Speak Softly My Love by Louis Shalako Page A

sort of places would he be,
ah…going.” Hubert seemed satisfied with this contribution as
Tailler’s pen took that down.
    It was
no act, all of a sudden both detectives were very unsure of
themselves. What a bombshell.
    “ Didier is headed for Bordeaux. We have dozens of suppliers
down there, and dozens of clients.”
    Tailler
interrupted.
    “ When was the last time you spoke to him? When was the last
time he came into the office?”
    “ Ah—” The gentleman, Vice-President of Sales and Distribution
by the plaque on the door, looked nonplussed. “Ah. Four or five
days ago—”
    “ You mean like Tuesday?” Tricky,
Hubert—very tricky.
    “ Ah, no, sir. Ah—I’m pretty sure it was Thursday—Thursday
morning. And then again in the afternoon, he was just checking his
list and the itinerary. We popped out to the warehouse and had a
look around! Honestly, it’s more art than science sometimes. Pure
guesswork a lot of the time. Especially with completely new
products. It’s very important to know his way around down there, as
you can imagine.” He went on to explain that Didier would have a
long list of appointments, made ahead of time.
    Didier
worked in more cold calls when he could, and he was always very
diligent in seeking new leads.
    “ So, what is this all about, gentlemen?”
    Hubert
shrugged, elaborately, a national trait.
    “ That, sir, is a very good question.” It had to be
about something, after all.
    Shit.
    Thursday.
    It was like a punch in the guts.
    Human
nature being what it was, there would be last-minute changes and
thus changes to his schedule.
    “ It’s quite hectic, especially in the season.” Christmas was
coming, or so he told them with a dry but engaging wit. “Right now
we have a little space in our warehouses. Didier will have it
packed to the rafters in there, and in pretty short order. I took
him on as a very young man and we have, ah, never been
disappointed. He has one or two protégés of his own.”
    “ It’s a heady responsibility for one so young.” Tailler was
stalling, stalling for time and fishing for information of almost
any kind.
    “ Ah, yes. He grew into the job, don’t you know.” The gentleman
looked slightly amused. “He was knowledgeable to begin with, of
course. There always has to be some sort of rational level of
skill. Otherwise why take them on? It’s just a disappointment for
all concerned. So…ah, really, gentlemen, what is this all
about?”
    “ Nothing, really. Probably just the lady getting upset and the
fellow maybe decided to punish her a bit. I suppose there’s no
reason why he would want to talk about it at work, that’s only
natural. As you know, some relationships are a little bit
dependent, and a little bit abusive. He took off on some long sales
trip. Didn’t say where he was going. It could be like that.
Sometimes it’s all too simple. Anyways, we’re sorry to be wasting
your time.” Hubert rose, his thin trousers sticking to his legs and
raising the hairs with static electricity.
    It
always felt somehow shameful, tugging them down into place
again.
    “ Ah, when did he leave? Any idea what train he might have
taken?” Tailler took up the momentary slack.
    Monsieur
Gaudet didn’t know, but Violet should have all of that. He would
just buzz her in a minute.
    They
could wait in the anteroom. If there were any more
questions?
    Tailler
heaved a sigh. He stood.
    “ It’s strictly routine, sir. Sorry to have bothered you. No
doubt we’ll get it all straightened out. Yeah, he’ll probably show
up. Sooner or later, eh? Thank you for your time.”
    Hubert
had another question.
    “ Did Monique ever call here looking for him? Say last week,
Thursday or Friday?”
    “ Oh. I really don’t know.”
    “ Okay, we’ll check with his secretary.”
    “ Yes, you’re lucky. He’s our senior buyer and the only one
that even has a secretary. She kind of runs the show when he’s not
around.”
    Hubert
nodded thoughtfully.
    “ It’s