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“Like you said before, I’m listening. And I can give you my expert opinion.”
I bet you can, and then you’ll run off and tell your uncle, wherever he’s hiding, which might be right here.
The front door opened and closed and Fred Bing walked in, his hair and coat wet.
She looked at him. “Why didn’t you pull into the garage, Fred?”
“My damn remote didn’t work again.” He looked at Devine. “Hey, sorry I’m late for dinner. I hope you two went ahead and ate.”
“No, we waited for you,” said Guillaume. “And I’ve been having an interesting discussion with Mr. Devine.”
Fred took a long sniff. “Well, your beef stew is calling me.”
They all went in to eat.
Guillaume only had eyes for Devine. And for his part, he was surreptitiously watching her every step of the way at the same time he was on the lookout for the hulking Benjamin Bing to jump out with a gun.
CHAPTER
75
THE STEW WAS EXCELLENT, ANDDevine watched in some amusement as Bing sopped up every drop of it with his bread before pushing back from the table. The tall man was as thin as a rail but had eaten three helpings.
The burial business must burn lots of calories.
But then he recalled that the man was also an outdoor enthusiast.
Guillaume rose and started clearing dishes, brushing off both men’s offers to help. “You two just sit here and chat. I’ll make some coffee.” She disappeared into the kitchen.
A couple of minutes of silence ensued. Bing finished his water and wiped his mouth with his napkin before running his own amused gaze around the dining room table that could easily have sat twenty.
“A little much?” offered up Devine after watching him.
“There are plenty of rooms in this house I’ve never actually been in,” replied Bing.
Devine grinned. “I’m sure.” His expression turned serious. “Hey, what else can you tell me about your uncle Ben?”
“Like what?” asked Bing.
“Just your overall impression.”
Bing sat back and played with his napkin. “Well, for starters, my grandfather was a brute. Ruthless and greedy. There, I said it and I’m not ashamed.” He smiled briefly. “The three sons were the recipients of all that. My father, Ted, and my uncle, John, were all about doing what my grandfather wanted. He wanted them to follow him into the business, so they did.”
“And Ben?”
“Wanted no part of the funeral home world or my grandfather for that matter. He joined the Army and then came back here and became a policeman. And he loved to throw that in his father’s and brothers’ faces.”
“Do you remember Wilbur Kingman’s funeral?”
“Sure. The whole town came out for it.”
“I watched a video of the service. Earl had a DVD.”
“Yes, we film the service if the family requests it and then make copies available to whoever wants one.”
“Doesn’t it make people uncomfortable having a camera at a funeral? And I’m surprised a church would allow it.”
“No, the service was at ourchapel, not a church. I believe Pat was raised Catholic, but the Kingmans weren’t churchgoers. And folks never see the camera equipment, it’s built into the wall of the chapel. It was my father’s idea. He actually charged for it. But we give them out for free now. Not a video or DVD, of course. Now it’s just a downloadable copy.”
