Patrick Modiano - The Night Watch

A burst of laughter in the darkness. The Khedive looked up.

So you played mah-jongg while you waited for us?

And he scatters the ivory tiles across the desk.

Alone? asks Monsieur Philibert.

Have you been waiting for us long, my boy?

Their voices are punctuated by whispers and grave inflections. Monsieur Philibert smiles and gives a vague wave of his hand. The Khedive tilts his head to the left and stands, his cheek almost touching his shoulder. Like a stork.

In the middle of the living room, a grand piano. Purple wallpaper and drapes. Large vases filled with dahlias and orchids. The light from the chandeliers is hazy, as in a bad dream.

How about some music to relax us? suggests Monsieur Philibert.

Sweet music, we need sweet music, announces Lionel de Zieff.

Zwischen heute und morgen? offers Count Baruzzi. Its a fox trot.

Id rather have a tango, says Frau Sultana.

Oh, yes, yes, please, pleads Baroness Lydia Stahl.

Du, du gehst an mir vorbei, Violette Morris murmurs plaintively.

The Khedive cuts it short: Make it Zwischen heute und morgen.

The women have too much make-up. The men are dressed in garish colours. Lionel de Zieff is wearing an orange suit and an ochre-striped shirt. Pols de Helder a yellow jacket and sky-blue trousers, Count Baruzzi a dusty-green tuxedo. Several couples start to dance. Costachesco with Jean-Farouk de Mthode, Gaetan de Lussatz with Odicharvi, Simone Bouquereau with Irne de Tranze. . Monsieur Philibert stands off to one side, leaning against the window on the left. He shrugs when one of the Chapochnikoff brothers asks him to dance. Sitting at the desk, the Khedive whistles softly and beats time.

Not dancing, mon petit? he asks. Nervous? Dont worry, you have all the time in the world. All the time in the world.

You know, says Monsieur Philibert, police work is just endless patience. He goes over to the console table and picks up the pale-green leather-bound book lying there: Anthology of Traitors from Alcibiades to Captain Dreyfus. He leafs through it, and lays whatever he finds between the pages letters, telegrams, calling cards, pressed flowers on the desk. The Khedive seems intently interested in this investigation.

Your bedside reading, mon petit?

Monsieur Philibert hands him a photograph. The Khedive stares at it for a long moment. Monsieur Philibert has moved behind him. His mother, the Khedive murmurs, gesturing to the photograph. Isnt that right, my boy? Madame your mother? The boy echoes: Madame your mother. . and two tears trickle down his cheeks, trickle to the corners of his mouth. Monsieur Philibert has taken off his glasses. His eyes are wide. He, too, is crying.

Just then, the first bars of Bei zrtlicher Musik ring out. A tango, and there is not enough room for the dancers to move about. They jostle each other, some stumble and slip on the parquet floor. Dont you want to dance? inquires Baroness Lydia Stahl. Go on, save me the next rumba. Leave him alone, mutters the Khedive. The boy doesnt feel like dancing. One rumba, just one rumba, pleads the Baroness. One rumba, one rumba! shrieks Violette Morris. Beneath the glow of the chandeliers, they flush, turning blue in the face, flushing to deep purple. Beads of perspiration trickle down their temples, their eyes grow wide. Pols de Helders face grows black as if it were burning up. Count Baruzzis cheeks are sunken, the bags under Rachid von Rosenheims eyes puff bloated. Lionel de Zieff brings one hand to his heart. Costachesco and Odicharvi seem stupefied. The womens make-up begins to crack, their hair turning ever more garish colours. They are all putrefying and will surely rot right where they stand. Do they stink already?

Lets make it brief and to the point, mon petit, whispers the Khedive. Have you contacted the man they call La Princesse de Lamballe? Who is he? Where is he?

Do you understand? murmurs Monsieur Philibert. Henri wants information about the man they call La Princesse de Lamballe

The record has stopped. They flop down on sofas, on pouffes, into wing chairs. Mthode uncorks a bottle of cognac. The Chapochnikoff brothers leave the room and reappear with trays of glasses. Lussatz fills them to the brim. A toast, my friends, suggests Hayakawa. To the health of the Khedive! cries Costachesco. To the health of Inspector Philibert, says Mickey de Voisins. To Madame de Pompadour, shrills Baroness Lydia Stahl. Their glasses chink. They drain them in one gulp.

Lamballes address, murmurs the Khedive. Be a good fellow, mon petit. Lets have Lamballes address.

You know we have the whip hand, whispers Monsieur Philibert.

The others are conferring in low voices. The light from the chandeliers dims, wavering between blue and deep purple. Faces are blurred. The Hotel Blitz is getting more diffcult every day. Dont worry, as long as Im around youll have the full backing of the embassy. One word from Count Grafkreuz, my dear, and the Blitzs eyes are closed for good. Ill ask Otto to help. Im a close personal friend of Dr Best. Would you like me to speak to him? A call to Delfanne will settle everything. We have to be firm with our agents, otherwise they take advantage. No quarter! Especially since were covering for them! They should to be grateful. Were the ones wholl have to do the explaining, not they! Theyll get away scot free, youll see! As for us. .! They havent heard the last of us. The news from the front is excellent. EXCELLENT!

Henri wants Lamballes address, Monsieur Philibert repeats. Make a real effort, mon petit.

I understand your reticence, says the Khedive. So this is what I propose: to start with, you tell us where we can find and arrest every member of the ring tonight.

Just a little warm up, Monsieur Philibert adds. Then youll find it easier to cough up Lamballes address.

The raid is set for tonight, whispers the Khedive. Were waiting, mon petit.

A yellow notebook bought on the Rue Raumur. Are you a student? the sales girl asked. (Everyone is interested in young people. The future is theirs; everyone wants to know their plans, bombards them with questions.) You would need a flashlight to find the page. He cannot see a thing in this light. Thumbs through the notebook, nose all but grazing the pages. The first address is in capital letters: the address of the Lieutenant, the ring-leader. Try to forget his blue-black eyes, the warmth in his voice as he says: Everything OK, mon petit? You wish the Lieutenant were rotten to the core, wish he were petty, pretentious, two-faced. It would make things easier. But there is not a single flaw in that rough diamond. As a last resort, he thinks of the Lieutenants ears. Just thinking about this piece of cartilage is enough to make him want to vomit. How can human beings possess such monstrous excrescences? He imagines the Lieutenants ears, there, on the desk, larger than life, scarlet and criss-crossed with veins. And suddenly, in a rushed voice, he tells them where the lieutenant will be tonight: Place du Chtelet. After that, it comes easily. He reels off a dozen names and addresses without even opening the notebook. He speaks in the earnest voice of a good little schoolboy from a fable by La Fontaine.

Sounds like a good haul, comments the Khedive. He lights a cigarette, jerks his nose towards the ceiling, and blows smoke rings. Monsieur Philibert has sat down at the desk and is flicking through the notebook. Probably checking the addresses.

The others go on talking among themselves. Lets dance some more. I have pins and needles in my legs. Sweet music, thats what we need, sweet music. Let everyone say what they want to hear, all of you! a rumba! Serenata ritmica. So stell ich mir die Liebe vor. Coco Seco. Whatever Lola wants. Guapo Fantoma. No me dejes de querer. Why dont we play hide-and-seek? A burst of applause. Great! Lets play hide-and-seek! They burst out laughing in the dark. Making it tremble.