Friday, March 19th
Rosary Police station, 9:00 a.m.
When John arrived at the police station, he found Neil in his office, bent over some papers he was examining. When he saw his colleague come in, Neil raised his eyes and immediately smiled. “Hello, John, how are you?”
John sat down opposite him and said: “It’s ok, Neil, but … Do you sleep here? I leave you in this place in the evening, and I find you still sitting there in the morning.” Neil started to laugh and answered: “Don’t worry. I love my job, but not so much. I am revising the testimony of the witnesses for the alibis. Oh, by the way, I tried to call that number many times, but I got no answer. I have asked Steve to look for information.”
“Yes, Neil, the more I think about it, the more I am convinced that person has something to do with what happened to Mrs. Lewis.”
David came into the office and announced: “I have been able to talk to Mr. Rossi and he confirmed that Nolan and Margaret Lewis were with him after lunch in their office until four p.m. I have been able to reach Dana’s friend. She told us that Dana had called her on Tuesday to tell her she would be in St. John the following day for an appointment with the lawyer. They arranged to meet at two p.m., and they stayed together all afternoon until late in the evening.”
“Wait a minute,” Neil interrupted. “This is not exactly what Dana told us. She said,” He turned to John, “Correct me if I am mistaken, but she said that her friend called her, and she didn’t know she was in St. John.” John nodded and said: “Yes, she even added she was coming back to Rosary, and then she changed her mind, because her friend called her. This doesn’t change things very much, because she has an alibi for the time of the murder, but … Why lie?”
“I don’t know, but I would like to talk to the lawyer,” he looked at the papers in front of him, “Harold Burns.” David said immediately: “I have found his phone number. I’ll give it to you.”
He turned and went back to his desk, while Steve was entering.
He stopped at the door and said: “Neil, John, I need to show you something on the computer. I think it is very interesting.” He turned and the two men followed him to his desk.
His laptop showed a photo of a middle-aged woman. It was the Fredericton police website. Steve explained: “The number you gave me is registered to this woman, Alison Stevens. She lives in Fredericton, and she is the owner and the manager, together with another woman, of a small clothes shop in the city center. But the interesting fact is that she is in the hospital in a coma, after she was shot in her apartment last Tuesday morning.”
Neil and John exchanged a glance and remained silent for a few minutes, while they both mulled over the information they had just found out.
Then Neil asked Steve: “Can you give me the name of the policeman in charge of the investigation?” Steve browsed for a few moments on the internet, and then he said: “He is Lieutenant Dan Gordon. Shall I put you in contact with him?”
“Yes, please. ” Neil and John went back to Neil’s office and Steve put through the call. Neil picked up the receiver and answered: “Hello!” He put the phone on speaker and put the receiver on the desk.
A voice at the other end said: “Hello, this is Lieutenant Dan Gordon. Your agent told me you wanted to talk to me about Alison Stevens.”
Neil replied: “Yes, Lieutenant. I am Inspector Neil McKinley, and I am here with Lieutenant John Steele. Last Wednesday, there was a murder here in Rosary. An elderly lady was suffocated in her sleep, and some of her jewels were stolen. Her name was Stacey Lewis.”
Dan Gordon interrupted him immediately: “You said Stacey Lewis, Inspector McKinley?”
He was heard tapping keys on his computer and, after a few moments, he resumed: “A Mrs. Stacey Lewis was mentioned in my investigation into the attack on Miss Stevens. She was a woman who had tried to contact her. Alison’s colleague told us about it.”
Neil felt that this connection was the true link that could lead them to the killer. He said: “Lieutenant, can I talk to you? I could come to Fredericton, if you prefer.” He thought he had another place to visit in the capital.
Lieutenant Gordon answered: “Today I have a few interrogations to conduct, and I am tied up. Could you come tomorrow afternoon?” Neil answered immediately: “Yes, see you tomorrow. Is three p.m. ok for you?”
“Yes, it’s perfect. I am looking forward to meeting you, Inspector McKinley. I’ve heard so much about you.”
Neil thanked him and closed the phone call.
He turned to John and said: “Don’t worry, John. I have a person to see in Fredericton, and I saw the opportunity to hit two birds with one stone.” He had noticed the discomforted expression on John’s face.
John sighed and answered: “Thanks, Neil. You seem to be able to read my mind. I have promised Jennifer to help her with her shopping tomorrow afternoon.”
Neil smiled and reassured him: “I would never make you break your promise, John. You have a beautiful family, and Alan is a good volleyball player, by the way.”
“Last Saturday, he kept on talking about your training and about you. I think you have already conquered the respect and the affection of your team.”
“I am glad. I was afraid it would be difficult to substitute for Father Luca. I have never met him, but he must have been a wonderful person …” His voice trailed off because David signaled to him from his desk, and, at that moment, his phone rang. He picked up the receiver, put the call on speaker and answered: “Hello, this is Inspector McKinley from the police station in Rosary.”
“Hello, Inspector. I am Lawyer Harold Burns, from St. John. My secretary told me you needed to talk to me …”
“Hello, Counsellor. Yesterday we talked to Mrs. Dana Morgan Lewis. She told us that last Wednesday she was at your office at eleven for an appointment.”
The lawyer interrupted him: “I am sorry, but I didn’t see Mrs. Morgan, because there must have been some misunderstanding. She came to my office while I was at the court for a hearing. My secretary called me, but I confirmed I didn’t have an appointment and there were no papers to sign.”
“Does your secretary use the office phone for business calls? Or does she use a mobile phone?”
“She always calls from the office, but she has already confirmed that she didn’t call Mrs. Morgan last Tuesday.”
“Can I talk to your secretary for a minute?”
“Yes, of course, but she will tell you the same thing.” His voice sounded a little annoyed. He didn’t bother to say goodbye. They heard a click, and a female voice answered: “Hello. I am Tracey Coen, Lawyer Burns’ secretary.”
“Hello, Miss Coen. This is Inspector McKinley. I would like you to confirm that you didn’t call Mrs. Morgan last Tuesday for an appointment the following day.”
“No, I didn’t call her. There was no appointment, as a matter of fact.”
“Do you ever use your mobile phone to call clients?”
At the other end, there was silence for a few seconds. Then, a little more nervous voice replied: “It has happened a few times, when I go home and realize I have forgotten to make an important phone call.”
“May I have your mobile phone number, please? Do you ever use prepaid phones?”
“I never use prepaid phones. I use my registered number. Of course, I can give it to you, but I confirm I didn’t call Mrs. Morgan last Tuesday.” She sounded upset, and Neil reassured her: “Don’t worry, Miss Coen, we are just verifying something in connection with our investigation. You don’t have to be upset or afraid.”
The calm tone of the inspector soothed Miss Coen, and Neil took down her mobile phone number, even if he was sure she was telling the truth.
Neil turned to John and said: “When you came into my office, I was going to call Notary Anderson, the notary who drew up Mrs. Lewis’s will. I would like to talk to him. Do you think it’s a good idea?”
John thought for a few moments and then answered: “Yes, I think it would be useful to meet him, since I have heard that Mrs. Lewis’s children have money problems.”
Neil rummaged through the papers on his desk until he found a phone number. A kind female voice answered after a few rings in a professional tone: “Hello, this is Notary Anderson’s office. Can I help you?” Neil identified himself and asked if he could talk to the Notary. The secretary checked Mr. Anderson’s schedule and said that he would be free in an hour. Neil confirmed he would be there and put down the receiver.
He went to the open space where his agents were sitting at their desks and he asked them: “Listen, guys. I want you to find all the information you can about the past life of Carmen, Barbara and Dana Lewis, where they are from, what they did before coming here, relations, qualifications, everything, ok?”
All the agents nodded and Neil and John went back to Neil’s office to talk before going to the Notary.
***
Rosary, Notary Anderson’s office, 11:00 a.m.
John had got used to driving when he was with Neil, because he had been living in Rosary for a long time, and he knew all the places and addresses. So, Neil got into the passenger seat, and he fastened his seat belt, while John started the car. The notary’s office was just outside the town, and they arrived in plenty of time.
John turned to Neil and asked: “What exactly do you suspect, Neil? You don’t believe it was a burglary, do you?”
Neil looked straight ahead for a few seconds, then he turned his light blue eyes to John, and he said musingly,
“Yes, the idea of the burglary doesn’t convince me, and, even if it was a burglary, who could know that Mrs. Lewis was completely alone last Wednesday afternoon? Carmen had her afternoon off every Wednesday, but Tony? He was usually with Mrs. Lewis. And Dana Lewis? She was not normally in Rosary, then she decided to stay at her mother-in-law’s, then suddenly she had an appointment, and she left for St John. No, I can’t help thinking that only someone connected to the family could know about this opportunity.”
“You are right, Neil. Well, let’s see what the Notary can tell us.”
They got out of the car and entered the imposing building that housed many offices and the headquarters of some businesses.
Neil rang a bell and, almost immediately, a voice on the intercom said: “First floor.” They heard a click, and the door unlocked. John pushed it open, and they climbed up the flight of stairs that separated them from Notary Anderson’s office. A brass plaque on a massive mahogany door confirmed they were in the right place. John opened the door, and they found themselves in a waiting room: a circle of chairs with a large coffee table in the middle and a counter at the far end. Behind it, a smiling young woman with long straight blond hair and a pair of rimless glasses watched them enter and fixed her eyes on Neil. John was starting to get used to it: everywhere they went, people recognized his famous colleague or, even if they didn’t, women were instinctively attracted to this tall man, with an athletic figure, who had a charming smile and, at the same time, a professional demeanor. John didn’t mind, in fact, he was beginning to appreciate the respect and the admiration Neil aroused in the people he met, because he was able to put the person in front of him at ease, and, at the same time, to keep the distance and to inspire awe. Besides, Neil didn’t seem at all impressed by the admiring glances. He was absolutely indifferent, and he didn’t take advantage of this in the least. John had seen young colleagues, much less handsome than Neil, enjoy the evident admiration of women and flirt lightly with them. Neil simply smiled, but he remained absolutely uninterested, even if he certainly noticed it. John thought that Neil surely had a girlfriend. Oh, how he wished he knew more about his gentle, mysterious superior.
Now Neil approached the counter and said, showing his badge: “Hello, I am Inspector Neil McKinley and this is Lieutenant John Steele. We would like to talk to Mr. Anderson, please.”
The young woman smiled and pressed a button on the phone on her desk. She picked up the receiver and announced: “Inspector McKinley and Lieutenant Steele are here, sir.”
She listened for a moment, she put down the receiver and said, showing the door next to the counter: “The Notary is waiting for you!”
Neil and John opened the door, and a smiling man in his sixties, bald with a light grey beard and glasses perched on the tip of his nose, raised his eyes from the paper he was reading intently and looked at them above the glasses.
“Hello, Lieutenant Steele, I think we have already met.” He turned his gaze to Neil and said: “It’s a pleasure to meet you, Inspector McKinley. I had heard that we would have a new inspector, but I didn’t know that our little town would have such a celebrity.” He stood up and came around his desk to shake hands with the two policemen.
Then he invited them to sit down on a sofa in the corner of his large office. He offered them coffee or tea, but they both declined. Then, he sat down on an armchair in front of them and started: “I imagine you are here to talk about Mrs. Stacey Lewis. I was so sorry when I heard. I am afraid I can’t disclose the content of her will, and I am waiting for the end of your investigation to call the heirs.”
Neil said: “We know you can’t talk about it, but what we would like to know...” He stopped because he wanted to choose his words carefully. He didn’t want to reveal his doubts and his suspicions. “We would like to know if Mrs. Lewis has changed her will recently...” His voice trailed off because he noticed a startled expression on the notary’s face.
He said: “As a matter of fact, Mrs. Lewis had an appointment with me next Monday. She called me a few days ago, I think it was last Monday, and she asked to come to me ‘because’, she said ...” He stopped, and he seemed to have suddenly remembered something important. “Yes, she was, or, at least, she sounded agitated, and she said that she wanted to add someone to her will. Yes, I am sure she said exactly this.”
“Maybe her grandson.” John said tentatively.
“Maybe, but I remember I thought she had met someone. It must have been someone really important if she wanted to change her testament.”
Neil asked: “Did she say if her children knew about it?”
“No, she explicitly said that she would take a person as her witness, but that her children didn’t know anything about it, that she would tell them in due time. Those are the words she used.”
Neil and John thanked the lawyer and took leave. When they were back in the car, John turned to Neil and said: “What do you think, Neil?”
“I think the key is the person who is in a hospital bed now. And I think that Father Luca was killed, John. One of the people near Mrs. Lewis didn’t want her to meet that poor woman, and they were ready to kill. It must be something more than a relative she wanted to get in touch with if they have already killed two people and attacked a third. I am looking forward to talking to Lieutenant Gordon tomorrow.”
He locked eyes with John and said softly: “I know, John, that it will be difficult for you to tell Anna, but let’s wait and see who is responsible. You still have the fragment of glass from the scene of the accident, don’t you?”
John nodded and said: “There was a tiny fragment that didn’t belong to Luca’s car headlights, but, as I have told you, I searched every mechanic’s workshop around here, and I didn’t find anything ...”
“Hold on to that fragment, John. I think tomorrow I will start to see things more clearly.”
***
Rosary, Anna’s Trattoria , 4:30 p.m.
When he came out of school, Robin didn’t see Tony waiting for him. For a moment he looked around, but then, as the day before, he saw Mark waving to him. He ran to join him and the twins. Mark smiled at him, and he said: “This morning I asked Tony to pick you up later at the trattoria. Anna is waiting for us with a wonderful piece of cake and juice.”
Robin grinned happily, and he sat in the rear seat of Mark’s car with Mario.
They arrived at the trattoria. A smiling Silvia came to open the door. She kissed her husband, and she embraced her twins and Robin. Robin liked so much being part of an affectionate family; to feel the warmth he missed so much in his beautiful luxurious villa.
Anna came out of the kitchen with a pear tart. She put it on one of the round tables in the dining room, and the children sat down with Mark and Silvia. Mother and daughter had already prepared a plate, a napkin and a glass for each one, and they all started eating and drinking happily.
Silvia asked: “How was your day at school?”
Mario was the first to answer: “Today we wrote the description of a photograph. Each of us was given a different image, and we had to describe it. I had a mountain landscape, and I thought of what you, grandma, always tell us about the Alps in Italy.” Anna smiled because she frequently spoke of her home country to the children. She loved living in Canada, and she considered it her home now, but Italy was always in her heart, linked to memories of her childhood, her family and her wedding.
Giulia intervened: “I had a seaside landscape with a lighthouse. It was beautiful.”
Robin was silently eating his piece of cake. Silvia asked him: “And you, Robin? What picture did you describe?”
Robin replied, after a few moments: “I had the photo of a beautiful horse running along the sea.” He looked at Silvia and Anna and added dreamily: “My grandma had promised to buy me a horse next summer ...” His eyes filled with tears, and Mark put a hand around the boy’s shoulder.
Giulia looked at his friend worriedly, and she said, “You mustn’t cry, Robin. Your grandma will be sad in heaven if she sees you crying. Please, Robin.”
The child looked at the little girl and said: “This is what Neil told me when I was near my grandmother’s bed. I am looking forward to seeing him tomorrow. He was so kind to me.” Silvia and Anna exchanged a glance, but they didn’t say anything.
While they were talking about the other pictures distributed in class, there was a knock on the door of the trattoria, not a tentative knock but an imperative one. Anna was startled for a moment, because everybody knew the trattoria was closed in the afternoon, and Tony usually knocked gently.
She went to open the door, and Barbara stormed in without saying hello. She went straight to the table and told Robin: “Why didn’t you come home with Tony? I was waiting for you there.”
Robin was a little intimidated by the tone of his stepmother. Mark said kindly, trying to hide his irritation: “Mrs. Lewis, would you like to sit down and have a piece of cake or a cup of coffee?” Barbara kept on looking at Robin with a frown on her face, and Mark went on: “It’s my fault, Mrs. Lewis. This morning, I asked Tony to come here to pick up Robin, because we wanted the children to stay together. I imagined you would certainly be busy, and for us, it is a pleasure to have Robin.” His voice trailed off because he saw that what he was saying didn’t help Barbara calm down.
She didn’t even bother to answer, and she told her stepson: “Come on, Robin. I don’t have time to waste. We are waiting for you at home. We are going to have an early dinner, because your father and I have to go out afterwards.”
Silvia couldn’t help saying: “Robin can stay with us overnight, if it is ok with you, so that he doesn’t remain alone, if you go out.”
Barbara replied heatedly: “It is not ok. Robin is used to being alone in our house, and I have already asked Tony to stay with him. We … Nolan and I don’t like these intrusions. We know perfectly well what Robin needs. In fact, he has everything he wishes. Robin!” She turned to the desolate little boy and added: “Let’s go!”
Anna embraced the little boy, while Barbara was turning to go, and he whispered: “I am sorry. Thank you for the cake. Mario, can I call you tonight?”
“Of course,” Mario answered immediately.
Barbara didn’t even turn and went out of the restaurant, followed by a dejected little boy.
When they were alone in the Trattoria, Anna, Silvia and Mark looked at each other, and Mark commented, choosing his words carefully, because the children were listening: “Robin needs affection at this moment, because he misses his grandmother so much ...”
Anna said in an anguished tone: “How can he stay alone at night in that big house?”
Mario looked at his grandmother and said tentatively: “But Mrs. Lewis said that Tony will be with him …”
Mark and Silvia didn’t say anything more. They stayed with Anna to clean the table, and then they went home.
***
Rosary, Anna’s apartment, 5:30 p.m.
When Anna was alone in her flat, she thought for a few minutes, then she picked up her phone and dialed the number of the police station.
The receptionist put her in contact with Neil’s office and, after a few rings, Neil answered,
“Hello, Anna!”
His deep voice soothed her apprehension a little. She tried to sound calm when she started to speak: “Neil, I am sorry to disturb you, but I am worried about Robin!”
Neil answered immediately: “What’s up, Anna?”
Anna talked about the events of the afternoon and the reaction of Barbara Lewis. Neil sounded worried, when he commented: “You are right, Anna. A child mustn’t stay at home alone, and Robin is very upset now, because he misses his grandma. Certainly, if Tony is with him, legally Mr. and Mrs. Lewis are justified, but he certainly needs his mother, first of all, and a supportive family. Dana Lewis had the same reaction as Barbara, when John hinted at the fact that finding his grandmother dead had been a great shock for Robin. The behavior of that family is disconcerting, to say the least.”
Anna replied: “I am sorry for disturbing you. But I can’t help worrying because, if Dana and Barbara react in that way, how can we help Robin?”
Neil said soothingly: “Anna, if they prevent us from helping him, there is little we can do. Tomorrow, I hope to see him at volleyball training. I will try to talk to him.” Neil didn’t mention his impression that the child was hiding something, something that was frightening him.
“Yes, one of the few things he said today was that he is looking forward to playing volleyball tomorrow, and that you were very kind to him.”
“I certainly didn’t imagine that neither his father nor his aunt would come to comfort him. But what I don’t understand is why, since they have little time to devote to the child, they are so strongly against your or my help.”
“Maybe they feel judged, and they are not at ease ...”
“I think you are right. Thank you for calling me. I will have to talk to Mr. Lewis in the next few days, and I will try to say something, depending on what I learn from Robin tomorrow. Try not to worry, Anna, ok?”
“Thanks, Neil. Knowing that you will see him tomorrow makes me feel better. Have a good evening.”
“You, too, Anna, and, don’t worry! You don’t disturb me. Call me whenever you need.”
Anna had always been used to talking to Luca when she felt upset or anxious, but … She reflected that Neil was really able to put her mind at ease: he was so kind, so calm, so comforting.
***
Rosary police station, 5:45 pm
Neil kept the receiver in his hands for a few moments when the call ended. Why did he feel the warmth of a family when he talked to Anna? Why did he feel the comfort and the support of the mother he had never had? No, it was not possible. He couldn’t be still in search of affection and comfort now, at 34 years of age, with many professional successes behind him and an important mission for him in the future. But ... Why did he still feel that pain, that lack of affection in his heart? Only Father Thomas and Billy knew. Could he open his heart to Anna? Would it do him good to speak about what had made him suffer and was still making him suffer now, after so many years? He went back to his work and tried not to think about it, at least for the time being.
***
6:00 p.m.
“How are things going there?”
“Everything is fine. They are investigating, but I am absolutely sure they can’t suspect me. They don’t have a clue. And you? Are you checking on that woman? Why doesn’t the media talk about her? Maybe she is recovering.”
“Don’t worry, I have the situation under control. I have a contact at the hospital who keeps me posted. She is still in a coma, and the doctors don’t believe she will make it.”
“You know that, if she wakes up and talks to the police, it will be our ruin.”
“Your ruin, you mean, because I am certain that she didn’t see my face when I shot her. Remember that it’s you she can identify.”
“Ok, ok... But, if I go down, I will drag you down with me. I won’t take the blame for the murders. Anyway, the police know she wanted to contact someone, but they don’t know who. I am sure they don’t have a clue because only that priest knew.”
“Ok, I will keep you posted. Bye for now.”
***
7:30 p.m.
“Hello. I told you not to call me here. What’s up?”
“You ask what’s up? The police have contacted me to confirm that you were with me when that woman was killed. I did, but ... I am sorry, but I have to ask you. Do you have anything to do with that murder?”
The voice at the other end of the line answered sarcastically: “Wasn’t it you who needed me to cover you when you met your lover? Do you want to tell the police that I wasn’t with you, and then... How will you justify your afternoon ‘adventures’ to your husband?”
She knew she had no choice.
“Anyway,” the voice continued, “Don’t worry, I have nothing to do with the murder. If you say something, you will only mess things up for you and your marriage.”
“Ok, ok. I hope you are telling the truth.” She heard the voice of her husband in the other room, and she interrupted the call abruptly. She had never completely liked that friend, but she had been ready to cover her when she met her lover, and she had never asked questions. But now? Was she sincere when she said she had nothing to do with the murder?
ns216.73.216.204da2
and then Add to home screen.