Secrets in the Shallows (Book 1: The Monastery Murders)

by Karen Vance Hammond

  “No, I just assumed it was one of the nuns. I even thought I saw someone in a habit as we drove off, but they were carrying a short-handled ax of all things. It felt so weird. It was almost scary. When we were driving home later on, we looked on the side of the road and the deer was already gone. Don’t you think that’s strange?”

  He shook his head and shrugged his shoulders.

  “John, I know that animal didn’t just get up and walk away by itself. It was dead. Mom and I moved it, but it was gone when we drove back by there.”

  “Probably just some predator got to it and dragged it off. I wouldn’t worry about it. As far as the person you saw, I bet it was either one of the nuns, or maybe that creepy custodian that works at the school. He’s always walking around out there. I’ve had to talk to him a couple of times about some things. He’d freak everyone out if they didn’t know who he was.”

  “I pretty sure I saw a nun in a habit, but it was just a very strange experience,” Katy commented.

  The phone rang and George answered it. After a couple of minutes, he cupped his hand over the phone and shouted, “Katy, Mom called and said to come on home with the lobsters.”

  “Okay, Dad. Tell her we are on the way.”

  George relayed the message to his wife and then quickly hung up the phone. Grabbing the cooler handle, he walked over towards John. “Can you take this out to your car, please?”

  “Of course, I’ll take that,” John reached out and grasped the handle. “Thanks. We’ll see you in just a bit.”

  “You’d better go ahead and get it home before your mom panics, Katy. There’s another storm headed this way, and you know how she is.”

  “Another storm? We just got over one! And, yes, I know how she can be.” Katy looked up at the partly cloudy sky as she waved. “I’ll see you soon, Daddy. Be careful coming home. The roads still have icy patches.”

  “I’ll be careful. You worry about getting both of you home safely. I can take care of myself,” George chuckled.

  She smiled and said, “I’ve got John to keep me safe. I’ll be fine.” Katy turned to catch up with John at the car.

  John placed the cooler in his trunk and slammed the lid closed. “There. We’re all set. Are you ready?”

  “I’m always ready to go eat some lobster,” Katy giggled as she got into the car.

  “Great, then let’s go,” John said as he walked over and closed the door for her.

  * * * *

  The horizon was ablaze with the setting sun as they drove toward Katy’s house.

  John looked sidewise at Katy as they drove the route. “Tense, honey?”

  “No, not really, I’m just thinking.”

  “What about?”

  She sighed. “Just about everything that happened today. First, we hit the fawn, then whatever I saw in the bushes...” Her voice trailed off.

  John smiled at her and gently said, “Don’t worry, Katy. I’m always gonna’ be here to protect you.”

  As they continued on Route 17, John spotted flashing lights in the distance. Vehicles were scattered everywhere, including a fire truck and the sheriff’s car parked on the side of the road. Various news vans had parked wherever they could find a place. In the driveway, photographers from the newspaper and magazines were taking pictures, as reporters told their breaking stories to the cameras.

  Spotting Sheriff Johnson walking away from the crowd, John pulled up nearby and rolled down the window. “What in the hell happened?”

  “John, we found Timmy Fields’ body in the pond behind the monastery,” Sheriff explained.

  “Oh, no! Do you think it was an accident?” John asked.

  Sheriff Johnson scratched his head and replied, “I don’t know at this point, John, it’s hard to say one way or another. The team is gathering the evidence right now, and we’ll know more once the autopsy has been done.”

  “I was heading over to Katy’s for dinner, but do you need me to come back and help tonight?”

  “No, it’s getting dark and we have the forensics team here. You’d just be in the way, Counselor. Go enjoy dinner with your beautiful girlfriend. It may be the last free moment you have for a while,” Sheriff Johnson said as he chuckled. “I’ll call you in the morning, once we know more.”

  “All right, Sheriff. Just let me know if you need me.”

  “Will do. Thanks!”

  John turned to Katy and said, “Seems like things are going to get a little busy over the next few weeks.”

  “I would think so. Hope you aren’t toooo busy to see me though,” Katy pouted.

  “I’m never too busy for you, baby. Don’t you even think like that.”

  Katy smiled as John pulled out onto the road heading to Katy’s home. Both remained deep in thought, and the couple’s unusual silence was only broken by the soft jazz music playing on the radio.

  * * * *

  “Hi, Mom. We’re home!” Katy yelled as she closed the front door.

  “Where have you kids been?” Julie yelled from the kitchen as everyone could hear pots clanging together. Appearing in the kitchen doorway, she smiled and asked, “Do you have those lobsters for me?”

  Julie’s blonde hair was pulled up into a ponytail, much like her daughter was wearing. In her jeans and long-sleeved sweatshirt, she looked ten years younger than she actually was.

  “We’ve got them right here,” Katy replied, pointing to the cooler in John’s hand.

  “Great! John, can you please put it on the kitchen counter by the sink?”

  “I’ll be happy to,” John replied, doing as he was asked.

  Placing her hands on her hips, Julie looked at Jason as he sat on the couch watching television. “Jason, would you please get up off that couch and come set the table for me?”

  Julie glanced at Katy while shaking her head. “I swear! All he does is sit on that couch!”

  Katy giggled and smiled at John while gesturing to her brother. “The perfect couch potato.”

  “I heard that, Katy,” Jason said as he wiggled his body to the edge of the seat cushion. Adjusting his black sweat pants and matching shirt as he stood up, he continued, “You know why they’re so late, Mom. I bet I know. They were probably parking somewhere, sucking face.” Jason leaned back laughing.

  “Shut up!” Katy thumped him on his head as he walked by.

  “Ouch!” He rubbed it and winked at her.

  “Jason, where did you learn to talk like that? You know Dad and I don’t like that.” Julie leaned into the refrigerator. “Where are the butter and garlic?”

  “Your guess is as good as mine, Mom.”

  Julie stood up from the refrigerator, put her hand on her hips and glanced at her watch. “Was your father almost finished when you left?”

  Shrugging her shoulders, Katy responded. “He had just pulled into the docks before we left.”

  “Well, he’s usually home by now.”

  “He was counting and weighing the lobsters as we headed to the car. He gave us our lobsters, but it didn’t look like he had a huge haul.”

  Julie sighed and said, “I swear, if he doesn’t start having good catches, or the price per pound doesn’t go up, we’re all going to starve. We can barely afford the gas for him to go out now.”

  “Unfortunately, the slow part of the season is starting. Maybe it won’t be a harsh winter. We can at least hope and pray,” Katy commented.

  Julie took a deep breath and put a couple of lobsters in the huge pot on the stove.. “Yes, we can at least do that. Hopefully, our luck will change soon.”

  * * * *

  An old vehicle with the distinct sound of an aging engine slowly rolled into the driveway at the Warsaw home.

  “You can never miss Dad with that old beat up truck. That wreck can be heard a mile away,” Jason said.

  Outside, George Warsaw got out of the truck under the carport and walked around his wife’s car towards his back porch. Agitated at the impending weather forecast and his light catch for the
day, he cursed under his breath.

  Hearing the shuffling noises out on the porch, Julie nudged John with her elbow and nodded her head toward the back door.

  John got up, kissed Katy on the side of the head and said, “I’ll be right back,” then went out the back door to help George.

  “Can I give you a hand with that?”

  George handed him the cooler box that contained the rest of the lobsters. “An old man came at the last freakin’ minute to talk about the big storm that’s headed our way.”

  Peering up at the sky, John asked, “You really think it’s going to get bad?”

  George walked in wiping the soles of his boots. “Well, according to the weatherman, it is. Damn, that means another bad day of no fishing. Storms always screw things up. No lobsters, so that means no money we can count on! And that’s not all we talked about.”

  He continued, “Apparently, they found a body in the monastery pond. It could be Timmy Fields. I can’t believe something like that would happen in our town again. I passed a half dozen cop cars and a bunch of news crews at the monastery on my way home.”

  “Oh! That’s one of the reasons we were running a little late!” Katy burst out.

  “What do you mean?!” Julie blurted.

  John interjected, “We were on our way here, and saw the lights flashing at the monastery, so we stopped for a moment. Sheriff Johnson told us that they found Timmy Fields’ body in the pond, but he didn’t tell us anymore details.”

  “That’s a terrible shame. Do you think Herbert and Margie know yet?” Julie asked.

  John replied, “I didn’t see them there, but I really don’t know. I’m supposed to talk with the sheriff in the morning. Obviously, he’s a little busy right now. I’ll know more after that.”

  Rubbing his forehead, George sighed. “This is just horrible. This town has always been such a safe place to live. But, man, I’m so tired I can hardly think about it. I could really use a shot of whiskey and a good night’s sleep, to tell you the truth.”

  Julie walked up to George and kissed him on the cheek. Putting a hand on his chest, she commented, “Why don’t you go get cleaned up before dinner, dear?”

  George kissed her sweetly. As Julie turned to go back to the kitchen, he patted her on the rear and winked.

  “Hey, not in front of the kids!” she laughed. “Supper is almost ready. Good thing Katy went ahead and brought them home so I could get started. You were a bit late today.”

  George took in a deep breath and exhaled slowly as he thought about another drowned teenage boy. “Couldn’t be helped, sweetie.”

  * * * *

  At dinner, the usual bantering back and forth among the Warsaw family members was almost non-existent. Thoughts of Timmy Fields’ body floating in the freezing monastery pond destroyed the normally lighthearted mood of their usually happy home. Other than a few pleasantries and general comments, the cracking of lobster shells was the only sound that broke the silence during the entire meal.

  CHAPTER 10

  Early the next morning, John was jolted awake by his cell phone ringing. Looking at his alarm clock, he saw that it was 6:45 a.m. Scrambling for the phone, he managed to wake up enough to recognize Sheriff Johnson’s familiar voice on the other end of the line.

  “Morning, Counselor. You awake yet?” Sheriff Johnson greeted him.

  Rubbing his eyes, John yawned and replied, “I am now, Sheriff. Anymore news on the body?”

  The sheriff replied, “Actually, that’s what I’m calling about. We need to get together and start working on this case right away. Can you meet me at the office at 8:00 this morning?”

  John replied, “I’ll be there. Can you have the coffee ready? I need some extra java to get me going today.”

  “I can’t promise you it’s gourmet, but it’ll be hot and fully loaded,” Sheriff Johnson chuckled.

  “That will work, Sheriff. I’ll see you then.”

  “Okay, Counselor, 8:00 this morning it is. Talk to you soon.”

  John set his phone on the end table and got up to get ready. He thought to himself, Well, I guess it begins. This is going to be a big case I’m sure. Maybe it’ll even give me a boost in my career. Great timing. God, I hope Katy accepts my proposal ... I really can’t wait to see her in that new dress too. He smiled as he thought about how beautiful and sexy Katy was. After picking out his favorite suit, he whistled as he headed to the shower.

  * * * *

  Finding everything under control at the Fields’ house, Deputy Williams had been released to go home just after midnight. He planned to return in the morning if needed. Mother Superior and Sister Margaret stayed the night in the spare room to be of any ministering aid to Margie and Herbert.

  As the early morning sunrise began streaming through the east window, Margie sat at the dining room table wrapped in her bathrobe silently drinking some coffee. Dark circles under her eyes were an obvious result of her lack of sleep. Herbert sat across from her completely silent, lost in his thoughts as he stared out the window.

  Margie looked over at Herbert and said, “Sheriff Johnson called earlier and will meet us at the hospital morgue about 10 a.m.” Staring directly into Herbert’s eyes, she asked, “They are going to do an autopsy, right?”

  Reaching across the table, Herbert grasped Margie’s hand, patting it gently. “I’m sure they will, dear,” he replied. His voice was devoid of any emotion. “Yesterday, Sheriff Johnson told me that in circumstances like this, they will definitely do an autopsy to find the cause of death. The situation is just too unusual.”

  He continued, “Timmy’s death could have been caused by the weather conditions; Timmy could have slipped and hit his head; someone else could be responsible. We can’t tell if any foul play is involved yet. At this point, there’s no way to know. The sheriff assured me that they will get to the bottom of it, though.”

  Herbert and Margie sat and continued drinking their coffee at the table. The two nuns emerged from their room, fully dressed and ready to meet any challenge they would face for the day. Herbert and Margie looked over and greeted them.

  “Morning, ladies,” Herbert said without his usual cheer. “Hope you both slept well, considering the situation.”

  “Your room was more than adequate, Mr. and Mrs. Fields. Thank you for letting us stay the night. Is there any news yet?” Mother Superior asked.

  Margie replied, “Sheriff Johnson asked us to meet him at the morgue at 10:00 this morning. He said you should come too so he can ask all of us some questions. It may help the sheriff find out what happened to our son. The more details we can give him, the better the chances are.”

  “We’ll be more than happy to go with you,” Mother Superior replied, smiling softly.

  Herbert spoke up. “I’ll drive all of us there and drop you both off at the monastery once we’re done.”

  Everyone agreed as Margie stood up and said, “I’ll make some breakfast. It’ll keep my mind occupied while we wait. Hope pancakes are all right with everyone?”

  Herbert said, “I’ll try to eat, though I’m not very hungry. However, if anything can get me to eat, it would be your griddle cakes. Thank you, dear.”

  Mother Superior said, “That is very sweet of you. We all need to keep our strength up, especially you two. This will not be an easy day.”

  “It still doesn’t seem real to me. I cried most of the night. I don’t understand how I could have anymore tears left,” Margie commented as she sighed.

  Herbert stood up and embraced his wife. “We’ll get through this somehow, Margie. I love you very much.” He held onto Margie for a long moment before releasing her, then kissed her on the forehead softly.

  “I love you too, Herb. I just don’t know what we’re going to go on without our son,” Margie said as a single tear streamed down her cheek. Wiping the tear, she turned towards the kitchen. “I need to do something to pass the time. This is killing me.” Margie’s silently cried as she walked through the doorway to prepa
re breakfast.

  * * * *

  As the morning sunlight peeked through the gray fluffy clouds, John drove quickly down the road towards Wattsville. Deep in his thoughts, he recalled a similar case he had helped out just shy of a year earlier, when they found Tom Green’s body. At that time, John was the assistant district attorney. Since then, the former district attorney retired, and John was installed as his replacement until a special election could be held.

  It was the beginning of spring break for the students at St. Francis Catholic School, and Tom Green was a bright senior. The only child of Tom and Helen Green, Sr, he seemed to have a bright future ahead of him. He wanted to study electrical engineering at the university.

  After his parents reported him missing, fliers decorated Wattsville telephone poles and storefronts everywhere. The whole town searched for him with flashlights and dogs. There was no sign of him for three days. Finally, the dogs picked up a scent and ran towards the monastery pond, leading the authorities to where the body was found.

  John was there when they found the poor boy’s corpse floating on top of the water. In the warming spring temperature, fish and vultures had already begun to devour parts of his corpse. Due to lack of evidence, they officially labeled Tom’s death as a suicide.

  John thought, I still don’t understand why Tom’s death wasn’t investigated more thoroughly. It should’ve been.

  After the light had turned green for a few seconds, a honk came from the car behind his. Startled, the sound broke John’s trance and he continued heading towards the Wattsville Sheriff’s Department.

  * * * *

  Ticking from a small clock on Sheriff Johnson’s bookshelf was the only sound that split the silence. The sheriff looked around his office quietly as he leaned back in his brown leather chair. Rarely did a case affect him as the death of Timmy Fields.

  The sheriff gazed slowly over several oil paintings depicting Maine’s beautiful bays and seashores. His eyes drifted downward and ended up settling on a myriad of family photos on a credenza nearby. His wife, son and two teenaged daughters smiled back at him from the picture frames.

  Rotating his chair, Sheriff Johnson reached for one of them and grasped it firmly. Gently caressing the silver frame, the sheriff looked down at a picture of his son and thought, I’m so glad it wasn’t you they found, Chad. He felt a little guilty for being grateful that his own son had not died. Taking a deep breath, the sheriff exhaled slowly before standing.