When Evan arrived at the Woodwich cottage in a carriage, there were already many people in the house. Sheriff Chandler and several police officers surrounded the entrance of the house, and the surrounding neighbors stretched their necks to the house. Look around, as if you can see something like this.
As soon as Evan got off the carriage, Sheriff Chandler found him, he walked straight towards Evan and said, "For God's sake, you are finally here, I just sent one The sergeant is going to invite you, come in quickly, Mrs. Lawrence is utterly hysterical."
Evan can completely imagine the blow to Mrs. Lawrence. Just a few days ago, she was leading her son to show off, and her affection was beyond words. But today, something like this happened. Mrs. Lawrence can be calm That's weird.
"Mr. Sheriff, please tell me first, what's going on?" Evan asked while following Sheriff Chandler inside.
Sheriff Chandler waved angrily at the homeless man who was craned his neck outside the fence to look inside, complaining: "Gypsies! Look at what Delan Lier has become, we shouldn't be passing through. Train, look what this has brought to this peaceful town! This is a disaster, I swear, it must have been a gypsy, and only these people can be so mad!"
"Is it a murder? Sheriff?" Evan looked at Sheriff Chandler in surprise.
Sheriff Chandler lowered his voice and leaned into Evan and said, "Yes, it was murder, Mr. Reverend, can you believe it? Murder! In Derain!"
Evan had a shocked look on his face, but he was muttering to himself, you are surprised now, but you won't feel that way in the future.
"My God, this is horrible." Evan quickly crossed his chest, like a truly devout Protestant.
Chandler looked at Evan's pale face, for fear that he would faint if he accidentally passed out, and hurriedly said: "But don't worry, I will catch this beast soon, and now I want to ask you to appease it. Come on Mrs Lawrence, let's take out Mr Lawrence Jr.'s body first."
Evan's nerves were naturally not as slender as Sheriff Chandler imagined. He pursed his lips tightly and nodded in response.
As soon as Evan entered the house, he heard Mrs. Lawrence's shrill voice coming from the living room. Sheriff Chandler frowned and strode toward the living room. Evan trotted after him.
In the living room, Mrs. Lawrence was still wearing pajamas, her hair was disheveled and her eyes were red and swollen. She hugged the two police officers who were carrying a stretcher and screamed: "You gangsters, put down my little John! He was asleep! He couldn't have died! He couldn't have left his poor mother to bear it all!" she said, beating the policeman with a look of madness in her eyes.
Sheriff Chandler was very angry when he saw it, and said loudly: "Enough! Mrs. Lawrence, we know your sorrow, but please don't interfere with our case!"
Sheriff Chandler's momentum quelled Mrs. Lawrence's madness for a while.
"Handling the case?" Mrs. Lawrence turned to look at Sheriff Chandler, the sadness in her eyes almost overflowing, her thin body was trembling and she could barely stand. Couldn't help but feel a little moved.
"No... it can't be, my john is so obedient, so lovely, he can't just leave his poor mother's..."
She was about to fall as she spoke, and Sheriff Chandler hurriedly stepped forward to support her with a soft tone: "Madam, you see, I have invited Pastor Bruce here, and he will pray for John's soul. Yes, you don't have to worry at all, things have already happened, and I would like to ask your condolences."
Mrs. Lawrence hardly heard Sheriff Chandler's words, and her mouth was still murmuring, how obedient and sensible John was, as if nothing else in the world could make her distracted.
In the end, Mr. Lawrence couldn't listen anymore. Before that, he had been sitting on the sofa by the fireplace with a sullen face. He stood up abruptly, pulled Mrs. Lawrence from the sheriff's hand, and said sharply: " All right! Enough! Stop making trouble! What's the point of saying these words again! You spoiled him!"
Mr. Lawrence was talking nonsense, but he didn't even dare to look at John. His lips were trembling, and his cloudy eyes were a little red, as if he was about to cry in the next moment.
But he didn't cry, but Mrs. Lawrence did. Her voice was so sad and desperate, like a mother beast who had lost her cub, and everyone present couldn't help but be moved.
Of course, these people also include Evan. Even if he is really hard-hearted, when he faces this kind of scene, his heart can't help softening. Evan lowered his head and made a cross, and muttered a paragraph in his mouth. Prayer, and walked to the stretcher carrying John.
Evan lifted the white cloth covering John's face. His eyes were wide and his face was pale, and there seemed to be a trace of puzzlement in his eyes. I really thought he didn't expect all this to happen to him. In fact, Evan didn't either. Did not expect.
Sheriff Chandler walked over to Evan silently and said in a low voice, "Poor child, someone hit the back of his head with a lamp, and he died just like that. He was only twenty-two years old, and he had a lovely fiancée. A life that ended so early."
Evan didn't respond to Sheriff Chandler's sigh. He half-kneeled in front of John, put the Bible on John's forehead, crossed his chest, and recited a prayer. Then he covered the white cloth and stood up. stand up.
"Have you found out who did it?" Evan asked in a low voice.
Sheriff Chandler smiled a little embarrassedly: "There is no conclusion yet, it still needs further verification by the forensic doctor, otherwise there is no way to determine the real time of death."
Evan raised his eyebrows, did not speak, and turned to Mrs. Lawrence to do his job and comfort her.
Mrs. Lawrence was still crying in Mr. Lawrence's arms, and now she saw Evan coming, like a drowning man who grabbed the last straw, and broke free from Mr. Lawrence's arms, clutching tightly. Holding Evan's arm, he mournfully said, "Mr. Pastor, my John is a good boy. He can go to heaven, right?"
Evan helped Mrs. Lawrence to sit down and said softly: "Don't worry, John is a devout believer, and God will use his broad mind to accept him into heaven, no matter what he has done."
When Evan said this, he looked at the expressions of the Lawrence and his wife meaningfully. Mrs. Lawrence didn't realize it and didn't react at all. Mr. Lawrence also lowered his head and smoked a cigar with a sad expression on his face. His expression did not change at all.
Evan was a little confused for a while, didn't Jimmy shake this thing out.
During the time when Evan was comforting Mrs. Lawrence, Dr. Hester happened to come down from the upstairs. His eyes were full of excitement, but when he saw Evan's reproachful eyes, he became somewhat embarrassed to restrain himself. He stepped forward, took out a tube of tranquilizer, put two drops in Mrs. Lawrence's water glass, handed it to Mrs. Lawrence and said, "Madame, drink a little, it's good for you."
Mrs. Lawrence had completely lost her strength at this time. She took Dr. Hester's water glass in a daze and drank it in one gulp.
Mr. Lawrence stood up, supported Mrs. Lawrence, and said solemnly: "Thank you, Dr. Hester, Pastor Bruce, I feel a little sick now, so I won't send you two, please do it yourself."
Having said that, he helped Mrs. Lawrence up to the second floor.
Evan looked at this situation, and it was not good to stay here any longer. He also stood up and said to the doctor: "Let's go, this poor couple has experienced enough today, don't bother them anymore. "
Dr. Hester looked a little unfinished, but he didn't dare to say anything more, so he agreed with Evan with a smile, and left the Lawrence house with Evan.
After leaving the Woodwich hut, Dr. Hester immediately took a carriage to the police station. He was a small town doctor and the only forensic doctor in the police station. Today he needs to dissect the body.
But Evan did not leave immediately. He avoided the more or less visiting eyes around the hut, and went back from the backyard of the house. He passed through the fake fence gate and entered the garden of Lawrence's house. It was the kitchen, and he had heard Jimmy say that he had a good relationship with one of the cooks in the kitchen.
Evan walked outside the kitchen door, but found that the kitchen door was open. He walked in and heard a faint cry. Evan followed the cry and walked over, and saw a little girl in a maid outfit. She was covering her eyes and sobbing.
When she heard someone coming, she raised her head hastily, and when she saw it was Evan, she breathed a sigh of relief: "Oh, it's you, Pastor Bruce, do you need anything?" She wiped her red eyes, her voice still lingering With a hint of crying, her face is still delicate and beautiful, with a hint of childishness of a girl.
Evan smiled softly and whispered, "I'm here to find Jimmy, is he there?"
The maid seemed a little surprised by what Evan said. In her opinion, it was impossible for a low-level person like Jimmy to know a gentleman like a priest.
"Oh... oh, you came to see Jimmy..." The maid's expression suddenly became a little cramped: "But... But, look, Jimmy left Woodwich Cottage early this morning. He said he had a new job. , to leave here, he should be going home."
"Jimmy found a new job?" Evan couldn't help frowning. That night, Jimmy was worried about being fired. How did he find a new job today, Evan was a little puzzled.
Seeing that Evan's expression was wrong, the maid became more and more cramped: "Mr. Pastor, you... Do you have anything to do with him?"
Seeing the horror in her eyes, Evan couldn't help but smile: "No, it's just that he left something in the church last time, so I'll just ask."
"Oh, so that's what happened." The maid sighed with relief: "Jimmy is such a person, he always likes to throw things around. I can give you the address of his home, and you can send it directly."
Evan nodded and took down the address the maid said.
Just before he was about to leave, he glanced at the faintly emerald green lace ribbon in the maid's hair, and suddenly said, "Why did you cry just now?"
The maid's face, which had already been relieved, instantly flushed red, and she was holding back her tears, so she stammered: "Because... because Master John died, he was a good master, and we all miss him very much. ."
Hearing this, Evan twitched the corners of his mouth slightly. The term John and good master have nothing to do with it. At the last banquet, he had seen John scolding the manservant more than once. I'm afraid this little maid has something to hide. the secret.
Evan looked at the maid at a glance, and smiled gently: "My child, the door of Delan Lier Church is always open for you, no matter what kind of trouble you encounter, you can come to me, God will not Close the door for any devout believer."
After he finished speaking, he ignored the sad-looking maid, turned around and left the Lawrence house.