Astrid et Raphaëlle

Professor Ardan?

Professor Ardan?

Is that you?

Professor Ardan?

No request was made.

You have to stop coming by whenever you want.

There are procedures, it's a classified building.

Listen, I'll have to file a report.

Professor Ardan?

Professor Ardan?

The report that has been issued against Miss Nielsen by DA Forest

leans on a new jurisprudence that handles

the consultants and experts' interventions during investigations.

What does that mean concretely?

Concretely?

It means that this is the last case Astrid will work alongside us.

No way. It can't be over now.

What an asshole. He's doing this to get to Raphaëlle.

- It's unfair that Astrid has to pay the price. - I know.

And believe me, I defended Astrid as I would have any of you.

It was us that went to get her. It's crazy, we can't let her down.

And for Astrid, it's way more than a job now.

Astrid knows that Matthias filed a report against her

but she thinks it's temporary so we don't say anything to Astrid for now, alright?

I'm sure we can fix this.

Right?

- Surely, there's something to be done. - No.

Did you talk with Raphaëlle?

Absolutely not.

I think it is better not to.

She must think things will get better.

I will have to find the right moment to tell her.

Without hurting her.

- Commander. - Hi.

Hello Sir.

I'm happy you came.

I came because you asked me to.

Because there is an investigation for a homicide.

- Hi Raph. - Hi.

- Hello Astrid. - Hello Captain Perran.

Okay Nico, speed it up.

Follow me. The crime scene is upstairs.

Fournier already started to work.

Has the victim been identified?

Yes, it's Michel Ardan.

Ardan? The TV guy?

The stupid one who's always on talk shows?

The astrophysicist! An excellent popularizer.

I loved his last book “A grain of sand in the universe”.

He's known to be a great charmer.

Slow down there. Slow down. Slow down Astrid!

So, are we sure the death is suspicious?

The victim had an assigned office on the first floor of the observatory.

The room was trashed, like it had been searched.

We're listing things to see what may have been stolen.

For now, we haven't found his computer or his cellphone.

Did Dr. Fournier identify the cause of death?

I'll let you see to that directly with him.

You'll see, he's in a good mood.

The cause of death isn't clear.

What do you mean it's not clear? You don't know how he died?

I have symptoms but they don't correlate.

We have signs of ventricular fibrillation,

an unusual cadaveric rigidity that evokes keraunoparalysis with medullary lesions.

And there, on his shoulder? See? It's a Lichtenberg figure.

Is that enough?

A Litchenberg figure.

It is an electrostatic shock that provokes this kind of fractals on the skin.

A bit like ferns.

- Thank you, Miss Nielsen. - You are welcome, Dr. Fournier.

So you found the cause of death.

The ventricular fibrillation, the keraunoparalysis,

and the Litchenberg figure all point towards one single diagnosis.

- No. - Yes.

- No, it doesn't work. - Yes. It does, Dr. Fournier.

What doesn't work?

- Weather's nice, isn't it? - Yes.

The sky's clear. It's pretty nice.

Sunny and no storm to be seen. That's the problem.

What Miss Nielsen is saying is that all of these symptoms I described

point towards only one explanation.

- This man was struck by lightning. - Without any lightning.

- He was struck by lightning. - Without any lightning.

A man struck by lightning during a night without a storm.

Absolutely.

Fournier's right. It doesn't add up.

It is what the evidence is saying, though.

Surely, there is a rational explanation. We just have to find it.

I will do some research on this kind of phenomenon.

Solitaire.

I'm sure you solved this one a long time ago.

- I have never tried it. - No kidding?

- But it's a classic. - Absolutely not.

Technically, Solitaire is not a mechanical puzzle.

It is a game devoid of opponents.

Solitaire has been the subject of many mathematical studies

in the field of game theory.

It is a gift.

Tetsuo Tanaka thought it could interest me.

And?

And I do not know.

It is not a puzzle.

It is a game without an opponent.

Raphaëlle.

If our collaboration came to an end,

would we still be friends?

Of course Astrid.

Work has nothing to do with our friendship.

It helps maintain it, sure, but...

you are my friend.

My best friend.

With or without the investigations, okay?

I am your best friend.

With or without the investigations.

I'm sure everything will be okay.

It'll go back to normal and your status won't be called into question.

We don't have to worry, everything will be okay.

We do not have to worry, everything will be okay.

- It will go back to normal. - Yes.

Do you have a record of people arriving and leaving from the observation dome?

Yes. There's one.

But it will be of no use to you.

Professor Ardan didn't respect the procedures.

He would come and go from the dome as he pleased.

- He had nothing to do there that night. - He was a researcher, right?

Isn't it a place to observe the stars?

Yes. But the place is way behind technologically,

and in an environment that's way too bright.

This dome and its telescope are antiques. Not a place of research.

Unless you're looking to fly under the radar.

What do you mean, flying under the radar?

Research is something collective.

- Ardan wasn't playing collectively? - Oh, no. No.

Ardan was a maverick.

He was spreading rumors that he was about to make a big discovery.

A discovery that could make some people jealous?

Highly possible.

Tetsuo Tanaka.

Hello Astrid.

Gilles let me in.

He told me I'd find you here.

- Am I disturbing you? - Yes.

I am doing research on a particularly unusual modus operandi.

A victim struck by lightning, in the absence of any signs of a storm.

This leads to the implication of a criminal modus operandi.

But as of now, I have not found any body of consistent evidence.

I didn't want to disturb you.

But William told me about your situation.

Is it true?

It might be the last time you're participating in an investigation with the criminal police?

Not might be.

It is for certain the last time I participate in an investigation with the criminal police.

You'll still have the Criminal Documentation.

If you have to go back to your old life.

You'll find your old landmarks.

Mister Gaillard is dead.

Now, some of my colleagues talk to me.

I have a friend. Raphaëlle.

It is no longer on Mondays that I do my groceries, it is on Wednesdays.

And I met you.

I cannot go back to my old life.

Because my old life does not exist anymore.

Michel Ardan was killed to steal his scientific discovery?

I don't know if the stakes are high enough in the astronomy world to justify murder.

His office was searched, and his equipment stolen too.

- Yes, but that's not a reason- - Sorry, I have something.

I spoke with some journalists,

a few specialized media outlets, and the general press,

and they were all contacted by Michel Ardan.

About what?

He was to hold a press conference this afternoon at the observatory.

We don't know what he was going to announce

but apparently, it was about to rub people the wrong way.

Maybe it wasn't to steal his discovery that he was killed.

Maybe it was to stop him from announcing it.

We'll probably have the answer by searching his house.

Here's the victim's apartment.

Okay...

Let's start by finding the computer and the cellphone.

And anything that could help us find the trail of this great discovery.

You take this room, I'll get the one in the back?

Fuck. Nico?

Stop!

Police, stop! Nico?

Stop!

Fuck, stop!

Shit!

Stop! Fuck.

Stop or I'll shoot!

- You have it? - Stop!

Hello? Culprit fled the scene.

A woman, dressed from head to toe in black.

She left on a black motorcycle.

I lost sight of her at the corner of Babylone and Vaneau.

- You okay? - What's wrong?

You-you're messed up, dude.

Wipe it off.

- Wow, yeah. - I'm impressed!

Ever since you beat Matthias up, you're on fire.

Stupid.