under a blanket on the sofa and snooze.
âIâm sorry,â said Gabriel, when the slide show ended. âI donât think any of these people are them.â She wiped her eyes again, barely controlling her tears as she had during the entire process. Jack knew that her grief over Father Brown was genuine and her inability to help added to her grief.
âThe men who were in my basement looked nice,â sniffled Gabriel. âThey didnât look dirty or have long hair and beards like most of the people in these pictures.â
Jack nodded that he understood.
Gabriel leaned back in her chair, extending her arms by her side, and said, âI still donât understand. Father Brown was a beautiful person. He would read bedtime stories to Faith, help Noah with his homework. Babysit.⦠He went out of his way to help complete strangers. He didnât have money ⦠so why? Why would anyone commit such an ungodly act?â
âWeâll do our best to find out who did it and why,â replied Jack.
âMaybe it wasnât the people downstairs. Maybe it was one of those drunken men who keep coming to my yard. Some use very bad language and ââ
âEverything has been cleaned out of the basement,â said Jack. âAlso the door was locked and Father Brown is inside.â
Gabriel stared blankly at Jack. When her mind accepted his reasoning, she focused on another matter. âThereâs blood out on the lawn and the house. Iâll need to clean it,â she said, placing her elbows on the table and covering her face with her hands.
âTry not to think about that,â said Jack, feeling lame. How can she not think of it? âYouâre going to need some emotional support. Iâll put you in touch with Victim Services. They will help you. Is there a place ⦠relatives, somewhere you could stay for a few days?â
âI have a sister in North Van. She has a house ⦠but sheâs married ⦠children. I donât want to impose â¦â
âUnder the circumstances you should stay with her. Youâre still in shock. Itâs difficult to think clearly. You need to do what is best for you and your children.â
Gabriel didnât respond. The silence was broken when Noah and Faith came in and Faith tugged on Gabrielâs sleeve. âMommy, my throat hurts,â she whined, before coughing.
Gabriel lifted her onto her lap and looked at Jack and said, âShe had the mumps vaccination last week and has a bit of a lump on her neck. Likely a small reaction.â
Jack caught the look on Lauraâs face. He knew her concern was the same as his. She said, âJack, why donât you call Natasha and ask her if that type of reaction is normal?â
âNatasha?â asked Gabriel.
âMy wife is a doctor,â explained Jack, getting up from his chair. He walked into the living room and called Natasha on his BlackBerry. He knew the reaction wasnât normal, but hoped he was wrong. Natasha confirmed that he wasnât.
âCan I look at the pictures?â asked Noah as soon as Jack returned to the kitchen.
âSure,â replied Jack. âPush this button each time you want to advance.â
âI know how to use a computer,â said Noah. âAre all these really bad guys?â
âSome are and some might be their friends,â replied Jack.
âBut if youâre friends of a bad guy then arenât you a bad guy, too?â asked Noah.
âYou donât always know who the bad guys are,â replied Jack, glancing at Faith curled up on Gabrielâs lap.
Gabriel stroked Faithâs hair with her hand and asked, âWere you able to talk with your wife? What did she say?â
âUm ⦠she said that type of reaction is not normal and that you should have her checked out right away. It could be a lot of things.â
âLike what?â asked Gabriel, her face
Tabatha Vargo, Melissa Andrea