Shepherd by the Sea: A Pastor Clarissa Abbot Mystery

by Glen Ebisch

  “Do you have a phone number for her?”

  “Sure. It’s the same as Richard’s office number. I have it on my phone.” She recited it to Clarissa who wrote it down.

  “Thanks for the information.”

  “Let us know what you find out. We’re leaving Shore Side the day after tomorrow, but we still want to know what you and the police find out. We can’t put our lives on hold indefinitely. But if we have to, we’ll hire a private investigator to get to the bottom of this.”

  Clarissa was sure that Lieutenant Baker would be delighted to hear that. “Don’t worry, I’ll be in touch,” she replied.

  As soon as she ended her conversation with Cheryl, Clarissa called the number for Verve. A brisk voice answered the phone, identifying herself as Abby Miller and announcing that it was Mr. Coppleston’s office. Clarissa explained that she was a friend of Karla’s sisters and helping the Shore Side police investigate Karla’s murder.

  “What a terrible thing,” the woman exclaimed. “Who would want to kill poor Karla?”

  “That’s what we’re trying to find out. Karla’s sisters said that you and Karla were friends.”

  “Well, we saw a lot of each other at work. Karla was the comptroller, and her office is right off mine, next to Mr. Coppleston’s.”

  “So she was sort of the chief financial officer?”

  “That’s right. We used to have a vice-president who did that job. When he left a few years back, Karla took on his duties, but, of course, without his title or salary,” Abby said softly. “It’s still hard for a woman to get ahead.”

  “I’m sure. Did Karla have a lot of friends at Verve?”

  “I’d say she had a lot of acquaintances, but you know how it is, when you have a position of authority, you have to remain a bit aloof. One of her responsibilities was to prioritize which projects could be funded, so there were always some ruffled feathers. Karla could be stubborn and a bit outspoken, but not enough that anyone would want to kill her.”

  “Individuals whose pet projects lost out must have been pretty angry with her.”

  “Well, yes, but certainly not angry enough to kill her. We aren’t a gang of mobsters here.” She chuckled. “Even though it is New Jersey.”

  “Of course not. Was there anyone with whom she’d had a recent falling out?”

  “Jonas Samuels was pretty angry with Karla a few weeks ago because she had to tell him that she couldn’t fund his development project for a new moisturizing cream. I have to admit that from what I heard about it, the cream sounded quite revolutionary; however, Mr. Coppletson told Karla that we couldn’t afford it right now due to budgetary constraints. He wasn’t going to cancel the project, simply put it off until next year. Karla was the one who had to tell Jonas. I could hear him shouting in her office. She must have been pretty upset because next day she spent a long time in Mr. Coppleston’s office talking about it.”

  “Would it be possible for me to speak with Jonas Samuels?”

  “I can put you through to his office.”

  “Before you do that, I was wondering whether Karla ever told you anything about this man Dan that she’d met online?”

  Abby laughed. “I saw pictures of him and read his profile. He was good looking and claimed to be a lawyer with a prestigious firm in Philadelphia. To be honest, I was pretty skeptical that a guy like that needed to use a matchmaking website. But he claimed that he was recently divorced and shy about getting back into the dating game.”

  “Did Karla ever tell you his last name?”

  “Yes, it was Dan Shaw. Supposedly he lived right across the state line in Pennsylvania, but he had a summer home in Shore Side.” Abby paused and went on in a more subdued voice. “The last time I saw Karla, she was saying that they were going to meet in Shore Side at a bar, just to see how they hit it off. I warned her to be careful, but she was so excited I doubt she heard me. She left to drive south the next day.”

  ‘I’m surprised she travelled so far based on a few emails.”

  “Oh, they’d been communicating for several weeks. I guess it was almost magical. She said that he liked the same things she did. It was almost as if he’d known her for years, she told me.”

  “Did Karla ever mention seeing any men from her past recently?”

  “Old boyfriends, people like that?”

  “Right.”

  “No, I don’t think so. The only man from her past giving her trouble was George. He kept following her around asking her to drop the divorce proceedings and take him back. I told her she was too good for George, and she should get the police to tell him to back off.” Abby paused. “Do you really think whoever killed her was someone she knew from up here?”

  “The police will have to look into this Dan Shaw. We don’t really know if he’s from Philly like he claimed. I haven’t mentioned it to the police yet, but I think they really have to dig into Karla’s personal and professional life. The investigation shouldn’t be confined to Shore Side. I don’t know if they’ll listen to me, but I’m going to try to convince them of it.”

  Clarissa stopped speaking and realized that what she had said was a new idea, but one that, now that she’d expressed it, sounded right to her. Getting the Lieutenant to ask for cooperation from up north might be a challenge. She wondered if he would send Rudinski up there to dig around.

  “Could you put me through to Jonas Samuels now?”

  “I sure will, and I certainly hope the police find out who did this. Karla was a good friend.”

  “Jonas Samuels,” a deep male voice said a moment later.

  “My name is Clarissa Abbot. I’m helping the police with their investigation into the murder of Karla Evanston,” Clarissa said, not sure that was exactly her job description but figuring it was the only way to get information.

  “I see.”

  She waited, hoping he would say more, but the man remained silent, apparently content for her to continue.

  “It’s come to my attention that you recently had a disagreement with Karla over a project that you were developing.”

  “Karla’s job was to oversee the budget. Sometimes this required that projects be cancelled or delayed. It wasn’t uncommon.”

  “You weren’t angry about having your project delayed?”

  The man sighed. “I was disappointed, naturally, especially since only a few months ago I’d been assured by Coppleston that the money was available to go ahead with it. But I wouldn’t say that I was angry, and certainly not murderously angry. This wasn’t the first time I’d had to adjust my plans to fit financial exigencies.”

  “Were you ever given an explanation as to why there was a change in plans over the last few months?”

  “Look, Ms. Abbot, if I understand correctly, you are not a police officer. Is that right?”

  “Correct.”

  “Well, until I’m contacted by a member of the police department and directed by my boss, Richard Coppleston, to answer their questions, I have nothing more to say.”

  “Thank you,” Clarissa said, just getting the words out before he hung up.

  Clarissa sat back in her chair and mulled over what she’d learned. Karla’s job certainly sounded like one where she’d make her share of enemies. Despite his protestations otherwise, she guessed that Samuels was one of them. But what would he stand to gain by murdering Karla? The next comptroller would presumably enforce the rules in the same way. He also didn’t strike Clarissa as someone who’d develop an elaborate scheme of pretending to want to date her on the internet in order to get her to Shore Side and kill her. That took a mind more devious than Samuels, who seemed direct to the point of rudeness. But the strategy she had suggested to Abby of having the police look into Karla relationships at her place of work still seemed like a good one, although it would be costly in terms of manpower. She could easily hear Lieutenant Baker offering to follow such a plan only after it had been conclusively determined that the killer wasn’t somebody local.

  She loo
ked at the clock and realized it was almost time to meet with Jonathan for lunch.

  She went into the restroom off the empty office, Ashley having already left for lunch, no doubt with Kevin. She applied some lipstick, fluffed her bobbed hair, and tried unsuccessfully to smooth out the wrinkles in her forehead. When she’d done all she could do, Clarissa locked the door to the office and headed out.

  Chapter 26

  Jonathan sat across from her and smiled. She knew that because they were eating outside on the warm September afternoon, masks weren’t necessary. They’d had a pleasant meal, scrupulously avoiding unpleasant topics; however, Clarissa had been on edge, guessing that there was something of significance to come.

  “Have your heard any more from the police on the Victor Carlson situation?” asked Clarissa.

  “According to Lieutenant Baker, he’s likely to be held without bail until his trial date a couple of month from now. Rebecca and her mother have moved out of the area. The company Rebecca works for transferred her to another region, and I guess her mother decided she’d had enough of Victor’s controlling behavior and tendency toward violence. Baker assured me that Victor would most likely be sent away for at least a couple of years.”

  “So everything is resolved.”

  Jonathan’s face clouded. “Actually, it isn’t, and that’s the reason I wanted to meet with you.”

  Clarissa looked at him expectantly.

  “Several people have left the community. I think they felt it wasn’t safe there anymore because of Victor. A couple of them might have stayed, but once the publicity got out, their families pressured them to leave.”

  “All the uproar will die down soon, and the people who left will come back or you’ll find new members to replace them. Don’t get discouraged too quickly.”

  “You’re probably right, but there’s more to it than that.” Jonathan stared across the room. “For the past few weeks I’ve been feeling that maybe Shore Side isn’t the right place for me to set up my church. It’s a small, cozy place near the ocean, which is what I like about it, but I’m not sure there’s enough of an audience here for me to draw upon. I don’t want to look around me ten years from now, and see myself being satisfied with a community of ten or fifteen folks living happily in a pleasant little commune.”

  “What do you want? A mega church?”

  The man sighed and ran a hand through his hair. “That’s the thing, I don’t really know. Maybe being in the army has just ruined me for staying in one place for very long. Once the newness wears off, I’m ready to be on my way to the next thing, even if I’m not exactly sure what the next thing is.” He smiled ruefully, “Maybe the not knowing is part of the excitement.”

  Clarissa nodded but said nothing.

  “What about you?” he asked. “Ten years from now, do you want to be leading the congregation at Shore Side Community Church?”

  “I don’t know. I’ve only had the job for a few months. I’m still learning the ropes.”

  “But surely you’ve got ambition and have thought of moving on one day.”

  “Theoretically, I suppose, if it happens in the fullness of time. But right now I’m content with settling into the community and learning to be a good pastor.”

  He smiled sadly. “Then I guess you wouldn’t be interested in my offer.”

  “What offer is that?”

  “That you come with me; that you join me on my journey. I can’t promise you security or riches, but I can guarantee that life will never be dull. We’ll go to new places and try new things. And I promise that I will listen carefully to your opinion on everything we do. We’ll be equal partners in the adventure.” He reached out and touched her hand. “We haven’t known each other for very long, but I can offer you affection that may some day deepen into love, and that’s all I’ll ask from you in return.”

  “A very tempting offer,” Clarissa said slowly, gently moving her hand away. “And I sincerely mean that. I think a man as dynamic as you could probably make good on all those promises. At this point in my life, however, I’m not ready to take off on the road. I’m looking for stability, not mobility. The day may come when I’ll be longing for that, but it isn’t right now.”

  Jonathan nodded. “I understand, but I’m afraid this is a one time offer. In a few weeks, I’ll be gone.”

  “Then I’m going to have to pass. I wish you every good fortune, and I expect I’ll be reading about you in the newspapers or seeing you on television.” She laughed softly. “I’ll be able to tell my friends that I knew you back before you became famous.”

  “You could be famous right along side me.”

  “I guess being famous isn’t what I want.”

  “The fame is just secondary, what’s most important is that we accomplish something meaningful with our lives. To do that you have to avoid getting stuck in a narrow rut where you keep plowing the same field.”

  Clarissa stood up. “Thank you for the offer, Jonathan, but I’m afraid that for right now I’m in the field where I want to be.”

  Clarissa walked back to the church hardly aware of her surroundings. She sensed that this had been one of those climactic moments in her life when she had made a choice that would have long lasting consequences. What would those consequences be? She had no idea. Who could ever predict with any accuracy the full implications of one’s choices?

  She knew that, by turning down Jonathan’s offer, a door had closed behind her. Would that mean another door would open? Clarissa thought of a joke she’d heard recently: that if one door opened when another door closed, you were probably in prison. She smiled grimly. She’d wanted to be a minister since college. Now that it had finally been accomplished was she going to find it too confining? Would she feel herself to be constrained by routine, tradition, and repetition? Had she just missed her best opportunity to start over again in a freer, less structured existence?

  She walked into the office still wondering if she’d just made the biggest mistake of her life.

  “Hi,” Ashley said, spinning around in her chair. “Kevin and I are thinking about a spring wedding. Do you think that’s a good idea? Will enough people have been vaccinated by then that things will almost be back to normal?”

  “Why don’t we pencil in a date and see what happens? We can always move it to a later date if things are slow to change,” Clarissa said, trying to muster some enthusiasm for the idea.

  Ashley gave her a long look. “What’s the matter? Didn’t your lunch with the shepherd go well?”

  Clarissa gave her a summary.

  “Whoa! A good looking, charismatic guy wants to whisk you off to travel the world, and you say, ‘Thanks anyway, but I think I’ll stay where I am as a small town minister.’ That’s a bold call. Why is it that all these exciting things happen to you, while I’m sitting around discussing computer software with my boyfriend?”

  “I’m sure that’s not all you do.”

  Ashley grinned. “Point taken. But men throw themselves at you like suicidal fish jumping into the boat, while I have to put out a net and troll. It just doesn’t seem fair. Whatever you’re using for bait, I want some of it.”

  “I think you’ve already made a good catch.”

  Ashley nodded. “Yeah, to be honest, I’m satisfied.”

  “That’s what’s important.”

  “Is that the problem? You’re never satisfied?”

  “It seems that way. I never thought of myself as being so restless; but now that I’ve got the position I’ve worked for years to achieve, somehow I feel that it just isn’t enough.”

  “Sure, what you need is a good man. What about Sergeant Rudinski? He’s really stuck on you. He may not be the kind of guy who’s going to go out and change the world, but he’s no slouch.”

  “What if I get a new position some day and have to move away? How will Rudinski handle that? He’s committed to the Shore Side police.”

  “I don’t know. That’s something you’ll have to talk about, bu
t most couples have issues of that sort. You know as well as I do that they aren’t insurmountable.”

  Clarissa nodded. “Well, for right now, I’ve got no romantic prospects. Rudinski is angry with me, and Jonathan is itching to continue on his life’s journey. So I guess I’d better go in my office and concentrate on what I have left—my work. I still have some finishing touches to put on this Sunday’s sermon.”

  No sooner had she started looking over her sermon than the phone rang.

  “It’s someone named Richard Coppleston who wants to speak with you.”

  “He’s the president of the pharmaceutical company Karla worked for. Put him through.”

  “Hello, Mr. Coppleston, how can I help you?” Clarissa asked.

  “Call me Richard, please. I hope I’m not disturbing you, Pastor Abbot, but my secretary, Abby, just told me that you’d called earlier today. She said that you were concerned that possibly Karla’s killer was someone associated with this firm.”

  “Well, it did occur to me that whoever killed her may have been from up there rather than down here.”

  “Abby said that you spoke with Jonas Samuels about a conflict he’d had with Karla over the budgeting of a project.”

  “I did think, given that her job involved the authority to either green light or cancel projects, she might have angered some of the people she worked with up there.”

  “Hmm. I wouldn’t have thought that these disagreements would have gotten heated enough to lead to violence, but I’ve been giving the matter some thought since I talked to Abby. There is one situation I can think of that may have risen to that level.”

  “Can you tell me about it?”

  “Have you spoken to the police about the possibility that her murder may have been work related?”

  “Not yet.”

  “Then perhaps we should speak to them together. I’d like to run my idea by you, and if it doesn’t sound too foolish, we can go to see Lieutenant Baker together.”