Jolly Dead St. Nicholas

by Carol A. Guy

  Approaching hastily, Adelaide ascertained it was Jerry Hatfield dressed in the Santa suit. It was obvious they could do nothing for him. He was dead. A wide black patent-leather belt lay on the front balcony pew, near where his body was draped over the oak railing. His fake beard had fallen forward, exposing the source of the bleeding. “He has a nasty looking puncture wound on the side of his neck.”

  She scanned the immediate area, noting that the belfry door was open. “He was in the process of changing when it happened. His hat is on the floor.” She nodded toward a spot a few feet away. Suddenly she was shaking, her stomach churning. She backed away from the body, motioning for Carl to follow her down the stairs so they could wait for the police.

  * * * *

  Daniel McBride surveyed the murder scene closely, a knot forming in his mid-section. He’d known Jerry Hatfield all his life. In fact, the man had been his hero, even though Jerry had graduated high school eight years prior to Daniel. His feats on the football field were legend in Crescent Falls.

  The paramedics had arrived, then left when it was obvious they were not needed. Now the coroner, a stoop shouldered man named Ben Mannix, was busy examining the body. It was a tight squeeze between the front balcony pew and the railing, but the smallish man seemed to be managing fine. Every once in a while he would mutter something into a hand held recorder.

  Ray Butler and eight other officers were in the basement questioning shoppers and church members who had been working this afternoon. In the case of the shoppers, Daniel’s instructions had been to ask if anyone saw or heard anything out of the ordinary, take their contact information and let them go home. As for the workers, they would be asked to stay for further inquiries. Daniel knew they’d want to stay anyway, especially his mother, who would already be lining up suspects in her mind. She was still in the parlor with Hester Ryan and her willful daughter, Alise. In fact, he’d instructed his mother to keep an eye on them until he was finished here.

  Footsteps on the balcony stairs caused Daniel to turn around, where he came face to face with Lieutenant Luke Fagan. “I got here as soon as I could. I was at Lloyd’s again. Someone took a hammer to one of those neon green lions. My opinion is they should have clobbered both of them then maybe he’d get rid of the things.”

  Daniel stepped aside so Luke could walk around him.

  Luke surveyed the crime scene for a moment. A metal case resembling a tool box dangled from his right hand. In a way, Daniel supposed you could call the items inside tools. Luke was the department’s first certified crime scene technician. He’d received his training while with the Columbus PD and took yearly classes to stay up to date on the latest techniques.

  Ben Mannix stood up, facing them. “Time of death was around two o’clock. The weapon was some sort of knife…not sure exactly what yet. It missed the carotid but dissected the jugular.” He peeled off his latex gloves, stuffing them into a black bag he’d carried in with him. “I doubt he had time to struggle, but you might want to bag his hands anyway,” he told Luke.

  From here the body would be taken to the county medical examiner’s office where it would be autopsied.

  Once Ben was gone, Luke processed the body for transport. Pictures were taken, hands bagged, blood smears from the beard, neck, and clothing collected. The wide patent leather belt and the Santa hat were bagged, along with the box that had contained the Santa suit. Finally, two large, muscular men removed the body after wrapping it in a white sheet and zipping it into a black body bag.

  Daniel watched as Luke then began the painstaking task of gathering fingerprints and any trace evidence he could find in the balcony. “We need to know when the balcony was last cleaned. My guess is if it was a while ago we’re going to find lots of prints up here but not necessarily the killer’s,” Daniel said, leaving Luke to his work. It was time to join his mother and the Ryans in the parlor.

  * * * *

  Officer Judy Hess approached the trio huddled together in the back corner of the social hall. She, along with several of her fellow officers had just finished checking IDs and taking statements from the shoppers before sending them on their way. After questioning several of the workers, four of the officers had left moments ago to go back on patrol. She sent one outside to look around the perimeter of the building for anything resembling a clue or murder weapon, which could be a knife or ice pick. The other two were searching the basement. That left Judy alone to question the three people she now approached—Vernon Dexter sat with the Henshaws at one of the tables. She’d known these people all her life, which made it difficult to picture one of them as a killer.

  “The scene upstairs is being processed,” she told them. No sense beating around the bush. After all Mr. Henshaw and Mr. Dexter had been with Mrs. McBride when the body was discovered. Mrs. Henshaw looked very shaken up and somewhat nervous. Mr. Henshaw acted like something was on his mind but he wasn’t sure whether he should spit it out. So, once she took their statements she asked Ethel Henshaw if there was any coffee left in the kitchen. “I’d sure like a cup if you don’t mind.” She’d start with Mr. Henshaw then get to his wife.

  Mrs. Henshaw seemed happy to have something to do as she bustled out of the room. Judy turned her attention to Vernon Dexter. He’d been looking at his watch for the last several minutes, as though he had somewhere to be. “I know you have to go close the pharmacy. If I have any further questions, I’ll call or drop by,” she said to him.

  Vernon huffed and got up. “Where is Addy?”

  “Mrs. McBride is upstairs with Hester and Alise Ryan,” Judy told him. “She won’t be available until later, I’m sure.”

  “Then I’ll be back…later,” Vernon said firmly before walking away.

  Judy felt her cheeks heat up a little.

  Well, I could have handled that better. I made him feel like he was being dismissed. Tact never was my strong suit.

  She turned her full attention to Carl Henshaw. “You look like a man with something on his mind. So, why don’t you tell me what it is?”

  * * * *

  Carl had been wrestling with the idea of telling the police about the argument he’d witnessed between the Hatfields. Now he supposed the jig was up. Judy Hess was one of the most perceptive cops on the force. She knew how to read people, one thing she had in common with Adelaide.

  He looked across the table at her, meeting her steady gaze. “Earlier, in the church parking lot, I saw Jerry and Susan Hatfield arguing. It was, well, heated, as they say. He even grabbed her arm.”

  “When was this?” Her tone was sharp. She was making notes as she’d done while taking everyone else’s statements.

  “Around one-thirty Jerry got out of his car in the parking lot just as Susan came out of the church. They began arguing.”

  “About what?”

  “I couldn’t hear it all. I was too far away then, but I could tell it was heating up.”

  “But you finally got close enough to hear something, didn’t you?”

  Carl nodded. “I’m afraid so. Susan cautioned him to keep his voice down. He said You think people aren’t talking? Guess again. I told your boyfriend I’d see him defrocked and I meant it. Then he grabbed her arm, hard. That’s when I spoke up.”

  Ethel returned, carrying three cups of steaming coffee on a sterling silver tray. Creamer packets and sugar were already on the table in preparation for that evening’s dinner.

  Carl looked over at Ethel once she was seated next to him. “I’m telling Judy about the argument I overhead outside earlier today between Susan and Jerry.”

  “Go on, Mr. Henshaw. What happened next?” Judy prompted.

  “Susan tried to cover it up. She claimed she felt woozy, that Jerry was just trying to steady her so she wouldn’t fall. I could tell by the look on Jerry’s face he knew I wasn’t buying it. I invited them to have lunch at the Dovetail Inn with us after church…tomorrow. He said no to lunch but said he needed to meet with me around two-thirty.”

  “Did
he say why he wanted to meet with you?” Judy asked.

  “No.”

  “What happened next?” Judy asked.

  “Jerry and I came inside.”

  “What about Susan Hatfield—did she come back inside the church?”

  Carl shook his head. “She muttered something about getting away from here.”

  Judy looked at Ethel next. “You might as well tell me what you know.”

  Ethel sighed. “As you know, we live next door to Susan and Jerry. On Thursday night I overheard them arguing on their front porch. She was on her way to choir practice and he’d followed her outside. He accused her of having an affair with someone at the church then he said it was Reverend Underwood. He said he’d make him pay. She left then, but I think he followed her. I heard a car pull out several minutes later.” She seemed relieved to finally get it out in the open.

  Judy studied her notes for a moment. “So Jerry Hatfield thought your preacher was having an affair with his wife?” She looked at Carl. “Is it true?”

  Finally Carl said, “I don’t know.” His heart felt heavy as he watched Judy flip her notebook shut and get up.

  Chapter Ten

  Adelaide watched as an officer escorted Hester and Alise Ryan from the parlor once he’d taken their statements. Mother and daughter were both distraught, especially Hester who looked pale and drawn.

  “I’ve sent an officer over to the Hatfield’s to break the news to Susan, since she isn’t here. As for your preacher, he seems to be in the wind, although his car is in the garage at the parsonage. His wife’s is gone, though,” Daniel told her.

  “In the wind? You make it sound like he’s a fugitive from justice or something. Maybe he and Fran went somewhere together,” Adelaide snapped.

  Daniel shrugged his shoulders as he headed across the room.

  Adelaide watched as her strong, handsome son poured himself a cup of coffee from the urn sitting on an antique library table in the corner. The parlor was nicely furnished, thanks to the United Methodist Women. The room had once been a barren rather unattractive looking place with just a long mahogany table surrounded by twelve straight back chairs. Two built-in book cases held what could pass for a library. Five years ago the women had rebelled. Enough of this sparseness, they’d said.

  The renovation took about two months. The cream colored walls were repainted a cool green. Subtle off-white draperies with thin gold stripes had replaced the austere mini blinds. The beige carpet gave way to a thick-piled forest green. A smaller, round table that seated eight was placed at one end of the room. At the other end, two sofas, two loveseats and six easy chairs in varying shades of green, pale peach and tan provided additional seating, grouped attractively around coffee tables so as to give the impression of casual comfort. The room now looked cozy, a place where large or small groups could meet.

  Adelaide was sitting on one of the floral loveseats near a window. Daniel joined her, putting his cup on the oval coffee table in front of them.

  “You’re chomping at the bit. What is it, Mother?” Daniel sat on the edge of the loveseat, his elbows on his knees, his hands clasped together.

  Even though she didn’t look over at him, she could feel his gaze on her. “I overhead something on Friday—”

  A knock at the door interrupted them. Daniel emitted an aggravated sigh then barked, “Come in!”

  Adelaide watched as Officer Judy Hess entered the room. Daniel’s tone didn’t seem to deter her a bit.

  “Sorry to interrupt, Chief, but I think you’ll want to hear this.” She smiled at Adelaide then looked Daniel’s way again.

  “I want to hear what my mother has to say—”

  Adelaide put a hand on her son’s arm. “No need to be snappish, Daniel. Judy, it wouldn’t hurt for you to hear this either, since you’ll be working the case, no doubt.”

  Judy and Daniel had been friends since early childhood. Adelaide always suspected that Judy had a crush on him in high school. In fact, Judy always hung out with the boys in the neighborhood since she was into sports as well as hiking and camping. She wasn’t beautiful by any means but with her short red hair accentuating a pixie-like face, she was certainly attractive.

  “Sorry, Judy. I’m a little thrown by all this. Not very professional, is it?” Daniel motioned her into a striped chair next to the loveseat.

  “I’m thrown too, Chief. Don’t worry about it.” She looked over at Adelaide. “Is it all right if I sit in?” Her questioning gaze shifted back to Daniel.

  “We should compare notes anyway. Mother will get all the details from me later, so she might as well hear it now,” Daniel said with a half-grin. Just then his cell phone rang so he got up, moving toward the opposite side of the room to take the call. When he returned, he was frowning. “The officer I sent to notify Susan Hatfield says she’s not at home.”

  “She needs to be found,” Judy said. Then she explained. “Mr. Henshaw witnessed an argument between the Hatfields in the church parking lot today. He accused her of having an affair with Reverend Underwood. Mr. Henshaw interceded when Mr. Hatfield grabbed his wife’s arm. According to Mr. Henshaw, Susan Hatfield said she needed to get away from here. Also, Mrs. Henshaw heard a heated argument between the Hatfields on Thursday night before Mrs. Hatfield left for choir practice. Again it was about her involvement with the preacher. “

  Adelaide felt sick inside. “I was just about to tell Daniel that I overhead an argument here at the church on Friday morning between Douglas Underwood and Jerry Hatfield.”

  Daniel raised an eyebrow. “Do I even have to ask what it was about?

  Adelaide shook her head. “Jerry was accusing Douglas of seducing Susan. He denied it, of course.”

  Standing up, Daniel began to pace. “What else did you hear, Mother?” His intense gaze was now riveted on her.

  “Jerry threatened to have Douglas thrown out of this church, perhaps even the ministry. He said he’d contact the district superintendent and the bishop if necessary. He told Douglas he was finished.”

  Daniel stared at Adelaide. “Let’s hear it all.”

  Adelaide told them what Dora had claimed to see on Thursday night. “She said it looked like they’d been holding hands when the study door opened. I’m not sure how accurate her account is, since I wasn’t there, but Dora isn’t usually given to embellishments.”

  Daniel turned to Judy. “Go over to the parsonage. See if the preacher is there now. His cell phone keeps going straight to voice mail.”

  Quickly Judy scurried from the parlor.

  Daniel got another call just then so Adelaide went downstairs to begin the arduous task of putting away the unsold items and securing the money. he Henshaws were sitting at one of the back tables drinking what she assumed was coffee.

  “I’m surprised you’re still here. You must be exhausted,” Adelaide said as she sat down next to Ethel. She glanced at her watch, surprised that it was only a little after six o’clock.

  “We packed away the unsold merchandise, Adelaide. The boxes are in the supply closet off the kitchen. Surely you didn’t think we’d just waltz out of here without making sure things were secured,” Ethel said a little testily.

  “I put the money in the church safe,” Carl told her. His expression was glum.

  “Oh, thank you both so much.” She couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief. “We still need to tabulate the silent auction bids.”

  Ethel handed her a stack of papers that were the size of a sheet of copy paper cut in half. “Already done. The highest bid for the quilt is on top. The winner is Mary Ellen Oliver.”

  “Since we couldn’t have the chicken dinner and the food was already cooking, they finished it then took it to the homeless shelter in Rosewood,” Ethel told her.

  “We’ll have to decide whether to refund peoples’ money or reschedule another dinner for after the first of the year,” Adelaide said. She felt guilty even discussing such a thing with Jerry barely cold.

  “Most of the people
I talked to think we should reschedule the dinner. It will help us all to heal if we can gather together after the holidays,” Ethel told her.

  Adelaide felt tears sting her eyes as she looked at her two dearest friends. “I don’t know how to thank you for handling all of this.”

  “Well, we had to do something while we waited for you,” Carl replied. “I’ve called some of the men to come in before Sunday school tomorrow to help put away the extra tables.”

  Adelaide didn’t even want to think about tomorrow. Frankly, she couldn’t imagine having church services here in the morning after today’s tragic events. “Has anyone spoken to Douglas this evening? No one seems to know where he is.”

  Carl shrugged. “I haven’t seen him.”

  Tears glistened in Ethel’s eyes, making the yellow flecks that danced there even more prominent. “We’re just trying to take it all in, Adelaide. As soon as Vernon closes the pharmacy, I think the four of us should be together tonight after what has happened.”

  Adelaide agreed. “Then we’ll go to my place. I walked to the church this morning, so I’ll have to ride with you. I have some homemade vegetable soup in the freezer. I’ll make some biscuits. We’ll have one of your cherry pies, Ethel. I bought it earlier. It’s in the church kitchen. Comfort food. We need it, dear friends. Tonight we certainly need it.” Adelaide reached out so they could join hands and say a prayer for Jerry Hatfield as well as for the members of the Crescent Falls United Methodist Church.

  Chapter Eleven

  When Adelaide unlocked the front door of her home, she was immediately welcomed by her cat, Oscar, who rubbed against her legs, purring loudly.