Page 137 (1/2)

And it had

Old separated himself from the dark forest and approached the cabin, approached the elderly

"Woo," he whispered "Woo"

Old picked up the silver menorah and struck Once And into that blow he put his childhood, his grief, his loss He put his hed doith that, crushed the Hermit’s skull And he fell, Woo clutched in his hand

Old didn’t care No one would find the body except Olivier and he suspected Olivier would say nothing He liked the man very much, but knew him for what he was

Greedy

Olivier would take the treasure and leave the body and everyone would be happy A man already lost to the world would be sloed by the forest Olivier would have his treasure, and Old would have his life back

His obligation to his father discharged

"It was the first thing I ever ave it to my father After he died I couldn’t bear to look at it anyht One last time"

Old Mundin turned to his fa He placed his hand on his sleeping son’s back and spoke

"I’ This "

Clara gri the horror as the ice began to crack As it did now beneath The Wife

Jean-Guy Beauvoir went to the bistro door and opened it Along with a swirl of snoo large Sûreté officers entered

"Can you leave us, please?" Beauvoir asked of the villagers, and slowly, stunned, they put their winter coats on and left Clara and Peter took The Wife and Charles back to their home, while Inspector Beauvoir finished the intervieith Old Mundin

An hour later the police cars dreay, taking Old Michelle acco at the inn and spa to hand Charles over to the only other person he loved