The Coldest Case by Martin Walker (mobi reader android txt) 📕

a pan over the lowest possible heat and went to the garden for a sprig of thyme, three sprigs of tarragon and a bay leaf and tied them together as a bouquet garni. He put the shallots and garlic into the pan with the now-melted butter, half a dozen halved walnuts and two spoonfuls of tomato paste and softened them slowly for about ten minutes. He added the crayfish and sautéed them until they were bright red. Then he poured a glass of pastis, struck a match and flambéed the dish. Once the flames died down he removed the crayfish and began slowly adding a bottle of Bergerac Sec to the sauté pan. He added the bouquet garni, sea salt and piment d’espelette, the red pepper from the Basque country, and raised the heat for five minutes to reduce the liquid.

The vichyssoise was now cool enough to go into the blender to become a smooth purée. He stirred in the two hundred grams of Stéphane’s cream and put the bowl into the freezer to chill. He went out to the rear garden, picked three plump, fresh peaches from his tree, washed them, peeled and halved them, removed the kernels and put them into the fridge on a plate, cut side down. He would leave the last stage of cooking for the arrival of his guests.

He’d already prepared the bedroom for Alain and Rosalie, putting fresh sheets on the double bed and fresh towels in the bathroom when he’d cleaned it that morning. On impulse he went to the garden, plucked two red roses with long stems and put them into a long-necked wine decanter that he took upstairs and placed on the bedside table. He checked his watch and saw that he was in good time so he took a quick shower and changed into khaki slacks and a polo shirt. He’d need about twenty minutes for the risotto so he could serve the chilled soup first.

He was putting new candles into his two terrace lanterns when his phone buzzed. It was J-J, to say he’d got Bruno’s message and Tante-Do and Sabine would be calling at Henri’s vineyard in the morning. Sabine had been given an unmarked police car and Yves would go with them for security. They’d pick up Tante-Do in Bordeaux at nine, and should be at the vineyard soon after ten. Tante-Do had been instructed to wear dark glasses and leave the talking to Yves and Sandrine, who would say they’d heard from Hubert’s wine shop that they should try a bottle of Henri’s Reserve red. J-J himself would first be calling at the Bergerac wine cooperative to get further confirmation of the photograph. Did Bruno want to be there?

He explained about his cousin’s visit. He’d arranged tickets for Alain and Rosalie to visit the Lascaux cave at ten the next morning which meant they would be leaving about nine. They could have lunch in Montignac then he’d urge them to take a canoe trip in the afternoon from the fortress of Castelnaud down the Dordogne river to the next fortress of Beynac that loomed above the river from its clifftop. Bruno said he could be at the Bergerac vineyard by ten to meet Tante-Do and Sabine. Being in the military, Alain and Rosalie would understand if he pleaded urgent and unexpected police duty.

‘Right. I’ll tell Yves to expect to see you at the vineyard. You’ll be in civilian clothes, of course, but carrying your police badge, just in case. It’s up to you but I don’t think you need to go armed. Yves will be wearing a concealed weapon in a holster and I’ll be nearby. I don’t expect to be long at the co-op and I’ll have a couple of my men with me. I’m not planning an arrest at this stage, just starting with a few questions. I’ve checked his ID with his local mairie, which says he was born in ’69 in Belleville, in the old Red Belt of Paris. By the way, he lied to Tante-Do about being a student – Strasbourg university never heard of him. Still, let’s not forget this could be a case of mistaken identity. He might not be our guy.’

‘This is how we find out. By the way, I heard you just now on the radio. Was there a leak?’

‘We’re looking into that but I think the press office may have thought it would help stir up public interest. Thanks for getting Hubert and the Baron to confirm the photo. See you tomorrow.’

Bruno sat in his garden, thinking about the confrontation that would be coming in the morning at the vineyard and whether Tante-Do, Hubert and the Baron could all be wrong about Henri. It was just possible. He got up, remembering to pick some parsley, and was heading back to the kitchen when Balzac gave his customary bark of warning a moment before Bruno heard the sound of Alain’s car coming up the lane.

Rosalie was even more attractive in person than in the photo on Alain’s phone. She greeted Bruno with a broad smile that came from her eyes as well as her lips. He got the immediate impression that she was one of those fortunate people who’d been born with a positive attitude to life that they never lost. Almost as tall as Bruno, she was wearing flat ballet shoes and a short-sleeved summer dress in broad vertical stripes of white and light blue. She shook Bruno’s hand and then gave him a smacking kiss on each cheek as Alain stood by, beaming proudly. Then she bent down to greet an enthusiastic Balzac, finding just the right spot to make him kick a rear leg in delight. Bruno warmed to her at once.

He took Rosalie’s overnight case from Alain and led the way upstairs to show them their room, said there was plenty of time if they wanted to freshen up after the journey, adding that drinks would be served outside when they were ready.