But one question remained. Who had leaked that video? Beauvoir knew it was an inside job. And now he had his answer.
Now, all he wanted was to stay conscious long enough to kill the man in front of him.
For betraying his own people. Gamache’s agents. Beauvoir’s friends. To lose them was bad enough, but to have the tape of the attack released onto the Internet. For millions and millions worldwide to see. For all of Québec to see.
And they had.
Everyone had grabbed their popcorn and watched, over and over, as the S?reté officers had been gunned down in that factory. They watched as though the deaths were entertainment.
And the families of the slain had seen it too. It had become an Internet sensation, replacing the box of kittens as the most watched video.
Beauvoir stared into Francoeur’s eyes. He didn’t need to look at the gun. He knew it was there. And he knew what it would feel like, any moment now, when the first bullet hit.
He’d felt it before. The thud, the shock, then the searing pain.
He’d seen so many war movies, so many westerns. He’d seen so many bodies. Real ones. Shot to death. He’d somehow fooled himself into thinking he knew what it would be like. To be shot.
He’d been wrong.
It wasn’t just the pain, it was the terror. The blood. The frantic scrambling to get at the burning, but the hurt was too deep.
That had been less than a year ago. It’d taken him a long time to recover. Longer than the Chief. Gamache had thrown himself headlong into recovery. Into the physiotherapy. Into the weights, the walking, the exercises. The counseling.
Beauvoir knew that every sight, every scent, every sound that the Chief took in was keener now. It was as though he was living for five. Himself and four young agents.
It had somehow invigorated the Chief.
But the attack, the losses, had had the opposite effect on Beauvoir.
He’d tried. He really had. But the pain seemed too deep. And the agony too great. And the painkillers too effective.
And then the video had appeared, and the pain sizzled again. Burning even deeper. And more painkillers were needed. And more. And more. To dull the hurt. And the memories.
Until finally the Chief had intervened. Gamache had saved him that day in the factory. And had saved him again months later, when he’d insisted Beauvoir get help. For the pills and for the images that had wormed into his head. Forcing him to go into intense therapy. Into rehab. Forcing him to stop running and turn. And face what had happened.
Gamache had also forced a promise from him, to never again watch that video.
And Beauvoir had kept his promise.
“They’d give anything to be here now,” Gamache had said one day in the spring, as he and Beauvoir strolled through the park across from the Gamaches’ apartment in Outremont. Beauvoir knew who the Chief meant. He could see Gamache taking everything in, as though to share it with his dead agents. The Chief had stopped then, to admire a massive old lilac bush in full bloom. Then he turned to Beauvoir. “It’s against the law to pick them, you know.”
“Only if you get caught.”
Beauvoir moved to the other side of the bush and saw it shaking, as though with laughter, as Gamache tugged the spiky, fragrant flowers off.
“An interesting take on justice,” called the Chief. “It’s only wrong if you’re caught.”
“Would you prefer me to arrest you?” Beauvoir yanked some more flowers off.
He heard the Chief laugh.
Beauvoir knew the burden the Chief now carried. To live for so many. Gamache had staggered, at first, but had finally grown stronger, under that weight.
And Beauvoir felt better, every day he was clean. Away from the drugs and away from the hair shirt of images he’d inflicted on himself.
The Chief had given Madame Gamache his bouquet of stolen lilacs and she’d put them in a white jug and placed them on the table. Then she’d put Beauvoir’s smaller bouquet in water, so they’d stay fresh to take back home after dinner. But of course, they didn’t make it to his own small apartment.
He’d given them to Annie.
They’d just started their courtship, and these were the first flowers he’d offered.
“Stolen,” he admitted as she’d opened the door and he’d held them out to her. “Your father’s influence, I’m afraid.”
“It’s not the only thing you’ve stolen, monsieur,” she’d said with a laugh, stepping aside to let him in.
It had taken him a moment to realize what she meant. He watched her place the lilacs in a vase on her kitchen table, and fluff them a bit, trying to arrange them. He’d stayed the night. For the first time. And woke in the morning to the suggestion of lilac, and the realization that he had Annie’s heart in his chest. And she had his. And would keep it safe.
Beauvoir had kept his promise to Annie’s father, to the Chief. To not watch that video again. Until now. Until he’d found out what Superintendent Francoeur had been doing in the prior’s office. On the laptop.
Francoeur had brought the video with him. And was watching it.
Those were the voices Beauvoir had heard. The Chief’s, issuing orders. Commanding. Leading his agents deeper and deeper into that damned factory. After the gunmen.
Beauvoir had found the file on the laptop.
As he’d hit play, he’d known what he’d see. And, God help him, he’d wanted to see it again. He’d missed his misery.
Beauvoir stared at Francoeur in front of him on the misty shore. He’d brought that monstrosity into the monastery. To contaminate the last place in Québec, the last place on earth, that hadn’t seen the images.
And Beauvoir knew, at that moment, why despite the strangeness of the surroundings, the oddity of the monks, the mind-numbing dullness of the endless chants, he’d felt a kind of creeping calm here.
Because these men, unique in Québec, didn’t know. Hadn’t seen the video. Didn’t look at him and Gamache as though at men forever wounded, damaged. Instead, the monks looked at them as though they were just men. Like themselves. Going about their jobs.
But Francoeur had fallen from the skies and brought this blight.
But it would stop here. Now. This man had done enough damage. To Gamache, to Beauvoir, to the memories of those who died, and their families.
“You think I leaked that video?” Francoeur repeated.
“I know you did,” gasped Beauvoir. “Who else had access to the raw tape? Who else could influence that internal investigation? An entire S?reté department devoted to cyber crime and all they came up with was that some unknown hacker had gotten lucky?”
“You don’t believe it?” asked Francoeur.
“Of course I don’t.”
Beauvoir moved, but stopped when Francoeur jutted his gun forward.
There’d be a better time, thought Beauvoir. In a moment, or two. When Francoeur was distracted. Just a blink, that’s all it’ll take.
“Does Gamache believe it?”
“The hacker theory?” For the first time Beauvoir was thrown off. “I don’t know.”
“Of course you know, you little shit. Tell me. Does Gamache believe it?”
Beauvoir said nothing, just stared at Francoeur. His mind taken up with only one question.
Was now the time?
“Is Gamache investigating the leak?” Francoeur yelled. “Or has he accepted the official report? I need to know.”
“Why? So you can kill him too?”
“Kill him?” Francoeur demanded. “Who do you think released that video?”
“You.”
“Christ, you really are thick. Why do you think I brought it with me? To enjoy my handiwork? The thing’s repulsive. It makes me sick just thinking about it. Watching it is…”
Francoeur was trembling now, almost erupting with rage.
“Of course I don’t believe the findings of that goddamned investigation. It’s ridiculous. Obviously a cover-up. Someone inside the S?reté leaked the video, not some mythical hacker. One of us. I brought that fucking tape with me because I watch it every chance I get. So I don’t forget. So that I remember why I’m still looking.”
His voice had changed. The accent grew thicker, the sophistication fell off in hunks to reveal the man who’d grown up a village away from Beauvoir’s own grandparents.
Francoeur had lowered the muzzle of his gun. Just a fraction.
Beauvoir saw this. Francoeur was distracted. Now was the time.
But he hesitated.
“What’re you looking for?” Beauvoir asked.
“For evidence.”
“Don’t give me that crap,” said Beauvoir. “You leaked it and now that you’re caught you’re bullshitting.”
“Why would I leak it?”
“Because—”
“Why?” roared Francoeur, his face red with anger.
“Because…”
But Beauvoir didn’t know why. Why would the Chief Superintendent of the S?reté release a tape of his own agents being killed? It didn’t make sense.
But Beauvoir knew there was a reason. Somewhere.
“I don’t know,” Beauvoir admitted. “And I don’t have to know why. I just know you did it.”
“Fucking great detective. You don’t need evidence? Don’t need motive? You just accuse and condemn? Is that what Gamache taught you? I’m not surprised.”
Francoeur looked at Beauvoir as though at something profoundly, spectacularly stupid.
“But you’re right about one thing, you damned fool. One of us here leaked that tape.”
Beauvoir’s eyes widened and his mouth all but fell open.
“You can’t be serious.” His arms dropped to his sides and all thought of attack vanished in the face of Francoeur’s words. “Are you saying Chief Inspector Gamache leaked the tape?”
“Who else benefited?”
“Benefited?” Beauvoir whispered, shock muting his voice. “He almost died in the attacks. Those were his agents. He hired them, mentored them. He’d die—”
“But he didn’t, did he? I saw that tape. I know every frame. I saw the raw tape too. Even more telling.”
“What’re you saying?”
“Is Gamache investigating the leak of the video?” Francoeur demanded.
Beauvoir was silent.
“Is he?” Francoeur didn’t just shout now, he screamed at Beauvoir. “I thought not,” said Francoeur at last, his voice quiet now. “Why would he? He knows who released it. He wants all questions to die away.”
“You’re wrong.” Beauvoir was confused and angry. This man had gotten him twisted around, so that up was down, and down was up, and nothing made sense. Francoeur sounded like his grandfather, but said terrible things.
The Superintendent lowered his gun completely, then looked at it as though wondering how it got into his hand. He replaced it in the leather holster attached to his belt.
“I know you admire him,” he said quietly. “But Armand Gamache isn’t the man you think he is. He made a hatchet job of that rescue. Four S?reté agents were killed. You yourself almost died. You were left to bleed to death on the floor. The man you so respect and admire led you in there, then left you to die. I see it every time I watch the tape. He even kissed you good-bye. Like Judas.”
Francoeur’s voice was calm, reasonable. Comforting. Familiar.
“He had no choice.” Beauvoir’s voice was hoarse. There was nothing left. No impetus forward.
He wouldn’t attack Francoeur now. Wouldn’t smash a rock into his temple. Beauvoir hadn’t the energy left. All he wanted to do was sag to the ground. To sit on the jagged shore, and let the mist swallow him up.
“We all have a choice,” said Francoeur. “Why release that video? We both know what a mess that raid was. Four young agents died. That can’t be considered a success by any standard—”
“Lives were saved,” said Beauvoir, though he barely had the energy to speak. “Hundreds of thousands of lives. Because of the Chief. The deaths weren’t his fault. He was given the wrong information—”
“He was in charge. It was his responsibility. And after all that mess, who comes out a hero? Because of the tape? It could’ve been edited any way. To show anything. To show the truth. Then why did it make Gamache look so good?”
“That wasn’t his doing.”
“Well, it sure wasn’t mine. I know what really happened. And so do you.” Francoeur’s eyes held Beauvoir’s. “God help me, I was even forced to give the man a medal of bravery, so strong was public sentiment. It makes me sick just thinking about it.”
“He didn’t want it,” said Beauvoir. “He hated that whole thing.”
“Then why did he accept it? We have a choice, Jean-Guy. We really do.”
“He deserved that medal,” said Beauvoir. “He saved more lives than—”
“Than he killed? Yes. Perhaps. But he didn’t save you. He could have, but he ran off. You know it. I know it. He knows it.”
“He had to.”
“Yes, I know. He had no choice.”
Francoeur examined Beauvoir, apparently trying to make up his mind about something.
“He probably likes you. Like he likes his car or a nice suit. You suit him. You’re useful.” Francoeur paused. “But that’s all.”
His voice was soft, reasonable.
“You’ll never be his friend. You’ll never be anything other than a convenient subordinate. He has you over to his home, treats you like a son. But then he leaves you to die. Don’t be fooled, Inspector. You’ll never be a member of his family. He comes from Outremont. Where’re you from? East end Montréal, right? Balconville? He went to Cambridge and Université Laval. You went to some grungy public school and played shinny on the streets. He quotes poetry and you don’t understand it, do you?”
There was a gentleness in his tone.
“A lot of what he says you don’t understand. Am I right?”
Despite himself, Beauvoir nodded.
“Neither do I,” said Francoeur with a small smile. “I know after that raid you separated from your wife. I’m sorry to be so personal, but I wondered…”
Francoeur’s voice petered out and he looked almost bashful. Then he met Beauvoir’s eyes and held them for a moment.
“I wondered if you were in a new relationship.”
On seeing Beauvoir’s reaction Francoeur held up his hand. “I know, it’s none of my business.”
But still he held Beauvoir’s eyes and now he lowered his voice still further.
“Be careful. You’re a good officer. I think you can be a great officer, if given a chance. If you can just get out on your own. I’ve seen you texting, and making sure the Chief didn’t see.”
Now there was a long silence between them.
“Is it Annie Gamache?”
The silence was complete. Not a bird called, not a leaf quivered, not a wave came to shore. The world disappeared and all that was left were two men and a question.
Finally Francoeur sighed. “I hope I’m wrong.”
He walked back to the door, took out the iron knocker, and hit.
It opened.
But Beauvoir saw none of this. He’d turned his back on Saint-Gilbert-Entre-les-Loups and looked out across where the tranquil lake would be, if it hadn’t disappeared into the mist.
Jean-Guy Beauvoir’s world was upside down. The clouds had descended, and the sky had become slate. And the only familiar thing was the ache too deep to grasp.