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Authors: Louise Penny
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off his colleagues and bosses this was the only place left to put him. Alone. With inanimate objects. Silence all day, except when other agents came to put something in or take something out. They wouldn’t even meet his eye. He’d become untouchable. Unmentionable. Invisible.
But Chief Inspector Gamache saw. He’d come one day on a case, had himself gone to the cage with evidence, and there he’d found Jean Guy Beauvoir.
The agent, the man no one wanted, was now the second in command in homicide.
But Beauvoir couldn’t shake the certainty that Gamache had simply gotten lucky so far, with a few notable exceptions. The reality was, untested agents were dangerous. They made mistakes. And mistakes in homicide led to death.
He turned and looked at the slight young agent with loathing. Was this the one who’d finally make that blunder? The magnificent mistake that would lead to another death? It could be me who gets it, thought Beauvoir. Or worse. He glanced at Gamache beside him.
“Why him?” Beauvoir whispered.
“He seems nice,” said Lacoste.
“Like the sunset,” Beauvoir sneered.
“Like the sunset,” she repeated. “He was standing all alone.”
There was silence.
“That’s it?” asked Beauvoir.
“He doesn’t fit in. Look at him.”
“You’d choose the runt of the litter? For homicide detail? For God’s sake, sir,” he appealed to Gamache. “This isn’t the Humane Society.”
“You think not?” said Gamache with a small smile.
“We need the best for this team, for this case. We don’t have time to train people. And frankly, he looks as though he needs help tying his shoes.”
It was true, Gamache had to admit, the young agent was awkward. But he was something else as well.
“We’ll take him,” said the Chief to Beauvoir. “I know you don’t approve, and I understand your reasons.”
“Then why take him, sir?”
“Because he asked,” said Gamache, rising up. “And no one else did.”
“But they’d join us in a second,” Beauvoir argued, getting up as well. “Anyone would.”
“What do you look for in a member of our team?” asked Gamache.
Beauvoir thought. “I want someone smart and strong.”
Gamache tipped his head toward the young man. “And how much strength do you think that took? How much strength do you think it takes him to go to work every day? Almost as much as it took you, in Trois Rivières, or you,” he turned to Lacoste, “in traffic division. The others might want to join us, but they either didn’t have the brains or lacked the courage to ask. Our young man had both.”
Our, thought Beauvoir. Our young man. He looked at him across the room. Alone. Coiling wires carefully and placing them in a box.
“I value your judgment, you know that, Jean Guy. But I feel strongly about this.”
“I understand, sir.” And he did. “I know this is important to you. But you’re not always right.”
Gamache stared at his Inspector and Beauvoir recoiled, afraid he’d gone too far. Presumed too much on their personal relationship. But then the Chief smiled.
“Happily, I have you to tell me when I make a mistake.”
“I think you’re making one now.”
“Noted. Thank you. Will you please invite the young man to join us.”
Beauvoir walked purposefully across the room and stopped at the young agent.
“Come with me,” he said.
The agent straightened up. He looked concerned. “Yes, sir.”
Behind them an officer snickered. Beauvoir stopped and turned back to the young officer following him.
“What’s your name?”
“Paul Morin. I’m with the Cowansville detachment of the Sûreté, sir.”
“Agent Morin, will you please take a seat at the table. We’d like your thoughts on this murder investigation.”
Morin looked astonished. But not quite as astonished as the burly men behind him. Beauvoir turned back and walked slowly toward the conference table. It felt good.
“Reports, please,” said Gamache and glanced at his watch. It was
But Chief Inspector Gamache saw. He’d come one day on a case, had himself gone to the cage with evidence, and there he’d found Jean Guy Beauvoir.
The agent, the man no one wanted, was now the second in command in homicide.
But Beauvoir couldn’t shake the certainty that Gamache had simply gotten lucky so far, with a few notable exceptions. The reality was, untested agents were dangerous. They made mistakes. And mistakes in homicide led to death.
He turned and looked at the slight young agent with loathing. Was this the one who’d finally make that blunder? The magnificent mistake that would lead to another death? It could be me who gets it, thought Beauvoir. Or worse. He glanced at Gamache beside him.
“Why him?” Beauvoir whispered.
“He seems nice,” said Lacoste.
“Like the sunset,” Beauvoir sneered.
“Like the sunset,” she repeated. “He was standing all alone.”
There was silence.
“That’s it?” asked Beauvoir.
“He doesn’t fit in. Look at him.”
“You’d choose the runt of the litter? For homicide detail? For God’s sake, sir,” he appealed to Gamache. “This isn’t the Humane Society.”
“You think not?” said Gamache with a small smile.
“We need the best for this team, for this case. We don’t have time to train people. And frankly, he looks as though he needs help tying his shoes.”
It was true, Gamache had to admit, the young agent was awkward. But he was something else as well.
“We’ll take him,” said the Chief to Beauvoir. “I know you don’t approve, and I understand your reasons.”
“Then why take him, sir?”
“Because he asked,” said Gamache, rising up. “And no one else did.”
“But they’d join us in a second,” Beauvoir argued, getting up as well. “Anyone would.”
“What do you look for in a member of our team?” asked Gamache.
Beauvoir thought. “I want someone smart and strong.”
Gamache tipped his head toward the young man. “And how much strength do you think that took? How much strength do you think it takes him to go to work every day? Almost as much as it took you, in Trois Rivières, or you,” he turned to Lacoste, “in traffic division. The others might want to join us, but they either didn’t have the brains or lacked the courage to ask. Our young man had both.”
Our, thought Beauvoir. Our young man. He looked at him across the room. Alone. Coiling wires carefully and placing them in a box.
“I value your judgment, you know that, Jean Guy. But I feel strongly about this.”
“I understand, sir.” And he did. “I know this is important to you. But you’re not always right.”
Gamache stared at his Inspector and Beauvoir recoiled, afraid he’d gone too far. Presumed too much on their personal relationship. But then the Chief smiled.
“Happily, I have you to tell me when I make a mistake.”
“I think you’re making one now.”
“Noted. Thank you. Will you please invite the young man to join us.”
Beauvoir walked purposefully across the room and stopped at the young agent.
“Come with me,” he said.
The agent straightened up. He looked concerned. “Yes, sir.”
Behind them an officer snickered. Beauvoir stopped and turned back to the young officer following him.
“What’s your name?”
“Paul Morin. I’m with the Cowansville detachment of the Sûreté, sir.”
“Agent Morin, will you please take a seat at the table. We’d like your thoughts on this murder investigation.”
Morin looked astonished. But not quite as astonished as the burly men behind him. Beauvoir turned back and walked slowly toward the conference table. It felt good.
“Reports, please,” said Gamache and glanced at his watch. It was
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