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Finally, Armand stopped in front of a metal door. Consulting the map again, he unlocked it.

When the lights came on, they could see stacks of broken equipment. Vacuum cleaners, trollies, crates.

“How did you know?” Reine-Marie whispered.

Closing the door and locking it, he held up the key and spoke in a normal voice. “Madame Béland.”

“The General Manager?” asked Reine-Marie.

“Oui. The waiter gave it to me when she brought up the food.”

“How did she know you wanted it?” Madame Arbour asked.

“I sent a message down with the concierge—”

“That was the envelope you gave him?” asked Reine-Marie.

“Oui. I asked for the use of a room in the lowest level, where there were no cameras. I knew we’d eventually need a place where we couldn’t be overheard. Or seen.”

Daniel stared at this man, this stranger. Who thought so many steps ahead. Who found a corner of order in chaos.

Was this really the same man who made scrambled eggs in his bathrobe on Sunday mornings?

“Why didn’t we come down sooner?” Daniel asked as they pulled crates into a circle.

“Because we wanted them to overhear,” said Jean-Guy.

“You knew about the key?” asked Daniel. “The plan to come here?”

“No, but I trust your father.”

Daniel stared at Jean-Guy in open and undisguised amazement. Even as his heart sank.

What this man and his father had went so far beyond the bounds of camaraderie and friendship. Beyond even blood.

Daniel now knew he could never, ever compete. Once, maybe, but not now. It was far too late.

He’d ceded his place to Jean-Guy Beauvoir.

“Since they were listening anyway,” said Armand, “it made sense to have it work in our favor. Tell them only what we wanted them to hear—”

“—and not tell them everything we know,” said Jean-Guy. “Let them think we’re further behind than we are.”

“Loiselle,” said Madame Arbour. “You didn’t tell them the truth. I was wondering.”

“Thank you for not saying anything,” said Jean-Guy.

“Look, I’m just trying to keep my head above water,” she said. “I have no idea what’s going on.”

Armand, from his crate across the circle, wondered if that was true. Another advantage of being down there was that, while no message could get in, neither could messages be sent out.

They were isolated. Which was good.

But they were also trapped. Which was not.

“What’s this about Loiselle?” he asked, but before Jean-Guy could answer, Reine-Marie touched his arm.

“If the GHS meeting is tomorrow morning, wouldn’t the board members be in Paris already?”