Read Online Death at the Clos du Lac by Adrian Magson - Free Book Online Page B

drowned in it. If you can leave your name and address with
Gardienne
Poulon, we’ll be in touch.’ He smiled at her look of concern. ‘I’m sorry this has happened, but it’s a surprise to us, too.’
    He walked out of the building to his car, took a tyre iron out of the boot and went over to the pool house. The chain was strong but the door handles weren’t. One of them ripped out of the wood and he was inside.
    There was no sign of the body.
    He walked around the pool area, but found nothing to show what had happened here, save a large wet patch on the tiles where they had hauled out the body. Whatever heating was in the place had not yet dried the area completely.
    ‘They worked fast,’ Alix murmured, coming to stand alongside him. She was eyeing the length of chain and the milk churn lying on the bottom of the pool. The steel wire still hung in the water, but it had now been moved closer to the edge, no doubt once the chain had been unfastened.‘The cook’s gone. She called her husband and he’s going to pick her up. Who did this?’
    ‘Levignier,’ said Rocco. He knew instinctively that the body was gone for good, spirited away God and the ISD alone knew where. ‘He employs some very resourceful people.’

    As they walked back towards the main building, a small Renault drew up in the car park. Nurse Dion climbed out and stood watching them. She was rubbing her eyes and looked very pale. Rocco guessed she must have heard about Paulus.
    ‘Sorry, Inspector,’ she said, walking over to join them. Her eyes were red-rimmed and she was clutching a white handkerchief. ‘Have you been waiting long?’ Her voice sounded rubbed raw with emotion. ‘Director Drucker told me to take the afternoon off, but … I need something to do.’ She looked towards the main building, then at the empty car park, and frowned. ‘What’s going on? Where is everybody?’
    ‘That’s what we’d like to know. When did Drucker tell you to take off?’
    ‘This morning, just before noon. What about the patients?’
    ‘All gone.’
    Her jaw dropped. She gestured towards the road. ‘I saw a woman walking away. Was that Mrs Sevrier, the dinner cook?’
    ‘Yes,’ Alix said. ‘She didn’t know anything, either.’
    ‘But I don’t understand. Where would they all go?’
    ‘That’s what I’d like to know,’ Rocco said carefully. ‘But first of all, I’m sorry about Mr Paulus. We’re hoping to find out what happened to him. Can we talk somewhere?’
    ‘Of course.’ She turned and led them through the entranceand into a darkened side room lined with bookshelves. She closed the door and pulled back the curtains, flooding the room with light.
    ‘Those other men wouldn’t tell me what happened,’ she said, looking between them. ‘You’ll tell me, won’t you?’
    ‘I’m sorry,’ Rocco said carefully, and explained what he and Claude had discovered at the house outside Berlay, keeping strictly to the facts.
    She said nothing for a few moments, merely nodding slightly as if absorbing the news and consigning it to a safe place. Her expression was unreadable. Then she sat down heavily on a sofa, her expression collapsing into one of utter confusion and loss.
    ‘Why didn’t they say?’ she whispered. ‘Levignier and the other two – they were with Director Drucker all morning. I heard them mention André’s name but … they stopped talking when they saw me.’ She looked at Rocco. ‘All they said was that he was dead and that it should not concern me. Why would they say such a thing?’
    ‘Did Drucker know of your friendship?’ Alix asked, sitting next to her.
    Dion bunched her handkerchief and wiped her eyes, which were brimming over. ‘There’s no need to be quite so diplomatic,’ she whispered. She tried hard to smile, but it didn’t quite come off. ‘We were having a relationship, André and I. And yes, Drucker knew. It’s impossible to keep any secrets in this place.’ She laughed bitterly. ‘Ironic,