* * *
He continued to attend Rose’s Sunday night gatherings. These were jolly affairs with everyone singing along to Rose’s piano playing. He helped her with the food preparation sometimes, but mostly listened quietly as the old comrades reminisced about the past. He tried as casually as he could to bring Dubois’ name into conversations, but no-one seemed to remember more about him than was generally known, which was that he had been in a labour camp. No-one ever mentioned the name ‘Jacques’ in the same breath as ‘Dubois’. A couple of old men repeated hearsay about him but it seemed to be exaggerated as rumour often is. But as Ari’s dossier grew, he had no doubt to that there was a dark side to Dubois; just whispers of secret transactions, womanising, possible Nazi affiliations, but there was always a reasonable explanation, or they were dismissed officially as gossip-mongering. In fact, thought Ari wryly as he brooded over his notes late one night, the man is Teflon-coated. He seldom contacted Lefevre, as there was often nothing to add to what they already knew.