to the whole town.” He even joined in a meeting of the local gymnastics society from eight to ten that evening, during which everyone could have vouched for his attendance. His appearance at the meeting ruled out any possibility that he wason the boulevards in Paris to meet Gouffé after his dinner at Café Véron.
Still, Goron kept the pressure on him, summoning him repeatedly for interrogations at Sûreté headquarters. As one session was nearing its end, Launé suddenly tossed out a tantalizing lead.
“There is a man who disappeared at the same time as Gouffé,” he began. But after dropping this bombshell, Launé immediately backpedaled. He was not pointing toward a suspect; no, he was only indicating a certain coincidence. “This has nothing to do with the disappearance of Gouffé,” he explained. “But since the case is so complicated I just give you the idea.”
So why mention it at all? What was his motive? Was
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