J'ai vu tuer Ben Barka Page #4

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I was good at gymnastics

but this is absurd.

Your Honour...

Your Honour!

Pierre Auric in person!

the prosecutor at my trial in '55.

20 years for firing while wounded.

He asked the jury for my head.

Simply because

I insulted the scoundrel.

My insults

were still ringing in his ears.

But he was still around anyway.

It's all eyewash,

dishonesty, play-acting

and cheap theatricals.

THINGS TAKE A NASTY TURN

Mr Franju, please.

He isn't here. Who's calling?

His producer.

He was summoned to Police HQ.

Where?

- Dd...

- What?

- Mr Le Ny, please.

- Just a second.

- Is that Georges?

- What's going on?

- It's bad, that's all I know.

- We're covered, right?

Get over here, OK.

- What is it?

- The family filed a complaint.

Family? What family?

Ben Barka had a family.

I imagine so but how did they know?

The student with him.

There'll be an investigation.

Why didn't those dumb cops

pick him up too?

- Let's go to Fontenay.

- You're crazy. They've all split.

I'm off too. They already got Lopez.

The airport guy?

He was in with the secret services

here and over there.

He was covered better than anyone.

Only markets are covered now, Jojo.

What about the money?

it'll be paid into a Swiss account

next month.

Why not right away?

The Moroccans are here.

Oufkir and his pals are hosting

a party at the embassy.

They won't be taking root.

You shouldn't either.

Why not come to Morocco?

Morocco? No, I'll sort something out

with Lemarchand.

BEN BARKA KIDNAPPED

CLAIMS LOPEZ:

What is this, Pierre?

intelligence has dumped Lopez.

For Boucheseiche and his lads

that was their French cover.

I hope your lads are far away.

Sh*t, Mauriac's at it again!

What?

"Committee for the truth

in the Ben Barka affair. "

The old anti-torture committee

from the days of the protectorate.

Mauriac is the chairman.

Can't he stop pissing me off?

I'll be right there.

I have to go. The General will announce

he's running for president tonight.

He's already president.

He's standing

for another seven-year term.

That's democracy.

Sure... And what do I do?

Just wait until it all blows over.

Behave until the election, please.

Behave?

With all this fuss in the papers?

You've come.

It's good to see you.

That was your brilliant plan?

How are you involved exactly?

I brought a guy to an appointment.

With the blessing of the secret service.

And the French cops.

Why did they want him?

To kill him?

Not kill him, just kidnap him.

Like Colonel Argoud in Munich.

The OAS leader two years ago.

As far as I know, Argoud isn't dead.

He was picked up in the cathedral garden.

Boucheseiche set it all up.

Boucheseiche!

You know some odd people!

What? The OAS had to be stopped.

Thanks to former Gestapo agents?

People can change.

You realise who Ben Barka was?

I read the papers too.

He looks like a decent man.

I'm sad for him.

Looks can be deceiving.

I mean

I look like a provincial solicitor.

He's not the kind we come across.

He's an idealist. You can tell.

Sure. An idealist in politics!

Exactly.

He's popular in Morocco

and not just with the poor.

The friend in Paris who put him up

was a Moroccan businessman.

He had too many friends.

That's why he was kidnapped.

These last two weeks were tough.

Can I spend the night at your place?

Of course you can.

- You're not scared?

- Of what?

This will soon be hushed up.

Too many people are concerned.

Officially,

no French cops are involved.

But two Drugs Squad guys arrested him.

Where are they now? Vanished.

Believe me

things will soon settle down.

I'll be in Paris in late October.

It's high time we met, Mr Franju.

Late October, don't forget.

I'll be in Paris in late October.

It's high time we met, Mr Franju.

Late October

don't forget.

I'll be in Paris in late October.

It's high time we met, Mr Franju.

Come in.

What are you up to?

I was on the phone.

You've heard?

The cops who arrested Ben Barka

have confessed.

The cops?

Two cops from the Vice Squad.

The French police

kidnapped Ben Barka in Paris.

It was easy enough.

The secret services had watched him

since the Algerian War

because he was close to the FLN.

I don't understand a word of this

Marguerite.

You don't understand? Are you drunk?

Of course. Can you stay sober

with all this going on?

The Interior Minister covered his men.

The Chief of Police lied...

Everyone's lying in this affair.

Figon isn't alone.

It's an affair of State now

understand?

I understand.

I understand

we allowed a crime to happen.

That's what I understand.

And we'll never discuss it

with the victim.

Figon is us.

Don't say that. It's not all lost.

You don't eliminate

a man like Ben Barka that easily.

What he represents

is too important to vanish.

Who can stop him from being killed now?

You?

If they killed a man like him,

all hope would be lost this time.

Others would be responsible,

not just you, me

and those who supported his struggle.

Why did he follow those two policemen?

He had his reasons.

Why would he be wary

of the French police?

I'll never forget his look

when they arrested him.

His look?

You were upstairs at Lipp.

Ben Barka couldn't see you.

I knew those eyes well.

They dimmed when he was arrested.

Rubbish, Georges.

You're drunk.

You couldn't see his eyes.

You were upstairs.

That's it.

Fourth window from the left.

inspector Bouvier's office.

inspector Bouvier

who swore me to secrecy.

So you see,

I won't talk about cops,

secret agents, Oufkir and so on.

I can't tell you.

There.

That's it.

- All right?

- Yes.

Over to Police HQ now?

- Want me to walk past the building?

- Yes.

- Past a cop bus?

- Yes.

- It'll cost you.

- How much?

5,OOO, say.

- I only have 3,OOO left.

- That'll do.

You scared me.

- I've seen cosier places.

- I won't take root here.

Your mum went to your old pad.

Sh*t...

she forgot my pyjamas.

My razor...

She forgot everything.

You made that up

about being sworn to secrecy.

I made it up but it made me money.

I have to live.

Money, money, always money.

It's all you talk about.

Who needs money anyway?

If the plan had worked,

you'd be a star and I'd be rich.

Stop it. You think it's that easy?

A few cheques and things are fine?

Money's not everything.

You need luck too.

It's more important.

Why did I do photo novels?

For the love of Art?

You travel in that line.

While the crew clown around

on location

the secret service clowns

were doing their scouting.

- You, in the secret service?

- I put on a show as usual.

A diversion, it's called.

What I tell the press, s

is a diversion too

to make money and cloud the issue.

We'll see about luck later.

You never told me about that.

You hid it from me.

It's an ugly world.

And the bullets are for real.

You're an actress.

You live in dreams

with storybook characters.

Reality is worse than you think.

Reality! It keeps changing with you.

I've got you under my skin

and that's real, believe me.

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