Montmartre Mysteries by Jean-Pierre Alaux

Author:Jean-Pierre Alaux
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: amateur sleuth, cozy mystery, whodunit, wine, France, Montmartre, Paris, food, gentleman detective, French culture, European fiction, European mysteries, gourmet, Foreign Legion
Publisher: Le French Book
Published: 2015-08-06T16:00:00+00:00

9

The bone-chilling cold had definitively chased away the leaden clouds hanging over Paris. Now a bright and miraculous sun was dissolving the last ribbons of mist floating above the zinc gutters of the grand Haussmann buildings.

Virgile had run after his boss to catch up with him, and now he regretted it, as he walked two steps behind Benjamin. The winemaker was a master at giving the silent treatment. But most of all, Virgile hated hospitals. The trauma dated to his early childhood: the day he was forced to visit his grandfather before a prostate operation. It was at the hospital in Périgueux. Pale and silent, he had complied gallantly, but he couldn’t bear it when, before his eyes, an inexperienced nurse tried three times to insert the intravenous line. Virgile fainted then and there, and shortly after he came to, he had to endure the public humiliation of his father calling him a little wimp. Pépé died a few days after the surgery, and for the young Virgile there was no doubt about it: the nurse had killed him with her needles.

At the reception desk, Benjamin checked to see if Arthur Solacroup was still in intensive care. An older nurse with a hairy upper lip pointed him to neurology.

“Hurry up, Virgile. You’re dragging your heels. You should be full of energy after working your magic on that woman in the café.”

“Come on, boss. Get over it. I was just flirting. You know hospitals give me bad vibes.”

“Spare me. Let’s go. Keep your eyes on the signs. It’s a labyrinth in here. We don’t want to lose Ariadne’s thread!”

“What Ariadne are you talking about?” Virgile asked. He was feeling queasy.

“You’ve already forgotten your Greek mythology? Sixth grade history!”

“That was a long time ago.”

“Let’s go. Follow me and stop straggling,” Benjamin grumbled as he approached a door that opened to another long hallway. “I think we’re getting close.” They passed one room and then another, and finally they found the one indicated by the duty nurse.

When the two of them walked in, they were surprised to find that Arthur already had a visitor. A stunning woman was at his bedside. Her delicate fingers were entwined in Arthur’s. Curly brown hair streamed over her shoulders, and her large green almond-shaped eyes were fixed on Arthur’s face. She had the bearing of a Moroccan princess. Virgile was immediately smitten, but it was clear that her heart belonged to the man lying in the bed. Her lips brushed Arthur’s cheek, and he responded with a hoarse groan.

Arthur, whose forehead was wrapped in a thick bandage, looked over and gave the winemaker and his assistant a weak smile. He tried to move his right hand but grimaced and stopped. The woman gently stroked his wrist.

Seeing the wine shop owner in such a vulnerable condition, Virgile tried his best to look upbeat, not only because he didn’t want to make the man feel worse, but also because he was intent on making a good impression on the gorgeous female visitor.

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