Juve was seated at the magistrate's table, comparing papers, documents, and material evidence; he had, standing round him men in uniform or mufti. One might have thought it the office of a general staff during a battle. The door opened to a man dressed like a market gardener.
"Well, Léon?" asked Juve.
"M. Inspector, it is done. We have nabbed the 'Cooper.'"
A sergeant of the 19th Arrondissement appeared and saluted.
"M. Inspector, my men are bringing in 'The Flirt.' Her throat is cut."
"Is her murderer taken?"
"Not yet—there are several of them—but we know them. The wounded woman was able to tell us their names. They 'bled' her because they suspected her of giving us information."
M. Rouquelet telephoned to Lâriboisière for an ambulance, and the officers went to see the victim, who was lying on a stretcher in the hall. At that moment, the sound of a struggle hurried Juve to the entrance of the station. Some officers were hauling in a youth with a pallid complexion and wicked eyes. Fandor recognised the captive.
"It's that little collegian who bit my finger the night of the Marseilles Express!"
Léon, who had drawn near, likewise identified the youth.