The Devil's Cave: A Bruno Courrèges Investigation (Bruno Chief of Police 5)

earth are you doing here? This is a Defence Ministry event.’
    ‘As my colleague said, we were just hoping for a meal.’ Isabelle introduced Bruno and Balzac, who was clambering eagerly from her lap. ‘I had no idea anything was taking place here tonight.’
    ‘It’s a bit of a celebration, some procurement contract,’ he said, obviously relaxing. He leaned a heavy forearm on Bruno’s open window and reached in to shake his hand and then Isabelle’s. ‘That’s a fine-looking pup. You planning to hunt with him?’
    ‘When he’s trained,’ Bruno said. ‘It’ll take a while.’
    The man nodded. ‘Look, if you two are hungry we’ve got some sandwiches back in the security van. Just the usual ham and cheese, not like the banquet they’re getting in there.’
    ‘No, thanks,’ she said, laughing. ‘A
jambon-beurre
baguette is not my friend’s idea of dinner. We’ll leave you to it, and see you at the Elysée.
Bonne soirée.
’
    As Bruno turned his car around he saw Isabelle scribbling down the registration numbers from the cars and helicopters. Headlights suddenly appeared around a bend, followed by two large Citroën C6 limousines.
    ‘Private cars, chauffeur-driven,’ said Isabelle. ‘Ever since the president started using a C6 all the big business guys got ridof their Mercedes and BMWs. This is quite an event. I’m surprised I didn’t know about it.’
    ‘Mascagny is a security guy?’
    ‘Yes, with the Defence Ministry. I’ve run into him a few times at Council of Ministers meetings.’
    ‘Why would you know about the various social events that another Ministry organizes?’
    ‘They’re usually on the weekly security circular. Mascagny said something about procurement, so maybe it’s a foreign sales event. That would explain it.’
    ‘But why would they do that here? I never heard of any defence plants around here, not even in the
Département
.’
    ‘You’ve got the big Dassault plant at Martignas near Bordeaux and another one down in Biarritz, then there’s Airbus at Toulouse and some research centres in Brive,’ she said. ‘This is less than an hour away by chopper from all of them. I don’t know who owns the hotel, but they knew what they were doing when they restored this place. It looks like it’s just been finished.’
    ‘It has, opened this year. It’s owned by that Count Vexin I told you about. He’s the one behind that project I’ve got to work on.’
    ‘Vexin, Vexin, I know that name from somewhere,’ she said. ‘Where are you taking me?’
    ‘Les Eyzies. Then you have a choice of restaurants or I can take you back to my place for whatever scratch meal I can put together.’
    ‘Your place and a scratch meal, please,’ she replied, slipping one hand onto his thigh while the other caressed Balzac.‘Mascagny was right about one thing. Balzac is a special puppy. And talking of animals, what’s happening to your horse this evening?’
    ‘I called Fabiola this morning and she’ll take him out when she exercises the others. I do the same for her when she’s busy.’
    Isabelle began punching numbers into her mobile phone, the same secure model that Bruno had been given by her boss, the Brigadier, when they found out Bruno’s was being tapped. Bruno barely listened, thinking what was available in his store cupboard and freezer that could be quickly prepared. He had onions and bread and cheese and some good venison stock, so a hearty onion soup would be a good way to start. Isabelle seemed to be reading out the car and helicopter numbers she had noted. He had spaghetti, but he never thought of it as a main course, so he’d make a risotto instead, with some dried cèpe mushrooms and
lardons
. There was still some
mâche
in the garden for a salad.
    ‘Lebanon,’ she said at last. He realized her call was over and she was talking to him. ‘That was the CD plate. One of the choppers is privately owned by some company, they’re checking on that, and the other is a Defence Ministry Gazelle, unmarked.’
    ‘Significant?’
    ‘Not to me, but it might mean more to some colleagues. You seem distracted. What are you thinking about?’
    ‘What to cook for our supper.’
    ‘Don’t tell me, I want a surprise. I’ll take Balzac for a walk around your property and when it’s ready you can stand onthe doorstep with a wooden spoon in hand and call us in. There, I’ve revealed my little family fantasy.’
    Her hand squeezed his thigh in reassurance as she said it,