Charlie took a deep breath through her nose and remembered the bullet holes in the nape of the necks of the dead men. Now was not the time to take any risks.
Stay on the terrace, she silently pleaded as she watched Allard speak with the suspect.
‘Very well.’ The German’s voice carried across the lawn and driveway like an opera singer’s, deep and mellifluous. He casually stepped over the threshold into the hallway. ‘What section of the police are you from, exactly? What are your “local” concerns?’
The words drew the police officers inside just as Gunther wheeled around.
He held a gun.
Charlie sat up and screamed out the open window, ‘Stop!’
Distracted, Gunther looked up at Charlie, giving Allard and the other policemen the opportunity to lunge towards the arm that held the weapon. All four men tumbled into the hallway, spinning and wrestling.
A gunshot.
An agonising yelp and the dog jumped into the mix of limbs, wagging tail blocking Charlie’s view of what was happening beyond the doorframe.
She wrenched open the car door and ran towards the fighting. She would never forgive herself if she didn’t help, despite the reprimand she would get from Detective Allard and George.
Another gunshot.
A deep, primal scream.
More tussling, followed by a whimper.
The limbs stopped wrestling as Charlie barrelled towards the doorway. Gunther was lying face down on the azure carpet lining the hallway, while the older police officer stood hunched against the doorframe, pale-faced and holding a small hammer.
The younger policeman untangled his limbs from Gunther and sat with his head between his knees, gagging and clutching at his bloody thigh.
Charlie crouched beside the young officer, tearing off her gloves and pressing them into the hole in his leg to stem the bleeding. ‘We must try and slow it down,’ she said quickly, trying to clean up some of the blood and reassure him as his face grew clammy and pale.
Beside Gunther’s immobile body was a line of photos in frames, some picture hooks and a packet of nails sitting on the carpet waiting to be set on the wall. They were now in disarray and splattered with blood.
Sirens wailed in the distance. Neighbours must have heard the gunshot and called for help.
A strong, familiar arm squeezed Charlie’s shoulder then reached for the hammer in the older police officer’s hand, catching him under the armpits as he fell and helping him to the ground.Detective Allard gently put the hammer on the front porch balustrade, taking care to hold it between thumb and forefinger. He then crouched down to help Charlie move the younger police officer into a more comfortable position.
‘Help is on its way,’ he said calmly. ‘I’m sorry, I would never have forgiven myself if …’ Allard brushed a curl from Charlie’s face, touched her cheek and looked into her eyes for reassurance.
She held his gaze and nodded, before looking to where Gunther lay with the forlorn red setter whining and licking at his cheek, while he nursed his bloodied hand, crushed by the hammer. She took in the details of his body until she reached his muddied boots. There, stuck to the base, was a single flattened elm leaf.
The Times, September 1938
Charlie James, Paris correspondent
Saint-Cloud sinner caught
A man was arrested at his Saint-Cloud villa yesterday in connection to a series of killings in the provinces outside Paris. The accused has been detained in Saint-Cloud Police Station for arraignment.
Detective Gilles Allard, detectivesous-chefof the State Police at Versailles, has confirmed that man was HansFischer, 36: a German national who also went by the names Gunther and Ludwig when moving about France and in official documentation, which allowed him to evade detection from authorities for some time.
Fischer was involved in a confrontation with three police officers, one of whom sustained a bullet wound to his thigh and was taken to Versailles Hospital for emergency surgery. Another officer sustained a scrape to his left cheek.
Upon searching Fischer’s villa estate, police officers discovered a luxury limousine belonging to Paris Opéra Limousines in a grove of elm trees at the back of the estate, with 2500 francs missing from the car safe. The vehicle had been assigned to Pierre Jouet, 58, who was found deceased in a forest near Tours on 31 August.
A second vehicle, confirmed as belonging to local Saint-Cloud real estate agent Jean Auclair, 62, was parked beside the limousine. Auclair’s body was also found in a forest near Tours. Auclair had been robbed of 5000 francs. It is believed Auclair was giving Fischer a tour of a rental villa on 7 September, the day before he was found dead.
The accused admitted to the murder of both men when he was arrested.