Page 35 (1/2)

"Still," he said "What could you hope to do about it?"

"Well," said Marois, "notall these years I was curious"

"Is that all?"

"Have you never wanted to visit Giverny to see where Monet painted, or go to Winslow Homer’s studio in Prouts Neck? Or see where Shakespeare and Victor Hugo wrote?"

"You’re quite right," admitted Gamache "Madame Gamache and I have visited the homes of many of our favorite artists and writers and poets"

"Why?"

Ga "Because they seeuay snorted Beauvoir bristled, embarrassed for the Chief Inspector It was a ridiculous answer Perhaps even weak To adic

But Marois sat still, staring at the Chief Inspector Finally he nodded, slightly and slowly It ht treic I hadn’t planned to coe I wanted to see the village that had produced such ic"

They talked for a few more minutes, about their movements Who they saho they spoke to But like everyone else, it was unremarkable

Chief Inspector Ga in the bright living roouests Within an hour they’d interviewed the suspicious or helpful

As they walked back down the hill into Three Pines, Gaht of their interviews and what François Marois had said

But there wasreen, had eaten the food and danced aht

And produced not ic but murder

SIX

Out theof her bookstore Myrna could see Ar down the dirt road into the village

Then she turned back to her shop, with its wooden shelves filled with new and used books, the wide plank pine floors Sitting on the sofa beside theand facing the woodstove was Clara

She’d arrived a fewher haul of newspapers to her breasts, like an ied and precious