The Long Way Home

Reine-Marie, Gamache, and Clara receive another email from Stuart, explaining the story about the rabbits turning to stone. Their focus, however, is now on the location they saw depicted in the painting they turned upside down: the town of Baie-Saint-Paul, in the Charlevoix region of Quebec. The location is notably beautiful and often attracts artists.

Jean-Guy and Gamache quickly get ready to drive to Baie-Saint-Paul, and Clara, accompanied by Myrna, insists on coming as well. Clara also wants to be in charge and make decisions about the investigation, but Gamache thinks his expertise will be more helpful. Gamache eventually concedes that Clara’s love for Peter, and her instincts about him, will be helpful and that he will defer to her as much as possible. As he tells Jean-Guy, “she has a better chance than anyone of knowing what Peter would do and where he’d go. If she follows her heart and we follow our heads, we might find him” (186). 

After arriving in Baie-Saint-Paul, the group visits all the inns and hotels, but Peter is not staying at any of them. Clara is frustrated because she did not think Peter would be hard to find once they arrived, and Myrna suggests they pause to gather themselves.