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‘I applied to his division but was turned down’ It was the first ti in the Trois-Rivières detachment at the time Anyway, as you’ve probably heard, Arnot co his people’

‘But?’

‘He was a bully Deents dropped out of his division Leaving hients too scared to stand up to a bully,’ said Lacoste

‘Thought you said you didn’t know the inside story’

‘I don’t, but I know school yards Same everywhere’

‘This was no school yard It started quietly at first Violence on native reserves unchecked Murders unreported Arnot had decided if the natives wanted to kill themselves and each other then it should be considered an internal issue and not interfered with’

‘But it was his jurisdiction,’ said Lacoste

‘That’s right He ordered his officers on the reserves to do nothing’

Isabelle Lacoste knehat that s inhaled until their young brains froze Numb to the violence, abuse, despair They didn’t care any , or anyone Boys shot each other and the the Sûreté post desperate for help and getting no answer And the officers, aln they’d satisfied their boss? One less savage Or were they scared to death the killed They too were dying

‘What happened then?’

TWENTY-NINE

Everything creaks when you’re afraid Armand Gamache remembered the words of Erasmus and wondered whether the creak he’d just heard was real or just his fear He swung his flashlight to the stairs behind hi

He could see the floor was dirt, hardpacked froht It smelled of spiders and wood rot andbodies of people taken before their ti was He could feel it The house seeh it had a secret, so to say

There it was again A creak

Gaht froh stone walls, the beams and posts, the open wooden doors

His cell phone began vibrating

Taking it out he recognized the number

‘Allô’