Chapitre Trois
Outside the villa, the driver of the police car has heard the gun shot boom from inside
the house. His training told him there was trouble. He jumps out of the car, and rushes in
the front doorway.
The other detectives that had been covering the sides and back of the villa to prevent an
escape are coming from three directions, feet pounding like the clop-clop of race horses,
to converge on the front of the building. The fastest of them shoulder their way into the
front door, as their slower fellows follow quickly behind.
While all this scurrying around is taking place on the grounds, high above the sound of
the running feet is a small dormer window on the roof. Clark Kent appears at the
window. He has a pair of shoes tied around his neck. Behind him, and in the house
below, he can hear loud pounding on the bedroom door, shouting and loud voices.
As Clark listens to the shouts he is calculating the distance he needs to cover on the
rooftop. He has a slight smile on his face, as though her were enjoying a private joke.
His face shows no trace of panic. He is experiencing memories of the many times he
had to evade the German authorities during the war, and yes, memories of his career as
master thief – Le Chat.
Only moments have passed as he emerges from the window, and in his bare feet Clark
athletically makes his way along the roof toward the end of the house. He moves with
experienced ease over the tiles. Reaching the end of the house, he puts socks and
shoes and starts to lower himself down a drain pipe.
Inside the villa Lepic and Mercier are at the top of the stairs, trying to force the door
open, while the other men are crowding the bottom of the stairway, their eyes looking
upward at the closed bedroom door.
With a last strong ramming against the door's weak point Lepic and Mercier succeed in
bursting it open. The door pops open followed by a crash against the side wall. Lepic
and Mercier take two steps forward but are quickly halted when they see a double-
barreled gun propped up and pointing threateningly at them. The gun is resting on an
overturned wing armchair facing them, its trigger hidden from view.
Not sure if someone is holding the shotgun they cautiously move into the room. Just
then there is the sound of a car starting up right out side the window, and an
accelerating engine noise that recedes as the car roars down the road.
Without bothering to go to the window, instinctively knowing what has happened, they
immediately turn and rush back through the doorway. They are met with the sound of
pounding feet as the other detectives on the floor below rush for the outside door.
The detectives rush out, and look out toward the roadway where they see a faint cloud of
dust and hear the sound of the other car's engine racing. Lepic dashes out, and issues
swift orders to the other detectives. They hurry toward their automobile.
They pile in quickly, and the car starts off and turns from the driveway into the main,
winding highway. The driver get the quickly gets the car up to speed, taking small
chances as he accelerates around turns racing down the twisting road with a panoramic
view of the mountains around them.
They do not take notice of the view as the centrifugal force of the car negotiated the
sharp turns has the men hanging on so as not to fall on to their opposite fellow. Ahead,
they can see Kent's red convertible is less than a mile down the curve of the road, with
their car inexorably closing the distance between them.
The two cars are tearing their way around the winding road, near the limits of the car's
capabilities and the drivers' skills with the rear car further gaining on Kent's car. The cars
merge onto the open highway, soon approaching a medieval, walled-in village.
Any bystander would not be able to see either car now as they enter this sheltered
village. The eyes would only be able to follow along the outer walls where the sound of
the cars racing through the village can be heard, screaming like wild animals. Exiting first
at the other end of the walled village is the police car.
The car pulls up suddenly, brakes squealing, and two of the policemen jump out and
look both ways down the highway, on which there is no car in sight. Abruptly, Kent's car
roars out of the village past them. The police scramble back into their car, and before the
doors are closed continue the pursuit.
The driver of the police car ignores some of his professional discipline and aggressively
accelerates to bring their car alongside Kent's car, beginning to force it to a stop at the
side of the road. Immediately all the doors spring open and the police pile out before
their car has completely stopped. They quickly surround Kent's red convertible.
When Lepic rushes to Kent's car he yanks the door open only to see that Kent is not at
the wheel, but that Germaine, his housekeeper, is the driver. She has an annoyed look
on her face.
She complains loudly about them having driven her to the side of the road. "Qu'est-ce
qui vous prend, hein? I am an honest citizen. Since when is it a crime to go shopping.
Out of my way you babes at the State teat, I'm going to the market. "
Lepic's face is red with barely contained anger as he say, "I want this woman
questioned…until we get some answers." Turning to her he mock bows and says
sardonically, "If you please Madam."
Earlier, back at the villa Clark had casually crossed the road toward the local bus which
was just coming to a stop. He got on the bus, paid his fare and the bus drove off. Soon,
as the bus traveled down the road it was forced to move to one side, to allow a speeding
car to pass it going in the opposite direction. When Clark casually looked he saw that it
was the police car, racing to his villa.
Clark had calmly looked out the window at the passing police car.
Clark turns his attention to the woman sitting next to him. She has a colorful bird, a
macaw it appears, in a cage on her lap. The bird suddenly begins fluttering and flapping
its wings in fright.
Clark looks down at the bird and says, "your bird… oiseau agréable, madame," as she
nods her head in agreement, smiling at the nice man.
He leans comfortably back in his seat, a smile playing at his lips.
As the bus that Clark is on makes its way along the pickup route it reaches an
intersection. Clark sees that there is a patrol policeman standing at the traffic
intersection, observing pedestrian and vehicular traffic. Clark's bus is on the other side of
the street as it pulls up to the stop. Two other passengers get off at this stop with Clark.
He walks around the back of the bus, and crosses the roadway.
Halfway across Clark glances at the policeman, without turning his head. He wonders if
word of his flight can have reached this far, if this policeman is on the alert for him. He
relaxes into the role his current clothes would suggest, that of a day worker traveling to a
job, looking for work or just lunch.
He continues cautiously walking without changing his pace. As Clark get close to the
policeman, he raises a flat palm towards his face, while he contorts his face into an
exaggerated yawn. He uses this as a simple and effective momentary disguise. As Clark
passes the policeman and moves on down the street he stops momentarily to check
behind him using the reflective surface of store front glass.
He sees the policeman turn casually and follows him with his eyes. Clark pretends to be
looking at the window display, and then checks his watch as though late for an
appointment. Clark continues walking after he sees the policeman also begin to yawn,
his mouth opening wide and eyes closed, as he turns away.
Coming to the end of the street Clark notices a pretty dark haired woman in a large
Mercedes limousine. As the car comes to a stop to allow right-of-way traffic to pass she
looks over at him. He is first drawn to her exotic, almond shaped eyes, suggesting some
Euro-Asian ancestry. As he waits for traffic to clear his eyes map the symmetry of her
face, the delicate nose, high cheek bones, plush lips, graceful neck, the wide apart eyes
set beneath a thick mane of lustrous, nearly black hair.
Lana is casually staring out the car window when she sees this handsome man. When
her car pulls abreast of where he's stopped less than ten feet separate them. She takes
in his clothes – working man, perhaps – his carriage - former athlete, his overall
physique- impressive.
And, she comes back to his eyes, his expression. She thinks that this is a man who has
had woman chase him most of his life. Probably finding it easy to break hearts, never
really having to work at a relationship when his physical beauty did much of the work for
him.
But, those eyes, they do seem to draw me into their sea-storm depths.
As the car moves off, she quickly dismisses him as yet another handsome wastrel that
might have only been worth a few moments flirtation.
As the car drives off, Clark stands a moment trying to understand what he has just felt.
He is a man that has bedded many woman, and he is much less impressed with physical
beauty now than when he was a younger man.
So why, then, would I be drawn to a passing face in a car window?
He thinks it must have something to do with his heightened state of engagement, his
anxiety at the police pursuit, and yes, his excitement at being the hunted in this real life
game. He quickly puts the woman in the car out of his mind, not needing a distraction
now, however beautiful.