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“I need to call work,” Daniel said, getting up.

She watched him leave the room, the phone to his ear.

Then Annie pulled out her own phone and made a call.

“I’m afraid you can’t come in, sir,” said the gendarme guarding the door to Stephen’s apartment.

“Is it possible to speak to the agent in charge?” asked Gamache.

“He’s busy.”

Beauvoir was about to say something, but Gamache stopped him. Bringing out his wallet, he handed the agent his card.

“Do you mind giving him this, please?”

The cop glanced at it. Unimpressed. A lowly chief inspector, from Québec.

“Un moment,” he said and swung the door shut in their faces.

“Well,” said Beauvoir, “this’s humbling. For you.”

Gamache smiled. “Humility leads to Enlightenment, Grasshopper.”

“Well, you are brilliant, patron.”

The door was opened a moment later and a plain-clothed officer in his mid-forties stood there.

“Désolé,” he said, putting out his hand. “Inspector Juneau, Stefan Juneau.”

“Armand Gamache. This’s my former second-in-command, Jean-Guy Beauvoir. He now works in Paris.”

“For us?”

“No, for a private company.”

“A security firm? SecurForte?”

“No, GHS Engineering.”

“Ah, oui?” said Juneau, walking into the apartment as they followed. “Out at La Défense?”

“Yes.”

Juneau stopped in the hall. “Commander Fontaine filled me in on what happened last night and this morning.” He dropped his voice. “Please forgive Agent Calmut. He’s young and, frankly, just a little stupid. I’m having him flogged as we speak. How can I help?”

Gamache could actually see the young officer going through the pile of books flung onto the floor.

“We’d like to take a look around the apartment, if you don’t mind. I know it well. It might be some help to you.”

“Absolutely. Are you looking for something in particular?”

“Not really. I was here earlier, but I thought it might be helpful to come back. Get a better look. Have you spoken to the neighbors yet?”

“Yes. No one heard or saw anything. The concierges are next on my list.”

Gamache and Beauvoir were given gloves and the freedom to roam the apartment.

“It looks worse now than this morning,” said Beauvoir as they picked their way through the mess in the living room.