A Clean Pair of Hands by Oscar Reynard Page A

irritation at the questions was new and indicative of his reluctance to disclose more than necessary.
     
    On another visit to Paris, Thérèse and George were staying at the Bodins’ house at Maisons-Lafitte. The two couples were getting ready to go out to a restaurant for dinner. George and Michel were already downstairs, Charlotte was in the kitchen feeding the cat and Thérèse was still in the bedroom getting ready, when the telephone rang. Michel took the call in his study. The door was open and George, who was sitting reading on the sofa in the salon, heard one side of an intriguing and guarded conversation.
    Michel – “When are they coming?”
    Caller – **************************
    “I can’t do anything by then.”
    **************************
    “So, what do you think I should do immediately?”
    **************************
    “How could you take care of it now?”
    **************************
    “Hm! I was just going out, but I’ll rearrange and be there in ten minutes.”
    Michel put the phone down, scowling and preoccupied, and walked into the kitchen to find Charlotte. He spoke for a few minutes in a low and urgent voice that prevented George from making out what was said. When they emerged, a visibly tense Michel explained to George that something important had come up and he had to go to the office to get some papers. Charlotte would take George and Thérèse to the restaurant and he would join them there later.
    Over drinks at the restaurant George asked Charlotte who had phoned. She leaned forward with a knowing smile, trailing her long glossy hair onto the table, and spoke quietly.
    “It was Charles, one of Michel’s contacts in the taxoffice. He told Michel that there is going to be a surprise tax inspection tomorrow and he should remove certain documents before they arrive.”
    “Can he do that?”
    “In practical terms normally not, but Charles is sending his men in this evening to take away what the authorities want to see. There will be nothing to arouse suspicions tomorrow.”
    “Wow, that’s influence,” marvelled George, “you get the tax office to fix it so the tax office can’t find anything.”
    Privately George and Thérèse speculated that the levels of undeclared tax must be substantial to afford this level of attention. Turning again to Charlotte, George asked, “Doesn’t allowing the tax people to take away documents mean they then have what they want?”
    “No, Charles is a good friend and will see to it that they are stored safely.”
    Thérèse and George could not fathom how such an obvious trick could work, but next day Michel announced that the inspection had taken place and the authorities had found nothing.
    The four celebrated with a glass of champagne.
    Some months later, long after the Miltons had returned home, there was another late call to Michel from Charles. “Things are changing here and I can’t help you anymore. I don’t think we should meet.”
    “What do you think I should do?” Michel tensed. This was potentially serious.
    “If I were you, I would sell the company as we discussed previously. Now is the time to do it. It won’t solve all of the problems, but it would make things a little more difficult for them if you’re careful,” Charles advised.
    “Hm! Thanks, Charles. I’ll think it over and we’ll talk again soon.”
    “Don’t contact me at the office.”
    “OK, thanks.”
    The pair never spoke or met again, though a few years later, Charlotte contacted Charles on another matter.

Chapter Nine
Take a Profit
    It’s never too early to take a profit
    The Miltons’ second home at Branne, near Bordeaux, was an eighteenth-century chartreuse, with three characteristically communicating main reception rooms, taking the full width of the front of the ground floor. It was a long, low, smooth white-stone building with tall windows which filled it with light and made it immediately welcoming. The grounds were simple to maintain, with a few