The Beast Within - Emile Zola [90]
Cabuche stood there smiling; he didn’t seem a bit surprised to see the Roubauds. He nodded quickly at Séverine, whom he had known as a girl when she came to stay at La Croix-de-Maufras. Roubaud and Séverine, however, were quite taken aback to see Cabuche. They realized that this was the man who had been arrested, the man that Jacques had spoken of earlier. It was because of him that they had been called to answer further questions. Roubaud was astonished and appalled when he saw how closely Cabuche matched the description of the imaginary killer he had invented so as to be the opposite of himself. The likeness was purely fortuitous, but it came as such a shock that he was lost for words.
‘Come, come,’ said Monsieur Denizet, ‘do you recognize him?’
‘Really monsieur, I must repeat that it was only an impression ... someone brushed past me ... Obviously, this man is tall, like the one in the train; he is fair-haired, he has no beard ...’
‘Do you recognize him?’
Faced with such a direct question, Roubaud was torn both ways; it was an agonizing decision. Eventually the instinct of self-preservation won the day.
‘I can’t be absolutely sure, but he certainly looks like him; he looks very much like him.’
At this Cabuche began to shout and swear. He had had enough of all this nonsense. He hadn’t done it and he wanted to go home. The blood rushed to his head, he thumped his fists on the desk and became so terribly agitated that Monsieur Denizet called for the constables, who came and led him away. This sudden display of violence, like a wild animal retaliating when attacked, was what the magistrate had been waiting for. He was now completely sure of himself and he showed it.
‘Did you notice his eyes?’ he said. ‘I can always tell from the look in their eyes ... the case is clear; we’ve got him!’
The Roubauds looked at each other without moving. It was all over. They were saved. The murderer was in the hands of the law. They were left feeling somewhat nonplussed and decidedly guilty about the part that they had just found themselves forced to play. At the same time they were overjoyed and quickly overcame their qualms. They smiled at Jacques and stood there, very relieved and eager to be out in the fresh air, waiting for the magistrate to give them all permission to leave. Just then the usher came in and handed Monsieur Denizet a letter.
Monsieur Denizet quickly returned to his desk and read the letter carefully, forgetting that the three witnesses were still waiting to go. The letter was from the ministry, containing the instructions he should have waited for before reopening his investigation. What was contained in the letter clearly took the edge off his moment of glory; his face gradually froze and resumed its fixed expression of seriousness. At one point he raised his head and glanced out of the corner of his eye at the Roubauds, as if something he had read had reminded him of them. The Roubauds’ short-lived joy was immediately dispelled; all their fear returned, as they sensed once again that they had been found out. Why had he looked at them like that? Had someone in Paris discovered the tell-tale note that Séverine had written to Grandmorin, those three lines of handwriting that haunted them? Séverine knew Monsieur Camy-Lamotte; she had often seen him with the President at Doinville, and she knew that he had been put in charge of sorting out the dead man’s papers. Roubaud was beginning to regret that he had not thought of sending his wife to Paris to make a few social calls on people who might be useful to them. She could at least have spoken to the Secretary-General and asked him to put in a good word for him, should the Railway Company become irritated by all the rumours and contemplate giving him the sack. They stood with their eyes fixed on the magistrate, sensing their anxiety increase as they saw his face darken. The letter had clearly disturbed him; his whole day’s work had been undone.
At length, he dropped the letter on his desk and sat for a while, lost in thought, gazing at the Roubauds and at