Writer 1879: Solitary Journey in France

Chapter 87 Catching Three People

Greenheit didn't even close the door, and the light from his foyer gaslight shone through the hallway floor.

Then——

The man's frantic pleas.

"boom!"

The woman's terrified scream.

"boom!"

Dead silence.

But it seemed as if a soul was howling in the air.

Each shot made Lionel tremble.

I do not know how long it has been--

"boom!"

It was as if the whole world had been deafened by the gunshot.

……

It wasn't until late at night that Lionel returned to his apartment at 12 Rue Antand from Pier 36 on Rue des Silversmiths (the address/alternative name of the Paris police station).

The door to room 503 next door was closed and sealed with a red tape. As Lionel passed by, he remembered Mr. Greenheit's last smile.

He seemed to be saying to Lionel, "Sorry, my dear neighbor."

Once inside, he found Alice and Patty sitting in the living room waiting for him.

Lionel looked at the two pale-faced men and forced a smile: "I've finished asking, I'm fine—you two can actually go to sleep earlier."

Actually, what he was most worried about wasn't himself, but Alice.

When the police came to the door, he told Alice to hide in the room and had already come up with many plans to see how he could get away with it.

However, faced with this blatantly obvious crime of passion, the Parisian police were clearly experienced and had no interest in questioning everyone.

They only took Lionel back to make a statement and then released him.

There are five households on the fifth floor. Only Lionel's 502, Greenheit's 503, and Lucian's 505 were still occupied during the holidays. The other two households were on vacation and had not returned.

Now only Lionel's 502 remains.

He claimed he had been writing in his room and only realized something was wrong when he heard the gunshots—

Because he was timid, he didn't even leave the house until a Paris policeman in a dark blue uniform and a flat-topped hat knocked on his door.

This story was practically flawless; apart from Alice and Patty, no one else knew that Mr. Greenheit had ever been to their apartment.

However, he also honestly confessed to the police that he knew about Lucien and Petit's affair more than once—but what does it matter?

In Paris, everyone turns a blind eye to it, and even talks about it with great interest.

Pier 36 on Silversmith Street obviously wouldn't hire a "consultant detective" to interrogate his unfortunate neighbor.

Lionel didn't even step into or glance at room 503 in Greenhead—instead, it was the apartment manager, the doorman, and a few curious downstairs neighbors who made a mess of the scene and were reprimanded by the police for a long time.

Alice's eyes were red, and she said to Lionel with lingering fear, "Leon, why would he do such a thing?"

Alice was not unfamiliar with adultery—such stories often occurred in the crude conversations of farmers in the Alpine countryside.

But most of them start with a quarrel, go through a chase, end with a beating, and conclude with a compensation payment.

No one will die, only jokes will remain, and after a few years no one will remind you anymore—because there will always be new illicit affairs.

She had also read some novels where characters, big and small, were all having affairs, and most of them ended in farce. She even somewhat approved of Mr. Greenheit killing Lucian; she could also barely understand him killing his wife, Pettit.

But when he finally shot himself in the head, it went beyond Alice's comprehension.

Lionel sighed: "Mr. Greenheit's life's work, his beliefs and his perseverance have been destroyed. Even if he lives on, he will be a walking corpse."

Alice nodded, seemingly understanding but not quite.

Then she asked worriedly, "Did the police ask anything else? Leon, why don't you help me find a cheap place to live? I'll move out so I won't be a burden to you."

Speaking of this, Lionel sighed and said, “It’s not that bad—even a scribe in Paris who pays 10 centimes a page can’t afford the rent.”

Petty, on the other hand, was more oblivious—perhaps because he had seen so many corpses in the winter of District 11—and had already recovered.

She asked Lionel, "Young master, are you hungry? I'll go make something to eat."

Lionel initially wanted to refuse, but then he thought that food could stabilize one's mind, and Alice might need it, so he asked Petty to make something simple.

Mr. Greenheit's death was also a shocking lesson for him, after all, this was the first time he had ever directly encountered a murder case, whether in his past or present life.

As a representative of the emerging middle class in the 19th century, Mr. Greenheit adhered to a moral code that was completely different from that of the so-called "high society".

They received a good education from a young age, were devout believers in God, worked hard, were loyal to their families, and were friendly people; they were role models for the Parisian middle class.

Nobles and wealthy merchants could accept their wives having lovers—of course, they themselves had even more lovers—because their marriages were, in most cases, not based on love, but on an exchange of interests.

In the French royal family, "chief mistress" (also known as "official mistress") is even a title recognized by the government.

In addition to enjoying benefits such as allowances, rewards, and noble titles, French monarchs' mistresses were required to stand up and bow in respect when the king's mistress passed by.

Some "chief mistresses" wielded power even surpassing that of the empress, deeply involved in national politics or becoming renowned patrons of culture and art.

For example, the trend of Parisian salons originated with Madame de Pompadour, Louis XV's chief mistress.

But the middle class is different—compared to the upper class, they do not have enough shared interests to hold their marriages together.
In contrast to rural society, they were freed from the natural responsibility of procreation and inheriting land.

In a situation where neither the heavens nor the earth are in place, "love," especially "love" imbued with doctrine and ritual, becomes the only spiritual pillar that holds a family together.

When this pillar collapses, the whole life collapses too.

But these things were too complicated for Lionel to explain to Alice.

Petty's "midnight snack" was quickly prepared—two slices of toasted bread for each person, sandwiched with fried bacon, an egg, and a slice of tomato.

After eating the sandwich, Alice calmed down and went back to her bedroom with Patty to sleep.

Lionel sat in his study until late at night, trying to finish writing "My Uncle Jules," but he crumpled up sheet after sheet of paper and ultimately didn't write a single word.

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

The next morning, Lionel was awakened by the noise from downstairs.

He went to the window and pulled back the curtains. He saw that the entrance to the apartment building was crowded with people. Judging from their attire and equipment, they were undoubtedly reporters.

The only thing that could make Parisians so enthusiastic on a holiday morning is this murder case, which combines adultery, catching someone in the act, murder, and suicide.

The apartment manager and security guards tried their best to stop them, but their defenses were crumbling.

Lionel stepped out of the room and found that Alice and Patty were already up, anxiously peering out of the living room window.

Lionel made a quick decision: "Change into your outdoor clothes and we'll leave through the back door. We can't stay here today."

Patty asked, "Young master, where are we going?"

Lionel thought for a moment: "Didn't you want to go boating on the Seine? Let's go today!"

(End of this chapter)