Page 75 of Family Affair
“Yes, I have. Such a horrible thing.”
“We are actively investigating this homicide,” he emphasized the word “actively.”
Coco blinked, chewing on her muffin, waiting for him to explain how she would be able to help theiractiveinvestigation.
“Did you happen to be acquainted with Williamson?”
“What? No, I didn’t know him.”
“Have you ever attended his church?”
“No. We’re Methodists. Wasn’t he a Baptist minister?”
“Yes, he was. You’ve never run into him at any social events? I’d be interested to know about things of that nature, no matter how insignificant.”
“No, Detective, never.” Curiouser and curiouser. “Are you sure you’ve got the right person? This seems so unrelated to me.”
“I’m getting to it.” His smile was thin. His eyes were sharp. “Tell me about the Sheffield family. I know you’re acquainted withthem.”
Coco’s curiosity turned to a lead balloon that dropped down somewhere in her stomach.
“You have to be more specific, Detective.”
“Let’s start with Dan, your boyfriend. Did he ever mention Ward Williamson to you? In any context?”
“No, he never did.”
Williamson chewed on it for a moment. “Was he in touch with Williamson recently?”
“Dan? With Reverend Williamson?”
“Has Dan shared with you his family history?”
Somehow, a friendly conversation it wasn’t. “He talked about his brothers and Sheffield Investments, if that’s what you mean,” she said, carefully choosing her words.
“What exactly did he share about his brothers?” Willis obviously wasn’t interested in the company.
She shrugged. “Who they were, where they lived, some funny stories from when they were kids. The usual.”
“Has Dan ever mentioned his late brother Frank?”
“In passing,” Coco strove to sound unconcerned, but the light tone became difficult to maintain.
“Please elaborate on what he said.”
“He said Frank was dead,” she said flatly. “He also said that he doesn’t like talking about him, and neither does his family – because of the scandal he brought on the family, and because his death still hurts.” Everything was exactly as she told Willis, except Dan had never mentioned Frank until she discovered his picture.
“So youarefamiliar with the scandal and a criminal investigation that Frank Sheffield had been involved in.”
“Yes, I heard.” Apprehension stirred. Coco wasn’t sure why she should feel anxious at the mere mention of Frank Sheffield’s name but she did. She always did.
It must be those flipping soulful eyes of his, she figured, recalling her pictures of him tucked away in her drawer. From each one, his eyes called to her, begging her to see something, to solve some puzzle, toknow.
She bit some more of her muffin and chewed. It lost its heavenly taste, and all she tasted now was the excess of sugar that made her teeth ache.
“Have you heard that,” Willis reiterated, staring at his coffee, “at the time of his death, Frank Sheffield faced serious prison time for manslaughter and multiple counts of forgery and fraud?”
Coco paused her chewing. “Manslaughter? I heard hemurdereda reporter.”
