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Thebehind them

"And 18 whatever? The number in his diary?" Émile asked "A time? A date?"

Gareed É?"

"I have a quick stop to make first Can you take Henri ho carefully down rue St-Stanislas,sure not to slip on the ice and snow

The Chief Inspector walked the fewthe door he was somewhat surprised to find it unlocked He poked his head into the church The robin’s egg blue ceiling was softly lit but the rest was in twilight

"Hello," he called and his voice rattled round and finally disappeared His intention was to speak to the young minister but he found hi his coat off he sat quietly for a fewexhale

Now there is nohis eyes he let the voice loose, to play To run around in his head, to laugh and tell hi his first violin, a tiny one lent by the school Worthit back to the distraught boy reassuring hiest where they’re broken Don’t worry

"What a kind thing to say," Gareed "I broke everything Violins, vacuulasses, plates, you name it I once broke a hahed

Ga off in the warhter in his head, and when he opened his eyes he was surprised to find he was no longer alone The youngquietly at the other end of the pew, reading

"You see ca?" Gamache asked, his voice not more than a whisper

Tom Hancock looked down at the book in his hand

"Steer toward the third tall oak from the tip of Fischer’s Point," he read "Once halfway across youinto account the current, the winds, the ice And always steer for the ice floes, never to open water"

"A little known Gospel," said Ganize," said the Reverend Mr Hancock He put a bookmark in, closed it and handed the old volume to his companion Gamache accepted it and looked at the title

DELIVERING THE MAIL ACROSS THE MIGHTY SAINT LAWRENCE, IN WINTER A MANUAL

Opening the cover he scanned the title page, and found the date 1854