I shake my head. In theory, any of these men could have killed Victoria Harkness. Or none of them. I don’t know exactly when her death occurred, but based on Olafson’s questions, I’m pretty sure it’s the Wednesday before the aborted service. I haven’t talked to anyone who saw her after her meeting with Daniel, but she arrived home after, so he didn’t kill her at the meeting.
But what if he killed her later, and someone saw him do it? And that person later attacked him in revenge?
What is this, a mafia movie?
Okay, okay. It’s unlikely. And I’m also going to bet that it wasn’t Seth Takahashi. He might have drowned Victoria to protect others, but I just don’t see him beating Daniel to death. Splattering blood all over his nice white shirt after a grueling session in a police interview room. I remember him from the first time I went to the church. He’d said it was his first time there as well.
Click.
His first time. That means he hadn’t ever seen the painting of Victoria. It couldn’t have given him the idea for the kill site. It wasn’t him. I’m sure of it. It had to be one of the others.
Don’t forget Claire.
I’m not. But the guys are much more likely.
You should make some notes for her too.
Okay, okay.
CLAIRE CHANDLER
Motive for VH: jealousy
Opportunity: wide open, she was associated with the church, trusted by VH
Motive for DC: jealousy/revenge for philandering
Opportunity: unlimited
Connections: VH - friend and associate; DC: wife
Remarks: the obvious suspect
Happy now?
I have to take a different approach. Look at Victoria herself, find out why it was necessary for her to die. I sit for a bit, drumming my fingers on the floor. Rain splashes against the windows and wind tosses the trees. I can’t see the river beyond a boundary of mist.
Forget about who for a minute. Why would someone murder her? I think back over the cases of my career in Denver. Murder can be, and often is, incredibly banal. It’s not usually the convoluted rigmarole portrayed in mystery novels. On the contrary, there’s almost always a direct link between perp and victim. So, why kill?
Fear. She knew something someone was afraid she’d reveal. She was going to do something that was going to hurt someone else.
Anger. Revenge for a past wrong.
Greed. Her death would benefit someone monetarily. This is the mother of all motives. Her trust fund went to her cousins, all of whom are out of the picture. But if Harkness was insured, and the church was the beneficiary, who had access to the money? Daniel? And now that he was dead, who was next to hold the reins? Claire might know.
Or maybe she’s the one with access.
Next. Jealousy. A slighted lover. No one could tell me about her love life — she seemed remarkably chaste, or discreet, or both. But. What about Daniel? Were they having an affair? Did a spurned boyfriend, or someone who wanted to have a relationship with her — maybe Jason, maybe Eric — kill Victoria, and then Daniel when he found out about their affair? Or, put it another way. Someone interested in Daniel discovered the affair, killed Victoria out of jealousy and then Daniel out of revenge? In that scenario, only Claire herself fits the bill.
The light dawns.
I don’t want to believe that Claire is capable of murder. But. I know from bitter experience that given the right provocation, anyone is.
Part of a homicide investigation means determining what it is about the deceased that led to their death, what they did or didn’t do. Sounds like victim-blaming, I know. But there’s some reason Victoria was killed and not someone else, something unique to her. In each of my visions, the man said something about not allowing her to spread her lies. Does that fit with anyone?
Takahashi. He thinks her teachings are wrong and dangerous. But I’ve already ruled him out.
Morganstern? Nothing comes to mind. Ditto North. But North has the ego, and Morganstern had issues with women, according to Takahashi. Except, now that I think of it, I only have the preacher’s word for that. As well as the information regarding Jason’s criminal past.
Argh. I want to pull my hair out in frustration. People are dying. I’m afraid that, if I don’t find the murderer, more people will die. I don’t trust the police to get this one right. They’ve already consigned Victoria to the accidental death category. I pace around the small room, eyes glued to the collage of pictures and notes. When in doubt, just keep digging. Just keep shaking the trees.
I know Harkness lived in Astoria until she was thirteen years old. She must have gone to school somewhere. I access the district website, discover that there is one high school, one middle school, and two elementary schools. Click through to the middle school website, access the staff. Choose the oldest looking teacher, and discover in her profile that she’s recently been recognized for teaching 20 years in the district. I do a search on the award, and find a list of five teachers who have been at the district for twenty years or more. Cross-reference with the current staff at the middle school, and discover that the principal herself is a long-time employee. Her LinkedIn profile indicates she was a former English teacher before becoming vice-principal and then full-fledged principal, a position she has held for three years.
Hooray. Someone in authority. As good a start as any. I don’t expect her to answer her phone on Saturday, but I can at least leave a message. But after three rings, a brisk voice says, “Astoria Middle School, Principal Collins speaking.”
“Oh,” I’m thrown off-stride a little, but arrange to meet her at the school in half an hour.
The middle school building has a red brick veneer and one of those faux-mansard roofs, which looks weird on a one-story structure. The principal is
