12 May 2027
Wednesday. A lady named Philippa informed me at the desk that she had read every detective novel written between the wars, some of them twice, and would name the culprit within ten minutes.
I told her what I tell everybody. In this hotel one does not win by guessing. One wins by naming the right person and being able to show why, before the hour is out. Opening every drawer in the suite proves nothing. Pointing at someone with confidence proves even less. The gendarmerie requires reasons.
She said that was exactly what she had been hoping to hear. She has spent forty years shouting at the final chapter, she said, and wanted for once to be inside it.
I will not record how long it took her, or whether she was right. The casebook never does. I will record that she came down the stairs very quietly, sat on the bottom step beside Croissant and said, “Well.” Then she booked again.
— Insp. A. Brochard, Gendarmerie
