The First Fingerprint by Xavier-Marie Bonnot Page A

of them to Maistre, who cast an expert eye over the witness statements. They were carbon copies of the originals.
    DEATH BY DROWNING
QUESTIONING OF MR AUDISIO Francis, aged 38,
French, residing 34000 MONTPELLIER
    The report was dated September 1, 1991, and signed by Inspector Claude Duluc:
    Statement by Monsieur Audisio Francis, born 14/11/53 in Montpellier, commercial engineer, residing Montpellier, tel: 76.35.25.78.12, who declared:
    I am a member of the Grande Bleue Club, Port des Goudes, 13008 Marseille, and as such Iled a group of divers from Montpellier. The course was to last for ten days, beginning on 31/08/91.
    There were fifteen people in the group. Today we organized a dive for eight people. They left the port at about 9:45 in two groups, with two boats of four people, me included.
    They went to Sugiton creek. At 11:00, the dive began, with four people going down 25 meters to reach the cave. Of these four people, one was inexperienced. I was one of this group. We went into the cave, a kind of underwater cavity, which we explored with our torches. We stayed for about eight or ten minutes before starting to go back up. I was leading, and when I looked down I could see the group of three people. I emerged from the hole. I waited for the others, in vain.
    I resurfaced to call for the security group to help those three people.
    We tried to go back into the cave. But there was a cloud of silt and opaque matter making this impossible. We tried everything, I did all I could to find them, and I ran out of air. A companion took me back up by sharing his air with me.
    I can’t explain what happened because it was behind me. Did they panic? Couldn’t they find the way out?
    In terms of equipment, everyone had acylinder of compressed air with capacity for 40 minutes, a diving suit, flippers, a mask, a snorkel, a ballast belt and a torch. In the group were Patrick Granville, Gérard Sylvain and Christophe Pietri.
    I declare the above to be true.
    The witness signed the original document, which is appended.
    Inspecteur de Police.
    Maistre looked up at de Palma and waved the paper at him.
    â€œThere isn’t much of interest here. But I do remember that, at the time, they said on television that the entrance was thirty-eight meters down, and he says twenty-five.”
    â€œAt times like that, people often can’t remember the details.”
    â€œIf you say so …”
    Maistre, doubtful as ever, continued to leaf through the pages. He came across a report by the Baron:
    Observations on the body of PIETRI Christophe, born 11/10/60 in Montpellier. 6 rue Ampère, 34000 Montpellier.
    The body of the third victim was brought up and taken in charge by the boat “La Bonne Mère,” from the Marseille coastguards.
    It was transported to the port of Pointe-Rouge for examination.
    On board “La Bonne Mère” with coastguards, we registered the presence of a man’s corpse in a bodybag.
    He was already dead. Caucasian type. Dark brown hair. Dressed in a blue diving suit. The coastguards gave us the objects found on the victim: diving cylinders, almost empty. The first one registered 0302685, the second 0304726. The coastguards indicated that when he was found, the tanks’ valves were set in the parachute position. Two flippers, a snorkel, a mask, a knife and an ascension parachute.
    All of these objects were taken in charge by the team of the 8 th Arrondissement, before being deposited at the headquarters of the 9 th Arrondissement of Marseille.
    A requisition was made and the body transferred to Saint Pierre morgue at 19:40.
    Inspecteur Divisionnaire.
    Further on, Maistre found another report drawn up by the Baron. It was briefer than the others:
    DE PALMA Michel
Inspecteur Divisionnaire.
    I declare that Doctor Claude MARCELLIN, of the coastguards, examined the three bodies, and for each delivered a descriptive certificate in which he indicated that death occurred by drowning during a