Page 124 of All the Devils Are Here

“Did you assign an agent to guard Annie?”

“I asked Irena to do it. Why?”

“Because,” snapped Armand, “there’s no one there, except, as it turns out, a security guard working for GHS. They’re watching the apartment.”

“Armand?” said Reine-Marie, standing up.

“They’re all right. No thanks to you,” he said to Dussault. “Jean-Guy chased him away.”

Claude Dussault picked up his phone and made a call. A moment later he hung up. “An agent has been assigned, but his shift won’t start until midnight. I’m sorry. I didn’t make it clear to Fontaine that this was a priority. A flic is on his way now.”

Armand continued to stare at the Prefect, who colored under the unrelenting glare.

“Désolé,” Dussault repeated.

Gamache was far from convinced this man was désolé. He was also concerned that any gendarme Dussault sent would be there not to guard, but to watch. And maybe do more, if it came to that.

The Dussaults were on their feet, understanding that the evening was over. But as Claude bent to pick up the box, Armand stopped him.

“I’d like to keep this for a day.”

The two men locked eyes. Over the box. Over the barricade. And the Prefect, knowing he was in a difficult position after his failure earlier, conceded. But he wasn’t surrendering completely.

“I’ll just take this then.” He picked up the laptop.

Had they actually been at the barricades, Armand had the impression Dussault would have pulled the trigger.

And he’d have shot back.

CHAPTER 25

What was that about?” Monique asked as they got in their car.

“The Horowitz case,” said Claude, tossing the laptop into the back seat.

“I know that, but there was tension. More than tension. Is something wrong?”

“Non.” But her husband was distracted. Enough to actually get lost for a moment in the narrow streets of the Marais. “I’ll drop you at home. I need to speak with Irena.”