Scene 9

As Maille came out of Mercier's office, he found Marie Soussent leaning dangerously far out of the window, leaning backwards to make it worse. Her feet were gripping on to the bottom of her heavy desk, her thighs were resting on the windowsill, and the rest of her body was lying horizontal outside the window, under which lay the park behind the building. With her arms spread out in the air, Marie was enjoying the rain that was coming down in torrents. The room reeked of curry, of Fenugreek – but perhaps that had also to do with the intense humidity. On the desktop lay a small and somewhat tattered packet on which Marie had scribbled with a blue felt pen, «Hektor».
«What is in it?» asked Maille: «Preservative? Headache tablets? Pralines as a goodbye gift?» He picked up the packet with two fingers and shook it.
«Malaria prophylactics», she intoned from the parkside.
«Oh God!»

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