“You sure picked a good time to go dancing on the Volga, boss.”
“The Volga is in Russia, Virgile.”
“That doesn’t change the fact that the shit has hit the fan here, and I’m having a hard time cleaning it up!”
“Calm down, son. Tell me what’s going on.”
“There’s a bit of a bottleneck in the lab.”
“Our lab is always filled with bottlenecks, isn’t it?”
“This is no time for jokes. I’m the one who’s back here trying to manage our clients. And they’re not too happy right now.”
To respond to his assistant’s cry for help, Benjamin had chosen to sit in a wood-trimmed armchair in the far corner of the marble-filled lobby. Virgile’s panicky voice kept Benjamin from admiring the large vase in the nearby wall niche. His shoulder muscles were tensing up.
Virgile continued. “Ladevèze is doing what he can, but he’s not as familiar with the procedures as Alexandrine. And he’s slower. Our clients are waiting too long for the results of their analyses. They’re quite vexed with us at Saint Émilion and Pomerol!”
“Use Didier then.”
“Yeah, right! Didier’s already kissing up to our vintners with mildew. I’m not going to let him near our other clients too.”
“You’re being a bit harsh, aren’t you?”
“He’s not what you think, sir. He’s always sweet-talking someone, always trying to cut corners and cheat people. And he’s got a temper.”
“You sound jealous. It’s not very becoming.”
“Boss, did you know that he was hanging around the lab last month? He was asking Alexandrine all kinds of questions. At first I thought he was hitting on her, but he was being so…”
“So what?”
“Disrespectful. I heard him say he’d never consider…”
“Consider what?”
“Well, okay, you asked. He didn’t understand how she could be gay. Actually, he used the word dyke. He told her he’d never consider screwing a guy.”
“You’re right, that’s not very professional, is it? Her personal life is none of his business.”
“Oh, Alex handled it perfectly, as usual. She just told him he hadn’t met the right man yet.”
Benjamin chuckled. “Okay, Virgile, he’s a bit rough around the edges, but he’s good at what he does.”
“That’s not the end of the story, boss. Afterward, I saw them arguing. In any case, I don’t trust him. As long as I’m here and you’re there, I’m going to keep him reined in. Is that clear?”
Benjamin raised his eyebrows at Virgile’s tone, but he didn’t say anything. He studied an enormous bouquet of fresh flowers, all white, leaving Virgile time to calm down.
“Boss? You still there?”
“What about Alexandrine?”
“What about Alexandrine? I already told you she’ll be out of work for a while. Her attacker really did a number on her.”
“Will any of her injuries be permanent?”
“According to the doctors, her sensory organs weren’t affected. The optic nerve is fine, but she’ll need some rehabilitation.”
“And her nose?”
“Broken. Don’t worry. Plastic surgery does wonders these days. As far as her eyebrow ridge is concerned, the guy didn’t go easy: three fractures!”
“Poor thing,” Benjamin said.
“She is a bit depressed, but she should be able to leave the hospital soon.”
“She’ll still need our help, Virgile.”
“I’m doing what I can, boss. But I’m stretched thin, and, as I said, I don’t trust Didier with our clients. There’s so much to do at Cooker & Co., and the work is piling up.”
“I understand, son. As soon as I get back your workload will ease up. By the way, has her companion been staying with her at the hospital?”
“Let’s talk about that so-called friend. She hasn’t been seen or heard from. Alexandrine finally came clean. Her girlfriend left her a week ago without so much as a by-your-leave. Excellent timing, right?”
“Hmm, interesting,” Benjamin murmured.
“Boss, are you thinking what I’m thinking? I wouldn’t be surprised if it was her girlfriend who attacked her.”
“You’re jumping to conclusions, Virgile.”
“Have you ever seen chicks fight? When they go at it, it’s worse than guys.”
“I don’t know, Virgile. Alexandrine had such a good Bordeaux upbringing. It’s hard to imagine her in a scuffle of any kind.”
“Well, in any case, I asked her out front, but she… Well, to be honest, she didn’t really answer. I get the feeling there’s a lot about Alexandrine that we don’t know.”
“Just see what you can find out. Keep going to the hospital. Keep talking to her. She trusts you. You might turn up a lead.” Benjamin decided to change the subject. “All right, what about the mildew situation? What’s going on with that? Other than your suspicions about Didier, that is.”
“It’s spreading, boss. It’s been stormy here. The rains have hit Bergerac, Duras, the Haut Médoc, Blaye, and Entre-deux-Mers. Graves isn’t quite as wet, but that’s not saying much. It’s gotten to the fruit in quite a few vineyards. I haven’t seen anything like this in a long time.”
“Unfortunately, some winegrowers refuse to use copper sulfate,” Benjamin said.
“Well, the number of ecologically minded winemakers has risen. Besides, spraying is expensive, and winegrowers save money when they cut down. But, when there’s extensive damage, some go running back to the old methods.”
Like a physician sure of his diagnosis, the Bordeaux wine expert dictated his fungicidal treatment. He detailed each agent and exactly how much to use.
“That’s what I’ve been doing, boss.”
“If you want my opinion, son, I don’t think the storms will be the last of our bad weather. The forecasters are predicting another heat wave.”