Rembrandt Painting

Rembrandt Painting
Dermot Craddock was fraternising with Armand Dessin of the Paris Prefecture. The two men had met on one or two occasions and got on well together. Since Craddock spoke French fluently, most of their conversation was conducted in that language.
"It is an idea only," Dessin warned him, "I have a picture here of the corps de ballet – that is she, the fourth from the left - it says anything to you, yes?"
Inspector Craddock said that actually it didn't. A strangled young woman is not easy to recognise, and in this picture all the young women concerned were heavily made up and were wearing extravagant bird headdresses.
Rembrandt Painting
It could be," he said. "I can't go further than that. Who was she? What do you know about her?"
"Almost less than nothing," said the other cheerfully. "She was not important, you see. And the Ballet Maritski - it is not important, either. It plays in suburban theatres and goes on tour – it has no real names, no stars, no famous ballerinas. But I will take you to see Madame Joliet who runs it."
Madame Joliet was a brisk business-like Frenchwoman with a shrewd eye, a small moustache, and a good deal of adipose tissue.
Rembrandt Painting