She started walking rapidly to the quai.

“Wait, Clara. I have another question. It’s about Chartrand.”

Clara stopped. And turned. “What about him?”

The ship’s horn gave another cry.

“Why do you think he came with us?”

Gamache could see Jean-Guy waving at them from beside the Loup de Mer.

“Because he likes our company?” Clara suggested.

“Our company?”

“You think he came because of me?”

“What do you think?”

The ship’s horn was now giving off short, insistent blasts.

“You think he’s only pretending to like me, as an excuse to get close to us.”

Gamache remained silent.

“You think I’m not reason enough for a man to close up shop and join us?”

“I’ve seen how he looks at you,” said Gamache. “How he’s drawn to you. And you to him.”

“Go on.”

“I don’t think it’s a complete lie.”

“Not a complete one. How nice.”

But Gamache, while trying to be gentle, wasn’t going to be baited. “We need to explore all possibilities.”

“Such as?”

“Chartrand knew No Man,” said Gamache. “I think it’s possible he was a member of his community, or cult, or whatever it was. I think it might even have been Chartrand who told Peter about Tabaquen. And sent him there.”

“That’s no crime, Armand. You’re turning it into something sinister.”

“You’re right,” Gamache admitted. “If Peter asked about No Man and Chartrand told him where to find him, there’s absolutely nothing sinister about it. In fact, it was doing Peter a favor. Except—”

“What?”

“If that’s what Chartrand did, why not tell us?”

That stopped Clara.

“Why keep it a secret, Clara? What’s he trying to hide?”

Clara was quiet for a moment. In the silence they could hear Jean-Guy calling to them.

“You asked why Marcel would join us, but you haven’t asked why I agreed.”

“I thought—”

“You thought I’d lost my heart to him? The lonely woman, vulnerable to a little attention? Do you really think that’s likely?”

“Well, now I don’t,” he said, and was so clearly embarrassed Clara smiled.

Jean-Guy was waving frantically from the dock and Myrna was standing in the middle of the gangway, refusing to move for the sailors.

“If Marcel knew where Peter went and didn’t tell us, it’s because he wanted to keep us away from Tabaquen,” said Clara. “He might be keeping an eye on us, but I’m watching him too. That’s why I wanted him with us.”

She turned and started walking rapidly toward the quai, but before she did she looked back and said, “And I am reason enough, Armand, for a man to give up everything.”

Chapter 35

THIRTY-FIVE

“Huh,” said Gamache.

The sun was setting and their passage so far had been fairly smooth. The storm predicted by the pilot was ahead of them.