Max Survives Paris

de Rohan Margaret

Description

A gruesome murder four years earlier, in La Sante prison in Paris, casts a long shadow over the lives of many people. Chief Inspector Maigret of Police Nationale is one of them. It is such a painful subject that he refuses to discuss it. In the present time, Max, almost fourteen, who knows nothing of past events, is enjoying a brief holiday with his Parisian relatives, one of whom is Chief Inspector Maigret. And that is how he manages to be in the wrong place at the wrong time: Montmartre, early evening. There, he witnesses some disturbing events that he can't forget. Even in the face of intensive police questioning, combined with incredulity, his faith in what he saw remains steadfast.The next morning, the mutilated body of a young souvenir seller, last seen the same night at Montmartre, is found, and Chief Inspector Maigret must take the accounts given by Max - and his own wife - even more seriously than he did before. Just as things are getting tough, Chief Inspector Clive Scott of Scotland Yard offers Maigret the help of young Patrick Evremond as a 'leg man' for a week or so. Patrick believes Max's account of what happened at Montmartre. And why wouldn't he? He's seen the same thing himself in London. An attempted political assassination starts a turf war between the Police Nationale and the Gendarmerie Nationale, and that's when things really turn ugly. Is it possible that Chief Inspector Maigret is a traitor to his country..?MaxSurvives Paris will be enjoyed by teenage and young adult readers.

Sujets

• France
• Children's

Informations

• Publié par: Troubador Publishing Ltd
• Date de parution: 28 novembre 2014
• Nombre de lectures: 1
• EAN13: 9781784628055
• Langue: English

Extrait

Previous books by the same author
Celia and Granny Meg go to Paris: a survival guide Celia and Granny Meg return to Paris: the man with no face Chief Inspector Maigret visits London: a tale of two forces
MAX SURVIVES PARIS
Margaret de Rohan
Copyright 2014 Margaret de Rohan
The moral right of the author has been asserted.
Apart from any fair dealing for the purposes of research or private study, or criticism or review, as permitted under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, this publication may only be reproduced, stored or transmitted, in any form or by any means, with the prior permission in writing of the publishers, or in the case of reprographic reproduction in accordance with the terms of licences issued by the Copyright Licensing Agency. Enquiries concerning reproduction outside those terms should be sent to the publishers.
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Matador is an imprint of Troubador Publishing Ltd
In memory of Charlotte Corday
A heroine of the Revolution
executed by guillotine, Paris 17 July 1793
ten days before her twenty-fifth birthday
Repose en paix
Acknowledgements
Grateful thanks to Max de Rohan, who shared the Montmartre experience, on which this book is based, with me. Not everything that happens in the book actually happened, but some of it did.
Granny Meg was lucky not to end up with a broken wrist: there really was a flying French cop who exited a moving police car that came out of nowhere - at Montmartre early one August evening. He really was built like a rugby scrum half, and he really did drag a skinny Algerian souvenir-seller into the car before it sped off again.
For that young man s sake, I hope he didn t suffer the same fate as his counterpart in the book!
Thanks also to Celia, Timothy and Nathaniel - for keeping me au fait as far as current teenage angst and expressions are concerned.
Many thanks to Danny Burgess for his new cover design, and to the helpful Matador people, and my adult readers who enjoyed the previous books and wrote some lovely reviews for me.
Chapter One
Four years before the present time
The two guards sauntered slowly down the long prison corridor, hands in pockets, chatting amiably. The prison was quiet, lights out had been sounded an hour earlier, and now it was nearly clocking-off time: their twelve-hour shift would soon be over.
The attention of one of them was suddenly caught by something in the distance. He peered ahead, trying to figure out what it was, but he couldn t; the corridor was only half-lit as was usual after lights out. He did a quick double-take then ran forward in alarm, shouting, Q u est-ce? Qu est-ce? ? Over and over again. When he reached the place that had attracted his attention, he shouted frantically to his colleague - Hit the panic button, Anton - we ve got trouble! Big trouble.
Qu est-ce? Anton called. What is it?
Il est du sang!
Comment?
It s blood - and lots of it!
And, indeed it was blood. Bright red blood was oozing slowly under the door of the shower room and into the corridor. The guard knew what that meant. Bright red meant fresh blood. Someone had been cut. Badly cut.
By the time Anton was half-way along the corridor his colleague, Luc, had already pushed through into the showers. Slumped on the floor of an open-fronted cubicle was the fully clothed figure of a man. A man who was not moving, nor even breathing, as far as he could tell. Luc gently lifted him into a half-sitting position, supporting him against his own chest. His main thought was to staunch the flow of blood by the application of pressure. But he saw that he was too late. The man had tried that himself: his hands were covered with the blood pouring from the gaping wound in his stomach. His face was far beyond pale, his breathing laboured. He was close to death.
Who did this? Luc asked softly. Mon ami, who did this to you?
There was an almost imperceptible shake of the head from the mortally-wounded man in response. Not many words left in me now , he thought. Need to make them all count .
Maigret. Tell Maigret worse than the man whispered. Then he slumped forward and gave up the struggle.
Who is it? Anton asked as he arrived on the scene, breathing hard. Who is it?
It s your worst nightmare come true, Luc replied.
Douce M re de Dieu, Anton said, crossing himself, it s not tell me it s not, it can t be
Yes, it is. It s Saul Zacharia.
Maigret will have our jobs for this.
Yes, but only after he s filleted us first, bone by bone, with a very blunt knife. Then he ll use our guts for garters.
What was he doing in the showers after lights out?
God knows.
Where s the weapon?
Long gone. Stashed away somewhere for another time. Some kind of shank 1 , I suppose - as per usual.
***
Present day
Chief Inspector Maigret, will you please take your nose out of that newspaper and have a conversation with Max and me like a normal human being this morning?
Forgive me, Madame, Philippe Maigret said, laying the newspaper on the table and removing his glasses, I regret that all the past years of living on my own have er
Caused you to forget your manners?
Guilty as charged, my love. Now, Max - what has your granny planned for your first full day in Paris?
I ve been to Paris before, Philippe, Max said, I was here when you and granny got married. Don t you remember?
The Chief Inspector laughed. But of course! How could I ever forget that day, especially when it was only a few months ago! But this is your first visit to Paris as a tourist , and I think that will be quite different, especially if your granny has anything to do with it.
Me and Granny
Granny and I, his granny corrected, as she always did.
Granny and I are going on a Big Bus Tour of Paris - the kind where you can hop on and off whenever you like. Granny says there s a stop near Napoleon s tomb, so we ll get off there and have a good look
Ah, yes, Les Invalides - you ll enjoy that, Max. I know I did when I was a boy, and still do, when I can find the time to visit.
And then we ll go to some other interesting places, but not up the top of the Eiffel Tour because there s too much cloud today.
Maybe tomorrow will be clear, Philippe said, preparing to return to his newspaper.
And this afternoon we re having tea at the Hotel Celeste where Granny and Celia stayed when they came to Paris together. I want to touch the lucky lions either side of the front steps like they did, to see if they will bring me luck.
Then later we ll go up to Montmartre at dusk to watch the lights of the city come on and Megan added.
Montmartre? Philippe said, frowning as he spoke. What time are you planning to go, Megan?
Oh, I don t know - maybe we ll get a Metro around 6.30.
Philippe Maigret sighed. But you know I don t like you travelling on the Metro alone, especially at night - it s not really
Safe? Oh, pish. It s perfectly safe if one s sensible. Celia and I did it all the time when we were here before and it was fine.
Yes, well that was then, and this is now, and things have changed. I ll send Jacques with the car at 6.20, and he will take you wherever you want to go.
So we re to have an armed escort with us as we explore Paris? Is that the plan, Philippe?
Jacques won t be armed, my dear - not unless you want him to be. Do you?
Of course I don t want him to be armed! I don t want him there are all! We want to be just normal tourists, like I was with Celia. Can t you understand that?
But now you re my wife, and so not a normal tourist. And that s why Jacques will come with the car at 6.20. I ll ask him to phone before he leaves HQ: you ll see, Megan, it will be much better for everyone.
Except us, of course.
And now I must really go to do some work. I ll see you tonight, Philippe said, kissing her goodbye, while ignoring what she d just said. Have fun, you two. And then he was gone.
When Jacques phoned as he was leaving police HQ that afternoon there was no answer, either in the apartment by the Seine, or on Madame s mobile. And, when he arrived at the apartment building just after 6.15 pm, the porter informed him that Madame and her grandson had left fifteen minutes earlier, and that he d heard them discussing the possibility of a river cruise. That was Madame Maigret s first mistake.
He immediately phoned headquarters. What shall I do now, sir? Do you want me to drive up to Montmartre to look for them? Or shall I see if they re still on their way to the Metro? Or should I go to Pont d Alma to look for them near the bateaux departures?
Damn , his boss muttered, not quite under his breath. Not much point doing any of that, Jacques; they could be anywhere in Paris by now. Best you return to HQ, while I keep trying Madame s mobile which is currently switched off.
Is there trouble in Paradise, sir? Inspector Georges Martin asked mischievously, as his chief finished his conversation. Surely the honeymoon s not over quite this soon?
Philippe Maigret laughed. No, not really. Paradise is everything I hoped it would be. But sometimes my wife can be the most infuriating woman on the planet! I blame myself, of course. I should have known better than to lay the law down to her in the way I did - it s like a red flag to a bull. And the sooner I learn that lesson the better it will be for everyone.
I wouldn t worry about Montmartre, sir. I know there s always a police car with two officers stationed in the side street next to the Basilica. They will be there on a watch and act basis. I m not sure what division they re from. Do you want me to find out and give them a heads up?
No, Georges, there s no need t