Victor, de la brigade mondaine — Résumé 🇺🇸 English
This text introduces Victor of the Vice Squad, an inspector who achieved international renown following the theft of the National Defense Bonds, the double murder of Father Lescot and Élise Masson, and his relentless struggle against the legendary thief Arsène Lupin.
Prior to these defining events, Victor was known among his colleagues and the press as a highly skilled yet unpredictable, cunning, and bad-tempered veteran policeman. He treated his duties almost like a hobby, working only when it pleased him, and frequently drew scrutiny for his highly unconventional and imaginative methods.
To address complaints about Victor's behavior, M. Gautier, the Director of the Judicial Police, submitted a confidential note to the Prefect defending his subordinate. The note reveals that Victor’s real name is Victor Hautin, the son of a public prosecutor who passed away in Toulouse forty years prior. Victor spent a significant portion of his life working in the colonies. While he was recognized as an excellent official capable of handling the most delicate and perilous missions, his career was frequently disrupted. He faced constant transfers due to numerous scandals involving the seduction of married women and the abduction of young girls. These personal indiscretions ultimately blocked him from rising to higher administrative ranks.
As the years passed, Victor grew calmer and inherited a substantial fortune. Looking to occupy his leisure time, he used a recommendation from Gautier's cousin in Madagascar to secure a position under Gautier. Despite his advanced age, excessive independence, and touchy temperament, Gautier valued him as a highly discreet, reliable, and unpretentious asset who sought neither ambition nor publicity.
Initially, Victor's reputation remained confined to a small circle of superiors and peers. His breakthrough into the public eye occurred only when he was suddenly pitted against the extraordinary and formidable Arsène Lupin, whose involvement turned the dark National Defense Bonds case into a highly publicized affair. The appearance of such a prodigious adversary seemed to instantly push the old inspector’s remarkable abilities to their absolute peak. Victor pursued an intense, devious, and implacable hatred against Lupin, fighting first in the shadows and later in the public eye. Ultimately, the unexpected and theatrical climax of this investigation cemented the global fame of Victor of the Vice Squad while simultaneously enhancing the prestige of Arsène Lupin.