Still Life

Clara and Myrna stand in line for lunch at the bistro and watch as Nellie, a woman who runs a housecleaning service, takes food to her husband, Wayne, who is ill; Nellie and Wayne leave together. Clara notices a package in Myrna’s floral arrangement, which she opens at Myrna’s bidding. Inside, she finds a bundle of herbs, which she correctly interprets as Myrna’s suggestion that the time has come for an unspecified “ritual.” Ben, Ruth, Gabri, and Olivier join them in reminiscing about the last such ritual and teasing one another about its effects. Clara, Myrna, and Ruth decide this next ritual should be just for women.

The bistro goes silent as Clara approaches Yolande and offers her condolences. Pretending that she is grief-stricken, Yolande insinuates that Clara “took [Jane] away from her real family” (104); Clara remains silent, and André laughs as she returns to her table. Ruth later writes a poem inspired by the moment.

Agent Isabelle Lacoste, whose team searched the archery clubhouse during Gamache’s community meeting, presents Gamache with hunting-tip arrowheads she found in a drawer at the back of the clubhouse. Lacoste speculates that the arrowheads were taken from old wooden hunting arrows when the tips were switched out for target-practice tips.

Gamache asks Nichol what time their appointment with a local notary is set for. Even though she knows the time, Nichol responds, “I forget,” wanting to demonstrate that she remembers Gamache’s four statements. She is embarrassed when he doesn’t seem to recognize the statement.

After making more assignments, Gamache goes for a walk with Beauvoir and asks his opinion of Nichol. Beauvoir, who considers Gamache too compassionate, shares his low opinion of her work. Clara appears, accompanied by Peter, and calls out to Gamache. She tells him of a “strange coincidence” that just occurred to her—that Jane died so soon after deciding to reveal her art for the first time.

Gamache, Beauvoir, and Nichol visit the notary who drew up Jane’s will 10 years prior. The will leaves her entire estate to Yolande. Dissatisfied, Gamache assigns Nichol to find out whether Jane made another will.

They make their way to the local art society, where Clara greets them. Beauvoir receives a call and learns that Timmer’s doctor attributes her death to cancer. Gamache asks Clara her opinion, and she tells him that Ruth was watching Timmer that day. Timmer seemed fine, so Ruth went to the county fair parade. She was surprised to find Timmer dead afterward. There was no autopsy.

Throughout the conversation, Nichol makes insensitive comments about the case in front of Clara. Gamache pulls Nichol aside and scolds her, instructing her to remain silent. Clara shows Fair Day to them, and Gamache begins to recognize people from the village. Clara admits that, after seeing something magical in the painting the day she judged it, she fails to see it quite the same way. Gamache asks who knew that the painting was accepted, and Clara lists the guests who attended her dinner party.

Gamache, who asked Matthew Croft to give him a practical demonstration of archery tactics during the community meeting, arrives at the Croft family home, accompanied by Beauvoir and Nichol. Before going in, Gamache instructs Nichol to listen and take notes. Beauvoir leads the discussion and learns that Mr. Croft was once Jane’s student. His wife, Suzanne, emerges from the basement, looking scared. During a moment of silence, Gamache feels sure that Mrs. Croft is about to reveal something. To Gamache’s disappointment, Nichol interrupts the silence to offer Mrs. Croft a glass of water, and the moment passes.

Beauvoir resumes his questions. The Crofts grow tense as Beauvoir asks about their son, Philippe, and they refuse to say where he is. Switching tactics, Beauvoir asks them to show him their bows and arrows. The agents watch as Mr. and Mrs. Croft unstring and then restring their recurve bow. Mr. Croft fires an arrow, then hands the bow to Gamache, who offers it to Beauvoir. Beauvoir fires but bruises himself in the process, to Mr. Croft’s amusement. At Gamache’s request, Mr. Croft helps him fire without injuring himself. Beauvoir and Gamache both miss the target. Gamache asks Mrs. Croft to shoot the bow, and she begins to do so, but then collapses, overcome with emotion.

Convinced that something significant is hidden in their basement, Gamache instructs Beauvoir to offer the Crofts a deal: They won’t arrest Philippe if the Crofts allow them to examine their basement. The Crofts accept the deal, and Gamache and Beauvoir search the basement. They find a quiver of arrows that appear to have been used recently. Near the wood-burning furnace, they find a recurve bow and an ax. After obtaining a search warrant, they search the rest of the property and find a metal arrowhead under the furnace. Philippe is in his bedroom.

Gamache’s team meets to discuss their findings. They decide that Mr. Croft didn’t kill Jane, since he appeared relaxed at the community meeting. Mrs. Croft appeared stressed at the meeting, but if she killed Jane, she would have destroyed the evidence much sooner rather than wait until that afternoon. Following some sharp analysis by Nichol, they conclude that Philippe must have gone hunting and accidentally killed Jane, leaving his mother to discover the truth around the time of the community meeting.

Peter and Clara take Lucy for a walk. Peter asks Clara why she approached Yolande, knowing that Yolande would humiliate her. Clara explains that she wanted to hear André’s laugh. She tells Peter that Jane described the laugh of one of the boys who threw manure, and Clara believes that it belonged to André’s son, Bernard, who was not among the boys Jane named.