Page 15 of Miss Wolcott’s Ghost

“Right.”

While they waited for the other teams to arrive, they’d interviewed the owners of nearby houses, then rendezvoused back at the church.

“How is it no one knows about Lost Nation?” asked Lacoste. “Are they lying?”

“I don’t think so. The people I spoke to looked at me like I was crazy. I’m glad I introduced myself as Chief Inspector Gamache.”

“Damn, so did I,” said Isabelle.

The rain had stopped, and the day had grown heavy with heat and humidity.

They checked their phones again. Both knew if the Chief could communicate with them, he would.

But there was nothing. The local Sûreté agents had arrived, and Lacoste entered the forest, organizing them in a search pattern. Though tempted to follow the path Gamache took, she knew the purpose was to find a body, not the Chief.

A few minutes later, Beauvoir and the forensics team also entered the forest and were soon swallowed up.

Armand took a very tentative step forward, getting as close to the cliff edge as he dared, drawn there by the most astonishing sight.

There, spread at his feet as far as the eye could see, was a vast landscape of rock cuts, cliff faces. Waterfalls. Old-growth forests. The rain had stopped, the sun had come out. A mist hung over the distant mountains and meandered like a river into the valley below.

Bright sunshine bounced off the raindrops resting on the canopy, filling the air with millions of tiny rainbows. It looked like a coloring book.

This was an ancient landscape. Unspoiled. Undisturbed.

Eagles and two huge blue herons glided over the treetops. On their way to water only they could see.

He turned, about to speak to his guide, when something changed, shifted.

The wet earth under his boots began to move, to slide away. He put out his arms in an effort to keep his balance and stood very still. He was inches away from the cliff edge and beginning to slide. His arms started pinwheeling in an effort to keep his balance, but the edge was crumbling too quickly. He was about to pass the point of no return when Takacs grabbed his arm and yanked him back. Both men landed on the ground, with Armand scrambling away as quickly as he could.

He held the other man’s eyes. “Thank you.”

“That could have been bad,” said Takacs.

“I could have dragged you over too,” said Armand as they both got to their feet.

“Yes, that’s what I meant.”