Charpentier was at another terminal in the office, his back to his boss, typing at lightning speed.
Francoeur leaned over Chief Inspector Lambert.
“Show me.”
* * *
“Jérôme!” Thérèse Brunel called, and joined Chief Inspector Gamache and Nichol.
“Show me,” said Gamache.
“When I brought up the old Aqueduct file, I must’ve set off an alarm,” said Nichol, her face white.
Jérôme arrived and scanned the monitor, then he reached in front of her.
“Hurry up,” he said, swiftly typing in a few short commands. “Get out of that file.” The error message disappeared.
“You didn’t just set off an alarm, you stepped on a landmine. Jesus.”
“Maybe they didn’t see the message,” said Nichol slowly, watching the screen.
They waited, and waited, staring at the static screen. Despite himself, Gamache realized he was looking for some being to actually appear. A shadow, a form.
“We have to go back into the Aqueduct file,” he said.
“You’re insane,” said Jérôme. “That’s where the alarm was tripped. It’s the one place we need to avoid.”
Gamache pulled a chair over and sat close to the elderly doctor. He looked him in the eyes.
“I know. That’s why we need to go back. Whatever they’re trying to hide is in that file.”
Jérôme opened his mouth, then closed it again. Trying to marshal a rational argument against the inconceivable. To knowingly walk back into a trap.
“I’m sorry, Jérôme, but it’s what we’ve been looking for. Their vulnerability. And we found it in Aqueduct. It’s in there somewhere.”
“But it’s a thirty-year-old document,” said Thérèse. “A company that doesn’t even exist anymore. What could possibly be in there?”
All four of them stared at the screen. The cursor pulsed there, like a heartbeat. Like something alive. And waiting.
Then Jérôme Brunel leaned forward and started typing.
* * *
“Aqueduct?” said Francoeur, stepping back as though slapped. “Erase the files.”
Chief Inspector Lambert looked at him, but one glance at the Chief Superintendent’s face was enough. She started erasing.“Who is it?” Francoeur asked. “Do you know?”
“Look, I can either erase the files or chase the intruder, but I can’t do both,” said Lambert, her fingers flying over the keys.
“I’ll take the intruder,” said Charpentier, from across the office.
“Do it,” said Francoeur. “We need to know.”
“It’s Gamache,” said Tessier. “Has to be.”
“Chief Inspector Gamache can’t do this,” said Lambert as she worked. “Like all senior officers, he knows computers, but he’s not an expert. This isn’t him.”
“Besides,” said Tessier, watching the activity. “He’s in some village in the Townships. No Internet.”
“Whoever this is has high-speed and huge bandwidth.”
“Christ.” Francoeur turned to Tessier. “Gamache was a decoy.”
“So who is it?” asked Tessier.
* * *
“Shit,” said Nichol. “The files are being erased.”
She looked at Jérôme, who looked at Thérèse, who looked at Gamache.
“We need those files,” said Gamache. “Get them.”
“He’ll find us,” said Jérôme.
“He’s found us already,” said Gamache. “Get them.”
“She,” said Nichol, also reacting swiftly. “I know who that is. It’s Chief Inspector Lambert. Has to be.”
“Why do you say that?” asked Thérèse.
“Because she’s the best. She trained me.”
“The whole entry’s disappearing, Armand,” said Jérôme. “You lead them away.”
“Right,” said Nichol. “The encryption’s holding. I can see she’s confused. No, wait. Something’s changed. This isn’t Lambert anymore. It’s someone else. They’ve split up.”
Gamache moved to Jérôme.
“Can you save some files?”
“Maybe, but I don’t know which ones are important.”
Gamache thought for a moment, his hand clutching the back of Jérôme’s wooden chair.