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This was a premeditated attempt on the professor’s life. And while there’d been very little advance notice of the event, the person who’d had the most warning, and the most time to plan, and the most familiarity with the layout of the venue, was its caretaker.

Though there was, Gamache thought, as he looked out the huge windows, across campus, toward the Administration Building, one other person with even more opportunity.

Chapter 13

They listened as Chief Inspector Gamache reported on his meeting with the President of the University and the Chancellor.

“Not much there,” he admitted when he’d finished. “Mostly I answered their questions.”

Then he told them about his private conversation with Chancellor Roberge and watched as both Jean-Guy’s and Isabelle’s expressions went from interested to astonished.

“She booked the gym?” said Beauvoir. “And didn’t tell you that before?”

“Non.”

“It’s more than booking the gym,” said Isabelle. “The event itself was her idea. What else isn’t she saying?”

Beauvoir picked up the receipt Gamache had placed on the table and studied it.

“She used a false name. Who’s he?”

“A name she made up. Go on, say it.”

“I know she’s a friend, patron,” said Jean-Guy, “but really, it’s looking more and more like the Chancellor’s in it up to her neck.”

“I agree. That’s how it looks. But isn’t that always our problem? Things that seem fairly reasonable, though perhaps a little odd, in normal life suddenly look a lot worse when a crime is committed. It’s easy to overinterpret.”

“She lied to you,” said Isabelle. “And put a false name on this paper. It would be hard to overinterpret that.”

“I have no desire to defend Colette Roberge. But do I think she’s behind the attempt on Abigail Robinson’s life? No. I think at worst she didn’t want it to come out that she was helping Professor Robinson, so she lied and covered her tracks.”

“Do you think she supports Robinson?” asked Jean-Guy.

Armand took a deep breath. “I don’t really know.”

“But she’s letting Robinson and her assistant stay at her home,” said Isabelle. “That’s gotta say something.”

“It says she’s a good friend,” said Gamache. “It does not say she agrees with the professor. In fact, she said it was more for the sake of her friendship with Robinson’s father that she was doing it.”

“We need to speak to him,” said Isabelle.

“Can’t,” said Gamache. “He died years ago.”

“So she’s doing all this for a dead man?” asked Jean-Guy. “That’s some relationship.”

The wooden chair squeaked as Gamache slowly leaned back. After a few beats he said, “Isabelle, if there was an attempt on the life of someone you knew but not well, would you take them into your home?”

She considered. “Yes, I would.”

“With your family there?”

“No, of course not. I’d get the family out.”

Gamache nodded and looked at Jean-Guy, who said, “Same.”

“And yet, when I told Colette about the accomplice and that there could very well be a second attempt, she didn’t say that the children would leave. I had to convince her.”

She thought for a beat. “The only way you’d invite the target of a possible attack into a home with children is if you knew, knew for sure, there wouldn’t be another one.”