Page 14 of Deadly Sins: Gluttony
And anger to a motive for murder?
10
Stepping out of the wake, I spotted a young woman slouched against a silver sedan, her fingers brushing at tear-streaked eyes.I crossed to her and handed her a tissue I’d pulled from my bag.
“Hi, I’m Sloane,” I said.
“Hazel.”
“Are you all right?”
She shrugged, then said, “I’m in shock, I guess.”
The young woman had the fresh, unpolished look of someone just stepping into adulthood—jeans frayed at the knees, a hoodie two sizes too big, and her hair pulled into a messy bun that somehow suited her.
“Did you know Gideon or his family?”I asked.
“I didn’tknow him, know him, but we’ve met.I worked at the bakery.I was told I’m the last person who saw him alive.”
She wadded the tissue and blew her nose into it.
“Would you mind me asking what time you left work on the night he died?I asked.
“It was just after five o’clock, closing time.”
“Did you speak with Gideon before you left?”
“For a few minutes, yeah.He seemed like a nice guy.He told me he’d decided to close the business and then said I could take all the leftover pastries home if I wanted.”
“Were you surprised to hear the bakery was going out of business?”
She shrugged.“Kinda.I knew he was torn about whether to keep it open or to close it down, but I didn’t think he’d make up his mind as fast as he did.”
“Why not?”
“Camille said one minute he was open to discussing ideas about how to make the business more profitable, and the next he was saying it was a burden, a weight he didn’t want to deal with anymore.”
“When Camille shared that with you, what was her demeanor like?”
“She seemed sad.She misses her mom, and I think the bakery was something that made her feel like she was still close to her.”
“Have you ever spoken to Martin about it?”
“No, I’ve only ever dealt with Camille.Why?You don’t think that one of them may have, umm …”
“Murdered Gideon?”
“Yeah.”
“I hope not, but I have to look at it from all angles,” I said.“Aside from offering you the pastries and letting you know the business was shutting down, did Gideon say anything else to you that night?”
She bit her lip, thinking.“He apologized about me being out of a job and told me to have a good night.”
“How did you feel about losing your job?”
“I only worked there for a couple of weeks, so yeah, I was bummed about it, but Camille offered to write me a letter of reference, so I’m sure I’ll be able to find another job soon.I’m staying with my grandmother right now, so I don’t have a lot of bills.”
I hesitated, weighing if there was anything else I needed to ask while I had her attention.“When you were working that day, did you notice anything out of the ordinary, anything unusual?”
