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Vaguely, in the back of Gae-taker hadn’t asked about the condition of the officer he’d shot He’d seeht the Chief, he didn’t want to know He see froht ent Morin safely away they would find this man Gamache had no doubt of that

But Armand Gamache had already made his first mistake

Beauvoir drifted back to sleep and in his sleep he replaced the receiver, got in the car with the Chief and raced up to Ste-Agathe They found where Morin was being held and rescued him Safe and sound No one hurt, no one killed

That was Beauvoir’s dream That was always his dream

Armand Gamache picked up the ball and chucked it for Henri He knew the dog would happily do this all day and all night, and it held its attractions for Gamache A simple, repetitive activity

His feet crunched on the pathway and his breath puffed in the crisp, dark air He could just see Henri ahead and hear the slight wind knocking the bare branches together, like the fingers of skeletons And he could hear the young voice talking, always talking

Paul Morin told hirave;re Ya his trunks to some bullies He heard about the su in Tadoussac and how randmother, about the new apartment in Granby he and Suzanne had rented and the paint colors she’d chosen He heard about the ent’s life

And as Morin talked Gaes he kept locked away during the day he let out at night He had to He’d tried to keep the door but they’d pounded and pressed, ha away until he had no choice

And so every night he and Henri and Agent Morin went for a walk Henri chasing his ball, Ga chased At the end of the hour Ga Grande Allée, the bars and restaurants closed Even the drunk college students gone All gone All quiet

And Gaent Morin to be quiet too Now Please But while he beca voice was never totally hushed

EIGHT

Ga coffee After showering he joined Émile for breakfast

The elderlywooden table In the center was a plate of flaky croissants, honey and jams and some sliced fruit

"Did you see this?" É copy of Le Soleil in front of Gamache The Chief sipped and read the headline

AUGUSTIN RENAUD MURDERED WHILE DIGGING FOR CHAMPLAIN

He skih not to be disot hold of people and inforht not have found But there was nothing new there Mostly a recap of Renaud’s startling hobby of looking for Cha people off There were quotes froe Croix, speaking glowingly of Renaud’s achieve holes in the old city and perhaps spoiling sos There was no respect lost between Croix and Renaud, though you’d never know it by the tribute in today’s paper

Except the reporter had been sather Croix’s previous comments about Renaud And not just Croix but a host of other Chaists All dis his austin Renaud alive had beco the papers, there eustin Renaud Not just dead, but so else There seemed an affection for hiuided, perhaps, but passionate A man who loved his home, loved his city, loved his country Québec Loved and lived history, to the exclusion of all else, including it seemed, his sanity

He was a harmless eccentric, one of many in Québec, and the province was the poorer for having lost hiustin Renaud Finally respected

The paper, Gamache was relieved to see, had been careful to simply report on where the body was found While they lophone institution they left it at that There was no suggestion of Anglo involveuistic motivation behind the crime

But Gamache suspected the tabloids would be less reticent