by William F. Smith
"Ah, Fevrier," Inspector Pierre LaRoche greeted the young detective who had just entered his office at the Police Judiciare on Quai des Orfèvres. "The identity of the victim had been determined?"
"Yes. Antoinette DoBois, model and mistress of the late sculptor Gérard Meurant."
"He designed the facade of the Union Pacifique building in 1920, with the figure of the little nymph about to climb onto the ledge above the ground floor. Now we know why the sculpture appeared so lifelike. Meurant murdered the poor woman, encased her body in plaster, and hid her in plain view of every person in this metropolis. Ingenious! After 105 years, these facts have now come to light only because the building is being demolished to make way for a new luxury hotel."
"Then Meurant committed the perfect crime and got away with it?"
"Yes, he died in 1972 and can't be punished in this world. And he profited by his crime, too. He wasn't very successful until that building became a tourist attraction. Then he recieved hundreds of commissions for life-like statues to adorn buildings." LaRoche suddenly clapped a hand to his forehead and groaned. "Oh, mon Dieu!"
"What's wrong, Inspector?"
"Have Archives compile the records for all unsolved disappearances between 1920 and 1972. I'm very much afraid we will have to examine the contents of every sculpture created by Gérard Meurant, the master plaster caster of Paris."
William F. Smith's stories, humorous verse and photographs have appeared in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine, Ellery Queen Mystery Magazine, Mike Shane Mystery Magazine and Reader’s Digest. His stories have been included in several anthologies.
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