by Shaw, J. D.
“Eat up my little darlings.” The voice of Mother Superior rang in Vivienne’s head. “This winter has been so cruel to you.”
As the memory continued, Vivienne caught a glimpse of a figure darting away from the back entrance of the church toward Cayuga Lake. When she tried to take a second look, she heard the sound of her own scream from inside the church. The vision blurred.
Vivienne jolted in her chair as did Mother Superior when the magical vision ended abruptly.
“Are you ladies okay?” Sheriff Rigsbee asked.
“Static shock.” Vivienne was quick to answer.
“We’re fine, but this church will never be the same.” Mother Superior shook her head.
“There was a stepladder off to the side where Father William was discovered.” Sheriff Rigsbee noted.
“Yes, he would often clean the woodwork above the altar on Saturday mornings.” Mother Superior added. “He was more than happy to help out with the upkeep of his church whenever possible.”
“If I recall, Carl Hillman is the maintenance man for the church, is he not?”
“Yes he is.” Mother Superior nodded. “He’s worked for the church for nearly twenty years now.”
“As far as you know, has he ever had any complaints working here or problems with Father William?” Sheriff Rigsbee asked.
“Not to my knowledge.” Mother Superior frowned. “He is a good family man. Never once have I doubted that.”
“I wasn’t suggesting anything of the kind.” Sheriff Rigsbee continued. “I was just curious if you knew of his whereabouts today?”
“I saw him this morning in the sanctuary garden, shortly after we had morning prayers. He was repairing some of the burlap wraps around the shrubbery.”
Sheriff Rigsbee wrote something down on his pad. “What time was that?”
“If I had to guess, about quarter to eight this morning.”
“You didn’t see him afterwards?” He asked.
“No. The sisters and I were spending the morning in the parish kitchen putting up preserves and jams to sell at the carnival.” Mother Superior let out a sigh. “Around ten the kitchen was getting quite warm from all the stove burners going, so we decided to take a small break and get some air. I went out to the gardens and noticed that the bird feeder was nearly empty. I went to the garden shed where the extra seed was stored and scooped up a cup. As soon as I poured it into the feeder, I heard a scream and found Miss Finch inside the church.”
“That’s all I need for now.” Sheriff Rigsbee finished writing and put his pad away. “Thank you both for your cooperation.”
“That’s all?” Vivienne blinked. “What about the investigation?”
“We’re taking care of that.” Sheriff Rigsbee replied as he walked around and opened the door.
“What about the crime scene?” Vivienne asked. “Won’t it be compromised if services are held here tomorrow morning?”
“There is no crime scene at the moment, Miss Finch.”
Mother Superior walked slowly out of the office and paused at the site of yellow crime tape surrounding the altar. “What kind of a world do we live in today?” She asked.
Sheriff Rigsbee shook his head. “A violent one, I’m afraid. But rest assured, my men are on top of this case.”
“Bless you.” She replied softly and then walked toward a small group of nuns who were huddled by the entrance. They raced forward and surrounded her with questions.
Vivienne stood her ground outside the office door. She stared at the yellow tape and shook her head. “If this isn’t a crime scene, why seal it off?”
“We are running an investigation.” He was curt.
“I hope so.” She replied.
“Do you have something to add, Miss Finch?” He glowered at her.
“I’m just saying that this seems too convenient to be just an accident.” Vivienne continued. “Especially with what happened earlier this week at the library.”
“I am well aware of the situation that took place at the library involving Father William and Pastor Kilpatrick.”
“Good.” Vivienne nodded. “Because there is something about that man that makes me uneasy.”
“Well, why don’t I just run down to his church and place him under arrest right now?” Sheriff Rigsbee taunted her. “If Vivienne Finch has a bad feeling, that’s as good as evidence, right?”
Vivienne threw her hands up in the air. “Sheriff Rigsbee, I’m not accusing him of murder. I’m just telling you that there might be some connection between what happened at the library and what happened today.”
“You’re right.” He gave her a little smile. “There is a connection between those events.” His eyes narrowed. “Want to hazard a guess?”
“Me?”
“You know, Miss Finch, I can be a very cordial man when I need to be. Part of being elected Sheriff is having to learn to talk to all kinds of people, learn to communicate with them at a level that is comfortable for both sides.”
“I agree.” She interrupted him.
He raised a finger up toward her face. “But, I draw the line at having civilians start their own investigations into police business. Especially, when said civilian happens to be dating someone under my employ.”
“I’m not going to interfere with your investigation.” Vivienne assured him. “That’s the last thing I have time for.”
“Yet,” Sheriff Rigsbee continued, “you always seem to find yourself at the eye of whatever storm happens to land in Cayuga Cove.”
“Pure coincidence.”
“Let’s hope so.” He finished. “Because if I get even a hint that you are poking your nose into any sort of police investigation, I won’t hesitate to lock you up. Is that clear?”
“Crystal.” Vivienne nodded.
“Good day, Miss Finch.” He stepped away to talk with the officers who were standing around the baptismal pool.
Vivienne followed behind him. “Sheriff Rigsbee, just one more thing.”
He stopped in his tracks but refused to face her. “What is it?”
“I need my purse from inside the crime…” She corrected herself quickly. “From inside the investigation scene.”
“Charlie, do you see a purse in there?” He yelled to one of the officers inside the tape.
“Yes sir.” Charlie replied.
“Will you please hand it over to Miss Finch so she may leave?”
“Yes sir.” Charlie replied again and swooped up the purse with his gloved hands. He ducked under the tape and walked over to Vivienne. “Here you are.”
“Thank you.” Vivienne grabbed her purse and made sure to leave right away. The last thing she wanted was Sheriff Rigsbee to yell that she was moving too slow.
* * *
On her way out, Vivienne took a quick detour through the parish garden to find the Saint Francis bird feeder. As she had seen in the vision earlier, it was located in the center of a group of small shrubbery that was protected from the harsh winter by pieces of burlap. Vivienne could see several patched areas where a primitive stitching had been performed to shore up the material where it had ripped open.
As she stood before the feeder, she had a clear view of the rear entry to the church. She tried to position herself exactly as Mother Superior had. From this view, she could see movement from the exact spot where the figure would have come from. Only instead of a person, it was a flock of gulls. Still, she was convinced that Mother Superior would have easily seen something as large as a person leaving the church from where she was standing.
She started to walk toward the lake shore area when two police officers emerged from the front entrance. Vivienne wisely hurried back to the parking lot where her car awaited and decided to save her questions for another day. The last thing she needed was Sheriff Rigsbee to read Joshua the riot act about his girlfriend snooping around. She had spent a little time in jail during the Christmas holiday as part of a ruse to flush out a killer and she was in no hurry to make a return visi
t anytime soon.
As she was driving home from the church, Vivienne couldn’t get the image of the figure darting away from the church out of her head. Mother Superior must have noticed it, yet she didn’t mention it to Sheriff Rigsbee. Why would she withhold something like that from the investigation?
She was so lost in thought that she almost rear-ended a white news van from the Channel Four news crew that was attempting to execute a parallel park maneuver in front of Carriage House Antiques. With quick action, she slammed on the brakes and came within inches of striking their rear bumper.
A large group of people were gathered on the sidewalk facing the store and Vivienne feared that Pastor Kilpatrick was behind another protest of Tristan and Nathaniel’s business. She didn’t see any picket signs nor hear any shouts or chants. She was surprised to see another two news vans parked on the street and a few reporters and camera people testing their equipment. As she slowly drove past the now parked news van, she saw a small podium set up outside the front door of the antique store.
Vivienne had to drive two blocks down Main Street before finding a spot in front of Hearthside Books. She locked up her car and hurried down to see what all the commotion was about. There was no way anyone could know about the death of Father William just yet.
She arrived just as the front door to the business opened and both Nathaniel and Tristan took their place at the podium. The lights from the news cameras cast a harsh glow as they stood before the assembled crowd with huge smiles. Unable to get a front row view, she walked along the parked cars and was able to stand on the curb to gain some height.
Nathaniel and Tristan were joined by a short woman with dark hair who was dressed in a very flattering business suit. She adjusted the microphones and spoke with a very polished tone that easily identified her as a company spokeswoman. “The New York State Lottery Commission is pleased to introduce the newest millionaire winners in the multi-state Spring Ahead Raffle game, Nathaniel Schroeder and Tristan Carr.”
There was a round of applause from the crowd and several flashes as cameras took still photos. The Lotto spokeswoman was handed an oversized novelty check which she then held out for Nathaniel and Tristan to grab from each end. “They were the holder of the ten lucky numbers drawn on Wednesday afternoon, joining nine other top prize winners across seven states.”
She posed with them for another round of photographs and then stepped aside with the check as they were given the podium for the reporters.
“How does it feel to be a millionaire?” A male reporter shouted.
“This couldn’t have come at a better time for us.” Nathaniel spoke softly.
“After taxes, we aren’t exactly millionaires, so you might better save that question for the Mega Millions winners.” Tristan answered as several audience members chuckled.
“Still, you’re going to clear a very nice sum after taxes.” A female reporter chimed in. “Do you have any big plans for the money yet?”
“We are going to take a nice vacation someplace warm, especially given the winter we’ve gone through.” Nathaniel smiled.
“Definitely.” Tristan agreed.
“Who bought the ticket?” Another reporter asked.
“I picked it up the other night at the Monarch Grocery.” Tristan replied. “Best ten dollars I ever spent.”
“Are you both regular lottery players?”
Tristan and Nathaniel both looked at each other and shook their head. “It was just a lucky break.” Tristan answered.
“We are planning on donating to the Cayuga Cove Animal Shelter, a charity very near and dear to our hearts.” Nathaniel added. “We want to make sure they are well stocked with food, toys, and medical needs for all the pets in need of adoption.”
There was another burst of applause as they continued the press conference. Vivienne felt a great sense of relief that the money they desperately needed had come. She had always thought of the lottery as a fool’s quest, with the odds of winning so remote. Yet, here in town she had proof that it could actually happen and it couldn’t have happened to two nicer guys.
“Vivienne.” A familiar voice called out from the crowd.
Vivienne searched left and right to see who was addressing her. She suddenly saw Miss Octavia waving to her from near the Channel Four news van. Wrapped in an oversized woolen coat that went down to her ankles, she stood out from the crowd with a colorful neon-green crocheted hat and matching scarf. She motioned for her to join her away from the noise of the press conference. “Hi there!” Vivienne waved back.
“Child, have I got news for you.” Octavia’s smooth voice had a habit of making the most mundane words sound elegant, no doubt thanks to spending most of her life on the exotic island of Barbados.
“Isn’t it great about the Lotto win?” Vivienne smiled. “Cayuga Cove of all places.”
“Oh, it’s great.” Miss Octavia replied. “But, it’s not natural.”
“Whatever do you mean?”
“We shouldn’t talk outside like this where someone may hear us. Can you come to my shop?”
“I’d love to.” Vivienne frowned. “I’ve had the worst morning today.”
“I’ve got some wonderful new herbal tea in at my shop.” Miss Octavia smiled broadly. “This bitter cold weather gives me all the more reason to brew it. So why don’t you follow me back to the shop and let’s swap news?”
“Sounds good to me.” Vivienne replied.
Vivienne offered her vehicle up for the journey to Mother Earth Mercantile over on Weyer Place. Octavia was more than happy to get out of the cold, even if the trip was less than a five minute drive away.
They settled into a comfortably stuffed pair of antique bishop’s chairs that Octavia had placed around a small coffee table. Sequestered away from the rest of the shop by a pair of folding bamboo screens, Vivienne could easily imagine she was in a quaint tea room somewhere in the Far East. “The store looks better every time I come in.” Vivienne said as she sipped some of the warm Japanese cherry rose tea from her mug.
“Thank you.” Octavia poured herself a cup of tea and then set the pot down on the table. She waved her manicured fingers over the steam, taking in the vapors. “Just like sitting under a tree in Kyoto when the blossoms are at their peak.” She was dressed in pair of relaxed khaki pants and an exquisitely knit sweater that was the color of the Caribbean Sea. It proved to be quite flattering against her mocha skin tone.
“It’s so fragrant.” Vivienne swirled the liquid around in her mug. “It’s just what I needed after a terrible morning.”
“Time to lay down your burdens.” Octavia spoke softly. “What happened?”
“I found Father William dead in the baptismal pool this morning at his church.” Vivienne felt better getting the news out to someone. “It looks like he accidently fell off a ladder while cleaning and drowned in the water, but something about it doesn’t feel right to me.”
“That is terrible, Vivienne.” Miss Octavia empathized. “But I can’t say that I’m all that surprised.”
Vivienne gasped. “You’re not?”
Miss Octavia reached over to an end table near her chair and retrieved a piece of parchment, about the size of a wall calendar. “I have no doubt that you’ve noticed the sudden rise in fortunate events, both good and bad, that have been happening here in town.”
“Of course.”
“Then it should not come as shock to you when I say that there must be a reason for all of it.” Miss Octavia continued.
“Please don’t tell me that we’re dealing with a manic-depressive leprechaun that has a grudge against the town.” Vivienne pleaded.
“If only it were that easy to fix.” Miss Octavia chuckled. “No, I’m afraid that we’ve got something even more dangerous on the loose.”
“What could be more dangerous than that?” Vivienne asked.
Miss Octavia handed the parchment paper to Vivienne. “This is a map of Cayuga Cove that I’ve been working on for the past
few months for the Elder Council.”
Vivienne glanced at the hand-drawn paper in her grasp. There were several town landmarks noted, along with a slew of ovals sketched out in dark blue and a few diamonds in bright red marked all across the document. “What am I looking at here?”
“Those ovals are the magical portals that have opened up all over the town.” Miss Octavia revealed. “The very ones that let ghosts like Natalie come into our world.”
“Nana Mary mentioned that they were looking into ways to get them all sealed up.” Vivienne replied.
“She speaks the truth.” Miss Octavia answered. “I’ve been tasked with locating each one and mapping it so that the Council will be able to find a solution for sealing off the portals safely without any repercussions that would impact the local residents.”
“What do the red diamonds represent?” Vivienne pointed to one of them on the map.
“That is the danger I was talking about.”
“New portals?” Vivienne asked.
“No.” Octavia sighed. “Those are magic voids.”
Vivienne lowered the map into her lap and sipped some of the warm tea. “I haven’t read anything about those in my grimoire.”
“Someone in this town is draining the portals of magic, in effect closing them, but in a very dangerous way.” Octavia lowered her voice. “Someone who is not working for the Council, I might add.”
“A rogue witch?” Vivienne asked.
“Doubtful.” Miss Octavia reasoned. “The Council has forbidden anyone from dabbling with the portals until they have a plan in place.” She took another sip of her tea. “Besides, a rogue witch would be easily discovered with all the attention Cayuga Cove is getting lately.”
“Then who could it be?”
“Based on what I’ve been tracking for the past few months here, I’d say we’re dealing with a sorcerer.” Miss Octavia revealed.