Page 76 of Mountain Security

“You haven’t had anything to eat today, have you?”

He shook his head.

“Let me cook you dinner,” she said.

24

* * *

Alex

Yvette was an amazing cook.

And it shouldn’t have surprised him, because that was a national stereotype that was holding strong, in Alex’s experience. French people didn’t just know how to eat, they also knew how to cook.

He watched Yvette pick a few fresh herbs, some from her fridge, some from her balcony, and tie them with a small piece of kitchen string.

“There,” she said, dropping it into the simmering pot. “Thebouquet garni. The secret to all good meals.”

Alex laughed. His mother was a decent cook, but Alex had never seen her add anything other than salt and pepper to her dishes.

He saw Yvette add a generous glass of white wine to the pot, then serve each of them a glass from the same bottle.

While she cooked, Alex set the table and lit a couple of candles. A short while later, they sat down to enjoy their meal.

“Creamy chicken with white wine andbouquet garni,” Yvette said, placing the fragrant dish in front of him.

Alex took a bite and chewed carefully.

“It’s amazing. And I loved watching you make it.”

“We didn’t have money for takeout when I was growing up, but my mother is a great, creative cook. Everything I know, I learned from her.”

“Where does she live?”

“Still in Lyon, next door to my sister and her kids. I visit them as often as I can.” Yvette searched through her phone until she found a photograph. There were two women in the photograph, both with the same coloring as Yvette. The older had a child on her lap, while the younger woman cradled two babies. “That’s my mom, my sister, Ophélia, and my three nephews, taken almost a year ago, on Christmas Day. The babies are much bigger now.”

“They’re cute,” Alex said. “The older one looks to be about the same age as my niece. She’s a little devil, but she’s great.”

Alex leaned back, watching Yvette take a sip of her wine. For the first time in what felt like forever, he felt himself relaxing.

“You look like you had a really long day,” she said.

“It’s always scary when a child goes missing. And this kid was outside the whole night. He fell into a hole left behind after a storm pulled out a tree. It’s a miracle he survived the whole night out there.”

Yvette shuddered. “He’s really going to be okay?”

“He had a broken arm and was hypothermic, but Ry was optimistic. He’s at the hospital with the boy. He’ll call when he has any news.”

A phone beeped. It took Alex a long instant to realize it was Yvette’s, not his.

“It’s a message fromSous-officierRomain, from the investigative task force,” she read out loud.

Romain was one of the gendarmes who had taken Théo Lambert into custody the previous evening. He and Alex had been on several trainings together, and were on friendly terms.

“Colonel Pelegrin is requesting a meeting with me and the mayor tomorrow at nine a.m. in thegendarmerie. You’ll be there as well, apparently.”

Alex laughed. “Since the colonel is my boss’s boss, I’m sure my boss will call to inform me soon enough.”

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