Page 56 of The Grey Wolf
“I don’t know yet. If only we’d found his laptop and notes.”
“You will.”
He smiled his thanks for that optimism. It helped, in the dark and cold. When they could hear the far-off howling of a wolf in pursuit.
Armand was woken up from a deep sleep by the sound of his phone ringing.
He struggled to the surface, fighting the sheets to get his hand clear.
“Oui, allô?” he said, groggily, though his mind was quickly engaging.
It was still dark, and he looked at the clock on the bedside table as he shoved himself into a semi-sitting position. It was 3:42.
Reine-Marie turned the lamp on and was staring at him. Her eyes wide.
Had it happened? Were they too late?
“It’s Jean-Guy,” he whispered. “Everything’s all right. But he found something.”
Reine-Marie got up and went into the bathroom.
“I’m at The Mission,” said Jean-Guy. “I couldn’t sleep and wanted to look at the other security tapes.”
“What other ones?”
“From the overnights. Took me a while, but I finally found it.”
“What?”
“Proof. That same woman came here at least three times. Well past lights-out and after the doors were locked. Langlois let her in. She was dressed down and wore a hoodie, but it’s her, I’m sure of it.”
Jeanne Caron. Now Armand was fully awake, as though someone had slapped him hard across the face.
“They went down the hall, toward the Exec’s office. There’s no camera there, so we can’t see what they did.”
“Well done,” said Gamache. “Make a copy of those tapes and send them to me on my private account.”
“Copies already made. I’ve just hit send.”
Reine-Marie was in the kitchen making coffee when he came back from walking the confused dogs around the dark village green.
A mist was rising from the Rivière Bella Bella as the cool morning air hit the warmer water.
Armand had woken up stiff, with aches and pains. But after a warm shower and walk around the village green, he’d loosened up.
“Three hours’ sleep,” she said, carrying their mugs to the far end of the kitchen. “You going into Montréal?”
He was already dressed for work, in a suit and tie.
“In a few hours. I need to go over some things.”
They sat with their coffees in the armchairs on either side of the woodstove, and he told her what Jean-Guy had said.
“So Jeanne Caron must be the ‘boss’ Charles was talking about.” Reine-Marie paused. “But he seemed to think she might be on his side. Is that possible?”
“I suppose it is.”
“But you doubt it.”
