right. If she were to be decapitated, Ordebec would lose a lot of its brains, that’s true. But the older she gets, the less explanation she gives. She likes her reputation and she fosters it. She really didn’t tell you any details?’
‘No. She said Herbier was no great loss. That she wasn’t shocked when she came across him, because she already knew he was dead. She told me more about some fox and a little bird than about what she’d seen up at the chapel.’
‘The coal tit that fell in love with the three-legged fox?’
‘That’s right. And she talked about her dog and the bitch on the farm, about St Antony, about her guest house, about Lina and her family, and about how she pulled you out of a pond.’
‘That’s quite true,’ said Émeri with a smile. ‘I owe her my life and it’s my earliest memory. They call her my “water mother” because she gave me a new lease of life after pulling me out of the Jeanlin pond, like Venus from the waves. My parents idolised Léo after that, and I was ordered never to touch a hair of her head. It was in winter, and Léo came out of the water carrying me, chilled to the bone. They say she took three days to get warm again, and then she developed pleurisy and nearly died.’
‘She didn’t tell me about the chill. Or that she was married to the count.’
‘She never shows off, she’s just happy quietly imposing her views and that’s already quite enough. No lad from hereabouts would dare shoot at her three-legged fox. Except Herbier. The fox lost his paw and tail in one of Herbier’s wretched traps. But he never managed to finish him off.’
‘Because Léo killed him before he could kill the fox?’
‘She’d be quite capable of it,’ said Émeri with a grin.
‘Are you going to keep a watch on the next person who’s supposed to be seized? The glazier?’
‘He’s not a glazier, he makes stained-glass windows.’
‘Yes, Léo said he was very gifted.’
‘Glayeux’s a hard bastard, not afraid of anyone. Not the sort to worry about the Furious Army. But if by some chance he did take fright, we can’t do anything about that. You can’t stop someone killing himself if he’s determined.’
‘But what if you’re wrong, capitaine? What if someone did kill Herbier? That someone might kill Glayeux too. That’s what I mean.’
‘You’re very obstinate, Adamsberg.’
‘So are you, capitaine. Because you haven’t got any other answers. Suicide would be a handy solution.’
Émeri slowed down, then stopped and took out his cigarettes.
‘Explain what you mean, commissaire.’
‘Herbier’s disappearance was reported over a week ago. And except for going and checking his house, you haven’t done anything.’
‘That’s the law, Adamsberg. If Herbier decided to take off without telling anyone, I had no right to go chasing after him.’
‘Even after the sighting of the Riders?’
‘That kind of idiocy has no place in a police investigation.’
‘Yes, it does. You said yourself that the Riders are behind all this. Whether someone else killed him or whether he killed himself. You knew he’d been named by Lina, and you didn’t do anything. And then when they find the body, it’s a bit late to start looking for clues.’
‘You think I’m going to get into trouble, do you?’
‘Yes, I do.’
Émeri pulled deeply on his cigarette, let out the smoke in a sigh, and leaned against the old wall along the side of the road.
‘All right,’ he admitted. ‘Perhaps I will get into trouble. Or maybe not. You can’t be held responsible for a suicide.’
‘That’s why you want to hang on to the idea. It’s less likely to be called negligent. But if it is a murder, then you’re in it up to your neck.’
‘There’s nothing to indicate murder.’
‘Why didn’t you try and find Herbier?’
‘OK, I’ll tell you. Because of the Vendermot family. Because of Lina. And her degenerate brothers. We don’t get on, and I didn’t want to play
‘No. She said Herbier was no great loss. That she wasn’t shocked when she came across him, because she already knew he was dead. She told me more about some fox and a little bird than about what she’d seen up at the chapel.’
‘The coal tit that fell in love with the three-legged fox?’
‘That’s right. And she talked about her dog and the bitch on the farm, about St Antony, about her guest house, about Lina and her family, and about how she pulled you out of a pond.’
‘That’s quite true,’ said Émeri with a smile. ‘I owe her my life and it’s my earliest memory. They call her my “water mother” because she gave me a new lease of life after pulling me out of the Jeanlin pond, like Venus from the waves. My parents idolised Léo after that, and I was ordered never to touch a hair of her head. It was in winter, and Léo came out of the water carrying me, chilled to the bone. They say she took three days to get warm again, and then she developed pleurisy and nearly died.’
‘She didn’t tell me about the chill. Or that she was married to the count.’
‘She never shows off, she’s just happy quietly imposing her views and that’s already quite enough. No lad from hereabouts would dare shoot at her three-legged fox. Except Herbier. The fox lost his paw and tail in one of Herbier’s wretched traps. But he never managed to finish him off.’
‘Because Léo killed him before he could kill the fox?’
‘She’d be quite capable of it,’ said Émeri with a grin.
‘Are you going to keep a watch on the next person who’s supposed to be seized? The glazier?’
‘He’s not a glazier, he makes stained-glass windows.’
‘Yes, Léo said he was very gifted.’
‘Glayeux’s a hard bastard, not afraid of anyone. Not the sort to worry about the Furious Army. But if by some chance he did take fright, we can’t do anything about that. You can’t stop someone killing himself if he’s determined.’
‘But what if you’re wrong, capitaine? What if someone did kill Herbier? That someone might kill Glayeux too. That’s what I mean.’
‘You’re very obstinate, Adamsberg.’
‘So are you, capitaine. Because you haven’t got any other answers. Suicide would be a handy solution.’
Émeri slowed down, then stopped and took out his cigarettes.
‘Explain what you mean, commissaire.’
‘Herbier’s disappearance was reported over a week ago. And except for going and checking his house, you haven’t done anything.’
‘That’s the law, Adamsberg. If Herbier decided to take off without telling anyone, I had no right to go chasing after him.’
‘Even after the sighting of the Riders?’
‘That kind of idiocy has no place in a police investigation.’
‘Yes, it does. You said yourself that the Riders are behind all this. Whether someone else killed him or whether he killed himself. You knew he’d been named by Lina, and you didn’t do anything. And then when they find the body, it’s a bit late to start looking for clues.’
‘You think I’m going to get into trouble, do you?’
‘Yes, I do.’
Émeri pulled deeply on his cigarette, let out the smoke in a sigh, and leaned against the old wall along the side of the road.
‘All right,’ he admitted. ‘Perhaps I will get into trouble. Or maybe not. You can’t be held responsible for a suicide.’
‘That’s why you want to hang on to the idea. It’s less likely to be called negligent. But if it is a murder, then you’re in it up to your neck.’
‘There’s nothing to indicate murder.’
‘Why didn’t you try and find Herbier?’
‘OK, I’ll tell you. Because of the Vendermot family. Because of Lina. And her degenerate brothers. We don’t get on, and I didn’t want to play
Similar Books
