addict and lesbian; Simone Bouquereau and Irène de Tranze, former residents of the One-Two-Two Club; ‘Baroness’ Lydia Stahl, who loved champagne and fresh flowers. All of these people regularly frequented No. 3
bis
. They appeared out of the blackout, out of an era of despair and misery, through a phenomenon not unlike spontaneous generation. Most of them held key roles with the ‘Inter-commercial Company Paris-Berlin-Monte Carlo’. Zieff, Méthode, and Helder were in charge of the leather department. Thanks to their skilled agents, they could wagon loads of box caulk which was resold through the ICPBMC at twelve times the market price. Costachesco, Hayakawa, and Rosenheim specialized in metals, fats, and mineral oils. Ex-Commandant Costantini operated in a narrower but profitable sector: glassware, perfumes, chamois leathers, biscuits, nuts and bolts. The others were singled out by the Khedive for the more sensitive jobs. Lussatz was entrusted with the funds that arrived at Cimarosa Square in great quantity each morning. Da Silva and Odicharvi tracked down gold and foreign currency. Mickey de Voisins, Baruzzi, and ‘Baroness’ Lydia Stahl catalogued the contents of private houses where there might be works of art for me to confiscate. Hayakawa and Jean Le Houleux took care of the office accounts. Darquier served as legal counsel. As for the Chapochnikoff brothers, they had no definite function but simply fluttered around. Simone Bouquereau and Irène de Tranze were the Khedive’s official ‘secretaries’. Princess Marousi facilitated useful connections in social and banking circles. Frau Sultana and Violette Morris made a great deal of money as informers. Magda d’Andurian, an aggressive, hard-headed woman, scoured the North of France and would come up with quantities of tarpaulin and woollens. And finally, let us not forget the members of staff who confined themselves solely to police work: Tony Breton, fop, NCO in the French Foreign Legion, and veteran extortionist; Jo Reocreux, a brothel owner; Vital-Leca, known as ‘the Golden Throat’, hired assassin; Armand le Fou: ‘I’ll kill them all, every last one of them’; Codébo and Robert le Pâle, both scheduled for deportation, worked as porters and bodyguards; Danos ‘the Mammoth’, also known as ‘Big Bill’; Gouari, ‘the American’, freelance armed robber. The Khedive ruled over this cheerful little community which legal chroniclers would later refer to as ‘the Cimarosa Square Gang’. In the meantime, business was going well. Zieff was toying with plans to take over various film studios – the Victorine, the Eldorado, and the Folies-Wagram; Helder was organizing a ‘general holdings company’ to run every hotel on the Riviera; Costachesco was buying up real estate; Rosenheim had announced that ‘the whole of France will soon be ours for the asking, to sell to the highest bidder.’ I watched and listened to these lunatics. Under the glow of the chandeliers, their faces were dripping sweat. Their voices became more staccato. Rebates, brokerage fees, commissions, supplies on hand, wagonloads, profit margins. Chapochnikoff brothers, in ever-growing numbers, tirelessly refilled the champagne glasses. Frau Sultana cranked the Victrola. Johnny Hess:
Mettez-vous
dans l’ambiance
oubliez
vos soucis . . .
She unbuttoned her blouse, broke into a jazz step. The others followed suit. Codébo, Danos, and Robert le Pâle entered the living room. They elbowed a path through the dancers, reached Monsieur Philibert, and whispered a few words in his ear. I was staring out of the window. A car with its headlights off was parked in front of No. 3
bis
. Vital-Léca was holding a flashlight, Reocreux opened the car door. A man, in handcuff s. Gouari brutally pushed him toward the steps up to the house. I thought of the Lieutenant, the boys in Vaugirard. One night I would see them all in chains like this man. Breton would give them the shock treatment. What
bis
. They appeared out of the blackout, out of an era of despair and misery, through a phenomenon not unlike spontaneous generation. Most of them held key roles with the ‘Inter-commercial Company Paris-Berlin-Monte Carlo’. Zieff, Méthode, and Helder were in charge of the leather department. Thanks to their skilled agents, they could wagon loads of box caulk which was resold through the ICPBMC at twelve times the market price. Costachesco, Hayakawa, and Rosenheim specialized in metals, fats, and mineral oils. Ex-Commandant Costantini operated in a narrower but profitable sector: glassware, perfumes, chamois leathers, biscuits, nuts and bolts. The others were singled out by the Khedive for the more sensitive jobs. Lussatz was entrusted with the funds that arrived at Cimarosa Square in great quantity each morning. Da Silva and Odicharvi tracked down gold and foreign currency. Mickey de Voisins, Baruzzi, and ‘Baroness’ Lydia Stahl catalogued the contents of private houses where there might be works of art for me to confiscate. Hayakawa and Jean Le Houleux took care of the office accounts. Darquier served as legal counsel. As for the Chapochnikoff brothers, they had no definite function but simply fluttered around. Simone Bouquereau and Irène de Tranze were the Khedive’s official ‘secretaries’. Princess Marousi facilitated useful connections in social and banking circles. Frau Sultana and Violette Morris made a great deal of money as informers. Magda d’Andurian, an aggressive, hard-headed woman, scoured the North of France and would come up with quantities of tarpaulin and woollens. And finally, let us not forget the members of staff who confined themselves solely to police work: Tony Breton, fop, NCO in the French Foreign Legion, and veteran extortionist; Jo Reocreux, a brothel owner; Vital-Leca, known as ‘the Golden Throat’, hired assassin; Armand le Fou: ‘I’ll kill them all, every last one of them’; Codébo and Robert le Pâle, both scheduled for deportation, worked as porters and bodyguards; Danos ‘the Mammoth’, also known as ‘Big Bill’; Gouari, ‘the American’, freelance armed robber. The Khedive ruled over this cheerful little community which legal chroniclers would later refer to as ‘the Cimarosa Square Gang’. In the meantime, business was going well. Zieff was toying with plans to take over various film studios – the Victorine, the Eldorado, and the Folies-Wagram; Helder was organizing a ‘general holdings company’ to run every hotel on the Riviera; Costachesco was buying up real estate; Rosenheim had announced that ‘the whole of France will soon be ours for the asking, to sell to the highest bidder.’ I watched and listened to these lunatics. Under the glow of the chandeliers, their faces were dripping sweat. Their voices became more staccato. Rebates, brokerage fees, commissions, supplies on hand, wagonloads, profit margins. Chapochnikoff brothers, in ever-growing numbers, tirelessly refilled the champagne glasses. Frau Sultana cranked the Victrola. Johnny Hess:
Mettez-vous
dans l’ambiance
oubliez
vos soucis . . .
She unbuttoned her blouse, broke into a jazz step. The others followed suit. Codébo, Danos, and Robert le Pâle entered the living room. They elbowed a path through the dancers, reached Monsieur Philibert, and whispered a few words in his ear. I was staring out of the window. A car with its headlights off was parked in front of No. 3
bis
. Vital-Léca was holding a flashlight, Reocreux opened the car door. A man, in handcuff s. Gouari brutally pushed him toward the steps up to the house. I thought of the Lieutenant, the boys in Vaugirard. One night I would see them all in chains like this man. Breton would give them the shock treatment. What
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