Everyone Was Left Behind

by Steve Armstrong

  Once Hope made her exit, Glenda Price fled to her prayer room and Gary Price escaped to his office. Charity remained in the room, wondering what could possibly come next.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Seitzer had no idea what to expect from Natasha Gregorson. Perhaps she was merely a victim of her husband’s alleged infidelity and sought out counsel from the trusted local minister. If her husband could be believed, she was a manipulative and vindictive woman who had hatched a plan to slander him while carrying on an affair with a married man.

  The detectives arrived at Natasha Gregorson’s residence, where her husband used to live as well. She answered the door a few moments after they rang the doorbell.

  “Hi? Can I help you?” Natasha turned out to be prettier than her Facebook profile picture suggested. Her blonde hair was tied back in a ponytail and she wore a t-shirt and jeans. She was attractive in a fleshy kind of way; Seitzer imagined she drew her fair share of amorous glances from men.

  “Yes. Detectives Seitzer and Harrison. We’d like to ask you a few questions in connection with the Graham Wilcox case.”

  As soon as Seitzer uttered the name, Natasha’s eyes became teary and she covered her mouth with her hand.

  “I’m sorry. I still haven’t been able to accept that Pastor Graham is gone,” Natasha said. “Please, come in.”

  “I take it you had a very strong connection to Pastor Wilcox,” Seitzer said as the two detectives followed the woman into her home.

  “Oh yes, very strong. Pastor Graham saved me in so many ways.”

  “How so?” Seitzer asked as he surveyed the small ranch house. Some kids’ toys and books lay scattered around the room, but otherwise, the house was neat. Natasha Gregorson gestured toward some fake leather furniture and the detectives sat.

  “Graham was willing to stand up for me and confront my husband’s adultery.”

  “We spoke to your husband, ma’am. He claimed Pastor Wilcox never spoke to him individually about the alleged affair and that the pastor exposed him in church, in front of everyone. Is that what happened?” Harrison asked.

  “Yes. But I confronted my husband many times about his affairs and it never did any good. George needed something more dramatic to get his attention.”

  “Your husband also claims that he never cheated on you. Do you have evidence that he did?” Seitzer asked.

  Natasha’s expression turned sour at their doubt. “Of course, I have evidence! Do you think I would have gone to the trouble of bringing Pastor Graham into the middle of the situation without being sure? Do you think I would have stayed awake for months, depressed, unable to sleep or eat if I didn’t know for sure? George always denied it. But that’s because he’s a liar.”

  “Okay. So what evidence do you have? Cell phone calls? Texts? Emails? Did you see him with another woman?”

  “George was clever and covered his tracks. But I was able to find out what was going on. He kept working late night after night. He told me he was working alone, but one night when I called, the receptionist Penny answered. She wasn’t supposed to be there. And from what I know, Penny is kind of a loose woman. I found hairs on his shirts and pants and they weren’t mine or his.” Natasha Gregorson folded her arms in a triumphant manner.

  “That’s it?” Seitzer asked.

  “A woman knows when she’s being cheated on,” Natasha said, emphasizing each word.

  “Your husband believes that you were having an affair with Pastor Wilcox—is he right?” Harrison asked.

  Natasha’s face grew even fiercer. “Pastor Wilcox was a man of God and he would never have cheated on his wife. Ever.”

  “Your husband followed you late one night from your house to the church, where you met Pastor Wilcox. What was the nature of that meeting?” Seitzer asked.

  “Pastor Wilcox was counseling me on how to get through my situation. He provided me with emotional support.”

  “Did he provide you with any other kind of support?” Seitzer asked. Natasha Gregorson’s gaze became withering. “I’m sorry, ma’am; I don’t mean to slander you or the good reverend. But you must understand how the situation looks to us. A man and a woman meeting together late at night, alone. You must have felt something for him beyond appreciation.”

  “Detective, Pastor Wilcox and I are both spiritual people. We aren’t people of the flesh, which is how you’re looking at us. So I understand that it doesn’t make sense to you.”

  “Did Pastor Wilcox ever discuss his marriage with you?” Harrison asked.

  “Oh yes, a great deal. Pastor Wilcox could sympathize with me because his wife was doing the same thing to him that George did to me.”

  “She was having an affair? He told you that?”

  “Yes. He knew Elizabeth was sneaking around behind his back.”

  “How did he know that? The same way you knew George was cheating on you?” Seitzer asked.

  “No. He had a vision.”

  “A vision? Like the one he had where Jesus was returning April 24?” Seitzer asked.

  “Yes, like that one. He knew in his spirit Elizabeth was having an affair.”

  “Did he give you a name?” Harrison asked, trying to prevent his partner from dispensing any more snark that might alienate the witness.

  “Yes, he did—Jason Watkins.”

  “That’s what he told you?” Seitzer asked. “Are you sure?”

  “Yes. He told me about his suspicions during our last meeting together. And I saw it with my own eyes.”

  “What’d you see?”

  “I saw them standing next to each other the last Sunday service before Pastor Graham was killed.”

  “That’s it? All you saw is them standing close to one another?”

  She issued Seitzer another glare. “Is it normal for people to stand this close to each other?” Natasha stepped toward Harrison, crowding his personal space so that he had to step back to avoid being pressed up against her. “Does this seem normal?”

  Seitzer shook his head. “No, that doesn’t seem normal at all.”

  “Can you imagine? Cheating on a man of God like Pastor Graham.” Natasha began tearing up again. “I can’t believe I’ll never get to hear his voice again this side of heaven.”

  “I’m sorry, ma’am. I know this is hard for you,” Harrison said.

  “Just one more question, Mrs. Gregorson,” chimed in Seitzer. “Your husband possesses a .38 handgun which was found on Graham Wilcox’s desk. Can you explain to me how that gun ended up there?”

  “I brought it there,” Natasha replied, wiping some tears out of her eyes. “I didn’t like having the gun around and was afraid that George might use it to hurt me.”

  “Did your husband threaten you?” Seitzer asked.

  “Oh, yes. He said he was going to wipe the floor with me in court.”

  “I mean, did he threaten you with physical violence? Did he ever hit you or hurt you?”

  “Only in my heart,” the woman said, starting to sob. Taking the woman’s free flowing tears as a sign that she possessed no further information, Seitzer and Harrison departed the Gregorson house.

  “I hope not all Christians are as allergic to evidence as she is. Wow!” Seitzer said as the two got into their car again.

  “No. Some of us like evidence quite a bit,” Harrison assured him.

  “I think I might believe George Gregorson on this one,” Seitzer said. “At least, until I see some evidence to the contrary. Because Natasha Gregorson certainly didn’t have any.”

  “I just find it so odd that Pastor Wilcox believed her without any verification. It’s a big deal to make the kind of public claim he did about George Gregorson without any confirmation that he was right.”

  “Well, except for the fact that Wilcox believed demons were everywhere and generally seemed paranoid. And he was willing to predict Jesus’ return without any concrete evidence. So what he did to George Gregorson actually seems in character. I think what we have here between Natasha and Wilcox
is the collision of two different people with their own different paranoia.”

  “I guess that’s true. And maybe when Wilcox called out Gregorson, he was in his own mind calling out his wife.”

  “Interesting theory.” Seitzer’s phone vibrated. This time, he had let Harrison drive so he could answer any calls without distracting his driving. “That was Justin. He found the name and address of the pastor who served as a reference for Browning, and he happens to still be in Woodside. Let’s go.”

  Chapter Thirty-Two

  No one had spoken in the Price house after the showdown between Hope and her father. Charity waited in the uneasy silence that followed, hoping for some kind of resolution. When no one else in the family initiated anything, she crept down to the first floor. Her father was still locked away in his office. She approached the closed door. Maybe if she spoke to her father—in a far gentler way than Hope had—he would be willing to see the situation in a new light.

  Charity pressed her ear to the door before knocking. Gary Price had often sequestered himself in his study before Graham Wilcox became pastor, back when he and Jim Thompson did most of the preaching at Holy Spirit Tabernacle. Her mom had taught Charity never to disturb him while he was working. Inside, Charity could hear her father speaking in a loud, clear voice. The way he enunciated indicated he was recording a video. She could hear his words without difficulty.

  “We don’t know why Pastor Graham was off on his prediction. And we don’t know who killed him or why. But we do know that we are under attack. All those who belong to the body of Christ are under attack. So we will continue the work that Pastor Graham started by exposing the demonic influences that are creeping across this land. God has given us the spirit of discernment and we will fight this war not with weapons of the flesh, but with weapons of the spirit.”

  Gary Price’s tone was defiant as he spoke. He was going on the offensive, just as Jim Thompson had wanted. Most likely these words would be uploaded to Holy Spirit Tabernacle’s YouTube page, which had amassed over a thousand subscribers through the notoriety of Pastor Wilcox’s prediction. At least for now, those people were probably still listening. In a month or two, Holy Spirit Tabernacle would return to being an obscure church that few knew about, even in its own community.

  Since her father’s tone was anything but conciliatory, Charity didn’t bother to knock. She lost her nerve for confrontation and climbed back up the stairs. If her sister was going to be true to her earlier promise, she would depart soon. How long it would take for Hope to return was anyone’s guess. Once more, her family would be torn apart.

  Chapter Thirty-Three

  The Reverend Thomas Oakley welcomed Seitzer and Harrison into his small one bedroom apartment in Woodside. A large, congenial man, Oakley exuded a warmth that matched the size of his ample belly. He instantly contrasted Pastor Wesley’s scholarly and bookish appearance.

  “How can I help you, Detectives?” Oakley asked, easing down into his couch.

  “We had a few questions about Ray Browning,” Seitzer said.

  The smile on Oakley’s face disappeared as if sucked into his mouth. “I was afraid this day would come. Is Ray in trouble?”

  “Not necessarily,” Seitzer replied. “What were you afraid would happen to him?”

  “Well, I didn’t think Ray would actually do something wrong, just thought he might be misunderstood. Not everyone gets Ray or has the patience to deal with him. He wasn’t always good at social cues. And like many schizophrenics, Ray could make people feel uncomfortable.”

  “Browning is schizophrenic?” Seitzer asked.

  “Yes, sir. He’s been medicated for as long as I’ve known him.”

  “How did you meet Browning?” Harrison asked.

  “Ray was homeless probably six or seven years ago. I’d see him around town and sometimes in the woods behind the church. Never asked for help, just kept passing by. One day, he was passing by the church while I was on my way in, so I struck up a conversation with him. Didn’t talk about anything important that day. But he started passing by more regular like he was learning to trust me.”

  “Is that when you offered him the job as church custodian?” Seitzer asked.

  “About that time. He needed a place to live, money for food and his medication, and he needed to feel like he could contribute to society again. He needed someone who would take a chance on him. I figured if the church of Jesus Christ couldn’t do that, then who could?” The old man chuckled. “Not everyone was so keen on the idea, though. People didn’t like hiring a schizophrenic homeless man. They thought he might be dangerous.”

  “Did you think he was dangerous?” Harrison asked.

  “Well, being around Ray could be unsettling, that’s for sure. I don’t know how much experience you have with schizophrenia, but one of the biggest symptoms is that people who suffer with it don’t show a lot of emotion. Ray also had trouble making eye contact. These kinds of behaviors can be unnerving to others.”

  “But you didn’t think Browning was a threat to anyone?” Seitzer asked.

  “No, not really. As long as Ray was on his medication, he was okay. At least, that was what I told myself.”

  “Was he ever off his meds?” Harrison asked.

  “When I first met Ray and he was living on the streets, he wasn’t taking them as frequently. Once he started working at the church and got to know me more, I was able to make sure he stayed on them.”

  “We’ve heard from some others that Ray Browning thought he was possessed by a demon. Did he ever talk about that with you?”

  “Yes, Ray did tell me he was possessed by a demon. Mainly because he heard voices. I figured the most likely explanation for that was the schizophrenia.”

  “Any idea what the voices told him?” Seitzer asked.

  “From what I remember, mainly they told him that other people were trying to hurt him. That’s one reason it took me so long to establish a relationship with him. But when he was on his meds, he didn’t seem to hear them as much.”

  “Did Browning ever exhibit any unusual behavior?” Harrison asked.

  “He was a schizophrenic—define unusual?”

  “Like the ability to find lost things or something of that nature?” Seitzer frowned at his partner’s question.

  “Lost things?” The reverend tapped his fingers as he plumbed the depths of his memory to answer Harrison’s question. “It’s funny, now that you mention it, Ray was good at finding things that had been lost around the church. I can think of four or five things over the years that no one else could find that Ray was able to locate right after I asked him about them.”

  “Maybe he was the one who was hiding them,” Seitzer suggested.

  “That thought did cross my mind, but I don’t think Ray was hiding them.”

  “Was Ray Browning aware of a tunnel that runs between the church and the parsonage?” Seitzer asked.

  “He was the one who found it. It was all boarded up for about forty or fifty years by the time I got there. But Ray discovered it when he was cleaning down there.”

  “Any idea what the tunnel was used for?” Harrison asked.

  “No. Some people thought it might have something to do with the Underground Railroad, but I’m not sure about that. There wasn’t really any history we had to refer to when we were trying to figure out what it was for.”

  “When was the last time you saw Ray Browning?” Seitzer asked.

  “A few months back, right before Christmas,” Oakley said.

  “How did he seem to you?” Harrison asked.

  “Seemed okay. Said he was taking his medication. He had gotten another job as a custodian at the village hall, working evenings, mostly. I thought that was a good job for him. It would minimize his contact with others to a degree, so he could focus on his job and not worry what people thought of him.”

  Seitzer glanced at his notebook to check if he had any other questions for the Reverend. “I think that’s all we need for no
w,” Seitzer said. “Thanks for your time, sir.”

  The detectives turned to leave.

  “Detectives, please be fair to Ray. I’m not saying he’s innocent of whatever you think he might have done, but I do know that people would automatically assume someone like Ray was guilty without giving him a fair chance.”

  “Don’t worry, Reverend—we’ll only go where the evidence leads us,” Seitzer assured Oakley.

  In the car ride back, Harrison sat in the passenger seat, looking out the window. Right before they reached their next destination, he spoke. “Oakley is right. People will automatically suspect Browning because of his mental illness.”

  “Maybe. But that’s not why we’re investigating him. We’re only trying to track him down because Jim Thompson linked him to the church and we have evidence that he and Graham Wilcox might have had some connection, plus he knew about the church and the tunnel.”

  “Yes, but what happened in your mind when you found out Browning was a schizophrenic? He became a much more credible suspect, right?”

  “Maybe a little. But to me, it’s just one piece of the puzzle.”

  “I mean, compare Browning to Elizabeth Wilcox, or Jason Watkins. Who’s going to suspect the pretty pastor’s widow or the handsome, charismatic guitarist when you have a schizophrenic with a dragon tattoo?”

  “I’ll suspect them. Hey—the story of the mentally ill person who snaps and kills someone has unfortunately been written before, too. But so has the one about adulterous wife or the wife’s lover. We just to have to follow the evidence to figure out what story was written here.”

  Harrison didn’t answer.

  “Besides, you were the one who wanted to find the man with the dragon tattoo. Well, we found him. Now we’ll need to find out if he was really involved.”

  Harrison became quiet again, leaving his partner to wonder why he no longer seemed excited about finding the man with the dragon tattoo. Seitzer received another text from Justin. He scrolled through the message from the police’s tech guy. “Damn.”