The Resistance Man by Martin Walker

Author:Martin Walker [Walker, Martin]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Fiction, Mystery & Detective, General, International Mystery & Crime, Thrillers, Suspense
ISBN: 9780385349543
Google: LJqvnQEACAAJ
Amazon: 0385349548
Publisher: Knopf
Published: 2014-02-23T16:00:00+00:00

17

His shoes polished and his uniform jacket and cap brushed, Bruno presented himself at the gendarmerie at one minute before five, shook hands with Sergeant Jules and was shown into the commandant’s office. The brigadier was standing beside the desk, studying a series of framed photographs on the wall of Yveline playing hockey. On top of her computer sat a small stuffed toy in red cloth. As Bruno came to attention before the desk he could see it was a monkey, and was surprised that the brigadier had not tossed it into a wastepaper basket. He braced himself for an encounter of the kind he had learned in the army was best handled by saying “Yes, sir,” and as little else as possible.

“How are you, Bruno? Sit down, take your hat off and have a seat.” The brigadier sat down at Yveline’s desk, pulled a bottle of Balvenie scotch from his briefcase, poured generous slugs into two water glasses and added a couple of splashes of Evian. He pushed one glass across the desk to Bruno, who stared at it suspiciously.

“Well done on the burglary. Crimson is delighted and so am I.”

“Thank you, sir,” he replied, trying to keep the surprise from his face.

“You’re no fool, so you’ll have worked out why I was curt with you at Crimson’s house.”

“Yes, sir.” It could only be because the brigadier wanted to mislead Crimson. He had no idea why.

“I won’t enjoy my drink until you enjoy yours, so please take a sip and stop playing the old soldier.”

Bruno obeyed but hardly tasted the whisky as he watched the brigadier pull a slim file from his briefcase.

“You won’t be surprised to learn that Crimson is someone we keep a friendly eye on, but we’re also interested in Jacqueline Morgan and how they know one another. Just over a year ago she was invited to give a faculty seminar at the Wilson Center in Washington on her research into European-American relations during the Cold War. Crimson was her guest, invited along to give a commentary from the British point of view. Since the seminar covered some very sensitive aspects of French nuclear policy, we were fortunate that a visiting French academic was in the seminar room and spoke to us afterward.”

He fixed Bruno with a piercing look and asked: “Why did you not tell Isabelle that you’d been to a party at Crimson’s house last year with the pair of them?”

“I told Isabelle I’d been to parties at his house, but I didn’t know her. In fact I didn’t meet Jacqueline Morgan until the day before I met Isabelle at Crimson’s house, and I called on her as a historian who knew a lot about Resistance finance. She was in work clothes; no makeup, her hair a mess. Having previously only seen her dressed up for a cocktail party I wouldn’t have recognized her.”

“How well do you know Crimson? He seemed very fond of you this morning.” The brigadier refilled their glasses.

Bruno recounted the tennis games, the drinks at the club bar, the garden party and the dinner.

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