Chapter 15

It was all gone. All of it. He had nothing left. When they turned him loose from here, he’d be an immigrant’s son with a criminal record. He’d have to leave Montreal and try his hand somewhere else. The mills, the docks, or maybe he could drive a truck, but would they give a man like him a chance?

Joe looked down at the letter on his cot. Claudine’s letter. Every time she wrote to him, he got this way. Didn’t Claudine understand? Every word from her was like the blow of an ax, and slowly, but surely, this tree would come down.

The key turned in the lock and Joe turned to see Gauthier escorting Dubois back into the cell. Dubois entered without looking at him and immediately collapsed on his bunk. The man reeked of burned oil. Across the bars, Gauthier spotted the letter on Joe’s cot. “News from home?” he asked. Joe noticed how sunken Gauthier eyes looked today. He seemed frazzled. He’d lost more weight. His uniform hung on him. What were the other guards doing to Gauthier?