The Luckiest Woman Ever: Molly Sutton Mystery 2
Page 22
He jiggled his mouse to wake up his computer and opened a new document, and started to type a letter of resignation. Dufort had no idea at all what he was going to do next, but whatever it was, he would not be accepting the new posting from the gendarmerie that he expected to come in January.
He would stay right here in Castillac.
The letter was brief and to the point. He saved it, printed it out, and then without wasting any time, pulled out his cell and called Molly Sutton.
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The next day was Christmas Eve-Eve, as Molly had called it as a child, and she let Frances sleep and walked into the village to finish up her shopping. There was the goose to pick up at the butcher’s, and the bûche de noël from Pâtisserie Bujold, and she was talking herself into splurging on some organic foie gras. Constance had promised to come over that afternoon for a whirlwind cleaning followed by a holiday cocktail. And she had to remember to pick up some dog food. But all of these things, which normally would be giving her pleasure, felt a little flat.
Whenever a period of excitement was over, there is always a let-down, she thought as she walked along rue des Chênes. Molly felt she should be happy that Murielle could no longer hurt anyone else, and that her friend had come into a huge sum of money. But somehow they weren’t enough to keep the let-down feeling away. Part of it was still the incomprehension over a mother rejecting her baby for a correctable flaw. And part of it, if she was honest, was that she relished the stimulation of having a problem to solve—a good, meaty mystery—and when it was over and she had nothing on the docket besides making dinner, she ended up needing some time to readjust to everyday, ordinary life.
Molly visited the butcher, got the foie gras, and was just coming out of Pâtisserie Bujold with a large bag, when her cell phone buzzed in her pocket.
“llo?” she said, stepping into the middle of the street where the reception was better.
“Salut, Molly, it’s Ben.”
Molly smiled. She and Ben talked about the case, trying to tie up a few little loose ends, and then they talked about things unrelated to murder or poison or betrayal; he made her laugh, and then finally, after she had been standing in the middle of the street for fifteen minutes, he asked her out to dinner.
“Probably not at La Métairie,” he said.
Which was completely fine by Molly.
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THE END
ALSO BY NELL GODDIN
The Third Girl (Molly Sutton Mysteries 1)
The Prisoner of Castillac (Molly Sutton Mysteries 3)
Murder for Love (Molly Sutton Mysteries 4)
The Château Murder (Molly Sutton Mysteries 5)
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GLOSSARY
Chapter 1:
comment vas-tu?….How are you?
La Baraque….the house or shed
pâtisserie….pastry shop
Café de la Place…café on the square
café crème…espresso with milk
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Chapter 2:
pigeonnier….dovecote
gîte….holiday cottage
ma belle….my beauty
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Chapter 3:
châtelaine….mistress of a castle
merde….excrement
la métairie….farm
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Chapter 4:
salut….hi
bon anniversaire….happy birthday
amuse-bouches….literally, mouth-amuser. An appetizer not ordered but sent out free by the chef
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Chapter 5:
Maman….Mom
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Chapter 6:
crétin….cretin
crème brûlée…burnt cream. A custard with a hard caramelized top. Swoon.
à bientôt….see you later
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Chapter 7:
petit, s’il te plâit….espresso please
gendarmerie….headquarters of gendarmes, a military force engaged in police work
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Chapter 8:
rue des Chênes….Oak Street
priez pour vos morts….pray for your dead
la bombe….hot woman, bombshell
café grande….large coffee
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Chapter 9:
grandmère….grandmother
lycée….high school
merci et à bientôt….thanks and see you later
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Chapter 11:
la grisaille….grayness; dreary weather
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Chapter 12:
Carte Bancaire….credit card
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Chapter 14:
épicerie….small grocery store
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Chapter 16:
félicitations….congratulations
bon….literally, good. Used as a conversational filler: well, all right, fine
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Chapter 17:
toilette….toilet
cèpes….the mushroom boletus edulis
girolles….chantarelle mushrooms
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Chapter 18:
oui….yes
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Chapter 20:
boulangerie.…bakery
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Chapter 21:
bûche de Noël….Christmas cake, often sponge cake and buttercream rolled up. Made to look like a Yule log.
mon Dieu….my God
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Chapter 26:
à table!….to the table! Come to dinner!
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Chapter 28:
liberté….liberty
fraternité….fraternity
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Chapter 30:
département…regional area in France similar to a state or county
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Chapter 31:
mairie….town hall
collège….middle school, junior high
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Chapter 32:
Extrait du Registre des Naissance….birth records
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Chapter 35:
centimes….pennies
comprenez….understand
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Chapter 37:
primaire….elementary school
For my magnificent teacher, Helen Tanner
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Editing by the incomparable Tommy Glass. All the thank yous.
Beta reading by Gretchyn Bailey and Nancy Kelley. Huge thanks and I toast you with a big glass of Médoc!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Nell Goddin has worked as a radio reporter, SAT tutor, short-order omelet chef, and baker. She tried waitressing but was fired twice.
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Nell grew up in Richmond, Virginia and has lived in New England, New York City, and France. Currently she's back in Virginia with teenagers and far too many pets. She has degrees from Dartmouth College and Columbia University.
Come by and see me.
Nell Goddin Author
www.nellgoddin.com
nell@nellgoddin.com