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consulted on many
aspects of policy-making, especially additions to the product line,
some portion or component of which might be built or assembled in
his plant.
    “ Monsieur Babineaux should
have been a vice-president at the very least. We’ve been sort of
expecting it any day now.” Jules had plenty of observations on the
business, not too many on Theo, and virtually none regarding the
household staff other than Alexis.
    “ A good man.” That was his
impression of the bodyguard. “And Theodore was lucky to have him. A
lot of these fellows can’t type or spell. But he was in some ways a
professional friend, the sort of person that a man like Theo can
never really have. Theo enjoyed having him around.”
    “ What do you mean?” Gilles
had found that himself over the course of time.
    Police work did that to you.
    “ Think about it. Who were
his peers? In some ways the inventive all know each other, but they
are also very competitive. Some of them are a little bit unbalanced
and some are real back-biters, and emotions can run very high. We
have been sued for patent infringement, for example, although it
was later dropped. It was a proper nuisance at the time, as you can
well imagine. As a matter of fact, Theo was furious.”
    “ Do you think there’s a
grudge there, with the other party?” Even as he asked, it didn’t
seem too likely as a motive for murder.
    The proper marchand, businessman,
moved on to greener pastures.
    “ Oh, probably.” Charpentier
took it with a grain of salt. “It was a nuisance lawsuit, without
much merit, and Theo bought him off, essentially. What is there for
them to be angry about? We’re the ones who ought to be angry, and
the fellow is still alive and kicking somewhere about
town.”
    “ So tell me about
Babineaux.” Gilles made a face. “He seems like a very high-powered
personality, and yet like a well-polished sword, he remains
sheathed.”
    “ He’s a prodigy. He’ll be
running the whole place someday.” The statement was a recital of
fact, nothing more than the truth as Charpentier saw it. “He’s
brought in efficiencies and found all sorts of economies. He has
generated fresh sources of investment capital for the firm. It grew
out of cash holdings held at high interest, in savings. To Theo,
this was so much better than borrowing at even the most favourable
rate.”
    Gilles saved the prodigy Babineaux for
last. Finally the man sat before him as he took a moment to compose
his thoughts. He had many questions, some of which could and should
wait.
    “ Your arrival has thrown
Madame Fontaine into consternation.”
    Eduard Babineaux was in his early
fifties, with a pugnacious, bulbous nose, a heavily-dimpled chin,
and fleshy round ears. His hairline went up and over the back of
his head. The strands of black hair combed sideways across his
baldness did little to hide the glare of the small light fixture
above. He had combed his hair that way since day one and would
never change. It said everything and exactly nothing about him.
With a face like that, the man might have appeared the fool, if not
for the subdued yet expensive and very conservative business suit.
It was the sort of brown suit that looked equally good at a
business luncheon, a wedding, or a funeral. He could have made a
speech in that suit, and yet the man apparently had spent a
lifetime eradicating all outstanding traces of personality. This
man would take everything, not just seriously, but literally, and
himself most of all. The man projected confidence, as upset as he
was. He was in total control of his demeanor.
    He was an accountant, financial
comptroller for the firm’s worldwide ‘obligations,’ a manner of
speaking Maintenon had never heard before. Without the suit, he
would have felt naked.
    “ I was expected, of course,
but she has obviously forgotten all about it. Naturally I
understand. This is a terrible tragedy.”
    Gilles nodded absently as he put the
man’s name, title and home address