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“No Just supposition”

“Seriously, Isaac, what is this about?”

Bell smiled ruefully “I wish I could tell you, Henri, butto stop the Société des Mines fro off another of their ruthless operations” He pulled a pint bottle from his coat In it was a dark amber liquid On its leaf-shaped label was pictured a quaint wooden shed with s from its chimney It stated that the contents were one hundred percent Vermont maple syrup “I believe this covers your time”

Henri showed his brown teeth again in another smile and pocketed the bottle “A certain politician’s American wife adores this stuff, and I have someone who needs a favor fros allI need not tell you, old friend, to be careful A co the leader of France will have no qual an American private detective”

“Merci, Henri”

“And if you need anything else from me, just ask No one here likes you cowboys”

Favreau put his hat firmly on and made for the exit out to the main lobby Bell res with sauce hollandaise, haon

11

One of Bell’s skills as a detective was his ability to recall faces in the proper context Once he saw someone, he could usually remember that person months, and so He didn’t need the picture of a young Marc Massard with his girl at the Eiffel Tower to kno his twin, Yves, would appear, but still he studied the old photo,lady’s features as well as Massard’s

After his h with Paris to know all its neighborhoods and arrondissements, and the office address for Yves Massard was in an unknown part of the city The hotelier told hihborhood that abutted some industrial zones Relatively crime-free, but also an area into which few tourists ventured He suggested thatso finely for ain an area like that and to pay the cabman to wait until the conclusion of his business Just in case

Bell thanked the h half of Paris to drive by the building in question Like alray limestone affair, four stories tall, and probably fifty years old The mansard roof was sheathed in black iron, and all the ere trimmed in iron as well The street was busy, with several open-air ons frohtsold to vendors and then resold to consumers

The air was sooty—they were not far fro coal to electricity—and heavy with the threat of more rain The streets ashed clean, but dark water bubbled up from one sewer cover fro every corner of the city

Bell recalled froe at the time that Paris had suffered a severe flood the prior year The river crested seventeen feet above its norht, and some city streets were under three feet of water and ined that with all the recent rain, the authorities must be concerned about a si over open sewers on the drive to Massard’s address

There were no nearby cafés, much to his frustration They made excellent observation posts, onc

e a daily price for a table is worked out with the owner beforehand Bell would have to watch Massard’s office as a street loiterer He could have rented an automobile and waited in that, but beat cops beca in a car hour after hour Best to stay ether