Still Life (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache #1) - Louise Penny Page 0,74

I just don’t buy it. There’s absolutely no physical evidence against him. Just the accusation of a very angry teenager.’

‘His bruised son.’

‘Yes. A bruise that’s exactly like yours.’

‘But he’d shot arrows before. Croft said only beginners got bruises like that.’

‘True, but Croft also said he’d stopped hunting a couple of years ago, so he probably hadn’t taken his son hunting since then,’ Gamache reasoned. ‘That’s a long time in kid years. He was probably rusty. Believe me, that boy shot an arrow in the last two days.’

They had a problem and they knew it. What to do about Matthew Croft?

‘I’ve called the prosecutor’s office in Granby,’ said Gamache. ‘They’re sending someone around. Should be here soon. We’ll put it to him.’

‘Her.’

Beauvoir nodded through the glass door at a middle-aged woman standing patiently, briefcase in hand. He got up and brought her in to the now cramped office.

‘Maître Brigitte Cohen,’ Beauvoir announced.

‘Bonjour, Maître Cohen. It’s almost one o’clock; have you had lunch?’

‘Only a brioche on the way over. I consider that an hors d’oeuvre.’

Ten minutes later they were in a comfortable diner across from the station house, ordering lunch. Beauvoir put the situation to Maître Cohen, succinctly. She grasped the pertinent details immediately.

‘So the one with all the evidence against him won’t admit it, and the one with no evidence can’t stop admitting it. On the surface it appears the father’s protecting the son. Yet when you first arrived, Chief Inspector, he seemed willing to let his son be charged with the crime.’

‘That’s true.’

‘What changed his mind?’

‘I think he was stunned and deeply wounded by his son’s accusations. I don’t think he saw that coming at all. It’s hard to know, of course, but I get the feeling that had once been a very happy home, but hasn’t been for a while now. Having met Philippe I think the unhappiness radiates from him. I’ve seen it before. The angry kid runs the home because the parents are afraid of him.’

‘Yes, I’ve seen it too. You don’t mean physically afraid, do you?’ asked Cohen.

‘No, emotionally. I think Croft confessed because he couldn’t stand what Philippe must think of him. It was a desperate, even momentarily insane action designed to win back his son. To prove to Philippe he loved him. There also seemed to be an element of, what?’ Gamache thought back to Croft’s face, across the kitchen table. ‘It was like suicide. A resignation. I think he couldn’t stand the pain of what his son had accused him of, so he just gave up.’

Gamache looked at his two companions and smiled slightly.

‘This is all supposition, of course. Just an impression I got. A strong man finally broken and throwing up his hands. He’ll confess to a crime he didn’t commit. But Matthew Croft is just that; a strong man. A man of convictions. He’ll regret this one day, soon, I hope. From what I saw Philippe is very angry and has his family well trained not to cross him.’ Gamache remembered Croft’s hand on the door knob, then him taking it off. Gamache was under the impression Philippe had given his father hell for opening that door without permission in the past, and Croft had learned that lesson well.

‘But why’s he so angry?’ Beauvoir wanted to know.

‘Why is any fourteen-year-old?’ Cohen countered.

‘There’s normal anger, then there’s anger that spills out all over everyone around. Like acid.’ Beauvoir told her about the manure thrown at Olivier and Gabri.

‘I’m not a psychologist, but it sounds like that boy needs help.’

‘I agree,’ said Gamache. ‘But Beauvoir’s question is good. Why is Philippe so angry? Could he be abused?’

He could. The typical reaction of an abused child, though, is to make nice to the abuser and attack the other parent. Philippe seems to scorn both, and have particular disdain for his father. It doesn’t fit the profile, but I’m sure many don’t. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve prosecuted children who have killed their abusive parents. Eventually they turn. Though most don’t turn to murder.’

‘Could he be abused by someone else and be projecting?’ Gamache was remembering Clara’s comment about Bernard Malenfant. She’d said he was a bully and all the boys were terrified of him. She’d even said Philippe would probably admit to murder if it would avoid a beating by Bernard. He passed his thoughts on to Cohen.

‘It’s possible. We’re just getting a handle on how destructive bullies and bullying can be. Philippe might be a victim of bullying and that