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Chapters (45)
  1. The Man With No Face
  2. Also by
  3. Title
  4. Copyright
  5. Dedication
  6. Epigraph
  7. Contents
  8. INTRODUCTION
  9. CHAPTER ONE
  10. CHAPTER TWO
  11. CHAPTER THREE
  12. CHAPTER FOUR
  13. CHAPTER FIVE
  14. CHAPTER SIX
  15. CHAPTER SEVEN
  16. CHAPTER EIGHT
  17. CHAPTER NINE
  18. CHAPTER TEN
  19. CHAPTER ELEVEN
  20. CHAPTER TWELVE
  21. CHAPTER THIRTEEN
  22. CHAPTER FOURTEEN
  23. CHAPTER FIFTEEN
  24. CHAPTER SIXTEEN
  25. CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
  26. CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
  27. CHAPTER NINETEEN
  28. CHAPTER TWENTY
  29. CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
  30. CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
  31. CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE
  32. CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
  33. CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE
  34. CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
  35. CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
  36. CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT
  37. CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
  38. CHAPTER THIRTY
  39. CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
  40. CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
  41. CHAPTER THIRTY-THREE
  42. CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR
  43. CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
  44. CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
  45. CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN

Du Maurier shook his head sadly. ‘You are on the wrong track, Monsieur. Like you, we found those cuttings yesterday. But there is no connection that I can discern with Monsieur Gryffe, or what happened in the Rue de Pavie.’ He paused to consider his words. ‘René Jansen is a very powerful man in this country. His business interests are extensive, as is his bank balance. He wields influence, yes, but not that much. He is a big man, but not that big. The decision to close this case is political, and Jansen is not a political animal. This is not his affair.’

‘And Lapointe?’

‘A company lawyer. Look, Monsieur, there is no connection here.’

‘But any connection could do them harm?’

Du Maurier sighed. ‘Perhaps.’

Bannerman emptied half his glass. ‘So why are you trying to protect them?’

Du Maurier was annoyed, and his annoyance seemed genuine enough. ‘Perhaps I have made a mistake,’ he said curtly. ‘I thought you were an intelligent man.’ He drained his glass.

‘Me too,’ Bannerman said. ‘But I’m just naturally suspicious. Like you. And I can’t for the life of me think why you are talking to me at all.’ He put a hand on du Maurier’s arm to stop him from standing up. ‘Oh, I know what you told me yesterday. Justice, morality, the law. All very noble. But I’m just a little too cynical to believe all that. Forgive me. As I said, I have a suspicious mind.’

Du Maurier’s years seemed deeply etched in the lines of his face. He sighed and sank back in his seat. ‘Okay. There’s no reason you should believe me, Monsieur. My motives are my own. And perhaps they are not very noble, but they are real enough. And I don’t see why I should share them with you.’ A mantle of what looked very much like defeat settled heavily upon his shoulders. ‘Of course I was not mistaken. You are a very astute young man. But you should know that the last thing I would want to do is protect someone like Jansen. He would fit neatly into the category of what one of your political leaders once described so nicely as the unacceptable face of capitalism.’

He sighed deeply.