Free Death of a Chef (Capucine Culinary Mystery) by Alexander Campion

the waiting room that your business here is promoting sports personalities.”
    “We don’t promote them. We sign them up for our clients.” With a toothy smile, he switched into sell mode and rolled his chair around the desk so it was next to Capucine’s. “Let’s say, to pick a crazy example, that the Police Judiciaire wanted to improve its image.” He held up both hands as if in surrender. “Hey, I’m only using this as an example, but it really might not be a bad idea. We’d get, say, the soccer player Zinedine Zidane. . . . No, no, wait, he’s no good for you, way too aggressive with that head-butting stuff at the World Cup.
    “Let’s make it Yannick Noah, our iconic black tennis player, who sings those great songs with an African rhythm for kids. So, we’d cut a bunch of upbeat TV spots with a voice-over while Noah’s singing in the background to let the world of immigrants know how important the Police Judiciaire is in making their lives safe and comfortable. We’d map out the whole campaign for you and sign up Noah.” He paused, looking at Capucine hopefully for a sign of enthusiasm. “It was only an idea, but something like that could really help you guys out.”
    “Are your investments part of your sponsoring business ?”
    “Not at all,” Brissac-Vanté said with a laugh. “Completely separate. The investments are important, of course, but this is the real love of my life. It’s where my entrepreneurial talent shines through.”
    “Do you invest primarily in restaurants?”
    “I don’t specialize in anything. I’m on the lookout for projects where I can really add value. Succeeding in the investment world takes a whole lot more than writing checks. Let me tell you. We’re very diverse. We have three restaurants, an art gallery, an Armagnac producer, and the pride of our crown, the Tours soccer team. You probably know we won the league championship last year. I was hoarse for a week after.” Brissac-Vanté laughed happily.
    “And what sort of value did you add to La Mère Denis?”
    “It was—is—a very complex situation. Chef Brault was one of the towering chefs in France. I supported him through a very difficult period in his life by tailor making financing that not only fit his financial needs but also his psychological ones. I may be bragging, but I think I’m one of the forces that enabled his fabulous genius to blossom.”
    “A difficult period in his life?”
    “You have to understand the full complexity of Chef Brault. He was a true genius, with all the strengths and weaknesses of a genius. You need to grasp the fragility of his ego. He was one of the most gifted chefs France has ever produced, but he always doubted himself. When he came to me, his restaurant was producing food that easily merited three stars, but the Guide had only given him two. The third star was clearly coming, but Michelin likes to take it slow. Chef Brault got it in his head that they were holding back the third star because he didn’t have a hotel attached to his restaurant. He was completely unglued. His bank wouldn’t finance the hotel, because it was a bad idea commercially. Fortunately, he came to me. I saw that the hotel thing was seriously distracting him from his cooking—which was the only important thing, after all—and I made the hotel happen so he could concentrate in the kitchen.”
    “And did it work?”
    “Absolutely. The minute we bought the building across the street and the renovation started, he was a changed man. And then, of course, he got his third star the next year.” He laughed. “Which just happened to be the year the hotel opened. Pure coincidence, but Jean-Louis couldn’t be shaken in his belief that it was all due to the hotel.” He smiled warmly at the memory.
    “Do you usually do your deals for convertible debt?” Capucine asked.
    Brissac-Vanté looked at her sharply. The question wasn’t in keeping with the altruistic spirit of his message.
    “The raison