As soon as they arrived at the Hotel Sacher in Vienna, Benjamin called Alexandrine, but she didn’t answer her phone. He left a quick message telling her he was thinking of her. Then he called Virgile.
“So?”
“She’ll be in the hospital for a few days, boss, and won’t be able to work for more than a month.”
“What’s the extent of the damage?”
“The attack was brutal. Her brow’s fractured. Her nasal septum’s broken, and her optic nerve may be injured. The doctors think she might need reconstructive surgery.”
Benjamin pictured her delicate and perfectly shaped nose and grimaced.
“Has she talked to the police?”
“Yep. She gave them a short description of the man. Late forties, square face, short hair, crooked teeth. That’s all. She said he seemed to have it in for her. He called her names and hit her hard several times. Then he grabbed her purse and ran off.”
“Odd.”
“What’s that, boss?”
“That’s a lot of violence for a purse snatching. Where did it take place?”
“In the Allées des Tourny parking garage.”
“It’s a busy place. There must be cameras. Check with the police and make sure they’re looking into it.”
“Um, boss, do you think the police will want me to tell them how to do their job?”
“Call Inspector Barbaroux. He owes me one.”
“Doesn’t he work homicide? This is just a mugging.”
“Just a mugging?” Benjamin could feel his blood pressure rising. “How can you say that? This is Alexandrine we’re talking about!”
Benjamin ended the call without saying good-bye. He took a few deep breaths, straightened his jacket, and joined Elisabeth in the lobby.