All the Devils Are Here (Chief Inspector Armand Gamache #16) - Louise Penny Page 0,105
lose if, as you said, it comes out that they’ve been propping up a corrupt conglomerate,” said Armand.
“Collaborators,” said Reine-Marie.
“So,” said Annie. “Which of them sold his or her stake in the company to Stephen?”
“We don’t know that’s what really happened,” Gamache cautioned.
There was silence. No answer was possible, yet.
“We have news, too,” said Beauvoir. “Something I didn’t tell you.” He turned to Annie. “You’re not going to like this. When I left here a couple hours ago, I was pretty sure that man was back, watching us.”
“The SecurForte guard? The one you chased last night?”
“Loiselle. Yes.”
“And you went after him again?” demanded Annie. “Once was bad enough. You said yourself he’s ex–special forces. He could’ve killed you.”
“But he didn’t.”
“That’s not the point.” She was shouting now. Balling up all her anger, all her fears, and hurling them at him. “Suppose he had? I can’t imagine …” She stopped, unable to find the words. “What would we do without you?” She had both hands on her belly. “If something happened? What—”
She dropped her head and started crying. Sobbing. Her mother and father made to go to her, but stopped. It wasn’t their role anymore.
Jean-Guy was already there, kneeling down and holding her. Whispering, “I’m sorry. I’m sorry. But I had to know what his orders were. To hurt you? The baby? Honoré? I had to stop him. I’m sorry.”
“You can’t leave me,” Annie whispered. “I can’t … this child … I can’t raise her on my own. I need you.”
“You won’t have to. I promise. I promise.”
Annie and Jean-Guy left, returning more composed a few minutes later.
“Okay?” Armand asked his daughter.
When she nodded, he turned to Jean-Guy. “Annie’s right. A younger special-forces-trained guard should’ve been able to take you. He’d take all of us, combined.”
“It was stupid, I admit,” said Jean-Guy. “The guy must’ve been told to intimidate me, but not to directly engage. When I confronted him, he disappeared.”
Madame Arbour cocked her head. She knew that wasn’t the truth. But at a look from Jean-Guy she remained silent. Still, she wondered if she should say something.
This was getting far too complicated.
“That’s when I went to see you,” Jean-Guy said to her. “To get some answers.”
“And what were the questions?” asked Armand.
“Is GHS involved? And if so, what did Stephen find out that was so bad?” said Jean-Guy. “I think now that’s why he got me my job there. He knows my strengths aren’t in business or engineering. But they are in criminal investigation. In noticing if something’s off. And something is off in GHS. Unfortunately”—he turned back to Madame Arbour—“I thought it was you.”
“And I thought it was you. I mean, really? Why hire someone obviously unsuited to the job? Why put someone so absolutely incompetent in charge?”
“I wasn’t so incompetent,” said Beauvoir. But at a stern look from Madame Arbour, he conceded the point.
“Unless,” she continued, “because of his vast ignorance, he could be easily manipulated. Or, more likely, you were part of it. There to help them cover up. If you knew crime, presumably you’d also know how to hide it.”
“While we’re at it,” said Beauvoir, “why put a competent engineer—”
“Brilliant engineer.”
“—in a department where there’s no original engineering done? Unless the idea is that you’re there to cover up, to make sure I didn’t spot anything.”
“No fear of that,” said Madame Arbour. “You’re perfectly capable of missing it without my help.”
“Their office Christmas parties must be fun,” said Daniel to his mother.
“I eventually realized my mistake,” Jean-Guy admitted. “You weren’t covering up, you were digging for something, and I wanted to know what. That’s why I went to your home this afternoon. To find out what you knew about the Luxembourg project. But you surprised me.”
“How?” Gamache asked.
“Patagonia,” said Arbour. “I still think there’s something off with Luxembourg, but like we talked about at the Eiffel Tower, I think Patagonia’s the key.”
“The Eiffel Tower?” asked Annie. “Why go there?”
“I needed someplace where we wouldn’t be overheard,” said Jean-Guy.
“It’s perfect,” Armand agreed, though Reine-Marie noticed that just the mention of it had made him, and Daniel, pale. “Now, what about Patagonia?”
“Wait a minute,” said Madame Arbour, putting up her hands and looking around. “If we had to go all the way to the top of the Tour to avoid listening devices, what’s stopping someone from listening in now?”
“Nothing. I can almost guarantee they are,” said Gamache.
“What?” said Daniel. “With all we’ve talked about? Are you kidding me?”
“They might not be, but we have to assume they are.