To the unassuming eye Epiluche is a quiet, rural village located some 5 kilometres from Riberac. The village comes alive each year in the form of a festival of colour, light, floating barges of flowers, music, wine and entertainment. This event attracts many visitors; some welcomed, others tolerated.

For many years Inspector Charles De Saveur and the local police have tried to break a drug trafficking operation based annually within Epiluche. Although not a large concern enough drugs are passed through the village to Bordeaux to warrant such interest. Charles De Saveur had already discovered the name of the leader, known as Mr X, but no firm identification has been established.

Inspector de Saveur was sitting in his office at the Riberac police station fingering through his correspondence. He noticed a small package amongst his letters and memos. It was a small parcel wrapped in brown paper with the inscription ‘Charles De Saveur’ written in a thick, black ink marker pen. Cautiously he opened the parcel, carefully cutting the string. Inside was a small cardboard box sealed opulently with nearly a roll of sellotape. He picked up the scissors and cut down the main lid of the mysterious box.

Inside was a framed photo and a message written on plain paper. It read,

‘This picture contains a clue. Use it wisely to break the drug cartel. From a well wisher.’

The inspector’s mind raced. He tried to imagine who would send him such a message. What would be its purpose? Was it an attempt to feed him false information? The phone rang,

"This is Inspector Charles De Saveur."

The voice on the telephone was quiet, young and polite, "Have you received the parcel?"

"Yes, I have."

"I sent this to help you as this drug violation must stop before anyone else is hurt. The next shipment of narcotics will happen during the Epiluche festival next week."

The inspector interrupted, "What exactly will be moved? By whom?"

The voice replied, "It is not for me to say. I have said enough." The phone went dead and the Inspector dialled the operator and asked her to trace the last call. He stared at the picture to absorb its detail. The simple photograph was of five floats, he recognised them from the previous year’s carnival. From the initial glance he could not reveal its secrets. The internal phone rang,

"Yes, Celeste?"

"I could not trace the call as requested, sir. The caller did not speak for one minute, the minimum amount of time required for a successful trace."

"Very well, Celeste. You tried your best," the Inspector replied. He slumped into his black, leather chair to ponder his next move.

The following day Charles De Saveur decided to visit the village of Epiluche himself. When he arrived he parked beyond the main bridge and walked back into the village. The main street was a hive of activity. People were sweeping, washing, mending, and painting a variety of articles. Children were playing as the adults worked; the innocence and pleasure of youth, he thought. All appeared normal and nothing was out of place. He recognised the villagers and none were outsiders.

Charles De Saveur walked back to the bridge. Some teenage boys, resting from their labours, were jumping from the village bridge into the clear, refreshing river water. A part of him wished that he could do the same but he was now a responsible adult, a condition he didn’t always approve of, as he was nearly forty. As he passed them he said,

"Be careful boys! The best place to jump from is the middle archway. I used to find this the best place!"

The boys smiled and acknowledged his advice.

At the station the unsolicited picture was passed from person to person and they were asked to give their first impressions. Each comment made was recorded for the Inspector to read when he returned to the office. Many comments recorded people’s delight with the construction and aesthetic appeal of the floats. Some posed the question ‘what was inside the floats?’ and ‘what happened to them when they had finished the parade?’ Such hypotheses would prove fruitful to the future investigation.

On the day of the Epiluche festival Inspector de Saveur was in plain clothes circulating amongst the crowds. He had seven other police officers, also in plain clothes, patrolling through the throngs of people. The inspector’s eyes fell upon a man dressed in white trousers and a white shirt, undone for better ventilation and comfort. The suspect walked from stall to stall speaking to proprietors and visitors. His body language was relaxed but the policeman’s intuition, within the inspector, craved a closer look. The inspector watched as he spoke to a woman pushing a pram. The woman appeared to dismiss the man in an unfriendly manner. The inspector waited until the man was out of sight and approached the woman to question her.

"Pardon, Madame." The Inspector showed the woman his identification. "I am carrying out an investigation. Could you please tell me what the man, dressed in white, was saying to you?"

The woman, obviously startled, replied, " I do not know the man. He asked me the time!" She dismissed the inspector in a similar manner. He was not going to let the matter rest and followed her,

"Unless you tell me what I need to know, I will arrest you for withholding evidence," he stated in commanding tones. Her manner changed and she gestured for the inspector to join her, in secret, behind one of the craft exhibits.

As she spoke Charles De Saveur saw the small injection marks on the woman’s arms. To the trained eye she was a heroin user and being evasive to conceal her illegal addiction habit. She was shaking and in a state of distress. Looking over her shoulder she spoke in hushed tones,

"The man you saw is one of my suppliers. I meet him once a week to purchase my hit. I ask no questions and he supplies me with what I need. If you have to arrest me do it now. Please take care of my baby until my punishment is over!"

"I see no need to arrest you. Here is the telephone number of someone who may be able to help you. She has a good success rate and charges only a modest fee." The woman appeared surprised, took the card and disappeared with the pram into the moving sea of visitors.

Charles De Saveur continued with his stakeout. His attention was drawn to a man, dressed in brown shorts and a blue football shirt, buying a beer at the La Biere De Maitre Kanter stall. The young man was writing copious notes into a small notebook and appeared to be carrying a large amount of money in 500-franc notes.

After a short interrogation he was cleared from all suspicion, as he was responsible for managing the collection of stall leasing fees. The inspector was beginning to give up all hope of finding a significant lead that would move this case forward. He decided to have a beer and unwind a little. The cool beer had an immediate effect and his stress level reduced commensurately. Perhaps he was approaching the case from the wrong angle? He decided to call the surveillance team together on the outskirts of the village to avoid raising suspicion.

The collection of policemen and women were extremely exhausted from their work in the hot, summer sunshine. The humidity levels had risen and their clothes bore the telltale marks of their sweat and labour. From the discussion no leads were apparent and the inspector wondered if the picture had been an elaborate ruse to distract the police from the true criminal activities taking place during the festival. The police team were desperate and an unusual plan was called for.

A rather large man sporting a huge moustache was initially unaware that he was the prime focus for a pair of police officers. As they watched he appeared to be interested in the comings and goings of people near the main steps to the bridge. He barely moved but scanned each new visitor in the manner of a security guard as they past him. The team continued to watch him and were prepared to make a move at the least provocation.

Inspector de Saveur was watching from his new vantage point. He was more satisfied with this new location as it offered him a panoramic view of the fair site. The music of the Los Palmos band was beginning to annoy him as the heat of the afternoon had affected their tuning and their repertoire was very limited. They were a curious music group who possessed a wide range of musical ability. The euphonium player was tone deaf and provided bass notes that Schoenburg would have been proud of. However the tambourine player was clearly under the influence of some chemical substance as she performed a strange, almost tribal dance as she sang and played. To his astonishment as the tempo of the music reached a climax she froze and collapsed onto the baked earth below. The band continued to play as she was carried off to the medical station.

The crowd clapped wildly, induced by the warm, summer weather, alcohol and carnival atmosphere as the band finished for a break. Inspector de Saveur felt something touch him on the back between his shoulder blades. He turned and saw no one in striking distance. However, on the ground was a note covering a small pebble from the river, secured by an elastic band. He unwrapped it eagerly and read:

‘Watch the band! – from a well-wisher.’

He resumed his earnest reconnaissance and chose two band members to follow during their break. This revealed very little so the inspector returned to his observation point but felt something hard and metallic brush against his feet. He looked down and saw a Bb trumpet left casually on the floor and picked it up to remind him of his own musical youth. He pressed each of the valves and they were very stiff to the touch. Realising the problem he unscrewed one of the valve casings and the valve duly popped out revealing the cause of the problem. Inspector De Saveur smiled with satisfaction.

During his discovery a battered, white Renault 17 drove onto the site. The moustached man approached it cautiously, now aware that, from his experience, he was being watched by a surveillance team.

The moustached man was the gang’s head of security. He was experienced and decided to instruct a subordinate to make contact with the runner. Gendarmes Le Clerk and Grenoble moved in for the arrest and took the accomplice into custody. Raoul Candice was taken to Riberac Gendarmerie for questioning and the matter reported to Inspector De Saveur.

Charles De Saveur climbed into his Opel Vectra and placed the trumpet and recovered contraband onto the front, leather seat. The case was finally moving forward at last. He drove the familiar route to Riberac considering the questions he would ask the prisoner. He felt pleased with himself.

The remaining officers searched the floats and found them full of heroin, cocaine and hash. This major drugs haul was removed as evidence and the floats impounded, much to the annoyance of the villagers, who considered their fete ruined. The finger of blame was pointed towards many individuals, as the Epiluche inhabitants mulled over the happenings of the day in the village bar.

Charles De Saveur walked around the prisoner in the interrogation room at Riberac, as he smoked a cigarette.

"Your name’s Raoul Candice?"

"Yes," replied the tired informant.

"How are you connected to this drugs ring?" asked the inspector.

"I have nothing to lose by telling you the truth. Until last year I was a runner for the cartel. I used to drive the drugs from Epiluche, after the festival had finished, to Bordeaux. I then dropped them off for distribution."

"So you readily admit you were involved in this sad affair?"

"Of course! It was me that sent you the photo."

"Why would you do that?"

"I had a girl friend called Mimi. Without me knowing at first she started to dabble in a few drugs. A little at first but then she moved on to crack cocaine. When I found out I tried to take her off them but she wouldn’t. The sad thing was that the drugs cartel I worked for was supplying them to her. It started with a few samples and then when she was truly hooked they charged the going rate."

"What happened to Mimi?" the inspector asked.

"She died of a massive heroin over dose. I was in Bordeaux at the time and found her died in the bathroom when I returned. After talking to a few of the guys it became apparent that Mr X had ordered her killed for not paying for her previous two month’s worth of hits. On hearing this I vowed revenge. That is why I sent you the photo."

Charles De Saveur continued the questioning, "Are you still working for Mr X?" Does he know that you have betrayed him?"

Raoul replied, "Yes I still work for him but he is unaware that I have grassed him up."

"Did you ever meet Mr X, or know who he is?"

"No!"

"I expect that he will realise now we have the stash and the whole affair is out in the open."

The inspector passed Raoul a cup of steaming, sugared coffee then left the room. He felt pleased with how the interview had gone and rewarded himself with a sip of whiskey from his hip flask.

Back in his office the inspector was starting his report when there was a knock at the door,

"Come in!"

The door opened and his sergeant entered the room carrying a piece of paper.

"Sorry to disturb you inspector but I have just received the lab report concerning the band member who collapsed during the fete. Didi Ménage, the tambourineist was rushed into hospital as she had gone into a coma in the ambulance. Luckily she had her stomach flushed out and she is recovering in hospital. The tests show that she was full of cocaine, enough to kill a weaker person!"

"Has she said where she got the cocaine from?" inquired the inspector.

"No, she has not come out of her coma yet. She should do so at any time."

"Good. Is that all?"

"Yes, sir."

"Thank you Sergeant. Please close the door behind you as you leave." Charles De Saveur looked down at his desk.

Inspector De Saveur reached across his desk for a file. He opened it and read the page concerning Didi Ménage. He opened his draw and removed a plastic wallet containing a white powder, smothered with valve oil.

Sergeant La Croix brought the prisoner Raoul Candice another cup of coffee and tried to wake him. Raoul was slumped on the table. La Croix felt for a pulse and couldn’t find one. It was apparent that Raoul had been dead for some time and in his clenched fist was an empty plastic wallet that had contained some form of white powder. Sergeant La Croix called for assistance and the unfortunate informer’s body was taken to the morgue for a post mortem to discover the cause of death. The wallet was also sent for analysis. The sergeant said to a colleague,

"Poor bloke. It looks like he committed suicide. A very sad affair indeed." The sergeant was truly sorry for this death as he considered any loss of life a waste. Indeed this aspect of his job did not appeal to him.

A white Opel Vectra was parked behind the old lumber mill in Epiluche. It had been concealed from view deliberately. A lone figure was pouring white powder into the river through the lower hatch in the floor. The powder dissolved easily into the clear water of the Epiluchian river leaving a trail of semi-conscious fish in its wake. With the evidence destroyed it would be relatively easy to establish another concern in a different location.

The next stage of this process was to inflate and fill balloons with petrol and pin them to the beams above the tinder dry packing cases. The first balloon was ignited and the man dressed in a dark overcoat threw a final object into the combustion chamber. The brass instrument would soon melt in the intense heat of the cleansing conflagration and he climbed into the car and speed off into the distance.

Nurse Le Pampouse was the first to discover Didi Ménage’s body. Her oxygen cylinder had been tampered with and replaced with nitrous oxide. This humorous aesthetic had ensured that she remained in a coma and could not assist the police with their inquiries. Her family had been informed and were shocked to hear that she had been using drugs. Preparations had already commenced for her funeral, which was to take place the following Thursday. The police removed the hospital CCTV videotape as evidence and returned to headquarters.

In the communications room four members of the original surveillance team were given the task of scrutinising the CCTV videos gathered as evidence from both the hospital and Epiluche Fete. The task was laborious and boring looking at many hours of this video footage. They saw the Inspector talking to a lady with a pram. She walked away and returned to him to receive a small envelope. Later on he was seen taking a trumpet that he found on the ground. Sadly he moved out of the camera shot for the next twenty minutes. Nothing appeared to be significant and they moved onto the hospital footage.

Sergeant La Croix commented,

"I didn’t know that Inspector De Saveur visited the hospital at 5.00pm last night. Did you?"

"He was out of the office for a long time and I couldn’t reach him on his mobile," retorted Sara Le Strange.

"Hey, look at this. The inspector is carrying a cylinder of gas into the room," said the sergeant. They watched as the plot was outlined on screen. The changing of the cylinder; the wiping of fingerprints. The evidence was damming and conclusive.

A full-scale search was initiated for Inspector De Saveur but sadly drew a complete blank. He had disappeared from Riberac and his apartment was empty. It was as though he had never existed.

Four months later a white car, with a single male occupant was dragged from the Bordeaux harbour. The Bordeaux police marked the file ‘Gang Land Killing.’