Shepherd by the Sea: A Pastor Clarissa Abbot Mystery

by Glen Ebisch

  Ashley had always told Clarissa that it was easy to underestimate Aunt Mona. Now Clarissa could see that was indeed true.

  “You’re right,” Clarissa said, admitting defeat.

  Mona gave a satisfied smile, which quickly disappeared. “I just hope what she’s done doesn’t require police involvement.”

  “Not at all. Actually, I’m here to act as sort of a go-between for Ashley. She wants me to tell you that . . . she has a boyfriend.”

  Mona’s face went still, and Clarissa found it hard to read her reaction. Then she suddenly smiled and clapped her hands. “Well, thank the Lord. I was afraid she’d never find someone, especially since she moved to Shore Side, where the young men aren’t exactly thick on the ground. I was feeling so guilty at getting her to move here, and cutting her off from a normal social life.”

  “Well, her boyfriend isn’t exactly a young man,” Clarissa said tentatively.

  “How old is he?”

  “Forty and he’s been divorced.”

  “He’s not still married?” Mona asked with a frown.

  “Ashley’s says he’s definitely divorced.”

  Mona paused for a moment. “Well, maybe it’s not ideal, but at least he isn’t married and on Social Security.” She grinned. “We both know Ashley. We wouldn’t expect her to do things the normal way, would we?”

  Clarissa smiled.

  “She does plan to marry this boy in the goodness of time, doesn’t she? I mean she isn’t planning for them just to live together. I know that’s the way with so many couples today. They have a whole batch of children before they ever think about getting married.”

  “I believe she plans to marry quite soon.”

  “Really marry, or go through some pagan ceremony?”

  “She’s asked me to officiate.”

  “Wonderful. Then maybe I can talk her into having a formal wedding.”

  “I can’t quite picture Ashley wearing a white wedding dress.”

  Mona raised her eyes toward heaven. “Perhaps we can at least get her to wear something less black. So it looks like a wedding rather than a funeral. But what I really meant is that if she waits until this virus is over, we could invite all the family and friends and have a real celebration. It would be nice to have something festive to look forward to after all the misery of recent months.”

  “So I can report back to Ashley that you’re pleased with the fact that she has a boyfriend?”

  “Of course, I’ll have to meet him first before formally giving my blessing, but let’s say I’m definitely in favor of the concept. I don’t want her to live her life alone the way I have.”

  “I’ll let her know.”

  Mona frowned. “Was she really that afraid of what I might say?”

  “I think the young always expect their elders to be less flexible than they really are, don’t you?” Clarissa paused. “And sometimes it’s good to surprise them.”

  Mona gave her a long look. “Good advice, Pastor, which I will take to heart.”

  Chapter 23

  Clarissa headed directly back to the parsonage. She was already running a bit late for lunch, and she knew that Mrs. Malone would soon be wondering what had happened to her. Clarissa realized that she had to eat something, despite the fact that she’d recently gorged herself on pastries at Mona’s. To tell Mrs. Malone that she’d spoiled her lunch at Mona’s would have serious repercussions. The woman’s feelings would be hurt, and she’d probably place most of the blame on Mona, which might have serious implications for the serenity of the congregation. One of the things they rarely talked about in seminary is how important older women are to the stability of the congregation, and how maintaining harmony among the often strong and conflicting personalities is an important part of the minister’s job.

  “Oh, good, there you are,” Mrs. Malone said as Clarissa entered the kitchen. “I was starting to worry that you’d be late. I have to leave early today. I’ve got a doctor’s appointment.”

  She put an overstuffed corned beef sandwich down in front of Clarissa along with a pickle and chips. “There’s your lunch. Now be sure you eat every bite.”

  Clarissa nodded without speaking, still adjusting to the size of the sandwich. She might eat a quarter of it, and her mind was racing to think of where she could hide the rest because if she didn’t eat at least half, Mrs. Malone would be suspicious.

  After Mrs. Malone left, with another warning to eat well, Clarissa managed to slowly consume a quarter of the sandwich and part of the pickle. She put the potato chips back in the bag. Suddenly, remembering that Ashley was taking a late lunch today, she had an inspiration.

  She packed the sandwich in a plastic container and walked over to the office.

  Ashley looked up in alarm as soon as Clarissa entered the room.

  “How did it go?” she asked.

  “Are you going to see Kevin for lunch?”

  “Yes, why? Do I have to tell him Aunt Mona says I can never see him again? I can’t do that. I’ll elope. I’ll move somewhere else. To another town if I have to.”

  Clarissa thrust the plastic container out in front of her. “Is he a wannabe vegetarian like you?”

  “No,” Ashley said, puzzled. “That’s one point where we disagree.”

  “Well, if he likes corned beef, this is his.”

  Ashley took it and stared hard at Clarissa. “You’re starting to worry me. You’re not making any sense. What did Aunt Mona say?”

  “Basically, she said congratulations. She’d like to meet Kevin, but she didn’t have any objections. I think she was actually rather relieved that you’ll have someone after she’s gone.”

  Tears came into Ashley’s eyes, something Clarissa didn’t think she’d ever seen. “Are you okay?” she asked.

  “Sure,” Ashley said, swiping a hand across her eyes. “I’m just happy and relieved. Kevin will be happy, too. Although he kept telling me that my aunt would only want what’s best for me, I didn’t quite believe it.” Ashley stood up. “If I can leave a little early, I’d like to go tell him now.”

  “Go right ahead, but don’t forget that sandwich.”

  When Ashley left, Clarissa went into her office and began to focus on her breathing. After her busy morning she needed to relax. The situation with Ashley and her Aunt Mona seemed to have reached a happy resolution, but she didn’t feel they’d made much progress on the murder of Karla Evanston. That reminded her that she was supposed to call the sisters to find out if they knew what matchmaking site their sister had used. She called Cheryl’s cell phone number. When she got through, she asked her question.

  “I don’t know the answer,” Cheryl said. “Let me ask Rhonda, she’s right here.”

  A few seconds later, Cheryl said, “Rhonda thinks she knew at one time, but she can’t remember the name of the site now. She’ll keep thinking about it. Maybe it will come to her.”

  Clarissa called Rudinski to pass on the information.

  “Too bad she can’t remember,” he said, “although I don’t share the Lieutenant’s optimism that the match making site will give us the identity of Dan any time soon. They guard the privacy of their customers pretty closely, from what I’ve heard.”

  “Probably so. The only person she told much about it was her boss, Richard Coppleston. Maybe he’d know the name of the website. I’m pretty sure that no one asked him when he was down here.”

  “I have his cell phone number, I’ll give him a call. You know, there are only so many of these sites in a given area. Probably I could check with them all to see if any had an account for Karla.”

  “That sounds like a good plan.”

  “Oh, one other thing. I heard this morning that Victor Carlson has been released on bail. I thought you might like to warn the shepherd.”

  “I didn’t know you could get bail if you were charged with attempted murder.”

  “It would be hard, but the prosecutor lowered the charge to illegal discharge of a firearm because Victor
claimed he only intended to scare Jonathan into releasing his daughter. He says the gun went off only because you wrestled with him.”

  “You weren’t there and didn’t see his face. He intended to pull that trigger.”

  “I think you’re right, but anyway with that lesser charge, he was able to get bail. I doubt he’d hold a grudge against you, but I thought you’d like to know.”

  “Have you informed Jonathan?” asked Clarissa.

  “I only just heard about it. I’ll call him right after this.”

  “If you don’t mind, I’ll give him a call and let him know.”

  “Fine. Also let him know that Victor was issued with a restraining order keeping him a hundred yards away from The Good Grace Church, so if they see him standing around any closer than that, they should let the police know.”

  Rudinski cleared his throat. “I’m on days for the next week. Any chance we could get together some evening?”

  “I’m pretty busy right now, but I’ll be in touch within the next day or two to set something up.”

  “Sounds good,” Rudinski said, with what sounded to Clarissa liked forced cheerfulness.

  Clarissa called the number for The Church of Good Grace. Miranda answered, and Clarissa asked if she could talk to Jonathan. After a minute, her call went through.

  “Hello, Clarissa, I was hoping you’d call. I’ve been thinking back on our lunch together. I’d like to get together again with you some time soon. What do you think?”

  She felt a surge of excitement at the prospect. What was it that had gotten her so caught up in seeing this man? He was good looking, but lots of men were. He was pleasant, but so were most men. All she could figure out was that Jonathan had plans, dreams that went beyond earning more next year or getting a promotion. He had a driving force in him to bring about a change in the world, and the older Clarissa got, the more she knew that this was a rare quality.

  “I’d like that very much,” she replied.

  “I’ll call you soon to set it up then. But I’m sure you called for a reason.”

  “I’ve just spoken to the police, and Sergeant Rudinski wanted me to let you know that Victor Carlson has been released on bail. Apparently the charge against him has been reduced, so they had to let him out.”

  “I see.”

  “But there’s a restraining order prohibiting him from coming within a hundred yards of the Church.”

  “I doubt that will be enough to stop him.”

  “Do you really think he holds that much of a grudge against you?”

  “Probably not, but you see, his wife has left him. I guess the shooting was the last straw. She didn’t have anywhere else to go, so I told Rebecca that she could move in here. I really didn’t want to do that, but the woman was desperate. So Victor will no doubt be here soon.”

  “Would he know where his wife has gone?”

  “I’m afraid she left him a note. I advised against it, but Rebecca said her mother insisted that he had to know why she left him and where he could contact her.”

  “I think you should get in touch with the police. They can keep an eye on your place in case he shows up.”

  There was a long silence. “If the police are on the scene, there will almost inevitably be more violence. The best way to deal with Victor’s anger is to meet it with understanding and compassion. He’s an angry father and a frustrated husband. That kind of emotion can only be defused by talking it through in a calm manner.”

  “The last time I saw Victor, he didn’t seem to be up for much conversation.”

  “I didn’t realize how much he was suffering at the time, now I do. I think I’ll deal with him more intelligently the next time.”

  Clarissa sighed. “I appreciate your point of view, but please be careful. We don’t want anyone getting killed because of this.”

  “Definitely not. And I’ll give you a call soon about our getting together.”

  Clarissa sat staring at the phone wondering what to do. She was uncomfortable with Jonathan’s approach to the problem of Victor, but at the same time, if she ignored his request and called the police herself, she suspected it would do serious damage to their budding relationship. She’d dealt with a few overwrought people during her various internships while in the seminary, and she knew that there was a very fine line between hurt and violence. Victor was poised on the knife-edge of those feelings and could tip either way. She suspected that Jonathan was overestimating his ability to handle the situation.

  Finally she decided that she’d get Rudinski’s opinion. He’d handled a lot of domestic disputes and would know what the standard operating procedure was. Jonathan might not be happy that she’d consulted the police, but she had to make her own decision. She called Rudinski’s cell, but it went to voice mail. She left a message. Deciding that she’d be better able to reason with Jonathan face-to-face, she locked up the office, and went into the parking lot to get her car. Driving as fast as she dared on the narrow streets, she headed for The Church of Good Grace. Getting there in record time, she ran up on the porch. Before she could ring the bell, she saw that the front door was open. Slowly she pushed it wide and went into the main hall. No one came to greet her.

  Clarissa went down the hall to Jonathan’s study and knocked. There was no reply.

  “Jonathan, this is Clarissa Abbot. Are you in there?”

  Still there was no reply, but Clarissa heard a noise on the other side of the door that sounded like a key turning in the lock. The door opened a crack and eyes peered out at her.

  “Thank God, it’s you,” said Miranda, pulling the door wide. “I don’t know what to do. Victor’s here and he’s furious. Jonathan told me to lock myself in and stay here until he comes back for me.”

  “Have you called the police?”

  “I wanted to, but Jonathan said I shouldn’t.”

  “Call them now,” Clarissa demanded, but Miranda still looked doubtful.

  Clarissa whipped out her cell phone. “Either you call them or I will.”

  “Okay, I’ll do it.”

  “Where are Jonathan and Victor now?”

  “The went upstairs. Rebecca and her mother have been staying in a spare room on the third floor. I suppose that’s where they are.”

  “Does Victor have a gun?”

  Miranda shook her head. “But he has an iron bar of some sort. He was waving it around like he meant to use it.”

  “Okay,” Clarissa said, listening but not hearing any voices from above. “Now lock yourself in and make that call.”

  She stood at the bottom of the stairs, looking up into the shadows and wondering what was happening there. Slowly she made her way up the stairs, which creaked noisily, announcing her ascent. When she reaching the second floor landing, she stopped and listened. She could hear the sound of voices on the floor above her. Glancing up and down the second floor hallway and seeing nothing, she started up the stairs to the third floor. As she reached the top, she could make out distinct voices down the hallway to her right. Both were male: one calm and harmonious, the other breathy and harsh. Slowly she walked up on the landing and turned down the hallway toward the sound.

  Clarissa saw a male figure with his back toward her. He was facing another man who was standing in front of a closed door. As she drew nearer, walking as softly as possible on the creaky wooden floor, she saw that the man facing her was Jonathan. Victor had his back towards her. In his left hand was a tire iron. She locked eyes with Jonathan, and he gave an almost imperceptible shake of his head. What that was supposed to mean was unclear. Did he want her to leave? Was he trying to tell her not to let Victor know she was there? Was he indicating that she shouldn’t try to disarm Victor? Not certain what to do, she stood still and listened.

  “Let’s go downstairs to my office, Victor. All four of us can sit down and talk this out,” Jonathan suggested.

  “Get out of my way,” Victor responded, holding the tire iron higher. “One way or the other, my wife and daughter ar
e leaving here with me, and I don’t care what happens to you.”

  He leaned forward on the balls of his feet as if he were ready to charge forward. Jonathan put up an open hand.

  “Don’t do anything foolish, Victor. If you end up in jail, it isn’t going to help your wife or daughter. You shouldn’t even be here right now; it violates the terms of your bail. But I won’t call the police, if you’ll put down your weapon and agree to talk this thing through.”

  “Marie!” Victor called out. “Come out of there and bring Rebecca with you. If you don’t, I swear I’ll bash in the head of this so-called minister you all like so much.”

  There was the sound of female voices talking on the other side of the door.

  “You’ve got ten seconds!” Victor shouted.

  Clarissa saw Jonathan balance his weight, getting ready for the charge. Jonathan was bigger and younger, but an enraged man with a tire iron was a formidable opponent.

  Slowly the door behind Jonathan opened. Without looking behind him, he said, “Get back inside.” But the door continued to open wider, and wider. Finally Marie and Rebecca stepped out in the hall.

  “We’ll come with you,” Marie said softly.

  “Good. Finally you’re seeing sense, stupid woman,” Victor said with a note of triumph. He glared at Rebecca, “And you’ll be sorry you ever got the family involved in this place.”

  Clarissa could tell by the expression on Jonathan’s face that he was unsure what to do. He certainly didn’t want to have the two woman leave with this deranged man, but if he provoked a fight with Victor, one of the women could easily get hurt in the melée.

  “Don’t act like such a petty tyrant, Victor!” Clarissa said loudly.

  Surprised that someone was behind him, Victor spun around.

  “You! You’re no better than he is. You claim to be a minister, but you’re nothing but a woman who thinks she can be a man.”

  “I’m already more of a human being than you, someone who can only prove he’s man by threatening the life of his wife and daughter. ”