The Secret of the Abby (Le secret de l'abbaye)

THE SECRET OF THE ABBEY

Is he coming?

He's not sleeping much.

I sent another message. That's the Captain for you.

How did he ever get promoted?

- He was better, before. - Before what?

Well... before.

Ah!

- Well... - You see?

Hello, Captain.

Didn't your alarm go off?

I wasn't asleep, to start.

Hello.

And I wasn't on call - but whatever.

Ah, I see. So?

He's got no ID. We've got nothing on him, Captain.

And it was pissing down.

Yes.

Ah, Lanchon.

Hi, Alex.

There's no sign of violence. Nothing much

to report,

other than we'd all rather be elsewhere.

- Can I bring him down? - Not yet.

- Captain Tirard is coming. - Tirard?

From?

- Special department. - OK.

So where is Superman?

Superwoman, if you don't mind.

Hello, Captain.

I'm Alicia.

Who are you?

Alex.

I've got something to show you.

Let's get to work.

He was thrown

over the wall, hence the mud on his left side.

He was already dead,

before he was put up there.

Then the killer carried him.

Look, those are deeper. He's a size 44 or 45.

So it was probably a man.

It stops there.

No tyre tracks. Nothing.

Ah! The body was left after 2 a.m.

Why after 2 a.m.?

The rain created all this mud -

hence the prints.

It started raining at 2 a.m.

I was awake.

So, what do you think?

The staging meant something to the killer.

So, a serial killer?

Think factually.

Serial killers aren't common round here.

I think it was a message.

Captain Tirard.

Captain Lazzari,

I look forward to hearing from you soon.

But...

OK, I'm not Sherlock Holmes, I just run a crappy squad,

but could we talk, all the same?

Superman, Sherlock Holmes - you need to get out more.

But we'll make the best of this. Or the least bad.

What's the problem? Is it me?

Normally, a woman needs six months to dislike me.

What have I done?

Raphael Tirard. Does that ring a bell?

Tirard? The kid?

I'm his mother.

Oh, shit!

The Gerbier burglary.

He's your...

Ah, the penny's dropped.

I knew one of his parents was on the force.

He was a lookout, but he took the rap.

What, should lookouts get special treatment?

No more than cop's sons. But if you'd done your job,

the burglars would be in jail and my son wouldn't be paying.

I'm a cop, not a judge.

I don't decide! Forget it!

I'll do my best to see you

as more than a dozy cop, but don't get

your hopes up.

See you at the lab.

She's harsh. But pretty.

No?

You know, my aunt was buried here last month.

I'll check her chrysanthemums.

So, how's it going with Superwoman?

I like women like that, who muscle in

on you brutes.

This is a nice little case!

A change from the routine.

The victim is between 50 and 55.

And you're right: he wasn't killed on site.

Death occurred between 9pm and 11pm - I'll know more later -

due to non-mechanical asphyxiation.

The nervous system was affected by a blockage in the activity

of the neurone cells' membrane protein.

Probably a neurotoxin.

- In French, please. - Poisoned.

Ah!

- Are you a doctor, too? - I'm a good cop.

What poison?

I couldn't tell you, yet. We'll check the internal organs.

But his muscle mass is very low,

compared to his body size, and his skin

suggests a vitamin D deficiency.

He wasn't getting much sun or much exercise.

Alex, give me a hand.

Those are the marks.

It looks like a whip did that.

Studded, maybe.

Was he tortured?

His wrists aren't marked. Maybe it was consensual.

A sex game?

Ah, maybe.

The ankle marks are recent,

from being hung on the cross.

The back injuries are old -

very old, in some cases.

One last thing:

he's got unusual calluses

on his knees.

There's no trace on the poor guy.

No one saw him. He had no ID, no credit card.

We've got nothing.

He wasn't missing. It's like he didn't exist.

He must have been held for a while,

which would explain his weakness and the lack of sunlight.

But not the calluses.

Unless he wasn't able to stand up.

We're dealing with a madman.

Maybe. He could just be vicious.

Pull up all the missing people, S&M games,

ritual crimes and Satanism.

That'll take all night.

Ah, good. I hear you don't sleep much.

Shall I pick you up tomorrow?

I'll be fine with this.

I've got no luck with women at the moment.

I don't get you.

What?

Why don't you sign the divorce papers?

You separated a year ago.

We live separately.

Can you tell me

the difference?

No.

I think

you should play the field a bit.

It'd relax you.

- Her? - Yes.

Even if I wanted to, it'd be dead in the water.

Why?

She's not with anyone.

She had her son when she was 17, with a boyfriend

who denied it. She's pretty.

She is! She does paragliding and boxing

and goes on holidays for single people.

Did you look into it?

I called around, to see who we're working with.

It was purely professional - you know me.

I think we have some recruiting problems.

Get real.

She come out top

in her year.

That's right.

Looks can be deceiving.

Don't bother leaving a message, I'm in jail.

See you next year, if you're still alive.

I miss you...

Still no sleep?

No.

I was thinking about things.

- And? - And...

Nothing, really.

What about this crucifixion?

St Peter was crucified upside down.

He felt unworthy to die in the same way as Jesus.

Any other relevant religious info?

Yes.

Calluses on the knees are common to people who spend a lot of time

praying.

Do we call a priest?

An imam, a rabbi, a hardcore Catholic - whatever.

On my desk.

- Come on. - Where to?

People spend 6 hours a day on their knees there.

It's near the cemetery.

Fresange's abbey,

founded in 1137, by Cistercians.

There are 20 monks there, and an abbot,

called Francis.

What?

Nothing.

Even if they are monks,

act properly, out of respect. - Yes.

Brother Yves, my God!