Page 168 of The Grey Wolf
“Well, Monsieur Castonguay, you’re coming with me.”
“I am not. I have dinner plans.”
It was so mundane a protest it was almost laughable.
“I’ll buy you dinner.”
“I won’t go.”
“Then I’ll place you under arrest.”
Now Caron’s assistant smiled. “You have no authority here, Chief Inspector.”
“But I do,” said the Mountie. “You’re coming with us.”
Gamache stared at the RCMP officer, Diane’s older brother, in surprise. At thisbeau geste. This noble act.
At thisbeau risque. This great gamble.
“Give me your phone,” Gamache said to Castonguay.
“No.”
The Mountie patted him down and took it.
“Fucker.”
Gauthier went to put it on the desk, but Gamache stopped him. “We need to take it with us.”
“But they’ll be able to trace where we are.”
“Maybe. But if we leave it here, and he’s gone, they’ll know for sure something’s happened. And we’re the last ones seen with him.”
The Mountie gave the phone to Gamache, and the three of them walked quickly back down the hall. When the elevator doors opened, the RCMP officer politely asked everyone to get out, and the three of them got in.
“I can’t think that went to plan,patron,” said the Mountie when the doors closed.
“Pardon,” said Gamache, who was scanning his messages, thenlooked up. “Non.But it could have been worse. You do know your career is over. You’ll be charged, along with me, with kidnapping.”
“Too fucking right,” said Caron’s assistant.
“But at least I didn’t have to shoot you. That is why you brought the gun, isn’t it? To use on Caron.”
“What?” demanded Castonguay.
“Don’t look so surprised, Chief Inspector,” said the Mountie. “It didn’t take a genius to work out what you planned. Why else would you come in here armed? Diane told me you didn’t wear a gun unless you thought you’d have to use it. And yet you came here, to a public building, with a weapon. And then there was the look on your face. I know that look.”
Gamache studied the officer. “Is that why you came with me? To stop me?”
“No. To help. I owe Diane that. And for what it’s worth, Madame Caron is so despised, I might’ve missed you and hit her.” He smiled. “Then there was the small fact that Commissioner Lavigne told me you were headed this way. He ordered me to stay with you. To protect you. He chose me because of Diane. He knows how I feel about you.”
Gamache took a deep breath and exhaled. That was one worry behind him. Lavigne was firmly on their side. Though it was the end of his career too. He was leaving quite a lot of wreckage in his wake.
“What has Caron done to make you do this?” the Mountie asked. “It must be pretty bad.”
“I’ll tell you when we’re out of here.”
“Come quickly!”
