Chapter Thirty-OneWhile Perrault waited for the coroner to arrive on rue Saterne, Achille Labiche, newly-minted murderer, was riding his tractor to the Salliac market, intent on seeing Aimée and making some further progress with her. It was another beautiful day, sparkling and green, and he was pretty sure anyone who could be outside on such a day would be, so he was not anxious she would not be there. Anyone would be tempted to skip school on a day this nice.
As always he timed his arrival for just before lunch. He parked his tractor at the edge of the village as he always did. He was wearing the same pair of bib overalls he had worn the day before, and he tucked his hands up under the bib as he had then, pleased to have discovered this new place to put them. All his life, Achille’s hand
