“I was a terrible husband, Juleen,” Donatti said. “I’m sure beating her sealed the deal. Now no more questions. You have your afternoon studies to think about. You need to forget about this and concentrate on your lessons.”

“Can I skip my lessons today, Chris?” Her eyes watered. “I’m feeling a little sad.”

“No, you may not skip your lessons, Juleen. You want to feel ordinary again, do something ordinary.”

“Poor Sanjay.” Tears rolled down her cheeks.

“I know you feel bad for him,” Donatti said. “But you can feel bad and still be educated at the same time. Go take out your violin and run through some scales before your teacher gets here, okay?”

She nodded.

“Good.” This time, Donatti made it to the door. His mind was still reeling from his conversation with Devek. Chickens were perceived as cowardly, but the males of the species were quite the opposite. Roosters were vicious. There was a reason a dick is also called a cock.

He shook his head as he climbed down the stairs. Despite his degrees, Devek was a weakling. If he wouldn’t willingly go to Sanjay … well, then Donatti had no choice but to make him see the light.

McADAMS TOOK A sip of the bar’s featured wine, a red called Variations Five that had a good nose and was very drinkable. He, Decker, and Marge Dunn were sitting in a spacious wine tasting room during happy hour. The area featured high ceilings, a concrete floor, and a U-shaped bar that enclosed the servers who poured wines available for purchase. There were also raised tables and stools spread in the area. On the walls and in the bins were bottles of wine and drinking paraphernalia for sale, along with some edibles. It was becoming crowded with people piling in after work. Decker picked up a lamb slider and bit into it. It was worth coming out just for the kosher food.

He wiped his mouth and said, “Pauline’s past makes everything harder, but it does give us a starting point.”

“The exes,” Marge said.

“They are, at the very least, known quantities.”

McAdams said, “I’ll get contacts for them as soon as we get back.”

“Good, because we’ll want to eliminate them first,” Decker said. “Especially if they were violent.”

“What do we do with Baniff PD?”

“I’ll notify them,” Decker said. “We’ve already canvassed Elsie Schulung’s neighbors. Did we ever talk to Pauline’s neighbors?”

McAdams said, “No, just checked the apartment.”

Decker said, “Which was empty.”

Marge said, “At some point prior to meeting Elsie, she probably lived there full-time. Why not go back to the neighbors? Maybe there’s a bar in the area where she hung out.”

“Right,” McAdams said. “We’ve already looked Pauline up in the computer. No wants or warrants. No previous, either.”

“Then no drug convictions.”

Marge said, “Maybe she was more of a known quantity in Baniff PD.”