The Madonna of Notre Dame Read Online Free PDF

of the Mass, at about eight p.m., we emptied the cathedral, so we could put up the tulle.” “The tulle?”
    “On summer evenings, we stretch a huge canvas across the transept, because at nine-thirty p.m., we reopen the cathedral for Rejoice, Mary. ”
    “What’s Rejoice, Mary?”
    “It’s a film about the Assumption.”
    “Of course, stupid question. So at half past nine, you reopened the doors once again and people came back in, like a movie theater.”
    “That’s right.”
    “And at what time did Rejoice, Mary finish?”
    “The film is forty-five minutes long. At ten-thirty p.m., we got everyone out again.”
    “And was the girl in white also there for Rejoice, Mary? ”
    “I couldn’t tell you.”
    “You didn’t see her?”
    “No.”
    “After Mass you didn’t see her again for the rest of the evening?”
    “No.”
    “And were there many people at Rejoice, Mary last night?”
    “It was full. Over a thousand people.”
    “What do you do inside? Is it like a movie theater? Do you dim the lights?”
    “We just keep the night-lights on in the entrance. The night-lights and the candles.”
    “And can people come and go as they please?”
    “As they please, yes.”
    “And you never have any problems?”
    “What kind of problems?”
    “I don’t know, couples smooching in the corners, kids trying to remain locked in the cathedral overnight so they can piss in the holy water basins.”
    “Very seldom. In any case, after we close, we do the rounds to check everything properly.”
    “Hard work, all that, Mourad.”
    “I told you. Along with Christmas, it’s the hardest day of the year.”
    “Because of the crowds?”
    “The crowds, the crazy people.”
    “And tell me, Mourad, where do you live?”
    “ In Garges-lès-Gonesse. Why?”
    “It’s quite a trek home.”
    “I take the local train D, from Châtelet. Then the bus. Then there’s a bit on foot.”
    “Are there still buses in Gonesse when you lock up here?”
    “I generally miss the last one.”
    “So what do you do?”
    “I walk.”
    “You walk all the way from the train station?”
    “I have to.”
    “You don’t have a car?”
    “Can’t afford one.”
    “If you leave here at about ten-thirty—eleven, what time do you get home?”
    Mourad did not answer.
    “Are you sure you did your rounds last night, Mourad?”
    “What are you trying to say, inspector?”
    “Don’t get excited, Mourad, I’m just asking you a question. After such a long day you must have just wanted to go home tobed, right? I’m trying to put myself in your shoes. If I’d had the chance to catch my train fifteen minutes earlier by skipping my rounds, I wouldn’t have hesitated, trust me. Hell, the last bus in Gonesse, that’s vital.”
    “Last night I did my rounds like I do them every time I get to lock up in the evening, inspector. Do you have any other questions or may I leave?”
    “You can go home.”
    “The girl they found this morning, is it her? Is it the girl in white who got attacked yesterday?”
    “You’ve got it exactly right, Mourad. You should join the police.”
    The guard walked away, and his keychain kept jingling in time with his footsteps long after Landard lost sight of him behind a pillar.
    “Gombrowicz, have you got a cigarette?”
    Gombrowicz took a pack of Camel Lights out of his jeans pocket and offered it to Landard. The latter pulled out a cigarette, made a face, put it between his lips, then shook his lighter for a long time without managing to light it.
    “Do you have a light, Gombrowicz?”
    “No. Just use a candle.”
    Landard went up to a rack, grabbed a lit candle with a picture of the Virgin of the Pillar, and took a long drag on his cigarette. He remained lost in his thoughts in the midst of a thickening cloud of smoke. Then he suddenly waved the air away as though to clear his head, and turned to Gombrowicz.
    “Hey, Gombrowicz. What do you bet Mourad didn’t do his rounds last night?”

    Father Kern was