Robert Harris - An Officer and a Spy

Inside, Mercier was seated at his desk, signing a pile of correspondence. ‘Please, gentlemen,’ he said in that quiet voice of his without looking up, ‘take a seat. I shan’t be a moment.’

We arranged ourselves around the conference table in order of rank, leaving the place at the head free for Mercier, with Boisdeffre to the right and Gonse to the left, then Sandherr and du Paty facing one another, and finally we three junior officers at the far end.

‘Henry,’ said the burly officer, leaning across the table to extend his hand to me.

‘Picquart,’ I replied.

The commissioner from the Sûreté also introduced himself: ‘Armand Cochefort.’

For a minute we sat in awkward silence while the minister finished signing his papers, then gave them to his aide, who saluted and left.

‘So,’ said Mercier, taking his seat at the table, and placing a sheet of paper in front of him, ‘I have informed the President and the Prime Minister of where things stand, and this is the warrant for Dreyfus’s arrest; all it needs is my signature. Have we received the results of the handwriting expert? I gather the first man, from the Banque de France, concluded that the writing wasn’t Dreyfus’s after all.’

Du Paty opened his file. ‘We have, Minister. I have consulted Alphonse Bertillon, head of the identification branch of the Préfecture of Police. He says the bordereau contains strong elements of Dreyfus’s handwriting, and where it differs, the discrepancies are deliberate. If I might spare you the technical detail and just read you his conclusion: “It appears clear to us that it was the same person who wrote the various items submitted and the incriminating document.”’

‘So one says yes and one says no? That’s experts for you!’ Mercier turned to Sandherr. ‘Is Dreyfus back in Paris yet?’

Sandherr said, ‘He’s having dinner with his wife’s parents, the Hadamards: his father-in-law is a diamond merchant — you know how they specialise in portable property. We have the building under watch.’

Boisdeffre interrupted: ‘Isn’t it quite tempting, Colonel, if we know where he is, simply to have him arrested tonight?’

‘No, General,’ replied Sandherr, shaking his head emphatically, ‘with the greatest respect, absolutely not. You don’t know these people as well as I do. You don’t know the way they operate. The moment they discover we have Dreyfus in custody, the whole force of upper Jewdom will swing into action to agitate for his release. It’s essential that he simply disappears with the minimum of fuss and we have him to ourselves for at least a week. I think Colonel du Paty’s plan is a good one.’

Mercier turned his impassive, masklike face to du Paty. ‘Go on.’

‘I have concluded that the most secure location in which to arrest Dreyfus is inside the ministry itself. General Gonse has already sent him a telegram ordering him to attend a duty inspection in General Boisdeffre’s office at nine o’clock tomorrow morning. .’

‘In civilian dress,’ put in Gonse, ‘so that if anyone sees him afterwards, when he arrives at the prison, they won’t realise he’s an army officer.’

‘. . so we’ll arrest him here in the rue Saint-Dominique, in the Chief of the General Staff’s office.’

Mercier said, ‘What if he suspects a trap?’

‘Ah well, this is where Major Picquart comes in,’ said du Paty.

I felt all eyes turn in my direction. I tried to stare ahead as if I knew what was coming.

‘Major Picquart,’ explained Gonse to Mercier, ‘was one of Dreyfus’s tutors at the École Supérieure. He runs the stagiaire programme.’

‘I know that.’ Mercier regarded me through his eye slits; it was impossible to tell what he was thinking.

Du Paty continued: ‘I propose that Major Picquart waits for Dreyfus in the main entrance at nine o’clock and personally conducts him to General Boisdeffre’s office. Dreyfus knows him and trusts him. That should allay any suspicions.’

There was a silence while the minister considered this.

Mercier said, ‘And what do you think of this plan, Major Picquart?’

‘I am not sure Captain Dreyfus regards me as a particularly reassuring figure,’ I replied carefully, ‘but if Colonel du Paty believes my presence will be useful, then of course I shall play my part.’

Mercier trained his eye slits back on du Paty. ‘So we have him in General Boisdeffre’s office. And then what do we do with him?’

‘General Boisdeffre will not be there. .’

‘I should hope not!’ cut in Boisdeffre.

‘. . instead, I’ll greet Dreyfus, explain that the Chief of the General Staff has been delayed, and ask him to take a seat. My right hand will be bandaged — I’ll say it’s injured — and I’ll ask Dreyfus to take down a letter for me, which I’ll dictate. By catching him unawares, I’ll make it hard for him to disguise his writing. Once I have sufficient evidence, I’ll give the signal and we’ll confront him.’

‘Who is “we”?’ asked Mercier.

‘With me in the room will be Superintendent Cochefort of the Sûreté — who is with us here — along with one of his men, and Monsieur Gribelin, archivist of the Statistical Section, who will make a verbatim record. Major Henry of the Statistical Section will be concealed behind a screen.’

‘So it will be five against one?’

‘Exactly, Minister. I believe with the benefit of numbers and surprise there is an excellent chance he will be break down and confess on the spot. In which case, I wish to make a further suggestion.’

‘Go on.’

‘That we offer him the honourable way out — I show him a service revolver with a single bullet, and he can finish it there and then.’

There was a silence while Mercier considered this, then he inclined his head slightly. ‘Yes.’

Boisdeffre said, ‘Good heavens! I would be grateful if he could do it away from my carpet — it’s an Aubusson.’

Grateful laughter relieved the tension. Only Mercier didn’t smile. ‘And if he doesn’t take the traditional course, what then?’

‘Then Major Henry will escort him to Cherche-Midi prison,’ said du Paty, ‘while Cochefort and I go to the Dreyfus apartment and search it for evidence. I’ll warn his wife to say nothing of what has happened to her husband, or she’ll make it far worse for him. At Cherche-Midi, the governor has agreed to keep Dreyfus in solitary confinement twenty-four hours a day — no letters, no visitors, no lawyers. Nobody will know where he is, not even the commander of the Paris garrison. As far as the world is concerned, Captain Alfred Dreyfus will have vanished from the face of the earth.’

Having delivered himself of this masterpiece, du Paty closed his file and sat back in his chair.

I glanced around the table. Mercier and Boisdeffre were impassive, Gonse lighting a cigarette, Sandherr gripping the arms of his chair and shaking slightly, Henry watching him with concern, Cochefort with his arms folded and looking at the floor.

Mercier said, ‘Does anyone have any questions?’

I hesitated, and then tentatively I raised my hand. I never could resist the opportunity to goad du Paty whenever I had the chance.

‘Yes, Major. . Picquart, is it?’

‘It is. Thank you, Minister. I wondered,’ I said, turning towards du Paty, ‘what happens if Dreyfus doesn’t confess?’

Du Paty gave me a cold look. ‘He will confess. He has no choice.’

‘But if he doesn’t. .?’

‘If he doesn’t,’ interrupted Sandherr, staring down the table at me and apparently trembling with emotion, ‘we have plenty of other evidence, apart from his handwriting, that demonstrates his guilt.’

I decided not to press it further. I nodded. ‘Thank you.’