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Only when he ran out of grenades did he stop. By then, his actions had inspired others. The soldiers, frozen in terror on the beach, rose up and attacked.

The beach was theirs. The landing accomplished. The Allied invasion had succeeded and now they could push back. And win the war.

All because of the astonishing bravery of one man.

Sergeant Comeau ran back to find a medic bending over Gamache. He looked up at Comeau and shook his head, before yanking off the Colonel’s dog tags and handing them, bloodied, to Gaston.

“He wanted you to have these.”

“No,” sobbed Gaston.

“His last words were—”

“Excuse me. Can I get by?”

Gaston looked up into the slightly annoyed face of the woman in seat 35A.

He shifted his knees, and she brushed by him with a harrumph.

“His last words were,” the medic continued, “that he’d never seen anything so brave. He said, ‘Tell Gaston he’s my hero.’”

Armand could feel his heart in his chest, in his throat, in his throbbing temples.

He hoped his legs didn’t give way. That his terror didn’t betray him.

This would not be a killing. This was an execution.

His arms out, he could feel the tension in the air. It was a powder keg. One spark and …

“Calm, calm, remain calm,” he ordered. Fighting to keep his own voice steady. This place must not explode. It would be slaughter. Would these be the last words his Reine-Marie, his family, would hear? If so … “Noli timere,” he said.

That was for her, for them. Whatever happened, they needed to know it was going to be all right. Though he knew the words were also for him. Noli timere.

Calm. Calm. Keep breathing.

“Let him go.” Armand was surprised to hear resolve in his voice. Surprised his voice even made it out of his throat. “I’m the one you want.”

“Ahhh, but you’ve seen us in action, Chief Inspector.” There was a manic grin on the gunman’s face. “We’re insatiable.”

Armand braced.

“Help me…”

Captain Gamache was on the bridge when the ship was rammed. But there was no sign of him now.

Gaston fought through the rising waters to get up there. To find his Captain. The ship was going down, fast. Others were screaming at him to save himself.

But he couldn’t leave the Captain to drown. He had to try … no matter the consequences to himself.

“Leave him, you fool,” shouted First Officer Beauvoir. “You’ll only die too. Save yourself. We have a place in the lifeboat for you!

“No. He’s our Captain. If you won’t do it, I will!”

He struggled up the wildly tilting stairs. The huge passenger liner was almost on its side. Reaching the bridge, he found Captain Gamache pinned under a piece of equipment that had been ripped off its bolts.

“My legs,” Gamache whispered, straining to keep his mouth above the rapidly rising waters. “They’re broken.”

“I’ll save you, sir. Just stay calm.” He dove under, fighting to pry the whatever-it-was off the Captain.