Virgile said a few words to the duty nurse. Her cheeks turned red, and he flashed one of his grins before heading to Alexandrine’s room. He was bearing praslines from Blaye. Benjamin had told him all about this caramel-coated almond delicacy during a walk through the fortified town. It was named after a certain Count of Plessis-Praslin, a seventeenth-century military man with a delicate stomach. Virgile, however, was more interested in the crunchy texture and mildly toasted flavor of the prasline than its history.
Alexandrine actually smiled at the sight of him, which was an improvement. One wall in the room had been painted a solid green, and she had a view out the window—not of the fountain in the main courtyard though.
He sat down in the single chair next to the bed. He told her about the tests they were running in the lab and the calls they were getting. Then he filled her in on Benjamin’s latest adventures.
“He wants me to call in Didier Morel to help out.”
Alexandrine turned and looked out the window. They sat in silence a bit.
“I don’t mean to pry, Alexandrine, but I’ve been curious about something. I thought you had a girlfriend, but I haven’t seen her at the hospital.”
“Chloé? We had a fight, the week before I was…”
“You were living together, weren’t you?”
“Not really. It depended on our moods. She was an insanely jealous woman.”
“Are you saying that you were unfaithful?”
“You’re a fine one to talk! You, the unrepentant womanizer, calling me promiscuous? I’d be careful if I were you.”
“That’s not what I mean, Alex. Believe me. It’s just that I don’t understand your Chloé. If she really loved you, she’d be at your side at the hospital. I don’t care how mad she was. She would have put her anger aside and been with you. Unless she was the one who attacked you.”
“Just forget about Chloé. Get it? It’s over! Finished. And she had nothing to do with what happened.”
“So she’s not the one who beat your face in? Maybe you just don’t want to report her to the police. People in love do stupid things.”
“Do you really believe what you’re saying?”
“Yup, and I’m not the only one. The cops don’t believe you’re telling the whole story either. Alex, you need to put your cards on the table.”
“So, according to you, I’m nothing but a filthy liar.”
“Alex, you are a desirable, sweet, intelligent, and capable woman. As far as Cooker & Co. is concerned, you’re indispensable. Your personal life concerns only you. What I’m saying is that you need to be honest about this. That’s all.”
Alexandrine turned away. Virgile stayed for a while, but she closed her eyes and soon fell asleep.
Virgile wandered down the hall to find the coffee machine. Before leaving the floor, he turned back to wave good-bye to the duty nurse, and he could have sworn that he saw Didier Morel, with the curly dark hair and muscular shoulders, making her giggle.