THE NEXT DAY, BURKE met Olivier Richard at their designated time of 10 a.m. at the front of the Nice police station.
“What’s this about, Monsieur Richard?” Burke asked.
“I believe he wants to get his affairs in order before he leaves us for a while,” the lawyer replied diplomatically.
Burke followed the lawyer into the station and to a special side desk. There, Richard spoke quietly with a uniformed officer, who then led the two of them to a back room. There, under the watchful eyes of two guards, they sat and waited for Claude to show up.
When he entered the room fifteen minutes later, Burke was shocked at the change in his friend. He had lost at least ten pounds in just a few days and, for the first time since Burke had known him, looked somewhat trim.
He also looked exhausted as he dropped into the metal chair opposite them.
Claude must have noticed the look of surprise on Burke’s face, because he said with an expansive smile, “What do you think of my new physique? Pretty soon, I’ll be able to ride in the mountains with you—except for this minor inconvenience involving jail.”
Then he leaned forward to Burke.
“The problem is the food here,” Claude said in a theatrical whisper. “They have no sense of cuisine. I mean, the things they do to potatoes should be banned by law. As for the pieces of meat, I truly do not want to know their origins. Ghastly!”
Burke smiled back. Claude’s eyes, though tired, still had their usual playful spark. He was in trouble, but he was keeping his spirits up. Or he was doing a good job pretending he was.
Burke glanced at Richard, but the lawyer’s face showed no emotion.
“I’m hoping you can do me a favor, Paul,” Claude said, growing serious.
“If I can, Claude,” Burke replied.
“I know you’re seeing my niece, and I know you have learned she’s taking over my café while I’m away,” Claude said.
Burke nodded.
“Hélène is a strong young woman, and I’m confident she will handle the responsibility of running the café—although I’m concerned she’ll worry too much about making sure everything is operating just right. Mostly, though, I’m concerned she’ll worry a great deal about her old Uncle Claude. We’re close, much closer than a normal uncle and niece. More like a father and daughter.”
Burke nodded. He had seen the strength of their relationship.
“I think it’s possible she will try to do too much for me,” Claude continued. “And I think she might crack under the pressure—if she doesn’t get some support. That’s where you come in, my friend. I can see you care for her in a way that’s more than just a brief encounter, and so I want to ask you to support her as much as you can.”
These were deep waters. But he couldn’t disagree with what Claude was saying; he did care for Hélène.
“Will you be there for her—and for me? I know you and I have a history that isn’t long, but we understand each other, I think, and that’s why I’m asking you this favor.”
“I’ll do what I can,” Burke said.
“But here’s the tough part,” Claude said. “I don’t want her to visit me in prison. Not once. It would be very difficult on her, but it would be harder on me. I need to be strong, and if I see her, I’ll weaken. So, please, do what you need to do to keep her away from Lyon.”
Burke could see Hélène objecting to that idea. In fact, he assumed there was no way on earth she would be kept from visiting her uncle.
“Maybe you need to talk to her about that,” Burke said.
“I will, but I know my niece,” Claude said, nodding. “She’ll argue with me at the start, and then she’ll agree, but then, later, she’ll change her mind. Please, Paul, do whatever you can to keep her from Lyon.”
“I’ll do whatever I can,” Burke said. He paused. “What about other visitors? Like me?”
Claude shrugged. “That’s different,” he said, smiling. “It would be good to see a friendly face. I might even have some requests for you from time to time.”
Burke didn’t know what Claude meant by “requests,” but he agreed.
“What about other friends? Do you want them to visit, too?” Burke asked.
“Ah, my other friends,” Claude said. “I’ll see some of them. They’re good men. They’ll know when to come and when to stay away.”
“Maybe you’ll have access to a computer,” Burke suggested.
Olivier Richard jumped in, saying the conditions of Claude’s soon-to-be sentence would preclude him from using a computer in the prison library.
“That’s because of Claude’s use of a computer in the commission of a crime,” Richard explained.
They chatted for a few minutes, and then Claude ended the conversation.
“Make sure you don’t get too thin, Claude,” Burke said, standing. “Maybe the prison will let you work in the kitchen and make some decent food.”
That made Claude smile and shrug. “Maybe,” he said and then waved goodbye.
Outside on the street, Burke asked Richard when Claude would be appearing in court for his sentence.
“The end of this week,” the lawyer said. “They want to get Claude’s case out of the way as soon as possible. They know that the media will be back asking about Vachon’s killer. There are a lot of politics involved in this case.”
Burke nodded.
“In fact, I believe the police are now looking for a specific type of vehicle—a large, black automobile,” Richard said.
“A lot of cars fall into that category,” Burke said.
Richard nodded. “I think they have more information, but they aren’t willing to give it to the lawyer of a man previously accused of Vachon’s death. They just provided me with some basic information when they changed the charges against Claude.”
“Was it Inspector Fortin?”
“It was,” Richard replied. “He’s in demand after solving the McManus-Den Weent case. He’s been appointed to lead the Vachon investigation and put some movement into it. He’s in total charge of the case for the investigating judge, and that’s not likely a good thing for the true perpetrator. I know Fortin. He’s not a likable man, but he’s a very clever one. I’ve seen him in action a number of times, and he has the ability to make connections that lesser minds can’t.”
“But he seemed so anxious to lock Claude up,” Burke said.
“His superiors needed some kind of result to silence the media’s criticism and that of the government. The bosses ordered Claude to be served up, temporarily at least, as a solution. When it became clear to Fortin that Claude wasn’t the one who killed Vachon, the charges were changed.”
“So Fortin never really believed Claude did it?”
“I don’t think so,” Richard said. “I think he was just going along with his superiors. Along the way, he learned about Claude’s emails and texts.”
Burke nodded.
“But I expect he’ll have to produce a good result this time,” Richard said. “The pressure from the media and government will be back on very quickly, and they’ll be skeptical about the next individual charged with the murders of Vachon and his bodyguard, so Fortin better get it right.”
That made sense to Burke.
“Maybe Fortin will consult you on the Vachon case, too,” Richard said.
“What do you mean?” Burke asked.
“A variety of sources, including a TV program two days ago, have suggested you produced some information that led to the arrest of that bike mechanic.”
“Just coincidence,” Burke said.
“Yes, well, my sense is you don’t miss much, Monsieur Burke,” Richard said. “I’ll be in touch if you’re needed for Claude’s court appearance. In the meantime, good luck with trying to tell Hélène she shouldn’t visit her uncle when he’s away.”
“I think I’ll need it,” Burke said.