“There’s no way they could get a loan to cover the full cost, Stéphane. Maybe you could look into it?”

“I don’t see how it’s connected to Vinca’s disappearance.”

“Just do it, please. There’s something I want to know.”

“Unless you tell me what you’re looking for, I’d just be wasting my time.”

“I’m trying to find out whether an individual or a single company has made a significant donation toward the construction of the new buildings, the pool, and the gardens.”

“Okay, I’ll get one of my interns on it.”

“No, not an intern! This is serious, and it could be tricky. Ask a seasoned pro.”

“Trust me, the guy I’ve got in mind is like a bloodhound. And he’s not exactly fond of the class of people trying to take over Saint-Ex.”

“A bit like you, then.”

Pianelli gave a little laugh, then said, “Whose name are you expecting to come up?”

“I have no idea, Stéphane. And while we’re at it, there’s something else I wanted to ask you. What do you think about the murder of Francis Biancardini?”

4.

“Broadly, I think it’s a good thing. It means one less evil fucker on this planet.”

The joke did not make me laugh. “Seriously, though.”

“I thought this was about Vinca. What the hell are you playing at?”

“I’ll give you all the information I have, I promise. Do you believe the theory that it was a home invasion that went wrong?”

“Not since his collection of watches has washed up on the beach, no.”

Pianelli was well informed. Chief Debruyne had probably been in touch.

“So what was it, then?”

“I think it was a revenge killing. Biancardini was the living embodiment of the cancer eating away at the Côte d’Azur—racketeering, political corruption, possible connections to the Mafia.”

I leaped to the defense of Francis.

“You’re way off there. The whole thing about Biancardini’s links to the Calabrian Mafia is bullshit. Even when Debruyne senior was public prosecutor, he couldn’t make it stick.”

“As it happens, I knew Yvan Debruyne pretty well, and he let me look through some of the files.”

“That’s what I love about the justice system, prosecutors leaking information to journalists—”

“That’s a different matter,” he interrupted, “but what I can tell you is that Francis was in it up to his neck. You know what the guys in the Calabrian Mafia called him? Whirlpool! Because he was the one who supervised the money laundering.”

“If Debruyne had had any evidence, Francis would have been charged.”

“If only it were that simple.” He sighed. “But I’ve seen the sketchy bank statements, the cash being transferred to the States, where the Calabrians have been trying to set themselves up for years.”

I shunted the conversation onto a different track.