Free The Dead of Winter by Peter Kirby

He’s a priest who works in the Cathedral, and Dr. Grenier says he was the spiritual advisor to the victims and knew them all. I went looking for him last night, and he’s disappeared. We need to find him as quickly as possible. Any luck on the Santa suits?”
    â€œNot much, sir. There were almost 400 Santa suits rented out over the holidays. Four different companies – two downtown, one in NDG, and the other in Laval. We’ve talked to the owners of all the stores, and they’re all ready to show their records.”
    â€œOK. Have a couple of officers pick them up and bring them to their stores. No, forget Laval for the moment. Let’s concentrate on the Island. Not all Santa suits are the same, so bring photos of our Santa and get the names and addresses of everyone who rented a similar suit. See if they recognize anything special. And tell them that when the rentals come back, they should check for dirt and moisture and hold onto anything that looks that looks like it was worn outside. You can’t go wandering around in the middle of winter in a Santa costume without getting wet.”
    â€œYes, sir,” said St. Jacques. “Oh, and the Coroner’s office is having someone dig out what they can on any similar deaths in the last year. They said that it might take some time but I’ll keep after them. Nobody seems to keep records on the numbers. I called the city, the hospitals, the shelters. Nobody counts them but people were guessing anywhere from twenty to forty people, depending on what you include: drug overdoses, beatings or just plain natural causes.”
    â€œAny calls?”
    â€œSince I came on shift, we’ve had 23,” said Janvier. I’m taking them with D.S. Roberge.”
    â€œAnything interesting?”
    â€œNothing on the victims. The usual crap on Santa: looks like my cousin Pierre, that sort of thing. We’re taking the details but it’s going to take time to check them all out. But look at the photos. You can’t see the guy’s face, and he’s dressed in a costume.”
    â€œSo how did the papers get the photos? Can someone talk to Morneau and see if he has any ideas?”
    â€œYes, sir. I’ll do it,” said Janvier.
    â€œSo, St. Jacques, you keep following up with the Santa suits. Janvier and Roberge, keep on the phones and let me know if anything strange turns up. See if you can track down next of kin. And can we all try to figure out who’s feeding the press? Laurent, you and I are going to find Father Drouin.”
    Vanier’s phone rang. He fished it out of his pocket and didn’t recognize the number.
    â€œVanier,” he said.
    â€œInspector Vanier, this is Sergeant Julie Laflamme. Just calling to tell you that I’ve had a call from Chief Inspector Bédard. He wants me to handle the media on the homeless cases. I am on my way to Montreal now, and I wanted to ask you not to make any public statements until we have had a chance to talk. Is that OK, sir?”
    â€œPerfect, Sergeant Laflamme. When are you proposing to get here?”
    â€œI should be there in two hours. I was skiing in Tremblant. I’m trying to set up a press conference for 3 p.m. They’re clamouring for information, but let’s keep things quiet until then, Inspector. It’s important that we manage the communications on this one, sir.”
    â€œSergeant Laflamme, the media seem to be doing pretty well without any help from me. But you have my word on it. I’ll hang up on any journalist who calls me. See you soon.” Vanier clicked disconnect.
    Turning to Laurent, Vanier asked, “Who were you with on Christmas Eve? I didn’t see anyone.”
    â€œD.S. Fletcher, sir. He worked Christmas Eve, but he’s off today.”
    â€œSo where was he when I was there?”
    â€œHe was interviewing staff, I think. It’ll be in his notes. He’s been following up, though. I spoke to