“Monsieur L’Usher,” he said, “one never knows when one’s waiter might be struck down with a heart attack, leaving all those at the tables around his prone body deprived of their rightful digestifs. Always order as if these drinks might be your last.”

“At these prices they undoubtedly will be,” I said.

“Then consider yourself lucky that this very morning a handsome filly at Longchamp caught my eye. She almost begged me to put a hundred francs on her to win. And she did not disappoint me. Consider this afternoon my treat.”

I knew there were no races at Longchamp in the morning. With Civilai, there was always a horse, a greyhound or a roulette table keen to cover the costs of our outings. He never once belittled me over my poverty nor offered to pay for my courses or keep up with the rent. My pride remained intact, but I was certain that if a disaster befell me, my friend would be there to help me out. I just had to ask. I never did.

“Salut,” he said and clinked my glass with his. We drank to nothing in particular. “Shouldn’t you be in school?” he asked.

“I don’t go to as many classes as I used to,” I said. “I work better from books. I tend to pick out the best lectures to attend. I went to one this morning on diacetylmorphine.”

“Sounds fascinating.”

“It was,” I said. “It was one of those moments when you can be sure the world has just made another one of its serious mistakes.”

“Like assassinating Archduke Ferdinand?”

“Potentially much worse than that,” I said.

“Then tell me all about dicey mental morphine,” he said.

“Diacetylmorphine is a pain reliever ten times more powerful than morphine. Morphine was first extracted from opium in 1805. It served us well medically, but it tended to be addictive. Scientists, searching for an alternative, synthesized diacetylmorphine, and it was an immediate success. The Bayer Company began mass production. Countries around the world hastily approved this new ‘non-addictive’ painkiller, and soon it was more popular than sex. And for good reason. A year after its launch in North America, 200,000 people had become addicted to this super drug that Bayer had named heroin. It was immediately banned worldwide for anything but medical or scientific use.

“But, of course, as soon as the drug became illegal, all the criminal networks went up a gear. The Chinese gangs already have refineries. The Corsicans are building labs right here in France under the noses of the gendarmerie. The lecturer believes that in the next decade heroin will outperform opium as the addiction of choice worldwide. It’s less bulky and easier to hide.”

“And this is what they’re teaching you at medical school?” Civilai asked.

“You can pass on the information to your boss.”

“Quoc? Why would he be interested?”