Spilt Wine

48. Finally Seeking Help

Monday 5 May 1986

Catherine and I were back in the cellar shortly past seven on Monday morning, and after moving eight pièces along the row of Genavrières, we took a break for breakfast. Catherine had gone up a short while before with some change and asked one of the gendarmes to go get half a dozen croissants. He had come down into the cellar with the paper bundle.

We sat with our coffees and croissants at the mahogany table in the small salon, talking to Grattien on the phone. He also had thought someone must have overheard their conversation about moving Vrouwe Catharina. "We had two officers in street clothes mingling with the crowd and observing you and those who approached. One of the officers was new to our brigade, the other from Dole, outside the Burgundy, both unlikely to be recognised."

"I didn't see them," I said, "and I was very alert and careful with our surroundings that entire afternoon and evening. Your men are good."

"We don't only stand at the roadside stopping cars." Grattien laughed. "We are skilled in other areas too. One of them was playing photographer – you must have seen the press photographer who kept coming by to shoot pictures of Madame Ducroix with all the wine producers. There were so many high-profile wine people there."

"Yes, we were delighted to see all the names on the guest list as it grew. The big houses like Drouhin, Jadot, Latour and Faiveley. Individuals like Jean-Claude Boisset, Bernard Repolte, Lalou Bize-Leroy. They all wanted to talk and offer their sympathies. The photographer blended in very well. Did he report anything unusual?"

"When the photographs were analysed, one face appeared far too often for coincidence in shots when I was talking with you. All photos are now being re-examined, looking for more things unusual, and the ones of the woman are being enlarged to see if we can identify her."

"A woman?"

"Yes, evil doesn't discriminate. It comes in all sexes, colours and religions. I haven't seen the photos yet; we're still waiting for the package from Dole."

"This is getting weird again," Catherine said. "And speaking of women, how is the wounded gendarme doing?"

"She is recovering well. The doctors were able to repair the gut wound without a colostomy. Amazing what they do now. She is still on a liquid diet until her gut heals, but she should be out in a few days to continue mending at home."

"That's a relief. We still need to thank her for saving our lives."

"She is fully aware of you now. She has the full story on what they – she and the other two gendarmes had run into up there."

"That's another thing we wanted to talk with you about. We're nearly on a liquid diet ourselves here. We're out of almost everything but wine, and we need to do some shopping."

"It is not safe for you outside. We'll have to organise shopping for you. Put together a list, and I'll have it taken care of." He laughed, then continued, "Remember, we do more than stop cars on the road."

After we had clicked off the phone, Catherine went to pull two more coffees while I dialled Michel to get an update on Vrouwe Catharina.

As she returned with the refreshed cups, the adjuster's voice said, "It isn't pretty inside; almost everything will have to be removed and discarded, everything but the engine and generator and some pumps, likely. The surveyor hasn't started on the damage assessment yet, but he did give me a report of his drilling and measuring around the rip in the hull. The steel was between four point three and four point six millimetres thick. He couldn't get at the inside to examine the frames involved or to see any related damage. Workers are tearing away the interior as we speak to give him access."