Page 15 of Whispers of Sin
Theo wanted a name, and he was willing to wait out in the cold to get it.
From his position, he could see the corner café that was located on the opposite corner of the intersection. Sylvie had placed a call to Michael Davis first thing this morning, and the mortgage lender agreed to meet her for a cup of coffee. Seeing as Theo had nothing better to do while waiting for Sophia to exit the gallery, he constructed a text for Sylvie with details regarding Michael Davis’ suspected infidelity that caused the end of his relationship with Bella Kadel.
The chill of the cold wind began to seep into his clothes, and it wasn’t long before his eye patch mimicked that of an ice cube. The leather had absorbed the cold. Five minutes passed slowly. Once that amount of time had doubled, Theo began to suspect that Sophia wasn’t going to make that special delivery until later this evening.
Finally, Sophia rounded the corner. She was wearing a long puffer coat in an odd shade of green, but it somehow worked with the tasteful outfit she’d worn underneath. He noticed the moment that she’d caught sight of him from the way her steps faltered, but she kept ahold of what could only be a small painting wrapped in brown paper.
“I thought that you might be more willing to share information without an audience,” Theo said softly as to not startle her. “I couldn’t help but notice your reaction earlier during my question about Bella having a problem with someone at work. I’m surprised you didn’t mention it earlier.”
“I really didn’t think about it until we were standing in front of Lauren Kim’s painting.” Sophia came to a stop in front of him. From the way she was gripping the canvas, he doubted that she would accept his offer to hold it. “And I’m not sure it’s anything of significance. Clearly, Maxwell didn’t seem inclined to mention her, and I don’t want to cause a problem where there isn’t one.”
Theo thought back to the unsettling painting. Maybe it had captured his attention because the red hue on the canvas came very close to matching the same shade of lipstick that Bella had been wearing on the day that she was killed in her home.
“Whatever you tell me will be kept in complete confidence,” Theo reassured her, his voice steady despite the chill. Sophia’s cheeks and nose had already begun to turn slightly pink in the short amount of time that she’d been standing in front of him. “It would do me no good to go around sharing what people were saying about Bella.”
The way that Theo had worded his sentence had obviously piqued Sophia’s interest, but his intention to get her to spill the truth had worked.
“Bella was the one who discovered Lauren, but around a month before Bella was killed, the two of them got into a disagreement over a series of paintings that Lauren wanted to display at one of her exhibits.” Sophia shifted her stance so that she could keep an eye on the crosswalk. “Bella thought that the collection was too dark. She was afraid that Lauren would tarnish her reputation and ultimately lose sales. Bella wouldn’t agree to an exhibit.”
“How did Lauren take such a rejection?”
“Artists can be very…dramatic. Lauren was angry. She accused Bella of stifling her artistic vision. She was being loud enough that Bella had to hold the phone away from her ear.” Sophia paused as if recalling the phone conversation. “That was maybe a week before Bella died, but I’m pretty sure that Lauren called to apologize for her behavior. I can see why Maxwell didn’t want to say anything.”
Theo had already written down Lauren Kim’s name, and he would be sure to follow up with the artist. Nothing was insignificant when it came to these types of investigations. Considering the disconcerting emotions that Kim’s painting had evoked in him, those dark images had to come from somewhere.
“I don’t want to keep you,” Theo said with a small smile of appreciation. She clearly didn’t want his help with the framed artwork, and he wouldn’t hold her up any longer. “Thank you, Sophia.”
“I do hope you catch whoever killed Bella. And if the same guy did murder Piper Zimmer, no one is going to feel safe until an arrest is made.”
Theo didn’t bother to correct Sophia’s assumption that the unsub was a man. Statistically, most serial killers were men. The profile suggested otherwise, and such a detail altered the way that they would conduct the investigation.
Sophia was in the right age bracket of the unsub, but until Brook flushed out more characteristics, the woman was just another potential piece of the puzzle. A subject with her own unique perspective.
With a final nod, Theo stepped to the side and began to walk toward the bustling main thoroughfare through town. There was no shortage of tasks to complete in the coming days. Interviews, evidence analysis, and the constant pursuit of leads that had already been turned over in the short amount of time that he’d spoken with two people.
“Mr. Neville?”
Theo stopped and turned around to find that Sophia had already carefully stored the package that she had been carrying in the trunk of her car. She still stood behind her vehicle, not making a move to walk around to the driver’s side door.
“I doubt this has anything to do with your investigation, but Bella mentioned that Lauren Kim was seeing someone. It was just in casual conversation, but it seemed to bother Bella for some reason.” Sophia wrapped her arms around her waist while gripping her car keys in her right hand. “You have me thinking about every little thing that happened in the weeks leading up to Bella’s death. I don’t like second-guessing everything from back then, especially if it turns out that I didn’t mention something to the police that could have made a difference.”
Theo figured that Sophia was still stuck on a male subject being the killer. Maybe she was trying to rationalize her feelings for Lauren Kim by suspecting the artist had coerced someone else to kill Bella Kadel.
“Sophia, is there something about Lauren Kim that scares you?”
“I’m not into auras or anything like that, but Lauren is very…dark. So, I guess the answer to your question is yes. Lauren Kim scares me.”
Chapter Eight
Sylvie Deering
December 2023
Monday — 2:41pm
Thecomfortableambianceinsidethe corner café wasn’t just due to the colorful, holiday garland that had been strung around the checkout counter. Nor was it because of the tall Christmas tree that stood proudly in the corner, its ornaments glittering like bright, tiny stars. It had more to do with the dark wood of the tables, chairs, and the cozy booths along the far wall. It also helped that there was a pleasant scent of cinnamon and nutmeg in the air, mingled with the aroma of freshly brewed coffee.
Sylvie had stepped into the welcoming warmth and pulled off her gloves as she scanned the patrons for any sign of Michael Davis. She’d arranged to meet him here, hoping that such a public setting might make him feel more comfortable than had she shown up at his office at the local bank. There was no male individual inside the café that matched Michael’s physical description.