Death on the Pont Noir - By Adrian Magson Page 0,39

and Rocco wondered whether anything beyond the president’s safety ever touched him. ‘Why is this one so special?’

‘He’s not. But investigating an unexplained death is what I do. If I find there’s been a crime, I go after the perpetrators.’

Saint-Cloud said nothing. After a moment, he nodded, his eyes clouding over.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

Back downstairs, Rocco rang Michel Santer, his former boss in Clichy. Although a long way from where the attack on the official car had taken place, he was aware of how tight the police community was. Details of the incident would have spread very quickly throughout the force, gathering speed because of the unusual nature of the offence. Among all gossips, cops were high on the list of overachievers, and Santer, like many long-time cops, seemed to act as a filter for much of it.

‘Who?’ Santer’s voice echoed down the line as Rocco’s call was transferred. ‘Did you say Rocco? Never heard of him. Is he the new community dog catcher?’

‘Very droll,’ said Rocco. ‘You were a sad loss to the music hall.’

‘Oh, that Rocco! The one who only ever calls me when he’s in trouble and owes me at least several long lunches.’ A dry chuckle followed. ‘How are you, you bloody paysan?’

Rocco ignored the friendly insult. ‘Not in any trouble. At least, I don’t think so.’

‘Really? That doesn’t sound right. What’s up?’

‘The attack on the N19 a few days ago.’

‘What about it?’ Santer sounded immediately cautious, and Rocco heard a grunt as the captain stood up and closed his office door with a bang. The signal would be clear to everyone outside: don’t disturb.

‘That’s what I’d like to know. I’ve had the official line but that’s all. Anything you can tell me?’

‘Like what? You think I have the security departments in my back pocket? They don’t tell us anything, you know that. Anyone would think we were the enemy, the way they behave.’

‘But you hear stuff.’ The attack had taken place on the opposite side of the city, well beyond the Clichy boundaries. Due to the target, it would have received an immediate security clampdown to avoid any details getting out other than those officially sanctioned for broadcast via news channels. But for the police fraternity, Paris was a small world and Rocco knew how bad news travelled faster than good. It was the unofficial grapevine of which even official orders couldn’t dam the flow completely.

‘You haven’t got one of those recorder things going, have you?’

‘Spare me. What do you know?’

‘A little. We had a security guy through here a few days ago, dropping the odd bit of news. His cousin works here in the back office, so he was strutting his stuff and trying to impress the new kids. I was surprised he didn’t insist on taking out his gun and letting off a few rounds. Anyway, beyond juicing it up slightly, he pretty much stuck to the official bulletin.’

‘That’s it?’ Rocco felt a sense of disappointment. He had hoped for something more, although he wasn’t sure what.

‘That’s it.’ Santer’s voice dropped suddenly. ‘Unless you count a second gunman being spirited away.’

‘Say again?’ The report had mentioned one body, a former NCO who must have joined the OAS for reasons best known to himself, no doubt hatred of de Gaulle being one of them.

‘There were two left behind, not one. The security guy reckons the other was taken away on orders from on high before the press got to him.’

Something Saint-Cloud hadn’t known or had kept to himself? ‘Did he say why?’

‘No. Possibly because the second man had a face they didn’t want identified.’

He was probably right, Rocco thought. After the Bastien-Thiry incident, there was a genuine fear among the authorities of another highly placed or high-born individual being revealed to be a member of a terrorist organisation. Too many examples like that and people might begin to wonder about their own stance. Even in a republic, where the old ways of deference were supposed to be long gone, it was a subtle method of influencing popular thought in favour of the Government line.

‘Any idea what happened to him?’

‘None. A quiet family funeral in the country, I imagine. Why?’

‘No reason. Just curious.’

‘Yeah, right. Now that makes me curious, too. What’s going on, Lucas? You got your nose into something you shouldn’t?’

Rocco debated how far to go with Santer. They were friends and former colleagues, and for that reason he didn’t want to involve him in any way that would compromise him. But neither did he want