[Dans l’épisode précédent : Le commissaire Bégorry a été muté à Pau, sa ville d’origine. Après quelques semaines de réacclimation, il attendait sa première affaire. La disparition d’un chef cuisinier pouvait enfin le sortir de la torpeur. Encore fallait-il que la disparition devienne inquiètante…]
« […] As if he had been heard, the same evening, macabre discoveries were made. A young man, who used to have meals delivered from Pau Lenta, found a human finger in his order. By the time a forensic team was dispatched to the site to recover the member and analyze the contents of the delivery, no less than two other fingers were found in other orders from the bicycle couriers.
Major information: they all came from the same restaurant, and above all the knuckles were tattooed in the same style, a kitchen knife on the first finger, a chef's hat on the second, and an apple on the last. Finally, according to the pathologist, their rigidity and their color indicated that the fingers had been severed post-mortem. Enough to put our commissioner and the investigation on track. A criminal case in the world of gastronomy was enough to whet his appetite.
The police officers active that night rushed with sirens blaring towards the restaurant located in the Hédas district, below the city. In these cases, they used cowboy methods, just to impress a little. Showing muscles, pushing and barking can, in certain circumstances, make suspects confess more quickly.
The author of this short story, Rémi Lacouette-Fougère, caricatured by his brother, Clément.
Clément Lacouette-Fougère
“We have a few questions to ask you. Does anyone in your squad have tattooed knuckles? »
It was after 11 p.m. when they arrived at the restaurant. It was the end of the service. An employee was mopping the floors while moving the chairs so that they could close them. Jacques Bégorry interrupted him in his work; he wanted to speak to someone in charge. Without taking her eyes off her Spanish broom, she gestured towards the kitchens.
He found the kitchen assistant, hat on her head and impeccable white apron which showed her off curiously. Seeing the uniforms, she placed her knife on the workbench.
“Did you find him?” » she said in a worried voice.
He had not recognized her dressed like that, but it was Manon Cayola, the young woman who had reported the disappearance of the chef, her boyfriend.
– We have a few questions to ask you, said the commissioner. Does anyone in your squad have tattooed knuckles?
– Yes, of course, my companion, Thierry Marsan, who is also the chef of this restaurant, has some tattooed fingers. I reported his disappearance to you last week. Why this question? Did you find it? asked the young woman, whose complexion had become livid.
David Le Deodic / “SO”
The investigation leads the commissioner to one of the restaurants in the city's slums.
– We will answer your questions later Ms. Cayola, but new elements appearing in the investigation point us towards the criminal trail. We would like to know more first. Do you know any enemies? People who would really harm him?
– I wouldn't say it like that, but cooking is a world of sharks, and as soon as you have a little success, you become the man to kill. Thierry is sanguine and can easily lose his temper, but anyone who knows him knows that he's not a bad guy.
– What are his current plans? Could he have overshadowed a competitor?
– Definitely yes, but that's the game in this profession… He wants to get into gastronomy. He is developing a bistronomic meal concept adapted into a fast food restaurant if you prefer.
– Interesting, I note. And what is this concept?
There, his eyes widened.
– This is a top secret project. If I speak, I have to make sure that nothing will be divulged.
– Promis.
– We plan to revisit street food, and initially we want to offer fusion makis or even Californian makis with béarnaise sauce. Communication is really important and we plan to take care of it. She raised her hands and drew an imaginary sign above her head and said: “Maki quite healthy / A sturdy dish / Not raw not fried” And she burst out laughing, dropping her arms.
– It's good, huh? It's me, Manon boasted, temporarily forgetting her worry.
Bégorry grinned, noting the change in mood, and he said to himself that they definitely had a problem with puns in this town. She continued by specifying that the idea was also to enter into a partnership with Mr. Denis, a well-established confectioner who offers deadly biscuits.
Wikimedia Commons
Did the leader with a thousand ideas have enemies?
“You know, catering is not Club Med. It's common for people to break down under pressure, but never anything bad. »
– To be honest, it was my idea, exclaimed a young man who had just burst into the room. Thierry walked at full speed behind me. Some of the brigade opposed it, considering the humor questionable and disapproving of the partnership with Mr. Denis, thinking that making a homemade dessert would be more advantageous.
-And you are? asked the commissioner, who was no longer surprised by anything.
– Kader Boukra, I have been an apprentice here for 8 months. Thierry gave me a chance when no one would have bet on me. He teaches me everything about the profession. It's exciting to work alongside him. And demanding too.
– Demanding ? Was he making life difficult for you? Maybe you were mad at him?
– You know, catering is not Club Med. It's common for people to break down under pressure, but never anything bad.
The commissioner resumed the thread of his interrogation:
– Very good, so according to you, Thierry Marsan had no more enemies than Mother Teresa. Have you noticed anything unusual this evening? Who was in the kitchen? Were there new couriers?
– It was just the two of us, replied Manon Cayola, and it was only Alfredo who delivered that evening. We have known it for a long time, it is a cream. Why commissioner? What is happening?
– We found tattooed fingers that would match those of your leader, and they would have been cut post-mortem. Obviously, I ask you both to remain at our disposal. “
“Not seen, not caught!” », News from the Adult Competition, Les Noires de Pau, 8 euros.
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