Bruno 02 - The Dark Vineyard

do?”
    “I asked the scientists at the station and did some research and found they weren’t growing that kind of crop.”
    “We talked about it a lot,” Stéphane added. “Dominique said not to worry.”
    “Well, I’m no expert, but I can’t say I’m feeling very reassured,” said Bruno. “Still, it seems there wasn’t anything secret about what was being grown up there.”
    “All of us who worked there knew, naturally,” said Dominique. “But like I said, it wasn’t in our interest to spread the word. And it’s not as though there were any farms up there with crops at risk; the land is too poor.”
    “So you’re less worried about this GMO stuff now, is that right? I remember you used to be a real
écolo
when you were at school, with you and Max winning that mock election.”
    “I’m still a real
écolo,”
she said, almost snapping. “And so’s Max. It’s just that there are bigger things to worry about—global warming, the ice caps, millions of refugees as the sea levels rise. That’s when we’ll need GMO crops to feed people. Did you know the Rice Research Institute in the Philippines has developed a gene that will let rice plants live for twelve days after being flooded with salt water? That could save millions of lives in Asia.” She turned to her father. “Remember how I used to be dead set against nuclear power? Well, these days I can’t wait for them to build more reactors because it’s better than carbon. The Green movement has grown up, Bruno. We had to.”
    Bruno had to smile, she was so young and fiery. “You should go into politics. I’d vote for you, Dominique. We need some of that passion around here.”
    She grinned at him, suddenly looking even younger. “You think
I’m
passionate? You ought to hear Max.”
    “You two are still friends, even with you at school in Grenoble and him in Bordeaux?”
    “We talk most days—we e-mail and text. We’re in the same chat forums on ecology. He’s really into organics, not surprisingly since he grew up on the commune. His dad, Alphonse, was the first real Green I ever met.”
    “Did you tell Max about the GMO crops?” Bruno asked, keeping his voice light.
    “Not exactly,” she said hesitantly, choosing her words carefully. “Well, not in so many words. We were having an argument about GMOs and I was saying my views had changed, now that I’d been working with them. And he knew where I was working this summer, so I suppose he could have figured it out.”
    “What about his views? Is Max still against GMOs?” His question jolted her, and he could feel Stéphane start to eye him quizzically.
    “You’d better ask him, Bruno,” she said. “This is beginning to sound like you suspect something here. You’re not going to start behaving like a cop, are you?”
    “Come off it, Dominique,” he said. His affection for her helped damp down the irritation tinged with guilt that came when friendship interfered with police work. He had known this girl since before she wore braces on her teeth. He smiled at her, gaining a little time as he wondered how to make her realize how serious this could be.
    “I’ve been a policeman for as long as you’ve known me, which is most of your life,” he said. “But I work for Saint-Denis, not for anybody else, and there are some much tougher policemen down here under pressure to make an arrest. The chief detective of the department for one, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see some security people down from Paris. And you’ll be right in their sights. You worked at the station, youknew about the GMO crops, your dad’s farm could have been at risk, you’re a passionate
écolo
. You’re an obvious suspect. And arson means a prison term.”
    “Are we going to need a lawyer, Bruno?” asked Stéphane. At least he understood.
    “Not yet, but I’ll let you know. And in the meantime, if you have any documents that show you’re not against GMOs, this would be a good time to get them together.”
    “That I can do,” Dominique said thoughtfully, sobered by his speech. “We had a whole debate about them in our chat group, and I wrote a piece about them for
Grenoble Vert
, the Green newsletter at the university. But what about Max? What should I tell him?”
    “That’s up to you. He didn’t work at the station, so there’s no reason for him to come under suspicion. But you’re in a very different situation. What’s the name of that chat group, by the way?”
    “Aquitaine