The Resistance Man (Bruno Chief of Police 6)

story is released and presented.’
    ‘Rather than suppressed by the kinds of people who burgled my house and bugged my home,’ she said. ‘That’s fine with me. I wonder, can the Mayor come, too? I was going to make dinner for him but I think he’d enjoy this.’

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 the 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 waste-paper bin. 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 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 can’t enjoy my drink until you do, so 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 this 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 Europe–American relations in the Cold War. Crimson was her guest, invited along to give a commentary from the British point of view. Since it covered some very sensitive aspects of French nuclear policy, we were fortunate that a visiting French academic was in the seminar room and could tip us off.’
    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. 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 make-up, 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. ‘Until Isabelle told me his background I’d assumed he was just another retired civil servant.’
    ‘You understand that it’s him we’re really concerned with rather than her. He’s always been very close to the Americans and it was interesting that it was after meeting him that she got those documents declassified. I doubt whether the Americans give a shit who is the next president of France. But the British certainly do.’
    ‘I’d have thought they’d be happier with the devil they know.’
    ‘You could be right, I wouldn’t know. But even if the Brits don’t want to interfere in our elections, they may think it useful for us to know that they could upset our apple-cart if they chose to. There are things London wants from us – protecting their precious financiers in the City, concessions on European affairs. A little leverage is always good.’
    ‘This is all way above my head,’ Bruno said. That drink was looking very attractive but he restrained himself.
    ‘In that case let’s talk about Jacqueline.’
    ‘She strikes me as an interesting woman,’ said Bruno.
    ‘You are known to have a soft spot for women, Bruno, a sentiment that in general I applaud. But it can lead to misapprehension.’
    He pulled out another file from his