Treacherous Secrets novel Chapter 30

"No," Harold whispered back, "and I haven't seen anyone talk to Emily that I thought could potentially be setting her up. So far, most of the people I've seen seem to be here more for her benefit than her husband's."

"I was thinking the same thing, except for the Chases. When the preacher starts wrapping up, let's go back out and position ourselves so we can see how people react as they are leaving."

"That's a good idea," Harold said.

It didn't take long for the preacher to finish. Janice and Harold quickly took their positions. Harold next to the door at the back of the room where he could check out the people who were going to slip out without going up to the casket, and Janice by the front door where people would be coming out after they had visited the casket.

As with most funerals, the people in the back rows got up to leave first, filed up to the casket and then left. Janice saw a few of the women weeping. She suspected these were previous or current lovers.A few people actually touched his hands, which were folded over his chest. Most people just looked from a few inches back. Everyone who left stopped and said something quietly to Emily, who was crying in earnest as a wife should be.

Janice watched very closely as the Chases got up. She tried to make it look like she wasn't watching them in particular. She noticed that Harold had moved in behind the Chases. Walter Chase stopped and bent down to speak to Emily quietly. She was nodding and wiping her eyes. His wife also bent down and whispered something.

Frank Chase leaned down and said something to Emily as well, but it couldn't have been more than a few words. Frank's wife didn't even look at Emily. Harold looked at Janice with a raised eyebrow. Walter stopped in front of the casket, but was several inches back. Frank stepped a little closer, forcing his wife to step closer as well. Harold was just a few steps behind them. Janice glanced at him and in that split second, Frank's wife tripped and grabbed the side of the casket. It shook like it might tip, but Frank and Walter both grabbed to stabilize it. Emily jumped up to see what had happened."Are you okay?" she asked.

Cecelia Chase turned to her. "I'm fine," she said curtly. "Got my heel caught in the carpet."

Harold looked at Janice. That was interesting, Janice thought. Why is this woman being so cold to Emily if she doesn't even know her? Janice looked down at the smooth carpet. Where did she catch her heel?

When the Chases walked past her, Janice made a point to note all the jewelry, as well as the lack of jewelry, on their hands. Walter didn't wear any jewelry and didn't have tan lines saying that he had taken any jewelry off. His wife had three rings, all with diamonds on them. Frank was wearing a wedding band. He had his right hand in his pocket so she couldn't see if he had a ring on that hand. His wife was wearing four rings. Two made up her wedding ring and band. She had one on the middle finger of her right hand that formed a raised football shape and was covered in diamonds and a small pinky ring that looked like a signet ring.

Janice really wished she could see those rings up close but she couldn't think of a way to do that without just snatching the woman's hand and gawking at it. The diamond ring was too big to have caused the indentation in Kenton's head; the pinky ring might have done it but was probably too small. Without probable cause, they couldn't even bring the Chases in for questioning. There was absolutely nothing that pointed toward them, except the fact that Frank and Damon seemed pretty close, but that didn't really have anything to do with the murder, at least it wouldn't to a judge.

As everyone filed out the doors and started getting in their cars, Janice and Harold went back into the room with the body. Janice looked at the body. There was a tan line around Kenton's pinky where a ring had been. "I didn't notice this before," she said, pointing at the tan line.

"Did he have any jewelry on when we brought him in?" Harold asked.

The director was peering into the casket. "Of course," he said and looked up at Janice. "That was not in there earlier when we opened the casket for today's viewing."

"Do you video tape the entire funeral for the family?" Harold asked.

"Yes," the director said. "I'll make sure you get a copy of it as soon as possible. I'm going to go stall the pallbearers." He left the room and closed the doors behind him.

Janice and Harold could hear him talking to the pallbearers outside the door. "I wonder what he's telling them," Janice said.

"Hopefully something that won't let them know we found something. If the ring was placed in here today and it turns out to have the markings that match the ones on Kenton's temple that means the killer was here today," Harold said.

"Hopefully the video caught the person actually putting the ring in here."