With an effort, Bruno thrust away these thoughts and he and Alain exchanged small talk, trying at first to include her with news of the family, her care in the hospital and the kindness of the nurses. Being unable to join in seemed to upset her so they sat quietly, each of them holding a hand. Bruno had her left hand and it was cold and seemed almost lifeless. Soon she drifted off to sleep and snored quietly.
‘It’s good to see you, Bruno, despite this sad occasion. It’s been far too long,’ Alain said. ‘And thanks for coming.’
‘Good to see you, too,’ Bruno replied. ‘You’re not looking bad for a man of your advanced years.’
‘Just eighteen months older and wiser than you, Bruno.’
Bruno laughed, genuinely pleased to see his cousin. Even though Alain liked soccer while Bruno was a devoted rugby man, Bruno still knew they had a lot in common. They looked roughly the same age. Each of them had kept his hair and looked trim and fit. Alain’s hair was fair while Bruno’s was dark and Bruno was four or five centimetres taller. Alain had a heavier, almost stocky build but Bruno thought there was a family resemblance in their features.
‘Are you still getting out into civilian life in, what is it – two or three years?’ Bruno asked.
‘Less than two years to go. That’s still the plan, even though it’ll mean I have to start buying my own clothes,’ Alain said. ‘But it looks like it’ll be a very different life because I might not be leaving alone.’
‘You’ve met someone?’ Bruno asked eagerly.
‘A tech sergeant at the base, her name’s Rosalie Lamartine,’ Alain said, his eyes lighting up as he spoke of her. ‘She’ll have done twenty years when my twenty-five are up so she’ll get a decent pension. It’s a bit difficult with the rules against fraternizing with people of different ranks but we’ve spent some weekends together and had a wonderful two-week vacation in Senegal just before Christmas. That’s when we each knew this was it.’
‘I’m really happy for you, Alain. That’s great news. I’d better start saving for a wedding present.’ Bruno punched his cousin lightly on the arm and they both laughed. ‘Are you planning to marry once you’re out?’
Alain nodded. ‘Maybe before, if Rosalie gets the promotion she expects. Then we’d be the same rank and we could get hitched and qualify for married quarters. She’s young enough to have kids, which is something we both want. She’s terrific, good-natured and funny, I think you’ll like her.’
He took out his mobile phone, punched the keys and proudly showed Bruno his favourite photos of his new love. Tanned a little more pinkish-red than brown and dressed in a light blue bikini that barely covered her ample figure, she was smiling at the camera while holding up a fat slice of watermelon. Bruno noted the dark hair and laughing brown eyes, good cheekbones and generous mouth and nodded in approval. She was an attractive woman.
‘You’re a lucky man,’ said Bruno. ‘She’s glorious. Le bon Dieu has sent you a real gift.’
‘Yes, she’s wonderful, and the troops like her.’ Alain’s eyes were glowing as he studied the photo. ‘And here she is in uniform. She carries her rank easily.’
He called up another photo of the same woman in standard camouflage dress, her eyes fixed on the assault rifle she was stripping. Her hair was piled up beneath her beret, showing off her neck. In another photo, still in uniform, she was chatting with some soldiers with an expression that was firm but not unfriendly.
‘Bring her to St Denis for a weekend so I can get to know her,’ Bruno said. ‘You can have the honeymoon suite, a whole top floor to yourselves, and I’ll keep my basset hound from coming up to roust you out at dawn. I’m afraid I can’t answer for the cockerel.’
Alain laughed. ‘It can’t be worse than a bugle calling reveille. And I’ll look forward to seeing your place again and trying your cooking. I’ve told her a lot about you and we saw a couple of articles in Sud Ouest about some cases you solved. Rosalie was impressed but said she was happy she’d got the handsome cousin.’
Bruno grinned. ‘Are you still thinking of setting up as an electrician when you’re out?’
‘Maybe, I’m not sure. Rosalie is interested in a new programme, training to be a teacher during your last year in the military, while staying on full pay.’ Bruno recalled the Mayor mentioning this. ‘So we could be back to civilian life in just over a year. She’s thinking of going to a vocational school which is also something I could do. That would mean two salaries plus two pensions. We’ve thought of settling somewhere near Bergerac, maybe in the wine country around Pomport.’
‘It sounds like you have it all worked out,’ said Bruno, feeling just a hint of envy. Still, Alain’s good fortune meant there was hope for Bruno yet.
‘How about you?’ Alain asked. ‘Any woman in your life or are you still carrying a torch for the policewoman in Paris? Isabelle, is that the one?’
‘I see her from time to time and I still feel like a besotted teenager whenever I’m with her but we both know there’s no hope of settling down. She’s devoted to her career.’
‘Maybe one of the bridesmaids will catch your eye at our wedding. I’ll count on you to carry the ring and to make a speech.’
Bruno was trying to think of a suitable reply when a student nurse approached them and said the specialist was free to see them. She directed them to an office down the corridor.
‘Are you the next of kin?’ asked the middle-aged woman behind the desk. A stethoscope hung around her neck and there
