by Anne Hagan
Opera House Ops
Episode 8 – Gone Guy
A Morelville Cozies Serial Mystery
Anne Hagan
To Mrs. Rotunno for words of praise that sparked a lifelong passion for writing
PUBLISHED BY:
Jug Run Press, USA
Copyright © 2016
https://annehaganauthor.com/
All rights reserved: No part of this publication may be replicated, redistributed or given away in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems without prior written consent of the author or the publisher except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages for review.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination or are actual places used in an entirely fictitious manner and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events, organizations, or persons, living or deceased, is entirely coincidental.
Chapter 1 – Manhunt
Monday Morning, October 12th
Scott Residence, Just Outside of Morelville, Ohio
“Mel’s on her way dear. I really think it’s the best thing. She’ll get this all figured out,” Faye told Seth Scott’s wife, Lauren.
“What if something happened to him? What if he’s out there hurt somewhere? What if he can’t call home?” She rocked back and forth in the straight backed kitchen chair she was sitting in.
Faye busied herself making coffee. They were going to need fortification to get through this one, she just knew it. She was sure the Pastor wasn’t a missing person at all but someone who wanted to be gone. She kept her thoughts to herself and instead made soothing sounds to Seth’s wife.
“I should have reported him missing yesterday, shouldn’t I have, right after church? What if I waited too long?”
Faye went to her and laid a comforting hand on her shoulder. “You should think positively. He’s a smart man. If he’s in a jam,” she chose her words carefully, “he’ll figure his way out of it.”
“When did you last see him?” Mel asked.
Faye put a cup of coffee down in front of her daughter and then tried to disappear into the woodwork. She wanted to hang around to hear all the details but she knew Mel might not be so keen on the idea.
“Yesterday morning. He got ready for the service like he always does, while I fed the kids. We were all about to head out at 9:30 when I realized Timothy, our youngest, wet his diaper. It must not have been on very good because it leaked through to his clothes. I had to completely change him. Seth was anxious to get to the church so I told him to go on and we’d be there shortly after.”
“That’s the last time you saw him?”
She nodded. Mel made a note.
“Nobody’s heard from him since; not us, not anybody at the church…”
“What was he wearing at the time he left?”
“Black slacks. One of his purple shirts like he usually wears for church. His collar. Oh, and his black dress shoes and a jacket – a windbreaker.”
“Did he have any other clothes with him?
“Like his robes, you mean? He leaves those at the church.”
“Does he keep any clothing in his car?”
“No,” she shook her head. “Well, wait; sometimes coveralls or work clothes when he thinks he’ll be doing something where he’ll get dirty but I don’t think he had anything like that. I really think he got a call from someone in need, he went to them and now he’s out there somewhere, off the road, in a ditch, hurt and we really need to be scouting around trying to find him instead of sitting here. I tried to look after I dropped the kids off at school this morning but he’s not anywhere right around here or on his usual route to the church.”
Mel let out a heavy breath. “We will get out there and look Mrs. Scott, believe me, but I need as much information from you as I can get.”
“But, you haven’t even asked about his car.”
“We’ll get to that in just a minute. I need to know what Mr. Scott…”
“Reverend. He’s ordained. It’s a little thing, I know, but he worked so hard.”
“No problem. What did Reverend Scott have with him when he left the house yesterday?”
“His briefcase. He always has that. His car keys and I guess his wallet and his cell phone. I’ve been trying to call his cell. It keeps ringing once and going right to his voicemail.”
‘He turned it off,’ Faye thought to herself. She watched as Mel made another note. She moved to the window and pretended to be staring outside.
“Have you searched through the house for anything missing, out of place or unusual?”
“No…no, I haven’t. Should I?”
“I’d like to take a look through his personal things, if that’s okay?”
“Oh, I guess that would be all right. My word,” she wailed, “What am I going to tell the kids? Right now they think their daddy is just on a trip…what if…what if…” She started sobbing then and didn’t finish the thought.
Mel felt for the woman and her children but she had the sneaking suspicion that Reverend Scott saw a chance to leave of his own accord and he took it. She shot her mother a look. Faye, now half turned from her vantage point at the kitchen window, pursed her lips and gave a slight shrug.
In the master bedroom, Mrs. Scott found none of her husband’s clothing missing. Mel however found the good Reverend’s cell phone, the church debit card and a credit card in the name of the church for an office supply store stuffed into a drawer. She knew he’d left them intentionally.
She showed them to Lauren Scott. “The phone is turned off. I’m assuming he usually has these cards in his wallet?”
“Yes…wh…what does this mean?”
Mel tried to break it as gently as she could. “I think your husband stepped away intentionally for some reason. We will search for him, but given these things, I’m pretty sure that wherever he is and whatever he’s doing, he didn’t want to be contacted and he didn’t want there to be any,” she searched for the right words, “any sort of notion that he was taking money from the church when he left.”
“Oh my!” she wailed. “What’s he done? What’s going on? This just isn’t like him…it’s not…it’s not!”
Lauren hung up the phone. She shook her head slowly as she looked at Mel.
“What did they say?” Mel Prompted.
“He withdrew twenty-five hundred dollars from our savings – nearly all we had in there for emergencies – at a branch in northern Kentucky when they opened this morning.” Tears welled in her eyes. “I guess that means he’s…he’s on the run for some reason, doesn’t it?”
Mel thought it looked that way but to Lauren she said, “We don’t know that yet. He could be under duress. We’ll have to contact the bank and talk with them about him.”
Chapter 2 – Quorum
Wednesday Afternoon, October 14th
Morelville General Store
“It’s just the saddest thing,” Faye was saying to Chloe. “He’s still not back and there’s been no word from him. I don’t know; maybe I should have tried to talk to him after all.”
“Oh-oh,” Marco said as he tipped his head toward the front windows. “Here comes trouble.”
The three of them watched as Kent Gross parked his oversized pick-up outside the front door and got out. He didn’t waste any time as he hurried into the store.
When he came in, he pointed at Faye. “The girl over at the bakery told me you were probably in here. Can we talk?”
&nbs
p; “Sure,” Faye said, “What seems to be the problem?”
He kept his eyes trained somewhere over her shoulder. “It’s church business. How about if we talk outside?”
“Fine.”
Faye followed him out the front door and up along the sidewalk a little way away from the store.
“I’m letting you know that we’re calling a special board meeting for tonight and we really need you to be there.”
“We meet on the first and third Wednesday’s, so not until next week. What’s this about?”
“Don’t play dumb Faye; you’re anything but that. Aiden says, if we’re going to do this, everyone needs to be there because if we decide to take a vote on anything, we need to make sure we have a quorum.”
“Are you trying to tell me this meeting was all Aiden’s idea?”
He crossed his arm and tapped his foot impatiently. “No; I admit I pushed for it. I don’t think it’s necessary to have all the committee chairs there, just the officers, but Aiden is adamant that we need more than four people there, especially since Doris is an officer by default. Aiden agrees with me that she isn’t necessarily unbiased.”
“Toward Reverend Scott?”
“Shhh, keep your voice down!” he demanded.
“Yes. I don’t know if she likes the guy…again, you know what I mean, or what, but she’s always the quickest to defend him and he defends her. That’s pretty suspect, in my book.”
“Or just Christian, Mr. Gross. Listen, I don’t know what’s going on with the Pastor, but I can assure you he’s not having an affair with Doris,” she hissed. “Doris may be crushing on him but he’s a doting husband and father, most of the time.”
“Not now, he’s not.”
“Agreed but I don’t think this current situation has anything to do with him cheating.”
He eyed her suspiciously. “Do you know why he left?”
“No, not at all. I just know in my heart that he hasn’t been unfaithful to his wife.”
“You can’t be serious?” He paused a beat but when she didn’t waver he said, “Just forget that for now. Can you be at the meeting at 6:00? That’s all I ask.”
“Oh, I’ll be there.”
###
6:00 PM, Wednesday, October 14th
Morelville Christian Church
Faye took her usual seat and looked across the table at Kent. His mouth was set in a grim line. Around the rest of the table, she saw only concern.
Her eyes came to rest on Doris. The secretary was staring off into space as she rocked gently back and forth in her chair. Faye knew she was more worried than the rest of the group but she wondered how many of them realized Doris had more personal feelings for the man they were about to discuss. She hadn’t realized Kent and Aiden did until Kent brought it up himself. She had to give him credit for being more astute than she had thought he was.
Aiden Quinn bustled in and apologized for being a couple of minutes late. He called the meeting to order and then gave Kent the floor. “You requested this, so why don’t you start us off?”
Evan interrupted. “Let’s start off with a prayer, shall we? I’ll lead it.”
Faye listened intently as Evan spoke and she gathered quickly from his prayer that this was going to be a more contentious meeting than perhaps Kent had bargained for. She knew he was going to advocate for the Pastor’s dismissal. Evan, meanwhile, prayed at length for guidance for the group, for Seth, and for the safety, security and wellbeing of Seth’s family. When he finished, Kent rose from his chair, but it was obvious to her that he’d lost a little bit of the fire he’d had moments before.
Gross took a deep breath. “We all know why we’re here. Reverend Scott has been gone for four days now and he’s had no contact with the church, with his wife and children or with any other members of his family that his wife has been in contact with.”
Faye interrupted. “Why isn’t his wife here?” She looked from Kent to Aiden and Evan. “Was she not invited?”
Aiden sputtered and then found his voice, “I guess we really just didn’t think of it.”
Faye shot a look at Kent who stood sucking on his bottom lip. “Didn’t think of it, or didn’t want her here?” she asked him pointedly.
Doris looked stricken. Faye filed that away for later.
“She should be here,” Evan said. He looked at Aiden. “Should we vote on that and reconvene another time if the majority agrees to include her?”
“No,” Kent jumped in. “He’s the Pastor. He’s neglected his duties and disappeared to heaven knows where and for how long. The police have found no trace of him beyond his interaction with a bank in Kentucky. We need to deal with his actions before he does any further damage to the sanctity of this church and to the confidence of the members.”
“What would you have us do, Mr. Gross?” Mildred asked.
He shook his head and spun to face Aiden. “This is why I said we should have an officer’s meeting first.”
“Sit down, Kent,” Evan commanded. He waited while Gross, a shocked look plastered on his face at the tone in his voice, did exactly that.
“I apologize for raising my voice,” Evan said as he looked at each person around the table, one at a time. Above all, this gathering needs to be civil.”
He looked at Kent. “I understand your concerns and I share them. Honestly, I do. However, there are other concerns. Reverend Scott’s family is our family. Despite current appearances, he’s a man of integrity and good character and I defy any one of you here to say different.”
There were nods all around the table.
“He must have a very good reason for leaving so abruptly, and we may never know what that is, but he will not neglect his family for any great length of time. Until such time as he is back in contact with them and providing for their wellbeing, it is our Christian duty to care for them as our own.”
“Agreed,” Aiden said. Everyone nodded but Kent.
“Your thoughts Mr. Gross?” Evan asked.
Kent sighed. “What if you’re wrong? What if he’s now disappeared off the face of the earth, heaven forbid? How long do you propose that we keep him on the roles here; pay a salary to take care of his family?” He held up his hands, “How long?”
“He’ll be back; I know he will,” Doris said. “This is all just a terrible misunderstanding.”
Aiden spun sideways in his chair to look her in the eye where she sat to his left. “Do you know where he is?”
“No. No I don’t.”
“But you know something about why he left, don’t you?” Kent shot at her.
She hesitated but then said, “No, at least, I don’t think I do…I don’t know. It’s just…just, I work…worked with him every day. I feel like I know him pretty well. He’ll be back once he fixes…whatever is broken. I really think we should be doing more to try and find him and…and help him.”
“We’re not the police, for Pete’s sake,” Kent said. “They’ve got a missing persons report out on him.”
“I think what she means is,” Evan interrupted, “once he’s found or he returns, we need to try and help him solve the underlying problem.”
“But we’re not the counselors here,” Kent spat. “He is. That’s his job.”
Evan bounced a hand in front of the other man signaling that he felt he needed to calm down. “We owe it to him to take care of him – whether that means just listening to him or it means seeking out professional help for him – just as we owe a debt of security to his family.”
Chapter 3 – Kara Time
6:05 PM Wednesday Evening, October 14th
Chloe walked out of the store and turned to lock the door behind her. It had been a slow evening, so much so that Marco managed to leave even earlier than usual when it wasn’t his night to close so he could get a little fishing time in with Jesse. So quiet, in fact, Chloe even got her books done early. There really wasn’t any reason to hang around, she thought.
It was a nice evening out. She stood
on the front walkway drinking in a little air from the light breeze and admiring the leaves in the dimming light. They were a blazing with fall color.
Sated after a few long moments, she turned to walk around the side of the building and get in her car. As she pulled out and up to the main road, she debated whether to turn right and head for home and her empty house or to turn left to go down to the girls’ house to see the baby and visit with them for a bit. She knew Hannah would be in class but Dana and Mel would be there with Jef.
She smiled to herself as she made up her mind to pay her daughter and her crew a visit. Maybe they’d even have dinner going and invite her. Her smile broadened at the thought.
Glancing to her left she saw no oncoming traffic. She made a quick look right, started to edge out just a bit and then did a double take at a vehicle she’d glimpsed off in the distance. Coming down the hill from the developer’s house, was a little Mercedes sports car that looked, she thought, a lot like the one Kara Bradshaw drove. With the sun setting, it was hard to tell for sure. She craned her neck in a vain attempt to get a better look that way.
When the car reached the bottom of the hill, Chloe could see the driver was wearing a big, floppy ladies hat. ‘It has to be Kara but what would she be doing back in town and up there to boot?’ Chloe asked herself.
The driver turned right and came down the street toward her. Rather than pass her though, she took the right just before the store.
It was definitely Kara and, Chloe realized, if she’d been up to see Kent, his wife must have told her he was at a meeting at the church and how to get there. Once Kent had left that morning, Faye had come back inside and told her and Marco what was going on.
Now there was this. Chloe didn’t know if Kara showing up was related to the Pastor’s disappearance in some way or if she was in town on a tip about the building or for any other reason. She certainly hadn’t told either her or Faye that she’d be back in the village any time soon when either of them had last spoken with her.