Each year, the French police open more than 800 murder investigations.
Nearly 20% remain unsolved.
This film relates one of them.
THE NIGHT OF THE 12TH
Grenoble, Police Headquarters
October 12th, 2016
9:36 pm
Speech, speech, speech!
Yes!
I love you, guys.
But I won't miss your mugs.
Especially those in my unit.
Yohan, Jérôme, Loïc, Willy, Marceau,
Fred.
I'll miss filling out forms
and the screw-ups with the software.
Like when you lose a 15-page report by magic.
You said it!
I see some young jerks thinking
retirement's far off. It's true.
But when you lucky guys reach my age,
it'll be just a memory.
I also wanted to say...
No!
You fucking pains.
Go ahead, I can't do it.
It's your party.
Tell them you're proud to take over.
Ok, listen up, guys.
I'm proud, very proud, to take over from him.
So are we!
You know it's true.
There.
C'mon, make an effort!
To Tourancheau!
For years now, I've wondered
how they gave a unit to a Breton who only drinks pastis!
An eternal mystery. Thanks, Marceau.
Cheers!
Thanks, Yo.
Thanks, Willy. Thank you, Chief.
Tourancheau! La Tanche!
Look at him!
You little cunts.
For your bedroom.
- Let's have a photo. - Gather round.
Ready...
At ease and say cheese!
You won't stay?
- I'm going home. - Tomorrow's your day off.
- Meeting Wesley? - No, I'll sleep.
Good night then.
Take care.
See you tomorrow?
Love you.
Good night.
Nanie, babe.
Nanie, I adore you. You're the best friend ever.
Loads of kisses for you.
Clara.
Who are you?
Who's the black cat?
Boris.
- What am I? - The black cat.
- It's him. - You said it.
You turn up and we get a case on a weekend.
Hungover too!
- In the sticks. - Doing the gendarmes' job.
So you're bad luck.
Nothing to smile about.
- You have the evil eye. - You were on duty.
Is it normal on your first night?
You're jinxed.
Fred was on duty too.
Fred never gets a case when he's on duty, so it's you.
Blaming a colleague sucks.
Show team spirit.
Or it's Yohan.
New unit chief and wham!
Yeah.
The gendarmes are pissed off.
It's their turf. We shouldn't be here.
Why didn't they get it?
We have enough work in the city.
The chief said the prosecutor insisted we take it.
He must think we do a better job.
And there's some truth in that.
- Hello. - Hello, police.
We're going house-to-house. May we come in?
Heard from the medical examiner?
He took the wrong exit. He won't be long.
Clara?
Hello?
Hello, Clara?
This is Captain Vivès of the police.
We just found this phone.
Can you tell me who you're calling?
Clara who?
You're the police?
Yes. Answer me, please.
Clara who?
Royer. Clara Royer.
Y-E-R?
Yes.
Do you know her address?
17, Chemin des Terres Blanches. Her parents' place.
You found her phone?
I can't say anything now. May I have your name?
Nanie who?
Béguin. Stéphanie Béguin.
Can you do the talking?
If you want.
I prefer it.
I hate telling parents their kid's dead.
I can take autopsies, the gross stuff, but that...
Yes?
Mrs Royer?
Yes.
- Hello, ma'am. - Hello.
We're from the police.
Yes...
What's it about?
May we come in, please?
What's wrong?
Is there a problem?
Let's go inside. It's important.
Is your husband in?
No, he's at work.
- Shall I call him? - We'll see to it.
When is he due back?
I don't know. 6, 6:30.
What's going on?
Sit down, it'll take a while.
Can you tell me now?
Last night, a young woman was killed nearby.
We have reason to believe...
Yohan...
We have reason to believe it was your daughter.
What?
A girl was found murdered
and we think it's Clara.
- Clara? - Yes.
She's at Nanie's place.
No, she was at Nanie's, but didn't stay over.
- She's at Nanie's, I tell you. - Ma'am...
She didn't stay over.
She was attacked on her way home.
What are you saying?
Nanie, where's Clara?
She's not here?
- I don't get it. - Sit down, ma'am.
- What's wrong? - Sit down, please.
I don't want to sit down!
Ma'am, look at me.
We're the police.
We think the young woman killed is Clara, your daughter.
What do you mean? It's not true!
You're lying to me!
You're lying! Get out!
Get out of my home!
Nanie!
I want to see her! Where is she?
Clara!
It was just us girls.
We had fun, chatted...
Who else knew about the evening?
I don't know.
When Clara left, was she meeting someone?
No.
No...
She wanted to go home.
Did Clara have problems?
Conflicts with others?
No.
She got on with everyone.
She was good-natured.
Any romantic break-ups?
Yes, quite a few.
She fell in love easily.
Anything recent?
No.
These last few months, she was dating Wesley.
She met him at work.
At the bowling alley in La Toussuire.
La Toussuire?
The ski resort up above.
Wesley who?
Fontana. Wesley Fontana.
She sent me a video.
When?
Last night, just after she left.
May I see it?
Nanie, babe, I adore you. You're the best friend ever.
Loads of kisses for you.
I'll need this video.
Something odd happened to me.
I was informing her mother
when I saw a photo of Clara, little, with a cat.
I seized up.
I couldn't utter a word.
Normal, you'd seen the body.
It's harder after that.
Maybe.
I felt like I was on the edge of a big hole.
I could see her mother, but my mind was blank.
You froze up.
It happens.
It was so weird.
I thought I was dead.
Aren't you overdoing it?
Yeah, you're right.
Did Clara live here?
Yes.
She didn't always sleep here.
We didn't track her every move.
But she lived here.
You knew her boyfriend?
- Wesley? - Yes.
Not very well.
Clara was discreet about her feelings.
Wesley would fetch her, but we only spoke once.
She seemed in love.
Were you close?
I guess.
We never discussed intimate stuff, if that's what you mean.
That'd be with her mother.
How would you describe her?
I'm her father.
I see her with a father's eyes. I'd say...
Intelligent.
Yes.
And joyful.
Setting a girl on fire...
The guy's a psycho.
Could he be some fanatic?
Girl or not, it takes planning.
You need a fuel can and a lighter...
It's not like stabbing or strangling.
You have to be mad to think, "I'll burn her."
So strangling or stabbing is ok?
No, but you can follow a guy's thinking.
You imagine he blew a fuse.
But what was this guy thinking?
It feels like punishment to me.
Like an acid attack.
Remember that last one?
With acid, they want to mark a girl for life.
Maybe he didn't mean to kill.
A dumb psycho?
Why not? And we keep saying "he".
Maybe it's a she.
Women always get burned.
Joan of Arc, witches...
Guys get beheaded, crucified or shot, but rarely burned.
Some burn themselves to protest in Tibet.
You can't compare suicide for a cause with a maniac burning a girl.
I agree.
Even if women don't burn, men start the fire.
Some guys get burned with barbecues.
Beard on fire, you jumped in the pool squealing,
"Shit, I'm burning! I'm burning!"
Do your reports, you jerks.
Sorry to ask this now, but what about overtime?
You note it?
You're off to a bad start.
- How old are you? - 27.
27 and counting hours?
It's a job, not volunteer work.
Overtime is normal, if it's taken into account.
Normal in a normal world.
You'll get paid when the world's normal.
"Mr and Mrs
Tudesque
declare they
saw and heard nothing.
At number 26, rue Jean Huguet,
Mr and Mrs Vovelle
declare
they saw and heard nothing."
Fred...
Can you do it silently?
Yes, sorry.
Yohan...
Is this a case of enhanced jurisdiction?
No. Why?
It's the gendarmes' remit.
It's still our jurisdiction.
So it's not an 18.3?
No.
I don't believe it!
I'm sick of this thing!
What's up?
Another problem. Now the ink's leaking!
The rolls are jammed again.
- You used the rubber band? - It was my idea, so yes.
You need the wedge too.
The wedge, the rubber band,
I snap it shut, press the button
and it doesn't work!
I'm a cop, not a repair guy. I just want to print my reports!
Is that too much to ask?
Give Nathalie my love.
Can we talk?
Sure.
It's going to shit, total shit.
We're heading for divorce.
She's pregnant.
Pregnant and you get divorced?
It's one big mess.
We've been trying for a baby.
She was keener.
I felt I was too old.
I wasn't against it,
then the idea grew on me.
We stop contraception.
Nothing happens.
I tell myself
it'll happen in the end.
But not Nathalie.
She got more stressed with the years.
She'd check dates, her temperature and so on.
She does tests.
She makes me do some too to see if it's me.
She was doing my head in.
And?
The fertility tests are good for us both.
We aren't sterile.
The gyno tells us to be patient, so we are.
Three months ago, she meets a guy.
She doesn't hide it.
She sees him regularly.
She sleeps at home less and less.
I come to terms with it.
I think it'll pass if she gets a change.
Last weekend, she tells me she's pregnant and wants a divorce.
Imagine it...
Pregnant after just three months.
That really knocked me out.
Things weren't great, but now...
The fact it worked right away with him...
It's not fair.
See you tomorrow.
Do you know Clara Royer?
Yes, I know her.
Not well, but I know her.
You aren't together?
Together?
- Yes and no. - Yes or no?
Her dad says you are.
No, not at all.
She's an acquaintance.
So when did you meet?
I can't say precisely.
Without being precise, a week ago, a month, two years?
I'd say less than six months.
She filled in at the shoe hire.
I was at the bar and, to be nice,
I offered her a drink. That's all.
With nothing in mind.
And?
I let myself be tempted.
- We slept together. - And then?
We kept on seeing each other.
To be honest, Clara isn't...
She isn't my type.
She's cute and all, but she's not...
This is weird, I talk about myself, but what's going on?
- What did Clara say? - Nothing.
She's dead.
What?
She was murdered.
You're sick.
You should've told me right away.
- I wouldn't have said that. - What?
I was thinking...
What?
I thought she'd screwed up or...
- Or talked crap about me. - Such as?
I dunno, I've no idea.
About her being in love and not me.
Why?
The thing is, Clara...
She was a nice girl.
But I forced myself to date her.
She kept chasing after me and...
as I was on a break with my girl...
Did you fight?
No.
- All couples fight. - We weren't a couple.
She was in love. Wasn't she jealous?
Never.
And is your official girlfriend jealous?
She doesn't know.
Can you not tell her?
He's got it good.
What a romantic.
We've seen Clara's girlfriends and Fred is getting
her phone data.
Her timetable is clearer.
She was at home most of the day,
watching series and texting friends.
At 4 pm,
she went to a climbing gym.
We have the members.
One name appears in Clara's contacts: Jules Leroy.
Lately, whenever Clara was at the gym, Leroy was there too.
The 12th included.
Interesting.
This is him.
He lives at his grandmother's.
- What is he, 12? - No, 21, like Clara.
Looks like Willy in a wig.
- Your dream. - It'd suit you.
And the boyfriend? Wesley...
His girlfriend confirms his alibi.
We've requested tracking
on his phone.
Want him tapped?
Yes, him and his girlfriend.
And his boss too.
- Hello, ma'am, police. - Hello.
We'd like to see Jules Leroy.
Yes. I think he's still asleep.
Fine, we'll wake him.
Can you show us his room?
Yes, come in.
Follow me.
Just down the stairs.
Thank you, ma'am.
The new champ's wild.
He blows my mind.
I didn't realize.
Can you cover me?
Go on, move.
Yeah, cool.
The bastard got me!
Fuck, I'm dead!
Jules Leroy?
Yeah.
I don't know what to say.
Did you see her that day?
Yeah, at the gym.
So let's start with that. What gym?
The climbing gym.
I was kind of her coach.
When was she there?
I dunno. She didn't stay long.
An hour.
From 4 to 5 pm or so.
Ok, and then?
- Then she left. - Where?
I dunno.
Were you sexually involved?
What's the link?
I ask, you answer.
If you won't answer, we have to note it.
Were you having sex?
It happened, yeah.
You knew she had a guy?
Yeah, and I have a girl.
It was no big deal.
It was simple with Clara.
We were sexfriends.
- Sexfriends? - Yeah.
We had sex as friends.
- We weren't in love. - She talked about her guy?
I wasn't interested.
Did he know about you?
Ask him, but I'd be surprised.
Why?
She wouldn't want her guy to know she was cheating.
She told you that?
No. I dunno...
She never talked about him?
I wasn't interested. I'm not jealous.
But you thought he was?
Yeah, probably.
All guys are jealous, so...
Not you, you say.
I've decided not to be.
But I think we're all jealous basically.
Yeah. So he was jealous?
Yes, probably.
What's so funny?
Sorry.
- I thought of something. - What?
Something a buddy...
Something a buddy said.
Know how Clara died?
Yeah, she got torched.
- I think. - You think?
She was burned alive.
Go on, say it.
She was burned alive.
How did Clara die?
- Burned alive. - Yeah.
Stupid little shit.
You believe that sexfriend stuff?
Is it fishy?
Not for the case, but in real life.
I need to be in love to fuck.
You're the sentimental type.
He said she was an easy lay.
No, that things were simple.
- Same difference. - Simple doesn't mean an easy lay.
Yeah?
And you piss me off has a double "s".
Well?
Did you like the morgue?
Great.
Did you throw up?
No.
No blows. Cause of death: smoke asphyxiation.
Clear tox test.
Low alcohol and no sex in the hours prior to death.
- I don't smell of... - What?
Death, the morgue.
You do, a little.
Shower. Got clean clothes?
Keep some here. Ask Fred, he has a whole range.
Do you know Jules Leroy?
Yes.
He was at our vocational school.
You knew Clara slept with him?
Yes.
Why not mention him?
I didn't think to.
You should have.
Or I'll think you're hiding something.
You're not protecting him?
No.
No, not at all.
It didn't seem important.
It is important.
I don't need to tell you why.
If Clara was double-dating, I need to know.
Jealousy is a catalyst in a huge number of crimes.
Sorry.
Give me every name you can.
Anyone linked to her.
No one knew her better.
Gabi Lacazette.
- With a "Z"? - Yes.
Who is he?
He lives in the housing project.
He was at school with us.
Clara dated him.
Just before Wesley.
She left him for Wesley?
I think it was over when she met Wesley.
But she said Gabi was jealous.
What else did she say?
I don't know...
She enjoyed being seen with him.
She liked bad boys.
Were there others?
Others?
You said she liked bad boys. Who are the others?
Stop stringing out the information.
Yes?
Ok, I'll come and get him.
Jérôme!
- What? - You talk shit.
Lacazette answered my summons.
Ok, Mr Top Gun?
I knew you'd want to see me. I called the gendarmes.
Really? When?
When I heard, on the 14th. They said it wasn't their case.
- Didn't they say to call us? - No.
Why would we want to see you?
Because of the song.
- What song? - The one I wrote about Clara.
What song exactly?
A rabid rap about her.
- Haven't you heard it? - No.
I thought I was here about that.
What does it say?
Basically, it says I'll torch her.
Why did you sing that?
She wasn't straight with me.
Clara isn't the faithful type. She wasn't.
It wasn't easy. We couldn't go to her parents' place.
She wanted me to treat her like a princess.
I work. Half my pay is for my mum.
The rest's to launch my label.
I can't afford hotel rooms for a quickie.
Can we hear the song?
Yeah, it's on YouTube.
I'd like you to sing it.
What? Here and now?
Yeah, here and now.
I can't do it. I need a backing track, a beat...
A beat? You don't need a beat. Can't you just do it?
Go on.
Clara, get this clear I'll be at your window, ya hear
With a Molotov cocktail To ignite your ass
You suffer
It's cool, I got me a gun If the fuel ain't enough
You'll burn in hell Get ready for the flames
I'll torch you, scorch you
Burn you to ashes...
Ok, that'll do.
- You asked! - We get it!
I wouldn't have done it if I'd known.
- But you did. - It's just words.
Just words? Words matter!
It wasn't me.
I couldn't do such a thing.
I'm not violent!
Not violent? Hear what you sing?
You'd torch her! You all want to burn girls!
What's the deal?
Where d'you get such crap ideas?
What if it inspired some maniac?
Thought of that?
You'd be an accomplice!
- Keeping me in custody? - You bet your ass.
Can you tell my mum?
She'll worry if I'm not back.
Just stick to the facts.
How d'you mean?
He bugs you, but if you do all the talking it's counterproductive.
- I was counterproductive today? - A little.
I need a piss.
Marceau!
Willy said you've been sleeping here.
Things are a mess at home with Nathalie.
Don't worry, I can manage.
Toilet, bathroom...
You can sleep here.
Just don't spray everywhere when you piss.
- Are you serious? - Yes.
I won't clean up your piss.
Hold on, I can aim properly.
When you see the crapper at work...
There are 24 of us.
Don't blame me for the others' mess.
So run no risks and piss sitting down.
You're pretty far gone.
You didn't know?
Not to that extent.
Hello, you've reached Emilie.
I can't talk right now so leave a message. Bye.
Baby, it's me again. Can't you pick up?
I didn't care about Clara. She was nothing.
Some lost girl...
Marion, it's Jules. Ok?
Yeah, and you?
I was wondering...
- Wanna come to the gym? - Sure.
Ok, cool. It was really nice last time...
Call me. I can't live without you.
I'm scared I'll lose you.
You're the love of my life.
This was in the mail. It seemed a bit odd.
Thanks.
To the officer in charge of the Clara case
Fred...
Come and see.
It was posted in St Jean.
If it's him, he's a psycho.
That shouldn't leave the office.
I know.
I keep thinking of Nathalie.
I think I love her like crazy.
When I lie down, I hear my heart pounding.
It stresses me out.
See the shrink.
The shrink...
"In the lonely old park, on the icy grass
Two outlines recently passed..."
Know it?
You kids learn nothing nowadays.
Paul Verlaine. Colloque sentimental.
"Their eyes are dead, their mouths weak
And one can barely hear them speak
There, on the icy grass
Two ghosts talked of the past"
Rest in peace We miss you
Nanie, babe, I adore you. You're the best friend ever.
Loads of kisses for you.
Nanie, babe, I adore you. You're the best friend ever.
Loads of kisses for you.
She filmed him.
What?
She filmed him.
Where?
Someone's on the bench.
Could be the tree's shadow.
No, look.
It's the bench.
He's waiting for her.
Even if it's him, it's no use, they're just pixels.
C'mon, I'm freezing my nuts off.
Yohan?
Are you with the police?
Are you investigating Clara's death?
Why are you interested?
I've been watching you a while.
Who are you?
Denis.
Denis who?
Douet.
I sent you the lighter.
What lighter?
A transparent yellow lighter I found.
Maybe the killer dumped it on leaving the crime scene.
Didn't you get it?
Show us where you found it.
I found the lighter here.
Where do you live?
Here.
How do you mean?
Right there.
Why didn't we see you during our house-to-house?
No idea. I was here.
Maybe your colleagues thought it was empty.
- You live here? - Yeah, it's my uncle's.
He does the vegetable garden.
I'm not into that.
I'm not big on veggies.
What do you do all day?
Not a lot lately.
I sleep badly so I have a lie-in each morning.
I felt so bad about Clara I smoked like a pig.
I shouldn't say that, you'll jail me.
You knew Clara?
Yes.
I'm one of her exes.
- An ex? - Yes.
We slept together a few times.
But we'd split up.
Well, we saw each other less.
We were never officially together, we met in secret.
She'd come here when she fought with her parents.
I gave her cigarettes when she ran out.
When did you last see her?
I don't know.
I can't say.
On the night she was killed?
No.
She wasn't far from here.
I didn't see her.
You heard nothing?
No.
Hello.
I'd like to see Stéphanie Béguin.
I'll fetch her. She's in the kitchen.
Can you tell me about Denis Douet? Know him?
Denis?
Yes, by sight.
I left him off the list?
Exactly.
Sorry.
Clara vaguely knew him.
He squats a shed in the allotments.
Did she sleep with him?
With him?
No way.
He's gross. He disgusted her.
Just talking about him, she...
Says who? Her or you?
What do you mean?
What did she tell you?
What I said. That he was gross.
Did he come on to her?
He was a leech.
She got mad once as he was too clingy.
She kept away after.
She didn't tell me much. I didn't approve.
He doesn't work, all he does is smoke and jerk off.
Sorry, but it's true.
Could she have slept with him?
No.
Maybe she didn't tell you.
What difference does it make?
It wasn't her.
You don't get it. It wasn't her. She did nothing.
You ask what she did with him. And with the others.
It makes her sound like a slut.
Did she sleep with them? Does it matter?
She didn't commit a crime.
No one's saying that.
No one's saying it,
but you say she slept around.
And you ask me if it might be her fault.
And I give you answers.
Want to know why she was killed?
I know, so I'll tell you.
Because she was a girl.
That's why.
She was a girl.
That wasn't Clara.
She wasn't like that.
Clara loved to be liked, that's true.
She always fell for the wrong guy.
Maybe she didn't refuse that jerk's advances. I don't know.
But she was a sweet girl.
She wanted to laugh and have fun.
And all I can say about her is sick stuff.
She was my best friend.
I miss her.
Where'd you buy the lighter?
I found it. I showed you where.
When did you find it? How?
- I told you. - Tell me again.
On the 15th, I went to buy food and found it lying by my car.
- Like that, on your path? - Yes.
Why send it to us?
- To help. - To help find you?
- What? - You wanted to get noticed?
I don't understand.
Know you disgusted her? She erased all your messages.
You felt her scorn and wanted to punish her!
- Take it easy. - You don't speak, counsel.
Punish her for rejecting you.
You're crazy.
Yeah? So what was it you thought?
Nothing, I could never do such a thing.
Get a lie detector if you don't believe me.
You'll see.
So, "I went to buy food on October 15th.
The lighter was by my car and I sent it to help the police."
- Is that right? - Yes.
- "I didn't kill Clara Royer." - Exactly.
I didn't do a thing.
Are you angry or is it me?
Is what you?
Thinking you're angry when you're not.
Or maybe I get you angry.
Carry on and you might.
Ok, you're angry.
What are you saying?
Nothing.
I'm angry and stressed, trying to calm down.
But if you piss me off, I can't.
We do a weird job.
Don't we?
Save the riddles. Say it or shut up.
I'm tired.
I'm just saying we do a weird job.
We question people, search their stuff, listen to their calls
and we write reports. One report after another.
Right.
We fight evil by writing reports.
We fight nothing.
Not one solid lead, no evidence. Not even a decent printer!
It's good versus evil, with a wonky printer.
It's a region too.
Where?
In Botswana.
It's a bit of wood too.
He's a geographer now!
Pass the harissa.
Careful, it's hot.
Why d'you look so happy?
Finally got laid?
C'mon, spit it out.
I'm getting married.
What?
I'm marrying Pauline.
- Who's Pauline? - My girlfriend.
- Are you serious? - Yes.
Babies can marry now?
A proper wedding by the mayor?
Yes, by the mayor.
I proposed and she said yes. It'll be in March.
- Is she pregnant? - No.
Not yet anyhow.
Why get married then?
For the fun of it.
To make her my wife, to be her husband, that's all.
And to throw a big party.
Just to party?
Yeah.
Known each other long?
- Six months. - Six months?
We're in love.
Ok, if you're in love...
Snap out of it.
Rushing things is a bad idea.
Why d'you all say that?
- We're lucid. - Leave him, he's happy.
No, someone has to tell him.
Ok, I'll explain.
Marrying and starting a family is already a dumb idea.
But for a cop, at your age, it's suicide.
- I don't agree. - You'll see.
- I'll see. - When you hit the wall.
Not all marriages fail like yours.
You're bitter, you believe in nothing.
It was love at first sight.
For Christ's sake!
You're freaking me out, you're killing me.
She knows you do hookers?
I often go to the playground to...
to see who thinks of Clara.
Maybe it's stupid...
This morning, I found this.
This T-shirt.
I think it's a bloodstain.
I didn't touch it.
I went home for some gloves
and put it in that plastic bag.
I took some photos too.
To show you where it was.
Here.
I hope it's a lead.
The blood is that of Vincent Caron, 31, on file.
Three years ago, he beat up his kid's mother.
Triple jaw fracture, five broken teeth.
With his fists, in front of his 4-year-old.
She lost consciousness after he tried to choke her.
Apart from her face, she had bruises all over,
broken ribs...
After four months, he was released and is still awaiting trial.
He now lives in Modane with a schoolteacher, Nathalie Bardot.
- Hello. - Hello, police.
- Vincent Caron? - Yes.
Marceau!
Fetch them.
Is this yours?
This isn't my place.
Can you answer them?
I use it as stain remover.
Stain remover?
Yes.
All right...
Your lawyer had two hours to get here.
- We'll start. - He's in Lyon.
Not my problem. You refused a court-appointed lawyer.
Screw lawyers, you don't scare me.
- Recognize this? - Yeah, it's mine.
And the blood?
It's mine too.
- You knew Clara Royer? - Yes.
How come?
Be less direct, we aren't friends.
All right...
How did you know her?
She friended me on Facebook
and we exchanged on there for a while.
And then?
Then we met for real.
She was shy at first, but unstoppable once the ice broke.
Meaning?
Meaning she liked my animal side.
Can you specify?
We fucked hard.
- Where? - It depended.
At my girl's place when she was out.
In my car. Where inspiration took us.
She knew your legal issues?
Not as far as I know.
But she wasn't biased.
- Biased how? - That people are black or white.
- Did Vincent tell you about Clara? - Yes.
What did he say?
That they had sex.
When did he tell you?
In January, I think.
When they saw each other.
He wanted to make you jealous?
No, not at all.
I know he needs to see others. That's how it is.
- You don't mind? - No.
I knew she was hooked.
But I didn't push my luck.
Hooked on what?
Hooked on me.
I saw her as a kid.
I liked her.
That's why I put the T-shirt there.
- A gift. - A gift?
Yeah, a gift.
I cut my arm, bloodied the T-shirt and left it there.
Why wait so long to do it?
I wanted to avoid the circus.
Did he tell you Clara was dead?
No, I saw it in the paper.
When I realized it was her, I told Vincent.
- You thought he'd killed her? - No.
He was at my place that night.
From when to when?
All night.
After the evening together, he stayed.
The date?
I forget now...
The night of the 12th.
- What day was it? - I forget.
The date, not the day?
You're trying to influence me.
I didn't work the next day, the 13th.
He slept over, I know.
- Were you sleeping? - Yes.
He could've slipped out.
No.
I woke several times. My cat was sick.
Vincent didn't move.
Where were you on October 12th?
I was with Nathalie at her place.
- When did you last see Clara? - April.
- Not since? - No.
Why?
Cos she'd met someone else.
- Were you mad at her? - No.
I respect people's choices. I force no one.
You force no one?
Respect broke your ex-wife's jaw?
It was just a fight.
Of course.
She was hysterical and fell. I had to calm her.
- With your fists? - No.
That's different.
You know he's accused of marital violence?
That was an accident.
You don't know him.
- Are you afraid of him? - No.
- Is he violent with you? - No.
Why are you protecting him?
You know nothing.
He didn't do anything.
Clara's friends didn't know Vincent Caron.
She told no one, not even Nanie.
Maybe she was ashamed. The guy is twisted.
She picked some really odd guys.
Meaning?
Nothing.
Just saying.
Saying what?
She went for freaks.
- She was no saint. - Who mentioned sainthood?
No one. I was just saying. I don't believe in chance.
You don't believe in chance? Meaning?
What's your idea? That she asked for it?
That's your way to the culprit?
Can't I say what I think?
- Not if it's shit! - Guys...
Calm down.
I know chicks who love edgy stuff and can't get enough.
Edgy stuff? She was torched!
Know women who like to burn?
All I said was some women like bad guys.
But you're above that.
- Above what? - Malice.
You're a nice guy, on the side of good.
- Enough! - I'm serious.
He thinks he's irreproachable.
I'm a shithead,
but you're perfect!
Shut your mouth.
Just shut up.
Can I ask something?
Why not cycle on roads like everyone?
You keep on doing laps...
It's weird, right?
You're like a hamster.
I'm quitting.
Quitting what?
Everything.
I'm sick of these assholes.
I only feel hate.
This isn't what I wanted to do.
I wanted to teach French.
To pass on the power of the French language.
I'll get you a sleeping pill.
We'll talk about it tomorrow.
After sleeping on it.
- We fucked hard. - Burned alive.
She's cute and all...
I'm not violent!
At my girl's place when she was out.
We slept together...
I forced myself to date her.
It was simple with Clara.
We were sexfriends.
- The thing is... - ...my animal side...
Not my type...
- Jealous. - I let myself be tempted...
Not the faithful type.
You'll burn in hell
Get ready for the flames
I'll torch you, scorch you
Burn you to ashes...
This is Nathalie Bardot. Please leave a message.
It's Vincent. Why won't you pick up?
This is Nathalie Bardot. Please leave a message.
It's me. Isabelle told me you're not at work.
- Hi. - Where are you?
- At home. - Where were you earlier?
I was here.
Don't fucking lie to me.
I was here.
Why didn't you pick up, bitch?
I didn't move. Maybe the phone didn't ring.
I'm not fucking stupid.
You're fooling around, you cock-sucking bitch.
We need to talk this over.
Hear me, you piece of shit?
I'm coming over and I'll smash your face in, slut.
I'll waste you and pound your ass, cunt.
So wait for me.
Say you'll wait for me.
Ok, I'll wait for you.
Yohan...
Marceau's gone to see Caron.
Fuck!
- Yes? - What's going on, Marceau?
I'm going to see Caron.
Not a good idea.
It's a very good idea.
No, come back.
I can handle it.
Fuck...
You've reached Marceau. Leave a message.
Pain in the ass...
Who is it?
Police, open up.
- Is Caron here? - No, he went out.
What are you doing?
I guess I'll wait for him.
You share names with my wife.
I'm sorry?
You share names with my wife.
What sign are you?
Scorpio.
Really?
My wife's Aries.
You share a name anyhow.
Listen, Nathalie.
If you alter his alibi, we'll make sure he won't hurt you.
On the night of the 12th, you woke and he was gone.
You checked the time. It was 1 am.
- He got back at 4:30. - Not true.
He was here. I got up for my sick cat.
Enough of the cat!
- Got a warrant? - Shut up.
Oh yeah?
You like hitting women?
You like that?
Like that too? And that?
How about this?
Gimme more.
And this one?
Marceau!
Stop! Stop!
Stop it!
Come on.
If he presses charges, I'll run him down.
Shut the fuck up!
You think I wouldn't do it?
- Where're you going? - Grenoble.
No, you ride with me! That's an order!
Marceau!
Keep quiet and no one will know.
You're dreaming. They'll know.
They'd hassle me for slapping that scumbag?
Are you stupid?
It's an investigation.
We respect procedure or else!
I'm not an idiot.
Really, you're not an idiot?
If he's the murderer
and his lawyers get him off over your shit,
I won't forgive you.
I'm serious, Marceau. I won't forgive you.
Know what? You piss me off.
You all piss me off!
Stop the car!
Stop!
Stop the car right now!
Stop it right now!
Captain Vivès?
Yes.
Hello. I'm Judge Beltrame.
Follow me.
Have a seat.
Sorry, it's not very welcoming.
I inherited 130 cases on arriving here.
Even if you know, it's always worse than you imagine.
But I'm pretty methodical, so I hope to get it all sorted.
I'm glad to meet you anyhow.
Emails and phone calls are great but...
face to face communication is better.
I hear you're not talkative.
- Is that so? - You're surprised?
Not really.
I wanted to see you about Clara Royer's murder.
I was surprised to find the case at the bottom of the pile.
At the bottom and deep in a cupboard.
I don't understand.
- My unit is no longer on the case. - I know.
Why?
I asked the chief to transfer it as I felt it needed a fresh approach.
After the first weeks, things get a lot harder.
It's three years now.
It makes me sick to say it, but it's over.
Clara was 21. She was burned alive.
You can't just say it's over.
Even without media attention, she deserves better.
I worked hard on it.
That's why I sent for you.
Resume the investigation.
That may not be a good idea.
I read the case. It's strong.
It's well constructed.
Even the reports are precise, with plenty of attention to detail.
If I may say so, I found them very well written.
Well written but no use.
Eliminating leads is of use.
We didn't find the killer. That's a fact.
We screwed up, I don't know where.
I understand your bitterness.
But it's beside the point.
I'm not bitter.
They say every investigator has a crime that haunts him.
No one knows why. A case that hurts more.
It nags at you until it obsesses you. It...
It devours you.
Or destroys you. You're right.
It eats you up inside.
When I began in Rouen, I had a colleague...
For him, it was a little girl they never found.
20 years on, he wasn't over it.
I was young. I thought he was rambling.
For Tourancheau, our old unit boss, it was a grandmother
beaten to death with a pan and fists.
She wiped up her blood before wrapping up in the dog's blanket
to die without leaving a mess.
That misled him for a while.
He couldn't figure out who had wiped up the blood.
When he finally realized,
it broke his heart.
For you, it's Clara.
It drove me crazy that every guy we saw could've done it.
Maybe none of them is the killer. But each one could've done it.
That's the only way I can put it.
Each one she met, even those who aren't shits.
And maybe all the men she never met.
I may be mad, but I believe we can't find him
because all men killed Clara.
Something's amiss between men and women.
I'm a woman.
And an examining magistrate.
I'd be blind not to see something's amiss between men and women.
As you say.
I realized the other day
it's almost the anniversary of Clara's death.
In a fortnight,
it'll be three years since she was killed.
The person who committed the crime may
feel remorse. Who knows?
Or want to get another kick out of it.
I'd like to tap the main suspect's phones again.
Something might happen.
We wanted to try that for the first anniversary.
I even considered staking out the crime scene.
We weren't able to for budget reasons.
Then other cases took precedence.
That's a pity.
What is she expecting?
The culprit calls his mum to say he's felt bad
for three years?
Something like that.
Isn't it a waste of time?
The judge is hopeful, so I am too.
Is she pretty?
Why d'you ask?
I dunno. No reason.
That's mine.
Sorry, I was going to ask.
A gentian.
It's odd. Not a great photo,
but I'm getting to like it.
A friend sent it.
A colleague who left three years ago.
- He retired? - Not really.
It's complicated. He was transferred.
I heard about him. Marteau.
Marceau.
But no mime.
No news since he left, now he sends this.
Without a note. Now I'm printing it.
On paper, not in your mind.
You're right.
That's it exactly.
The other day, you mentioned
staking out the crime scene. Let's do it.
It's hypothetical, but it's worth trying.
I'll ask narcs for the tank for the night of the 12th.
Very good.
- Another thing... - What?
Her grave.
We could hide a camera in the cemetery by Clara's grave.
Who could see to that?
Our tech guys, but it's pretty short notice.
Ask them to consider it.
I was thinking of a fake gravestone to hide the camera.
Are you serious?
Is it a stupid idea?
- A little, but I like it. - Good.
- Can you get funding for that? - Yes.
Actually, I already have it.
I think I'm falling in love with you.
Don't talk nonsense.
October 12th, 2019
- Want a coffee? - No thanks.
Why pick the crime squad?
Top of your year, you had your choice of postings.
With faster promotion.
I'm not into uniforms.
I love investigation.
Finding evidence, questioning, matching facts...
Other cops investigate.
I mean real investigation.
You like the violent side?
Yes, I like it.
That's not the tough part.
What is?
I was told it was the elite.
- With more evolved guys. - It's not true?
You're less racist than most cops,
but there are plenty of shitheads.
- It's that bad? - Yeah.
But I don't mean you.
Don't you find it weird most crimes are committed by men
and mostly men are supposed to solve them.
Men kill and the police are men. Odd, isn't it?
I don't know.
A man's world.
Think he'll come?
He's not going to find much.
Look.
It's going to rain.
Where's the camera?
On the next grave, they said.
That must be it.
Here it is.
Try to swivel it.
Well?
Nothing.
An old lady visiting a grave.
The gardener. Want to see?
No. Fast-forward it.
A cat.
Night-vision now.
Another cat.
Funny, that one has white paws.
Go on, speed it up.
Stop!
It's for you.
We have a guy on Clara's grave!
Do we know him?
No, never seen him before.
Ok.
No kidding.
He's speaking. Do we have sound?
Just the picture.
Hello.
Follow me, please.
He's singing.
In English, not French.
But I don't know English sign language.
- Sign language isn't universal? - No.
She'll translate. Can we see it again?
Night... Angel...
Angel in the night.
Angel in the night?
Then what?
Come and hold me tight.
What's that in English? Can she write it?
Can you check?
There's an Angel in the Night, 1983, by The Toxic Ivies.
What do we do with this?
"Angel in the night Come and hold me tight
Save me from the shadows Chase away my sorrows..."
Not a hit or even famous.
Does it help?
Not really.
This angel in the night thing...
It keeps bugging me.
It's familiar but I don't know why.
Maybe there's a thread to pull.
Anything on the city CCTV?
Nothing. They can't pay the provider.
No video surveillance for months.
You showed the screenshot
to Clara's entourage?
Yes. No one recognizes him.
Talk to you soon. Thank you.
Can you move, please?
- Hold on. - Watch the door.
Go on, turn the couch.
Careful, it's hitting.
Are we good?
It's through.
Thanks, guys.
It's huge, it takes all the space.
We'll move the small one.
- Where do we put it? - I'm taking it.
- You asked? - No.
That's a three-seater, this is two. We win.
Fred, this isn't eBay.
You know I need the couch.
My new place is tiny.
Take the microwave too!
I've found him.
The cemetery guy.
I checked comments on news site reports.
This was on the first article about Clara's death, with a photo.
Look what's written.
Mats.
There are thousands of Mats on social networks.
Using filters, I found this profile.
It's him, isn't it?
Yeah, it's him.
Well done.
Here he is.
Let go of me!
Were you at the St Jean cemetery on October 12th?
- Yes, I was there. - What for?
To see someone. It's not a crime.
Who were you seeing?
A girl who died.
You were on Clara Royer's grave?
Why?
To pay my respects and talk to her.
- Talk to her? - Yes.
You talk to the dead?
No. I wanted to talk to her.
What did you want to say?
- I can't tell you that. - Really?
You'll have to.
I can't help you.
Don't jerk us around.
How did you know her?
- From the hospital. - Which one?
In Chambéry.
- You met her in the hospital? - Yes.
Ok, and what happened?
Nothing.
I found her pretty.
True, she was pretty.
So you wanted to burn her?
- It's not that. - What then?
What then?
I was sad about what was done to her.
What you did to her!
I don't understand.
You knew her address?
No.
Yohan...
You didn't know her address.
A problem. Mats was in the Chambéry psych unit.
Jérôme has them on line.
You mean 2016, right?
Thanks, I'll be in touch.
It's not him.
His shrink says he was interned then.
He read about Clara's death in the press and got fixated on her.
He was still talking about her three months ago.
I'm sorry. I was so sure.
Do you believe in ghosts?
There's no need to believe in ghosts.
I think the dead are with us.
They torment us so we don't forget them.
I lost both my parents eight years ago.
I thought I'd die of grief.
I felt I was in a parallel world,
with them alive somewhere while I was dead.
But, in the end, no.
I accepted it.
Now I know some of the dead stay with us forever.
And the important things we do are for them.
Hi Marceau.
Hi Marceau. How are you doing?
Your gentian photo is on the office wall.
I often look at it to try to pierce its mystery.
The Clara case is still unsolved, despite a tough new judge.
We thought we had the culprit, but we were wrong again.
Maybe you were right.
The black cat is me.
We have a new recruit. Nadia.
She's young but has something.
Ghosts don't scare her.
I have high hopes for her.
And I took your advice.
I escaped from the velodrome.
My first goal is the Croix de Fer Pass.
A 22-kilometre ascent with 11% gradients.
I may as well aim high.
I'll tell you if I make it.
Don't be a stranger.
Yohan.
This film is a work of fiction based on real events.
THE NIGHT OF THE 12TH