All the Devils Are Here
- Автор: Пенни Луиза
- Серия: Chief Inspector Gamache #16
- Год: 2020
- Язык: английский
- Год: St. Martin's Publishing Group
- ISBN: 9781250145253
- Жанр: Другие детективы
Электронная книга - «All the Devils Are Here». Краткое содержание книги:
On their first night in Paris, the Gamaches gather as a family for a bistro dinner with Armand's godfather, the billionaire Stephen Horowitz. Walking home together after the meal, they watch in horror as Stephen is knocked down and critically injured in what Gamache knows is no accident, but a deliberate attempt on the elderly man's life.
When a strange key is found in Stephen's possession it sends Armand, his wife Reine-Marie, and his former second-in-command at the Sûreté, Jean-Guy Beauvoir, from the top of the Tour d'Eiffel, to the bowels of the Paris Archives, from luxury hotels to odd, coded, works of art.
It sends them deep into the secrets Armand's godfather has kept for decades.
A gruesome discovery in Stephen's Paris apartment makes it clear the secrets are more rancid, the danger far greater and more imminent, than they realized.
Soon the whole family is caught up in a web of lies and deceit. In order to find the truth, Gamache will have to decide whether he can trust his friends, his colleagues, his instincts, his own past. His own family.
For even the City of Light casts long shadows. And in that darkness devils hide.
UR followed.
It was not a huge surprise. He’d assumed. What perplexed him was how skilled his shadow was, and how ham-handed Jean-Guy’s had proved.
Even if he couldn’t spot the tail, Gamache knew they were almost certainly being watched and overheard. Listening devices were so sophisticated it was almost impossible to get far enough away to prevent someone from monitoring their conversation. But they could obscure it by being surrounded by other, louder conversations.
Once they reached Le Comptoir and could finally talk, all Reine-Marie needed to say was one word.
“Daniel.”
“They planted his name,” said Armand.
Reine-Marie looked relieved, though Armand knew this was actually reason to be even more worried.
“They wanted us to think he was involved,” she said.
“Non. I think they knew we wouldn’t believe it. But they want us to see the threat. As a warning.”
Like a head on a stake during the Terror, he thought.
“To show us what they can do, to Daniel, to any of us, if they want,” said Reine-Marie.
“Yes.”
“Armand, that request at the archives was made five weeks ago. They’ve been planning this for that long?”
“At least.”
“They’re ready for us,” she said. “They know exactly what we’ll do.”
“Not completely,” said Armand. “They couldn’t have foreseen that we’d be right there when Stephen was hit. Or for us to be the ones to find Alexander Plessner’s body. This was all supposed to happen when we were at home in Québec. By the time we arrived, Stephen’s death would be ruled a hit-and-run, Plessner’s body would be removed. And whatever they were looking for would be found. We’ve messed up their careful plans. They’re scrambling.”
“But Daniel’s name in the archive requests?”
“They had to put someone’s name,” said Armand. “Whoever found those documents couldn’t use their own.”
“But how did they even know about Daniel?” She looked at him, and blanched. “Because they knew about you. Claude Dussault knows you. Knows Daniel. He did it.”
“I think so.”
“But how did he know we’d go looking?”
“He couldn’t have,” said Armand. “Not then. He was preparing for all the scenarios. What would happen if I came over, if I had my doubts about Stephen’s accident. If I started looking deeper.”
“You’d find Daniel. Oh, God.” But then her face cleared. “Could this be a good thing? If they found the old file and threatened Stephen with it, expecting he’d back down, then they clearly don’t know Stephen. And if they used Daniel’s name to threaten us, they clearly don’t know us. They think they do, but they don’t. They might be powerful, but they’re also arrogant. Surely that’s an advantage.”
Now Armand also smiled. “You’re right. They don’t know us.”
The waiter brought their salads. After she left, Reine-Marie said, “You spoke to Daniel this morning about Monsieur Plessner. How did it go?”
“He admitted he knew Plessner.”
“And?”
“And that’s all. It didn’t go well.” He was quiet for a moment. “But I did find out what’s come between us all these years.”
Reine-Marie put down her fork and listened as he told her.
After he’d finished, she sat back and stared at him. “He heard? That Christmas Eve?”
“But he didn’t understand.”
“He was a child. He thought I was crying because I was upset. Any child would. But they were tears of relief that you didn’t take the job. Once you explained, did he feel better?”
“Non. I don’t think he believed me.”
“He’s invested too much in this,” she said. “If he admits he’s wrong, it means admitting he’s wasted all those years shutting you out. Give him time. At least he’s told you. At least we know.”
“Oui.”
But Armand also knew the trauma of losing parents.
And now he knew that every day, since the age of eight, his own boy had waited for the inevitable knock on the door.
What did that do to a sensitive child? To live with such anticipated grief?
Daniel’s only hope, the only way to survive, was to get it over with. To emotionally “kill” his father and get on with life. Get on with loving those who would not leave him.
It was a brave, a brilliant solution. With one flaw.
Once dead, how could he possibly bring his father back to life?
“I advised Daniel to go to Commander Fontaine and tell her everything he knows about Alexander Plessner. And whatever they were working on.”
“But Fontaine’s involved,” said Reine-Marie. “She must be. She had the archival documents. She must’ve been the one who put Daniel’s name on the search. She might’ve even been the one who killed Monsieur Plessner. You have to stop him. He can’t go to her.”
“I don’t think he will, but I hope he does. It’ll show Fontaine that we don’t suspect her. It’ll stay their hand against Daniel. They’ll know he has no idea what’s really going on. If he did, he wouldn’t confide in her. Still, I think they’d be safer moving to the George V, too.”
“Maybe we should go home, Armand. Back to Three Pines.”
The thought of the little village made her heart ache.
“We can’t,” he said softly. “You know the airline won’t let Annie on the plane. Not days before delivery. Besides, they’d find us wherever we go. No, whatever happens, it happens here.”
Here, here, he thought. Where the devils are.
She nodded and closed her eyes briefly. Taking a last look at the peaceful village before putting it out of her mind.
“Armand,” she said, playing with a piece of baguette. She scrunched the fresh bread in her fist, feeling the shards of crust biting into her palm. “There’s no way Daniel…”
“No. He’s not involved.”
“Bon,” she said. “What do you think they’ll do next?”
Armand had been considering that. What would he do? What would Claude Dussault do?
He thought about Stephen. About the files buried in the archives. He thought about the Lutetia.
“I think they’ll try to place someone close to us. Get someone into our inner circle.”
“But how could they do that?”
“We’re alone,” said Xavier Loiselle, as he, Jean-Guy Beauvoir, and Séverine Arbour made their way around the circular platform.
“What do you mean, we’re alone?” demanded Arbour, looking at the crowd. Thinner than usual for a Sunday, but then the low cloud and occasional drizzle had turned many off.
“What he means is, no one followed us,” said Beauvoir.
“Why would they? What’s this about?”
“I think you know. And now I want you to tell me.”
She lifted her chin and stared him in the eyes. “Are you threatening me?”
“Not at all. In fact, I’ve decided to trust you. I think you’ve found something out, something about the Luxembourg project, and I want to know what it is.”
“What makes you think something’s going on, never mind that I know anything?”
“Your behavior Friday. You came into my office, uninvited, and started asking questions about the funicular project. Why?”
“Why did you change the subject?”
“Did I?”
“You know you did. From Luxembourg to the Patagonia project,” she said. “What do you know about that?”
“Patagonia?” Was she changing the subject now? “Nothing. It’s a water treatment plant.”
Now she was openly staring at him. “It’s a mine.”
“It was a mine. It was found to be the source of the pollution, so GHS bought it and closed it down. That would solve the contamination problem for the communities downriver.”