Nicolas Le Floch (2008) s01e01 Episode Script

THE MAN WITH THE LEAD STOMACH
Part One
Today is
doubly splendid,
as I meet my friend.
Monsieur de la Borde.
May I ask what other pleasure
you evoke?
I like the smell of the stage.
And its proximity.
Its proximity or its crowds?
Indeed, I admit it.
I come to admire a tender
and gracious object.
We shall see her soon.
On stage.
What's wrong?
Your taste in women usually runs
to more attractive persons.
- Do you know who it is?
- Not at all.
and loves to be loved.
Are they her chaperones?
Count and Countess de Ruissec.
Old military nobility, severe,
devout and drivelling.
They belong
to the entourage of the queen
and the dauphin. Says it all.
Your friend Sartine is here too.
Our chief of police.
Always watching over the family
of our King Louis XV.
Something terrible has happened
to our son.
You do not recognise me?
Be assured, your Highness,
we will ensure
they are accompanied home
and the affair settled discreetly.
However, certain observations
must be carried out.
Commissaire Le Floch, here,
will accompany me.
We know him.
My father holds him in high esteem.
Sir,
we bid you soothe
our friends' distress.
Do not worry about me.
Do what must be done.
Commissaire.
I suppose your great friend,
Mr de la Borde,
will have told you about
Count de Ruissec.
Mr de la Borde?
Do not play games.
I saw you conversing.
What he said indicates he does
not hold de Ruissec in high regard.
Nor does His Majesty.
But the fellow has been useful
to various people.
Army Commissioner.
From the devout clan.
The countess?
- What can you tell me?
- The countess?
Gently, Commissaire.
Don't get carried away.
This case will demand
wisdom and tact.
And nimble diplomacy.
Countess de Ruissec deserves
concern worthy of her rank.
For that,
you will have to enlighten me.
It is not my job to enlighten you.
The facts alone
will do that.
I want you to be free
from all suggestion.
Free to gather your first intuition.
Take me to my son's chamber
and make your report.
Sir, around 9 o'clock,
I had just taken logs
to your apartments
and had gone back down.
As is custom, I was reading
the Holy Scriptures in the kitchen.
Then?
The viscount came up.
I heard the door to his room close,
the key grate in the lock,
then there was a shot.
- A shot?
Are you sure?
My butler is a former soldier.
He served in my regiment.
He has perfect hearing
and knows what he's talking about.
Carry on, Picard.
I hurried there
but found the door locked.
I called, there was no reply.
Can we force it open?
Commissaire.
Find a way to open
or break down this door.
We are waiting.
To hear is to obey.
I have the solution.
A thieves' picklock
comes to the aid of the police?
I will not have it, sir.
This is my house
and my son
Sir, please let
the magistrates proceed.
Who are you to give me orders?
Sartine!
The name reeks of a grocery.
A little magistrate
fresh out of his commoner's lot.
Little magistrate, indeed.
Whose orders come from the king.
The king!
It's all I ever hear.
Do you find fault
with His Majesty, sir?
I would never dream of it.
I will tolerate nothing
against the law.
I promised to be discreet,
but that is my only promise.
As for your insults, sir,
but for the dignity of my office
and a royal censure,
I would demand satisfaction.
Monsieur de Sartine!
The best thing you can do
is go to your apartments
until you are sent for.
The torso wound hasn't bled.
It was inflicted post mortem.
And there is this
A toothless old man?
- Some dreadful old man?
- No, sir.
The late, young, Count de Ruissec.
Young? With such a face?
How can that be?
What are you doing here?
I am Lambert,
the viscount's manservant.
Does that entitle you
to wear stockings
and no shoes?
I was sleeping when I heard a noise.
So you dressed and hurried here
straight away?
In your haste to help,
you did not don your shoes?
You know your master is dead?
Dead?
The poor wretch kept his word.
Wretch?
He had been disgusted for days.
Sick of love, of gambling
Or both.
Disgust? Why?
I do not know, sir.
Wait in the corridor.
Odd dilemma, don't you think?
A choice between the infamy
of suicide, and homicide,
equally so.
The family is known.
News travels fast.
There's already a rumour in town.
Soon it will reach the court.
We must protect the king.
- The king?
- Since the attack
on his person
by that wretch Damien,
the monarch's natural morbidity
is fuelled by everything.
Fed by everything
out of all proportion.
We must preserve his mind
from noxious fumes.
The viscount was murdered.
Do what it takes to make sure.
The body must be taken
from his family
to be examined.
Then go ahead, Commissaire.
Since when do your extravagances
require my blessing?
You are commissaire and magistrate.
Both will take the case.
I leave it to you.
And I leave you.
I have no further interest.
I go to Versailles
to warn Mr de Saint-Florentin.
To prime the weak barrage
of my influence
against Ruissec's storms.
The fellow is one of those
whose rank is to be feared.
Left-handed.
Nicolas!
Yes, Bourdeau.
Do we know the old man's identity?
He was only 22,
and until his recent death,
was an officer in the royal guard
and set for a grand career.
The man shot left-handed.
Yes.
I had noticed.
Call our men.
We shall have to take away the body.
I doubt the family will consent.
We must act promptly
so as not to resort to force.
Finish the observations
and seal the room.
I shall keep the enemy busy.
There he is,
his master's dog,
lost in contemplation of an image
that parodies life.
Yet it decorates your salon.
I acquired it from a ruined partisan,
fond of such illusion.
I'd just as soon cover them
with paintings or tapestries.
One last time, I order you
to let me see my son.
Sir
I must inform you that his body
has been taken from this house
and carried away
for investigation.
Does this mean you intend
to open his body?
To my great regret,
it may be necessary
to establish the truth.
The truth!
What truth do you hope to find?
My son shot himself
in a double-locked room.
You yourself unlocked it.
Why torture
a poor lifeless body?
Perhaps to show your son
was wounded cleaning his gun.
This would avoid
the disgrace of suicide.
You are lying.
Your voice betrays your incredulity.
And your honour preserved.
Honour?
How dare you pronounce that word?
Who are you to talk to me of honour?
Only those with honour
may talk of it.
How dare you, sir
What's this?
Your signet ring.
How can this be?
Why do you bear the arms
of my old friend?
Your old friend is dead.
From him I hold the blood
and chevrons of the Ranreuils.
I advise you to weigh your words.
So
The fruit of sin delights
in such abject occupations.
What does it matter?
It is the madness of the age.
An age where sons turn
against their fathers.
Where aspiring to good
leads to wallowing in evil.
Leave, sir.
I know what I must do.
Sweet Catherine.
Thy chin descends two-fold
upon thy breast.
What was that, my boy?
Nothing.
Just a remembered line
from the great Boileau.
I dropped off waiting for you.
Every night I tell you
not to wait up.
You must be hungry!
I have a meat pie
and a bottle begun
by Mr de Noblecourt before retiring.
He ate very well.
He always does
when his gout leaves him in peace.
"Come tomorrow at 4 o'clock
to the Church of Carmes.
"Someone will be waiting
"who would benefit
from your wisdom."
A Blavet sonata.
May the best man win.
I'm reduced to the difficult
and dangerous task
of sight-reading for traps.
But you, sir,
have the look
of a pointer on a hunt.
The de Ruissec case,
no doubt?
How do you know?
Paris is but a village,
my young friend.
The court and the town
are teeming with rumours.
And my former role
as King's Prosecutor
opened plenty of doors
and made me privy
to plenty of confidences.
Catherine! My morning feast.
And the same for our Nicolas.
What do you know
of Count de Ruissec?
Don't trust the facade
of an old man,
buttressed by certainties
and delusions of honour.
Though he is known for his courage,
he was hard and cruel
with his soldiers.
As usual,
you have the right
to a frothy chocolate.
And piping hot loaves,
fresh from the oven.
- And me?
You? The doctors consented
to a few prunes stewed in their juice
and a large glass
of medicinal sage tea.
She could return.
Any excuse would do.
Ruissec acquired his general's rank
from his wife's dowry.
Before marrying the countess,
he was a scrawny squire
with no gold
but for his coat-of-arms.
But the rumours of plunder
hampered him
and he didn't achieve
the offices
to which he aspired.
- Rumours?
His detractors claimed he fiddled
on everything.
Clothing, fodder, flour
Even cannon powder
and lead for bullets.
Lead for bullets?
Lead for bullets,
which was behind
that awful Langremont affair.
I was army prosecutor then.
Langremont.
Jean de Langremont.
Old Occitan nobility.
A feared moneylender.
A skilled horseman.
One of the most brilliant
and promising officers.
A man of total integrity.
Monsieur de Ruissec.
Oddly dressed
for reporting to your general.
Do you at least bring good news?
Good news?
Our troops are defeated
by your fault.
Defeated?
Defeated.
The enemy was too strong.
By my fault?
Or yours?
You call that lead?
Our bullets do not carry.
When they do,
they do not penetrate.
What do you say, sir?
What do you say,
Monsieur de Ruissec?
This man is a traitor.
Prosecutor
Have him taken away.
His cause was already lost.
I could do nothing to defend him.
Langremont was hanged
on the spot as a mark of infamy.
What about the lead?
It was later proved
that the lead was adulterated
and de Ruissec had been
making vast profits.
That's how he bought his house,
in very suspicious circumstances,
from a partisan
he had pushed to bankruptcy.
Many reasons to hate him.
And now, tired
and fighting old age,
he is secretly involved
in finance and speculation.
But he is in the king's outer circle.
- As for his sons
- Sons?
Two souls without qualities,
conceived without pleasure.
Sons?
He has several sons?
You didn't know the viscount
had a younger brother?
So I am of use!
The vidame Gilles de Ruissec,
long promised
to the Church. A gambler.
A taste for the seedy life,
one imagines.
Desperado or pervert?
That is the question.
Watch where you step, Nicolas.
These devout rebels
are the worst kind.
Take precautions.
And do not act alone,
as you tend to do too often.
See what I mean?
Honestly!
So early in the day!
Inspector Bourdeau
wants to see you urgently.
Did Sartine say what he wanted?
No. He simply bid me
have you appear before him.
This note was passed to me
by the Countess de Ruissec.
- The Church of Carmes?
- We must go.
Ask Rabouine to lunch
at Mother Morel's.
Very well.
Did you know the viscount
had a brother?
Find the vidame Gilles de Ruissec.
Don't detain him.
Find out about him
and the place he stays.
And envy my dangerous task
of facing Sartine at dawn.
Let me introduce
the Baron van Eyck,
Bavarian minister in Paris,
who has need of our help.
Yours, in particular.
It concerns a smuggling case.
A tangle that, I am sure,
you will unravel.
Our case is being hushed up.
Sartine has given me a case
of interest to Bavaria.
The case is closed?
No. But they're sticking spokes
in our wheels.
What kind of Bavarian case?
Some story about smuggling,
a comical affair.
But I had to oblige
Mr de Choiseul.
The king's minster?
An important case.
A case that was quickly resolved.
I have only to write the report.
Mother Morel.
Could you serve us
that sumptuous Sancerre
whose secret comes
from your cousin?
You know I don't have that right,
Commissaire.
I reserved for you two plates,
not knowing whether I'd see you.
- Lamb's liver soup.
- With a piece of steak?
Indeed!
A very tasty piece at that.
Second, I've cooked you
seasoned slices of pig's liver
in fatty bacon
with a dash of white wine.
Perfect.
Our action has been slowed.
But what about
the Church of Carmes?
It is very impolite
and uncurious not to heed
a refined lady's rendezvous.
Two failings incompatible
with my position.
Lack of perspicacity
and scorn of accuracy.
I haven't seen Rabouine.
Did you not contact him?
Have pity, my Lord,
on poor Rabouine
and his offspring.
Did Bourdeau tell you everything?
Your will shall be done.
To the letter.
Use assistants.
Yes, my Lord.
- Is the child his?
- Probably not.
Some wretch kidnapped as a child
for a life of begging.
And who, like Rabouine,
is an auxiliary policeman.
Mr de Sartine is right.
The Great Architect's laws
sometimes digress diagonally.
Paris is manure
on which the flies teem.
Some are timely.
Others are indispensable.
Thank you.
You still intend to open the body?
More than ever.
I sent word to Sanson.
You're invited too.
Knowing your delicate nose,
don't forget to bring your pipe.
The Countess de Ruissec!
Whatever your secret,
you've taken it with you.
A complimentary ticket.
Report.
At 4 o'clock, a carriage arrived.
An old woman got out
and entered the church.
The coachman?
He didn't wait.
Then a grand lady left the church.
Young, pale face,
wearing blue spectacles.
- The child tailed her.
- Child?
Don't worry, my Lord.
He commands a whole band
and blends into the crowd.
And this child doesn't let go.
Thank you, my Lord.
A complimentary ticket
from an actress
addressed to the late viscount.
No doubt the countess
was to give it to me.
An actress?
La Bicheliere,
The countess died from a violent blow
on the side of her neck.
I quickly had
the same painful experience,
but with a less deadly fate.
The stakes must be high
to attack an officer of the king.
The wretch must have
lost consciousness.
Plague of a world where questioning
is a means of justice.
And where suffering presages
even greater horrors.
Even if one has finally surmounted
one's disgust,
convinced that one's occupation
can shake one's compassion
Commissaire.
It's not customary
to shake the executioner's hand.
I have no prejudices.
Is our homicide still here?
I feared it may have been taken.
Scemacgus, my friend!
Given the importance of the case,
I'll conjugate my powers
with those of your friend,
whose knowledge of anatomy
is authoritative.
You are quite right.
Experience sustained by learning.
What do you think, Scemacgus?
- It's a heavy subject.
- Heavy?
Scemacgus is trying to say
that this corpse has a weight
unlike any other human.
Meaning?
Look.
Heavy and ductile.
Lead, gentlemen.
This man has a stomach of lead.
Have you seen his face?
I've never seen
such a horrible sight.
The face is shrunken.
Similar to those taken
from savage tribes.
This man was killed,
tortured, massacred.
He was made to drink molten lead.
Insides burned, head shrunken,
organs destroyed.
An awful end.
They shot a man
who had choked on molten lead.
I hereby inform you
of an order issued
by the Count de Saint-Florentin,
king's minister
in charge of the City of Paris
and its environs,
to stay all investigation,
inquiry and opening
of the said person
and to give up the body,
that it be transferred
to family trustees.
It is yours, sir.
My word!
Mr de Saint-Florentin.
The blade was hoisted high.
Some know their duty.
Others do their job.
Have you traced
young Gilles de Ruissec?
Without the slightest difficulty.
Vidame Gilles,
viscount at Lionel's death,
lives at the Ruissec home
where we are banned.
Viscount?
It's a motive.
Vidame Gilles may have murdered
his elder brother to be a viscount.
I thought we were off the case.
I know.
I'm persistent.
For the late viscount,
the case is indeed closed.
However
for his mother, the countess,
it isn't.
The body was examined
by Doctor Morand.
His report confirms my suspicions.
Her spine was snapped.
I'm visiting an actress
from whom this ticket came.
La Bicheliere.
Those girls are smooth-tongued,
hot and mostly spicy.
I don't intend eating.
Return to the Ruissec home.
Find an excuse to lift the seals
and enter
and carry out another search.
I'll find it harder
to get in than you.
Goodnight, sir.
Come on!
I adore you.
Here, my Lord.
Eros undone
by ill fortune.
You'll find what you seek
on the mezzanine.
Up the red staircase.
To what do I owe the pleasure, sir?
For creditors' bills,
come back at 5 o'clock.
A time when you're at the theatre.
Who are you,
impertinent young man?
Nicolas Le Floch.
But you are
far too young and appetizing
to be a copper.
You are proof
that value
Well, sir?
What is it?
I have here a ticket
on which I'd like your opinion.
Where'd you get that from?
A friend,
viscount Lionel de Ruissec.
- He spoke of your charms
- Lionel de Ruissec?
Don't talk to me about that shit!
A pig who robbed me, fucked me
then abandoned me!
- Abandoned you?
- Yes.
He acted all faithful and devoted
then ran off with another.
There wasn't much respite.
He dumped me!
And for whom?
Some rancid whore at court!
Mademoiselle de la Sauvetet!
No one knows about her.
They claim she paints.
That means she's old
and frightfully ugly.
But she's rich.
That excuses everything.
And viscount Lionel?
Him?
He's broke.
He can't even pay my debts.
Does he want me in the hospital
in a nightshirt?
What will become of me?
Yes?
Have a seat, my friend.
We must talk.
The place may well
appear incongruous,
but I wanted to be away
from prying ears.
I heard Mr de Saint-Florentin,
king's minister,
yesterday immediately received
your chief of police,
Mr de Sartine.
Did this lead to the order
to abandon the case?
Yes.
- The body was taken?
- Yes.
I heard from Dr Scemacgus
that your diagnosis was complete.
Indeed.
- There's no doubt it was murder?
- None.
I fear this affair
is taking a nasty turn.
Mme de Pompadour
wishes to see you tomorrow
- In your role as marquis.
- Unaccustomed role.
She wants it to remain a secret.
Good luck, my friend.
You will be seen immediately.
Seen immediately?
Are you fleeing me, Nicolas?
You are.
Choiseul told me how pleased he was
about Baron van Eyck.
The facts established.
The smuggler identified
and shortly arrested.
The baron cleared of all suspicion.
The king
loved the story of your exploits.
Bravo, Commissaire.
I heard, too,
by the way,
of the death of the ill-fated
Countess de Ruissec.
And the same misfortune
almost cost you your life.
I have my sources.
Just as you have yours.
What do you know of court intrigues,
Commissaire?
The little I learn
ill-disposes me to learn more.
I quite enjoy them.
This game is being played
in a triangle.
At this point, the summit,
is the king.
Here,
the dauphin.
As he's surrounded by pious prigs
who ceaselessly censure his conduct
and condemn his mistress,
the king has moved
away from him.
Those who grumble about power
gravitate
to the heir to the throne.
Thus the dauphin, unwillingly
and even unwittingly,
is now the leader
of a band of rebels.
Madame de Pompadour herself
considers him her enemy.
Mme de Pompadour?
The last point of the triangle.
But not the least.
I believe you are to meet her.
It was to be a secret.
I wish it wasn't happening.
I command Le Floch,
but as for the Marquis de Ranreuil
You're feeling your way.
With La Pompadour in the game,
the stakes are high.
Go. But be cautious.
Keep Bourdeau close.
We need you.
To be continued
for TELETOTA