Every Hidden Thing

Chapter 5

  1974

  In February 1974, government auditors announced that in a routine appraisal it had discovered gross misappropriation of funds in certain Government departments. Suddenly there was a finger pointed at Dubois. The phone rang late as Ari was getting into bed. He stumbled to the hall, chilly in his bare feet and red striped pyjamas.

  ‘Mayer,’ he answered abruptly.

  ‘I’m sorry to disturb you so late, mon ami,’ It was Lefevre. Ari was surprised to hear his voice. He had not heard from him in months. Ari began with the usual pleasantries, but these were brushed aside.

  ‘Things are starting to happen, Mayer. Finally there is a chink in our man’s armour!’

  ‘What do you mean, Lefevre?’

  ‘During Dubois’ term in the Department of Education ten years ago, there were large sums of money that disappeared from public funds. He is going to be charged with embezzlement!’

  ‘But there is no mention of Nazi affiliations or anything like that?’

  ‘No, well, not really, although I have heard mention of a possible charge of collaboration. Of course this has been vigorously denied by his office. However, once the Press got hold of the rumours of the fraud and embezzlement, there has been no holding back. It is much easier to look at columns of figures and find that someone has done something criminal than it is to listen to hearsay about the war years and prove that that same man was a collaborator! Figures either add up or they don’t. ’

  ‘That’s true . . . ’

  ‘To cut a long story short, the Government auditors have found alleged proof that he was in some way involved with all this, and the Press won’t let it go. Newspaper men are like sharks, my friend, once they sense blood in the water! I have spoken to the Public Prosecutor and he expects to bring a strong case to court. ’

  ‘That’s something anyway. Maybe if the spotlight is on him someone will come forward with more evidence about the Nazi thing,’ Ari said hopefully.

  ‘We can just hope that something like that happens. But anyway, my editor has finally capitulated and there will be a leader-page article tomorrow in Le Matin with as much as we can get at this moment. We want to provoke him to respond.’ Ari could hear the exultation in the man’s voice. ‘This is just the beginning, Mayer! Our hero will be proven to have feet of clay!’ Ari rejoiced too; it looked as if Heaven had smiled on him at last, and Dubois was going to have to face some kind of court case even if it was only for fraud.

  After the call, Ari was feeling so stirred up that he could not sleep. He tossed and turned for hours, thinking over all that Lefevre had told him. He finally got up and made a pot of coffee and sat until dawn, going over his notes once more.

  Very clever lawyers succeeded in obtaining endless postponements of a trial, while Dubois held firmly to his dignified position of unjustly accused. He was something of an elder statesman, his still thick, lustrous white hair, distinguished looks and faint air of martyrdom, made many people doubt the charges. He was often supported by his wife and the daughters on whom he obviously doted. Naturally the man protested innocence and his wife was his staunch supporter through all of it, always at his side when he was interviewed, but never commenting in any way when asked.