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‘What is it?’ asked Clara

‘Don’t you get it? We’ve just talked about that case as though it was some episode on a TV drama It was real That man Arnot killed people Killed the very people he was supposed to help Why? Because they were natives, full of despair and sniff And the one man who put a stop to it, who had the balls to stand up to Arnot and the entire Sûreté hierarchy, they tried to destroy too Arnot’s psychotic, and I don’t say that lightly I know the signs I’ve diagnosed and worked with psychotic people for years Don’t you get it?’

She looked at Peter and Clara then leaned over and picked up Peter’s paper, slapping it back down on the table, as though punishing it

‘It’s not over The Arnot case is still going on’

The phone rang and Clara picked it up

‘It’s Olivier,’ she said, covering theup and turned to the others ‘Have you ever heard of ephedra?’

TWENTY

Jean Guy Beauvoir handed out the assignent Isabelle Lacoste was to look into the life of Madeleine Favreau, Agent Nichol was to go through the list of suppliers of ephedra and find out if any shipped recently to the area, and Robert Lemieux would accompany Inspector Beauvoir and Chief Inspector Gaht,’ said Nichol, stunned by Beauvoir’sinto epilepsy, or whatever it is’

‘Ephedra,’ said Beauvoir ‘Weren’t you even listening?’

‘Look, it’s on the colared at Ga sure the boss understood how ridiculous this woman was

‘The point is,’ continued Nichol, apparently oblivious of the impression she made, ‘he started it, he should finish it’

‘What? Is that a new rule?’ asked Beauvoir ‘This isn’t a school yard and this isn’t a debate You’ll do as you’re ordered’

‘Fine Sir’ Nichol sto Ley

After they’d gone and the technicians were busy in another part of the roo all through theand it was all she could do not to answer But that would have been a disaster

‘Oui, allô,’ she said and wasn’t at all surprised to hear the fa,’ he said She did and there was a pause on the other end ‘I don’t like this You should be with Ga? Did you upset him?’

‘Of course not I even ca it was that drug stuff and I said she was scared to death The chief even agreed and said it’

‘Wait ayou showed him up in front of his entire team?’