I Shot the Buddha by Colin Cotterill

Author:Colin Cotterill
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Crime Fiction
Publisher: Soho Press
Published: 2016-05-23T20:23:31+00:00

Our office became involved in this affair following M. Marche’s written application for acquiescence to take up a government post in Paris upon his return. It is the guiding principle of the Vichy administration to thoroughly scrutinize applicants for official positions. Whilst examining the administrator’s affairs prior to his appointment in Indochina we uncovered the court dealings and a number of other complaints which had, for some reason, not been investigated. There were also several grievances from French and Vietnamese citizens reported during his tenure in Pak Xan. We came upon one complaint, for example, from a French accountant, M. Charles Delon, who was employed by the Vichy throughout the region during that time. He claimed that Administrateur Marche had been integral in the procurement of teenage girls in Laos. The accountant had been made aware of this matter by his clerical assistant, a French citizen of Vietnamese origin, who was the mother of one of the girls concerned.

As the procurement of teenage girls was not a rare occurrence in Laos and the arrangement was usually deemed to be consensual, the matter was not further pursued at the time. It was only when viewed in relation to the earlier cases that we began to see a pattern. Our department commenced an investigation into the actions of M. Marche with more vigor, and it was then that we uncovered suspicion of crimes far more nefarious than mere kidnapping. This is the rationale behind Marche’s recall to France and Inspector Gallas’s journey to Indochina and specifically to Pak Xan. It is hoped he will be able to gather sufficient data to support our suspicions and build a strong legal case against Marche. We appreciate your cooperation in this matter.

Yours sincerely,

Police Commissioner Alain Boyer

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