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Langlois was clearly aestion "Don’t you think it’s better to downplay this? I ustin Renaud, not the premier ministre The man was a bit of a buffoon No one took him seriously"

"But they took his search seriously"

Inspector Langlois stared at Ga

"You’ll do as you want, of course," said the Chief Inspector, sy with the man "But as your consultant that’s my counsel Tell all and tell it quickly before theruht to the dark caverns beyond the ht now? Armand Gamache, a student of Québec history, felt a frisson, an involuntary thrill

And if he felt that, he thought, ill others feel?

Elizabeth MacWhirter was feeling ill She turned her back to the indow and view that had always given her pleasure, until now Out of it she still saw the s, the snow falling thicker now, but she also saw the television trucks and cars with radio station logos stenciled to the sides She saw nized from television, and photos in Le Soleil and La Presse Journalists And not the gutter press Not just Allô Police, though they were there too But respected news anchors

They stood in front of the building, artificial lights on theame of Red Rover, and told their stories to the province Elizabeth wondered what they were saying

But it couldn’t be good, just degrees of bad

She’d called the ive the

Augustin Renaud was found lanced out theagain at the quickly gathering reporters and snow, a storm of each, a blizzard, andher friend by the"Oh"

Together they watched Porter descend the stairs, approach the swarive what ahed Winnie "Do you think I can reach him with this?" She hefted the first volu to throw the book at him?" smiled Elizabeth

"Shalois sat at the head of the polished table in the library of the Literary and Historical Society It was a roorand It smelled of the past, of a tiled" and "blogged" Before laptops and BlackBerries and all the other tools that e It was an old library, filled with old books and dusty old thoughts

It was cal while since Inspector Langlois had been in a library Not since his school days A time filled with new experiences and the aromas that would be forever associated with the bananas in lockers Sweat Old Spice cologne Herbal Essence shairls he kissed, andhis reaction was still physical whenever he smelt it

And libraries Quiet Cale life When the Herbal Essence girls had pulled away, and yh-housing Keeping the terror behind savage eyes

He remembered how it felt to find himself in the library, away froerous than what roahts were housed

Young Langlois had sat down and gathered that power to hie, thoughts, and a callois, of the Quebec City hoht library with its carved wood and old volumes and wondered at the people he was about to interview People who had access to all these books, all this calht sat his assistant, taking notes On his left sat a man he’d only seen at a distance before today Heard lecture Seen on television At trials, at public hearings, on talk shows And at the funerals, six weeks ago Close up, Chief Inspector Galois had only ever seen him in a suit, with his trian, and corduroys, but also a beard Shot with gray And a scar above his left telois started "Before the first one coo over e know so far"