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The siblings looked at each other, then back to the investigator, shaking their heads.

“No,” said Annie. “Should it?”

Armand’s brows lowered as he watched the investigator examine his children.

Fontaine turned her focus on Annie. “Are you sure?”

Annie’s face opened in surprise. “Alexander Plessner? I’ve never heard of him.”

Fontaine continued to stare at her.

“What’s this about?” Gamache asked of Fontaine. “Do you know something?”

She turned to him.

This was clearly the Chief Inspector’s Achilles’ heel. His family. She knew it. And he knew it.

“I know that your daughter’s firm handles his business in Paris. Did he help you get your position there?”

“I’ve never heard of the man,” Annie repeated. “Not personally, not professionally. But I can help you get whatever information it’s legal to give out.”

Good for you, Armand thought.

“That won’t be necessary. Merci.” Fontaine turned to Daniel. “And you, sir? Do you know him?”

Daniel frowned in concentration, then shook his head. “Sorry. No. Was he a friend of Stephen’s?”

“Alexander Plessner was an investor. Venture capital mostly.”

It took a force of will for Armand not to look in Daniel’s direction.

“Ahh, then he might’ve had investments with some GHS subsidiary,” said Daniel. “Maybe he invested in one of their riskier ventures.”

And now his father did look over at Daniel.

He’d just had time, before the investigators had arrived, to warn them not to volunteer information, no matter how banal it might seem. Answer the Commander’s questions honestly, but not more than was asked.

Everything can be misinterpreted.

“This’s very helpful,” said Fontaine. “Do you happen to know what those subsidiaries are?”

“Well, it’s not listed on the Bourse,” said Daniel, ignoring the sound of his father clearing his throat, “so it’s hard to get accurate information. The great advantage of being a private company is just that. Privacy.”

“Perhaps you mean secrecy,” said Fontaine, smiling at him in a conspiratorial way.

Daniel smiled back. Clearly enjoying showing off his expertise.

It was, Gamache knew, a technique in investigations. Appeal to the ego of a suspect. And watch them spill.

“That’s probably more accurate,” conceded Daniel. He opened his mouth to go on, but his father interrupted.

“Regulators would know what the company’s into, wouldn’t they, Commander?” he asked, making it clear who should answer the question.

“You’d be surprised,” said Fontaine.

“By what?” asked Reine-Marie.

“By how little they actually regulate,” said Daniel, leaping in again. “By how little they really know about corporations.”