The SPECTRE Of The VATICAN ©

Chapter 54 - The Media Conference.

Time: Present Day
Location: Paris, France

Before they had left Sydney Layla had arranged for Ed to employ Mal as a freelancer so he could gain a press pass and attend the press conference with the others. Since he had been partly funding the Carter investigation, and now this one, it seemed only fair that he see how his money was being spent. Besides Ed had come to realise that he was also contributing ideas and suggestions like a real reporter. After all it had been Mal that had suggested they should interview the ambulance driver that had led to the discovery of the mysterious priest with the unusual ring on the CCTV footage.

The police chief Michel De Vrise and his son Claude who had personally investigated tje accident met with the family for half an hour before the news cpnference. Michel always liked the family to know first so there were no nasty surprises in the media. Since he knew the family, he had allowed some friends to attend at the family's request. So the conference room was quite crowded. Jean joined Margot and Michelle at one end with Mal joining Layla and Amanda and Christoph at the other end. In the middle sat a very imposing Michel with Claude at his right hand side.

Michel began, "Before we let the rest of the media in I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincerest condolences to the family. I knew Monique quite well through police dealings with the media over the years, and I liked her a lot. She was always trustworthy and very professional. I have signed the release papers and so has the coroner for the two bodies. You are now free to make burial arrangements for the remains. I am given to understand that Monique is not to be taken back to Australia but to be buried with her mother and father in her home town, Paris. So the remains have now been sent to the funeral home you requested. Jean nodded agreement. Claude slid a plastic bag over the table to Jean. Michel continued, "These items belonging to Monique are returned to you, not much I'm afraid, her mobile phone, damaged in the crash and her cigarette lighter found near the scene."

Jean said, "There must be some mistake, Monique gave up smoking over ten years ago."

"Perhaps she took it up again," Claude suggested.

"No way," interjected Margot, "I would know if she had."

Claude emptied out the bag on the table. The mobile phone was trashed, the screen smashed to smithereens, but it looked like Monique's. It was probably being held together by her hot pink phone cover.

Claude said, "This is her phone though?"

"Yes, I think so," said Jean sadly. Claude took back the Zippo lighter, this must belong to the taxi driver then. I shall return it to the family this afternoon.

"Do you have any questions before we let the media in?" asked Claude. "What about Mum's bag?" Amanda asked.

"There was nothing much left of it or the contents I'm afraid. The fire was quite intense. The phone and lighter must have been thrown clear in the explosion. They were found some metres distant from the vehicle."

Layla chipped in, "Do we know exactly how Monique died?"

"Yes, unfortunately the coroner's report says that despite being pinned in the back seat Monique seemed to sustain only minor injuries in the initial crash, the majority of her injuries and death were as a result of the fire and explosion."

"Do we know who was the last person to see Monique alive?" asked Mal.

Carter whispered in his ear, "That would be me."

Claude said, "That would probably be either the taxi driver or the bus driver, the bus was the only other vehicle in the tunnel at the time of the crash, he said the taxi driver was dead definitely, although he's isn't sure if Monique was still alive when he used his fire extinguisher to try and put out the flames."