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She took a deep breath, then glanced toward the house.
“No. Were we attracted to each other? Yes. In an intellectual way. He’s brilliant and unconventional, and it’s stimulating to be around him. But there was never anything physical.”
“A meeting of the minds, not the body?” he said.
“Yes.”
“You also lied when you said Abigail was an only child.”
“Non, you said that and I didn’t disagree.”
He cocked his head. “You’re better than that. Are you really going to hide behind some technicality?”
“The loss of Maria was years ago and private to the family. I couldn’t see how it could matter.”
“Then why not tell me?”
“I should have. I’m sorry.”
“What else aren’t you telling me? Now’s the time.”
“Nothing. There’s nothing more to say.”
They’d started walking again and had reached his snow-covered car.
“You’ve been very careful up to now to tread a fine line,” he said. “Or, really, to stand on the fence. But I need to know. Do you support Professor Robinson or not?”
“I won’t tell you that, Armand.”
“Why not?”
“Because I’m the Chancellor of a university and my personal and political views need to remain private so I don’t influence any student or staff.”
“That sounds to me like you support her. And yet . . .”
“Oui?” she said.
He’d handed her a brush, and was using one himself to clear snow off his side of the car.
“And yet,” he said, stopping to look at her, “I can’t believe you would support such a terrible proposal. What amounts to mass murder.”
“But you think I’m capable of one murder? So I’m either on Abigail’s side, and happy to support mass murder, or I’m against her, and involved in only one murder. An improvement, I suppose. What a mind you have, Armand. I respect you, but I don’t envy you. Living with that view of humanity.”
He started again to sweep the rest of the snow off the windows and roof.
“Not all of humanity. Just a select few. Be careful, Colette. I’m not the only one paying attention.”
As he drove away, he looked in the rearview mirror. Colette Roberge was standing on the path, watching him. And behind her, unseen by the Chancellor, Abigail Robinson was at the window. Watching.
Chapter 28
The autopsy report came in just as Gamache arrived back at the Incident Room. It showed nothing they didn’t already know or suspect.
Deborah Jane Schneider’s life ended at approximately midnight between December 31st and January 1st.
Cause of death: blows to the back of her head. Weapon: a length of wood, almost certainly a split log.
Isabelle Lacoste had returned, and now the three sat at the long conference table in the basement, watching the video. Not the whole thing, just that section. Over and over. Then Beauvoir froze it, on Gilbert’s face.
