Original subtitles

...

Distant scrapes.

...

-It's you ?

Weak.

Concerto for cello.

... -Fred? Fred!

I've got to go.

-Good luck. -You also.

She whistles.

...

Barking.

...

-Hello !

Are you the new substitute?

-Not at all.

Criminal squad. SRPJ of Nancy.

- Are you the one investigating?

We can't do it,

at the gendarmerie? -Call my boss. Me frankly,

I live 100 miles away, I have 2 children,

I'm coming back from maternity leave ...

-Why are we taking the case away? I know the victim

and we are there. -Your proximity

with the victim, precisely?

Sincerely, Colonel, I hope we can cooperate.

I am not here to trample your flower beds. Let's go ?

-Jean Mercier,

77 years old. He was mayor of Bezonvaux.

-What was he doing in the woods at night?

- Didn't you see the sign "Bezonvaux"?

-Yes. But where is the village? -The chapel, the forest, the ruins.

This village is one of the 9 destroyed municipalities in the red zone.

-The red zone?

- Where did you come from? Does the Battle of Verdun mean anything to you? 1916.

The red zone is the old battlefield . Millions of shells

still unexploded.

-These are shell holes? -20,000 corpses of soldiers

still there, under your feet.

That's it, Verdun.

A giant cemetery where we walk on the dead.

-The victim was the mayor of a ghost village?

-A village dead for France. The mayors of these villages

are not elected but appointed. So that we don't forget.

Vibrator.

... -Excuse me.

-But don't be shy. Make yourselves at home.

...

-Yes, Fred? Now is not the time.

What's wrong with him?

Try the homeopathy in the kitchen. OK ?

I really have to go. Me too.

-See with Benoît. -Where is Colonel Mirande?

-Are you the captain of the PJ? -Yes.

-He had an emergency. -And our investigation?

-Sorry.

Lieutenant Barot. It is I who will work with you. Go for it.

- The victim's business? -Yes.

It's November 11th. Mercier must have come to meditate.

The candles are partly consumed.

- You can't go out without your jacket in this cold.

He must have come out suddenly. Ringing of keys.

His car parked in front of the bridge,

it must be searched.

Who discovered the victim? -The guys from an integration project

who maintain the site. -Former inmates?

-Yes. Came to cut trees, rehabilitate trenches.

They discovered Mercier around 9 a.m. -How big is this red zone?

-Oh yes ! Almost 2,000 hectares. A sacrificed area.

We still extract tons of ammunition every year here.

The earth is devastated. Lead pollution,

mercury, combat gas. -That's crazy. I never read that

in textbooks.

Where is the body?

-Uh ... I'll be right back . I...

Apparently the body has already been taken away.

-I do not believe it. Who decided that?

-I do not know. He's at the autopsy.

-A l'IML?

-No. At the ghost hunter.

-Pardon ?

-François Gilbert. The archaeologist. Specialized in identification

soldiers from the 14th war. -Where is

my corpse ?! -At the ossuary.

I am taking you. -No. Check the alibis

volunteers who found Mercier. All have a locker.

We will start there.

Vibrator. Yes, Fred?

Nothing. They just stuck the service blue on me .

Still ? You tried to give him ...

What now ?

Go ahead, put on the speaker.

Has a clear fountain,

I'm going for a walk,

I found the water so beautiful

that I bathed there.

I have loved you for a long time,

I will never forget you.

...

-Yeah, come in.

Oh sorry.

I thought he was my assistant.

-Captain Merisi, of the PJ.

I am looking for François Gilbert. -It's me. You are there

for Mercier? -Is he okay here?

-I accompany you ?

-Do you have a morgue here? -Not really.

This is where the skeletons of the hairy people pass

that I identified ... or not. I am an archaeologist

and forensic anthropologist. When the police find a skeleton,

I am the only one to make him speak. The coroner is there. I leave you.

Me, I do not prefer.

-Like you want.

Hello. Captain Merisi, the director of investigation.

Why did you remove the body without my permission?

-Mirande had seen him.

This is the procedure.

No one informed me. I send you

my conclusions if you will. -Oh no, it's not the same.

What do we have? She sighs.

-He died instantly. Probably early this morning.

Considering the rigidity of the body, between 5h and 8h.

Hit on the head by a heavy object . There was no struggle.

A single blow struck from the front.

-Details

on the murder weapon? --The cranial box has been th

n pressed

by a violent blow. Not by a stone.

There would be more crushing. Nor by a sharp object.

The wound is not drawn enough.

-There were several recent holes around the crime scene.

Could he have taken a shovel? -Yes. With a fairly long handle

to give strength to the blow. It is plausible.

-Colonel! I have never seen such a poorly managed crime scene.

I couldn't even see the body in situ.

-A bad combination of circumstances.

-You authorized the lifting of the body?

- I didn't know anything about your coming. I did my job.

Do not see anything personal there. -Sure.

-You are paranoid. We are delighted to collaborate.

It's in our culture. I had an office prepared for you.

Last door on the right. You will be quiet there.

I'm off, I have a security meeting at the préfecture.

For any request, please contact Barot.

She sighs.

Neon crackle. -What is that ?

...

Metallic crash.

Neon.

... Is he kidding me?

...

She tries to light up.

Weak.

-Excuse me. Sorry.

The coroner's conclusions.

It will ?

Well installed?

It is true that it is not very ... -Correct?

You don't tire. I got the message.

-The wi-fi code

is "cruchot", with a T.

I made you coffee.

I did

a small point.

Mercier used to come every November 11 at 7 a.m.

celebrate the armistice. Members of the reintegration association,

those who discovered the body,

take a bus to the foyer

at 7:30 am. No one was missing. They worked

at another site and arrived in Bezonvaux around 9 a.m. It's not them.

-The holes, is it them? -No.

They were there to prune the trees.

-Do you know where the town hall is? -Yes. In Verdun.

It's just a room at Mercier's home.

As the village is empty, there is not much

back and forth! As a result...

-Mercier's car,

what did it give? -I forgot.

I will take care of it now. Right now.

Metallic crash. Sorry.

Excuse me.

She sighs. -Good...

...

Footsteps. Door.

Crumpled paper.

What are you doing there ?

-I'm looking for papers.

-You don't touch anything. What is that ?

-An association.

Jean was the president. We fought against the detectorists.

-The treasure hunters?

-Yes. Except that the red zone is a sanctuary.

Here it is considered to be the desecration of a grave.

Jean was a friend.

When the gendarmes called me

to use my lab before transferring the body, I was running.

I wanted to go and see to understand.

Arrived at the war memorial, I could not go further.

No more legs. I saw that the monument plaque had disappeared.

It must have been stolen last night or this morning. Otherwise, Jean would have

filed a complaint. - Was she valuable?

-A bas-relief from the 1920s with Maginot, yes.

-There were several holes dug around the body.

A connection with your looters?

-It can, yes.

If John caught them in flag,

they risked 5 years in prison

and 300,000E fine at the very least. What to panic about, right?

-Where are you going ? -See someone knowledgeable.

-Ho! Enough, bullshit!

I will question this informant. It's clear ?

-What ?

You're afraid ?

-No. -He is not mean.

Hairy, behind.

Hairy, hey, ho! Behind.

She pats the seat. -My son is allergic to hair.

-Its good ?

-Yes.

-Go on.

You are not a country girl , you.

-I come from Nanterre. -How did you end up here?

-What is your job?

-To find and identify missing soldiers.

Tomorrow, we were to start excavations in Bezonvaux.

We're looking for an old infirmary on the front.

-Your excavations will wait.

-Oh, my Hairy! How are you ? Come on, go to the kitchen.

We're going to make you a bowl.

I have learned

for Jean Mercier.

I'm sad for you.

- Is the antique dealer there? -Yes. Go.

-It's the biggest in the region. Specialized in military items.

Ringing.

...

-What now ?

-We stole the plaque from the Bezonvaux war memorial.

Do you know who that can be?

-Good ... I am an honest trader.

I am not harboring the loot of the grave robbers.

-Captain Merisi.

Jean Mercier was assassinated last night.

-It's not my fault. -Under French law,

complicity is equivalent to an act.

The victim was an elected representative of the Republic.

It is therefore the DGSI

who will take care of you.

And they have no patience.

-I got a call from the Blouet brothers.

You know ? -Yes.

-What did they want? -I sold to a Chinese customer

an original edition of Maginot's notebooks.

A fan. He collects everything he finds on the subject.

The Blouets had a big room to offer him.

-I'm taking care of it.

I'll ring you if I need you.

Ringing.

The prosecutor's office is faxing us the search warrant.

Tomorrow at 7 am we search the Blouets.

-Very well. Guillaume goes

accompany you.

-We can't search a whole house together.

-Captain, my entire workforce is mobilized

for safety training for commemorations.

Ask your teams about it. To the PJ!

- I like your office. Especially the windows.

- Two, we'll never make it. -We'll do with it.

-Let's ask the ghost hunter to come with us.

He knows the bronze plaque we're looking for.

-Hmm.

Musical music box. That's ...

... Good night, my love.

... The child babbles.

...

You need help ?

-No. I must be at the opera in 30 minutes.

- Let me take over. -No, it's ready.

-Is that so ? Come on, hop. At table.

Has school been? -Well. Have you arrested thieves?

-That's scheduled for tomorrow.

- Go to the table. - Sit down, my darling.

- Are you okay with your investigation?

-As always with the gendarmes, it's complicated.

In addition, Verdun is on the other side of the world.

I'm going to have to stay there for a night or two if I want to move on.

-Oh no, honey!

I'm in the middle of a concert series .

-I wasn't the one who chose the crime scene.

-No one can replace you

to the PJ?

-Bah, I don't know. And you ?

Can't nobody play the cello for you?

*Concert.

...

-We have to get organized. My parents can look after the children,

but I can't improvise with them.

It would be better if you were there. My mother is tired.

Not sure whether she's working with Quentin.

...

Okay, I'm off. - Do you have 10 minutes?

-No, I'm not hungry.

I'll go.

Goodbye, sweetie.

- Bye, daddy of love that I love madly.

-You're cute. Sweet Dreams. OK ?

...

See you later.

...

Barking.

...

-I will help you. -No no no !

You don't touch anything. Otherwise the search will be invalid.

-I observe then.

She sighs.

-You really have nothing else to fuck?

Barking.

...

-There is nothing around here.

-Captain, look. It was with staff maps.

-On boarding.

- Piss off. -Sorry ?

What did you say ? What is this material used for?

-Sunday walk. We pick up some odds and ends in the forest.

-What would you say if I desecrated your mother's grave

to prick her jewelry?

When you pick up a weapon or a uniform button, it's the same.

It's not odds and ends.

-You're hitting on us because we're selling some bullshit.

You have to live well. It's devastated here.

Work, there is more. Even the peasants are dying.

-You will sign the minutes

at the police station. -No problem.

Sign a blank sheet ... -We have nothing.

-They must have stock somewhere.

-Is this vehicle yours?

-No, not to me.

-I check.

Amélie, it's Guillaume. You can give me the name

from an owner? I'll give you the plate: DN031XV.

Thanks, Amélie. You play with words.

It's your brother's.

-And this hangar

is not yours?

-No. Not for me.

-It is forbidden to park there.

Come on, open that shed for me.

-It's not mine!

-It's armored

of bushes.

...

-What is this mess ?

-A real arsenal.

-No, no, don't go forward!

There is enough to blow up the whole neighborhood.

Hubbub.

...

- Journalists, we're getting to know you.

-There are at least 10 tons of explosives from the war of 14.

75 shells,

155, 210 ... The total. -Gas shells, too?

-Yes. It's worrying.

The detonators are eaten away.

A chance that the district was not contaminated.

-Or annihilated. It will be long ? -At least the j

day.

There are loads

to blow up.

Voices of journalists. -Colonel!

... -One person at a time.

-Is the site secure? -This operation is happening

at the right time to send a strong signal to those who loot

the sanctuary of the red zone, desecrate the memory of the soldiers,

and threaten our security. 15 million shells remain

in the red zone not yet exploded.

Fortunately, thanks to the services of the Verdun gendarmerie,

everything has been done to ensure the safety of residents.

-Thank you so much. -And the PJ

only has a broom cupboard. -Captain!

Isn't that what we're looking for?

-Yes. It is the Bezonvaux plate.

-You shit us a clock for that ?!

-We are talking about 10 tons of explosives!

You will be accused of endangering others, of trafficking

and desecration.

* You will not need to search for a retirement home.

*-Well then. And it was I who started the war of 14, swayed

* those millions of shells and sent these unfortunate people to the pipe breaker?

* -Do not exaggerate anything.

- Congratulations on the operation this morning.

Good job. -Thank you.

* -It will have to be clearer. -But it's the captain

to be congratulated. * -How did you get

* this commemorative plaque?

Do you recognize her?

-Never seen.

-And that, you recognize? The monument to the dead of Bezonvaux

where does this plate come from!

How did that bronze end up in your horror museum?

-I do not know.

-The problem is that the plaque has disappeared

while Mercier was assassinated.

-You are not going to stick his murder on me !

Anything.

-Where were you yesterday around 7am?

-In my bed.

-Your brother heard you leave by car around 5:45 am.

You went to Bezonvaux and Mercier surprised you.

-I would never have touched a hair of Mercier!

I am a former steelmaker!

35 years ago, he was the only lawyer in the region who defended us!

So respect.

-Mercier respected the steelworkers,

but not the looters. -I didn't kill him, I'm telling you!

It was I who stole the plate.

The day before, the antique dealer asked me

stuff on Maginot for a Chinese.

-What time were you

in Bezonvaux? -6 hours.

I unsealed the plate with a hammer and chisel.

In 15 minutes, it was folded. I left at 6:30 am.

It was the start of the news on the radio.

- Was there a car near the chapel?

-It was pitch black! -Was there nothing in particular?

-When I took off the plate, I heard

noise. At first, I hadn't been careful.

It came from behind the chapel. -What kind of noise?

-Bah ... Repetitive.

Like someone who digs.

I didn't try to understand, I pulled myself away.

-The Blouet brothers will be referred to the Bar-le-Duc remand center

until their judgment.

But for Mercier I have the feeling that we have to look elsewhere.

-You really think someone was digging?

-Otherwise why would the ground have been turned like that all around?

-So Mercier would have surprised him and would have been attacked?

-If that is the case...

the criminal was interrupted in his searches

and couldn't find what he was looking for.

There we may have the motive for the murder.

Hello, Hairy.

-It goes to the tank. -OK. It works.

-The bones of a hairy man found near Fort Vaux.

I failed to identify it. -How do you do that?

-Like you: I'm investigating, I cross-check the clues,

an identity plate, a line in the military archives,

sometimes some personal effects.

More than 20,000 are waiting to be given a name,

that I tell their families. -I had the floor

for your excavations in Bezonvaux.

You start tomorrow.

-Thank you. - It wasn't the Blouets.

Someone else dug.

Start with the area around the crime scene. I want

know what he was looking for. -OK.

...

Telephone.

...

-Yes, Francois?

OK, j'arrive.

What did you find? -You have to see this.

Thomas, put on some slippers. -No problem.

- Is he a hairy guy? -No. We are far from broken bones

and dispersed by a shell explosion.

It is a body buried with care.

The bones have undergone a chipping phase

and different wear than I see on 14-18 soldiers.

The deterioration is less than 50 years old.

-He would have been buried here

in the 70s ?

-That's it.

And look.

The upper strait

of the pubic symphysis, the pectineal ridge , the arched line

and the promontory of the sacrum form a heart-shaped hollow. See.

It was a woman.

-You found clues

near the body ? -No fabric, nothing.

This is what is curious.

We must have buried her naked.

-I don't believe in coincidences. She is the one the murderer was looking for

from Mercier.

-Then break to the right on floating coast number 11.

She takes pictures.

And the sternal ribs 10 and 8.

... The styloid process of the ulna

has been damaged, such as the trapezius, the large bone

and the scaphoid. -You can translate ?

-Multiple cracks on the right side and lesions on the parietal bone.

She died of a head trauma.

...

-Other details on his identity?

-No. I still have a little work, samples, analyzes ...

-You have the pictures

of the skeleton in situ? -On my desk. The USB key.

-You grill them? - I reheat them in the microwave.

It's better.

The dog moans.

-Oh, I'm sorry. -It's normal.

It is the sleep of the hairy: we sit down, we do not get up.

-What time is it ? -19h30.

Your cell phone vibrated. I didn't mean to disturb you.

You looked good. -Oh shit ! I did not assure.

I'm sorry.

Have you been able to make progress on your withdrawals?

-Yes.

Our unknown was 1m70,

she died at the age of 30-35.

She was buried

in the early 80s. She was certainly right-handed,

had a very violent fall, tried to catch up,

but she died instantly. -It will help us.

- Yeah. I haven't slept. I worked.

-Guillaume ? You can take out the disappearance files

dating from the 80s?

Only women between 30 and 35 years old. It limits.

Thank you.

I have to warn my home.

-You continue with the paperwork? You are not hungry ?

- Yes, but I don't have time. -Wh yes! You come with me.

Quick on the go.

- Miss, can I get rid of you?

-Thank you.

-It will ?

-Are you sure we eat quickly here?

Piano, ambient music.

...

Uh, I ... maybe should go home,

in fact. It's true, I could work from home.

And my son doesn't spend his nights. -How old is he ?

-5 months.

Thank you.

Yeah...

Married...

Two children. A boy and a girl.

Happy as a couple,

happy mother, a husband still in love and ... attentive.

A woman laughs softly.

He's laughing.

What ?

-You don't have to brandish me the shield of the married woman.

I'm not flirting with you. -But ... I never thought that.

-Yes. You tell yourself that we are in a restaurant

for CEO who wants to jump his secretary. You're not wrong.

That's even what I like.

Good wine, pretty women ...

Life, what.

Far from ghosts.

-I haven't been in a place like this in ages.

Do you come here often ? -Yes.

This is the best restaurant in the area.

I like to bring my father there.

-And your mother ? -So my mother, forget.

Since I was 5, it's been a card for my birthday.

Bar point.

-Is it your father who raised you? -Yes. All alone.

He's my hero. But hey, he's not very young anymore,

he is ill. It's stupid for a doctor.

I try to take advantage of the good times.

Ringing.

An owl hoots.

...

-"Christine Blondel,

"the daughter of the king of the steel industry has disappeared.

"The trail of the hostage-taking has not yet been ruled out.

"Fatal blow for the family who must already face

"to an unprecedented social conflict ."

Oh shit !

...

-You came back super late. -I know.

... Verdun-Nancy, it's an hour's drive.

So this morning, I work from home.

...

-You just have a coffee?

Did you have dinner last night?

-Uh ... I don't know anymore.

-Yeah, alright.

You had a sandwich, what.

That's it ?

Did you go back to work?

You come home at no time,

you eat sandwiches ... -We are not going to argue yet?

-Do not.

-It's that place.

This forest.

This red zone.

It is an open-air tomb. There is something there.

-For me, Verdun, it's just a school trip where we were going

dragging his feet.

-Bah ... Me, it touches me, you see.

I find it super important, the work of memory.

Yesterday, on a monument in Verdun,

I read this quote from Maurice Genevoix:

"I will have my paradise in the hearts that will remember."

-Maurice Genevoix?

Are you moved by Maurice Genevoix?

-So what ? -What is happening ?

Eh ? Who twisted your head?

It is Saint-Saëns which is moving. You listen ?

...

-Only 2 cases of disappearance can correspond to the skeleton.

Christine Blondel, 30, daughter of an industrialist who died in 1980.

We're going to her sister's house to take a DNA sample.

-I take care of the other. * -A camper who disappeared in 79,

* coming from Carpentras.

I doubt you find a connection to our mayor.

-I'll ... I'll keep you posted.

-OK.

-If you just wanted to do a DNA test , you didn't need me.

-You don't want to know who the stranger from Bezonvaux was?

-The truth is, you can't do without me. Yeah.

Did she take all these pictures?

-Yes.

Right before she disappeared.

At the time, there was a lot of violence among the steelworkers.

My father thought

to a kidnapping. -There was no

ransom note? -No.

On n'a never reviewed Christine.

We never knew what had happened.

Everything changed afterwards. The factories were sold, dismantled.

These photos are the memory of a collapsing empire.

-You know this man?

-Hmm ... I don't really know.

-It's Jean Mercier. He's the one I told you about on the phone.

He was killed very close to where lay

the one who could be your sister.

-Ah, Jean Mercier ...

I remember. The steelworkers' lawyer

who had occupied one of my father's blast furnaces.

-Your sister knew him? -Evid

emment.

She supported the trade unionists. She attended their trial.

She even testified on their behalf.

A real pasionaria. My father was mad with rage.

-Can I borrow this photo from you?

-For 30 years, I always wanted to believe that she was alive.

I am very afraid of what you are going to teach me.

-If Christine Blondel knew Jean Mercier, she also had to

known Nicolas Blouet.

He worked at the Blondel factories. He was a trade unionist.

Mercier defended them. -He didn't tell us everything.

-Hello Master. -Captain.

- Sit down. -Thank you.

- What else do you want?

-Christine Blondel.

Disappeared in June 1980.

We just found his body

buried in Bezonvaux.

Two corpses in a village where there is no longer a living soul,

that's a bit much.

You weren't just there for the bronze,

but to unearth this body

that we risked discovering. - Calm down!

-You accuse my client

of a double murder? -He was alone on the scene

at the time of the murder and he knew the 2 victims.

So what ? Coincidence?

Good luck explaining that

in front of the jury. -It can't be Christine.

-Why this ?

Why isn't it her?

What do you know about this body?

-I do not know anything.

-You are our prime suspect.

If you know anything please help us.

Why can't it be the body

by Christine Blondel?

-My client no longer wishes to respond.

-Reason it. We no longer speak of theft, trafficking or concealment.

He's going to be charged with murder.

All right, it's up to you.

Hold. If your customer changes their mind, give me a call.

Clicking handcuffs.

Someone knocked. Yeah ?

Uproar. -Oh.

Sorry, but I won't be able to help you anymore

on the survey. -Why this ?

-Mirande wants me to let it go. He needs me

on a traffic of cars. -I see.

-The investigating judge

was in his office. Mirande scheming

to retrieve the survey. -It's not new.

But I know how to defend myself. Vibrator.

He is the lawyer for the Blouet brothers.

-Where are you going ? - You're not on the investigation.

-Whore !

...

We open the door.

Bell.

...

-Excuse me.

Is it Nicolas Blouet's lawyer who sent you?

-Sorry ? I do not understand.

-You are Christine Blondel.

- Leave me.

-Your sister is inconsolable

since your disappearance. - Have you seen Alice?

-I am investigating the death of Jean Mercier.

-I heard of his death from the newspapers.

I had met him through the guys from the union.

It was he who released Pierre from prison after the occupation

of the blast furnace. -Pierre, who was it?

-My husband.

A steelmaker, an enthusiast. I left everything for him.

Jean Mercier was his lawyer. - Did you know Mercier well?

-We saw each other every week to prepare for the trial.

At first he was rather hostile towards me.

The bourgeoisie and the worker.

You see the style.

But my secret love story echoed her own life.

He too had fallen in love. Of a married woman.

-You know who it was?

-No one ever knew who she was.

No doubt someone from his entourage in Verdun.

I even think he knew her husband.

Postage.

He was crazy about this woman. We come.

Jean Mercier has completely changed my life.

-What ?

-The trial was lost in advance.

It was he who pushed us to run away, to disappear

before the verdict. -Where did you go ?

-In Germany.

Pierre had friends on the far left.

They hosted us, provided false papers.

We made our living there. -Why did you come back?

-My husband died last year.

I wanted to go home.

The only one I see again is Nicolas Blouet.

I dare not contact my family again.

Hard to come back when everyone thought you were dead.

-You are trying to steal my investigation!

If you don't want me to refer

in high places and that I denounce your shitty behavior,

put Guillaume back on the investigation! -Calm down.

I know that for women there are difficult days.

I imagine it is.

If you want Barot,

you just have to ask. Vibrator.

... Your phone rings.

...

You better respond.

...

-Hi ?

Ah, Francois.

I am coming.

-How can you continue your excavations with such cold?

Here, it will do you good.

-Hop hop hop. - Can I use one too?

-No thanks.

-It comes from my home.

-No thank you.

-Oh ? Good.

The woman laughs.

-Good ... I extracted the DNA from the skeleton.

There is no match with your files. On the other hand,

I examined the bones with oxygen 18. -What is it?

-A method to study the radioactivity of drunk water

before puberty.

It stays fixed in the teeth and in the bones.

If the person, as a child, has stayed in the same region,

we can find out where she lived. -Then ?

-The radioactivity of the skeleton

corresponds to that of the water of Thionville,

less than 100 terminals from here. -She was born in Thionville?

-A 95%, yes.

Are you staying for a drink?

-No, I have to move on.

Thank you.

-You're welcome.

Bell.

-Jean Mercier was killed in Bezonvaux.

The dug holes show that the murderer was searching the ground.

We now know he was looking for the skeleton of a woman

about 30 years old killed in 1980. -And the link between these 2 murders?

-At the time, Mercier had an affair with a married woman.

-And that would be his body? A bit far-fetched, right?

-No missing woman matches this body.

And there may be a link

between Mercier and this skeleton. -So we are looking for a married woman

in the entourage of Mercier in the 80s?

-Born in Thionville in 1950. -OK.

I am looking at the list of members of the Verdun Bar and of Rotary.

-And tennis club subscribers. All places

that Mercier frequented. -Hey !

What did you say to the colonel to get me back?

-Girl stuff.

-Oh.

He hits. -Yes ?

Metallic crash.

-Sorry. - I'll never get used to it.

-Married, 30 years old, frequenting good society

Verdun in the 80 -I will intersect it

with the civil status of Thionville. -OK.

...

-It's not true...

Guillaume !

-Yes ?

-I think I found it.

-It will give him a shock.

...

-How are you ? Between. What are we celebrating?

-Uh ... Barking.

-Hairy, go.

-I do not want to disturb. -But no.

I will introduce you.

Clara, this is my father.

My hero.

-Nice to meet you.

-Captain Merisi,

of which I had told you. -Good evening.

-I do not want to impose myself.

- I was going to go.

Thank you.

So I leave you.

-See you tomorrow ? -Yes.

See you tomorrow.

-He is never very talkative. So, what is it for?

-Oh, it's ... like that.

To get my head out

paperwork.

-We will do that well. Ringing.

- Don't bother.

It's just like that. It's not worth it. Leash.

No but ... Pff ... Really, it was just like that. At last...

He uncorks the bottle. -I'm glad you're here.

He pours wine.

...

Health.

-Health. ...

-Not bad.

-I'm going to go back to Nancy

A few days.

-You haven't completed your investigation?

We will meet again ?

-No ... Wait ... don't do that.

-It's you who arrive at nightfall

with a bottle.

I like you, Clara.

-I'm sorry. Excuse me.

I had better go.

I can take some water

In the bathroom ?

She turns on the water.

...

She hums very softly.

...

-But if you can't ...

...

-Two other soldiers were able to be freed,

buried under 2 m of a clay

black and very wet which prevents any oxidation.

This is one of the soldiers we managed to identify.

There were many effects around the bones.

Here is a pocket knife.

Ah, that's a good example.

Their soles were studded. What can we

in conclusion ?

These are 1916 model boots. We are therefore dealing with

to 2 French soldiers. We also found

this in one of their pockets. It's mint alcohol.

A pick-me-up that was used against fatigue and fear.

They are still found in autopsy rooms to avoid discomfort

students, if you know what I mean.

Laughs. You see !

Alarm.

...

I have a new student?

How are you ? -Well.

Can I talk to you calmly?

-Yes.

Have you made progress on the investigation? -Yes exactly...

-Hold on. Thomas!

I have a date

for your defense. -I am coming.

-I really need to talk to you.

-What do you have ?

-We have identified the unknown woman from Bezonvaux.

-It's good, no ?

- I don't know how to tell you that.

This woman who has been buried for 35 years ...

It's your mother.

-Looked.

All his cards sent from Germany

for over 10 years for my birthday!

The only sign of life she gave us.

I have never been able to part with it. It's not her.

-DNA doesn't lie. -Great !

Thank you ! And what the fuck is that? Is it windy?

Throughout my childhood

I invented his life for myself. I reread his cards 100 times.

And meanwhile she was buried

in the mud at Bezonvaux? He tears up a card.

-No stop ! Stopped ! They are exhibits.

François, François, François.

I'll find out what happened to him.

-I do not understand anything anymore.

Who wrote them?

Why ?

She died 35 years ago. I'm lost there.

-I will have to go

question your father. -Why do you want to do that?

-It is possible that your mother and Jean Mercier

had an affair. We think they were lovers.

-Clara, what is this story?

Do you want to go tell my dad about this?

Leave him alone. What the fuck do you imagine?

That he knew? That he killed Mercier? Is he a suspect?

-He is the only living witness who knew and Jean Mercier

and your mother.

He sighs. -It's a nightmare.

Will you leave me alone for 10 minutes with him please?

-Sure.

-How am I going to tell him?

I'll call you when he's ready.

...

-Bah ... what's happening to you?

-We need to talk, dad.

-We need to talk ?

-That we're talking about mom.

-In between.

In between.

Vibrator.

...

* -Yes ... ...

She laughs. * Hmm.

...

* Are you kissing mom?

Tire screeching. - Damn, the father who leaves!

Horn blasts.

Mermaid.

... Shit! Shit ! Shit !

...

Francois? What the fuck are you doing?

Where is your father ? -He can't take it all.

-Do you realize what you're doing? -And you, what did you do?

You didn't give a damn about me. How did you manage my DNA?

You came to my house

with wine to take my saliva?

- I was waiting to be sure.

- You used me.

-I did my job.

You'll have to follow me. -You dream.

-That's enough now ! You will follow me

and we're going to search your father's house, okay?

-Captain!

Look.

-Seal this shovel and ask the Scientist

to analyze this blood. -OK. Are you putting this under seal?

Go on.

-Captain. You have 24 hours to find Bertrand Gilbert.

After this period, I retrieve the survey.

-What is that ? Another scam?

-The judge is furious.

-Why ?

-He finds that your closeness to the son

of the suspect interferes with your work.

-Ah, OK.

-You completely screwed up.

Because of you, we have a suspect in the wild.

It's not my fault. Address yourself

to the judge.

Captain.

Everything is known here. Verdun is a small town.

...

-You can go home, but don't leave Verdun.

I know. This is the last ghost you wanted to unearth.

...

Then ? -He hasn't moved from home.

-Which one is it,

his flat ? -At the 1st. The lit window.

Have you ever been to his place? -No why ?

-Like that.

-Sometimes, I don't like my job. -Clara, it's not your fault.

He's the one messing around and hiding his father.

Vibrator.

...

-Yes, Fred?

How much does he have?

Oh shit...

Give him 20 drops of liquid aspirin. On the fridge.

If the fever does not go down,

call the doctor. I am

in intervention, I will cut my phone. Hold me

aware. OK me too.

Audible signal.

- It moves, it moves.

He doesn't have his dog.

It's a sign ? -He mostly has a bag.

Go on, go on! Guillaume starts up.

Don't put your lights on. - Don't worry.

Come on, we push each other. Go on !

It goes up to the red zone.

- Take a walk. We follow him from a distance.

We lost it,

with that fucking fog. -Where are we going ?

-The ossuary!

He must have stashed his father there!

-He's there. You're right, he's going to the ossuary.

-Attends !

Park at the foot of the hill. We're going to go through the cemetery.

...

-I brought you

business and dining.

I took your Eurostar ticket for tomorrow. You leave at 5 p.m.

I got Peter on the phone. He will be waiting for you in Saint-Pancras.

...

- I'm not going to London.

-Dad, the police know you were in Bezonvaux that morning.

I don't want you to go to jail.

-I'm tired, my son. I have passed the age.

There is no point in running away.

If I'm to be held accountable to justice, then ...

you might as well face the police now.

-Papa...

-Your father is right.

-You're not ... -Leave. It's very good like that.

Guillaume handcuffs him.

...

-The geolocation history of your phone has allowed us

to know that you were in Bezonvaux at the time of the murder

by Jean Mercier.

What happened ?

Were you looking for your wife's body?

-Do not. Don't, don't.

To tell the truth, Jean came to find me a few days before.

He wanted me to dissuade Francois from digging there.

I asked why.

He responded to me

that he feared that Francis would be upset by what he would find.

That he absolutely had to be stopped .

I haven't slept all night. His sentences obsessed me.

-So you went to Bezonvaux?

-Yes. I do not know what happend to me.

The next day, I followed him. In the evening he went there.

I caught him digging.

Obviously, I did everything to prevent him from seeing me.

But I wanted to understand.

The next day very early, I went back.

I tried to see what he was looking for.

I dug there

where he was doing it. Suddenly I heard footsteps.

Rustling of crushed leaves.

...

-It's you ? What are you doing here ?

-It was him. It was Jean.

We argued.

And that's when he told me what I should never have heard.

Jacqueline was there, buried in the ground for 35 years.

They had both been lovers .

He was crazy about her.

I could never have imagined that.

Besides, she never wanted to leave me or abandon Francois.

Then...

When Jean understood that it was over between them,

he did not support. He did everything to hold her back.

An accident, according to him.

For me, it was no longer possible to hear all that.

35 years thinking that she had abandoned us.

I was seized with anger.

I hit him

with the shovel. It was much later that I understood that ...

That I had killed him.

-No no. Please.

-I had the most terrifying night of my life.

-I was in custody until 4 a.m.

I received your message later.

-He has acute bronchiolitis.

They plugged it in all over the place.

Gastric tube, intravenous, oxygen mask ...

-I can go ? -No.

He has just fallen asleep again.

He is exhausted, he had a respiratory physiotherapy session.

Never seen such a thing. The physiotherapist turned it, manipulated it, pressed it.

It looked like a piece of meat.

Quentin was crying, drooling ...

It was full of mucus.

To think he's going to go through this twice a day for a week ...

...

Quentin snores.

...

Take.

-Why do you talk to each other more?

-Uh ... If honey, we're talking to each other. But here we don't have time.

He kisses her.

-Good day.

- Have a good day, dad.

And for my birthday, will you both be there?

Fred sort.

Metallic noise. -Ah!

Clara laughs and kisses her daughter.

-In the name of the Father

and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, amen.

Roar of thunder.

Guillaume undoes the father's handcuffs.

...

Thunder.

...

- I'll come see you tomorrow. With drugs and clothes.

Go on.

...

Crash. -During his hearing,

the father stated that Mercier wrote the cards.

But the graphologist is categorical: it is a woman's handwriting.

-A woman ?

...

"Koln". Cologne.

Vibrator.

...

Shit !

Damn, but it's not true ... They locked me up?

She tries to open. Oh shit...

Damn, but it's never closed !!

She dials a number. (Damn, that's not true ...)

*-Hi ? -Guillaume is ...

* - No! This is Guillaume Barot's messaging service .

* Leave a message, I will call you back. Ah! ah!

-Shit...

*-Hi ? -Fred? I am in Verdun.

*-Are you kidding me ? -I'm locked up

in the gendarmerie. * -Are you even able to be there?

-I swear I'll come home! * -You think of Léonie?

-Listen to me ! * -She falls asleep.

-Fred! * -My parents are leaving. Hi.

Violent blow. -Shit !

Piss off!

Clear bloodlet.

...

He imitates a bugle.

... Ah is that you?

-What are you doing here ?

-You put me in a closet to be forgotten.

Result: I was forgotten. I got stuck here all night.

Your office was the only comfortable place . I wasn't going to be shy.

- You had to call me.

-Do you think I haven't tried? Nobody picked up.

- Here, you haven't eaten anything.

-You think you soften me with chouquettes?

Anyway, nothing more reaches me.

My daughter celebrated her birthday without me,

my baby almost died

and my husband is probably going to leave me, so ...

-Hold.

It's true, we have a tough job for that.

Difficult with the family. -That...

-Tell yourself that you are a good cop, Captain Merisi.

And I sometimes

I can be a real asshole. - That, I do not make you say it.

They laugh.

-I don't care, your apologies. I don't even believe you.

-Stop, Fred, please! -What ?

What ?

We left Paris to have a quieter life and ...

-No no. We left Paris because you applied

for the Nancy orchestra. -No. Because we couldn't do it anymore

and that here, there are my parents. I didn't think it would do it again.

Your job that eats us up! -Hold on.

Shouldn't marry a cop!

-I know, but I can't help myself

to blame you.

When I was in the emergency room with Quentin,

I kept wondering why, at 11pm, I was alone.

I can not do it anymore. I can't wait for you anymore.

-So what ?

-I'm going to go to my parents for a while. With the children.

It's better for them.

We are always there for you.

And you ?

Who are you here for?

Clara is crying.

Fred slams the door.

Bell.

...

-What do you want, Clara?

-It's my last day. I return to Nancy.

I came to say goodbye to you. -Have a good trip.

-I couldn't leave without finding an answer to that.

I know who wrote them.

- Not sure you want to know.

-But if you don't know, in 1 year, in 2 years, in 10 years,

you will always be plagued by doubt. The graphologist

is formal: it is a woman's handwriting . All these letters

come from the same district of Cologne. You know their author.

Looked

the style of the letters on the slate: the B's, the P's,

the F.

-Andrea.

-I never managed to tell you about it.

It was up to your father to do it.

He was worried about you.

So he asked me to write them down. So that you miss your mother less.

-Have you known daddy for a long time?

-It's hard

to tell you like that. -Andréa, please.

-We had a ... affair together

after your mother is gone.

At the time, I was a guide and I came 3 times a month

to take the Germans to the battlefields.

It lasted 10 years.

We did not leave on very good terms.

-That is to say ?

-I don't want you to think I'm talking bad things about your father.

-It's okay, he's in jail.

-What did he tell you?

-He said terrible things to me.

He had been drinking ...

He threatened me.

-He was violent?

-He told me I was a dirty slut.

Like his wife.

They had

that she was cheating on him.

- You haven't said everything.

We know it was Andrea who wrote them

and not Jean Mercier.

You already knew that your wife was having an affair with him.

So it was not on November 11 that you found out.

*You lied.

* You owe your son the truth.

35 years on a lie is a long time.

I know you care about him, so you owe him that.

Even if the truth is terrible.

He has a right to know what happened to his mother.

Please do this for him.

It was you who killed Jacqueline.

-Yes.

And I will never forgive myself for taking

* a mother to her son.

-What happened ?

-Jacqueline wanted to leave me. She confessed everything to me one evening.

She was going to live with Jean, take my son with her.

She took everything away from me ... with a snap of her fingers. Then...

The pain and the rage was too much.

I grabbed her a little too hard.

She was on the landing upstairs with her suitcase ready to go.

She fell down the stairs and smashed her skull

against the wrought iron railing.

Here is. It was all over.

A stupid accident.

*Yes...

* -Why didn't you tell the police?

* -Because of François.

* I didn't want to see in his eyes that I had killed his mother.

-So you buried her in Bezonvaux.

-When I learned that François was going to excavate there,

I told myself he was going to find her.

So I went back, searched, searched,

tried to find the place where I thought I buried her.

And there, Jean arrived. I told myself he was going to understand everything.

* It's all because of him.

I wish I could talk to my son.

...

-He made me an orphan and a murderer's son.

I have nothing more to say to him.

He goes out.

I am honored, and moved I confess,

to take back Jean Mercier's place

as mayor of the village of Bezonvaux.

This February 21 is symbolic.

It is the anniversary of the start of the Battle of Verdun.

At 7 am will begin

the bombardments which will not stop for 10 months.

The suffering endured by the soldiers is unimaginable.

There is still a lot

ghosts here under our feet.

Lost lives, unfinished destinies.

Bezonvaux has a special resonance for me.

Personal history always joins the great History.

We must remember and I am here so that we do not forget.

Applause.

...

-Congratulation ! -Thank you.

-See you tonight. -See you tonight.

Hi. -Congratulation.

- "Congratulations, Mr. Mayor", please.

Come on, go.

Bark.

...

-Congratulation. -Bah ... thank you.

I'm glad you came.

-I couldn't miss it.

- Are you okay? -Yes.

Can be OK. Fred is still with his parents.

I hope we will get out of this.

I do everything for.

-Are you the ghost hunter? -My daughter,

Leonie. -Hi. You made the acquaintance

of my dog? -The buried hairy,

are they dogs?

-No. They are soldiers.

-It's them,

the ghosts ? -Come on, I'll explain it to you.

You're not scared ? -No.

- Before, there was a village.

And then there was the war.

-Mom !

...

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