IN UNDERWORLD SLANG, DOULOS MEANS "HAT."
BUT IN THE SECRET LANGUAGE
OF POLICE AND CRIMINALS,
DOULOS IS ALSO THE NAME GIVEN
TO THE ONE WHO WEARS IT...
THE POLICE INFORMER.
YOU HAVE TO CHOOSE.
TO DIE... OR TO LIE?
Have you eaten?
There's some stew in the kitchen.
Not hungry.
Take your things off. Eat something.
Some days you can't.
More often than not lately.
What are you up to?
I have two fences: One for the gems, one for the gold settings.
Neither wants the goods as is.
Worth how much?
Between 150 to 200,000.
A lot less than the million the newspapers claim.
Did you see Rémy?
About Neuilly?
So what are you waiting for?
You complain you're broke with this job sitting there all week.
Okay, there's a safe,
but you have all night, and the house is isolated.
That's just it. It looks too easy.
I don't like easy setups.
Six years ago it was easy too.
So when?
Rémy wants to do it tomorrow.
He's right. The sooner the better.
Did you tell anyone else?
Who do you think I am?
Not even Silien?
Silien's okay.
That's not the word around town.
Silien's a pal. Screw 'em.
I hope you're right. Anyone casing the house?
Thérèse.
She'll make sure nobody's home.
What does Rémy use? Blowtorch?
No, a drill.
Just right for reinforced steel. We'll discuss it.
Have a bite and turn in.
I'm seeing Nuttheccio downstairs.
He's coming here?
Yeah, why? Got anything against him?
Not personally. But he's a real bastard.
How can you work with him?
It's no worse than you and Silien.
Don't compare the dirt on Silien and Nuttheccio's deal with the cops.
It's day and night.
Want the details?
Save your breath. You better go eat.
His pal Armand coming too?
A perfect match.
When are they coming?
Any minute now.
I'm not staying.
I'll grab a cab and sleep at Thérèse's. She'll be glad to see me.
Because Nuttheccio's coming by?
I know how you feel.
Too many things seem changed these past six months.
You'll only get a new start when you have the cash
and can get away with Thérèse. Is that it?
If you don't feel up to the job, drop it.
It's understandable after four years in prison.
When the fences pay, I'll set you up for a stay in the country,
to pick up the pieces.
- By the way... - What?
I'll need your gun. For tomorrow.
Are you crazy?
Let me explain.
I'm in no shape for any rough stuff, like I used to be.
There's nothing left inside.
So if I have to cover Rémy and things get out of hand,
I just fire a warning shot to scare them.
I don't like seeing you carrying a piece.
I've always been against it.
But you're not a kid.
Where is it?
In the chest. Top drawer right.
If you can't see, turn on the lamp.
A burglar's nightmare.
- Where's the ammo? - Back right.
Thanks, old man. This will buck me up.
And don't worry.
Help yourself to some cash.
Sure.
And don't forget your cigarettes.
Wait here. We'll be right back.
What's with that lamp?
Hello.
When's your man coming?
7:00.
- Sure this isn't another botched job? - I can't wait for something sure.
I'm tired of living off Thérèse.
I said I could tide you over.
That's the second offer in 24 hours.
You all think I'm finished.
I never said that.
I'm not offering you a free ride.
I just bought a house and...
You'll need a caretaker.
That looks less like a handout.
You'll have work to do. I won't let you off lightly.
Sure. We'll discuss it 20 years from now.
I'll get it.
Who is it?
It's Jean.
- Why'd you come? - To see how you were.
Could be better. I had snails for dinner last night.
They didn't agree with me. Got something for it?
Seen the papers?
Yeah, I saw that.
EX-CON GILBERT VARNOVE VICTIM OF GANGLAND KILLING?
Whoever it was did a good job.
What do you think? - I don't think anything.
Who gave you this address?
- You did. Two weeks ago. - He can't remember.
We brought you home smashed from Donald's Bar.
Watch your drinking.
You tend to say things of interest to the cops.
Like what?
What you told Jean about Arlette's death is no one's business.
What did I say?
Not much.
Only that when Maurice was sent up, Gilbert killed her
to make sure she wouldn't talk.
He was too cautious.
Arlette was no stoolie.
As for him,
he's not the kind to rat on his partners.
Not my style.
Gilbert was a bastard.
He wanted us to help with Arlette.
I never spoke to him again.
I know all that.
I was in the living room that night.
I could hear every word you said.
I'm off.
Have a drink first.
No, thanks. I just came by to see how you were.
Sorry to come by uninvited, ma'am.
Silien, the pal I spoke of.
Hello, Mr. Silien.
Make me a sandwich.
Sure.
Say...
those snails really did me in.
I'm feeling queasy.
Well?
I sat in the car all afternoon. I didn't take my eyes off the house.
Apart from an old man, it seemed empty.
The only problem is a poodle. Tiny, but it barks all the time.
What else?
I did as you said. I phoned and asked for Mr. Delétang.
The old man answered.
The writer and his wife are in Biarritz.
The old man must be a friend who's house-sitting for them.
So that's the great Silien?
Yeah. He brought the equipment.
- What equipment? - For the safe.
How could you ask him? You said yourself he's secretive.
Yet you tell him everything. Why not ask Jean?
Jean can't deliver this kind of stuff. It's not his line.
We'll see.
I consider Silien a pal...
until proven otherwise.
But I'll make sure he doesn't see Rémy.
This way, if things go wrong, I'll take the rap alone.
Not my idea of a friend...
I have to go. Want to check out the stuff?
If the drill collar and bits are there, I'm fine.
Bring some screws? - Eight.
That's only two sets.
Drilling should take two hours.
Break one set, you start again.
That's four hours for the drilling alone.
Break the second set and it's time to get out.
Rémy knows his stuff.
So long then.
Don't lose the collar.
It's a rare item nowadays.
Not many people know how to make one.
If things go as planned, you won't regret it.
- So your Silien finally left. - You weren't very nice.
Why should I be?
Criminal investigations.
Inspector Salignari.
Excuse me. Is Maurice still here?
He just left.
- Am I disturbing you? - No. Come in.
A whiskey?
Sure. Thanks.
I see you like brown.
It's my color.
- Maurice likes it too. - What?
Brown.
It's understandable with eyes like yours.
I'm not disturbing you?
Not at all. If you'd come ten minutes ago,
you'd have seen him.
No other color will do.
For what?
Your eyes.
Maurice is a lucky man.
And now, dear lady,
be nice enough to give me
the address of Maurice's job.
When you decide, let me know.
And now, dear little lady, be reasonable,
and above all, don't scream.
Hurry up and tell me. Where's the house?
You were there this afternoon.
Well?
86, Boulevard du Général Grenier, in Neuilly.
I hope for your sake you're not lying, because we'll meet again.
Stop it, Flip!
Here, boy!
Hands up and freeze.
One move and I'll shoot.
Don't try anything stupid.
This is an assault... a mugging.
No, we're just throwing a little surprise party.
Move it.
Get the light.
Look down.
Face the wall. Don't turn around.
A good start.
The piggy bank.
- Excuse me? - The safe.
All the money is in the bank.
Sure, the safe is only for the kid's toys.
Over to the bed.
Easy does it.
On your belly.
Don't yell...
if you don't want to get hurt.
Keep an eye on him.
Can't you ruffians find decent employment?
We're going to join the police.
But we need a little nest egg first.
Now let the gentleman work.
The bastard!
- We gotta go! - The tools!
Leave 'em. C'mon!
Damn Silien!
To the left. Quick!
- Gimme! - What?
No shooting!
Shit!
What is it?
Run for it. I'm hit.
I'm done for.
Give me the gun. I'll cover you.
Run for it. And get that rat.
Thérèse.
Hello, Doctor.
Is it bad?
A little hole over the armpit.
And I still blacked out?
My boy, the last time I saw you,
I said prison life had taken it out of you.
I found you a lot weaker.
I prescribed some iron.
You misunderstood. I meant spinach.
How did I get here?
Jean's charming wife may know.
I only know what Jean told me over the phone:
That you were here and I had to hurry down
to perform the usual operation.
Remove the drip in an hour.
Stay in bed for 24 hours.
If you need me, you know where I am.
After all these years,
who hasn't heard of the veterinary clinic
of Dr. Lequay?
See you next time.
What happened, Anita?
I don't know. Jean called me at my sister's. He told me to get home.
He told me you were here. He brought a change of clothes.
I found the doctor waiting outside.
Who brought me here?
- I don't know. - Thérèse and Jean?
I don't know.
I gotta find that rat Silien.
Not in your condition.
Get me some paper
and an envelope.
And something to write with.
GILBERT'S HOUSE
Stash this like it was dynamite.
EMPTY LOT
LAMPPOST
20,000 IN CASH
AVENUE MOZART JEWELS
LEAVE THE GUN
Don't keep it on you.
Give it to Jean if something happens to me.
No one but Jean.
- Be careful. - Give me 30 francs.
Move it!
Can you walk in your condition?
There he is.
Pull over, Jo.
Paulo, you get behind him.
- Did he see us? - Sure. He's not blind.
Hello, Silien. How are things?
Get in. We want to talk to you.
It won't take long.
We need some information,
so we figured -
You were friends with Sali.
Salignari.
You two were friends.
Salignari is dead.
An hour before he was killed, Sali got a call.
He rushed over to ask the boss for four men.
The chief had someone with him, so he didn't ask why.
So Sali ran down to the burglary scene without telling anyone.
He shot Rémy and was gunned down.
But Rémy's accomplice got away.
If it was you who tipped off Salignari,
tell us who the guy was,
and we'll leave you alone.
I didn't rat.
We found Rémy holding the gun that killed Sali.
But his jacket was pulled up under his arms,
as if someone was supporting him.
You support a falling man,
and a falling man is a dying man.
I can't imagine him at death's door, being held up by a friend
and hitting a running man with one shot.
And Salignari died instantly, so he was the one who fired first.
But it's the other man who shot Sali, while supporting Rémy.
You don't support a dying man and let him shoot. You shoot for him,
then stick the gun in his hand.
So then...
if only for Salignari,
you have to talk.
You owe it to him. He was your friend.
I wasn't the informer. I don't repeat myself.
Now listen, all of you.
Salignari is dead, and I'm packing it in.
I'm going to live somewhere else.
I don't know where yet,
but if there's a land without cops or hoods, it'll be there.
Until then, if I find the guy who killed Salignari,
I'll take care of it myself. It won't cost me a minute in prison.
If I don't find him, no cop on earth ever will.
Have it your way.
I know how you feel.
When I think of it...
We got the car's plate number.
We thought it was a stolen car.
Then we found it in a quarry this morning...
totally wrecked, with a body inside.
I know. A woman. I saw the papers.
Did you know this Thérèse Dalmain?
I don't know everyone.
The only fingerprints we found were hers.
She may have been Rémy's girl, or his partner's.
So maybe she was killed to keep her from talking.
Maybe she wasn't even in the car last night in Neuilly.
Maybe a third hood was driving with gloves on.
In that case, the girl may have been with him.
That's a lot of "maybes."
And the cop chasing the second guy didn't see anything?
Nothing.
Nobody saw anything?
Sure. From their windows. Everyone saw something.
But it gets us nowhere.
Some claim they saw a man at the wheel, alone.
Others saw two men.
No one mentioned a woman.
But after the papers came out,
one witness said he saw a woman driving.
In his first statement, he said he'd seen two men.
So we asked, "Was it a man and a woman?"
"Oh, no! There was just a woman."
That's the problem.
The newspapers influence witnesses.
Nobody saw the one who got away?
Sure, everyone saw him.
They all say they saw a man running away.
But all they saw was a shadow.
No point showing them any mug shots.
After all, we can't haul in every hood in town.
Then we'd have to parade them past all the witnesses.
Even if we had a suspect,
it's useless.
So much for witnesses...
You're on your own.
Nab him before I get to him. For his own sake.
It's getting late.
Wait. There's something else.
And it's more up your alley.
It concerns another case. Nothing to do with Neuilly.
But we're working on it too.
A few hours before he died,
Salignari received one of those famous anonymous tips.
We know - it wasn't you.
But you can't let us down on this.
We know about this case. Salignari filled us in.
It concerns a certain Gilbert Varnove.
He was killed with a.44 at his home.
We found a ring from the Avenue Mozart job under his body.
You follow me?
The informer
claimed the killer was Maurice Faugel.
Seems the informer asked Salignari
to hold off a bit before arresting Faugel. Sali said okay.
So tonight, while we were looking for you,
we tried to track Faugel down,
but we couldn't find him.
But there are certain -
May I?
This has nothing to do with Salignari's memory anymore.
If I understand right, you want me to cooperate.
Forget it.
Too bad.
Hold on, Silien.
You built yourself a nice place out by Ponthierry. How'd you pay for it?
You take me for a kid?
If you want explanations, get a warrant.
We'll have one in the morning.
Really.
We just saw the vice squad.
They just nabbed a gang in a drug bust.
Say, isn't that your line - heroin and coke?
- A pity to get mixed up... - And no Salignari to cover you.
You talk too fast for me.
We told vice you were involved.
They'll get a warrant tomorrow.
Meanwhile, we'll keep you on ice.
And turn your house inside-out. A pity.
There's nothing at my house.
Don't make me laugh.
I don't touch drugs in any way, shape or form. I'm just a poor slob.
Yeah, right.
Did you buy those clothes hawking papers? Tell it to the judge.
I do the garbage cans.
Knock it off. We'll find something.
No, you won't.
We all know there's nothing.
But we can always find something.
- If you do, we'll go halves. - If we look hard enough.
So what do you say?
I say you're real bastards.
Be polite.
So, don't you want us to ask vice to forget the warrant?
What do you want?
You're known all over town.
You can phone a few places
and ask for your friend Faugel.
Faugel's no friend of mine.
All the more reason.
Why don't you raid them?
We considered it.
But gunshots in the air scare the quarry away.
If we raid three or four bars without finding him,
he'll either see us or get tipped off.
In short, if I don't help you, you're lost.
Is it a deal?
7:15.
Good timing. It's cocktail hour.
Let's go.
I'll call from here. They don't know me.
- Telephone, please. - Downstairs.
A dozen tokens.
Try the "New York."
Who? Maurice?
He just left. He was asking for you and Mr. Jean.
He can't be far. - Across the street.
What did you say?
Just a second, Mr. Silien. Where?
He bought a paper and went across the street.
He's across the street. Shall I call him?
No, that's all right.
We have time to nab him.
There's one more call.
- To who? - The vice squad.
Relax. We were just kidding.
You're smart, but we're smarter.
- Then I'm off. - Not until we get to the bar.
The phone is faster than the car.
You expect me to pay for the calls?
I'm not on an expense account.
BODY OF THÉRÈSE DALMAIN FOUND IN HER WRECKED CAR
POLICE PURSUE TWO POSSIBILITIES:
1) ACCIDENT DUE TO FATIGUE 2) SILENCED BY THE MOB
CAR TOOK DIZZYING PLUNGE INTO QUARRY
On your feet, Faugel. Don't try anything stupid.
Me?
What did I do?
Don't make me repeat myself.
Are you armed? - Anyone ever say yes?
Save your breath.
I have money in my pocket. Pay for my drink.