Page 55 (1/2)

Beauvoir nodded and his grip loosened on the wheel They spent the next few ths and weaknesses before lapsing into silence

As he watched the graceful span of the bridge across the St Lawrence River approach, Ga he’d been considering for a while now

"There is solanced over to his boss

Ga to speak to Beauvoir about this quietly Perhaps over dinner that night, or a walk on thedown the autoroute at 120 kilo was there And Ga There’s so better, are you"

It was not a question

"I’ about the coin That was just a mistake It happens God knows it’s just possible I’ve made a few in my life"

He saw Beauvoir s about, sir?"

"The painkillers Why’re you still taking them?"

There was silence in the car as Québec whizzed by their s

"How’d you know about that?" asked Beauvoir, finally

"I suspected You carry them with you, in your jacket pocket"

"Did you look?" asked Beauvoir, an edge to his voice

"No But I’ve watched you" As he did now His second in coetic Cocky He was full of life and full of himself It could annoy Gamache But mostly he’d watched Beauvoir’s vitality with pleasure and so into life

But now the young h every day was an effort As though he was dragging an anvil behind him