Capítulo 90: Chapter 90: Unable to Accuse
Chapter 90: Unable to Accuse
Joseph calculated the time left: only a month remained before the deadline for passing the tax bill. To take down the president of the High Court in such a short time, unconventional methods would be necessary.
When thinking of "unconventional methods," his thoughts immediately turned to the Police Bureau. He signaled to Emond, saying, "Please send someone to summon Fouché..."
But then he remembered he had a tactical command class at the police academy today. "No, prepare the carriage. I'll go myself."
Three carriages left Versailles in succession, arriving in the city of Paris after a few hours.
As the carriage crossed the Seine, Joseph noticed a large wooden billboard at the eastern bridgehead, standing taller than two people. The billboard featured a massive oil painting.
In the painting, a graceful and elegantly dressed noblewoman held a small glass bottle, sitting in a cozy and tasteful home, her face filled with happiness and satisfaction.
At the top of the painting were bold letters that read: "This Christmas, give the gift of 'Lady Joy'!"
Below that, smaller text read: "Lady Joy Health Tonic Christmas Promotion: Free with a beautifully packaged gift box."
A little further along, two brightly dressed young men stood by the roadside, waving flyers and shouting, "Buy Paris Angel cosmetics, spend over 50 livres, and get a 20% off coupon for Lady Joy Health Tonic!"
Joseph nodded to himself, impressed. Manager Brent was certainly worth his salary. Although Joseph had given him the marketing ideas, Brent, as an 18th-century man, had understood them so thoroughly and implemented them so well. Truly a genius in business management.
It might be time to consider giving him a bonus.
Before long, the carriages pulled into the Police Bureau.
Joseph went straight into the office and asked Fouché, "What dirt do we have on Vézinier?"
The head of intelligence had clearly memorized the information well. Without hesitation, he replied, "In his first year as a judge in Paris, he took a bribe to rule in favor of the Antoine brothers' uncle in an inheritance case.
"The following year, in a case where a nobleman's carriage hit someone, he ruled that the victim had startled the horse on purpose, awarding only 50 livres in compensation. He probably took money for that too.
"In that same year, evidence that was detrimental to the accused in the Camille murder case mysteriously disappeared from the court's evidence room, and the accused was acquitted. It's said the accused's uncle paid the judge 8,000 livres.
"Two years later, in the Saddle Street murder case, a nobleman who committed murder bribed..."
Fouché went on for quite a while, each new crime making Joseph's frown deepen. Vézinier had been taking bribes and creating miscarriages of justice almost non-stop since he became a judge.
Joseph interrupted him, "So I can have him arrested right now?"
"Well..." Fouché hesitated, "I'm afraid not."
"Why not? The things he's done should be enough to hang him ten times over!"
Fouché awkwardly explained, "At best, we have scattered records or things Mr. Marat has told me. We haven't found any solid evidence."
Joseph frowned at this but quickly understood. Vézinier, being a legal expert himself, would certainly have been careful to eliminate any incriminating evidence.
He extended his hand to Fouché. "Bring me everything you have on this guy. Let's see if there's anything we can use."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Soon, a stack of documents nearly half a meter thick was placed on Joseph's desk, evidence that the Police Bureau had been working hard.
Joseph opened the first file, which contained basic information about Vézinier:
"Henri François Minet de Vézinier, 56 years old, height 5.5 French feet, weight...
"At 33, he inherited his father's position as a judge in Grenoble and was elected as the local judge."
The judiciary at the time had a curious mix of inheritance and election, allowing a position to be passed down and yet still subject to an election.
"Six years later, he was transferred to the Paris High Court. At 51, he was elected president of the High Court...
"Personal assets...
"Interests...
"Favorite foods...
"Regular haunts..."
Almost every detail of his life was documented. It was likely that even Vézinier's own family didn't know him this well.
Joseph picked up the next file, which detailed Vézinier's social relationships:
"Political allies: Duke of Aiguillon, Count de Sillery...
"Political opponents...
"Close friends: Dacier, judge at the Paris High Court, 49 years old...
"Varel, assistant commissioner of Caen, 51 years old...
"...
"Acquaintances...
"Enemies..."
The following documents detailed Vézinier's household, including the layout of his home, and the full information on his coachman, gardener, cook, maids, and so on.
What surprised Joseph most was the note that read: "Both of Vézinier's chambermaids have been 'taken care of' by young men sent by Fouché."
Now these two girls were completely under the control of their handsome, romantic, and wealthy boyfriends. They could even report how many times Vézinier yawned each day.
Joseph chuckled, rubbing his forehead. Fouché was almost obsessive in his tactics, even going so far as to use young girls to gather intelligence.
He put down the file and picked up a stack of letters, realizing these were all Vézinier's private correspondence from the past few years.
Fouché proudly added, "Your Highness, half of these were provided by the Black Room; the rest were directly transcribed from Vézinier's study."
The "Black Room" referred to the secret police's postal spies, who "examined" all sorts of letters. It was the most efficient department within the secret police. However, the Black Room was still outdone by Fouché's "maid" strategy; those study letters had likely come from the maids.
Joseph asked, "Are there any usable pieces of evidence in these letters?"
Fouché shook his head. "Anything incriminating was probably destroyed."
Sighing, Joseph opened the final file, which was the thickest. It recorded all the cases Vézinier had handled.
Fouché added, "Your Highness, these were directly 'acquired' from the High Court's archives. They are absolutely reliable."
Joseph nodded and began to read.
The first was a property division case, nearly concluded.
The second was a murder and rape case that had begun just over ten days ago.
The case involved a minor noble named Lunache who, in a sudden fit of lust, kidnapped a 15-year-old commoner girl into his art shop and assaulted her.
During the incident, the girl's 9-year-old brother traced her to the shop and called for help.
In a panic, Lunache dragged the boy inside and killed him. Fearing exposure, he also killed the girl and dumped their bodies in the Seine.
Because several items belonging to the victims were found in Lunache's shop and a neighbor had seen the boy enter the store, Lunache was quickly arrested and charged.
Joseph sighed, feeling sorrow for the siblings. According to the case file, the trial had begun but had not yet concluded.
(End of Chapter)
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