Dead Cold Mysteries Box Set #2: Books 5-8 (A Dead Cold Box Set), Blake Banner [readnow TXT] 📗

of my head. “You can hardly be held responsible for that. What kind of man was Simon? Do you know of any enemies he might have had?”

He puffed out his cheeks. “It is hard to imagine such a thing. He was a committed Christian, and a genuinely good man.” He gave a knowing smile, inviting us to join him in a cozy joke. “Because, as we know, there are many committed Christians, who are not necessarily genuinely good people.”

Dehan snorted. “You got that right.”

He raised an eyebrow at her that said he found her vaguely distasteful, then addressed me. “He was a serious man, did not invite easy friendship, but he was very upright and did a great deal for charity, and for the church.”

I scratched my chin. “I have to ask this, Reverend, and I hope you understand that there is nothing to be gained by concealing the truth through a misguided sense of loyalty.” He looked affronted, but I ignored him and carried on. “How were things at home between Simon and Sylvie?”

He looked grave. “To be honest, a little joyless. Simon was a very devout man who saw little point in having fun. Joy, in his view, was to be achieved exclusively through an undivided devotion to God.” He sighed and spread his hands. “Sylvie is a joyful, happy soul, and I fear she was withering a little in their marriage.” He smiled beatifically. “Of course, Mary brought her much joy and laughter while Simon was at work, but, well, their life together was serious and contemplative, rather than gay and exuberant.” He smiled thinly at Dehan. “I use the word gay in its true meaning, of course.”

I nodded. “Would you have described Sylvie as frustrated back then?”

He looked uncomfortable. “I don’t know that I would have chosen that particular word, but let’s say I would not have described her as fulfilled. However, certainly not frustrated to the point of homicide, if that is what you are getting at.”

I shook my head. “I am not driving at anything, Reverend, just trying to understand the situation. We have no suspects yet at this time, unfortunately.”

Dehan frowned. “One last question and then we’ll leave you in peace… for a bit. Does Sylvie have a job…?” She shrugged, shook her had and spread her hands all at the same time. “What is her source of income?”

“Simon had made a very generous cushion, if you will, for her by means of a couple of insurance policies. That was him all over. So she works full time, on a voluntary basis, at the church. To be working in God’s service helps her to heal from what happened so many years ago.”

I held out my hand. “Thank you, Reverend. We’ll try not to disturb you unnecessarily, but we will need to talk to you again at some point during this investigation.”

He took my hand in both of his and held it tight. “Well, naturally, any help we can offer you, we will be only too glad to assist. But I have to say, Detective, it has taken Sylvie a long time to get back on her feet. We have all been there for her, to help and support her through very dark times. It would be a shame if, in seeking Simon’s killer, you reopened wounds that are only just beginning to heal.”

“I hear you, Reverend. We wll be as sensitive as we can.”

We shook hands and made our way back to the car.

Three

Instead of going back to the precinct, I turned right on Van Nest and then left onto Paulding and pulled up in front of Doyle’s Pub. We grabbed a couple of beers and went to sit at a small table by the window. Dehan started talking while I took a pull and wiped the froth from my mouth.

“Okay, brief review of the facts: Sylvie is home alone with her newborn, Mary. The kid Ahmed is out in the garden doing the gardening. Neighbors—and you would know this if you had read the file—reported that they saw Simon arrive home in his car shortly after seven.”

She paused to drink, smacked her lips and sighed. I interrupted her.

“He lets himself in and finds that the lights are off. She made a point of that and she is not there to greet him. He was the kind of man, I suspect, who would have expected his wife to be there to greet him, with his dinner ready. But she said she heard him calling out for her.”

“So why were the lights off and…”

I pulled a face. “I don’t like ‘why’. It is too open. What was it that stopped her from putting on the lights, as she would normally have done? Focuses the question a lot more keenly. What was it that stopped her from being at the door when he arrived? I wonder if there was a meal being cooked…”

“You done, Sensei?”

I nodded.

“So, something unusual has happened before Simon gets home that has prevented his good wife from preparing for his homecoming.” She raised a finger. “Now, things happen pretty quick at this point. Simon is struck forcefully in the ribs and on the jaw. The medic’s report says he was bruised, pre-mortem, on his left floating ribs and on the left side of his mandible. Which may have caused him to collapse on the floor. He was found still wearing his coat, stabbed in the chest, and, as Sylvie said, with his briefcase still by his side. All of which suggests he was barely through the door when he was attacked and murdered.”

“You said stabbed in the chest, not stabbed in the heart.”

“Yes. He was stabbed right through the sternum, at the height of the third intercostals.”

“Through the sternum? You’re sure?”

She raised an eyebrow. “What do you think? You think I’m