“It’s called art,” said Armand. “And you don’t have to like it.”
“Art?” Ruth looked dubious. “Really?” She bent down and said, “Come here, Art. Come here.”
They looked at each other. Even for demented old Ruth, this was odd.
And then Clara began to laugh. “She means Gracie.”
She pointed to the little thing, rolling on the floor with Leo.
Though they’d been found together, in the garbage, Clara’s Leo was growing into a very handsome dog. Golden, with short hair on his lean body, and slightly longer hair around his neck. Leo was tall and gangly right now, but already regal.
Gracie was not. She was, not to put too fine a point on it, the runt of the litter. Literally. And perhaps not even a dog.
No one had been quite sure when Reine-Marie had brought her home months earlier. And time had not proven helpful.
Almost completely hairless, except for tufts of different colors here and there. One ear stood boldly up, the other flopped. Her head seemed to be evolving daily and she had grown very little. Some days, to Reine-Marie’s eyes, Gracie seemed to have shrunk.
But her eyes were bright. And she seemed to know she’d been saved. Her adoration of Reine-Marie knew no bounds.
“Come here, Art,” Ruth tried again, then stood up. “Not only ugly but stupid. Doesn’t know its name.”
“Gracie,” said Armand. “Her name’s Gracie.”
“For Christ’s sake, why did you say it was Art?” She looked at him as though he were the demented one.
They returned to the kitchen, where Clara stirred the soup and Armand kissed Reine-Marie and walked to the door.
“Not so fast, Tintin,” said Ruth. “You haven’t told us about that thing in the middle of the village. I saw you speaking to him. What did he say?”
“Nothing.”
“Nothing?”
Clearly for Ruth the concept of keeping the mouth shut was completely foreign.
“But why’s he still here?” asked Clara, all pretense of not caring gone. “What does he want? Did he stand there all night? Can’t you do something?”
“Why’s the sky blue?” asked Ruth. “Is pizza really Italian? Have you ever eaten a crayon?”
They looked at her.
“Aren’t we tossing out stupid questions? For what it’s worth, the answers to your questions are, don’t know, don’t know, and Edmonton.”
“The guy’s wearing a mask,” Clara said to Armand, ignoring Ruth. “That can’t be right. He can’t be right. In the head.”
She spun her finger at her temple.
“There’s nothing I can do,” he said. “It’s not against the law in Québec to cover your face.”
“That isn’t a burka,” said Clara.
“For heaven’s sake,” said Ruth. “What’s the big deal? Haven’t you seen Phantom of the Opera? He might burst into song at any moment and we have front row seats.”
“You’re not taking this seriously,” said Clara.
“But I am. I’m just not afraid. Though ignorance scares me.”
“I beg your pardon?” said Clara.
“Ignorance,” Ruth repeated, either missing or pretending to miss the warning in Clara’s voice. “Anything different, anything you don’t understand, you immediately believe is threatening.”
“And you’re the poster child for tolerance?” asked Clara.
“Come on,” said Ruth. “There’s a difference between scary and threatening. He might be frightening, I’ll give you that. But he hasn’t actually done anything. If he was going to, he probably would’ve by now.”
Ruth turned to Gamache to back her up, but he didn’t respond.
“Someone puts on a Halloween costume as a joke,” she continued. “In broad daylight, and you get all scared. Puh. You’d have done well in Salem.”
“You got closer than any of us,” Reine-Marie said to her husband. “What do you think it is?”
He looked down at the dogs, intertwined on the floor, sprawled against Henri, who snored and muttered. More than once Armand had envied Henri. Until Henri’s kibble was lowered next to his water bowl. There the envy ended.
“It doesn’t matter what I think,” he said. “I’m sure he’ll be gone soon.”
“Don’t patronize us,” said Clara, her smile only slightly softening the annoyance in her tone. “I showed you mine”—she pointed toward her studio—“now you show me yours.”
“It’s just an impression,” he said. “Meaningless. I have no real idea who or what he is.”
“Armand,” Clara warned.
And he relented.
“Death,” he said, and looked over at Reine-Marie. “That’s what I thought.”
“The Grim Reaper?” asked Ruth with a hoot. “Did he point a crooked finger?”
She lifted her own bony finger and pointed it at Armand.
“I’m not saying it’s actually, literally Death,” he said. “But I do think whoever’s in that costume wants us to make the connection. He wants us to be afraid.”
“Guess what,” said Clara.
“Well, you’re all wrong,” said Ruth. “Death doesn’t look at all like that.”
“How would you know?” asked Clara.
“Because we’re old friends. He visits most nights. We sit in the kitchen and talk. His name’s Michael.”
“The archangel?” asked Reine-Marie.
“Yes. Everyone thinks Death is this horrible creature, but in the Bible it’s Michael who visits the dying and helps them in their last hour. He’s beautiful, with wings he folds tight to his back so he doesn’t knock over the furniture.”
“Let me get this straight. The Archangel Michael visits you?” asked Reine-Marie.
“Let me get this straight,” said Clara. “You read the Bible?”
“I read everything,” Ruth said to Clara, then turned to Reine-Marie. “And he does. But he doesn’t stay long. He’s very busy. But he pops in for a drink and gossips about the other angels. That Raphael is a piece of work, I tell you. Nasty, embittered old thing.”
A hmmm escaped one of them.
“And what do you say to him?” asked Armand.
“Armand,” said Reine-Marie, warning him not to goad the old woman. But that wasn’t his intention. He was genuinely curious.
“I tell him about all of you. Point out your homes and make some suggestions. Sometimes I read him a poem. From the public school to the private hell / of the family masquerade,” she quoted, tipping her face to the ceiling in an effort to remember, “Where could a boy on a bicycle go / when the straight road splayed?”
They stared for a moment, taking in the words that had taken their breaths away.
“One of yours?” asked Clara.
Ruth nodded and smiled. “I do know it’s a process. To be honest, Michael’s not very helpful. He prefers limericks.”
There was an involuntary guffaw from Armand.
“And then, before dawn, he leaves,” said Ruth.
“And leaves you behind?” asked Clara. “That doesn’t sound right.”
“Think about it,” murmured Reine-Marie.
“It’s not my time. Not even close. He likes my company because I’m not afraid.”
“We’re all afraid of something,” said Armand.
“I meant I’m not afraid of Death,” said Ruth.
“I wonder if Death’s afraid of her,” said Clara.
“I’ll take two of those, please,” said Katie Evans, pointing to the chocolate brownies. With melted marshmallows on top.
The sort she remembered from years ago.
“And you, madame?”
Jacqueline turned to the other woman. Lea Roux.
She recognized her, but then, most would. She was a member of the National Assembly, and in the news often. Interviewed on French and English talk shows, across the province, for her opinions on politics. She was articulate without being pompous. Funny without being sarcastic. Warm without being cloying. She was the new darling of the media.