Knock 'Em Dead, page 35
The sun lounger on his roof terrace was supposed to be a single seater but he and Frankie were managing somehow. The conversation, low and slow, had drifted to the topic of Frankie’s new perfume.
‘So this is the... third you’ve tried since Marucca?’
‘Fourth.’
‘I like it, this new one.’
‘It’s lovely but it’s still not quite there.’
‘You realise if I mention this to papa, he would have every Maison Darac perfume in the range sent round? Or work with you in the lab to design your very own?’
‘Tell him immediately.’
It was meant light-heartedly, Darac knew, but he made a mental note to do it anyway.
‘How are you going to spend the rest of your time off?’
‘The usual,’ he said. ‘Deep sea diving.’
‘In that case, I’d better teach you to swim.’
‘Only if you promise to wear that white bikini.’
‘Haven’t got one.’
‘Mine, I meant.’
‘Paul, Paul – seriously, you have to learn. I don’t mean to any great standard but just so you feel reasonably comfortable in water.’
‘God, that night... I’ve been told before that if you fall into deep water, the key is to relax. But I couldn’t. And of course the more I thrashed around, the more exhausted I became. Classic vicious circle.’
Frankie squeezed Darac’s hand. ‘You know, gruff curmudgeon though he sometimes is, I’ve always been fond of Granot. Now I positively adore him.’
‘He drags three people out of the diving pool, two of them half-drowned, the third trying to kill him. He cuffs and arrests him, revives the other two... Astonishing.’ He stroked Frankie’s hair. ‘What was the name of that Hollywood glamour puss who used to be a swimmer? Esther Somebody.’
‘Esther... Williams?’
‘That’s it. One of the moguls said of her, “Wet, she’s a star.” Or something like that. Well, that was Granot.’
‘While we’re on remarkable men, what about Ambroise Paillaud?’
‘Apart from all else, has there ever been a more effective unmasking of a self-serving bigot than that of Hervé Montand by Paillaud? I can’t think of one. He could have just funded the building scheme, couldn’t he? But by dangling the bequest in front of him, he brought every venal instinct he knew Montand possessed to the fore. And talk about revenge being sweet.’
As if applauding the observation, someone whooped in the street below.
‘I wonder how much of the brave new La Crague that Paillaud wants will actually go ahead?’
‘Most of it, I should think. Certainly enough to thoroughly piss off Montand. Especially when he gets out of prison and sees what’s happened to the place with his own eyes.’
Rolling her shoulders, Frankie nestled back into Darac’s arms. ‘Paillaud was complimentary about you and the team in his letter. I liked that.’
‘His comments might not have been quite so positive if he’d known how many mistakes we made on the Rosay murder. A double-arrival killing just like the Jacqueline Denfert case? Bonbon and I even cited it to Flak. We realised pretty well straight away that Montand couldn’t have done that so we dropped it. Partly because we paid too much respect to the watchdog capabilities of Monsieur Brice Kerthus, it didn’t occur to us that Zep might have arrived at the scene twice.’
‘Map’s first estimate of the time of Caroline’s death was the main problem.’
‘But there again, the blame lies with me. I should have waited for his full report before I acted. I went too far and too fast on just the preliminary.’
‘And why? Because of the time pressure you were all put under by Frènes. Yes, Map initially fell for Zep’s trick with the blood. But in the usual scheme of things, the investigation wouldn’t have advanced half as far as it did before he discovered it.’
‘That is true.’
Bill Evans’s ‘But Beautiful’ began to drift across the terrace. Darac gave it a good couple of bars and said: ‘I’ll tell you something else that’s true, Frankie. Before Granot worked his miracle in the pool, I really thought I’d had it, you know. And I never, ever, wanted so much to be alive.’
Frankie stood, took Darac’s hand and, saying nothing, they walked back inside.
END
About The Author:
Peter Morfoot’s writing credits include plays and sketch shows for BBC radio and TV, and the “cult classic” (Time Out) satirical novel, Burksey. He has lectured in film, holds a PhD in Art History, and has spent 30 years exploring life on the French Riviera, the setting for his crime series featuring Captain Paul Darac of Nice’s Brigade Criminelle. The first Darac Mystery, Impure Blood, was U.S. Library Journal’s Pick of the Month for April 2016; the second, Fatal Music, was listed in Strand Magazine’s Top 25 Books of 2017; and award-winning critic Mike Ripley selected both Fatal Music and the third novel, Box of Bones for his 5 Crime Picks of 2017 and 2018 respectively (Shots E-zine).
Acknowledgements:
As ever, thanks must first go to my wife Liz and to Rob, Clare, Katey and Bryan, without whose love, sage counsel and all-round support, writing the Captain Darac Mysteries would be an infinitely tougher call. For sharing their insights and giving generously of their time, many thanks to Susan Woodall, Lisa Hitch, David Gower, Alex Carter, Boris Blouin, Jacky Ananou, and Gosia Wisinska. I owe particular debts of gratitude to Commandant Divisionnaire de Police, Jean-Baptiste Zuccarelli of Commissaire Foch, Nice, and to the doyen of all booksellers, Richard Reynolds. For her many kindnesses and for her translation work both from texts and during live interviews with officers of the Police Nationale, my special thanks to Katherine Roddwell. Finally, warm thanks to my publisher Robert Hyde of Galileo, and to my agent, Ian Drury at Sheil-Land.
Darac’s track playlist from artists and albums referenced in Knock ’em Dead
Sonny Rollins: Darac’s favourite tenor sax player. His go-to album: Newk’s Time. Darac’s track choice: ‘Asiatic Raes’.
Bill Evans: ‘But Beautiful’. Title track of the Evans trio album featuring Stan Getz.
Rahsaan Roland Kirk: Reeds instrumentalist, sometimes playing many simultaneously. Track: ‘Three For Dizzy’ from Kirk’s Work
‘Tina’ Brooks: Darac rates the hard-bop sax player’s stylish inventiveness. Track: ‘The Way You Look Tonight’ from Minor Move.
Astrud Gilberto: Bossa Nova singer loved by Caroline Rosay. ‘Girl From Ipanema’.
Céu: Contemporary Brazilian singer utilising electronica. Track: ‘Mais Um Lamento’ from Céu.
Nara Leão: Darac’s preferred Brazilian singer. Track: ‘Corcovado’ from Des Anos Depois.
Elis Regina: Another Darac favourite. Track: ‘Águas de Março’ from Elis & Tom.
Hoagy Carmichael: ‘Stardust’. Track: Louis Armstrong’s 1931 version.
Carmichael and Gorrell: ‘Georgia on my Mind’. Track: Billie Holiday’s 1941 version.
Chet Baker: Track: ‘Every Time We Say Goodbye’ from soundtrack album Let’s Get Lost.
Wayne Shorter: ‘E.S.P.’ Title track of the Miles Davis album.
Louis Armstrong: Unlike Darac’s band mate Didier Musso, Darac loves all early ‘Pops.’ Track: ‘Potato Head Blues,’ Louis Armstrong & His Hot Seven 1927 version.
Ornette Coleman: Showing his wide-ranging tastes, Darac loves O C’s avant-garde sensibility. Track: ‘Ramblin’ from Change of the Century.
Kenny Barron: ‘Minor Blues.’ Title track of the album. Darac’s all-time favourite pianist.
Steely Dan: Darac enjoys the band’s jazz-inflected approach. Track: ‘Your Gold Teeth’ from Countdown To Ecstasy.
John Coltrane: ‘My Favourite Things.’ Title track of the album.
Dianne X: Blue Devil Club owner Ridge Clay’s allusion is probably to singer Dianne Reeves Track: ‘I’m In Love Again’ from When You Know.
Herbie X: Ditto, keyboard giant, Herbie Hancock. Track: ‘Cantaloupe Island’ from Empyrean Isles.
Phronesis: Explorative, ever-evolving trio supported by Darac’s group at Nice Jazz Festival. Track: ‘67000 mph’ from Parallax.
Django Reinhardt: ‘Ménilmontant’ from Djangology. Django is Darac’s hero.
Bobby Watson: Love Remains, the title track from what is a significant album for Darac and former lover Angeline.
Billy Cobham: ‘Taurean Matador’ from Spectrum. A favourite of Darac’s.
Count Basie: ‘One o’clock Jump.’ Played by the ‘James Clarence Jazz Orchestra’ at the festival. Track: ‘One o’clock Jump’ by Oscar Peterson, 1953 version.
Omar Puente: ‘Samba Para Dos’, from Best Foot Forward.
SPOTIFY PLAYLIST:
Peter Morfoot, Knock 'Em Dead
