The Brutal Telling

Gamache asks Olivier to tell him about the victim: The man was Olivier and Gabri’s first customer when they moved to Three Pines, when their bistro was originally an antiques shop. Olivier calls the man the Hermit, as he never introduced himself by his real name. The Hermit would give Olivier art pieces to sell in exchange for groceries. Eventually, Olivier visited the Hermit in his cabin and discovered his artifacts. He sensed that the Hermit was hiding from something and assumes the artifacts were stolen, though he never reported his suspicions to the police. The Hermit never told Olivier where he was from, and they spoke Quebec French together, though Olivier sensed a Czech accent. Olivier admits he didn’t tell the detectives that he knew the victim because he didn’t want them to find the cabin; there are artifacts he wants for himself.

However, Olivier claims he doesn’t know about the wood carvings, and Gamache shows him one. The carving reminds Olivier of the Hermit’s mythological story: The young man is scared because the Mountain King has gathered his powers, an army made up of Bile and Rage, to retrieve the package that the young man stole.