A NETFLIX ORIGINAL SERIES
Thanks for coming in so quickly.
I didn't have anything pencilled in at 3:27 a.m.
Here.
You'll go in with Omar.
I think he'll be more comfortable with men.
And Olivier?
His son is sick. He's coming.
This doesn't look good.
It happened three hours ago and the guy is already here?
He refused the medical exam, so they brought him directly here.
The DA has already called to check on us. This won't be easy.
I'm going to need some coffee.
God dammit!
Maintenance won't be here till tomorrow.
I don't remember calling you.
Omar did.
It's 3:28 a.m. The interview begins with Lieutenant Sarkissian
and Sergeant Matif.
We're wondering why you were running away.
I ran when I saw two guys charging toward me.
They were wearing black and one was hooded.
I didn't know they were policemen.
- They're plain clothes officers. - What I mean is I was scared.
I wasn't fleeing.
You were getting some fresh air.
I'd had a few drinks and wanted to wait before driving.
So you arrested every drunk guy in the Marais district?
They didn't have bloodstains.
It's my own blood.
From a fight?
No, it's from when your colleagues pinned me to the ground.
Anyone check with the Anti-Crime Unit about the blood?
Yes, I called them.
He struggled when they arrested him,
but they're not 100% sure he hurt himself when he fell.
- They say you were already bleeding. - Great...
Well, they're lying.
The lab will determine whose blood it is.
You think he was drunk?
He looks like he has an answer for everything. I hate that.
I'm tired of this little game.
I've been cuffed for two hours with no explanation.
I just want to sort this out and go home to my wife and kids.
I've no reason to be here. Tell them.
Leave your lawyer out of this.
I want to talk to you.
They got me out of bed for this so now that I'm here,
I want to get my money's worth.
For starters, can you tell me who I have supposedly killed?
Mr Lacombe, you're here because around 12:30 a.m.
we found one Rémi Fabretti, unconscious and seriously injured,
on Pot de Fer Street in the 4th arrondissement.
The initial report mentions several wounds on his face
and all over his body, from being beaten up.
The victim died on his way to the hospital.
Where'd you get that?
From the machine.
Take it, I'll get another one.
Thanks.
How's Leo?
He threw up everything he had in him. It must be a bad stomach bug.
You better not bring that here.
Mr Lacombe, do you know this man?
FRENCH REPUBLIC ID CARD RÉMI FABRETTI
No, I don't know him.
Are you sure?
It's not a recent photo.
We also have photos of his corpse, but you don't want to see those.
Never seen him before.
How's it going?
Like a case thrown at us in the middle of the night.
You haven't missed anything.
His court-appointed lawyer looks worse off than him.
Mr Fabretti's body was found a few minutes after he was attacked.
The police showed up at 12:35 a.m.
And eight minutes later, at 12:43, you were arrested while fleeing...
I wasn't fleeing.
Right, sorry.
While strolling after a boozy dinner.
Where were you at 12:30 a.m.?
I can't remember. I left the restaurant around...
11:45 p.m. And then?
Then I walked.
It doesn't seem like you were in much of a hurry to get back to your family
at that time.
As I said, I'd had a few drinks and...
What street were you walking on?
I don't know...
I live in the suburbs and never go there.
So you can't tell us where you were for that entire hour?
We call that a weak and unverifiable alibi.
And I call it a big pile of bullshit.
I was not involved in any of that.
Why would I have attacked that guy?
Mr Fabretti spent the evening at a bar not far from where he was found.
The Access. Ever heard of it?
I'd never set foot in that area.
Most of The Access's patrons are gay, or LGBT, I should say.
Mr Fabretti was a regular.
He may have been followed after he left the bar.
Or he had a run-in with someone outside.
All the associations are all over this on Twitter and Facebook.
Is that why the DA is on our backs?
He wants to make a press statement, announcing he has a suspect in custody.
The attacks these past few months...
- He wants to set an example. - Right.
- Was he seen near the scene of the crime? - So far, we've got nothing.
A surveillance camera showed a woman walking by just before the attack.
She could be a potential witness, but we haven't been able to ID her.
You think I killed this guy because he's gay?
Good, we're on the same page.
Does the idea of two men or two women together bother you?
- Thoughts? - This is ridiculous.
Answer the question.
I have no thoughts.
I don't know this guy and I don't care that he's gay!
Is that why you arrested me? Do I look like a homophobe?
I have no idea. What does a homophobe look like?
Enlighten me, sir. What does a homophobe look like?
Or an anti-Semite?
Or a racist?
I'll tell you.
They blend in with everyone else, all drive the same cars
and have photos in their wallets, just like everyone else.
It's something else beating someone to death because of who they are.
Usually, we want to find out why the crime was committed.
We try to make sense
of the individual's reasons for doing what they did.
We often discover mitigating circumstances.
Know and forgive.
But not tonight.
There's nothing to know or forgive.
Legally, it's an aggravating factor.
It's late.
If there's nothing that links my client to the attack,
let's go home, to bed.
Besides his lack of alibi, the bloodstain and his suspicious behavior?
We're getting there.
Please tell us about your evening, Mr Lacombe.
You were celebrating something with your coworkers?
Yes, my team's sales results.
We had a successful quarter, even if the market's not great right now.
We needed to let loose a little.
- What do you sell? - Windows.
PVC, wood, technical materials. A whole line of products.
Who was at the dinner?
The whole team: five salespeople and me. I gave their names when I was arrested.
They're all men?
Yes, as it happens.
We questioned the waitress from the restaurant.
It sounds as though your guys were pretty boisterous,
with several remarks about her breasts.
One guy was handsy too.
I told you, the guys needed to decompress.
Since we were bought by the Danish, our sales objectives are ridiculous.
I know they didn't behave well at the restaurant, but it wasn't nasty.
What's your point?
Your waitress also said that you made a toast where you yelled,
"We'll pulverise those fags."
Who are the fags?
It's Franck Mangin's sales team.
It's a little game we play.
They've had better results the past two years,
and this year we might actually beat them.
And they're all homosexual?
No, of course not.
We said that for no reason.
For no reason...
Like in the WhatsApp group that you and your team use to talk.
Recognise your phone?
That's private, you've no right.
And my code?
Your boss gave it to us.
Why do you mind?
You've got something to hide?
No.
Let me read you some of the stuff
you and your sales team say.
And you can tell me if it's also "for no reason."
So, on February 13,
"Go fuck yourself, you big fag.
It's your turn to record the minutes this week."
No, but...
On April 2,
"We'll pulverise those fags."
I imagine you're referring to the other sales team here.
Then,
four days ago,
"I'm sure he'd prefer a huge dick up his ass."
OK, we get the idea.
I'm not reading that to you for fun, Mr Lacombe.
It makes me sick.
And I don't agree with the whole politically correct crap,
where we can't say anything about anyone.
But what I do know
is that six guys who are capable of writing this kind of stuff
and who end up drunk in the gay district
are asking for trouble.
So, Lacombe,
we'd like to know if you actually wanted to "pulverise a fag" tonight.
What happened?
You were strolling along, saw him kissing a guy
and it grossed you out, so you and your friends beat him up?
Look, the fact there are traces
of homophobia in my client's firm doesn't mean he's a killer.
"Traces of homophobia." You're quite the poet.
Save your comments for the end of the interview.
You know that it's like this everywhere.
People say things without realising it.
I bet your bathroom stalls are covered with similar words.
That's how the world works.
"That's how the world works"?
"Internal bleeding, most likely due to multiple broken ribs."
Suspected severed cervical vertebrae,
"multiple head injuries, shattered clavicle..."
Is that really necessary?
I believe it is.
When you've done 15 years for murder,
maybe the world won't "work" that way anymore.
It's the DA.
What will you tell him?
We don't have solid evidence and this guy's nowhere near cracking.
You know...
I feel as though your job is not much different from mine.
All you have to do tonight
is sell that I'm the one who killed that man.
RONSARD
So let me give you some advice.
Because selling
is my job, and I'm pretty good at it.
We're all ears, ace.
C-A-P.
The sales technique we teach to newbies in my company.
C is for characteristics.
You must always start by describing the product.
You've really got something juicy.
An average Joe who loses control, an ordinary monster.
A crowd-pleaser.
A is for advantages.
The customer must see why these characteristics are beneficial.
Another obvious one.
The case is solved that same night.
People are reassured and the whole story is in the paper.
In short, everyone's happy.
The problem lies with the P.
P for proof.
You have to prove the existence of the product's advantages to succeed.
That could be a demonstration or positive customer reviews.
That's where it gets prickly.
Because you've got nothing.
Not a shred of proof.
No proof,
no sale.
Let's start over.
Let's take a break.
Interview suspended at 5:13 a.m.
Thanks.
The bastard's good under pressure. We'll be here all night.
Thanks.
You alright?
Yeah.
Everything's been going swell since I got back.
Because of Audrey?
Things will settle down.
In the meantime, I can't set foot in the interview room.
I don't know, Omar,
maybe I wasn't ready to come back.
You should've let us shake him up a bit more.
Innocent people don't forget when it's convenient for them.
You weren't getting anywhere, Gérard.
You need to step aside when it's not working with a suspect.
That's true.
Hopefully they'll find the victim's blood on him.
Yes, if it is Fabretti's blood.
The lab won't have the DNA results for two days
and the DA won't wait that long.
Did they ID the potential witness?
No, not yet.
The DA has really screwed us over.
Do you think we should release him from custody?
That's up to you.
You're team leader.
Thanks for the support.
The sun rises in an hour and the DA wants a suspect.
Give him this guy to please the journalists
and he'll decide later with the judge.
And if he was in the wrong place at the wrong time?
Tonight I think that mainly applies to Rémi Fabretti.
And he didn't get up.
What do you think?
I think you need to stop asking other people their opinions.
You've been trying to do this job from behind the mirror,
but it doesn't work that way.
You're the captain, not the coach.
The captain plays on the field.
Mr Lacombe,
I hope you were able to rest during the break.
It's 5:30 a.m.
I'm Captain Larsen, here with Sergeant Serra.
We'll now resume this interview.
This will be fun.
I hope it wasn't a mistake pushing Audrey away.
This job is hard enough, we shouldn't stab each other in the back.
She almost screwed us over with the Weber case, remember?
And look how she treats Laetitia.
You think we're idiots?
- We know what you're playing at. - What do you mean?
They argue and you don't do a thing. Can't you see Laetitia's not well?
- She's a big girl, she'll be fine. - I don't know if she will be.
You'll let it blow up and become team leader.
I dare you to disagree.
In any case, the director will decide what happens next.
Your explanations have been perfectly plausible up to now.
Maybe you just wandered the streets after leaving the restaurant,
maybe you got injured during your arrest,
maybe you were unlucky tonight.
You believe me?
No.
I think you're lying because you know your life is on the line.
My entire team agrees, including our bosses.
So much so that you'll be crucified.
We need to charge someone.
I know it, you know it,
and yet you continue with your questionable explanations.
But it's the truth.
Then it's one of two things.
Either you killed Rémi Fabretti and you're buying some time,
or you're hiding something.
Something that scares you more than a murder investigation.
There are few things that powerful.
Which leads me to believe that Sergeant Matif was wrong earlier.
This story is personal.
Let me just ask you again,
do you know the victim, Rémi Fabretti?
Please answer the question.
No, I don't know him.
You know, I'm new around here.
But I've noticed something.
The men and women who've sat where you are now
struggle with the person they are
and who others want them to be.
It's a lot of pressure.
I'm not sure this is getting us anywhere.
What do you know about pressure?
I play a part that is examined on a daily basis.
The need to measure up, to hide your doubts,
the fear to disappoint...
the few moments where you can breathe
and be yourself.
A luxury we can't often afford.
Who are you deep down?
An angry pack leader, like we've made you out to be?
Or a goals-obsessed manager? A loving family man?
All that rolled into one?
Or something else?
I don't plan on rereading the forensic report
that my colleague explained in detail.
But what it also mentions
is that Rémi Fabretti engaged in sexual relations right before he died.
There are several small courtyards behind the bar where regulars
like to meet up to, let's say,
get to know each other better.
Why are you saying that?
I told you I didn't know that place.
More specifically, the report shows traces of saliva
around the victim's pubis and genitals.
I'm wondering if these traces belong to you, Mr Lacombe.
We'd just need to compare DNA to find out.
I'm sure you're bluffing.
- She's taking a huge risk. - He's totally thrown off.
We'll get the results back soon.
This is insane.
An hour ago I was a homophobic bastard,
and now you're saying
that I'm a homosexual who sucked a guy off right before he was killed.
It's...
So this is your job?
You...
You stick labels on people and see what holds water.
Let's imagine you walked to the bar after dinner.
Seriously?
You saw Rémi Fabretti,
or maybe this was the first time you'd met.
It's not true.
I'd never set foot in that area or seen that guy.
I've been married for 11 years.
I have two beautiful daughters.
I have better stuff to do than go dancing in a fucking bar
and do such disgusting shit.
- So you do know this bar? - No, I told you, I don't.
You know there's a dance floor?
I'd imagine every gay bar has one, don't they?
Or maybe I walked by it without realising...
The Access has opaque windows. You can't see inside from the street.
He went to the bar.
They showed his photo in the bar after he'd been arrested.
No one recognised him.
This is crazy.
Absolutely crazy.
Everyone has the right to have a private life.
Ordinarily, that's your business.
But tonight a man was killed.
I want to know what happened, and so I need your help.
Tell me about your daughters.
How old are they?
What are their names?
Think of them, think of your wife.
The police will turn your house inside out and ask them questions.
Questions that may be disconcerting.
This experience will take a toll on them.
You can spare them this by talking now.
That's Salomé.
Salomé and Nina.
Salomé is nine
and she loves horses.
It's as if it's the only thing she likes.
If you saw her room...
They're everywhere.
On the wallpaper, the pillows, the curtains.
And Nina is five.
She's starting to learn how to read.
She insists on reading to me every night.
But I see that she knows the story by heart.
I love them both so much.
Every time I look at them...
I get a lump in my throat.
It must be hard to compartmentalise everything.
You have your family and colleagues
and then your other life.
- I don't feel well. - Can we take a break?
No, we cannot.
If you have something to say, say it now.
We have 24 hours of custody left.
That gives us time to dig up dirt.
We'll turn your life upside down and find something.
Your daughters must have stories.
A detail you overlooked.
That's not necessary.
You could continue to question people, look at surveillance footage, find clues.
You'll end up finding someone who ran into these guys.
You saw them.
No.
You were with Rémi Fabretti when it happened. You saw it.
No, it's not true.
Only you can help us.
I can't help you.
I'll lose everything.
My job, my family.
- Do it for Rémi Fabretti. - Do it for yourself.
Aren't you sick of lying to everyone?
Even if I was that person, who says you know what's best for me?
But that doesn't even matter because none of it is true.
Here.
Why did you refuse to have the medical exam?
You're injured.
Do you have something to hide?
Don't like doctors?
You don't like being naked in front of strangers?
To not waste any time.
Take off your shoes.
Excuse me?
Your shoes. Take them off.
Your socks too.
She's losing it.
That's ridiculous.
Nothing justifies a strip search.
I just want to see his feet. I don't think that harms his dignity.
I won't let you go.
Even it's the last thing I ever do in my career.
Should we stop for protocol?
No, wait a minute.
My nail polish doesn't prove anything.
It's pretty.
How does it make you feel? I don't ever wear any.
It helps me get through the day.
No one can see it, but I know it's there.
It can't be easy with your team.
I don't hold it against them.
They can't imagine what it's like hearing their crude comments.
I'd love to see their faces one day...
I'd love
to show up at work one morning
in my dress
and high heels,
and just...
sit down at my desk.
What happened after dinner?
You know very well what happened.
I need to hear it from you.
It's the juicy details that get you going?
No.
It's your story.
I want to hear your version.
I changed to go to The Access.
I kept my suit in my bag.
I just wanted an hour to myself before heading home.
When I'm able to enjoy a rare moment to myself,
it's as my life shines a bit brighter.
In any case,
I wanted a drink. I didn't know Rémi would be there.
You knew him?
We'd run into each other a few times.
We'd just exchanged glances.
I only knew his first name.
When I got there,
he was alone at the bar.
I went over to talk to him,
and we hit it off right away.
I think.
Things accelerated quickly.
That's when you went into the courtyard to have sexual relations?
Wait a minute.
This doesn't happen often. That's not why I go out.
Most of the cross-dressers I know are straight.
It's true...
sometimes I sleep with men.
But...
I love my wife
both emotionally and physically.
I love being the man that comes home to his family every night,
as well as the woman
who was at The Access tonight.
I like being both.
I don't want to choose just one.
Anyway,
we went into the courtyard.
There was another couple kissing.
They quickly left.
We didn't stay long either.
We just shared a nice moment together.
When we headed back to the bar,
we saw them in the distance.
How many were there?
Five of them.
They were laughing loudly.
I know their kind so well.
Did they accost you?
They were between us and the bar. They spotted us.
Rémi wanted to walk by them to show he wasn't scared.
But...
I asked him
to go the other way.
So we walked away.
When I looked back, they were following us.
I could hear their laughter
and their insults getting louder and louder.
We started running down streets at random.
I couldn't keep up with Rémi because of my heels.
That's when I fell.
That's how you hurt your hand.
When I got back up, I saw a porch left open.
So I hid.
They ran by me but didn't see me.
I heard everything.
The shouting when they cornered him.
The insults,
the punches.
I couldn't move.
I was petrified.
He was being slaughtered
and I did nothing.
I waited until they left,
and I changed back into my suit.
I took off my make-up.
I hid my dress,
my bag and everything in a rubbish bin
and ran toward my car.
I left him there.
I'm so ashamed.
Were you scared for your life?
No.
I wasn't scared then.
I didn't think of them
or Rémi.
I thought of my wife and daughters,
of what I'd have to tell them.
Because of...
this regrettable nightmare.
That'll do for now.
What happens next?
For the time being, we'll assume you're telling the truth.
You never give up.
We'll need detailed descriptions of these men.
Then we'll ask you to identify them if they're arrested.
And you may be called in as a witness.
Given the pressure, it's highly possible that all your details will be made public.
This is the first time I've told anyone.
Thank you for your courage.
Can you have Mr Lacombe sign his statement?
OK. And I'll handle his transfer.
Thanks for calling me.
Don't mention it.
Want to grab breakfast?
Yeah.
That'd be great.
Don't get too excited, it's just breakfast.
I got it.
We'll forward the descriptions to the investigative units. Very good.
Thank you, District Attorney. You too.
You managed well in there.
Very well.
The DA is disappointed.
You got one in the net, that's what counts.
Audrey.
What?
I'm the one who screwed up with Weber's lawyer.
I was goofing around and told her about Laetitia's sick leave
without even thinking.
When I realised, it was too late to remedy it.
Why didn't you say anything?
It would've looked bad right before I retired.
And everyone thought you did it.
Yes, I thought you wouldn't last two weeks here, so...
You should go talk to the director today.
I will.
We'll have to look into your transfer.
I'm going home to check on my son and take a shower.
See you tomorrow, I mean,
later today.
Yes, see you later.
And good job!
Subtitle translation by: Louise Layman