the thursday club the eightytwo of them pledged themselves to their cause until death when the rosette would be pinned on another man or woman chosen to fight for a better world the old victorian brownstone on locust street in philadelphia headquarters of the vidocq society was besieged withrequests from around the world from cops and victims seeking an audience in the private chamber in city tavern a congressman who wanted to solve a murder in his family a federal agent in washington who needed another pair of eyes on the assassination of a woman agent in broad daylight while jogging a young smalltown tennessee cop overmatched by an elderly millionaire serial killer who moved from state to state killing his wives but the vidocq society would not touch a case unless it was a murder the victim had committed no crimes and the case was at least two years old officially a cold case our mission is to help the police at their request working quietly in the background withoutfanfare to act as an agent for justice fleisher said in all cases the society required the presence in the room of the municipal police officers state or federal agents or government prosecutors working on the cold case families looking for vengeance became too emotional without official support yet in rare instances when police corruption was suspected an ordinary citizen was granted an audience before the vidocq society this afternoon was one of those cases when an ordinary citizen had earned an audience before the forensic court of last resort at one oclock fleisher stood at the lectern and welcomed them from four continents to philadelphia and the monthly convening of the vidocq society before lunch he had led them in the pledge of allegiance hand clamped over his heart his voice the loudest in the room he had introduced a pastor who asked that god favor and guide their undertakings for justice now fleisher loosened the room with a joke about their purpose to enjoy my great hobby which is lunch then he reminded them somberly that their work was to speak for the dead who cannot speak forthemselves it was sacred work the essential method that fleisher bender and walter had resurrected from the nineteenth century was deceptively simple they had filled a room with detectives to unmask a crime of murder like vidocqs excons though far more sophisticated they had at their disposal the most advanced forensic tools of their age busboys swarmed out of the kitchen and swept away the last of the silver and china carded the remaining crumbs from the white tablecloths as the coffee was poured the historic chamber was no longer the long room it was the murder room reborn at ten past one fleisher introduced mr antoine lehavre of louisiana a rotund man in his forties with dark hair and a gentlemanly manner lehavre wore a sports jacket and eyes burdened with woe he stood at the lectern slightly to the