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“Your Minister of Public Safety.”
“After seeing that video from Parliament,” Caron said, getting up and moving to greet Gamache, “I’m surprised you made it. How did you get out?”
“I had help. Seems not all the RCMP guards are willing to just follow orders.”
“Thank God for that.”
She noticed movement behind Gamache, on one of the balconies. A sniper was steadying their rifle. Waiting for her signal.
Armand seemed oblivious. Clearly whatever instincts he once possessed had been blunted.
“We haven’t much time,” he said. “Fortunately, we got Woodford out. We also found this. It’s pretty damning.”
He held up the dossier.
“What do you mean you got Woodford out?” she demanded. “You kidnapped the Prime Minister?”
He offered her the file. “Here.”
She took it. “Where did this come from?”
“The office of the Minister of Defense.”
Jeanne Caron was silent as she looked down at the file, but did not open it.
“I think you already know what it says,” he continued, quietly. “Since you wrote it.”
“I did no such thing. What’re you saying?”
“Why’re you objecting, if you don’t even know what’s in it? It might be good things. Or it might be the outline for the revised and updated War Plan Red.”
The two stared at each other.
“You’re a fool, Armand.” She stepped away and nodded toward the balcony and waited for the sharpshooter to take the shot.
Nothing happened.
“Jeanne Caron?”
She turned.
A man, familiar, though she couldn’t quite place him, was walking toward her from the far door. He was in uniform.
“I’m arresting you under the Homeland Security Act on charges of terrorism.”
“What the hell is this?” she demanded, turning back to Gamache, whose face was neutral.
Not yet panicked, she waited for the shots that would drop Gamache and now this other man.
None came.
She turned back to the man, and now recognized him. It was the valet from the Oval Office that morning.
They had to move quickly now.
Nichol closed in from one side, Beauvoir from the other.
His targets were Moretti’s people moving the containers to the planes. Nichol had only one goal: Don Moretti himself.
