A Journal of Sin Read Online Free

right? That’s admirable.’ He pulled the curtains back and looked along the windowsill, trying to be as thorough as possible.
    ‘They’ve tried to jimmy the floorboards.’ A corner of the carpet had been pulled back and the edges of the wooden boards damaged. The tool marks were similar to those on the rear door. ‘They didn’t manage it. The boards are still intact.’ The rest of the wine-red carpet lay in perfect place. ‘They’ve searched this room thoroughly. Aside from those drawers, everything has been turned out and checked. Behind the shelves, under the table, the floorboards. What would a priest have that’s so important? It wasn’t like this this morning, right?’
    ‘No, not at all. It was in good order. Pristine, in fact.’ He stood up after failing to move a large pot plant. His fatless frame appeared in good health, but in truth, he was weak and out of shape.
    ‘Is there anything missing now that was here this morning?’
    ‘It’s hard to say, really. I was looking for him, so wasn’t taking in the aesthetic.’ Two years in the job had given her a knack for seeing and recalling details that others wouldn’t. She sometimes forgot the rest of the world didn’t have to remember things the way she did and therefore paid less attention. John didn’t live in a world where anything could go wrong at any time and he’d be asked to recall it all months later whilst a man in a wig fired damning questions across a courtroom.
    ‘Take a good look around.’ He walked around the room, looking closely at this and squinting his eyes at that. Sarah was about to put him out of his misery.
    ‘I don’t know if it’s relevant, but Sean took a book.’
    ‘A book?’
    ‘I came out of the bedroom and he was reading it.’
    ‘What did it look like?’
    ‘Blue, about so big.’ He held his index fingers out about five inches apart. ‘Had last month’s dates on the cover.’
    ‘What was in it?’
    ‘I don’t know. He wouldn’t say, just put it in his back pocket and left.’
    ‘Anymore like it around here?’
    ‘Not that I’ve seen.’
    ‘If anything else comes to mind, let me know. It’s hard to really know without spending a lot of time here.’ He looked relieved and shrugged his shoulders. ‘Was he particularly close with anyone?’
    ‘He spent a lot of time with the old folk, but I doubt they can tell you the contents of their own houses, never mind anyone else’s. Tom’s holding a meeting tomorrow in the church hall, most of the town will be there.’
    ‘Tom?’
    ‘He’s one of the oldest members of the community. With Father Michael missing, he’s the go-to guy.’
    ‘That meeting will be a good place to start asking questions. I don’t want anyone knowing about the burglary, okay? With the roads out, whoever did this is still here. Now, this could be someone who knew Father Michael was missing and saw an opportunity to steal valuables, or it could be connected to his disappearance.’
    ‘I don’t think there’s ever been a burglary here. Word spreads so quickly everyone would have known about it. Who’d target a priest for valuables anyway?’
    ‘Some churches house sought-after artwork or sculptures attracting the highbrow burglar. That sort of thing can fetch thousands, sometimes more, if you know where to sell it. Gold crosses, chalices and other ornaments can make a fair few pounds too and are much easier to shift.’
    ‘Easier to shift? It’s hardly something you’d be able to sell at the pub.’
    ‘Just find some unscrupulous gold trader. They’re on just about every high street now. You’d be surprised what some of them take. And let’s not forget the Internet, the rogues’ playground. We’re done in here. We’ll conclude this room and start on the bedroom.’
    She shone the torch into the bedroom and took a good look. It was small. The bed on the left, next to the fireplace, was turned on its side. The only other furniture was a white bedside cabinet, also