Death on the Pont Noir - By Adrian Magson Page 0,100

emergency crews, support vehicles and other interested parties to arrive, summoned by the bodyguards in the DS.

Rocco and Claude waited on the bridge, immune to the cold, hands in plain sight as the first cars skidded to a stop and officers jumped out, guns drawn; it would have been too disturbingly ironic to have had a zealous patrol cop, anxious to make a name for himself, start blazing away without asking questions as soon as he saw two men at the site of an attack on the president.

Some looked surprised to see Rocco, men who had heard about his suspension. They either avoided his gaze or muttered between themselves about what he was doing here. Most nodded with familiarity or called a greeting, and went to investigate the crash site.

Among the vehicles were two blue vans with Godard and his Gardes Mobiles, who quickly put up roadblocks to keep unwanted gawkers at bay and isolate the scene from the press. A car carrying Commissaire Perronnet, Captain Canet and Dr Rizzotti arrived and parked on the far side of the bridge. Both officers nodded at Rocco without comment before walking by and studying the scene of the truck’s descent into the pond.

Rizzotti stopped alongside Rocco and Claude, and took one look over the edge before shaking his head. He eyed Rocco for a moment, then gave him a covert wink before suggesting loudly that someone call a rescue truck with heavy lifting gear.

Then Commissaire Massin appeared.

The senior officer uncurled himself from the rear of Perronnet’s car with an air of reluctance. He viewed the area for a moment, adjusting his cap with care, then walked along the road onto the bridge, his shoes clicking with parade ground precision. He nodded at Rocco and Claude, then went to view the scene for himself, before returning accompanied by Canet and Perronnet.

As he did so, Detective Desmoulins arrived in a patrol car and jogged across the bridge. He was grinning widely.

‘You were right all along, Lucas,’ he said loudly, while still several metres away. His words carried clearly in the thin air, drawing the attention of the uniformed officers and support crews securing the scene. All conversation ceased. ‘They hit the Crédit Agricole in Béthune; four Englishmen in a DS, armed with shotguns and pistols. Three went in and one stayed with the car.’ He stopped in front of Rocco and looked around, enjoying the audience. ‘Unfortunately, someone else had the same idea. They ran slap bang into another crew and there was a gunfight. I just heard it over the radio. Sounds like it was a rerun of the Valentine’s Day Massacre.’

Massin was the first to speak. ‘What are you talking about?’ He clearly hadn’t heard the news.

‘The English gang who smashed up the café? Lucas said they were here to do a job, and he was right; they came back to rob the bank in Béthune. Three got away but one was killed. One of the second gang was killed and one wounded. I’d already warned the Béthune office as Lucas suggested, but they were a bit reluctant to believe me, especially …’ he paused, then added innocently, ‘as they’d heard about his suspension.’

Massin said nothing for a moment, the skin around his eyes going tight. Then he said, ‘What else? Was anything stolen?’

‘No. That was the joke. There was a last-minute change to the schedule. The bank said the main bulk of money was delivered a day early at the request of the tyre factory. Something about shutting the lines down for a maintenance check, so they paid the workers yesterday instead.’

‘Who were the other crew?’ Rocco asked.

‘One of the local cops reckons the dead man is an old gang soldier from St Denis in Paris who’d retired years ago. The wounded guy and the third one they caught right outside were amateurs. A bunch of nobodies.’

‘I see.’ Massin looked bemused. ‘Where are the Englishmen now?’

‘Last seen heading north – probably back to Calais and the white cliffs of Dover. I alerted the Calais division and they’re putting out patrols to stop them.’ He looked at Rocco and gestured towards the truck below them. ‘Sounds like the distraction you described, while all this was going on.’

Rocco nodded, his eyes on Massin. The next step was up to him.

The commissaire looked uncomfortable and lifted his chin, then turned and spoke directly to Rocco. ‘I have had … representations from an eyewitness who confirms that you were handed an envelope by a man