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"Fueled by gin," said Clara "Funny how that works"

"Speaking of which, there’s no gin Someone must’ve drunk it all Get some more," she said to Myrna

"Get your own--"

"Church," Clara interrupted Myrna

"We’re at a child’s funeral," Olivier said to Ruth "There is no alcohol"

"If there ever was an occasion to drink, this is it," said Ruth

She was holding Rosa in e had held Laurent To her chest Protectively

"He was a strange little kid," said Ruth "I liked him"

And there was Laurent Lepage’s real eulogy Stories of his stories Of the funny little kid with the stick, causing havoc Creating chaos andtrees

That was the boy they were burying

"How reen and see Laurent hiding behind the bench, firing his ‘rifle’ at invaders," asked Clara as they left the church and wandered down the dirt road into the village

"Lobbing pine cones like they were grenades," said Gabri

"Baun and ed the enerenade "Brrrrccch" As it exploded

"He was always prepared to defend the village," said Reine-Marie

"He was," said Olivier

Gamache remembered the pine cone seeds found in Laurent’s pocket He’d been on a mission to save the world Arht his death was no accident," Armand confided to Myrna as the others walked ahead, across the village green "I thought it ht be murder"

Myrna stopped and looked at him

"Really? Why?"

They sat on the bench in the afternoon sun