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“Oui, Canadian citizen, probably living in Toronto.”

“Did Monsieur Horowitz meet anyone here in the last ten days?” Gamache asked.

“Ten days? I assumed he’d just arrived.”

Armand brought up a photo on his phone. “Does this man look familiar?”

It was a close-up of Plessner’s face. He appeared asleep. Except for the pallor.

“Is he dead? He looks dead.”

“Please, just tell me if he’s been here recently, or ever. Do you recognize him?”

“No.”

Armand nodded. “Bon. Merci, Jacques. Oh, what time did Stephen leave yesterday?”

“I’d say just after four.”

“He met us at eight,” said Jean-Guy. “Four hours unaccounted for.”

“For now,” said Armand.

“May I visit him?” Jacques asked.

“I’m afraid not. But I’ll let him know you were asking after him.”

“Yes, please. And can you tell him, Fluctuat nec mergitur?”

“What does it mean?” Jean-Guy asked.

“‘Beaten by the waves,’” said the maître d’. “‘But never sinks.’”

Armand and Jacques stared at each other, then nodded. And went about their jobs. Jacques to command the army of staff in the bar and restaurant, and young Armand to find a murderer.

CHAPTER 13

May I help you, madame?” a young man asked.

“I’m trying to find a cologne. I smelled it recently but don’t know the name,” Reine-Marie said. “I’m sorry. That’s not much help.”

“Not to worry,” he said. “I love this sort of thing. Now, are you sure it was a man’s cologne and not a woman’s eau de parfum?”

“Absolutely.”

“Bon,” he said. “That helps. We can ignore all those.” He waved toward the archipelago of women’s scents. And then asked the question she’d been dreading. “Can you describe it?”

Short of saying it smelled like a senior police officer, she racked her brain. What were the words she’d used when first trying to imprint it on her brain in those horrific few seconds in front of the corpse?

“Was it earthy?” the salesperson asked, trying to help. “Did it smell like moss or bark? Lots of men’s fragrances do. They think it’s masculine.”

He made a face, and Reine-Marie smiled. She liked this man.

“No. It was lighter than that.”

“Fruity?”

“Non.”