Faithless in Death (In Death, #52)(66)
“You said she—” Mirium caught herself. “I’m sorry to interrupt, but you said she’d been killed.”
“We’re Homicide, Ms. Wilkey. Ariel Byrd needs our help to bring her killer to justice. Her family needs our help to give them that justice and some sense of closure.”
“We aren’t separate from the world here,” Wilkey began. “During retreats, yes. We separate ourselves in order to feed the spirit, clear the mind, rededicate the heart. But we are part of the whole, and anyone’s death at the hands of another diminishes us. How can we help you find this justice?”
“Did you know Ariel Byrd?”
“I know so many—this is a blessing in my life—but her name doesn’t sound familiar.”
Peabody took out her PPC, brought up Ariel’s photo.
Wilkey sighed. “To help, I must break a vow. But a life is worth more than a promise to abstain from devices.”
He looked carefully at the photo. “So young, poor soul. She doesn’t look familiar. Is she part of the flock, Mirium?”
“I don’t believe so.” She started to say more, then folded her hands and kept her silence.
“She was not. But the person who found her body and contacted the police is. Gwen Huffman.”
“Gwendolyn.” He let out a quiet sigh. “This is tragic for all involved.”
Time for some careful editing, Eve thought. “Ms. Huffman and Ms. Byrd became friendly when Ms. Huffman admired Ms. Byrd’s art.”
“An artist?” Now he smiled his benevolent smile. “A gift given to offer beauty.”
“Ms. Huffman arrived at Ms. Byrd’s apartment early Tuesday morning, for a sitting. A wedding gift for her fiancé.”
“Merit Caine, yes. Gwendolyn’s parents and I have been friends for many years. She will be a lovely bride, and I’m sure a dutiful wife.”
Not anytime soon, Eve thought. “When she arrived that morning, Ms. Huffman states the door was unsecured. She heard music the victim often played when working and, calling out, went inside. She discovered the body. On-scene exam and the medical examiner’s exam confirms Ms. Byrd’s time of death as ten-forty-eight the previous evening.”
“Tragic, as I said, and shocking. We will, of course, do whatever we can to comfort and support Gwendolyn and her parents at this difficult time. But I fail to see how we can help you.”
“I’m unable to share further details of an active investigation with you. I can only tell you that certain aspects, individuals, and areas of that investigation imply a connection between Natural Order and Ms. Byrd’s murder.”
His long gaze mixed sorrow and pity. “I don’t see how that’s possible. We abjure violence. Natural Order is dedicated to spreading peace. We would not and could not take a life, even in defense of our own.”
“The victim was a lesbian of mixed race. Two other things you and your followers abjure.”
He simply kept his gaze—and oh yeah, Eve thought, plenty of crazy in it—locked on Eve’s face.
“We do renounce and denounce such misguided choices, as these false freedoms create discord, strife, and violence. But violence to those so misguided is not the answer.”
At Eve’s glance, Peabody once again consulted her PPC. “Sir, there have been numerous incidents of violence since the inception of your order perpetuated by members. I have a long list here. I can refresh your memory on those incidents.”
“No need.” He waved the PPC and Peabody away. “These unfortunate and tragic incidents were perpetuated by those equally misguided, those who twist the tenets of the order for their own means. We renounce and denounce them as well.”
He opened his arms, much like the statue, as the velvet voice continued.
“True order promotes peace with the embrace and strict adherence to the natural.” He lifted his hands, palms up. “Peace, harmony, a natural balance in all, for all. We educate, reach for the soul and spirit as well as the mind.”
“And how do you deal with those who twist or break your tenets?” Eve reached for Peabody’s PPC. “Like James Burke, Wayne Marshall, and Cody Klark, who set fire to a church in West Texas during a same-sex marriage ceremony, killing three, seriously injuring twelve? That was just last year, so you might remember it.”
He lowered his hands, folded them. “I do, and remain appalled. We leave it to the secular authorities to mete out punishment. The law of the land must be followed and respected.”
“The law of the land states that individuals of the same sex can marry, that individuals of different races may marry—and has for decades in most of the civilized world. The law of the land states a lot of things your tenets claim as aberrations.”
“While we believe these laws are misguided, violence is never the answer. Education,” he insisted in that same eerily soft voice. “Spiritual guidance and support.”
“When you teach these things as tools of evil or abominations or whatever terms you use, you can’t be surprised when those who follow those teachings attack those who don’t.”
He opened his hands now—soft hands, well-manicured, Eve noted. “The human condition, the choices some make in the name of good, doesn’t surprise me. It saddens me, as it saddens me when some make the choice to embrace the unnatural, to choose the crooked path. The woman you speak of made those choices, but I will mourn her death. I will pray for her to be forgiven, pray for her immortal soul.”