A Fatal Grace

Gamache reveals to the dinner guests that CC’s parents were fictitious. Everyone in the group describes one of their own childhood fantasies. Gamache points out that CC was different, that her fantasies did not fade in adulthood.

Back in Clara’s studio, Gamache spies the Christmas ornament that Peter gave Clara and instantly recognizes it as the Li Bien ball that CC describes in her book. Peter says he found it at the dump. Someone had placed it there deliberately on top of a pile of trash. Gamache explains that the Li Bien ball was the only thing CC had left of her mother. In fact, her mother had painted it. He concludes that CC’s mother must have come from Three Pines.

Later that evening, Gamache checks on the Bible passage that Mother Bea stenciled onto the wall of her meditation center. She misquoted the text “Be still, and know that I am God” (243). Mother Bea stenciled “Be Calm” instead.

Gamache rises early and goes outside even though it’s still dark. He seeking an epiphany as the details of the case bedevil him: “Puddles of anti-freeze, niacin, The Lion in Winter, booster cables, Psalm 46:10 and a long lost mother” (245).

He meets Em out for a morning walk with her dog. They go to the bistro to have breakfast as Em tells Gamache about CC’s feud with Mother Bea. CC went to the meditation center and criticized everything about it. She said it had no authentic spirituality. Then, she announced she would start a meditation center in the Hadley house and intended to call it Be Calm. She suggested Mother Bea should close her center rather than compete with CC. Gamache asks Em why she herself was so tolerant of CC. Em explains that anyone who has survived deep sorrow has an obligation to help others. Em tells Gamache about the death of her husband and son in a car accident.

The investigation team meets for updates. Beauvoir is more well disposed toward Nichol now since she has nursed him through his bout of the flu. Nichol tells the team about Crie: The girl is intelligent but keeps a low profile at school; her tuition checks have bounced more than once because her parents were living beyond their means. Readers also learn that Lyon doesn’t earn much and that he took out a large life insurance policy on his wife. CC was attempting to swing a deal with a major catalog marketer which might have meant big money.

Gamache suspects three women in the village might be CC’s mother: Ruth, Kaye, or Em. He later adds Mother Bea to the list and asks Lacoste to check them all out.

Clara calls the Incident Room because she’s remembered something important, but Gamache isn’t in to take the call. He, Beauvoir, and Lemieux are out on the lake for a curling lesson with Em.

When Gamache returns, he learns that Lacoste has ruled out his three suspects as CC’s mother. Only Mother Bea remains a possibility. Her middle name is L. This is the same initial painted inside of the Li Bien ball.

The photos Saul took on the day CC died arrive back from the lab. Everyone clusters around to look. The images of CC show that, rather than enjoying her last moments, “she sat lemon-faced and defensive at the community breakfast” (267). Gamache notices that there’s a gap in the pictures between shots of CC sitting in the chair and after she’s collapsed on the ground.

The detectives drive up to Saul’s chalet to question him. On the way, Gamache receives another call from Clara, but the reception breaks up before she can tell him anything. Saul watches as the police arrive. He throws the missing roll of film on the fire and destroys it.

When Saul invites the detectives in, they notice the smell of burning plastic. Saul says he has just destroyed some old film, a statement the detectives later question. He tells them about his affair with CC. Gamache wonders why CC came to Three Pines. Saul speculates that it had something to do with money.

When Gamache asks about the gap in his photos, Saul explains that his camera froze and he had to thaw it before taking more pictures. He comments that Kaye, who was sitting next to CC, actually got CC to listen to her and stop fidgeting. Saul admires this ability because CC usually listened to no one. When the detectives leave, Saul writes a short message to someone and heads out to mail it.

Gamache instructs Beauvoir to drop him off at Em’s house because he needs to speak to Kaye. He tells the detective to take the Lion in Winter video to Clara so she can explain what she apparently wanted to tell Gamache about the tape.

Both Em and Kaye debunk Gamache’s theory that one of them is CC’s mother. He secretly believes they might know who CC’s mother is.