Death in the Secret Garden by Richard; Forrest Page A

adolescent seductresses to kittens learning to pounce on harmless things before becoming true predators. He didn’t think his wife would care for that analogy. ‘So, maybe the girl was a little comeonish, but few mature men, particularly a minister, would put any significance in her true sexual signals.’
    â€˜Some men are naive. When his holiness gets the teenage seduction number done on him, he takes it for real. He makes a date to meet her in the woods for a little hanky-panky bird-watching. Or, it came down another way. He’s out there alone checking on a sparrow flyby. He catches her nude sunbathing. When she turns him down he kills her in a rage.’
    â€˜Do you have much experience with crime among the bird-watching set?’
    â€˜I admit to very little. But new dimensions in modern decadence are constantly being discovered,’ the police chief said.
    â€˜If I buy that possibility,’ Lyon said, ‘I’d want to know why the good canon was out in the woods with a handgun.’
    â€˜He was worried about an attack by a flight of crazed robins.’
    â€˜Think about how our canon looks and how he ordinarily acts,’ Lyon said. ‘How many rages do you think that guy gets in a decade?’
    â€˜Enough to kill two of our women.’
    â€˜Come on, Rocco. Even you can’t cobble a case against the canon with a straight face.’
    â€˜Let me tell you something, old buddy. Outside of innocent bystanders gunned down during a drug turf war—which we have none of in Murphysville—most killers and victims know each other. They have some prior relationship.’
    â€˜I have another possibility,’ Lyon said. ‘You’ve scratched Skee Rumford off your list. He had a relationship with both women. He was Boots’ lover and his family were church members at Saint James. Let’s assume Skee finds out about Barbara Styles’ collection-plate pilfering. He tries to shake her down. She objects. He threatens her with the gun stolen from Eddy Rashish. Gun goes off. He plants patch to implicate Spook in a second killing.’
    â€˜He has an airtight alibi for the morning Boots was killed.’
    â€˜Allegedly in class.’
    â€˜Attendance records prove it.’
    â€˜What class?’
    Rocco consulted his ubiquitous small notebook. ‘Survey course in English lit.’
    â€˜I taught for too many years, Rocco. A large undergraduate seminar like that could have a hundred students. Attendance is taken by signing a sheet, not by personal knowledge of the instructor.’
    â€˜Does that mean anyone could sign for someone else?’ Rocco asked.
    â€˜A possible. Did you personally examine the sign-in sheet?’
    â€˜Hell, Lyon, I have twelve officers in my department. On a good day I can muster three for a shift. I called the college and someone in the Dean’s office verified Skee’s attendance.’
    â€˜I think you had better check it out in person,’ Lyon said.
    â€˜Incoming!’ Sarge Renfroe bellowed before he broke into huge belching laughs.
    â€˜Take cover!’ Spook screamed. His shot and beer rocketed toward the ceiling as he dove across the room to slide head-first under a booth.
    Rocco ignored the incident, but seemed mesmerized by a vehicle driving past the bar. ‘I think we have two stops on our way to check attendance sheets at the college.’
    â€˜Take Spook to the VA hospital is one; what’s the other?’ Lyon asked.
    â€˜Judge Styles just tooled his Lincoln down the street doing a cool seventy.’
    â€˜I thought you yanked his license?’
    â€˜I did. And this is a thirty-mile-an-hour zone. Bring Spook,’ Rocco said as he dashed for his cruiser.
    Lyon bent over the booth to see that Spook had both arms pulled over his head. ‘You’ve been wounded by a small piece of shrapnel, soldier. We’re going to the battalion aid station.’
    â€˜Thanks,