A Rule Against Murder

Manoir Bellechasse was built over a century ago by Québécois and Abenaki workers for the robber barons who cleared the forests in Quebec for their giant lodge. When it was finally finished, years after it was begun, the last worker on the roof had a premonition that something terrible would happen right there. For reasons that he couldn’t explain, he finished the copper roof with an unusual feature: a copper ridge that ran along the peak.

Once a year, the wealthy men who owned the lodge would travel from Montreal, New York, and Boston to the shore of Lac Massawippi for their annual hunting trip. Over the years, the wildlife in the forest retreated from the lodge, as did the local Abenaki and Québécois. After a time, the men abandoned the property, and it remained abandoned for years until it was bought and turned into an auberge named Manoir Bellechasse. When this happened, the wealthy people returned once again.

Invitations have been sent out to visit the Manoir Bellechasse, including one to a house in Three Pines. The mailman takes his time delivering it, as he always does in Three Pines. He enjoys the pace of the small village and the sense that he has stepped out of time.