The Resistance Man (Bruno Chief of Police 6)

money.’
    ‘It’s worth every penny and we’ll economize. No
digestif
for you today. By the way, who’s his latest girlfriend?’
    Ivan’s menu varied with his love life, which in turn was usually defined by those girls he met on holiday whom he could persuade to return with him to St Denis. There had been a Belgian girl who seduced him into producing endless
moules
. The Spanish lover had introduced St Denis to gazpacho and paella, which were greatly appreciated, although the sounds of crashing pans and murderous curses that came from thekitchen when she was angry with Ivan were also relished by the regulars. The new German girl had been a pleasant surprise; her Wiener Schnitzel, hammered so thin it overlapped the plate and served with a succulent potato salad, had become a local favourite that Bruno tried never to miss. Hugo from the wine shop had even started to stock an Austrian wine, Grüner Veltliner, in its honour.
    ‘It’s still the German,’ Bruno said. ‘But the signs aren’t good. Ivan’s been seen sitting alone at the bar and drinking after the place has closed.’ As a result, he explained, there was now keen anticipation in the town of Ivan’s next holiday plans. One faction was urging him to explore South-east Asia and bring back a Thai cook, while another was suggesting that the French Caribbean islands of Martinique and Guadeloupe might bring an exotic tropical spice to the
plat du jour
.
    ‘And who’s your latest recruit, the woman in the office?’ Bruno asked.
    ‘That’s Josette, just completed her detective’s course, transferred from Nontron. Married to a
motard
.’ J-J used the slang for a motorcycle cop. ‘Any day now, I’m expecting her to announce she’s going on maternity leave. She’s the one who looked up Murcoing’s record. We’re putting an all-points bulletin out on him.’
    ‘So if you’re no longer taking Valentoux seriously as a suspect, why are you still holding him?’
    ‘I told you, Yveline wanted another go at him and then Bernard had to question him – that’s the
juge d’instruction
they assigned, Bernard Ardouin. He’s pretty good, a Socialist of course, but sensible. He used to play rugby for Sarlat. I told him I thought we’d wrung Valentoux dry and he seemed toagree. I don’t think there’s much point keeping him any longer. He’ll be out this afternoon.’
    ‘With a big sign round his neck saying Gay Murder Suspect. Can’t you put out a statement saying he’s been cleared?’
    J-J shrugged and attacked his
tarte Tatin
as if he hadn’t eaten for days. It disappeared in four large spoonfuls. ‘Sure you won’t join me in a little Armagnac with the coffee?’ he asked. ‘By the way, you didn’t tell me Isabelle’s back in town.’
    ‘I saw her this morning.’ Bruno explained Isabelle’s interest in Crimson’s background.
    ‘I hate it when intelligence gets involved,’ J-J said. ‘Always screws things up. A little bird in the Préfecture told me the Brigadier has got you seconded to his team again.’
    ‘Afraid so. I’m meant to find the burglars and get Crimson’s goods back.’
    J-J snorted. ‘I’m surprised at Isabelle. She knows better than that how tough burglaries are to solve. She damn well should; I trained her.’
    ‘There may be one possible way into this,’ Bruno said. ‘You say it’s thin, but what if there really is a connection with the murder? Fullerton’s an antique dealer, Murcoing has an arrest for stolen antiques, even if nothing was proved, and that’s what the burglars have been taking.’
    ‘And we have to find out whatever happened to that load of antiques Fullerton had in the back of his van.’
    ‘So it’s all the more important that we track down Murcoing,’ Bruno went on. ‘Perhaps you could put through a request to the British police to see if anything’s known about Fullerton. We know he was an antiques dealer, but maybe he was a crooked one.’
    J-J nodded, picked up his phone, called Josette and asked her to take care of it.
    ‘Let me make sure I have your theory right,’ said J-J. ‘Murcoing could have had some dealings with Fullerton in the past, maybe doing the burglaries, and then Fullerton ships the goods back to England. He goes to meet Fullerton at the gîte to pick up Fullerton’s latest shipment, which might even be stuff stolen in England. They transfer the stuff into Murcoing’s van and then they have a falling out, maybe over money, and Murcoing kills