Deadly Tasting by Jean-Pierre Alaux, Noël Balen Read Free Book Online Page A

concerns us,” Benjamin said, sending up soft rings of smoke.
    “I know, sir. Renaud is an encyclopedia. He owns part of the archives of the former Delmas Company, a maritime insurer that’s no longer in business. And he’s sitting on a ton of documents dealing with the history of the port of Bordeaux. Also, he’s doing research to exonerate his grandfather, a merchant in the Chartrons district who was accused of plundering castles and trafficking in art on behalf of Hermann Goering. Renaud wants to clear his name.”
    “I say, your friend seems very busy,” Benjamin said, straightening up in his chair. “And where does he get this passion for German history?”
    “I don’t know, exactly. Although he’s a pacifist himself, his father was an officer in Indochina and Algeria, and that’s why he’s interested in anything having to do with the military. His passion for Germany stems from an affair he had with a student from Bavaria. His ‘valkyrie,’ as he calls her, went back to Munich, and they still talk on the phone at least once a week. I don’t ask him about her—you know I don’t like to pry—but I think it explains why he doesn’t look at any of the girls at the pool. And I can tell you there are some real knockouts, if I do say so myself.”
    “What’s the family name, again?”
    “Duboyne de Ladonnet, with two n ’s, not like canelé . That’s what I said to myself when he spelled it for me. You’ve noticed how people often write canelé with two n ’s?”
    Benjamin ignored this mnemonic observation about Bordeaux’s well-known pastries and used his armrests to push himself out of his chair. Once on his feet, he waved away the cloud of smoke that was keeping him from seeing where he wanted to go. Then he began pacing the room. He needed to stretch his legs.
    “Renaud Duboyne de Ladonnet,” he murmured. “That does not ring a bell.”
    “If you’d like, I could introduce you to him. He lives on the Cours de Verdun, not far from the public gardens.”
    “Why not? What do we have to lose?”
    § § §
    The meeting was arranged for just before noon the following day at a secondhand bookstore in the Saint Pierre neighborhood. It was in an old warehouse that had once housed exotic merchandise and dreams of grandeur. After spending the morning on the Languedoc-Roussillon tastings, Benjamin and Virgile had carefully filed away their notes in a laboratory cabinet and arrived a quarter of an hour early. They immediately took advantage of the opportunity to rummage through the store’s dusty shelves and immerse themselves in old books on the history of Bordeaux.
    All was quiet in the shop until the bell at the door plinked. Benjamin turned and saw a man with thick glasses distorting his eyes and a tight raincoat buttoned up to his chin. Renaud Duboyne de Ladonnet walked down the center aisle and came to greet Benjamin and Virgile with firm handshakes. His trousers, which barely covered his ankles, revealed a pair of black loafers in need of polish, yet his perfect manners and sharp-mindedness came through.
    “Thank you for making yourself available on such short notice,” said Benjamin.
    “Not at all. It’s the least I could do for someone who tried to save my life,” Renaud answered dryly.
    “Virgile told me how you met. And I don’t need to tell you that Virgile is a virtual lifesaver. Without him, I don’t know how we could get all our work done at Cooker & Co.”
    Virgile remained quiet and gave an earnest smile that looked just a tad self-deprecating. Benjamin didn’t mention one of the characteristics he liked most about his assistant: that he was confident, but never cocky.
    “According to Virgile,” the winemaker continued, “you are fascinated with German military history, and you also seem to be intimately familiar with our city’s history.”
    “What exactly do you want to know?”
    “Almost everything about life in Bordeaux during the occupation.”
    “That’s quite a