Peril & Prayer

by Olivia Matthews

  Lights glowed in most of the dorm room windows. Students were probably studying and working on end-of-semester projects. Finals were just two short weeks away. It wasn’t quite six o’clock. Had those students stayed up late or gotten up early? Sister Lou said a quick prayer for their success as she drew closer to the buildings.

  When Sister Carmen spoke again, her voice was much calmer. “What’ve you learned so far from your investigation of Autumn Tassler’s murder?”

  What hubris makes me think I have the ability to solve the murder of another human being?

  After more than two weeks, she still couldn’t answer that question. But she couldn’t give up now. She exhaled a sigh of frustration. “I feel even more out of my depth with this case than I’d felt with Maurice’s.”

  “Why do you feel that way?”

  “You suggested I learn about Autumn during our investigation.”

  “That’s what they do on TV.”

  Sister Lou decided against pointing out that they weren’t in a television program. “Depending on whom I speak with, I get a very different image of Autumn.”

  “That’s interesting. Give me an example.” Sister Carmen gave her a wide-eyed look as they started their first lap around the college’s oval in the heart of its campus. Their running shoes were almost silent against the footpaths. The oval was deserted now, but in a few minutes other joggers and power walkers—the college’s students, staff, and faculty—would join them as they circled its well-manicured lawn, stately trees, and historical buildings.

  Sister Lou selected an incident to share with her friend. “For example, Autumn’s cousin, January Potts, thinks Autumn was promiscuous. She’s certain Autumn was having an affair with her husband.”

  “What?” Sister Carmen stumbled over her feet.

  Sister Lou caught her friend’s elbow to steady her. “Autumn’s partner, Rita Morris, and all of her staff insist that Autumn worked all the time, so when would she have been able to engage in serial affairs?”

  “Good point.” Sister Carmen was steadier on her feet.

  Sister Lou released her friend’s arm. “Then there’s Autumn’s ex-husband’s new wife, who resents that Roy Fortney had to pay alimony.”

  “Ah, the jealous new wife, which is a twist on the jealous ex-wife.” Sister Carmen laughed at her own joke.

  “Isabella claims the alimony checks are keeping the resort open.” Sister Lou glanced at the college’s library at the quarter-lap point of the oval. Its lights were on earlier than usual, offering students extended study hours.

  “That gives January and Isabella motives.” Sister Carmen seemed engrossed in Sister Lou’s updates. “I told you your strength was in your observation skills.”

  “I’m still missing something. We have far too many suspects.” Sister Lou smiled to acknowledge the familiar faces among the growing crowd of morning exercisers.

  “I’m sure the list of other suspects makes Marianna feel better.”

  Sister Lou acknowledged the truth of those words. “The deputies will feel worse when we talk with them.”

  “You’re right.” Sister Carmen glanced at her. “Can I come?”

  Chapter 27

  A movement in her doorway broke Sister Lou’s concentration as she sat behind her desk at the congregational offices later that morning.

  “May I interrupt you, Lou?” Sister Barbara Yates waited just outside her office for permission to enter.

  Even if she weren’t the congregation’s prioress, Sister Lou would have dropped what she was doing to speak with Sister Barbara.

  “Of course.” She saved the electronic file she’d been reviewing and turned away from her computer monitor. “What’s on your mind, Barb?”

  Sister Barbara smoothed her dark gray slacks before taking the far right guest chair in front of Sister Lou’s desk. Her Hermionean cross was affixed to her rose blazer, which she wore with a white blouse. A smoke-gray-and-pink-patterned scarf—another original creation from Sister Katharine and her committee—completed her outfit.

  The prioress winked at Sister Lou as she settled onto the guest chair. “I wanted to thank you for everything you’ve done, from helping to reassure donors to taking over the retreat.”

  “I’m happy to do whatever I can to help.” Sister Lou noted that Sister Barbara’s body language appeared relaxed but behind her silver-rimmed glasses, her normally twinkling hazel green eyes were clouded.

  “I understand from Marianna that you’ve narrowed down the suspects for Autumn Tassler’s murder.”

  Sister Lou drew her mug of tea to her. The scent of the chai wafted up to her. The smooth white porcelain was warm against her palms. She understood Sister Marianna’s desire to reassure the prioress, but it was always best to deal with the facts. Few things were worse than false hope.

  “Perhaps Marianna misunderstood.” Sister Lou held Sister Barbara’s gaze. “We have a list of potential suspects. The deputies probably have a similar list. We want to review the names with them today.”

  Hopefully, the deputies would be more welcoming in person this afternoon than they’d sounded on the phone when Sister Lou had called this morning to arrange the meeting.

  “Marianna sounded so hopeful.” Sister Barbara’s gaze strayed to the back of the office.

  Sister Lou was confident the other woman’s focus was on something other than the artwork on the walls or the view of the front landscaping through the rear window. Beyond her office, telephones rang, printers whirred, and laughter and conversations carried down the hall.

  “The list is proof that we have reason to be hopeful.” Sister Lou tried to project a confidence that was still shaky. “There are a lot of people with much stronger motives than Marianna.”

  Sister Barbara brought her attention back to Sister Lou. “Will Marianna accompany you to the sheriff’s office?”

  The thought of Sister Marianna and her powder-keg temper participating in what was bound to be a contentious meeting with Fran and Ted was enough to strike fear in Sister Lou’s heart.

  “Shari Henson’s joining me. I’ll update Marianna when I return.”

  “That’s probably for the best.” Sister Barbara nodded her understanding of Sister Lou’s unspoken concern.

  Sister Lou sank back onto her chair in relief. “I understand how important this meeting is for the congregation. I pray that we return with good news.”

  “So do I.” Sister Barbara’s sigh seemed to rise from deep inside. “The Advent retreat starts December third. That’s twelve days from today, less than two weeks. I hope that this cloud clears from the congregation before then so that we can prepare to welcome the Savior’s birth with joyful hearts.”

  “That’s what we all want.”

  “I know.” Sister Barbara winked again as she stood. “Thank you again, Lou. I know you’ve had a lot on your plate for the past several months. You’ve handled everything so beautifully.”

  Sister Barbara’s caring and appreciation were two of the reasons the congregation valued her leadership.

  Sister Lou stood to take Sister Barbara’s hand. “Of course, Barb.”

  Sister Lou didn’t want to raise Sister Barbara’s hopes, but she believed the information she and Shari planned to review with the deputies would be sufficient to clear Sister Marianna with most reasonable people. Unfortunately, the deputies had proven themselves to be completely unreasonable.

  She watched Sister Barbara leave her office and disappear down the hallway. Only then did Sister Lou reclaim her seat. Clearing Sister Marianna’s name was the priority, but Sister Lou feared that if they didn’t find the killer, a cloud would remain over the congregation. There were Briar Coast residents who were concerned that the congregation was connected with both of the town’s recent murders. The only thing that could stop the whispers would be to prove that coincidences were real.

  But how?

  * * *

  The familiar scents of warm pastries and fresh coffee assailed Sister L
ou as she entered the bullpen of the Briar Coast County Sheriff’s Office late Tuesday afternoon. Beside her, Shari’s black stilettos snapped tauntingly against the silver-marbled flooring. Sister Lou came to a stop toward the center of the room, where Ted’s and Fran’s desks stood back-to-back. Both sheriff’s deputies looked up at her approach. Their expressions were less than welcoming.

  Fran made an effort to sound pleasant. “You said you had some kind of a list for us, Sister.”

  Sister Lou pulled the copy of the employee background check list from her purse. The original remained in her nightstand. She walked past Ted’s disorganized desk and offered the single sheet of paper to Fran. “As I explained when I called this morning, Autumn was concerned that someone was embezzling from her resort. She’d hired a security company to run background checks on all of her employees.”

  “How d’you know this?” Ted’s words were thick with skepticism.

  Shari turned to Ted with a cool smile. “Montgomery Crane, founder and CEO of Crane Enterprises, told us Autumn had asked him for advice. He gave us the information. Do you want to add him to your suspects list?”

  Ted crossed his arms over his chest, covered in his now loose-fitting tan uniform shirt. “Why? You run out of room on yours?”

  Shari’s editor wanted her to repair her relationship with the sheriff’s office. This exchange probably wasn’t helping.

  Sister Lou worked to redirect everyone’s attention. “It’s possible that one of her employees learned that Autumn was checking into his or her background and decided to stop her.”

  The ice in Fran’s bottle green eyes started to thaw. She exchanged a look with Ted before scanning the sheet of paper. “Is this a list of all of her employees? There aren’t very many for such a big resort.”

  “Autumn mainly contracted with outside vendors for resort services.” Sister Lou adjusted her purse on her right shoulder.

  “All right.” Ted’s manner was dismissive as he pulled his chair farther under his desk. “We’ll look into it.”

  Sister Lou’s temper stirred. “When?”

  “Are you going to look into it like you looked into January Potts’s alibi?” Shari settled her hands on her hips. “That alibi turned out to be false. Have you followed up with her?”

  Fran turned her anger to Shari. Several strands of her blond hair had worked free of the bun at the nape of her neck. They floated around her thin, alabaster features. “Are you telling us how to do our jobs?”

  Shari didn’t back down. “We’re trying to help you.”

  Sister Lou put her hand on Shari’s right shoulder. The reporter’s scarlet wool sweater was soft under her palm. “Shari’s right. We have a vested interest in finding Autumn’s killer and removing the cloud that’s been cast over the congregation. Beyond that, we all have a responsibility to work for the safety of our neighbors.”

  “You think you two can do our jobs better than we can?” Ted dragged his beefy right hand over his round, clean-shaven head. “We’re trained law enforcement officers. You’re a nun and a glorified stenographer.”

  Shari’s muscles tightened beneath Sister Lou’s hand. “And we still solved the last murder before you did.”

  Sister Lou squeezed Shari’s shoulder in warning. She understood her friend was upset, but rising to the deputy’s bait wouldn’t advance their cause. Sarcasm and anger: those were Ted’s default characteristics. All around them, telephones rang and printers rumbled. Conversations between deputies carried across the room. In the estimated five minutes since they’d arrived, the box of freshly baked doughnuts had been visited at least a dozen times. It was an indication of Ted’s willpower that, even surrounded by warm, rich pastries on a daily basis, he’d still been able to lose weight. Had Fran noticed?

  Sister Lou settled onto the guest chair beside Fran’s desk. “You want answers, just as we do.”

  “We didn’t have to share the list with you.” Shari still wasn’t backing down.

  Fran pinned the reporter with a look. “Are you withholding information?”

  Shari arched an eyebrow. “Are you?”

  Time to change the subject. “The scarf you found in Autumn’s office doesn’t belong to Sister Marianna.”

  Fran dragged her attention from Shari to frown at Sister Lou. “How do you know it’s not hers?”

  Ted snorted. “Because they don’t want it to be.”

  Sister Lou hurried to answer before Shari again felt compelled to reply. “Sister Marianna found her scarf.”

  “Convenient.” Ted slouched lower onto his chair.

  Fran nodded her agreement. “We told you that we found the scarf at the crime scene. Then Sister Marianna miraculously finds her scarf.”

  “’Tis the season for miracles.” Ted’s voice dripped with skepticism.

  And goodwill to all, but you continually forget that part. “Was Sister Marianna’s DNA on the scarf you found?”

  “No, and neither was Autumn Tassler’s.” Fran sighed. “But if the scarf isn’t Sister Marianna’s, whose is it?”

  “That’s obvious.” Sister Lou looked from Fran to Ted, then back. “The killer’s.”

  Ted rolled his eyes. “Here we go again.”

  * * *

  “Can you believe those deputies?” Shari was still fuming over their clash with the sheriff’s deputies as she and Sister Lou entered the main building of the Briar Coast Cabin Resort.

  Sister Lou stopped just inside the main lobby and turned to her young friend. “Deputies Cole and Tate can be challenging—”

  “That’s an understatement.”

  “But, Shari, your editor’s right. You’ve got to find a way to work with them.”

  “He’s asking for the impossible.” She folded her arms above the scarlet wool sweater she wore.

  “I have faith in you.” Sister Lou relaxed when she won a smile from Shari. She turned toward the registration desk. “Good afternoon, Kelsey. Is Gary Hargreaves available, please?”

  Kelsey’s big, dark blue eyes were curious. Her corkscrew pale blond curls nearly shivered with excitement.

  “Is this about finding Autumn’s killer?” She dropped her voice to a stage whisper. “Everyone’s been acting really weird.”

  That wasn’t surprising, considering that fifteen days ago, their employer had been murdered on the resort grounds. Their place of employment had become a crime scene. “In what way?”

  “Well, Gary’s started locking his office every time he leaves it. Really. Even to go to the john.” Kelsey picked up her telephone receiver and pressed a few buttons. “Hi, Gary. Sister Lou and Shari Henson are here to see you.” She paused, frowning in concentration. “Well, Gary, you’re really going to have to tell her that yourself.” She disconnected the call, then rolled her eyes. “He’s on his way.”

  Sister Lou thanked Kelsey, then led Shari a few steps away from the front desk to wait for the accountant. It didn’t take long for Gary to appear, hurrying down the long main hallway toward them.

  “I was told not to talk to you.” He wagged a finger toward Sister Lou as she stood beside Shari.

  Shari slid a look toward Sister Lou. “This is becoming a regular refrain.”

  While Urban Rodgers had greeted them four days ago looking as though he’d spent the morning backpacking with survivalists, Gary Hargreaves looked like he’d spent his lunch break in a salon. He seemed to be in his late forties or early fifties. His thick, wavy, golden blond hair was professionally styled. His artificially tanned skin made his green eyes glow. The dark blue suit was tailor-made for his tall, lean form. He hadn’t purchased those black leather shoes from a discount store. They tapped against the polished walnut wood flooring until he halted less than an arm’s length from Sister Lou and Shari.

  Sister Lou’s eyes dropped to Gary’s hands at his side. They were well groomed, but not perfect. They glittered. She leaned forward and spoke softly, aware that Kelsey was watching them like a Broadway play. “Mr. Hargreaves, polish is so
hard to remove. I recommend fake nails.”

  Gary’s eyes widened with shock. His cheeks flushed with embarrassment. “Come with me.” He spun on his heels and hustled back down the hallway without waiting to see if they followed.

  “How did you do that?” Shari spoke in hushed tones.

  Sister Lou whispered back. “It was a calculated risk that he wouldn’t want his coworkers to know his grooming included shiny pink nail polish.”

  Gary had set a brisk pace for their trip deep into the resort’s administrative area. He scratched at his nails as he moved. The door to Rita’s office was closed as they strode past. Is Autumn’s partner hard at work or away from the resort?

  The accountant stopped in front of another closed door much farther down the hall. Sister Lou and Shari waited as he unlocked his office.

  “Take a seat.” His invitation was less than gracious. “For the record, I wear nail polish for my role in a community theater performance of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert.”

  “I didn’t mean to pry, Mr. Hargreaves. I was trying to be helpful.” Sister Lou shrugged out of her coat. The office was a little chilly, but not cold enough to keep her coat on. She hung it on the back of one of the two matching chairs in front of his desk. Shari did the same with her coat.

  Gary unbuttoned his suit coat before sitting behind his desk. “We need to make this quick. I’m very busy, and I was warned against speaking with you.”

  Shari crossed her right leg over her left. “What did the deputies say would happen if you spoke with us?”

  Gary frowned. “You’d make outrageous claims to try to clear your friend.”

  Sister Lou did a visual scan of the accountant’s impeccable office. It was almost too well organized. Behind him, his computer monitor was locked. He must have taken the precaution to safeguard highly sensitive financial documents. Kelsey had mentioned that he’d only recently started locking his office. Is Autumn’s death the reason for his added security or has something else changed?

  The accountant’s work space showcased a wide variety of mementos he appeared to have collected on various international trips: a framed, stylized cloth map of the Caribbean island of Aruba; black-and-white photographs of himself in front of famous Parisian landmarks; a dark wood, hand-painted carving of an elephant. Perhaps from Thailand? In the course of her ministry work with the congregation, Sister Lou had traveled abroad extensively. She suspected Gary didn’t get the same group discounts.