Chapter 15 Marc

7:35 AM

For Edward Walenty Mazur to be able to enter France and the plane itself it was necessary to create a new ID, as his old one was long invalid and bore the signs of living in the streets for way too long. He looked surprisingly great in his representative photo and dressed as fashionably as he only could. Paris with Edward was Paris only the richest were able to visit. Edward within a couple of days spent around ten thousand Euro for pleasures of good food, gourmet meals, expensive alcohols and some clothes and shoes, which for him was still budget, but felt like Robert’s yearly earnings in the impoverished police department. Robert couldn’t say, however, that admiring the cabaret, sitting at the table and sipping expensive champagne wasn’t exciting. It showed him pleasures he wasn’t used to, a routine many were tempted by and made him realize how low were his expectations towards life and its jewels. Robert needed only a good book, a peace of mind and a crime cased solved to be fulfilled. Adding to this the abundance of Anton’s kisses and the uplifting company of his friends to make him genuinely happy.

When it came to Alicia, Robert had doubts, unanswered questions, and, truly, he was tired of the fact that he literally made no progress at all.

‘Why don’t you contact this lover of her? The financial director?’, Edward suggested, listening to some details of Alicia’s case, ‘Usually, lovers know more about their partners than actual husbands.’

‘Yes, but I don’t speak French. Lena was good at translating from English, but our English is not that great.’

‘Don’t you know anyone here who speaks both?’

Robert pondered for a while. He couldn’t engage Adam Fabjan in the investigation, worse still inform him that Alicia had a lover when they possibly were officially still together. Did he know here anyone else?

They entered a little cafe, Edward ordered strangely sounding dishes and Robert was sure that he didn’t have the faintest idea what the names stood for. Robert sat on the chair, spread his legs, and felt an old pain in his bottom. Did he know anyone in Paris? Of course, he knew.

Adrianne Dubois was having her morning coffee at the counter of her pharmacy. It was a busy day for her, many people were sick with flu and she was fulfilling prescriptions and advising on vitamins and cough syrups. She couldn’t believe how many germs stayed on the thin glass that separated her from the sick. Germs that could start some serious epidemics. She was also happy that she hasn’t gone down with the flu yet, which proved that hot water with lemon made her body stronger and more resistant to infections.

Suddenly, to the pharmacy came this handsome, tall man she was fond of for some time now. Adrianne blushed unwillingly and spilled some coffee on the table. The man was with another man: an old one, extravagantly dressed, with excessive hair all over his face. He was weirdly sun-tanned, especially taking into account the weather. The handsome man took out his phone and scribbled something on it. He reached out and showed her the message:

WE NEED YOUR HELP

Adrianne nodded and waited for an explanation.

WE NEED BLISTER PLASTER FOR MY FRIEND

The old man smiled, showing the terrible state of his teeth. Then, he took his foot from the shoe and showed her his sores and disgustingly black nails. Adrianne quickly took the packet of plasters from the cupboard.

ONE MORE THING

Adrianne nodded, waiting for instructions.

CAN YOU TRANSLATE SOMETHING FOR US?

The old man smiled and placed a pile of banknotes on the counter. Adrianne with fear glimpsed at the money and the old man’s teeth. But then she looked at this gorgeous tall dark man and she felt that her knees trembled. She just couldn’t say no to such a man.

The problem with instant translation is that it requires effort and concentration to translate not everything but the main gist of information given. When it involves more than two people, the final result might not be entirely exact. Marc, the financial director of Alicia’s magazine, agreed to meet, but he did so in the park at night so that his wife wouldn’t have the slightest idea what he was doing at that time. He spoke French, which Adrianne, terrified while being taken to the park by Robert and Edward (two Polish strangers, who didn’t speak any French but used their phones to communicate with her), could understand and speak being a native speaker. The older Polish man and Adrianne knew some basic English, but the tall handsome man was unwilling to speak any of it. They all sat at the bench, surrounded by the shadows. Adrianne started the conversation with the director, Robert and Edward sat by their sides and waited for answers.

And while Marc’s answers were long and elaborate:

‘I knew her for a couple of years. We were both miserable in our relationships. I still am, to be honest with you. We were spending hours at work. It just happened. One conversation led to another. One touch was followed by another touch. One kiss in the elevator led to a stolen kiss by the coffee machine. Then we used hotels. I was married, she was married. I knew that she wanted something more, that she hoped for something serious, but I didn’t want anything along those lines. I loved my wife. It just didn’t work out between us at that time. After the affair, I learned to appreciate her. I changed my work, later I heard that she got married. I have nothing to do with her disappearance, believe me. I wanted her to be happy. She was a beautiful woman and deserved to be loved.’

Adrianne’s were quite the reverse. She pondered for a while and used her analytical thoughts to scribble a message, which he showed to Robert.

‘THEY HAD AN AFFAIR FOR YEARS. ELEVATOR, COFFEE MACHINE, HOTELS. HE DIDN’T WANT TO LEAVE HIS WIFE. HE HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH HER DISAPPEARANCE. SHE WAS BEAUTIFUL.’

Robert nodded and wrote another set of questions.

‘Do you know people that she was close to? Was there anyone who could have any relations with her?’

‘I know that she was very close to her family in Warsaw. She often called them. I remember her accounts, she sent them over one hundred thousand Euro in cash. I don’t even know if she bought anything in Paris for herself. She said that she wanted her brother to buy a flat. I remember that when I announced my departure, she didn’t cry, but called to her brother for consolation. I know that her husband divorced her and found another woman to be happily married to her. I don’t know anything about her second marriage. I suppose that I was the reason she married so quickly. Sometimes women just desperately don’t want to be alone.’

Adrianne was quick to translate.

‘SHE CALLED HER BROTHER. SHE SENT OVER 100000 EURO FOR HIS FLAT. HER HUSBAND DIVORCED. SECOND MARRIAGE QUICK. DESPERATE.’

Robert nodded, as facts provided by Marc went along with the testimony of his previous witnesses.

‘Does he have any ideas where she might be? Any intuition? Suggestions? Something which could help me find a trace?’

Marc scratched his forehead.

‘I have no idea at all. We live in such a mobile world. She might have gone to New York, Tokyo or even Cape Town. I suppose when you want to disappear, your options are pretty infinite.’

Adrianne nodded and went back to scribbling.

‘NEW YORK, TOKYO, CAPE TOWN’

‘That didn’t help much,’ Robert was thinking about possible questions.

Edward, used to the habits of the street, went to pee behind a nearby tree. Adrianne and Marc looked at this with consternation.

‘Listen, I know I made a mistake. I shouldn’t have engaged into a romance with her, I should have respected my vows to my wife. But if there’s no romance in the relationship, you start looking for something else in life. And if this case prolonged, if I went to prison to testify because of her disappearance, my wife would know everything. She would be devastated. It would destroy my family. I agreed to meet you to help you, but also I want to forget about her. Wherever she might be right now.’

Adrianne scribbled the message.

‘MISTAKE. IF WIFE KNOWS EVERYTHING HE’S SCREWED. HE WANTS TO FORGET ABOUT HER.’

Robert nodded in silence. Edward came back from behind the tree. Marc went home, Adrianne was thanked with a phone message and paid abundantly. Robert and Edward came back to the flat.

And again, during their absence, there was another case of breaking into the flat. Nothing was stolen (and this time thanks to Edward’s excessive shopping there were actual items to steal) but in the center of the room lied a dead bird with a note.

‘What does it say?’, Edward was interested.

‘Leave her alone,’ Robert explained, ‘This is usually what we get. This proves a couple of things’

‘Namely?’

‘Firstly, that Alicia is still alive, as someone desperately doesn’t want us to find her. Secondly, that it is not Marc, as he spent all this time with us. Thirdly, that this person is in Paris, which excludes New York, Tokyo, and Cape Town from our list of potential hiding places. And one more thing.’

‘Yes?’

Robert looked at Edward’s shopping spree purchases.

‘That there’s no money involved.’

Edward threw the bird to the garbage and collected his expensive trinkets from the floor.

‘When there’s no money involved, it’s usually about love.’