Four months ago, he was in town for another funeral at this church. It was one of the oldest buildings in town, dating back to 1899, built after the original 1823 sanctuary burned to the ground. Scored stucco covered the Romanesque Revival structure, imitating white stones. The rounded archways were typical, but they were outclassed by the two Tiffany windows added in 1915—back when the town prospered from the train and steamboat trade from the north.
Funerals were investigator microcosms, with fascinating mini-dramas taking place among the attendees. Sometimes all it took was a glance, a slight shift in posture, or a sudden silence to glean the storylines. This was never more important than at funerals for murder victims where Drayco spent most of his time scanning the crowds. And it was
