JANKO KOVAC
"Excuse me, I know this is a very hard time for you, but could I plase have a moment of your time?"
The man looked at her, frowning, thinking she had gotten the wrong person, for he knew no one here. "Are you sure it is me you are looking for?" he asked, his tongue tripping over the foreign language, his words laced with a thick accent.
"You are a relative of Dr Kovac, aren't you?" Grace asked. He nodded.
"Then, yes, we would like to ask you a few questions."
Janko shrugged. "If you think it will do you any help."
"The priest is allowing us to use the vestry for a few moments."
Janko followed her back into the church and into the vestry. His manners made him pull up a chair for her to sit on, before sitting on one himself.
"What relation are you to Dr Kovac?"
"His brother. My name is Janko."
"When was the last time you saw your brother?"
"Ten, perhaps twelve years ago."
"Why had you not seen each other for so long?"
"I suppose you have been told that he lost his wife and children during the war in our country?"
"Yes."
"Well, our parents had also died. I was all he had left. It broke him. He left. He ran away to America. To start a new life. We had spoken a few times since but he wanted to forget about his life in Croatia. "
"What kind of man was your brother?"
Janko smiled fondly. "Luka was a...how do you say? A "šaljivdžina". He liked to joke. To play tricks on people. He was always laughing. You always knew Luka was coming for you could hear his laugh from far away. He liked to have fun and to go out. He loved his family. He loved his job. He was so happy when he married Danijela, and when they had Jasna and Marko. But...after they died he...went into himself. He barely smiled. It was as if he too had died."
"Had you ever known him to be violent or argumentative?"
"All boys are argumentative, no? He was my baby brother, only by a few years mind, but we used to argue, as brothers do. And everyone can get angry sometimes and shout. But violent? He only ever hit me once. I do not ever recall him ever hitting any one else." He looked questioningly at Grace. "Are you suggesting Luka shot Miss Lockhart and then himself?"
"We are just trying tp decipher what happened so these two can finally be laid to rest."
He sighed. "Perhaps that is the case. The last time I spoke to him he seemed unlike himself, a bit down, maybe a little crazy. But then he called a few days later to say he was engaged and he was laughing again. Though he was a bit drunk. As I said, we barely spoke any more. Maybe he did do that." He shook his head wearily. "I cannot tell you if he was capable of that."
"Did you ever meet Miss Lockhart?"
"Never. I had spoken to her I suppose maybe a few times on the telephone when I had called Luka. She seemed like a lovely girl. Always spoke to me, even though she did not know me. So much like Dani."
"Mr Kovac, are you okay?"
"I am as well as I can be. Do you have any more questions? If not I would like to meet some of my brother's friends. Then I have an early flight tomorrow."
"Just one. I know you've said that you hadn't seen Luka in many years and only spoken to him briefly, but, would Luka have cheated on his girlfriend?"
"Cheated?"
"Um...had an affair?"
"Luka? No, never! He was always very strict about being faithful to one woman."
"Thank you Mr Kovac. You've been very helpful."
"Excuse me, I know this is a very hard time for you, but could I plase have a moment of your time?"
The man looked at her, frowning, thinking she had gotten the wrong person, for he knew no one here. "Are you sure it is me you are looking for?" he asked, his tongue tripping over the foreign language, his words laced with a thick accent.
"You are a relative of Dr Kovac, aren't you?" Grace asked. He nodded.
"Then, yes, we would like to ask you a few questions."
Janko shrugged. "If you think it will do you any help."
"The priest is allowing us to use the vestry for a few moments."
Janko followed her back into the church and into the vestry. His manners made him pull up a chair for her to sit on, before sitting on one himself.
"What relation are you to Dr Kovac?"
"His brother. My name is Janko."
"When was the last time you saw your brother?"
"Ten, perhaps twelve years ago."
"Why had you not seen each other for so long?"
"I suppose you have been told that he lost his wife and children during the war in our country?"
"Yes."
"Well, our parents had also died. I was all he had left. It broke him. He left. He ran away to America. To start a new life. We had spoken a few times since but he wanted to forget about his life in Croatia. "
"What kind of man was your brother?"
Janko smiled fondly. "Luka was a...how do you say? A "šaljivdžina". He liked to joke. To play tricks on people. He was always laughing. You always knew Luka was coming for you could hear his laugh from far away. He liked to have fun and to go out. He loved his family. He loved his job. He was so happy when he married Danijela, and when they had Jasna and Marko. But...after they died he...went into himself. He barely smiled. It was as if he too had died."
"Had you ever known him to be violent or argumentative?"
"All boys are argumentative, no? He was my baby brother, only by a few years mind, but we used to argue, as brothers do. And everyone can get angry sometimes and shout. But violent? He only ever hit me once. I do not ever recall him ever hitting any one else." He looked questioningly at Grace. "Are you suggesting Luka shot Miss Lockhart and then himself?"
"We are just trying tp decipher what happened so these two can finally be laid to rest."
He sighed. "Perhaps that is the case. The last time I spoke to him he seemed unlike himself, a bit down, maybe a little crazy. But then he called a few days later to say he was engaged and he was laughing again. Though he was a bit drunk. As I said, we barely spoke any more. Maybe he did do that." He shook his head wearily. "I cannot tell you if he was capable of that."
"Did you ever meet Miss Lockhart?"
"Never. I had spoken to her I suppose maybe a few times on the telephone when I had called Luka. She seemed like a lovely girl. Always spoke to me, even though she did not know me. So much like Dani."
"Mr Kovac, are you okay?"
"I am as well as I can be. Do you have any more questions? If not I would like to meet some of my brother's friends. Then I have an early flight tomorrow."
"Just one. I know you've said that you hadn't seen Luka in many years and only spoken to him briefly, but, would Luka have cheated on his girlfriend?"
"Cheated?"
"Um...had an affair?"
"Luka? No, never! He was always very strict about being faithful to one woman."
"Thank you Mr Kovac. You've been very helpful."