Free The 7th Woman by Frédérique Molay Page B

and the material used is professional. She was sutured by someone who knew what he was doing.”
    â€œSo he removed Marie-Hélène Jory’s breasts to transplant them on Chloé Bartes,” Nico said.
    â€œAnd he kept Mrs. Bartes’ breasts,” the chief medical examiner continued. “If we follow your line of reasoning, it is in order to transplant them on his next victim.”
    â€œHe is completely over the edge!”
    â€œHe staged the crime in the same way, with the young woman bound, gagged, whipped, mutilated and stabbed. The vital organs were punctured, and this led to massive bleeding, followed by death. As in the first case, the murderer inflicted exactly thirty lashes with the whip.”
    â€œSo, it is not by chance.”
    â€œThat seems difficult to me.”
    â€œIt is a clue. But what could it mean?”
    â€œThat, my friend, is your job. And I don’t envy you. Now let’s look at the knife. I am extracting it carefully from the victim’s abdomen.”
    Professor Vilars held the murder weapon in her gloved hand and carefully examined it. The blade was covered in blood. Her eyes stopped on a detail.
    â€œLook at that. I think he left us a little gift,” she finally said in a gloomy voice.
    Nico approached.
    â€œDo you see that? On the blade. There is a lock of hair, carefully knotted, held on with a piece of tape.”
    â€œWhat do you think?”
    â€œNothing. I’m going to examine it. I’ll keep you posted.”
    â€œCan you do it quickly?”
    â€œShit, Nico. Do you really think I’m going to go home for a long bath and bed? My night is ruined. I’m staying and will get to it right away. I suppose that you’ll be up all night too.”
    â€œI’ll have to be. You can reach me at the office if you want. I wonder if she was pregnant.”
    â€œI’ll check.”
    Nico left feeling confident. Armelle had a reputation for being the best. He met Commander Joël Théron at 36 Quai des Orfèvres around eleven p.m. The two men climbed the four flights of stairs. There, Nico unlocked a box and took out a key to open a small door that looked like it led to an attic. They ascended an extremely narrow stairwell with a ceiling so low, Nico had to hunch over. They entered the evidence room. It was a tiny room with white tiles and fluorescent lights. It was air conditioned to preserve the evidence. There were some gruesome things in that room, including a charred suitcase that had carried the cut-off limbs of a young criminal’s father. There were also bloody clothes, weapons and glass containers in various sizes containing not-especially-engaging contents, certainly blood, saliva and sperm. Nico took the rope used in the second murder, removed a sample and gave it to Théron.
    â€œMake sure to compare the two knots, and we need to know if the ropes came from the same supplier.”
    Nico slipped out the window that led to the rooftop. He walked a few yards, breathing deeply. He stood over Paris. In the daytime, the view was exceptional. At this hour, the capital was wearing its stage costume of shining lights. It was magical. Théron had followed him, and the two policemen smiled at each other. Here, they stood at the summit of their turf. Neither Parisians nor tourists had access to this panorama.
    They returned the way they came and walked down to Nico’s office.
    â€œSo, as I was saying, interviews with Marie-Hélène Jory’s colleagues and students didn’t provide anything new,” Théron said. “We’re not finished yet, but I’m not very optimistic. Other than a few unpaid parking tickets, there is nothing to reproach any of them.”
    â€œAnd the rope?”
    â€œIn Paris, there are seventy-two retailers specializing in nautical material and fifteen distribution networks. I stopped at La Flotte Française on Boulevard de Charonne in the eleventh