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‘You chose life,’ said Gamache

‘No I didn’t I was just too scared to die Not like that anyway’ He leaned forward, his eyes intense, staring at Ga that attacked me’

‘Not any more, monsieur You killed it’

‘I did?’ He leaned back as though shoved by this unexpected thought

‘It was a baby robin Probably as scared as you’

It took Monsieur Béliveau a ht, then The thing that brings death was in that room,’ he said ‘It was me’

THIRTY-FIVE

‘Love what you’ve done with the place,’ said Olivier as he set out the napkins and bowls at the old railway station Putting the soup tureen on the filing cabinet under the list of murder suspects he was happy to see his name wasn’t there, and happier still to see Gabri’s was Wait until he told hi chicken steith dus was placed in the middle of the conference table

The Chief Inspector had stopped by the bistro to ask Olivier to bring them lunch

‘How’s Monsieur Béliveau?’ Olivier had asked He’d seen Ga the Coine,’ Gamache had said

‘And worse I remember how sad he was after Ginette died Thank God for Hazel and Madeleine Brought hi, especially important days like Christmas Saved his life’

As he’d walked back to the Incident Room Gamache wondered whether Béliveau would thank theht of Hazel, alone now herself, and wondered whether eventually the tould gravitate together

Once back at the old railway station Ga Hazel’s hoent Lacoste arrived froathered around the conference table Thewhen Olivier came with lunch

He took his time, but still they didn’t say a word Inspector Beauvoir ushered him to the door and closed it firmly behind him Olivier leaned in to the cold