HAVE MERCY ON US ALL
Hi, Joss!
Excuse me.
Am I too late?
I'll make an exception.
2 euros is that right?
That's it.
Thanks.
Adele, hurry up!
Come on.
We're late.
Mom, I need to pee.
You'll have to do it at school.
Lucie, come on!
What is that, Mom?
Look, there's another one!
So I see.
First newscast!
Hi, Lisbeth.
Won't you kiss me?
Sure...
but I'm late.
You're not.
Hi, Lisbeth.
One:
All types of cabinet making,
especially furniture restoration, perfect finish.
Will collect and deliver.
Two:
Garden fruit for sale,
tasty and juicy.
Three:
The Gas & Electric Company
can go to hell!
Four:
I love you, Helene.
See you tonight at the cafe.
Signed: You know who.
Five:
When snakes,
bats... badgers
and all creatures accustomed to live underground
come out in the fields
and forsake their natural habitat,
when fruit-bearing and leguminous plants rot
and are full of worms,
that's a sign worthy of consideration.
Something's moving,
will soon emerge,
and crawl upon the earth.
What garbage...
Understand it?
A nutcase. Forget it.
For the butcher.
Yesterday's meat was old boot leather.
Don't wait to be told.
The cables arrive tomorrow.
Tomorrow!
I'll be right back.
I can't transfer the prints.
What a great start!
Sir!
'Morning, sir.
Are you OK?
Has Camille gone again?
You shouldn't let a girl like that go.
Ok, I don't need a nanny, Danglard!
- G'Morning, sir. - G'Morning...
Lt. Maurel.
Brown hair, athletic equals Maurel.
This isn't any ol' police station!
I came here as it's the nearest.
We deal with murder here, not graffiti!
Yes, but...
This is the Crime Squad! Who let you up here?
I did!
Ma'am...
Alright, Voisenet?
Favre.
He's Favre.
I'm scared.
I'm often on my own with the girls.
Scared of what?
Remember 'Ali Baba'?
Not very well.
The murderer marked doors with a big X.
I keep thinking about it.
It's just graffiti.
I've never seen graffiti on doors inside...
There's all kinds. Just wash it off.
Sorry about my colleague.
Some cops play the cop.
Thanks.
It's the fruit I want. Number 2, I think.
Number 2...
6 rue Magerot in the 20th district.
I'll bake 'em a tart.
Lucky devils.
OK for Wednesday?
Dunno. I'm very busy at the store.
I'll get fleeced.
No, it's a matter of luck.
Look, I've won 15 euros!
- Bull! - Good start.
Hey, none of that!
Le Guern...
I'm interested in ad number 5.
The beasts and snakes and all...
A special one, huh?
I'd like to have it. And its sisters.
The 'specials' as you say.
I'll buy them.
I could've sworn it was you!
Me?
Posting 'em over the past 3 weeks.
That old stuff no one understands.
How much do you want?
It's not worth anything.
We Le Guerns are ugly, but not bad.
I'll drop 'em off.
I have a vacant room.
I was told you might be interested.
The Crime Squad's a blast!
What about the other 2 buildings?
Exactly the same.
You hardly listened to that woman...
But now, other buildings have the same sign.
And I don't like it.
Know what it's called?
An artistic intervention. Very trendy.
He works fast, has a sure hand.
He left one out.
What?
He did all but one door.
Just like in that woman's block.
Doesn't fit your art theory...
But that's the artist's touch.
He's not an artist.
What, then?
What's your sixth sense tell you?
And please don't just say, "I don't know".
Then, I'd better walk home.
Check for other complaints.
- Ask that tall girl... - Retancourt.
She's smart
Try to remember their names.
Bye, Danglard.
Want to have dinner with me and the kids?
Decambrais Boarding House
It's simple.
Breakfast: 7 to 8.
Lunch is up to you. Dinner: 8 PM.
That's Eva.
She's a nurse. So, to unwind, she...
Castillon is no problem, he likes a laugh.
But you go easy on Eva.
She was battered for 6 years. Understood?
Understood.
Rent's in cash.
And keep quiet about it
for Mr Decambrais' sake.
Cozy place you've got!
You aristocrat!
I'm no aristocrat.
I know.
Decambrais isn't your name.
I got an ad about you.
You didn't read it?
A town crier doesn't denounce,
and I hate jerks.
That includes me, too, right?
There, 3 weeks' gibberish.
Tonight's in Italian.
It's Latin.
Well, he pays well. 5 euros per ad.
"Among these things...
that are a sign of it, you see rats and animals
that live underground
fleeing toward...
the surface
and suffering..."
Why waste your time on this crap?
This guy sends messages.
"Subterranean... putrid..."
Dangerous, too, I'm sure of that.
What's he trying to do? Your guy?
Piss us off?
I don't know, Le Guern...
but I'm going to find out, believe me.
"When infected air is breathed in,
it corrupts and infects the minds
and humors which are most inclined to receive...
putrefaction."
I saw that in a thesis, I think.
That's it.
Jerôme Cazalas, "Medieval Myths and Beliefs".
About the doors...
Since April 10, almost 20 complaints have been filed.
Our guy is pulling no punches.
Hey, can you hear me?
Where are you?
What do you want?
Your book.
As you can see, it's being used.
Goodbye, sir.
Commissaire Adamsberg, Crime Squad.
Are you here because of the ads?
I don't recognize you
from the square.
Is that not why you're here?
Just for this.
Where does it come from?
I ask the questions.
Just like a cop...
There are 20 daubed buildings.
Nearly every door.
No doubt about it, then.
It's that alright.
"The inverse 4 is known
as a talisman against the plague.
Christians saw it as a cross, drawn
without lifting the hand.
In the Middle Ages, people warded off the great affliction
by drawing it on the doors of their houses."
Somebody is announcing the return of the plague.
Five: It's cold, it's raining.
Leave the polluted city
and go back to the country.
- Any good ads? - Nothing for you.
Lost 3 bowls in the square yesterday.
Small reward if they are returned.
Strange hobby.
He's an actor.
He can't get work,
because he hit a producer over his fiancee.
He messed him up pretty bad.
After years of hardship,
he had the idea of doing this.
Eight:
Need a visa for the USA?
But why here in this square?
It's the dead center of Paris.
When come poisonous fungi,
when woods be covered with blackness,
when oxen ail or die in the meadow,
when bread doth quickly go moldy,
when new-hatched flies,
worms and mosquitos can be seen on snow...
Then, this time, it is certain, it is here.
This affliction is thus present...
Great brandy! I'll have another for my cold.
The affliction...
He referred to it for the first time.
Every day, a little more
until he names the plague...
How do you know?
Avicenna...
Pardon me?
An 11th-century Persian doctor
who wrote a famous treatise,
"Liber Canonis".
Several specials are taken from it.
He taught classics.
It's serious.
He doesn't just copy it.
He expresses himself,
and in public, too.
So, what?
- Words can't hurt. - Wrong!
Words can kill!
Sorted. You were right.
Good, good.
Excuse me.
Problems with customers. I helped her out.
She and her brother run the rollerblade store.
I act as a consultant around here.
Customer care?
Human relations.
That brandy's strong!
This is too big for us. Let's leave it to the FBI!
The first complaint was April 10?
Yeah, I think so.
The crier got the first ad that day.
So?
It's the same man.
What's that got to do with us?
Some plague-fearing crackpot wants to warn people...
He doesn't fear it - he predicts it.
This guy could take action tonight or tomorrow.
Can I read you today's special?
Go ahead.
"I couldn't help seeing
several houses with black crosses and the words,
'Lord have mercy on us all'.
For, on May 5,
the plague entered the town.
It first struck the Louvre area
where dead bodies... "
Place du Louvre!
It's the only unmarked door.
Go on.
- Are you sure? - Yes.
Stay here, please.
The Black Death...
Ready?
One: I want a list of all the daubed buildings.
Two: In each building,
if a door is unmarked, post a police guard.
Three: Draw up a list of these apartments' residents.
They're potential victims.
Look for any links
or similarities between them.
The plague?
How on earth should I know?
It's charcoal. It's all over him.
Maxime Blanchet, 38, ran an import-export firm.
Lived alone.
No sign of a break-in.
If our guy has the virus we're in big trouble.
Send this to the lab. It's urgent.
Full name: Yersinia Pestis.
A historical killer.
Number of victims: A third of Europe
in 4 years in the Middle Ages.
Motive: God's punishment.
But the plague died out in France ages ago.
Maybe someone stole it from a lab.
Any idea about the killer's personality?
Very cultured.
A man of letters.
Good at drawing.
Clean, meticulous...
Obsessive.
The 4 is always identical.
And the same three letters everywhere: "CLT".
We don't have much. Good luck.
I was bitten by fleas at Blanchet's.
Do you follow me?
Fleas from the envelope.
CLT's spreading infected fleas!
1, 2, 3... Another here. 4 big swellings.
Keep calm.
"Keep calm"!
Bitten by some plague freak's fleas!
Adamsberg here.
I'm sending fleas.
That's right, fleas. Live ones!
Tell the pathologist to be careful.
It's confidential.
Put your stuff in here for the lab.
I'll call Disinfection.
The whole squad has to shower.
So, do I walk around naked?
Here, put this on.
Stay away from schools!
Sorry.
If I died who'd look after my kids?
Calm down.
Not their mother...
Adrien...
If anything ever happens to you
I'll be there...
for your kids.
You go to the hospital.
We'll look after your kids.
Secure place...
It has to be with what's in here.
Fleas need heat.
Your deputy was hotter than you.
I mean his body temperature.
It's not too late.
We'll be injecting him
with powerful antibiotics.
He'll be tired,
but it's the lesser evil.
As for the victim, Blanchet, when can we have your diagnosis?
The samples are put in a culture medium.
It takes 6 days.
Same for the fleas.
I need a list of all staff with access to these rooms.
There aren't many.
And we're all carefully vetted.
Like you...
Well, Commissaire?
I got the info. Decambrais isn't exactly kosher.
Let's go.
30. I'll see you.
Full house, kings and 9s.
God, you never lose!
If you knew how much I've lost...
OK, another game?
No thanks, Castillon.
You won't beat him.
I will, one day.
We'll see...
'Evening, all.
What should I have said?
"Hello, I'm Decambrais. Real name: Herve Ducouëdic,
ex-con. Pleased to meet you"?
I put the past behind me.
It's none of your business!
Attempted rape of a schoolgirl.
Not easy to forget...
I never touched that girl.
I don't care what you think!
I lost everything...
The trial, my job, my friends.
My life came to an end at 45... 30 years ago.
We have no more to say to one another.
We found a body.
He doesn't look like a cop.
Why is he here?
For you, Eva?
I did nothing.
He's after you, Lisbeth!
Still no ID?
It's not about your ID.
It's my ads.
- Here... - Don't touch!
"The scourge is at the command of God
who brings it down and raises it away,
as it pleaseth Him..."
So, what do I do?
Carry on as before.
Your prints...
Already on file.
You've all been inside!
There are places like that where the spirit blows!
Call me next time.
He won't come back with your men here.
Are you leaving?
I don't drink with cops.
Stop being so hot-headed.
You can keep your advice!
Sorry and so long.
- Do you get used to it? - Not really.
You're crazy!
No flash!
Ever!
I might be infected now!
Hello, it's me. Well, almost.
I can't answer your call. Sorry.
Leave a message. I'll call you back.
The cops are on their way.
Jerôme Cazalas?
That's me.
And you are?
Commissaire Adamsberg, Crime Squad.
Let me reassure you.
They died 900 years ago. The case is closed.
I had a look at your thesis. Can I have a word?
A "plague-sower". That's who you're dealing with.
People always try to find culprits.
It's reassuring, isn't it?
It helps.
The supposed culprits
were called plague-sowers or greasers -
they smeared grease under doors to spread the plague.
You do not seem to have any buboes.
Is that good news?
If you like, but we still have to wait.
It can take other forms.
The term, "Black Death" comes from a confusion.
In Latin, "Pestis atra" is "horrible death",
not "black death".
The bodies didn't go black.
Just a few marks of hemorrhaging.
Strange he smeared charcoal...
He's putting on a show. He wants to frighten people.
He knows his stuff.
That's exactly how the 4s were drawn.
There were other forms of protection.
The supreme talisman: A diamond
worn on the left hand.
Hence the engagement ring.
No one knows that now though.
You and your colleagues do.
What are you insinuating?
I'm just asking.
When was the last epidemic in France?
1722.
When Louis XV was still a child.
Thank you.
About the three letters on the doors... CLT.
It's not a signature.
It's an abbreviation of the Latin, "Cito, Longue, Tarde".
"Fast, long, late".
Meaning?
It's what he tells those he wants to protect.
Go away fast... for a long time...
and come back late.
The best plague remedy.
- See you on Tuesday. - Bye, Marianne.
What was the time of death?
3 or 4 hours ago.
No more?
You can question them now.
Marianne Bardou, 33, divorced, one child.
The kid's with his father this week.
Her place is over there.
It was under surveillance.
Look, we could a done a runner.
Take it easy.
Those two found her.
See or hear anything?
She'd been dead for an hour.
Her bag and clothes?
Rolled up in the bushes.
We're not done yet.
Am I contagious, dammit?
I repeat: Am I or am I not contagious?
No.
Not after the treatment.
- But a carrier... - Whatever!
If I'm not contagious I'm going!
- Now! - Calm down.
My children are waiting. And so is my job.
Go home, get some rest.
No need to stay on my account.
I can't leave you in the lurch.
We'll get this bastard together. I'll make sure of it.
I didn't see it at first.
It's an injection, not an insect bite.
Same here.
And Blanchet?
The same mark.
Above the hairline.
God knows what's in the injection.
I've ordered a toxicology test.
Results?
Toxicology tomorrow.
But I need 24 hours to run a double test.
- Any idea? - A poison.
Possibly the plague.
... a talisman against the plague.
Yersinia Pestis.
A historical killer.
"Pestis atra"...
God's punishment.
The supreme talisman: A diamond.
... contaminate the planet.
The Black Death.
It is here.
This affliction...
Go away fast...
and for a long time...
Drop all this.
It's busy today. Hey, Joss...
- You should stop the specials. - I'm paid to read the ads.
Be careful though. This plague business is so creepy.
Look, I'm a big boy, OK?
Plague in Paris
...Met at Châtelet station last Saturday
a brunette in a white raincoat.
Wouldn't mind renewing the experience.
Two:
Rumor has it
that the plague's broken out in several streets.
The bodies were found with all the signs of the disease.
Even the most skeptical
are overcome by fear
and seek protection.
To ward off this affliction,
you should paint on your door
the 4-pointed cross talisman
which keeps away the pestilence.
When did it arrive?
Last night.
And you put it out?
Paint your own 4 on your front door!
Thousands will do it now.
All the gullible folk
who are afraid of prophecies, eclipses... and the millennium!
We'll be inundated.
We can't protect anyone.
Let's issue a new press release:
"Call us if you receive this envelope."
Get it on the evening news.
He'll switch envelopes.
Families and friends
haven't given us any leads.
Gauthier taught flying.
He was a globe-trotter before he settled down.
The girl worked in a clothes store.
She had a lover. Nothing in common.
Must be a method in his madness.
Any suspects?
None.
Nothing from local inquiries, no fingerprints.
So, we're in the dark?
Your team raves about your amazing intuitions.
This time...
no sixth sense.
Pity... isn't it?
Hello. It's me.
Well, almost. I can't answer your call.
No need to see a doctor.
Nobody is sick.
Keep in line.
Wait behind this gentleman.
The foreign press reported this news
which was suppressed by the French media.
These mysterious messages were sent several weeks ago.
The French police allegedly...
Am I disturbing you?
A bit.
Is that for Tagliano's film?
Don't pretend to be interested.
Come back, Camille.
I'm lost without you.
I can't think straight.
The murders?
It's serious.
Very serious.
I have to sense things - fast.
It's the only way I know.
Without you...
Without little me,
you lose your intuition, the wheels jam.
When I'm there, I'm invisible.
Stop it.
It's your life, not mine.
I'll get your keys.
Commissaire!
Lively place!
I had a look in the archives.
There was a doubt in my mind. I was wrong.
France's last plague epidemic wasn't in 1722.
The disease reappeared in October 1920.
It came on a barge from Normandy.
It was unloaded on the banks in northern Paris.
Luckily, it only infected
some 400 people
in insalubrious neighborhoods.
Mainly the rag pickers of Clichy.
Their kids played with the dead rats.
Imagine the scene.
Clichy Cemetery
Thanks for coming.
You should see a name you recognize.
Someone from the square or the bar.
- Are you sure? - Almost.
How could a man be so disturbed
by a scourge from the early 18th century?
Unless he's 260...
- That's a lot. - Far too much.
But with the 1920 epidemic, it fits.
His grandparents could easily have suffered.
The plague
is his background.
A kind of family secret.
Wait a minute.
If the plague killed his family
he would inevitably fear it.
But the sower's using it as an instrument of power.
He decides whom to protect from the scourge or not.
I think you should try looking
for a family who were spared.
I really do.
Calm down, my dearies.
With this,
the disease will spread like wildfire.
Are you there?
Open up.
Open up!
What's wrong?
Answer me!
You can't fail now.
A Tardieu never fails.
I gave you our power. You're invincible!
They'll all die!
They're meeting their fate.
You're so gifted. You were spared, like us.
Do you hear me? You're the master!
You can't give up now.
Not after all these years. I beg you!
I too am sure he's here.
He chose to communicate via the crier,
because it was easy.
I need your help.
A list of the regulars in the square.
Who's recent and who isn't.
Take this, so I can reach you at all times.
OK, boss!
Think they'll announce the plague on the news?
Dream on, Eva!
How'll they stop it now?
They have no idea.
The cause of death is unknown,
but police think there is a similarity
in these 3 people's deaths.
Marianne Bardou, Maxime Blanchet, and Arnaud Gauthier
were found naked and covered in black marks
typical of those of the Black Death.
The 3 individuals were apparently perfectly healthy.
They had no known mental or physical problems...
See you, Castillon.
There was an ad tonight.
Gibberish.
It was Greek to me.
Ask your new deputy.
The old teacher...
He's stumped, too.
Send it to Cazalas.
And the victims?
Something weird...
Bardou lived above her means.
Chic restaurants, big apartment.
Keep digging.
- Still at the Viking? - Yes.
Mind the brandy.
Too late.
May I?
Please do.
I know, it's fearsome stuff.
Don't wait up. I'm going out...
with Lisbeth.
- Not too late. - No, "Mom"!
Your brother in love?
Half-brother.
- Is there a difference? - No!
He hangs around Lisbeth.
And you're jealous...
Not at all.
That's not the problem.
She's done with love.
She gave it all away.
For a price.
Damas is too sweet.
I watch out for him.
Are you in love, Commissaire?
I'm smashed!
Maybe I'm dumb...
I'm no longer fit to tell.
Do you believe there's an epidemic?
If only I knew...
Wait!
Who is it, Daddy?
I don't know. Go back to sleep.
What're you doing?
Who's here?
It's for me. Go to sleep.
Sorry, I woke you up.
No, not at all.
Don't shoot him!
- OK? - Yes.
Where's Castillon?
Tell me about Castillon.
He lived here for about 3 years.
He'd traveled a lot.
He said he wanted to settle down.
Here, at the boarding house?
He's permanently broke.
The house rules suited him.
He called it his oasis.
A wife? Children?
Not that I know of.
If he thought he was in danger why didn't he come to you?
He was afraid of cops.
More than of the killer.
All this confusion will hinder the investigation
which is now at a standstill.
There is nothing new to reassure Parisians.
Sewage and garbage workers
have gone on strike
due to the risk of contamination by rats.
Traffic in the metro
is also down by 75%. The Dept. Of Health...
Your new informer, the archeologist...
has decoded yesterday's special.
"It's about
a ship which contaminated Marseille 300 years ago."
I don't get it. What about you?
There's a story behind all this.
The killer knows the victims.
He's picking them off.
There was a screw-up.
This is the kickback.
What's wrong?
I'm OK.
Have you heard from the hospital?
No, that's not it...
Camille came over.
What did she say?
She told me about...
the collision.
I know what you think. I don't care!
Just because your wife dumped you...
Butt out!
Sorry. It's not your fault.
Camille has gone.
She's left Paris.
Commissaire!
Poisoned, all 3 of them.
With curare.
Paralyzes the diaphragm.
Immediate asphyxia.
I detected lesions in the lung tissue.
Thus, death by suffocation.
We found traces of malaria
in Gauthier's blood. From his travels.
What about the plague?
The plague
didn't do it.
There is no plague.
I'm as glad as you are, Lieutenant.
Is it easy to get curare?
It's used for patients on respirators.
It's in any hospital.
A press release
will calm things down.
No, we wait.
For what exactly?
Did Camille say where she was going?
No.
You murderer!
Move!
Keep still!
I'll go with him.
Need me?
We're taking the 3 guys in.
He got away.
Who?
The sower.
I sensed him for a split second.
A fleeting image...
No, that's not possible!
Shit!
The train to Marseille leaves from Platform 4.
Please stand back. All the trains are already full.
Are you in love?
Adamsberg.
Massena. We didn't touch a thing.
As per instructions,
no evacuation or special protection.
No need.
The same sure hand...
It's him.
Sylvain Marmot.
His mother found him.
He ran a big boat repairs firm.
Time of death: 10 hours ago.
And the other?
We don't know who he is.
I do.
Do these names mean anything to you?
Think carefully.
Maxime Blanchet?
Marianne Bardou?
Arnaud Gauthier?
Globe-trotter, aviator...
malaria.
Gauthier.
Where was this taken?
In the Congo.
Sylvain worked on a plantation out there.
A good job.
- A long time ago? - Yes.
My husband was alive.
15 years ago, perhaps...
12... I can't remember.
Dig in Africa!
How do you feel?
I'm on my feet at least.
I've had other hard knocks.
Shouldn't have waited.
We Decambrais may be jerks...
but we're not louts!
I was wrong about you.
OK, guys?
Nothing to report.
I'll need you in 5 minutes.
Feeling better?
Castillon... Have you had any news?
No, none.
The supreme talisman, right?
Let's go.
Let go of him!
Stop it!
I'm doing my job.
- Like screwing me? - Get off!
Go, go, go!
Move!
- Let us through! - Let him go!
Let us through!
You're crazy! He's just a kid!
I know what I'm doing!
Run, Damas!
He's done nothing!
Get off, jerk!
You're really screwing up here!
You stupid cop!
There, left!
Block the road!
Stop!
No time to waste?
Neither have I.
Let's get to the point.
He's the scholar who wreaks chaos
in Paris?
He doesn't look the part.
This is not a game.
Damas Viguier, you stand accused of their murder.
I haven't killed anyone.
Recognize them?
Sure I do.
Where from?
- The paper. - You're lying.
Get your clothes off!
You were right... about Africa.
4 of the 5 victims lived there.
We don't know about the girl.
12 years ago their paths crossed in the Congo.
Why?
They worked for Heller-Deville, a pharmaceutical lab,
harvesting plants for medicine.
That's it.
Ask them for a list of their expat workers.
We have to nail one.
Yes, but they were bought by a German group in '95.
Too bad. Call the German police.
I need all your clothes.
Ask the lab to look for rat fleas.
Feet apart.
Feet apart!
You've got bites.
Here, here... and here.
The fleas in the store.
No, Damas, you send them.
You're the sower! The killer!
The fleas bite you, too.
But fortunately...
you're protected.
You've got your diamond, right?
You're crazy.
So, give me your ring.
No.
Who gave it to you? Your family?
A guy swapped it for my bike.
So, give it to me.
- No! - Give it.
What are you scared of?
Being killed like the others?
- Give it here. - No!
I'll take it off you!
He won't say another word now.
What about the store?
Not a thing.
No charcoal, no rats, no books.
Nor in the apartment above.
There must be another place. Ask...
Retancourt.
Check if there's any family, another home.
You can't base your case on this ring.
You'll have to let him go tomorrow.
Fake ID. Damas Viguier doesn't exist.
You have no new messages.
The Germans are sending us the list.
They're all here. Old friends.
Blanchet, Bardou, Marmot, Gauthier, Castillon...
And now Roubaud.
Roubaud, the famous lawyer?
The very same.
Kill me. I'm the only one left.
I knew you'd come.
Go on, then!
Tell us everything!
I was hired to finalize the land rights contracts.
But the others told me they had a better idea.
Do you know Africa?
It was a shock to me.
Over there, we soon lost our bearings.
We were far from home.
It was disturbing.
Intoxicating, too...
Castillon was the boss.
...Makete agrees.
He and I answered directly to Head Office.
He found the others out there.
I saw the chopper. It's a bargain.
It was Castillon who planned things, hired and paid people.
He set up the traffic.
The best thing is to do the deal there.
Nature is generous there.
Plants grow all by themselves.
Grass and opium were in great demand.
We could smuggle anything.
We cut a deal with the militia.
We made a fortune in no time.
It could've gone on...
I wonder how he found out.
One day, the big boss turned up.
François Heller-Deville.
On a safari with his son, he called in on us.
This is Africa.
He wanted to sort things out.
- Good trip? - My son.
He fired us all.
Who do you think you are? I've made my decision.
Listen...
I'll pay you.
Then, I'll disappear.
You're crazy!
How dare you!
But, above all...
he wanted to press charges.
Stop this stupid game!
Shut up and walk!
Get him!
We said it was an accident.
We had enough accomplices there.
Case closed.
...A tragic accident.
Excuse me.
We all came home.
We decided never to meet again.
I knew it wasn't over.
We arrested the killer last night.
I doubt that.
Someone delivered that last night.
We're nearly there this time.
You'll be so proud of us.
Without you, Dad, we would never have made it.
I know you're watching over us.
The boy has the talisman.
It's worked miracles for us.
Real name:
Arnaud Damas Heller-Deville, born in '85.
Son of François who died in '92
during a trip to Africa.
His father's mother is still alive.
Clementine Heller-Deville, born Tardieu in 1916 in Clichy.
Cite Hautpoul.
Cite Hautpoul...
The rag pickers' area.
She's still there?
That's right.
How do you know?
She survived the plague there,
so she feels invincible.
Mrs Heller-Deville, correct?
Adamsberg.
No doubt about it, it is Damas.
He planned it all.
Damas chose your square
to be near Castillon, the leader.
I know it's hard for you to accept.
See that fat one?
He's the carrier.
He contaminated them.
Go upstairs.
Roubaud!
I'll kill you! Kill you!
I'll kill you, you hear?
Nan...
OK, tell me everything.
Certainly, Commissaire.
That's why we're here.
This is Africa.
Shut up and walk!
Nan...
They'd been preparing it
since she took in Damas.
The kid was almost autistic.
He wouldn't say a word.
Then, one day, he told her.
How are you getting on?
They confessed about the rats,
the 4s, the envelopes, the lot...
Except the poison.
They say the fleas did it. They won't change their tune.
God avenged them at last.
And the curare?
We invented it to avoid mass panic.
They're faking. They'll crack.
No, they truly believe it.
It's deeply rooted inside them.
I can't catch them out.
Did the sister know?
Marie?
Damas says she didn't.
The old lady calls her the bastard.
The father didn't recognize her.
Damas and Marie only met recently.
The charcoal in the lady's house doesn't match.
No match at all?
See you, Danglard.
I must see Marie!
I can't take any more.
They've searched twice.
Finished upstairs?
Not yet.
Damas and I were so close.
To think...
he was spinning me a line!
All this time!
Don't cry.
It can't be him.
He didn't do it.
The Crime Squad said he confessed.
They found rats,
books on the plague.
That's just it.
It doesn't make sense.
Damas wouldn't have smeared charcoal. He spent years studying,
entire nights copying out learned texts.
He's a specialist.
In fact... he knows it intimately.
The plague...
He lives with it. It's his ally.
He respects it above all else. Understand?
The Black Death
means nothing to Damas.
He knows that it is a false image, a folk legend.
He would never have let himself caricature
the plague...
by using charcoal.
Let's tell the cops. My brother can't rot in there.
Come on.
Wait here. I'll get my car.
I called the police.
You tell all that to Adamsberg.
Time to see the judge.
This way's quicker.
Wait for the granny.
Commissaire!
It'll be alright, Marie.
You rang me?
No, Lisbeth.
Don't wait for me for dinner.
I'm with Marie.
We're going to see Adamsberg.
It's important, Lisbeth.
It's about Damas. I'll tell you later.
Don't hang up! Where are you?
OK, see you later. Bye.
Trace this call now!
Hey!
We lost the signal.
Stop!
Why do that?
Leave me alone, Marie. Leave...
- We lost contact here. - Get a boat!
Don't... Don't do that, Marie.
I made one mistake: That fucking charcoal.
You had to spot it.
There they are!
Gotta be quiet now.
You OK?
Stop!
You're going nowhere!
You've got no chance. Stop!
Shit!
There she is!
Help's on its way.
Breathe. I'm here. Try to breathe.
Deep breaths...
All that's not true.
It can't be.
- It is. - You're lying.
No, it's all true.
Why, Marie?
For your money.
Your fuckin' money.
I left my hole
to take your money.
You fell for it, you sucker!
You were so happy to discover a sister.
We could've worked it out.
But you said we wouldn't touch the money.
We can't touch Dad's money!
Nan says so. It's cursed.
Stop that!
The plague, the power, the curse!
What planet are you on, poor Damas?
It doesn't exist!
When you spoke of your desire for revenge
I realized I should make my move.
I just had to follow you...
and kill 'em for real.
I just had to put the cops on to you.
That was well underway.
Once you'd gone down for life,
I'd have managed your money.
Be quiet, Marie.
I spent years keeping quiet. That's over.
The worm has turned!
Shut up!
- Shut up! - No!
Open up!
Know something? My mom and I had nothing!
We were poor! Humiliated!
Rejected!
You got everything. His name! His love!
His fortune!
And his death!
I hate you as much as I hated him!
We're transferring you, Clementine.
As you wish.
Commissaire...
Now we're acquainted,
is he dead... the last sonovabitch?
Roubaud?
Yes.
He died of the plague, too.
Good.
Justice...
It was worth waiting for!
Yep!
Living alone at the moment...
after all that...
To think those two kids were behind...
all that violence over some family secrets...
Crazy!
That's often the way.
Right.
Maybe it's changed my life.
I've got a part.
A real role. For TV.
What is it?
I dare not tell you!
I play a cop!
What will Damas get?
Up to 5 years in prison.
But the judge will consider his past
and put him in an institution.
Commissaire, I discovered something I didn't expect:
How much I care about life...
Well, see you soon.
Maybe sooner than you think.
One day I might need your advice.
You know,
I don't advise. I just try to understand what people want
and help them to achieve it.
Goodbye.
Adamsberg...
When I walked into the restrooms...
two scumbags were on her.
I beat them like crazy, then took the girl out.
She was screaming.
The witnesses' accounts damned me.
My word against theirs.
- The girl... - Said nothing...
for fear of reprisals.
A botched trial...
and a life amputated...
I know.
Rats! The SIM card...
It's had it.
No one can reach me.
I got my blood test back.
I've got a few things wrong.
They always find problems.
That's why I avoid doctors.
Naples.
San Clemente Hotel.
Camille's there.
I had her tailed.
It was wrong, I know.
She must never know.
One:
For sale, Pif Gadget magazine collection
from 1979 to 1982.
Two:
Amateur magician offers services
for children's birthday parties.
Three:
Camille,
even if everything has an end,
I hope it's still a long way away.
I'm coming. Don't go away too fast.