Chapter 5 Cité Metro Police Station, Paris #2
‘I can’t believe you are being so blasé.’
‘We have limited resources, Mademoiselle James, très désolé. One of my colleagues suggested Maisy Bell may be doing this to make her name for the cinema. Get her picture in print. Many actresses come here seeking—’
‘Seeking what? Maisy Bell was asking for what?’ Charlie pushed Officer Rose for an answer through gritted teeth.
‘Let me clarify,’ Inspecteur Bernard jumped in. ‘We are not suggesting that any beautiful young woman is asking for the attention of a man. I work with enough smart women to know that is absurd.’ He gave Charlie a pointed look over his glasses.
‘So, Maisy Bell was asking for what?’ Charlie repeated. She knew the inspecteur was not a misogynist; nevertheless, she wanted to hear what this young police officer really thought happened to Maisy Bell.
‘One of Officer Rose’s colleagues suggested’—Bernard tapped the photo—‘that Maisy Bell might have arranged this for publicity.’
‘Publicity?’ repeated Charlie, still in disbelief at their attitudes.
‘Well, she is an aspiring actress, oui?’ Officer Rose said in his patronising tone. ‘Pretty, certainement. Talented?’ He shrugged. ‘One way to get your name in the papers is a sensational story.’
Charlie’s cheeks burned. ‘Are you suggesting, Officer Rose, that I’m being manipulated into running this story simply so Miss Bell can get her name up in lights across Paris and the States?’
‘I’m suggesting nothing of this nature,’ he snapped, offended.
‘I’m merely doing you the honour of sharing some opinions of other members of the police.
We have missing persons in Paris all the time, especially in summer.
Peak tourist season. It is our job to explore every possibility.
Perhaps Maisy Bell had her own reasons for disappearing? That’s all I’m saying.’
‘Except the one, it seems, where Miss Bell is being held against her will by an unknown man somewhere near Saint-Cloud. Or anywhere.’ Charlie threw up her hands in frustration. The police were not exploring every possibility.
‘She sent a telegram clearly stating she was extending her visit.’
‘Someone could have sent that pretending to be Maisy,’ Charlie retorted.
‘C’est possible.’ Officer Rose shrugged again. ‘But we cannot police and verify every holiday telegram sent in Paris.’ He looked at Charlie as though she’d lost her mind.
‘I’m not asking you to do that. I’m asking you to pay attention, because a young woman is missing.’
‘A young woman who has clearly stated she is enjoying a holiday with a new acquaintance.’
‘Have you been able to trace the person with whom she allegedly went to Saint-Cloud?’
Officer Rose shrugged yet again. ‘There was no one Swiss, and no one named Louis, registered at the hotel, but he could have been there for aperitifs. The Ritz is popular with a fast, young crowd in summer and Lady Ashworth’s fundraiser wasn’t exclusive.
’ He scratched his nose and started to look bored, which only served to infuriate Charlie even more.
She was not letting the officer leave yet.
‘Miss Bell could be in Switzerland by now.’
‘I know you are thinking I’m an arrogant man, dismissing this young woman, making assumptions,’ Officer Rose said. ‘But I am simply going on the evidence I have before me.’
Charlie reached into her satchel and slipped a note across the desk.
‘Does this change things? Clementine Bell gave me this note at the Ritz this morning.’
She ignored Officer Rose’s outstretched hand and slid the letter towards Inspecteur Bernard, who adjusted his glasses to read it.
‘Why did Mademoiselle Bell not bring this note to the police?’
‘Oh.’ Charlie gave a sarcastic laugh. ‘I can’t imagine.
Maybe because it’s been over a week and no one in the Metro Police believes Maisy Bell’s disappearance is remotely suspicious.
But hopefully once you read this, you will change your mind.
’ Charlie watched Inspecteur Bernard unfurl the note and hold it neatly between both hands.
Mrs Bell, please run these letters in the newspaper…
The inspecteur kept reading as Charlie spoke. ‘The letter specifies that Madame Bell run a plea in the newspaper. There is also talk of a ransom drop to come.’
Luxembourg Gardens, Lake Nord steps at noon tomorrow. Bring 5000 francs. Tell NOBODY. No Police!
‘I presume the Tell nobody part had Clementine and Mason Bell scared. They want Maisy back safely. The Metro Police do not seem to share the family’s sense of urgency.’
Officer Rose said nothing, clearly shocked about the new direction this conversation was taking. His frown suggested he was unimpressed Charlie had seen this note first and was a step ahead of the police.
‘Something feels opportunistic about this note,’ Charlie continued.
‘That hurried, childlike scrawl. The ransom demand. The broken sentences. A premeditated kidnapping would not be so incoherent. It’s almost like this was written on the fly.
Or by someone less educated. Not someone multilingual and well travelled. ’
Officer Rose replied, ‘Mademoiselle Bell said her niece’s gentleman friend was Swiss, but she herself is américaine.
’ Charlie couldn’t help noticing the slightest trace of disdain in his voice.
He was stalling, still trying to catch up on the note, and picking flaws in Charlie’s case rather than examining the evidence before him.
‘Perhaps Mademoiselle Bell’s ear is not finely tuned to the nuances of European accents?
Could this mystery man have been russe, Croat, Italian, French or German with an overlying accent?
He spoke English but with a thick accent.
Mademoiselle Bell identified him as Swiss because he told her so, but if she could not pick the accent—though she swears it was “Swiss”—this man could be Russian for all we know.
Perhaps his other languages were not as developed. He had broken English.’
Charlie thought of Violet and her seven and a half languages. ‘Multilingual people tend to be more adept, have better handwriting, not worse. These letters do not show a good command of written language, do they?’
‘True!’ the young officer answered with grudging admiration.
‘You may go now, Officer Rose. Thank you for your time.’
The officer nodded at Charlie, who simply said, ‘Merci, au revoir.’
When the young man had closed the door behind him, the inspecteur said, ‘Thank you for bringing us this. We’ll have some investigators look at the handwriting. Do you have the envelope it was delivered in? Perhaps there was a postage watermark or stamp.’