The Pit-Prop Syndicate · Chapter
The Bordeaux Lorries explained
Inspector Willis visits M.
What happens
Inspector Willis visits M. Max in Paris, who explains that his men confirmed the brandy smuggling at Lesque but cannot act because the distillery, Raymond Fils, operates within French law. Stranded and unable to proceed officially, Willis hires private detective M. Jules Laroche. They travel to Bordeaux, learn that Pierre Raymond is financially strained, and that night they spy on the mill at Lesque, mirroring Merriman's earlier surveillance.
Themes in this chapter
Crime and Investigation
Willis's investigation hits a dead end with French authorities, forcing him to pivot to private detection and covert surveillance to uncover the smuggling operation.
Deception and Appearance
The firewood trade is revealed as a blind for smuggling, and Pierre Raymond's move to a tiny house near the distillery masks his illicit activities.
Secrecy and Truth
Willis and Laroche conduct secret night surveillance at Lesque, mirroring earlier covert observations by Merriman, as they seek to uncover the truth behind the syndicate.
Characters to notice
- Inspector Willis
Visits M. Max in Paris, learns French authorities cannot help, then hires private detective Laroche and conducts night surveillance at Lesque.
- M. Jules Laroche
Private detective hired by Willis; speaks English, gathers intelligence on Pierre Raymond, and accompanies Willis to spy on the mill.
- M. Pierre Raymond
Owner of Raymond Fils distillery; known to be financially strained and living next to the distillery, suspected of involvement in the smuggling.
- Maxwell
Head of the French Excise Department in Paris; explains that Raymond Fils is within French law and cannot assist further.
- Merriman
Referenced indirectly as having conducted similar surveillance at Lesque seven weeks earlier.
- Claud Hilliard
Referenced as having provided descriptions of the Lesque clearing to Willis.
Key passages
“My men then watch the lorries. They get help from the police at Bordeaux. They find the firewood trade is a nothing.”
M. Max's agents, assisted by Bordeaux police, determined that the firewood business was merely a front.
M. Max explains to Willis that the lorries' firewood trade was a cover for smuggling.
“I have got some information that may help. It seems that a M. Pierre Raymond is practically the owner of Raymond Fils, the distillers you mentioned. He is a man of about thirty, and the son of one of the original brothers. He was at one time comfortably off, and lived in a pleasant villa in the suburbs. But latterly he has been going the pace, and within the last two years he let his villa and bought a tiny house next door to the distillery, where he is now living. It is believed his money went at Monte Carlo, indeed it seems he is a wrong ’un all round.”
Laroche reports that Pierre Raymond, owner of the distillery, has fallen on hard times, likely due to gambling, and now lives next to his business, suggesting motive for smuggling.
Laroche shares intelligence gathered from local police about Raymond's financial troubles and changed living situation.