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‘Pretty big rin Gamache bent down and removed the trap It had been smeared with peanut butter to attract mice He wiped a bit off his shoe and looked around More traps becaot a couple,’ said Beauvoir, pointing to so out from underneath

‘I don’t think she set those I think these are hers’ Ga it he found a small field ht them alive then released theht after she was murdered It starved to death’

‘So who set those other mousetraps? Wait, don’t tell me Yolande and André, of course They were here alone for a week or so Still, you’d think they could have at least checked the huust Gamache shook his head Violent, intentional, death still surprised him, whether of a man or mouse

‘Come with me, little one,’ he said to the curled-up mouse, as he took it upstairs Beauvoir tossed the other traps into a plastic bag and followed the chief The two arden path and across the Cohts could be seen now that the sun had set Rush hour And a few villagers were out doing errands or walking dogs In the silence Gaible snippets of conversations from other strollers Off toward du Moulin he heard, ‘Pee, please pee’ He hoped it was directed at a dog The two htly lit and welco B & B Halfway across Garass, beside hi and released the other little bodies from the traps

‘They’ll be eaten,’ said Beauvoir

‘Exactly So will benefit at least Abby Hoffman said we should all eat e kill That would put an end to war’

Not for the first time Beauvoir was at a loss for words with Gamache Was he serious? Was he, perhaps, a little touched? And as Abbe Offs so the team had reassembled in the incident rooiven their assign and inside it an éclair A note, in large childish letters, said, ‘Froent Nichol’

Nichol watched hient Nichol, a word please’

‘Yes, sir’ The éclair had obviously worked He couldn’t possibly continue his unreasonable behavior

Gamache pointed to a desk at the far end of the room, well away from the others

‘Thank you for the éclair Did you make sure Maître Stickley held the latest will for Jane Neal?’