Still Life

The next morning, Peter again tries to comfort Clara, who remains distraught. She calms down as he invites her to recall her belief that Jane is with God. Seeing her relief, Peter cries and holds her. After taking a shower, Peter finds Clara curled up around Lucy, Jane’s dog. Peter and Clara eat breakfast then visit Ben. They find him cooking, which is uncharacteristic of him, his home smelling freshly cleaned.

Gamache’s team meets in Montreal. Beauvoir reports that Yolande’s husband, André Malenfant, and her son, Bernard Malenfant, have a history of reckless behavior and that André recently received a bow-hunting permit.

During the meeting, Nichol again remains aloof from other team members. Afterward, Gamache approaches her and asks her to consider how she learns. He stresses the importance of choice and encourages Nichol to see her team members as colleagues, not competitors. He mentions four statements that “lead to wisdom”: “I don’t know. I need help. I’m sorry” (82). He momentarily forgets the fourth statement, leading Nichol to mistakenly conclude that “I forget” is the final statement.

Later, Gamache holds a community meeting in Three Pines. After explaining his team’s intent to investigate Jane’s death thoroughly, whether it was an accident or a murder, he encourages the villagers to be careful.