They were soon joined by Morrow and his tech team in the church basement where the security system was housed. There were over a dozen cameras situated in the cathedral and close to twice as many outside, so they had their hands full.

They scrolled through the extensive coverage to see if the former mechanic had dropped in on the funeral. Paying special attention to men the same size and shape as Silver (he might have been disguised), they eventually eliminated each angle. John fixated on a mannish-looking matronly-type as a sneaky possibility; but using the close-up camera functions, Rachel said it was just a woman possessing an unfortunate set of genes.

The three of them had returned to the Yard, where they ended up in Grant’s office deciding what their next course of action should be.

Going over the funeral guest list was an arduous task that could take days and likely end up a fruitless endeavor. That didn’t stop Grant from dividing it between them to see what they could come up with.

“Almost all these people are MPS,” Grant pointed out, flipping pages.

“It wouldn’t be the first time a cop strayed,” said John.

But both men admitted it was hard to imagine a policeman working hand in hand with someone like Prior Silver.

“What about the thief angle?” wondered Rachel.

“Pardon?” asked Grant.

“A possible eighth victim? Thou shalt not steal? Any luck with that?”

Grant shook his head. “That list would be ten times as long with countless men and women we have no record of having had committed such a crime.”

“And given the loosey-goosey way Silver’s been interpreting the Commandments—his definition of ‘thief’ could be anything,” John added. “It could be a teenager swiping a scooter or stealing an answer off a math test.”

“I was thinking of the personal angle,” Rachel countered.

“How so?” asked her father.

“The last two victims, Dozier and Fleming, were known to you. Maybe Silver’s targeting someone you’ve arrested or gone after before,” she suggested.

“It’s certainly worth considering.”

“Sergeant Hawley and I made a lot of progress going over your old cases. Maybe we should be cross-checking them for thieves.”

Both men thought that an excellent idea, as they had none of their own.

By the time Christmas Eve fell a few hours later, the Yard detectives had narrowed that list down to six men and a woman Grant had put in prison for some form of theft; they’d served time and since been released. A different constable was dispatched to contact and maintain surveillance on each until further notice.