#10 Belleville (English Version)

(For the Spanish version see below)

Sunset came over Paris that Olivier did not realize that he was smoking his tenth cigarette of the day. April had arrived and days were longer welcoming a warmer month. He liked the feeling and maybe his luck might change soon. He always thought that spring felt like waking up after a long and tenebrous dream.

He gave the cigarette a last puff whilst he stood near a column at the top of Belleville Park’s hill. That place was not very known for tourist that visited the city despite of its amazing views. Olivier had spent so many times in that area that he knew all the secrets of the park and its inhabitants. However, that day was not there for fun: he was about to bet all the world he had built around with his last trump card.

He approached to the fence and looked to his city behind his feet when suddenly he heard someone behind him: “He’s finally here.”

“You will never change. At least you could tell me why we always meet here…”

Olivier spun and smiled to the black boy standing behind him. He was taller than him and had short curly hear. His way of looking was sharp like the kind of guy that you do not want to find on the street during the night. Any stranger could have said that he had not an easy life and he would be right. However, Olivier did not car at all: he was his old friend.

“So glad to see you Jamal. It has been a while since last time.”

“It’s always you that you never call me.” Jamal approached to the fence and stood beside Olivier to look the city lights. “Give me a cigarette.”

“Why don’t you buy yours?” Olivier grabbed his box and offered one of them and Jamal accepted with pleasure.

“You have never paid me for my services, so as long as I know this price is really insignificant compared with the rest.”

“I’ve helped you a lot of times. Don’t be silly…”

Jamal laughed whilst lighted up the cigarette.

“So, tell me. You have a girlfriend now, isn’t it?”

“As insightful as usual… Yes, I have a kind of girlfriend now.”

Jamal smiled and Olivier felt grateful. Jamal had grown up in a troubled family with economic issues on the XIXème Paris district. Olivier remembered that when Jamal was a child he never had money and all his toys were old, broken and unfashion. He had to learn how to survive by hiding, keeping information and solving problems for the other guys of the school in exchange of some money. He left the school at the age of 16 and he was still doing the same but this time were bigger things than a toy. He was extremely skilled and he could uncover anything he wanted and that was exactly the reason why Olivier needed him, as many other times…

“So, what’s this time. What do you need to investigate?”

“I need you to find 2 different persons.”

“You will have to pay me another cigarette for the extra man.” Both laughed together. Jamal was happy that day. “One of them is your girlfriend and you need to find something for her birthday because you still don’t know her…”

“Don’t be an idiot. This is serious. First, I need you to find all the information you can about this guy” Olivier showed to Jamal a piece of newspaper from 6 years ago. Jamal inspected it: the picture of a young man appeared near another one of a truck inside the Saint-Martin channel. “His name is Thomas Deslumières and I think that he lives on the XVIIème district. This is all the information I have.”

“Wait a moment, I remembered that day. Reporters said that he disappeared after the incident. Is this guy still alive?”

“Yes, he is. I saw him myself a few weeks ago. I need you to find everything about him: his life, what’s his job, whether he has girlfriend, who are his friends… Everything!”

“If that guy’s still alive, it will be very easy. Who’s next?”

“This may sound really weird and it’s probably the most impossible thing that someone has ever asked you…”

“There’s nothing I can’t find.”

Olivier held a photocopy of an old written text and Jamal read it as fast as he could. When he finished he was confused.

“What the fuck is this bullshit?”

“I need you to find the person who wrote this. Don’t ask but this is especially important for me”

“And that’s all? You give me only a shitty piece of paper and you pretend that I found him…”

“I told you it was going to be difficult. I wouldn’t ask you if I could find him by myself!”

“But what is exactly this? It looks like a last will, but I don’t understand what he’s talking about. To you… I deliver this infinity object… What the hell is talking about? Do you have any other hints?”

“I can’t tell you what it is. But I know that whoever person who wrote it, lived in my old room of the residence where I was living during my studies. He or she probably studied also there. I think that you should follow this investigation line.”

“That’s fine. No more questions and I will find them, but with the condition that one day you will tell me what is this all about.”

“One day I will Jamal. I promise, but I don’t think you will believe me…”

Olivier said goodbye to his old pal and walked for a few streets at the bottom of the park until reach De la Mare street. In that place, a small iron bridge crossed what it was and old railway line. It was inconceivable that more than 50 years ago trains crossed the city near the big building at its sides. Olivier felt fascinated with that place: the leftovers of an old railway station where a train would never ever stop again.

It was already that and no one was in the street. He found two bushed and went through them to reach a hole in the wall to get on the rails. He walked a few meters surrounded by the ruins of the halt until reach a small bench where he sat. Under his feet, there was a floor tile that could be moved and Olivier removed it. A small box was hiding inside waiting for him to be recovered. Before opening it, he looked around to check if he was alone and no one had followed him. A few meters away, the entrance of the tunnel made its appearance as if a monster tried to swallow him. The memory of the day that he went through the monster’s mouth for the first time appeared in his mind.

***

That time was hard, but it worth it. He knew for the first time in his life, that he had something big in mind. He was not even sure if he could handle the situation. However, he was completely excited. For any reason, his brain did not work like the rest of the people and each time he felt afraid, the adrenalin ran over his entire body. He liked to play dangerous games and put his life on risk day over day, but that time he had mybe gone too far…

He looked back and did not saw them. The distraction movement seemed to have been very effective. By using the old tunnel of the Petite Centiure rail line which crossed under the Buttes Chaumont park, he finally succeeded. Where he was heading, they would not be able to reach him.

The rails difficulted his advance and after 20 minutes walking he finally saw the exit of the tunnel. Unexpectedly, when he was about to reach the end of the tunnel something illumined all behind him and he heard a loud noise that shake the ground. A train was approaching him fast and he had to get out of the rails as soon as he could.

A few moments later, Olivier was hiding behind a tree whilst a vapor locomotive was passing at his side braking as it was approaching to the station. He staggered and fell into the ground. As fast as he could he managed to stand up but he realized that the box was carrying had lost. He desperately started looking it for. He could not lose all that information.

“At least not today…”

Two hundred meters away, the train had finally stopped and people was getting on. He finally found his box behind some bushes not far from where he fell. He grabbed it carefully and started to walk towards the station where he finally melted with the crowd waiting for the next train. Luckily, no one noticed him.

He walked until the end of the quay and sat in a bench. He observed his precious object and he decided that he could not take it back with him. The stalkers might be waiting him in another period. He sighed and look to his feet and got a brilliant idea. Beneath the bench, a floor tile was moved away from its place showing a perfect hole to hid the box. It looked like an old drainpipe and it would be perfect to hide the box.

He put it inside the hole and covered it with the floor tile. He added on the top sand from the surroundings and added some vegetation. The bench was at the end of the platform and nobody used to sit there as the entrance of the station was on the opposite side. The box would be safe there.

Once he finished, he left the bench and waited for the next train. When he finally managed to get in after waiting a few minutes, another world appeared in front of him. Fascinated, Olivier started to wonder, as the train was departing from the station, whether one day he would be accustomed to that.

***

Olivier opened his eyes and contemplated the documents inside the old box. A map of a Seine’s bridge with some comments on it was waiting for him. He checked again if someone was nearby hiding in the surroundings but he was alone as usual… If someone ever found it, his entire world would collapse… Or maybe it already started and he did not want to accept it?

“Jamail must find him. Otherwise, all the efforts I’ve put on this will be pointless…”

Fortunately, that station was closed for more than 50 years and not a single train would run again on that line. His secret was safe.