by Katie Penryn
Felix and I sat on the sand and had a cup of iced tea with Audrey and the children.
Audrey said, “Penzi, the shop’s ready for inspection now. Would you phone the landlady and have her come round? My children need their own home now.”
I must have flinched. She patted my arm and added, “Not that we haven’t been happy with you. I’ll always be grateful for the way you took me in, but I’m ready to fight my own battles now.”
Felix winked at me.
I took my phone out and asked him to find the number. When I called Madame Desert she suggested the afternoon of the following day, the Friday, at 5 p.m.
“That’s settled,” I told Audrey. “Five tomorrow afternoon. You’ll get Gwinny to babysit?”
Audrey nodded.
Felix pulled me to my feet and brushed the sand off me. The two of us climbed back up to the Esplanade.
“Did you notice how confident Audrey is now?” Felix asked me. “That spell is working.”
“I must be doing something right. One of these days I’ll make a good witch but for now I could do with a rest, a delayed siesta,” I said. “Today’s events have taken it out of me.”
As we strolled along towards our cobbled street, I had a brainwave. Brioche.
I pulled Felix into Brioche’s bakery. Fortunately, in the post lunchtime lull we had to wait for Brioche to serve only one customer before it was our turn.
“Bonjour, Madame Munro,” he said. “Nothing wrong with your croissants this morning, I hope.”
I shook my head. Before I could speak he asked me if I wanted to buy some éclairs.
“I have your favorites, with chocolate icing,” he said, lifting up a tray from behind the counter.
How could I have resisted? I ordered a dozen, and he put a baker’s dozen in a box for me.
“That’s not why I’m here Monsieur Brioche.”
“No?” he said. “You wanted something else?”
Felix nudged me and whispered, “What are you up to now, boss?”
“Monsieur Brioche, how would you like to get your hands on fifty tons of first grade bread flour for less than half price?”
Brioche blinked and his hand stopped tying the knot on the pastry box.
“That’s an odd question, madame.”
“That’s roughly the quantity of flour sitting in poor Tidot’s store. I’m sure that if you contacted the insurance company, they would let you have it cheap and even transport it for you. If they don’t sell it, they will have to pay to have it removed and destroyed. Plus they’ll have to pay the full book value to Madame Tidot.”
“A brilliant idea, madame.”
“If you’re interested. I suggest you get in quick before some other baker beats you to it, Brioche.”
“I will do that, most certainly,” he said finishing off his knot and handing me the box.
“Combien?” I asked.
He gave a little bow. “I offer my pastries to you most humbly, madame.”
I thanked him and asked him to let me know how he got on with the insurance company.
No sooner were we out of the shop than Felix said, “You’ve really lost it this time, boss. What are you doing getting involved in insurance settlements?”
“Ah,” I said tapping my finger to my nose in classic French style. “You’ll have to wait and see.”
Chapter 17
Felix knocked on my bedroom door just before five.
“If you don’t get up, you won’t be able to sleep tonight,” he said walking in and drawing back the drapes.
“Let’s go for a walk,” I said pushing him out of the door. “I’ll be down in ten minutes.”
Everyone fell silent when I walked in. They’d been talking about Jonny Sauvage, no doubt.
“Where’s Sam?” I asked.
“He’s still with Emmanuelle.” Gwinny answered.
“Felix and I are going for a walk. We promised the dogs this morning. Anyone coming?”
“Yes, please,” said Jimbo jumping out of his chair. “Can I have an ice cream?”
“We’ll see. Audrey?”
She shook her head. “My kids are worn out after a day at the beach.”
“Gwinny?”
“No, you need some time with Jimbo, Penzi.”
Jimbo fastened Piffle’s leash while Felix and I did the same for Zig and Zag. The poor things had been stuck in the house all day. They didn’t like the grotty back yard any more than we did. I couldn’t wait till we had the chance to transform it into a beautiful shady garden full of flowers.
Our walk took us along the Esplanade and the right hand arm of the crescent past the mayor’s house. Beyond that the path curved round to follow the coast towards the north. We must have walked for a good hour. Poor little Piffle couldn’t keep up. Felix picked him up and Jimbo took over Zig’s leash.
The sun still hung in the sky but the onshore breeze picked up on our way back.
“Ice cream,” Jimbo cried out when we hit the Esplanade again.
We found an empty table, and I took ownership of it while Felix and Jimbo walked the dogs over to the water bowl. I ordered an ice for Jimbo and iced coffee for Felix and me. When Felix and Jimbo joined me I spent half an hour asking Jimbo what he’d been doing since we’d had our last long talk. He told me he’d been picking up French from his new friends.
“It’s not that difficult,” he said. “Just sounds funny. I bet I can learn a lot more before school starts then I won’t be so frightened.”
Felix ruffled his hair. “Hey kiddo, no need to be scared. Think how much help you can give your schoolmates with their English homework.”
“I hadn’t thought of that,” said Jimbo. “Do you think I could charge them?”
“Absolutely not,” I said laughing. “Now, I have to phone Inspector Dubois. Why don’t you and Felix find another table to give me some privacy?”
Luckily, the table two away from ours fell vacant as I was speaking.
Felix and Jimbo moved across leaving the dogs with me.
Zag sat up tall on his haunches and whispered in my ear. “It’s about time you gave Jimbo some attention. He’s been a bit miserable. We’ve been doing our best to cheer him up. Snuffling up against him, wagging our tails.”
I put my phone to my ear so people would think I was making a call. “I know that, Zag. Life’s been unpredictable since we arrived in Beaucoup-sur-mer. You’ll see, it will settle down soon.”
Piffle jumped up onto my lap. “Penzi?” he whispered in his turn. “Are you really going to give me to Audrey?”
“Would you like that?”
“Oh yes, I would. I think she’s kind and her children don’t pull my ears. And I would be living back in my old home.”
“Quiet now, all of you. I have to call Inspector Dubois.”
I found his number easily because I knew it was the third one down on my list of contacts.
He answered straight away.
“I’ve just left the office, Penzi. Where are you?”
I told him I was sitting on the Esplanade.
“That’s great. I’ll meet you there in five minutes.”
Right on time he came striding through the tables, his Norman height and clear cut features turned heads, and his casual open neck white shirt and beige chinos made him stand out amongst the garishly dressed holidaymakers. If only he wasn’t always so serious. Sometimes I wondered if he had a sense of humor.
He pulled out the chair opposite me and called the waiter over to order a demi of lager. I shook my head when he raised his eyebrows at me. A metal chair scraped against the paving stones two tables behind Dubois. Felix had seen Dubois. He put his hands on his hips and pulled a face at me. Jimbo stuck out his tongue. I ignored them, glad that Dubois couldn’t see their antics.
“Why did you want to see me?” asked Dubois resting his right foot on his left knee and leaning back in his seat. “Business or pleasure? I hope the latter.”
“No, business. Have you been informed about the death
of Jonny Sauvage, the American blues singer?”
Dubois dropped his foot to the ground and jerked towards me. “No. Where did you get that from? This is the first I’ve heard about it.”
“Felix and I were at the hospital waiting to visit him when he stopped breathing. They couldn’t resuscitate him.”
“So it wasn’t a violent death? No accident or, heaven forbid, murder?”
“No, but the doctor in charge won’t sign the death certificate. Unexplained death he says, and so he’s ordered an autopsy.”
“That could just be because they need more medical data to give the reason for death. I’d heard Sauvage was in a coma. Perhaps his body gave up on him.”
“If there is anything wrong, when would the police be involved, Xavier?”
He leaned forwards and put his hand on mine. “Penzi, you are putting the cart before the horse. Let’s wait for the results of the autopsy. If anything is wrong as you say, we will be informed and we will take it from there.”
“Jonny Sauvage was my friend.”
“So I heard. You have too many men friends, Penzi.”
I snatched my hand from under his. “Dubois, he wasn’t that kind of friend.”
“He meant a lot to you all the same?”
“Yes, he did, and to tell the truth I am shocked by his sudden death. I want an explanation.”
“Do you know when the results will be available?”
“Tomorrow midday at the earliest.”
“Penzi, why did you want to speak to me? What do you want of me if this is business?”
“I want you to contact me tomorrow if the hospital informs you that his death was suspicious.”
“I could do that.”
“And,” I went on while he was being co-operative, “I want you to give me the details.”
Dubois reared back in his seat blinking rapidly. “That’s a step too far. You know I can’t do that. Madame Fer-de-Lance has threatened to have me demoted if I ever involve you in police work again.”
“Please, Xavier. It would mean so much to me,” I said reaching out across the table towards him.
He stared at me for a couple of seconds. Would he agree or would his fear of the prosecutor outweigh his penchant for me?
He smiled. “What do I get in return if I put my job on the line for you?”
“I’ll always be your friend, Xavier. I can’t promise you more than that while my life is so uneven.”
“I suppose I’ll have to settle for that. Here’s what we’ll do. You must never come to the police station to see me unless you are summoned on police business. If and when the hospital reports Sauvage’s death as suspicious, I will phone you and we can meet here. Madame Fer-de-Lance cannot dictate my social life.”
“Thank you. I’m praying Jonny Sauvage died a natural death. The situation is complicated enough with his being an American citizen and broke. I’m helping the mayor sort things out with the US Consulate, you see. And I want to get back to my own life. My family needs me.”
“Penzi, you are too public spirited for your own good. To make everything clear to you, if I haven’t heard from the hospital by midday tomorrow, I will phone them to check on the case. And I’ll let you know either way.”
I thanked him again. He rose, kissed me on both cheeks and worked his way back through the crowded tables.
Felix and Jimbo rejoined me.
“Did you get what you wanted, boss?” asked Felix.
“He’s promised to give me the results of the autopsy tomorrow. That’s more what I need than what I want.”
“I know,” said Felix. “You want to tie up the loose ends. I do, too. Then we can put Jonny Sauvage behind us.”
*
Sam spent Thursday night in the mayor’s spare bedroom because Emmanuelle still needed him. The rest of the family stayed in, played a board game and retired early. Felix and I didn’t know what to do with ourselves the next morning while we waited to hear from Dubois about the autopsy on Jonny Sauvage. Gwinny had the housekeeping to do. Audrey wanted to give The Union Jack another clean to make sure everything was spick and span for Madame Desert’s inspection in the afternoon. Felix and I decided to join her to keep busy. We spent the morning clearing up the back yard and bagging the garbage for Sam to take to the recycling center when he could leave Emmanuelle and return to the family.
By lunchtime nothing could have been shinier or cleaner. The windows sparkled, the paintwork shone, and large bunches of lavender from the market perfumed the air.
As Felix and I stepped out onto the pavement leaving Audrey to lock up, my phone rang with the awaited call from Dubois.
“I’m taking my lunch on the Esplanade. Can you meet me? I have news for you,” he said.
I grabbed hold of Felix’s arm. “Come along, Dubois’s here waiting for us.”
I called out to Audrey that we’d have lunch with Dubois and would see her later.
Dubois rose to his feet as we approached. He greeted me with the usual two kisses on the cheek and shook Felix’s hand with a lack of hostile body language. That was so unusual I knew something unpleasant was coming.
“Sit, please,” he said pulling out my chair for me.
He nodded at Felix who took the seat beside me.
“Yes,” Dubois said. “Your companion should be here for this.”
So it was bad news.
He took a sheaf of papers out of his brief case and laid them on the table. “I’m afraid it’s grave, very grave.”
My last tiny hope vanished and my legs began to tremble. If I hadn’t been sitting down, I would have fallen over. My breath caught in my throat so I couldn’t ask the question that was burning holes in my mind.
Felix took a deep breath, let it out slowly and said, “Inspector Dubois, don’t prolong the suspense. Just tell us. Can’t you see how nervous Penzi is?”
Dubois looked up from his documents and sighed. “Mes amis, it is the worst. Your friend was the victim of villainy. Here in Beaucoup-sur-mer. In our hospital. Someone committed a cruel act against a man who lay helpless in his hospital bed. I am ashamed such a thing could happen in our town.”
“What happened? What does the report say?” I asked hearing my voice verging on the hysterical.
“We saw no signs of violence,” said Felix.
“It was not a violent death for someone in a coma. Some might say it was even peaceful. Someone smothered your friend.”
I gasped. I’d felt something was wrong, but smothered? How could that be?
“You mean he was asphyxiated?”
Dubois nodded.
“But how could he have been? We could see the door to his room. No one went in or out before the monitor bleeped.”
“We shall have to work out the modus operandi. It would have taken only a few minutes as he was in no state to resist. The verdict is undeniable. According to this report,” Dubois said waving the papers about, “the signs are all there. I’ll spare you the details. Two odd things though: the damage to the kidneys is more than would be expected in a case of asphyxiation, and he had deep scratches all the way down his chest. The pathologist suggests that if Sauvage’s coma was caused by the ingestion of poison, that could account for the kidney damage, but he has no explanation to offer for the scratches.”
“So scratches or no scratches, it’s murder … again,” said Felix with a scowl on his face.
Dubois chuckled. “Mon ami, he couldn’t exactly have smothered himself, could he? He was in a coma.”
Felix jumped to his feet knocking his chair over. “But don’t you see what this means, Dubois? Penzi will charge in on her white horse to hunt out the murderer. She’ll put herself in harm’s way in the interests of justice again.”
Dubois rose and grasped Felix by the shoulders. “Sit, mon ami, while we talk it over.”
Felix allowed himself to be pushed down into his seat again.
“This is too much,” he said tugging his hip flask out of his pocket. “A thousand
times worse. Penzi knew Jonny Sauvage. He was her friend. It’s not like the others at all.”
He poured me a tot and passed it to me. I needed it. Someone had hidden themselves in Jonny’s room waiting for the opportune moment to kill him while he lay unconscious. Within yards of us. Shivers ran up and down my back. So close. So evil.
“If only we’d been half an hour earlier,” I said sipping the Laphroaig.
“So the poor blighter never stood a chance,” said Felix.
“Malheureusement, non,” agreed Dubois.
“Can I have a copy of the report?” I asked.
Dubois took the top three sheets off the sheaf of papers, folded them in half and passed them to me. “You didn’t get them from me, remember.”
I folded them in half again and put them in my purse. “What do we do now?”
“You do nothing, Penzi. Nothing. This is a matter for the police. I have given you the report because this Sauvage was a friend of yours. That’s all. If you interfere and Madame Fer-de-Lance finds out, it will cost me my job.”
“So what happens next?”
“The forensics team is at the hospital as we speak, but it is a hopeless case. Can you imagine how many fingerprints and how many people’s DNA will be in that room?”
“Mine and Felix’s, too.”
“Ah, yes,” said Dubois. “But you two have the perfect alibi. The ward sister says you were standing talking to her when the monitor bleeped.”
Felix stood and pulled out my chair for me. “Well, I guess that’s that, Dubois. I must get Penzi home. You can see how shaken up she is.”
Dubois pushed back his chair and gave a bow. “I’m sorry to be the bearer of such sad tidings, Penzi.”
Felix took my arm, and we made an unsteady way home, neither of us speaking. My head turned with unanswered questions while Felix brooded.
Chapter 18
We didn’t tell the rest of the family that Jonny Sauvage had been murdered. They would find out in good time and I didn’t see the point of spending lunch going over and over the only facts we had. Also, I didn’t want to upset Audrey. She needed to be calm and confident for the inspection of the shop that afternoon. In fact, I wanted to be alone. As soon as I could, I disappeared up to my room where I lay on my bed pondering the strange circumstances surrounding the murder of Jonny Sauvage.