Page 36 of Miss Wolcott’s Ghost

“Salut, Alain, what’ve you got?”

“We can’t find two of the people on the list. There’s no answer from their phones, and their emails bounce back. We’re trying to track them down but thought you’d like to know. Everyone else checks out.”

“Their names?” Jean-Guy pulled up Clara’s list on his phone.

“Brian Fillmore and Jeanette Bouchard.”

“Fillmore visited Clara March 10, stayed one night,” Jean-Guy read. “Bouchard was here on March 15, just for the day.” He looked at Gamache. “So, neither of them could be involved. According to the coroner, the murder happened months before that.”

“Just wanted you to know,” said Fortin. “I’ll call as soon as I have information on that date, patron.”

“Merci.” Gamache hung up and stared once more across the valley. It was indeed pleasant. Though his thoughts were less so.

Things were not lining up nicely. Not even facts. This was off-putting.

“Armand,” Jean-Guy began. He sounded hesitant.

He almost never called his father-in-law by his first name while at work. But they were alone now.

“Oui?”

“Dr. Harris dated the death based on the first snow that stayed. It would have to have been cold enough to freeze the body and then cover him with snow. When the thaw came in late April, that’s when the decomposition started.”

“Yes, I know.”

“But suppose she’s wrong.”

“How could she be wrong?” Armand turned to him. “What’re you thinking?”

“I’m thinking there were two events that Dr. Harris describes. The first is a hard frost and snowfall, and then—”

“Oh, Jesus. The early thaw.” Gamache’s face opened in wonder. “The short-lived one in March.”

Was it possible they had the date of death so wrong?

Gamache called Fortin. “I need you to put a priority on finding those two. Fillmore and Bouchard. Find out everything you can about them. It’s possible we were wrong about that date of death. It might have been in March.”

“Yessir.”

“I just looked it up,” said Jean-Guy. “That thaw was unusually long. Lasted six days, and the temperature got up to fifty-five degrees on day three. That’s the day we took the kids to sugaring off.”

“Which might explain why the dead man had boots, to get through the snow still in the forest, but no heavy jacket.”

“After that, it got bitter cold again, with more snow.” Jean-Guy was already on the phone to the coroner. “Sharon? Is it possible the man died in March?”

“Have you been snorting éclairs again? Voyons, I told you. It had to have been—” She stopped. “What’re you thinking?”

When he told her, there was silence. Well, not complete. He could hear tapping on keys.

“There was a thaw in March. A significant one.” More silence. “Yes, yes, it’s possible.”

“Merci. And not éclairs. Butter tarts.” He hung up.

Armand was on the phone with Clara. “We need to meet. I have to hear everything you know about Brian Fillmore and Jeanette Bouchard.”

“Brian? So funny you should say that. Ruth was just asking about him.”

“Why?”