Come on!
What's your genius plan this time? -Just wait. We're going to be rich.
Ta-da! What do you say to that?
What do you think it is? -It's a dog.
Wrong. It's walking gold.
Have you lost it? Are you into dog fighting now?
Dog fighting? Come off it.
Now what do you think? -What the hell is that?
I stole him from the cops. -Are you trying to go back inside?
I'm not going back to jail. This dog sniffs out drugs.
So what? -You know the old parking lot?
Where the dealers and junkies hang out? -Exactly.
That's the plan.
We take the dog over there
and sniff out the dealers' stashes.
In two hours, we're loaded.
We just have to be discreet.
Let's go. It'll be empty now.
Right, real discreet.
Shut the hell up.
Come on.
See? He can smell the party.
He wants some.
I knew we'd find something.
Go on. Sniff it out.
Where's he going? -He's on to something.
Good boy.
It's here, I can smell it too. Find it.
Find it!
Move it.
What the hell are you doing?
Oh shit. -Get out of the way.
Shit.
What now?
THE CRIMSON RIVERS
THE CHILDREN'S CRUSADE: PART I
Hi, Leo.
Hello?
For God's sake.
Hello.
Looking for something? -No.
I usually catch what I'm looking for.
That's no way to make friends.
No one's here. Let's make a move. -OK.
Detective Niemans? -That's me.
I'm Officer Gandolfi.
Colonel Mariotte sent me to pick you up.
This is Lt Camille Delaunay. -Pleasure.
It's such an honor to work with you.
I've studied your cases and... -Shall we go?
Of course.
Want me to take that? No? OK.
I'm parked outside. -OK.
Can you brief us, Gandolfi? The prosecutor didn't say much.
The hand was discovered Friday evening
by two boys using a stolen police dog to sniff out weed.
It was sent to the morgue, which is where we're going now.
Do we know the boys?
Benjamin Lemaire and Rachid Benjaoui. They're small-time thugs.
They were horrified.
That was four days ago. What's the status? Have you checked the hospitals?
They haven't admitted anyone with a severed hand.
And there haven't been any reported disappearances or deaths.
Is that all?
To be honest, the investigation hasn't really started.
Why not?
Lack of time. We're swamped.
With what?
I asked you a question, Gandolfi. With what?
I'm not really authorized to discuss it. I...
Right. Pull over.
Stop the car!
I'm listening.
It's in the papers...
We're looking into a series of murders.
Three women have been killed in three months.
Under what circumstances? -Nasty ones.
Listen, Gandolfi, you're really starting to piss me off.
The killer shoots to injure, then rapes and mutilates them.
Finally, he puts a bullet through their hearts.
Any suspects?
You'd have to talk to Colonel Mariotte.
Alright? Can we go? -Yes, we can go.
You go ahead. I need to make a call.
Hello. -Prosecutor, it's Niemans here.
I'm calling about the murders. -That has nothing to do with your case.
I'm not used to being brought in for nothing.
Nothing?
A child's hand has been severed, and you call that nothing?
Of course not, apologies.
It just seems odd that you didn't inform us of the other case first.
In our department, serial murders take priority.
Detective, read between the lines. -I'm not in the mood for riddles.
Now that you're there, you might as well help out.
But be tactful.
So you're putting us on the murders? -Absolutely not.
I'm counting on you to lend your expertise. But try to be subtle.
Subtlety isn't exactly my forte.
It was found in good condition,
which means wild animals hadn't gotten to it yet.
There are wild animals in town? -It's common around here.
Wildlife often raids the bins.
How long was it there before it was found?
I'd say less than 24 hours.
Hello, doctor.
You're sure it's a boy's hand?
The bone structure clearly indicates a boy between 12 and 15 years old.
The wrist was severed in a single cut, either by an axe or a powerful blade.
No one has reported similar injuries or missing children.
Could the victim have left town? -It's unlikely.
If he survived the injury, he wouldn't have gotten far without treatment.
He's probably dead by now.
What was the victim's background?
He was Caucasian. Why?
Not North African?
No.
Could he have already been dead when the hand was cut off?
No. Based on the vascularization of the flesh, he bled profusely.
He was alive when it happened.
If they're not animal scratches, what are these marks?
They're old wounds.
It seems he'd been abused for years.
The X-rays also showed fractured finger bones,
meaning he beat others up too.
What about the women?
The serial killer victims?
You mean the Dawn Killer?
Is that what he's called?
All three women were killed at dawn on their way to work.
I didn't do the autopsies.
Are you working that case too?
Thanks, doctor.
Thank you.
Run the prints through the main database.
Maybe the kid has a record.
Since he's a minor, we'll need permission from juvenile court.
It could take days. -Better get on it then.
Ladies and gentlemen, calm down, please!
Form an orderly line against the wall.
Thank you.
Take down all their IDs and tell them to wait.
We can't hear ourselves think in here!
Colonel Mariotte? -Are you the team from Paris?
Yes. Detective Niemans and Lt Delaunay.
The prosecutor told me you were coming. I'll find you an office. Follow me.
Can we speak for a moment? -No, I don't have time.
I realize we're here to look into the hand, but we could also help...
Let me be clear, detective: I don't need you on any case but your own.
Like the Dawn Killer case, for example?
Drop it, Niemans.
I know you're a pro, but we can handle this alone.
Show it to me! I'm telling you, it's mine!
What's going on?
Some journalist wrote an article about your hand.
Now it's the crackpot parade, and that guy thinks it's his.
Stay in your seat!
You've got your work cut out.
I'll give you one of ours to help with witness testimonies.
Officer Gandolfi, I'm guessing?
Officer Gandolfi, yes.
I need to find you an office.
Verdier!
My grandma would tell us to make the best of a bad hand.
You have a grandmother?
Yes. What did you think?
That I was abandoned in a parking lot as a baby?
Where should I start?
Visit all the high schools with Gandolfi.
See if there are any kids with a history of violence.
Am I questioning the missing-hand brigade?
No.
Focus on the North African community.
What's that about? You mentioned it at the morgue.
The hand wasn't buried. It was left on display as an example.
I don't see the connection. -Do you know about Sharia law?
Yes, what about it?
Followed strictly, it says the hands of thieves should be cut off.
OK. I missed that one.
I'm going to the local paper. I'll see if the cops can lend me a car.
Are you looking into the murders?
Yes.
I just want to check the facts. You never know...
The cases may be linked.
A child's severed hand isn't enough?
A severed hand and three murders is a lot for a town like this.
Alright, we'll keep in touch. See you later.
I need a car, Gandolfi. -No problem.
What type of car would you like?
A mundane one. -Mundane. OK.
GRUESOME MURDER NEAR ROUBAIX
THE DAWN KILLER STRIKES AGAIN!
THIRD VICTIM FOUND
Can I help you with anything? Who are you?
Detective Niemans.
I was just reading your work on the Dawn Killer.
Are you the reinforcement? -No.
I'm trying to identify the kid with the severed hand.
Finally. I thought the investigation would never start.
Is that why you wrote the article? You've pissed off Colonel Mariotte.
Screw him.
If you're here for the hand, why the interest in the murders?
Do you think the cases are linked?
No. Why?
You talk about mutilation and torture but don't give any details.
I can't write everything.
It's too sordid.
Just ask the local police.
Unfortunately, they're not very cooperative.
Well, first the killer shoots his victims to injure them,
then he violates them with as-yet unidentified objects:
bottles, tool handles, that sort of thing.
He also lacerates their faces.
It all suggests an uncontrollable hatred towards women.
What about the cartridge found at the third crime scene?
One of the policemen let that slip.
But I don't know what the ballistics results were.
And the hand?
You're not up to speed, detective.
Everyone knows where the hand came from.
It's enormous.
It's the only high school in the region.
All the kids in the area come here.
Wait out here. I'll be half an hour.
Lieutenant Delaunay?
I'm Carole Fournier.
I'm the school principal. How can I help you?
I'm from the special blood crimes unit.
Come with me.
Are you here about the murders? -No.
I'm looking into the hand found at Roubaix.
Right.
I could hardly believe it when I read the story.
All the local kids come to your school. Is anyone missing?
No.
I would've reported it. We're very strict with absences.
According to the autopsy, the kid had been subjected to violent abuse.
Could that apply to any of your students?
You're ill-informed, lieutenant.
I think you need to visit a different establishment.
Where?
St Vincent's children's home.
It's at the edge of the forest.
It's a sort of social project.
They take in children with family problems.
But it has a fairly bad reputation. -Why?
A number of its kids committed suicide in the 90s.
It came out that some of the people in charge were abusing the children.
There were arrests, a trial...
The home was closed for a while. -And today?
There haven't been any reports of ill treatment.
But a story like that leaves a lasting impression.
So they could be covering up a disappearance?
Don't put words in my mouth, lieutenant.
I have nothing bad to say about the present staff.
Thank you.
Who told you about St Vincent's? -A journalist. You?
The high school principal.
I don't know why Mariotte hasn't sent his men here yet.
There are a number of things we weren't told.
Why didn't you say you'd found a cartridge?
I don't give a shit about Mariotte. It's you I'm talking to.
Looks like you need tips on making friends too.
Right. Come on, let's go.
There's no way I'm staying here.
Then you can work through the night instead.
What do you want?
I'm Detective Niemans. This is Lt Delaunay. Take us to your boss.
Not with that attitude. -Sorry?
Ask nicely. -I'll ask how I want.
Get out of my way.
What's your name?
Bruno. -Are you a teacher here?
Can we see the director? -Mr Durero isn't here.
He's at a meeting.
It's quiet. Where are the kids? -Studying.
It's almost dinnertime.
Do you know why we're here?
Do you know about the severed hand? -I read the papers.
None of our kids are missing.
Can we see your records? -What records?
Attendance, comings and goings, etc. -What for?
Hey!
You! What are you doing?
What was that? Come here!
What are you up to, huh?
Go on! Get out of here.
What?
Alright. That's enough.
Go get some air.
I'll take care of it.
Get up. You're fine.
Where are the archives?
The archives! Where are they?
Sorry about that. -I know. It's OK.
Have you found anything?
I'm looking.
It'll take time to find out if they're hiding a disappearance.
Niemans, these files are from the 90s.
A pedophilia scandal came to light here in 1992.
I know. I don't see the link to our case.
Some pages have been torn out.
Fourth grade, 1989.
And here too. Fifth grade, 1990.
What the hell is this? You have no right to be here.
Put the badge away. I know who you are.
How come a Paris crime squad is allowed to meddle
in affairs 200 miles from the capital?
We're not homicide. Do your research.
If you have any questions, ask the prosecutor.
I assume you're Nicolas Durero? -Yes.
Perfect.
Can we take a walk? It's hard to breathe in here.
Bruno told me why you're here. You're on the wrong track.
None of our kids have disappeared.
The hand matches your kids' profile.
What profile? -Aggressive and abused.
Abused? Please. -We just witnessed Bruno's methods.
You know nothing about life here.
So you won't mind if we bring in a team from Child Protective Services
to take a census and verify no one's been reported missing?
You want to waste taxpayers' money?
I could ask the kids myself.
Go ahead. But you'll need CPS to send a psychologist.
Every interview must be filmed
and take place in the presence of a specialist. It's the law.
What happened here in the 90s?
That's ancient history.
A few sick bastards...
They were vicious scum who abused their power.
Were there any mutilations?
Isn't sexual abuse enough?
Who made the complaint? The children? -No.
Social services opened an investigation because of the suicides.
They punished the guys and closed St Vincent's.
We reopened in 2002 and today, our staff is exemplary.
So we've seen.
Could any of those kids be working here today?
I don't know what you're looking for.
One last question:
What's for dinner tonight?
You don't have two rooms? -No.
This is a restricted corridor.
There's only one available room.
It's fine. We've seen worse. -But just barely.
Listen, if you want to leave... -What time is dinner?
It's almost over.
Get a move on if you want to eat. There are never any leftovers.
Mr Mustachio is starting to grow on me.
Right...
Top or bottom?
Top.
Are you coming? -Give me five minutes.
Silence!
Come on.
When I pressed Gandolfi,
he said they found a cartridge at the last crime scene.
And?
It was a 7.5mm model 1929 C
designed for an MAS 36 or 36/56.
A semi-automatic rifle largely used by French troops in the Algerian War.
There can't be many in the area. What are your thoughts?
I'm sure they're holding back because we're here.
Let's get social services on their ass.
Can you focus on the case, Camille?
I could say the same. We're not here to find a WWI rifle.
The Algerian War. -Whatever.
We're here to find the asshole who cut off a kid's hand and left him to die.
Are you OK?
I'm sorry. It was a bad idea to stay here.
Leo grew up in places like this.
It's no wonder he hates me.
You need to stop blaming yourself.
Try to get it out of your head.
It's not so easy when he keeps calling me.
But he doesn't talk.
Why not tell him the truth?
He's grown up now. He'll understand.
It stays between you and me.
I'm going for a walk.
Something is going on in the corridor.
What's going on here?
Police!
Stay where you are!
Get out of here.
You two are real rabble rousers. -Right.
And the masked man who attacked me isn't?
I need to go clean up your damn mess and calm the kids down.
Are you OK? -Yeah.
I questioned all the guards. No one saw or heard anything.
Durero won't let us talk to the kids without a psychologist.
Have you searched the place?
We have to wait for the police.
The guy who attacked me knows this place well.
He might be one of the teachers.
Or one of the former kids. -Or both.
He'll be back.
Do you know him?
He always comes back.
Who? -I can't talk about it.
They'll hurt me. -The teachers?
No. The kids in Sylvain's gang.
Who's Sylvain?
The boss wants to see you.
Coffee?
Are we burying the hatchet? -Certainly not.
I called Colonel Mariotte.
You have to leave immediately.
You need to explain yourselves to the police.
Explain ourselves? What for?
You used a firearm in a children's home.
You used force on our kids and went tightrope walking across the roof.
What about the guy who attacked me?
Who saw this man? You? Her? -The kids saw him.
You're no longer allowed near them.
An injunction is on its way.
Tell us about Sylvain's gang.
Who told you about that? -Does it matter?
They're petty thieves.
They're not bad at heart, but they can be hard to control.
And they make an easy scapegoat. -What do you mean?
There were these thefts in and around Roubaix.
They blamed our kids.
But there was no evidence. -What was stolen?
Women's underwear...
plush toys, trinkets.
All worthless.
Can we talk to Sylvain's gang? -Absolutely not.
If you want to talk to them, you need to do it by the book.
And you'd be wasting your time. They won't talk.
They're extremely loyal.
Either way, you need to pack your things.
I don't want any more disturbances.
Please leave.
Don't worry, angel. Daddy won't hurt you.
Time to get up, Camille. I'll be waiting downstairs.
Did you sleep well? -What's that?
Reports on the thefts Durero told us about.
Gandolfi dropped them off this morning.
Does anything stand out?
No. They just took household knickknacks. Nothing of interest.
Are the houses close to St Vincent's?
All within walking distance, if that's what you mean.
It was probably the kids.
Maybe Sylvain's gang.
Detective?
This is Michel Naty from forensics.
Have you finished school?
Yes... Well, I just finished my internship at the training academy.
Our experienced technicians are all busy...
Yes, I know.
Can you wait for us outside?
We'll be out soon. Thank you.
What are you doing?
We don't even have a crime scene.
We have the hand, so we have fingerprints.
If we can identify the prints from the burgled houses,
we might just find our kid.
That would tell us he was a thief, but not that he was at St Vincent's.
But it would allow us to put pressure on Durero.
I'm sure he knows more
about the hand and the guy who tried to push me off the roof.
Who's doing the prints?
Guess.
Let's debrief at noon.
It happened about a month ago.
They smashed the glass in my kitchen door to get in.
There it is.
Do you need help?
Do you ever clean?
Clean?
Wiping down the windows, dusting...
I live alone, so...
Do you know what they stole?
Worthless stuff.
A clock, a radio, a knife...
And you didn't hear anything?
I was sleeping.
But I know who it was.
Who? -The St Vincent kids.
They're nothing but trouble.
There are no other troublemakers in the area?
They're different. -How so?
Just different.
I've got all I need.
OK. Thank you.
To think I was asleep upstairs with my babies.
Did they steal anything? -Steal?
They did far worse than that.
Look at what they're capable of.
Are you sure they did this? -Who else?
I found his little body on my doormat the next morning.
They burned him alive, inspector.
No one followed up on your complaint? -Of course not.
What with all these dead women, you think the police care about my cat?
I've got a match.
These fingerprints...
They match the severed hand. -Where were they?
On a bottle of paint thinner. -What?
When I heard about the burned cat, I checked all the flammables.
Well played.
Where's the next one?
Not far from here.
Naty?
Why did you report the intrusion? -Just to be safe.
But you're sure nothing was stolen? -I should know.
Is this yours too? -Yes.
What's this?
Target holders.
You shoot? -It's not illegal.
That depends. What do you shoot? -A rifle.
Can I see it?
No. -Why not?
Because they stole it, OK? The St Vincent kids stole my rifle.
Why didn't you tell the police?
I don't technically have a license for it.
It was my dad's. He fought in Algeria.
What model is your rifle? -It's an MAS 36.
And it was stolen in late July? -Yes.
When was the first Dawn Killer murder?
August 7th.
You're coming with us, Mr Gastaigne.
No, wait. Wait!
Hang on a minute! Wait!
I've got nothing to do with those murders.
Yes?
What?
Did you find the cartridges?
Good job, Camille. Meet me at the hotel in 15 minutes.
Don't say a word to Mariotte.
Take the guy's statement, then let him go.
I don't think he's involved.
And Camille?
Great work. Now we have proof that the two cases are connected.
Hello.
What are you doing?