16. Ledru’s Bosses Refused to Believe His Confession at First
Ledru told the stunned listeners, he had no memory of shooting the victim. However, one of the footprints had a missing big toe and matched that of Ledru’s, who was missing a big toe. There was also an empty chamber in his revolver, which was always kept fully loaded. Finally, there were the wet shoes and socks he woke with that morning. From all the preceding, Ledru concluded that he had been sleepwalking on the beach that night, when he encountered and shot the victim. When they heard Detective Ledru’s confession to murder, the Le Havre police were skeptical at first. His bosses back in Paris thought that their star detective must have suffered a temporary mental crisis, caused by overwork and stress that made him imagine himself a killer. They soon discovered that their golden boy was, once again, spot on.
