The doctor was visibly embarrassed, and Bruno resisted the temptation to grin.

‘But it’s the murder they are interested in,’ Gelletreau said.

‘I can’t talk about that, Doctor, not with you,’ said Bruno, as Gigi came to

nuzzle his leg. Automatically, he reached down to scratch behind his dog’s ears.

‘Yes, yes, I understand that. I just wanted you to know that I strongly,

thoroughly believe him to be innocent of this crime. He’s my son, and I’m bound

to say that, but I believe it with all my heart and soul. There’s no cruelty in

the boy, Bruno, you know that. You have known him long enough.’

Bruno nodded. He had known young Richard since he was little more than a

toddler, taught him to hold a tennis racquet, and then how to serve and hit a

ball with topspin. Richard was a careful player rather than an aggressive one,

and if Bruno were any judge of human nature, he doubted the lad had anything of

the killer about him. But who knew what people could do under the sway of drugs

or passion or political fervour?

‘Have you seen Richard?’

‘They gave us ten minutes with him, just us and our lawyer. The Mayor

recommended some bright young fellow called Dumesnier from Périgueux so we

engaged him. Apparently they didn’t even have to let us see him, but the lawyer

fixed it. They let us give him a change of clothes, after they searched every

seam,’ he said heavily. ‘He’s terrified – and ashamed and confused. You can

imagine. But he says he knows nothing of the killing. And he keeps on asking

after that damn Jacqueline. He’s besotted with her.’

‘His first girlfriend,’ said Bruno, with understanding.

‘She’s his first lover, his first sex, and she’s a pretty little thing. Pure

poison, but certainly pretty. He’s seventeen this week, you know. You remember

how we were at that age, all those hormones raging. She’s all he can think

about. He’s infatuated.’

‘I understand.’

‘Can you tell them that?’ Gelletreau asked eagerly. ‘Can you speak for him, just

to explain that? I know you aren’t running this business, Bruno, but they’ll

listen to you.’

‘Doctor, sit down, and let me get you a glass. It’s hot and I need a beer and

you can join me.’ He steered Gelletreau to one of the green plastic chairs on

his terrace and went inside to get two cans from the refrigerator and two

glasses. When he emerged he was surprised to see the doctor drawing on a yellow

Gitane.

‘You made me give those things up,’ Bruno said, pouring the beers.

‘I know, I know. I haven’t smoked in years, but you know how it is.’

They raised their glasses to one another and drank in silence.

‘You have made it very pleasant here, Bruno.’

‘You said that when you were here last year for the barbecue, Doctor. I think

you’re changing the subject. Let me try to answer what you said before.’ Bruno

put his glass down and leaned forward, his elbows on the green table.

‘I’m not really part of the case,’ he began. ‘It’s a matter for the Police

Nationale, but they consult me whenever they want some local knowledge. I

haven’t seen all the evidence. I haven’t seen the full forensic report on the

murder, or on the house where Richard was arrested, and they probably won’t show

them to me. But I can tell you that the detective running the investigation is a

decent sort and he’ll go with the evidence. In a case like this, he’ll want to

be sure that the evidence is very clear before he makes any recommendation to

the Jugemagistrat. I wouldn’t be surprised if they send some ambitious hotshot

down from Paris because of the politics that are mixed up in this affair. This

is the sort of case that can make or break a career, and the Juge-magistrat will

want to be very certain before he lays formal charges. If Richard is innocent,

I’m very confident that he’ll be cleared.’

‘The Mayor just told me the same thing.’

‘Well, he’s right. And you have to concentrate on being a support for your wife

and family, and for Richard. You’ve got a good lawyer, which is the most

important thing at this stage. Other than that, what you have to focus on is

telling Richard you love him and believe in him. He needs that right now.’

Gelletreau nodded. ‘We’ll give him all the support we can, you know that, but

the question I keep asking myself is whether I really know my son as I thought I

did. I can’t get this dreadful Front National business out of my head. We had no

idea he was getting involved like that. He never showed any interest in

politics.’

‘It may have been the girl who drew him in. That’s one of the things the

detectives are looking at. They’ll get to the bottom of it, Doctor. And I don’t

know about you, but at that age if my first lover had been a raging Commie I’d

have carried a red flag and marched wherever she asked me to.’ Bruno emptied his

glass. ‘Another beer?’

‘No thanks. I haven’t finished this one. And you don’t want to have a second

after being out in this sun.’ Gelletreau managed a wan smile. ‘That’s your

doctor speaking.’

‘There’s one more thing.’ Bruno twirled his empty glass, wondering how best to

put this. ‘You’d better start thinking about what to do if and when he’s cleared

and released. It wouldn’t be a good idea to keep him at school locally. It would

be difficult, with the gossip and the relatives of the old man. You should send

him away to stay with a relative or think about a boarding school; maybe even

send him abroad where he can make a fresh start and put all this behind him.

Perhaps you could even suggest that he goes into the military for a while. It

did me no harm, and it would be the kind of clean break the boy will need.’

‘It did me no harm either, although I just did three years as a medical orderly

in West Africa, enough to save me a year of medical school. But I don’t think

the boy is cut out for that kind of life, that kind of discipline. Maybe that’s

the problem,’ said the doctor with a sigh. ‘Still, he respects the military. He

said how could anyone think he would kill someone who’d won a Croix de Guerre.

But getting him out of here when all this is done is a good thought, Bruno.

Thanks for the advice.’

As the good doctor drove away, Bruno began to wonder how on earth the boy had

known about the Croix de Guerre

CHAPTER

13

Less than an hour later, with the sun sinking fast and the heat easing so that

he had donned a T-shirt, Bruno was watering the garden when he heard another

vehicle lumbering up the track. He turned, just in time to catch a glimpse of a

strange car and some unknown young man with short hair staring intently at the

track. Then the hedge rose again and blocked his view. He emptied the watering

can and turned again, at which point he recognised the car. It was Inspector

Isabelle in her unmarked car; her short hair had fooled him. She got out, waved,

and opened the rear door to bring out a supermarket bag.

‘Hi, Bruno. I came to invite you to supper, unless you have plans.’

‘It looks like you made the plans already, Isabelle,’ he said, coming forward to

push the enthusiastic Gigi out of the way and kiss the young woman on both

cheeks. She was looking carefree and casual and distinctly appealing in her

jeans and red polo shirt, with a brown leather jacket slung loosely over her

shoulders. In her trainers, she stood just a fraction below his height.

‘Pâté, beefsteak, baguette and cheese,’ she said, standing back to brandish her

bag. ‘That’s what

J-J

said you liked to eat. And wine, of course. What a