Free Dirty Deeds by Liliana Hart

reverse and we went back down the coastal road at a faster speed than when we’d arrived.
    “How’d you know?”
    “Just a gut feeling,” he said. “She was trying too hard. And her hand was shaking.”
    “She’s eighty-five. Of course her hand was shaking.”
    “It was the way she talked about Leon.”
    “What way? She didn’t say anything bad. I thought she was just teasing about the secret to a long marriage.”
    “Every time she said his name you could see the hatred in her eyes. She made it a point of saying she didn’t know if she and Leon would’ve ended up together if her father hadn’t caught them. What do you want to bet Leon raped her like he raped all those other girls? And Maria’s father was staunch enough in his beliefs to force her to marry her rapist.”
    “Jesus,” I said, rubbing my hands over my eyes.
    “Did you look at the side of the house?”
    “No, I apparently missed every subtle clue while we were at Maria’s.”
    “There was a little lean-to attached to the house. And inside were two bikes sitting side by side. What do you want to bet one of them is Leon’s?”
    “You can’t possibly think Maria had the physical capability to kill her husband.”
    “No, but I guarantee she knew about it ahead of time. And she knows who killed him.”
    “A ten million dollar reward for a Nazi War Criminal. You think money fits the motive?” Because that’s what was stumping me. This was a simple island. And simple people. Money of that caliber wasn’t something they considered as necessary.
    “I need to talk to Ben again. And then I think it’s time we had a meeting at the church.”
    *     *     *
    It had taken Jack a couple of tries to get hold of Carver. In Carver’s words, he still had a day job that consisted of something other than being Jack Lawson’s bitch. But once Jack got him on the phone things started falling into place.
    It hadn’t been hard to get Joe to make an announcement to those who’d been at the church during Leon’s murder. Jack had asked for everyone to meet back at the church that evening before Leon’s wake. He knew how small communities worked. They’d all be too curious to find out what was going on to stay away.
    The rain had been relentless all afternoon, and I was finding that I’d become tired of island life. I wouldn’t have minded packing our stuff and getting the hell out of dodge. Especially after Maria’s reaction to Jack’s question earlier in the day. And by the hostility on everyone’s faces as we gathered at the church, I was guessing Maria had complained loudly about the American couple upsetting her time of mourning.
    “I’m not sure this is appropriate,” Joe said while everyone was taking their seats. Jack had run through everything with me after talking with Carver and my mind was still spinning about the killer. “Maybe it would be best to let this go. I’m sorry I interrupted your honeymoon. But I agree with Father Fernando. I think Leon’s death is the result of an assault committed by a tourist. We’ve had a lot of problems with drunks lately.”
    “That’s perfectly fine,” Jack said. “I’m happy to hand the reins over to you. But I’d appreciate you giving me the floor for a few minutes. As sworn officers of the law, it’s our duty to uphold the law, no matter how much we agree or disagree with it. And the very core of our integrity would be compromised if we knew of a wrong committed and stood back and let it happen. Don’t you agree?”
    Joe swallowed once and then nodded in agreement. “I didn’t know,” he said. “If I had I wouldn’t have asked her your help.”
    “I came to that conclusion myself,” Jack said. And then he turned to the congregation. He stood at the front of the nave, facing the pews. I sat off to the side, wondering if we were going to have to make a quick getaway.
    “I want to thank everyone for indulging me this evening. My wife and I have truly enjoyed the