All the Devils Are Here(86)

“No. I’ve already done that,” he lied.

When the door slammed shut, he pushed Loiselle against the wall and put the gun to his throat.

But something was wrong. The man wasn’t struggling. Wasn’t fighting back. This was far too easy.

Then Loiselle did something unexpected. He put up his hands.

They stared at each other. Beauvoir’s adrenaline was so strong, his anger so great, it was all he could do not to pistol-whip the man anyway, surrender or no.

Then Loiselle did something even more unexpected.

“You said you were a cop, in Québec,” he said. “You were Inspector Beauvoir, with the S?reté du Québec. That was you, in the factory. I’ve been wanting to talk.”

Armand’s phone rang. It was Reine-Marie.

“Can you meet me at the archives?” she said.

“I’ll be there in five minutes.”

Armand walked quickly, and tried to get his thoughts straight. He’d told Daniel that he wouldn’t say anything to Commander Fontaine, and he wouldn’t. But still, he had to find out what Daniel and Plessner were working on. And whether it had anything to do with Plessner’s murder.

He checked his emails as he walked. Finally clicking on the one from Mrs. McGillicuddy that had come in during the night. Far from being long and convoluted it contained only two words.

Call me.

He looked at his watch and did the calculations. It was six hours earlier in Montréal. That made it five thirty in the morning. She’d be asleep.

He’d wait and call after he’d met with Reine-Marie.

“I recognized you from the video, the one in the factory,” Loiselle said, an urgency to his voice. “I saw what you did. You and the other agents. I saw what your boss did. I saw what happened.”

Loiselle was whispering, as though what had happened that terrible day a few years earlier was a secret. Instead of leaked and splashed across the internet. Seen by millions.

The S?reté raid, to free a hostage. To stop heavily armed gunmen. It had been a desperate fight to prevent something even more horrific from happening. But it had been a bloodbath. They’d prevailed. Barely. And at a terrible price.

“That was Gamache I saw you with yesterday, right? The older man? I recognized him, too. That’s why I wanted to speak to you.”

“Why?”

“In the factory, none of your agents broke and ran. You were disciplined, trained, dedicated. A tight team. But still, no one faces that kind of hell and keeps moving forward unless they know there’s a good reason. A higher purpose.”

Beauvoir’s grip on the man’s jacket remained tight, but the pistol dropped a little. Allowing Loiselle to meet his eyes.

“I used to believe that, too,” Loiselle said. “That what I did was important. That it mattered. But I don’t anymore. That’s why the video is watched over and over by ex–special forces. It reminds us of what we once were. What we once had.”

“And what’s that?”

“Self-respect.”

Beauvoir pushed himself away from Loiselle, the better to judge the man.

“I don’t want to do this shit anymore,” said Loiselle. “When I left the GIGN, I was burned out. I just didn’t care. I’d hire myself out to whoever would pay. But seeing you at the office the other day, it was like a slap in the face. I woke up.”

“Bullshit.”

“I let you catch me. I could’ve gotten away. Easily. I could’ve killed you. Easily. But I wanted to warn you.”

“About what?”

“They killed that Plessner man and tried to kill Horowitz. It was a shit show. And now they’re scared. They see you as a threat. They told me to scare you off.”

“And if that doesn’t work?”

“They’ll come after you. And maybe even your family. You moved them to the George V. That was unexpected. I think my bosses will take time to consider what that means and what to do next. They’re ruthless, but they’re not stupid. Killing you and your family in the George V would create far more problems than it would solve, but they’ll still do it, if cornered. You’ve bought a little time. But not much.”

“Who are they? Who’s giving the orders?”

“My orders come from the top of SecurForte, but I don’t know who’s giving them to the company.”

“Are the cops involved?”

Loiselle looked at him, shocked. “Everyone’s involved. You really have no idea how powerful SecurForte is, do you? The information it holds over politicians, cops, judges, the media. I could blow up the Tour Eiffel in full view, and if it was on the orders of SecurForte, I’d walk. Man, you better get up to speed fast, before you get run over.”

“How do I know this isn’t part of their plan? How do I know this isn’t a trap?”

“I guess you don’t. But what choice do you have?”

“You must know what this’s about,” insisted Beauvoir.

“All I know is that whatever they were looking for, whatever they killed that old man for, they didn’t find it. And they’re scared shitless that you will. But they have options. Kill you before you can find it, or stand back and let you find it. Then kill you. Either way …”

“Were those your orders? To follow me, try to scare me off, but if that didn’t work, and I found the evidence, you were to kill me and take it?”