“No deaths before seventeen months ago… We took positions here nineteen months ago. This did nothing to clear us or Pawpaw.”
“It doesn’t convict you either. We’ll go over everything with a fine-tooth comb. There’s an answer out there. By the way, how is the Reverend?” Hannah asked as she put the phone on speaker for Hymn to hear as he re-entered the room carrying two plates with large sandwiches and two bottles. A small doggy treat was on the side of each dish. Hazelnut padded alongside.
“He’s steady for the moment, but I think you should prepare yourself just in case. I was talking with Pawpaw about it and he has a suggestion. It’s up to you two, but he thought it might be a good idea to bring Father Janus along. He could assist and be there if something happens. I know you don’t know him that well, but Pawpaw trusts him. Given his condition, I think it’d be a good idea.”
Hannah glanced over to Hymn as he handed her one of the sandwiches. He nodded in unspoken agreement.
“I’ll arrange for another room,” Hannah said.
After goodbyes, Hannah sat her food on the coffee table and pulled up her laptop. She found and opened the files that Susan sent. Hymn and she sat going over them as they ate and talked.
“She sent two more files. That brings us to twelve with Wessel,” Hannah informed reaching over for her sandwich but finding it gone. She caught site of Hazelnut making her way out of the room, sandwich in mouth. “Oh… you! Uh,” she said in frustration. “We have got to get her trained.”
“You found her,” Hymn said. He held up the doggy treat and offered it to Hannah. “I brought them for her, but you’re welcome to it.”
Hannah popped him on the leg before pulling him over for a quick kiss.
“Just for that, another sandwich and a cookie. Mind the dog.”
For about an hour after lunch, the two poured over the records. During this time, Hazelnut whined due to confinement in a pet cage for sins committed.
“Nothing seems out of place,” Hymn noted. “There’s a lot of the same staff for each patient, but none of them cross over all.”
“Not surprising given the clientele and the hospital’s location.” Hannah tapped at the screen. “But every one of the deaths took place somewhere in the hospital, just not always while admitted.”
“What’d you mean?”
“Right here. William Watterson died as a patient in the hospital. So did Lee Falk, Alicia Jean Marsh, Janet Tyler, and Ed Lindsay. But…” Hannah brought up another file “Harry Bunn died in the cafeteria.” She pulled up yet another. “Laurette Bowen died in the lobby.” Once more, she tapped at the keyboard. “And Brother Wessel died in the office.”
“And Pepper Mothershed at reception,” Hymn said. “Huh, all died of cardiac arrest.”
She brought up two more files. “These new ones, or older if you consider they go further back, were outside the hospital altogether. Danny Weiss died at home and Marty Sall in the park.”
Hymn twisted his jaw back and forth. “You know the real problem here, right?”
Hannah glanced over and shook her head.
“We don’t know which of these might just be legit. We’re assuming that whoever did this murdered them all. What if some of them were just as Calvin suggested? Real cardiac arrests. How are we going to figure that out?”
“Well, when Magdalen and Buster get back, I’ll get her to go over these with me. Maybe she can wheedle out a clue or two.”
“Couldn’t hurt, I suppose.” Hymn motioned for Hannah to scroll down the file of Bowen. He stopped her when Susan’s name came up. “Mudbug. Was she there every time?”
The two scanned through several files.
“They were every patient’s doctor,” Hymn confirmed. “And they saw each one at their office on the day of their death. They just weren’t there at the time it happened in each case.”
“Doesn’t mean they didn’t do it,” Hannah interjected. “They could have arranged it.”
Hymn blew out a breath. “Yeah, and that’s what bothers me. We have the same problem we have with the Reverend. If one of them did this, then standing evidence would suggest Calvin or him. But Mudbug is cooperating, but to what end?” Hymn pushed his hand over the top of his head in a frustrated, quick manner. “God, I hate questioning my friends like this.”
Hannah reached over and took hold of his free hand. Giving it a squeeze, she gave a reassuring smile. “Look, this is just evidence. It says nothing specific yet. Look at everything stacked against Louie and Vera. How many times did I question their actions during that case? Or Elias and Samori? Previous cases prove that this is not an exact science. Nothing’s set in stone at this point. We may not even be on the right track yet. Now come here.” She pulled Hymn in for a deep slow kiss.
“Well, if it is one of the three doing this, then the likelihood of there being another death is next to nil while they’re here. So let’s get ourselves married, solve this case, and get on with our honeymoon.” He leaned in and gave her a quick kiss. “And our lives.”
“Speaking of that, you haven’t told me where we are going?”
Hymn grinned and made a motion of zipping his lips.
“And what about her,” Hannah said, gesturing toward the cage with Hazelnut.
“Two options. We can leave her with someone or take her with us.”
“Oh, hmm, is that a clue?”
“Maybe.” Hymn winked and exited the room.
“Keep it up, mister, and there won’t be a honeymoon.”
Hannah turned back to her laptop. Three, she thought. But there’s more than three. Janus and Rhoades. Once more, she began going through the files. Her eyes narrowed. Hymn re-entered the room carrying two bowls of ice cream and handed her one. Hazelnut whined at the sight of food.
“I still have to get into my dress, you know.”
“When was the last time you gained an ounce?” he said, shoveling a spoonful of his treat in her mouth. Hazelnut whined louder at the sight.
“She’s just like you, you know. Food gets her excited.”
“Remember that on our honeymoon,” Hannah said, shoveling a bite into her mouth before continuing. “I was just thinking about Janus and Rhoades.”
Hymn pulled his eyebrow up.
“I’ve been so focused on Brother Wessel and the Reverend…”
“You’ve had a lot on your mind, Sherlock. Most people can’t handle their wedding, let alone a murder investigation. I think you can be forgiven.”
The sleuth frowned. “Not when lives are at stake. I need to get my head in the game,” she said in a somber tone.
Hymn sighed and shook his head. He straightened up. “So, what do we know about the two so far?”
“Not much. The good brother appears to have been present in just two cases if I recall.” Hannah tapped at the keyboard before doing the same at the screen. “Just Lindsay and Bunn’s. He was one of the nurses who worked with both victims before he died. But Janus doesn’t appear to be anywhere in the files so far.”
Hymn shrugged. “I don’t think he’s been there that long, but I could be wrong. You know how it is with older people. They don’t like to give up on the familiar. I doubt most would turn to him for Counseling until the Reverend’s out of the picture.”
Hannah rested back with her bowl. She twirled the spoon in the cool dessert. “I’m going to have Cate check him and Rhoades both out. I can’t believe I haven’t considered them until now.”
“If Rhoades was in Draper with the Reverend, we need to get access to those files as well. I’ll reach out to one my buddies who still owe me a few favors. It’ll be easier going through official channels.”
Hannah spun around, so that she snuggled up to Hymn. “Hmm, I knew you were good for something.”
“I’m good for a lot of things,” he said draping his arm around her.
“Are you now?” Hannah turned her head back so that she could look into Hymn’s face. She gave him a devious smirk. “How long do you think Mag
dalen and Buster will be gone?”
Hymn grinned. “I can always lock the door.”
She gave him another kiss. “And what about little miss over there? We have to let her out sometime.”
“I can always shut the bedroom door.”
The next two days were a blur for Hannah. With three days until her wedding, her life was a bundle of hectic nerves and thoughts of the ongoing investigation. Problems arose and with solutions found just as fast. She was thankful for Cate’s help as the two drove around Twilight. They spent the day picking up the wedding and bridesmaid dresses, and other last minute items.
Back at Hannah and Hymn’s apartment, the two women constructed small welcome baskets. Hazelnut did her best to interfere. The gifts were Hannah’s idea. She wanted them for the guest’s rooms. Although Cate questioned the necessity of another project, Hannah insisted. She claimed that it kept her focused. As they worked on the gifts, with the occasional interruption of Hazelnut, conversation turned to other matters. They had to consider the arrival of guests and the need to keep Hannah’s grandmother from catching onto the investigation. Hannah was grateful that the seasoned snoop had yet to catch onto the fact that she was in the midst of a case. Had the elder detective discovered this, she would have been equal parts hurt and determined to insert herself.
“Don’t get me wrong,” Cate stated as she played tug of war with Hazelnut over a rope toy. “I love Gran, but the last thing you need right now is her all up in your Kool-Aid over this.”
“I know, right? I got her and Papa Jay helping Will out at the resort’s kitchen. He came in last night and got started first thing this morning.”
Cate pulled some papers from her handbag and held them up Hannah.
“What’s this?”
“The information on Wessel and Janus you asked for.”
Taking the files in hand, Hannah shook them, as if testing a present for its contents. “Ooh, thick, where did you get all of this?”
“The usual, but it took some doing. I now owe three people two dozen cannoli each, just so you know. Your recipe, so you’re baking when you get back. Anyway, I traced both through their general secondary education forward. Wessel’s goes back a little further. He was in foster homes most of his early life. I can go back further but most all the records remain sealed. Getting them open will take some doing.”
“This should be enough,” Hannah said. Flipping through the items, she scanned each. At one point, she frowned hard.
“Richard Wessel, born in Kalamazoo, Michigan, entered into foster care at birth. Never adopted. High IQ.” Hannah’s eyes widened. “Around 170. He earned a masters in biochemistry from Michigan State. He applied to Cal Tech and University of Michigan for their doctoral programs. Both accepted him but he then declined both, choosing instead to join the seminary. Later, he got his nursing degree as part of his ministry.” She looked to Cate. “Ten to one he’d know how to induce cardiac arrest.”
Cate agreed. She petted the dog while encouraging the sleuth to keep reading. When Hannah stopped, she produced her quirk. “He was capable of doing this. Still, why would he?”
“That Munchausen thing. Don’t they seek attention? They placed him in the foster system and he never got adopted. Sounds like a perfect place where everyone ignores you. Maybe he did it just to get noticed.”
“Makes some sense, but why would he join the seminary first? Being a member of an order seems just the opposite. A place where you aren’t noticed.”
Cate shrugged her shoulders. “You know what they say about that fine line between genius and insanity. It blurs sometimes. Not that it matters now.”
“It matters to the Reverend,” Hannah stated in a matter-of-fact manner. She never looked up from the papers. Cate crossed her arms and stared.
“I get that, but it’s two days before you marry the man of your dreams and your head’s still all about the case. And you’re a genius.” Cate scrunched up Hazelnut’s face and spoke in a goofy, baby like voice. “Kind of makes you wonder about that whole insanity-fine line thing, huh?”
“Woof.”
Hannah said nothing, finding herself lost in thought. Once again, she turned back to the pages. “Janus, not so interesting. Born in Peaksville, Ohio. Adopted. Average high schooler. No criminal record. Attended Theological Seminary in Bevis, Texas.” She flipped through a few more pages. “Maybe I spoke too soon. This is somewhat interesting. One disciplinary action on two counts there for…” Hannah wiggled her nose. “Sexual misconduct and disrespect toward seminary faculty.”
“Sexual misconduct? In what way?”
“Doesn’t say, but given that its two disciplinary actions under one punishment, I think it means he had an affair with a faculty member. It says the school suspended him for two semesters. During that time, they assigned further punishment…” She turned her eyes to Cate. “Working at a hospice ward at a church affiliated hospital. Makes you wonder if there was a spike in cardiac deaths during his tenure there.”
“Okay, so I’ll keep digging, but again, I’m trying to work through medical records. I don’t have any contacts as such. Best I can do is check out obituaries from around that time. That’s going to be massive. It will take some time, and I don’t mean my, ‘I’ll have it to you in a few days even though it should take a few weeks’ kind of time. This will take real time.”
Hannah half smiled. “We’ll have to find another way. You’ve got a life too, you know.”
Cate acknowledged her friend with a half chuckle. “This dog here has more of a life than me, girl. Al’s working late a lot and when he’s not, I am.” She scuffed Hazelnut’s head. “Does all this mean anything to that genius of yours?”
“Its information is all. Part of a puzzle, but it does tell us one thing. He’s not beyond crossing lines. Seminary should be where one shows their best side, not their devious one.”
“Yeah, but bedding someone is one line. Doing someone in is a whole other line altogether.”
“True enough, but we’ve seen it before. One thing leads to another.” Hannah shrugged. “I don’t know. Maybe I’m grasping at straws. Calvin. Susan. The Reverend. Wessel, Janus, and that Rhoades guy. All had access. All had potential motives. Though I have to admit, some seem farfetched at the moment.”
Cate put her hands on her hips and cocked her body to one side. “Farfetched seems to be our stock in trade. You know that. Speaking of that, what about this Rhoades? Has Hymn gotten anything on the man yet?”
Hannah smiled. “He’s such a sweetheart. A former work contact is pulling them for him from some old storage facility. The guy didn’t want real copies out there. But he’s letting Hymn and Magdalen look them over in an…” Hannah made a quotation gesture with her hands. “Unofficial capacity.”
“Magdalen’s with him?”
“Yeah.”
Cate’s eyes widen. “Buster’s with Magdalen.”
“Uh huh,” Hannah affirmed. “They’re all together.”
“Is that safe?”
Hannah shrugged again. “Don’t know, but I promise you, if Buster goes missing, my future husband is our first suspect.”
Chapter Ten
Although the wedding was still two days out, Hannah and Hymn’s guests began to arrive. Given the size of the event, the couple chose Twilight’s Falster Mansion Resort Spa as the location for the wedding. The facility included an 18th century main house. There was an expansive ballroom, vast cooking facilities, and luxury rooms. Additions to the primary structure over the years increased its size. The outlying areas beyond contained a multitude of cabins built around Schemerzone Lake. All existed on the resort’s land holdings. Downtown Twilight’s historic Finchely Hotel housed all other guests. A four story brick facility, it survived the test of time and became a calling card for the small town itself. Though she did not want her nuptials to be a social event, Hannah’s guests included an impressive list of names. Noted celebrity chefs, dignitaries she had encountered, and top culinary fig
ures would be attending. For the small town of Twilight, this was a near once in a lifetime event, and one which they would make the most of.
Amid the arriving guests, Hannah’s mind continued to wander back to Whipson’s case. She waited with anticipation for Hymn to return from Alabama. Magdalen, Buster, and he went to view old inmate records from Whipson’s time in Draper Correctional. Hymn’s contact also managed to get hold of Jackie Rhoade’s files from his time there. After making it back, all four traveled around the Falster Resort grounds. They delivered the small welcome baskets that Cate and Hannah had devised to each of the guests rooms and guests who had arrived. Doing so, they went over the information in the files.
“They were there at the same time,” Hymn informed Hannah. “But they housed them in different areas. They considered the Reverend as a minimum-community custody inmate. Meaning he was not seen as risk to himself or others. That’d put him in community based facilities, but not a cell, just a dormitory, thereby no particular cellmate.”
Hannah produced her quirk for a second as Hymn watched. She gave a hard frown before asking, “Did he have any altercations there?”
“None that went so far as to warrant disciplinary action. And with him housed in the dorms, it suggests that he kept quiet and just muddled through. But Rhoades was at times in medium to close custody. The latter because he had a history of fights, escape attempts, and bucking the rules. Over time, he had quite a few cellmates. I’ve made a list. We’ll go over it later.”
Magdalen interjected. “But this is only for Draper. He didn’t spend his entire time here. After a while, they transferred him out to other facilities. From what the Reverend said, Rhoades pulled more than one stint somewhere.”
Hannah gave her fiancé a quizzical look. “Question is, was he vindictive about his time inside? Did he blame the Reverend for his incarceration?”
“This guy doesn’t sound that smart to me,” Buster said. “I mean, the prison thing I can kind of get, but the more he was in, the worse he made it for himself. That doesn’t strike me as the kind of guy who can plan a bunch of deaths and pin them on the preacher man. He doesn’t think that far ahead.” He stood with a nervous expression before adding, “Or is that just me?”
The Priest Who Ate A Poison Petit Fore Page 8