“Humor me and I’ll tell you later.” I gave her the blue Opel Corsa plate number I’d memorized. “Think you can remember that?”

She nodded. “Got it.” Pulled away from me. “You’ll find me?”

I said I would. She smiled. “Unless I find you first,” and disappeared down the corridor. I counted three minutes waiting outside the cellar door.

When I came out again the party was pretty much over. The mayor had already gone and the remaining guests were saying their goodbyes. Police Chief Rigalle avoided me completely. Nazari left with him and shot me a slow look as they went down the stairs.

Back inside, Nazari’s partner Bonnet had hung back. He waved me over to the marble mantlepiece where he was nursing a cognac.

Bonnet poured me a couple of fingers. I sipped at it and said, “Nice party.”

“It’s a decent cause.”

I agreed with that. “No harm in helping other people, that’s for sure.”

“So what made you come back?”

“I guess it was my cousin. I didn’t actually get to meet him earlier on. So I came back to do that.”

“And you met old Gilles tonight? I didn’t see him around, exactly.”

I said, “Your partner introduced us.”

Bonnet coughed, surprised. “Cecile? Introduced you tonight?”

I kept a straight face and looked him in the eye. “Yes, very pleasant.”

He smiled. “Right, pleasant. Screwdriver in the head. Pretty unfortunate thing to happen.”

“Unfortunate is for an accident, or a coincidence. I’d say this was quite a bit more than unfortunate.”

“Maybe terrible is a better word then.”

“That begins to describe it, yeah. And there are other issues now.”

“Other issues. So what, you’re planning on staying?”

I looked at him; he seemed like a decent enough guy. “Are you suggesting that I shouldn’t?”

Bonnet widened his eyes. “Not at all. I’m happy for you to stay. It’s a free world isn’t that so?”

“Well that’s an aspiration that I tend to favor. It’s a free world some places, not all. Certainly should be a free world as far as I’m concerned.”

“On that we can agree.” He raised his cognac glass, we clinked. “And I’m sure we agree on a lot more.”

“No doubt.”

Bonnet downed his cognac and set the glass down. “Look, Keeler. If there’s any way that I can help you, or your family here. You let me know.”

I told him that I appreciated the offer and that I was sure that he was already doing everything he could as a member of Alencourt’s finest. Bonnet seemed satisfied at that, and genuinely concerned.

I walked him to the terrace and we shook hands.

Chapter Fifteen