Then maybe Sara had a relationship with someone else along with the pregnancy. Then was that relationship broken off and the pregnancy terminated? Was that how she fell into bed with me? A rebound off another guy? Or another woman?
With Ewes, Devine had thought he might have finally found a woman with whom he could spend the rest of his life. In addition to being beautiful, Ewes had been kind and funny and smart and caring. There had been a spark from their first meeting, which led to other meetings. During firm outings they had ended up spending time together, talking and secretly planning to see each other. Everything had to be kept on the QT because of company rules. And then they had come here and slept together. It had been immensely satisfying to Devine. He had even thought about quitting Cowl and getting another job so that Ewes and he could come out in the open.
But after that night together, she had withdrawn from him, and finally the end had come. Not in an email or a text. Just a look from her in the hallway and a mouthed I’m sorry, Travis. And that had been it. And if Ewes was attracted to women instead of men, he could understand her decision. One had to be who one was.
He turned and walked to what he knew was the guest bedroom. Outside in the hall were two large roller suitcases. He looked at the tags. They were the Eweses’。 They had flown on United from California to here, after the much longer journey from New Zealand to the Golden State.
He stepped inside the bedroom and flicked on the light.
And Devine stopped right in the doorway.
Ellen and Fred were in bed. They would not be waking back up. There was blood all over the bedcovers and they were staring up at the ceiling with lifeless eyes. Ellen Ewes looked surprised. Fred just looked like he was watching TV.
Devine slipped over and touched the woman’s skin. Ice. He tried to bend her arm. Still pretty stiff. He knew that meant rigor was already well established. They’d been dead awhile, he knew. Devine had seen his share of stiff bodies in the Middle East.
He looked for what had killed them. There were slashes in the covers around their chests. A knife, probably. It was a savage attack.
He retreated, wiping off his prints along the way.
He poked his head out the front door and looked all around.
The coast right now was reasonably clear, at least he hoped. He stepped out and closed the door with his coat sleeve over his hand. He set off at a rapid pace and called Campbell along the way and told him what he had discovered.
“Get as far away from there as you can,” said the old general. “Full retreat, Devine.”
“But what about the bodies? The police have to be notified.”
“Leave that to us.”
Devine clicked off and picked up his pace. He reached the subway on Fulton Street and made his way back to Grand Central, covering the four miles in about twelve minutes. He retraced his train’s morning route and eyed Cowl’s place closely when they reached it, looking for any sign of activity, but saw none.
He had seen his share of violent death in war. Bodies mangled beyond all recognition. People he knew and fought alongside. He had grieved and moved on because you had to in a war zone.
But the two bodies in the bed? It had sickened him, shaken him right to his core. He was no longer in a war zone, but it felt like he was.
Devine didn’t make eye contact with anyone the whole ride home.
He grabbed a cab at the station because his legs were rubbery, took it home, went up to his room, and sat on his bed, trying to make sense of what had just happened.
Who would want to kill the Eweses? The same people who killed Sara? But Sara was killed because she had found out that Cowl and Comely was a laundering machine. She knew about the Lombard. She probably knew a lot more. Stamos the same.
But why the parents? Ellen Ewes said she and her daughter were estranged. Why would Sara have told her mother and father anything about Cowl and Comely—and if she hadn’t, why would someone kill her parents? Because the killer was afraid she might have told her parents something? Or since her mom and dad were staying at Sara’s place the killer might have feared the Eweses would find something damaging?
Something felt off about that, but what else could it be?
He went downstairs and grabbed a Coke from the fridge. There was no one here, which was a good thing, because Devine didn’t want to deal with any of his roommates right now.
He sat at the small kitchen table and looked out the window. Someone might have seen him enter and leave Sara Ewes’s old home, where two butchered bodies lay. Campbell said he would take care of notifying the police. But even with that Devine expected a visit from Shoemaker and Ekman. And as unpleasant as the first few encounters had been, he assumed the next one would be the worst of all. If they could find any reason to arrest him, they would.