How the Light Gets In

Gamache sits in traffic on the Champlain Bridge, realizing how disastrous its collapse will be. He knows Francoeur is doing this for power. Arnot and Renard had long conspired, recruiting frustrated young men to work for them. Gamache guesses that Arnot recruited young men off the Cree reserve and reinforced their anger. This explains why the Cree young men had been going missing: “Kids who didn’t buy into it or threatened to expose them, had ‘accidents’” (367). While Gamache stopped the plot to blow up the dam in the previous book in the series, he missed the whole picture. Francoeur and Renard know that the collapse of a federal bridge will create manic fury, allowing them to lead a new government as Québec separatists. A boy next to him in the traffic jam spells his name on the fog of the car’s window: “Danny.” Seeing a little boy with the same name as his son, Daniel, inspires Gamache.

As the group in Three Pines sees Francoeur arrive at the train station, they decide to send a few people downstairs for when Francoeur starts asking questions. Olivier is a good liar and demands that Gabri stay back. Clara and Myrna go to open the bookstore, and Ruth goes downstairs, claiming “I could use a Scotch” (370).

Francoeur’s men find the railway station empty, and they go to the Bistro, where they question Olivier. He acts helpful, explaining that Gamache has been there for a week, investigating Constance’s murder. He insists that Gamache was alone. As Francoeur and Beauvoir search the bed-and-breakfast, they see evidence of Gamache but not the Brunels. Francoeur suspects that Olivier was lying. He looks at the email that Gamache had sent, “See Emilie” and Beauvoir tells them that Emilie lived in the village but died. Beauvoir leads Francoeur to the Longpré home. As the Brunels and Gabri watch from the windows, Jérôme laments how destructive addiction is.

Beauvoir notices that the path to the abandoned schoolhouse is shoveled and directs the officers there. As he sits on a bench outside, Ruth approaches him, calls him by her nickname for him, “numb nuts,” and sits Rosa on his lap. He says that he’s glad Rosa, who had gone South the winter before, has returned home. Ruth comments that “She took the long way home” (379). Clearly referring to Beauvoir, she claims that “Lots of people give up, say they’re gone forever, but I don’t believe that. Some make it home, eventually” (379). She leaves him with Rosa and the keys to a car, asking him to take Rosa with him.

In Montréal, Inspector Lacoste tries to convince the police officer in charge of the bridge to shut it down. She has to draw her firearm and show him the construction files, but he finally closes the Champlain Bridge.

Gamache calls Francoeur and realizes that they are in Three Pines. They agree to meet by the satellite dish in the woods. As they leave for the woods, Francoeur gets a text that was sent to the entire Sûreté—Gamache has announced his retirement. Francoeur scoffs that Gamache thinks “the whole world would care” (384). When Gamache finally arrives, Tessier has a gun aimed at him from the hunting blind. As Francoeur heads up the hill toward the satellite, everyone except Thérèse leaves the Bistro and goes to the church. When a Sûreté officer follows them into the church, Agent Nichol knocks him out with her gun.

While the conflict escalates in Three Pines, Beauvoir drives aimlessly with Rosa in the passenger seat. As he remembers Ruth whispering, “I love you” to the duck, he remembers Gamache dragging him to safety in the factory and allowing Beauvoir to push him around the office the day before, both times saying, “I love you.” Beauvoir realizes that “he and Rosa hadn’t been abandoned, they’d been saved” (387).

The group in the church gags and handcuffs the officer. When a second gunman enters, Thérèse sneaks up behind him with her gun and arrests him.

In the woods, Tessier disarms Gamache and leaves him with Francoeur. Francoeur snivels at Gamache, insisting that no one cares about him. When Francoeur receives texts that his plan is going smoothly and everyone Gamache cares about will soon be dead, Gamache insists that Francoeur call Renard to confirm. When Francoeur doesn’t get an answer, he realizes that Gamache has tricked him. The agents that Francoeur dispersed throughout the Sûreté are loyal to Gamache and have arrested Francoeur’s agents. The text announcing Gamache’s retirement was a signal. Francoeur and Gamache fight over Francoeur’s gun. Gamache manages to find his discarded gun in the snow and shoots Francoeur before running for the schoolhouse.

Beauvoir realizes that the Sûreté officers set up a bomb to detonate when the doors to the schoolhouse open. He follows Gamache’s tracks into the woods. When he crosses Tessier, he shoves his gun into his neck and asks where Gamache is. Tessier says that Gamache thinks Beauvoir is in the schoolhouse. When he opens the door, it will kill both of them, “and most of the people in the village” (394). Beauvoir hears the shots in the forest and rushes to find Francoeur’s body. When he sees Gamache running for the schoolhouse, Beauvoir realizes that Gamache thinks he’s saving Beauvoir from an explosion but will trigger the bomb himself. Beauvoir screams for Gamache to stop. He shoots at Gamache’s legs, trying to stop him. When this doesn’t work, he aims for Gamache’s back. Lacoste approaches behind him, demanding that Beauvoir drop his gun. He pleads with her and pulls the trigger. Gamache falls just before he makes it to the schoolhouse. 

Months later, Beauvoir and Annie Gamache have their wedding at the church in Three Pines. Gamache stands next to Beauvoir as his best man. Reine Marie walks Annie down the aisle to marry “her first, and last, love” (400). After the ceremony, they dance on the village green into the night. Reine Marie dances with Beauvoir, telling him how happy she and Gamache are. She knows it took bravery for Beauvoir to shoot at Gamache’s back, risking killing the person he wanted to save. Lacoste, following her instincts, had lowered her gun and trusted Beauvoir. Gamache’s life was saved because Jérôme, an emergency room doctor, was there. Gamache has resigned from the Sûreté. Beauvoir went straight to rehab before reuniting with Annie. Beauvoir tells Gamache that his heart broke when he shot him. Gamache replies that his heart also broke when he left Beauvoir at the factory. He remarks, “There really is a crack in everything” (403).