‘And this was the same André Morgan who was later shot dead by Pierre in London?’
Father Luc frowned. This was something that still haunted him.
‘It was. And I can’t tell you how shocking it was. The robbery was supposed to be a victimless crime. That’s how Pierre pitched it. He wanted to steal from a large chain of jewellers, because who would even notice if they suffered a robbery? Especially seeing as they were insured against theft.’
‘Then can you tell me, how did Pierre meet André? Do you know?’
‘I’m sorry, I don’t. Pierre just said he’d cultivated a guy who worked at a jewellery shop in Honoré. And for a price, he was prepared to tell him when the next delivery of jewels was going to be. As Pierre explained it, it’s always the weakest part of any security on a jewellery shop – the fact that there’s always a few seconds after any new delivery of jewels has to leave the security van, and before it’s possible to lock them in the shop’s safe. But, apparently, just after André agreed to help Pierre in Honoré, he discovered he had a chance of getting a more senior job in the London branch. The head office. And Pierre loved it as a plan. You see, the head office would be taking delivery of jewels of a far higher quality and value. And André said he knew that if he took up this new post in London, he’d be the person who organised the delivery of all new jewels to the shop.
‘And if the heist was pulled off in London, it also solved another problem, which was how were the gang going to get away with it? You see, you rob a jewellery shop in your home town, you risk someone you know identifying you. Or someone catching wind of what you did and then telling the Police. But by carrying out the crime on foreign soil, it made it possible to get in there, rob the store, and then get out again. And then afterwards, assuming it had all gone to plan, why would the Police even think to come looking on Saint-Marie for the robbers?’
‘I see. So you’re saying André was the fifth member of the gang?’
‘Not quite. I don’t know what the deal was supposed to be with him. Pierre worked all that out. But he wasn’t really at risk anyway. All he had to do was give Pierre the date and time of the next big consignment of jewels. But the thing is, there’d been some change in management at the company, or something like that, and after André arrived in London, the shop didn’t take delivery of any new stock for some time. Or maybe André didn’t have such ready access to delivery dates in his new role as he’d said. I don’t know. But there was no chance to rob the store for months. And Pierre was getting really worried. In fact, the whole gang were.’
‘Were the gang in London by this stage?’
‘No. Pierre said everyone had to wait on Saint-Marie until he knew the exact timings. And then, after a few months of this, Pierre suddenly announced that he’d had the nod from André. Pierre, Conrad, Jimmy and . . . this fourth member of the gang all went to London. Once there the gang stayed with some friends of Pierre near a place called Whitechapel. And that’s when the final plans were made, the motorbike leathers were bought and so on. And, I hesitate to add, some baseball bats. But the idea was to be loud, smash up the shop and look so violent that the staff handed over the jewels even quicker.’
‘What happened on the day?’ Richard asked.
‘I . . .’ Father Luc said, before correcting himself. ‘My parishioner said that Conrad and Jimmy stole two motorbikes the day before. They were the getaway drivers. It was Pierre and this fourth member of the gang who had the baseball bats and had to go into the jewellery shop.’
Father Luc drifted off into his memories.
‘I’ll never forget that day,’ he said quietly, and Richard was about to correct the Priest’s use of his personal pronoun when he saw the warning glance from Camille. He kept quiet.
After a few more seconds of introspection, Father Luc carried on with his story.
‘The feeling in my stomach as we drove up onto the pavement. The terror I felt. I wanted to be sick. But I followed Pierre into the shop. He had no fear, that man; it’s like he was built differently to the rest of us. And he started shouting at the security guards, and waving his baseball bat in the air. I started smashing the glass in the displays.
‘That poor security guard. He had a set of handcuffs attaching his briefcase to his wrist, and he couldn’t get them off quick enough. He handed his briefcase over in a matter of seconds, and then I shouted to Pierre something like, “let’s get out of here,” and turned to leave, but Pierre wasn’t done yet. He chucked the briefcase of jewels at me to catch and pulled a gun. I had no idea he had a gun on him. He’d never mentioned it before. It wasn’t any part of the plan. But Pierre shouted at me to get out, and as I left, I saw him point the gun at the crowd of customers and staff and fire once. I was already leaving, the adrenaline was pushing me through that door whatever happened, but I just had time to see the person he’d shot slump to the floor. It was André Morgan. Our inside man. He just fell to his knees and toppled over.
‘And then Pierre had me by the arm and was pulling me through the door. I got onto Conrad’s bike, Pierre got on Jimmy’s, and then we drove off. I don’t know how I held on to the briefcase. Or Conrad. We were driving so fast, weaving in and out of the traffic, and I just felt terrified. When we pulled into an underground car park about half a mile away, I ripped off my helmet and was sick on the ground.’
‘So it was definitely Pierre who killed André Morgan?’
Father Luc was briefly puzzled by the question.
‘Of course. He shot him dead. Inside the jewellery shop.’
‘And when did he realise he’d dropped his gun at the scene?’
‘He knew immediately. The gun had knocked on his knee as he got onto the bike and fell to the floor. But Pierre hadn’t been able to stop Jimmy from driving away. That’s what he told us.’
‘But why did Pierre shoot André?’
‘I’ve no idea. I’ve never known.’
‘How did Pierre explain it to you at the time?’
‘He said André wasn’t to be trusted. He had to be neutralised. That’s the word he used,’ Father Luc said with a shiver. ‘“Neutralised.”’
‘Okay, so you’ve got away and are now in this underground car park. What happened next?’
‘There was already a car waiting. So we ditched our bikes and drove back to our flat in Whitechapel. It was easy. By that afternoon, Pierre had handed the briefcase over to his contact in the jewellery trade, and that was the end of it as far as we were concerned. It was up to Pierre’s contact to get everything sold off, melted down or recut. He gave us each ten thousand dollars as a downpayment there and then. I felt ill getting it, knowing that a young life had been taken. For no reason as far as I could tell. I didn’t even take the paper band off my money. I slipped it into my bag and then the four of us caught a plane back to Saint-Marie the day after.’
‘But was it just the four of you?’ Richard asked, remembering what Blaise Frost had told them.
‘You’re right,’ Father Luc said. ‘Somehow, Pierre had picked up a girlfriend in London. A woman called Blaise. She was on the same flight.’
‘Then what happened? When the gang returned to Saint-Marie?’
‘Jimmy, Conrad and Pierre went crazy with their cash. Jimmy had his new girlfriend Blaise, Conrad had his wife Natasha and his daughter Jessica, and it was party time the whole time for all of them. You have to understand, they were young men, and they had a heap of spending money.’
‘But you didn’t spend yours?’
‘I couldn’t. I imagined the blood that was on each note. So no, it just sat in a drawer, and I went to church. I felt so guilty. For what I’d done. And I prayed for forgiveness. How could I ever put what I’d done behind me? If I hadn’t agreed to the plan, André would still be alive. I was sure of it. And the more time I spent in church, the more I discovered that it was only in prayer that I could find any kind of peace from my demons.
‘I spoke to my priest about it. Not the specifics. But about
the burden of guilt I felt. How it weighed on me. And how it seemed to lift when I was in church, and he suggested I go to a seminary. It was such a stupid idea, or that’s what I thought at first, but I couldn’t quite shake it. And then Pierre was arrested three weeks after we got back. Some anonymous woman had phoned in a tip-off to the Police that they should match the fingerprints they’d found on the gun Pierre left at the scene to known criminals on Saint-Marie.
‘After Pierre was arrested and taken back to the UK for trial, Jimmy, Conrad and I met up. We were all terrified. Because all Pierre had to do was give our names to the Police and we’d be arrested. I realised that if I was going to save myself, I’d have to act, and act fast. So I went to Church, knelt before the altar and made my promise to God. I’d serve him in whatever capacity I could for the rest of my life, and in return I asked only that I be forgiven for my sins. I didn’t want to go to prison.
‘By the time Pierre stood trial in London, I’d left Saint-Marie, given away all of the money, and enrolled in the St Michael Seminary. And it was the best decision I ever made. Don’t get me wrong, none of this makes up for my part in André’s murder, but I know I’ve done the best I could with my life since that day. And if I was implicated in the death of one man, I’ve saved many lives since then. It’s at least something to redress the balance.’
‘I see,’ Richard said. He was desperate to point out to Father Luc that, irrespective of whatever he’d said about his ‘parishioner’ being the person who this had all happened to, he’d subsequently given what was quite clearly a first-person confession. He could arrest him right now.
Sensing that her boss was about to ruin the interview again, Camille stepped in.
‘So Pierre never told the authorities who the rest of the gang were?’
‘He didn’t.’
‘And why was that, do you think?’
‘I don’t know. Although, his defence in his trial was that he’d never even been near the jewellery shop that day. He kept saying to the judge he was being set up. And, because he refused to plead guilty, he couldn’t very well offer up the names of the rest of the gang. But the thing is, Conrad told me he’d got a message to Pierre just after he was found guilty, but before he received his sentence. I don’t know how Conrad did it, but he told me that his message to Pierre was that he’d keep his share of the cash safe. He’d make sure it would be waiting for him when he got out at the end of the sentence. I didn’t want to know any of this. I felt sick even thinking about Pierre getting all that money when he left prison.’
‘You didn’t think it was right?’ Richard asked.
‘It was wrong at such a deep level. Pierre had committed murder, and he was still going to get a massive pay-off at the end of it all? It sickened me to my heart. But it just stiffened my resolve to give the rest of my life to the service of God.’
‘And did it work?’
‘How do you mean?’
‘When you trained as a priest, were you able to leave your old life behind?’
‘You want the truth?’
‘Yes.’
‘Then you have to promise me some form of amnesty.’
‘I’m sorry?’
‘Or maybe there’s a witness protection programme or something.’
‘You think I can cut you a deal?’
‘I don’t know, but I’m too old to go to prison.’
‘Look,’ Camille said kindly, ‘why don’t you tell us what happened next. And if you’re as helpful as you can be, I’m sure we can take that into consideration. After all, you are a priest.’
‘Alright. I’ll tell you what happened after Pierre went to prison.’
‘You’ll tell us everything?’ Camille asked.
‘Everything,’ Father Luc said. ‘For the first few years after the robbery, all was fine. For the three of us who weren’t Pierre, at least. Although Jimmy wasn’t so interested in seeing me any more. He didn’t like me taking Holy Orders. It didn’t fit with his new status as a hotshot property developer.’
‘It wasn’t just property he was into, was it?’ Richard asked.
‘You’re right there. He remained crooked, not that I could complain. But his legitimate property deals also made him a lot of money. So he soon turned his cash from the robbery into a serious amount of money. I get the impression he hasn’t looked back since. I don’t know for sure. I’ve not seen him for years. As for Conrad, I stayed in touch with him. He was so enthused with his recording studio. So convinced it would be successful. His enthusiasm was infectious. And he loved how I’d become a priest. He thought it was funny. But as the years passed, Conrad got quieter and quieter. Then, after about ten years, his business failed, and that’s when Conrad really started to withdraw. If you ask me, I think he was riddled with guilt. In fact, I remember Conrad saying to me a few years later that he’d wished he’d done what I’d done. Turned his back on it all. In fact, he said the money had ruined his life. Ruined his relationship with his wife. His daughter. He’d do anything to get away. But that wasn’t to be for him, was it?’
‘No,’ Richard agreed. ‘So what was it really like visiting Pierre in prison?’
‘I didn’t tell you the half of it,’ Father Luc said with a sigh. ‘Don’t get me wrong, I visit a lot of prisoners. It’s a decision I made very soon after I was ordained. I should visit as many prisoners as possible as part of my penance. But Pierre was by some distance the most angry and bitter of any prisoner I ever got to spend time with. He refused to take responsibility for what he’d done. He even tried to claim at one point that it was me who’d shot André,’ Father Luc said in amazement. ‘He was seriously unstable and angry.’
‘So if he was so dangerous, why did you recommend him for parole?’
Father Luc looked ashamed.
‘He told me that that unless I supported his application to leave prison early, he’d tell the authorities about my role in the original robbery.’
‘He blackmailed you?’
Father Luc nodded.
‘And you let him get away with it?’
‘What choice did I have?’
‘So you lied to the parole board, and told them that Pierre was mentally fit to leave prison when you knew he wasn’t.’
‘I know what you’re suggesting, and you’re right. At some level, Conrad’s death is all my fault. As is Jimmy’s. If I hadn’t supported Pierre’s application for parole, he would still be in prison now. He wouldn’t have been able to murder anyone.’
‘And do you know why he’s done what he’s done?’
‘I do. Because about the only thing that stopped Pierre going over the edge during his time in prison was the belief that he was going to get his share of the money we made from the robbery. Jimmy and I thought that too. And Conrad had always told us that he had Pierre’s money safe and sound. We had no idea that he’d spent it years ago. Well, we didn’t know until we were driving over to Pierre’s halfway house on the day he was released from prison.’
‘Conrad confessed to you?’
‘On the car journey over to see Pierre. That’s how late he left it. But he told us the truth, and I couldn’t believe it. I had that feeling, you know, where the bottom just falls out of your stomach. Because I was the only person who’d stayed in touch with Pierre. I was the only one of the three of us who knew how desperate he was for this money. How much it had been a beacon for him. I was all for cancelling our visit to Pierre, but Jimmy insisted we had to go through with it. Jimmy always was Pierre’s loyal lieutenant. So Jimmy made us all continue, and when we saw Pierre, there was an energy about him that was real scary. He was happy to be out of prison at last, but there was anger as well. An anger that we’d had our liberty all this time when he hadn’t. And then Conrad told him outright that his share of the money was gone, and I’ll never forget how still Pierre became. It was like, in that moment, his soul cracked. And then he just exploded and went crazy. We had to hold him off from attacking Conrad. But he was shouting at Conra
d – at Jimmy and me as well – and threatening to pull Conrad limb from limb. And Jimmy and me as well.’
‘He threatened you all?’
‘He said we were all to blame. I couldn’t disagree with him. And then he said we all deserved to die for what we’d done. Again, I could see his point. Then he said our days were numbered, he was going to come for us one by one and finish us off.’
‘He said he was going to kill you all?’
‘He did. We just fled as soon as he started shouting that at us.’
‘And then what did the three of you do?’
‘We were seriously shaken. So we went to a bar in Honoré. I had my first glass of rum in twenty years. And that’s when Jimmy went for Conrad for what he’d done. He said if Pierre didn’t kill him, he’d kill him first.’
‘And you?’ Richard asked.
‘How do you mean?’
‘Would you have happily killed Conrad for spending Pierre’s money?’
‘No. Of course not.’
‘So what did you think when Conrad had his boat accident three days later?’
‘I was shocked.’
‘Did you think it was murder?’
‘Not at first, no.’
‘You didn’t think Pierre had killed him?’
‘That’s right. I just thought it was a terrible accident. Or maybe Conrad was up to something on his boat and it had gone wrong?’
‘I’m sorry but I don’t believe you. Conrad spent all of Pierre’s money. Pierre told Conrad he’d murder him. And then a few days later, Conrad goes up in an explosion on his boat. Are you really telling me you didn’t put two and two together?’
Father Luc was too hangdog to reply immediately.
‘Well?’ Richard asked again.
‘I was too scared.’
‘What?’
‘This was my punishment, I was sure of it. This was the divine retribution I’d been expecting for the last twenty years. After all, I’d become a priest, I’d given myself over to the service of Christ, but I always knew in my heart that it wouldn’t be enough. That at some point, God would want more from me. So that’s what I thought was happening. This was my punishment. Pierre was going to kill Conrad and I was going to be too cowardly to do anything about it. That’s how I felt after Conrad died, that I was a coward,’ Father Luc said, his voice rising as he spoke, and Richard could see that panic was beginning to take hold of the old man. ‘But if I was worried before, it was nothing compared to how I felt after I heard what had happened to Jimmy. That’s when I realised Pierre hadn’t been making a hollow boast when he said he’d kill us all. He was doing just that, and I’d be next. When I saw your article in the paper, I realised that you were right. You were the only possible safe haven open to me. That’s when I decided I had to turn myself in. Even if I risked being jailed. I had to tell you the truth.’
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