Page 53 of Shadow of Doubt

“I don’t like old-people music.”

“A, it’s notold-peoplemusic,” she responded, “and B, would you stop what you’re doing and look at me, please?”

MoMo did as she asked, leaning back in his chair and gnawing on a skewer of kofte.

“That was the concert where they first introduced AVS.”

“Algorithmic video surveillance?” he asked.

Brunelle nodded.

In the run-up to the Olympics, France had introduced a ton of new, high-tech security measures. The idea behind AVS was to use artificial intelligence to help thwart terror attacks such as the 1996 Olympics bombing in Atlanta and the 2016 truck attack in Nice. France was the first country in the European Union to employ AI-assisted surveillance and it was only accessible to a handful of law enforcement and intelligence agencies.

“I forgot they tested it at that concert,” MoMo stated. “What about it?”

“We’re one of the agencies that has access to it, right?”

“Correct.”

“And everyone in your division has been trained on it.”

It was now MoMo’s turn to nod. “Where are you going with this?”

“From what I’ve read, the AI is capable not only of facial recognition, but also of gait recognition. So even if we can’t see someone’s face on a CCTV camera, we can recognize and track them by their walk.”

“Technically speaking, yes. That’s true. Legally speaking, no. We’re not allowed to do that.”

Brunelle looked at him. “What are you talking about?”

“The National Assembly crafted very specific parameters as to how and where the software can be used. Only at sports, recreational, and cultural venues to help prevent public order offenses.”

“That’s all I’m asking for.”

“I’m not following you,” said MoMo.

“Jean-Jacques Jadot’s killer hasn’t been spotted entering or leaving the murder scene. There’s evidence that the killer came and went via a window at the rear of the apartment. We now know that a neighbor in a close-by building heard a noise on the roof shortly after the time we believe Jadot was murdered.”

“And?”

“And my hypothesis is that the killer used the rooftops for ingress and egress. Specifically, I believe the killer did this to avoid being seen by other people and by CCTV cameras.”

MoMo took another bite of his kofte and, despite having his mouth full of food, asked, “What’s this got to do with the AI software?”

“The fact that we haven’t found the killer yet in any CCTV footage doesn’t mean he’s not there, it just means we’re not looking in the right place.”

“Still not following you.”

Brunelle broke it down for him. “Jadot’s apartment is on the Rue Vieille-du-Temple. Do you know what else is on that street?”

“It’s a long street.”

“The National Archives of France.

“Suppose, just for a moment, that we’re dealing with a very sophisticated criminal, possibly even an intelligence operative for a hostile foreign country. Paris isn’t London or New York, but we’ve got a lot of CCTV cameras. This operative knows we’re going to be going backward and forward in the footage, trying to find them and identify them. So how would they prevent that?”

“A disguise of some sort?”

“Exactly,” Brunelle agreed. “But I’d take it one step further. Jadot was killed shortly before eleven p.m. on a rainy Sunday evening. Not many people are out at that time and in that kind of weather. If I was the killer, I’d wait to make my escape. And if I could, you know where I’d wait?”

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