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down into his notebook in good
form. Bad notes meant bad errors when typing it up, and both
prosecutors and attorneys for the accused read them very
thoroughly. They looked for problems from both sides of the
fence.
    “ And where is your
office?”
    “ I have a suite and several
assistants. Head office is only two kilometres away from this very
spot. There are accounts offices in every plant. We have a major
production facility on the outskirts of town.” The gentleman
provided details which Gilles duly noted. “That’s where Jules has
an office as well.”
    It was out on the east side, a conflux
of industry, rail and canals, close to a large working population,
and easier to supply with their own specialized raw materials than
some of the establishments that smudged the southern horizon, right
in the heart of the city, with their stink and their
smoke.
    “ It has been a very great
shock to her, and quite often there is a kind of affection among
members of a household.”
    “ Hmn.” This man was a
professional at communicating—or not.
    “ This is a terrible
thing.”
    “ Yes, Inspector. While I am
not a demonstrative man, Theodore will be sorely missed, and of
course this will cause quite a crisis within the firm.”
    “ What do you mean?” Gilles
listened intently to the tone as much as the words. “Incidentally,
are you married, and do you have children?”
    The gentleman provided details of his
family, including a wife, and two sons, one of whom had taken vows
at a Benedictine abbey, and one who was employed at an accounting
firm across town. Maintenon played the bait-and-switch, asking an
innocuous question and then alternating with a tougher one, just to
see how the subjects responded.
    “ As for the company, day to
day operations will continue, of course. The stock will probably
fall, at least in the short term, but it’s nothing to be alarmed
about. The firm is solvent and Theodore had a kind of approach that
allowed executives to hold considerable power of decision. The
company will go on, we must have no doubts about that.”
    “ I see.” Gilles went through
a list of questions in his head, but asked none of them.
    “ This is a great shock to us
all.” Babineaux sat straight in his chair, with his hands folded in
his lap.
    “ Suicide requires some
compelling reasons.” Gilles struck a chord, he saw it resonate
within Monsieur Babineaux.
    “ Yes, absolutely.” He took a
deep breath, pursing his lips together as if trying very hard. “If
so, Theo never shared it with me. Or with anyone, I’ll
bet.”
    “ So far, you are right.”
Gilles regarded the man for a moment.
    Patient, yet sincere, his emotions were
under control. It’s not that he didn’t look stricken. Of course he
did. It’s not that he hadn’t seen or heard similar things before,
but Gilles was interested in the subconscious attitudes of anyone
connected to Duval. With a little prodding, Gilles hoped to get him
to open up ever so slightly. Babineaux would have little choice but
to provide something tangible under questioning, no matter how
reluctant he might be to discuss business matters or his employer’s
personal life with the police. He seemed practiced in the art of
putting people off of his true emotions. It was a necessary trait,
when playing the game at his level.
    If he read him right, Babineaux should
have been screaming inside, to leap out of his chair and go tearing
off to his lair at head office and start the damage control
immediately.
    “ I hope that we don’t have
to waste too much of your time, Monsieur Babineaux.”
    “ Every company needs
direction, not just in business affairs, but also philosophical.
Theodore was good at that, possibly the best. But it’s more than
that. There will be share-holders and the Board of Directors to
appease, there will be problems getting short-term credit for day
to day operations, including payroll. This will throw everything
into a tizzy, no doubt about it. But I was