She opened her eyes, asked him who the third guest was, beside her husband and his wife, he replied, “Our love.”
They went to the bathroom. Returning to bed, they decided to dance. They switched on the alarm-clock radio, heard that Klaus Barbie was going to be extradited to France to be tried. Gabriel Prudent said these words, “At last, justice. Got to celebrate that.” He ordered champagne. She said, “I’ve known you for twenty-four hours and I haven’t been sober. It might be a good idea for us to meet again on an empty stomach.”
They danced to Gilbert Bécaud’s “I’m coming back for you.”
She fell asleep at around 4 A.M. and opened her eyes again at 6 A.M. He had just fallen asleep.
The room smelled of stale smoke and alcohol. She heard the birds singing. She hated them for it.
“Hold back the night.” Those are the words that came to her. Johnny Hallyday at six in the morning in the Blue Room. She tried to remember the words, “Hold back the night, today, until the end of the world, hold back the night . . . ” And she couldn’t remember what came next.
He had his back to her, she caressed him, breathed him in. It woke him up, they made love. Fell back to sleep.
They were rung at 10 A.M., to know if they were keeping the room or checking out. If the latter, the room had to be vacated by midday.
51.
Each day that passes weaves the invisible thread
of your memory.
On the ground floor of the left wing, one main corridor, three adjacent bedrooms, each with two bunk beds and toilets and basins, for boarders, and a bedroom reserved for staff. On the second floor, three adjacent rooms, each with two bunk beds and toilets and basins, for boarders, and five bedrooms reserved for staff.
On the night of July 13th to 14th, 1993, all the rooms were occupied.
The bedrooms of Edith Croquevieille (director and supervisor), Swan Letellier (domestic staff), Geneviève Magnan (domestic staff and supervisor), Alain Fontanel (domestic staff), and Eloïse Petit (supervisor) were on the second floor. The bedroom of Lucie Lindon (supervisor) was on the ground floor.
Anaïs Caussin (aged seven), Léonine Toussaint (aged seven), Nadège Gardon (aged eight), and Océane Degas (aged nine) were in Room 1, situated on the ground floor. They left their room without permission, and without making any noise so as not to wake up their supervisor (Lucie Lindon), who was sleeping in one of the rooms adjoining theirs. They went to the kitchen, located five meters from their bedroom, at the end of the main corridor. They opened one of the fridges and poured milk into a two-liter stainless-steel saucepan in order to warm it up. They used a gas cooker with eight rings (two electric, six gas). They lit one of the gas rings with household matches. They searched in the storeroom at the back of the kitchen to find cocoa powder and in the cupboard for four mugs, into which they poured the hot milk.
They each carried their mug of hot milk back to their bedroom. (The four mugs were found in Room 1—non-flammable ceramic.)
The four victims had placed the stainless-steel saucepan back on the gas ring, which, mistakenly, hadn’t been switched off but turned down to low.
The plastic handle of the stainless-steel saucepan began to melt, then to catch fire. (Saucepan found, stainless-steel non-flammable.)
Ten minutes later (estimated approximate time), the flames coming from the plastic handle began to reach the kitchen units located above and to the right of the gas cooker.
The plastic-coated cladding covering these kitchen units proved to be highly toxic. Organic compounds (lacquers and varnishes) that are very volatile.
It was also noted that the four children hadn’t closed the door to the kitchen, or to their bedroom.
Between the moment when the four victims left the kitchen and the moment when the toxic gases had invaded the kitchen, the corridor, and their bedroom, between twenty-five and thirty minutes had gone by.
As previously stated, Room 1 was located around five meters from the kitchen. The emanation of toxic gases produced by the combustion of the kitchen units must have rapidly plunged the four children into a coma, and caused their deaths by asphyxiation and poisoning.
The bodies of the four victims were found burned to ashes in their beds. They were asleep when they inhaled the toxic gases, and that proved fatal to them.
Room 1 caught fire when one of the windows in that same room exploded due to the heat, creating a draft.
Due to the explosion and the extreme temperature, all the windows in the room exploded, allowing some of the toxic gases to escape outside. The other bedrooms (to which all doors were closed) on the ground floor were not affected.
The supervisor (Lucie Lindon), who occupied the room adjoining that of the four victims, immediately evacuated the two bedrooms on the ground floor, in which eight children were sleeping (unharmed), and which weren’t affected by the fire.
It was not possible for Lucie Lindon to enter Room 1.
After ensuring that all the occupants on the first floor (twelve children and five adults) were safe and sound, Lucie Lindon alerted the fire brigade.
It was harder than usual to reach the latter as it had been commandeered to keep people safe at a firework display, ten kilometers from the place known as La Clayette.
Alain Fontanel and Swan Letellier again attempted to enter Room 1 by any means, but in vain. The heat and the height of the flames were too extensive.
Between Lucie Lindon’s telephone alert and the arrival of the fire brigade, twenty-five minutes elapsed. The call was made at 23:25, and the fire brigade arrived at the location of the fire at 23:50.
A large part of the left wing had already been devastated by the flames.
It took three hours to get the fire under control.
Due to the young age of the four victims, and the advanced level of calcination of
