Strictly Taboo(51)

“A dock worker was murdered last night. His clothes were taken. No doubt by our murderer.”



“So he hides his identity behind a costume. Let us further examine his hiding place.”



Girard stepped into the closet, keeping his feet along the edges of the little room. “Here, we have something. Bend over just here, Francois, you can see a small spot that reflects the light differently than the rest. Our murderer has let his headrest against the wall at this point. The oil from his hair coats the wall. We will measure it and find his height. It looks to be well under one hundred and seventy five centimeters. Not a tall man.”



A policeman walked in with a telegram for Girard. Girard read the words and nodded. "We have no scarcity of work tonight, my friend. Someone has just threatened the family of the Minister of Finance. Let us finish here. I have seen everything I need to see.”



On his way out, Girard stopped. He sniffed the air and looked around. Behind a chest of drawers, he found a rose colored deep red, almost black. "Monsieur Le Diable. You must brag. This will be the last time. The very last time."





Chapter Four



Girard and Fournier walked up to the Valon household. The minister met him at the door and invited him in. Girard bowed to two lovely girls in their teens. "I am honored to meet such beautiful women." It was the word 'women' that made them smile. Their ages were 14 and 16. He kissed the hand of each. The youngest looked at her hand where he'd kissed it and beamed.



Girard said to Valon, "Do you have a place where we can talk?"



Valon led them to his study.



Girard said, "What was the nature of the threat?"



"Simply that my family would be killed one-by-one until I agreed to give Ameri/Iraqi Oil the concession for supplying the petroleum needs of the Army."



"Is there any family member who is not inside the house?"



"Two. My daughter, Helene, is with friends at their villa and my wife is at her mother's house in Montreuil. I have been told that both houses are surrounded by plain clothes policemen."



"As is this house."



"Yes. I'm grateful."



"Please send me the details of any further demands you receive."



"I certainly will."





Chapter Five



The third daughter was at the home of Dana Aulognan, keeping company with two other girls and three young men.



Le Diable loved disguises, especially subtle ones. He dressed in an ill fitting

suit and hat and put on very large shoes. He put his counterfeit credentials in his pocket and headed for the Aulognan villa. A very large sum of money to the downstairs maid at the Valon household, gave him the location. The maid didn't survive the encounter nor will her body ever be found.



Le Diable crept around the outside until he found the room where the minister's daughter played with her friends. He was still fifty meters from the window. He'd advanced through the fields around the villa. He looked to his left and right. Plain-clothes policemen crouched in the bushes.



He never killed a flic. They overwhelmed anyone who murdered one of their own with numbers and relentless tenacity. He got close enough to put them to sleep with his useful darts then crept close to the window.





Helene Volan was seventeen and beautiful. She was also mischievous and loved to get her friends in embarrassing situations.



Helene and her companions, Collette and Adele, sat on the floor with an empty bottle in front of them. They'd found an unused room at the back of the villa. Three young men, all three years older than the girls, sat in chairs watching the proceedings. Helene had promised them an eyeful if they would be patient.



Helene spun her long black hair around her finger. She had a body she liked to look at when she took her bath. Her breasts were generous and her waist small. Best of all, she had slim hips. She thought of her mother and her womanly hips. She didn't know if she envied her mother or dreaded looking like her. She flashed her brown eyes and touched the neck of the bottle. It pointed directly at Collette. Helene said, "Truth or dare."



The game started earlier and was played as strip truth or dare. The three girls were down to their chemises. Being nice girls, they'd agreed to stop before they got completely naked. They'd each spent a good deal of time and money finding a chemise that flattered their bodies and brought out their eyes.





Le Diable edged his eye up to the window and saw three girls and three young men playing a game. Since the girls were already partially undressed, he decided to wait. He wanted to get the girl alone, anyway.





Collette knew Helene's sense of humor. Before she answered, she said, "Give me an idea of the question?"