The Grey Wolf by Louise Penny

Author:Louise Penny
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: St. Martin's Publishing Group

* * *

While they stood on the tarmac, Gamache handed out the assignments.

Isabelle Lacoste was to search for Frère Sébastien and the American monk in Rome.

Beauvoir’s job was to find out all he could about Frère Sébastien.

“But if he’s in Rome, shouldn’t I be the one to go?” said Beauvoir. “I know what he looks like.”

“He has a point, patron,” said Lacoste. “Besides, would the Office of the Doctrine of the Faith really welcome a woman asking questions?”

“I doubt it would welcome anyone asking questions,” said the Chief. “But you’d also be beyond suspicion. No one would think anyone in their right mind would send a woman—”

“To do a man’s job?” asked Lacoste, with a wry smile. “And are you in your right mind?”

He grinned. “Perhaps not. If anyone is watching, we have to do the unexpected. Make them think we’re just bumbling along. Not threats at all.”

“They might not be wrong,” said Beauvoir.

“There’s more than enough for you to do here, Jean-Guy. Frère Sébastien knew the American well enough for the monk to turn to him for help. And for Sébastien to drop everything and go. They met somewhere. Spent time together. If you can get a name, we can feed it to Isabelle.”

“A name would help,” she agreed.

“If we have him, then we have what we need to stop whatever’s going to happen.” The Chief Inspector’s voice, while steady, held an unmistakable edge of anxiety. Not panic, but getting close.

“And you, patron?” asked Lacoste.

“I’ll look into Dom Philippe. Try to work out where the Abbot went after he left the monastery.”

“He went to Rome, non?” said Beauvoir.

“Yes, but he couldn’t just stroll onto a flight. So how did he get there?”

“He got help,” said Lacoste. “From his family and friends.”

“Must have. I need to find out who they are. Who he stayed with, who he spoke to. And, I hope, find the man himself. If he was in Rome, he obviously came back. He was in Three Pines just a few days ago.” He rubbed his forehead. “The thing is, we can’t wait much longer to sound the alarm. We’re going to have to tell the mayors and Premier and those in charge of treatment plants. To warn them. It’s getting far too dangerous to wait.”

Isabelle and Jean-Guy exchanged looks. They didn’t envy the Chief. It had been his decision to wait. And it would be his decision when to sound the alarm.

And if the terrorists struck first, it would be partly his fault if thousands were killed, without warning. By the deepening lines down his face, it was clear that he was very aware of that.

“Fortunately,” said Gamache, “if one of us succeeds, we have a good chance of stopping this. Find any one of the monks, and we have our answers. Find the laptop and notebooks, and it’s probably even clearer.”

“Pardon.” They looked over and saw that Frère Simon had crept closer. Now he looked sheepish. “You were talking about Dom Philippe’s family.”

“Do you know anything?” asked Gamache.

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