“They still are,” he said.
“Anyway,” Moore continued, “this gal was hesitant at first. It was her hesitation that gave us the idea that she knew something. So we dug a bit and she finally opened up. Actually, she was just dying to tell us.
“This involves a gal Benbow was counseling. From there it turned into an affair.”
“Before,” Tully said, “you said Benbow ‘had’ this affair. It’s over?”
“Apparently. See, it was this lady who led us to another and another and another-all gossipy types-who filled in some details. Seems Benbow tried to keep it under wraps, took precautions, hardly ever appeared with her in public. But snoops who want to know generally find out. That’s what happened here. That’s why we think it’s not widely known. My guess is most-almost all-of his friends and parishioners are in the dark on this one. But those few who do know are sure of themselves. One of the informants claimed it was all over, that it ended abruptly after Benbow took a trip. From another person who knew nothing of the affair, we learned that that trip was to P.G. Enterprises in California.”
A restrained smile spread over Tully’s face. “So, Krieg found out and threatened to reveal Benbow’s affair-scared him enough to make him end it.”
“That’s what we figure. It’s the only way it makes sense. Shortly after that trip, Benbow stopped visiting the woman completely. Then, for the first time, other men began seeing her, taking her out, visiting her. A little while back, she married one of them.”
“With Krieg’s connections,” Tully said, “he undoubtedly could have found out with his own resources alone. But if that many people knew, it certainly would have been easy for him. So what kind of stick did Krieg hold over him?”
“We figure,” Moore said, “that pulling this out of the closet probably would have ended or seriously compromised Benbow’s writing career. . at least as far as the religious aspect of it was concerned. Probably the Episcopal Church is not as quick with penalties as the Catholic Church, but I doubt they would look the other way when it comes to notorious adultery.”
“Hmmm, the whole ball of wax,” Tully said. “How about his wife?”
“Always the last to know, Zoo,” Moore said. “Far as we can tell, she still doesn’t know. Or, if she does, according to all accounts, she gives no indication she does.” Pause. “So, what do you want to do with this one?”
After a moment’s reflection, Tully said, “Nothin’ just now. There’s no point in it. We already know how Krieg would react. The same way he did when we confronted him with Rabbi Winer’s secret past: ‘Who, me?’ But the pattern is holding true. Two for two. It looks like Krieg was blackmailing these writers to get them to sign a contract with him.
“As far as that theory goes, so far so good. Both Winer and Benbow had secrets that could ruin them if anyone revealed them. I think Krieg threatened both of them. It’s the only thing we know of so far that would explain why they hated him. Now, if we find something similar in the past of the monk and the nun, it’s gonna be a little tight for Krieg to deny the whole thing. And we will have four people with enough motive to commit murder. Any luck with the other two, Angie?”
“Not yet, Zoo. I’ve got a team working on each one. We’re in touch with Augustine’s monastery, going through the various monks and the abbot, of course. Nothing of any significance so far. Before he joined the monastery he worked in a New York ad agency-one of the big ones. But there aren’t too many left there who remember him. It was a long time ago. Lots of the people who worked with him are either retired or dead. But we’re staying with it.
“The nun is a little tougher. She’s been all over the place. Taught at something like twelve schools in this area. Chicago too. Took postgraduate courses at different colleges. Again, all over the place. Now she’s got that job in Florida.”
“The thing is, Angie,” Tully said, “with what you found out about Benbow, the odds go up fast that there’s something in the backgrounds of the other two. There’s gotta be something. If Krieg could find it, by damn we ought to be able to. So, hang in there, Angie, and keep me plugged in. Need any more help?”
“I don’t think so, Zoo. We’re getting the knack. The team’s sort of in the groove; they’re doing a great job. We’re gonna break this one, I just feel it.” With that, Moore hurried back to her troop.
Tully turned to leave and check the progress of the others on his team. Before he could go, Koesler spoke.
“One thing puzzles me, Lieutenant.”
Tully stopped, one eyebrow raised.
“It would seem to me,” Koesler said, “that Reverend Krieg would be the most cooperative person in this whole investigation. After all, it’s his life that’s being threatened. In fact, if it hadn’t been for an unforeseeable fluke, he’d be dead now. Yet he seems to be more an obstacle than a help.”
Tully thought for a moment. “It’s odd, but it’s not unique. You’d naturally expect somebody whose life is on the line to be scared sh. . uh, stiff.” Apparently Tully discarded one word and chose another in its stead. “Ordinarily that’s the way it is. Now somebody’s trying to kill Krieg. You’d assume he’d want to leave town. Or, better, so we’d have a chance to catch his assailant, to at least hole up in his apartment with security while we investigate the case and come up with the perp. You’d assume he’d be the most scared and cooperative guy possible.
“But it doesn’t always work out that way. Sometimes it’s macho bravado. The guy doesn’t want to admit that anything could scare him. I think there’s a little of that here. That might explain what’s goin’ on, at least to some extent.”
“Yes,” Koesler said, “that could explain it. Just in the short time I’ve known him, he strikes me as one who would not want to admit to any weakness or fear. It would compromise his professed confidence in God and God’s alleged commitment to protect him. It might wipe that perpetual grin off his face. It would compromise. And. .” he grew more thoughtful, “something that occurred to me while you were explaining this. I’ve met a few people over the years who never give up. When they want something, nothing stands in their way. They simply don’t understand ‘no’ and won’t take it for an answer.”
“Sounds good,” Tully said.
“Applying that theory,” Koesler continued, “Reverend Krieg probably considers Rabbi Winer a lost commodity rather than a murdered human being. And even if one of the three remaining writers wants him dead, he’s probably still counting on signing the other two. Probably he is constitutionally incapable of conceiving that he could be killed along the way.
“As I say, I’ve met his type before.” Koesler shook his head. “But I still can’t comprehend such bullheadedness, especially in the face of betting one’s life on the outcome-” He looked startled. “Well, speak of the. .”
A small entourage was making its way down the corridor. At its center was Klaus Krieg. In his retinue were a few steely-eyed men and women, who, Koesler correctly surmised, were police officers. The others were students. Though he didn’t know their names, Koesler recognized their faces.
The company passed Tully and Koesler seemingly without noticing them. The police were on the lookout specifically for any danger. The students were hanging on each of Krieg’s words. And Krieg, a smile on his lips, was happily pontificating. As he passed, he exclaimed, “Praise God!”
In their wake, Koesler sniffed. “Cigars?”
“Krieg,” Tully said. “Didn’t you get the odor in the residence hall?”
“Yes, now that you mention it. But I didn’t know who was smoking. Now that I think of it, the odor wasn’t there yesterday, but it was there strongly this morning. And the only difference was that Reverend Krieg stayed here last night while he spent the previous night downtown at the Westin.
“Funny,” Koesler added, “I haven’t seen the Reverend smoke. Not in the classroom or the dining room.”
“Somebody said he doesn’t smoke when there’s a chance anybody’d be offended by it.”