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God help him, this was ho that felt at once foreign and familiar He didn’t smile often Not with suspects Not at all

But he srin

"I’d like that but there’s so I have to do first"

Before he left he went into the washroom and splashed cold water onto his face He looked into the reflection and saw there a ht years Drawn and tired And not wanting to do what ca the pill bottle out of his pocket he placed it on the counter and stared at it Then pouring hilass of water he shook a pill into his pal it in half he sed it with a quick swig

Picking up the other half from the white porcelain rim of the sink he hesitated then quickly tossed it back in the bottle before he could change his mind

Clara walked him to the front door

"Can I come by in an hour?" he asked

"Of course," she said and added, "bring Ruth"

How did she know? Perhaps, he thought as he plunged into the storht as the storht back, they knowthe door before he knocked A swirl of snow ca, caked in snow At least, he thought that hy she was batting away at hione and still she hit hienerous spirit, dick-head"

"I’ her into the now fah this was trivial Entertain him one He didn’t need it He could feel the effects of the pill

Her coarden table in her kitchen and they sat side-by-side in wobbly pre-formed plastic chairs

Ruth pressed a button and up came the site

Beauvoir looked at her "Have you watched it?"

"No," she said, staring at the screen, not at hied breath, exhaled, and hit play

"Too bad about Champlain," said Émile as they walked down St-Stanislas and across rue St-Jean, waiting for revelers to pass like rush-hour traffic