Body Bags & Blarney (15 page)

With his
makeshift duster in hand, Father William climbed the ladder carefully. “I have
no problem with them when they obey my rule to stay out in the gardens.” Upon
reaching the second from the last step, he reached the broom upwards and began
to sweep away the webbing. “They are free to spin as many webs as they desire
outdoors.”

“Speaking of
webs, I think that if we combined our congregations for an event, we could
capture some evil that floats around this town.” Seamus carefully cleaned some
dust bunnies that had gathered in the corners along the bottom of the railing.

Father William
looked down at him from the top of the ladder. “For the upcoming carnival?”

“No.” Seamus sprayed
another set of spindles. “I’m hosting an old-fashioned tent revival at my
church this evening. It’s going to be a wonderful night of praise and worship.”

“I see.”
Father William reached the broom over to the right and swept some more webs
away from the ceiling. “How can I help you?”

“Even though
we have different styles of worshipping, we both are working for the same boss,
so to speak.” Seamus slowly worked the rag over the spindle posts. “I think
that when you and I allow our differences to split the town, the only one that
wins in the end is Satan.”

“I can’t argue
with you there.” Father William climbed to the second to last step on the
ladder where a warning sticker cautioned not to proceed any further upward. He
extended his reach as far as he could to snag a particularly dusty web that
fluttered near a ventilation duct.

“I think that
the best way to combat evil is to join forces as a unified brotherhood.” Seamus
looked up at Father William. “What I’m suggesting is that we help our
congregations to see that by working together on a project.”

Father William
nodded eagerly. “I couldn’t agree more with you. What do you suggest?”

“Well, I think
we should each support the others events this month as a show of good faith.”
Seamus set his rag down on the railing for a moment. “I’ll throw my support
behind your Saint Patrick’s Day carnival and you could encourage your
congregation to attend our tent revival this evening.”

“You’re
willing to do that?” Father William scanned the ceiling for more cobwebs to brush
away.

“Yes I am.”
Seamus straightened his posture. “Will you join with me?”

Father William
climbed back down the ladder and rested his broom between the steps. “I would
like very much to do that, but I’m a little concerned about your promise.”

“Concerned?”

“Yes.” Father
William folded his hands together. “You mentioned that you would support the
carnival, yet the church you serve expressly forbids some of the activities
that take place on that day. How can you ask your congregation to overlook
that?”

“Those are old
rules.” Seamus replied. “We must learn to adapt to a changing world in order to
survive. The devil does this quite easily, which is why he is able to get a
foothold so quickly in today’s society.”

“We do need to
adapt.” Father William eyed him cautiously. “But, I don’t know that you can
expect change so fast without losing some of your flock in the process.”

“If there are
some stubborn minds, then I think we are better off to cut them loose and let
them find a more suitable environment in which to worship.” Seamus politely
argued. “That is the most logical thing to do.”

“But your job
is to keep your flock together.” Father William stood beside the baptismal
pool. “Forgive me for being blunt, but I can’t help but question this sudden
change of heart.”

“You
misunderstand me, Father William.” Seamus raised his hands in the air. “The
only agenda I have is to protect Cayuga Cove from the evil forces that are
surrounding it.”

“Tell me,
Pastor Kilpatrick, why did you leave the church?”

Seamus lowered
his hands. “God led me to a different path, one that the Catholic faith was
unable to support.”

“I had a most
interesting conversation with Bishop Palmer the other day.” Father William
reached up and scratched his chin. “He had heard about the incident at the
library and was most interested when your name came up.”

“You must have
coaxed a good story out of him.”

“It was
interesting, to say the least.” Father William replied calmly.

“I’m sure it
was.” Seamus shrugged his shoulders. “Of course, the problem with hearing the
story from a secondary source is that everyone puts their own spin on the
events, even Bishops.”

“I won’t argue
with that.” Father William conceded. “But, after hearing about what happened at
Saint Mary’s under your leadership, I cannot in good conscience combine our
congregations together, even for a special event.”

Seamus
laughed. “I should have known better than to come to you. You can’t see beyond
that narrow little path that the Bishop has laid out for you to follow
blindly.”

“And you shouldn’t
use your position within another church to fuel your personal ambitions.”
Father William challenged. “So, I guess that leaves us divided for the time
being.”

Seamus nodded
back. “For the moment.” He raised a finger at Father William. “But, let me
assure you that the division is not equal. You might have the lion’s share of
congregation here in town, but that’s not going to always be the case. My
church is growing by leaps and bounds. We are bringing more and more of the
faithful into our fold and given enough time, you might be sweeping a lot more
cobwebs from the rows and rows of empty pews inside this church as people
abandon you.”

“I have faith
that my congregation will stay right where it is.”

“I think I’m
done cleaning up your mess here, Father.” Seamus set his rag down on the
railing and stormed toward the back exit of the church. As he pushed the door
open, a gust of wind fought to close it. He pushed harder and stepped out into
the cold morning sunlight that forced him to squint from spending his time
inside the dark sanctuary.

Vivienne
frantically used all her will power to make him look toward the garden area.
For a moment, she broke his control and his head turned toward the area she
wanted to view. The air was permeated with the smell of fruit preserves wafting
out of the basement kitchen vent, as the nuns remained blissfully unaware of
what had just transpired above their heads in the sanctuary.

“Good morning,
Carl.” Mother Superior’s voice echoed from the garden area. “The winter sure hasn’t
been kind to the plants and shrubs, has it?”

“Not at all,
Mother Superior.” Carl Hillman’s voice answered back. “I need to fix some of
the plant covers today. The weatherman said we could be looking at a series of
snowstorms coming this way next week. Possibly a blizzard.”

“Good heavens,
I hope he’s wrong about that.” Mother Superior replied. “When you get a chance,
could you tighten the pipe fittings on the kitchen sink again? Father William
found a small puddle when he opened the cabinets to get some cleaning
supplies.”

“I’ll take a
look in just a bit.”

“Thank you,
Carl.”

Seamus walked
quickly along the shoreline, muttering to himself with frustration. He stared
at the rocks below his feet, kicking some of the larger ones into the water.
When he glanced upwards, for a brief moment, Vivienne could make out a solitary
figure walking toward him from the opposite direction. Clothed in navy blue
hooded sweatshirt that was pulled up over its head, the figure came closer to
Seamus and bumped into him. “Watch where you’re going.” Seamus grumbled, barely
looking up.

“I’m sorry.”
The figure replied in a deep voice. “Oh, it’s you, Pastor Kilpatrick.”

The vision
became blurry, as if Seamus’ body was shaking or shivering uncontrollably. For
a brief moment, Vivienne thought she saw Pastor Kilpatick swing a fist and
strike the figure to the ground.

The memory
link between Vivienne and Seamus came to an abrupt halt. She felt dizzy as she
left his body and the vista of Cayuga Lake swirled away into the darkness. A
moment later, she awoke on the floor of the tent with Seamus standing over her.

“Are you
hurt?” He asked her.

“No. Vivienne
answered. “I just lost my balance.”

He helped her
sit up as Joshua and Kathy appeared at her side. “You really took a tumble.”
Kathy informed her.

Joshua helped
her to her feet. “Are you sure you’re okay?”

“I’m fine,
really.” Vivienne, now fully recovered from the disorienting effect of her
power, felt a wave of disappointment that she had lost her control over his
memory just as she was getting some important information. Based on what she
had seen, she could place Seamus at Our Lady of the Lake shortly before the
murder, but not present when it occurred. She needed to get back home and start
creating a timeline of what she had seen to better figure out who was where and
at what time. What bothered her the most, was not getting a better look at the
hooded sweatshirt figure that had been making its way toward the church that
morning. Could he have been the one responsible? She had a sinking feeling that
everything was connected, but this time her special power wasn’t going to be
quite enough to put all the pieces together.

“She has let
the holy light into her heart and it his driven away the fear.” Seamus spoke to
the crowd. “Can I get an Amen?”

The assembled
crowd shouted back with several shouts of praise in response.

Joshua and
Kathy each took an arm and ushered Vivienne down the center aisle as the chorus
began to clap and started singing a lively gospel tune. The sides of the tent
fluttered and groaned as a strong gust of wind whipped off the lake.

“He works in
mysterious ways and we are all witness to that tonight.” Seamus hurried up to
the stage to continue his message to the assembled crowd.

As they walked
down the aisle, Kathy suddenly came to a halt and pointed to the back row where
their seats had been. “Vivienne, is that the guy we’re looking for?”

Vivienne
glanced at the area where Kathy was pointing. The tall stranger had come after
all. He was mostly shrouded in darkness, but she could make out some facial
features as the lights from the stage brightened and there was no doubt left in
her mind. That was the man. “That’s him.” She shouted above the song the choir
was belting out with vigor.

“Where?”
Joshua frantically scanned the audience. “Where is he?”

Kathy pointed
again, this time getting the attention of the tall man in the back row. “He’s
right by our seats.”

“I see him.”
Joshua squinted. “I don’t believe it.”

“What’s
wrong?” Vivienne asked.

Before he could
answer, there was a groaning sound that started low and then quickly raised in
pitch as the wind roared outside. The tall man looked up in surprise and
sprinted outside. Vivienne, Kathy, and Joshua gave chase and as soon as they
reached the back row where he had been standing, the sound changed to an
ear-splitting shriek.

“Look out.”
Someone screamed and pointed to the stage area. “It’s going to fall.” Another
audience member shrieked. Vivienne, Joshua, and Kathy barely had time to turn
around to face the stage when they heard a crashing sound as one of the spot
lights barely missed hitting the choir. They scattered away from the risers,
some tumbling to the floor as the horrible sound grew in intensity.

The scene
played out as if in slow motion. The main scaffolding above Seamus Kilpatrick’s
head tilted sharply to the right and then pulled down a tangle of electric
cords. Frozen in place, Seamus stared upwards as the entire structure began to
buckle and bend directly toward him like two giant fists.

Moving with
speed that seemed inhuman, the tall man suddenly appeared on stage next to
Seamus. He tackled him and brought him down to the stage floor, just as the
overhead structure lost complete integrity.

It dropped
down with horrific speed, smashing against the illuminated cross. The top half
of the cross exploded in a bright flash as the entire rig tumbled down and
landed on top of them both with a sickening crash. A spectacular eruption of
twisted metal, exploding glass, and blinding sparks were followed by the stage
supports giving way and the floor buckling awkwardly to the ground with a
groan. The power went out, plunging everyone in the tent into horrific
darkness. A few seconds later, the screams began.

CHAPTER
ELEVEN

“Your
brother?” Vivienne asked as she sat in the waiting room of Cayuga Memorial
Hospital. The small television mounted in the upper corner of the room was
running a crime procedural drama, but the sound was muted.

“His name is
Hunter.” Joshua spoke softly as he caressed her right hand in his grip.

Kathy stepped
into the waiting room with three paper cups balanced in her hands. “I know it’s
late, but the cafeteria is closed and that left the vending machines.” She
carefully set them down on a long table covered with magazines. “I doubt it’s
very strong, anyway.”

“Thank you.”
Vivienne reached down and claimed one of the cups. She gingerly took a sip and
smiled. “Not bad for a vending machine.”

Kathy sat down
next to Vivienne. “So did I hear you mention someone’s brother?”

“That would be
my younger brother, Hunter.” Joshua repeated. “I don’t know why he’s here in
town.”

“Whatever the
reason,” Vivienne interrupted him, “he may have saved Seamus Kilpatrick’s
life.” She sipped her coffee. “So, that would make him quite the hero.”

“I didn’t know
that you had a brother.” Kathy poured a packet of sugar in her coffee and
swirled the little plastic stirrer around, creating a miniature whirlpool in
the hot liquid. “Older or younger?”

“Younger.”
Joshua answered.

“Why would he
come to town and not say a word to you?” Vivienne asked.

Joshua took a
long breath before answering. “Hunter and I don’t exactly see eye to eye on
things. We have a very complicated relationship.”

“What exactly
does that mean?” Vivienne pressed. “Did you two have a falling out?”

“Not exactly.”
Joshua shifted uncomfortably in his seat. He reached down and grabbed his cup
of coffee.

“Is he your
only sibling?” Kathy asked.

“No.” He took
a sip and looked up at the television, as if he were suddenly interested in the
unfolding plot on screen.

Vivienne
stared at him for a moment. “Joshua, these are not unusual questions for
someone to ask.”

“I know that.”
He shook his head. “I’m just worried about him.”

“The doctor
seemed pretty optimistic.” Kathy offered. “He said that there was no major internal
organ damage which is pretty amazing given the circumstances.”

Vivienne
nodded. “If he’s anything like you, his stay here in the hospital will be super
short.”

“Of course.”
Kathy agreed. “Back in December, I thought you’d be here for weeks recovering.”

“Good genes in
the family.” Vivienne smiled as she sipped some more coffee.

“He’s strong.”
Joshua finally spoke up. “I just want to hear that from the doctor.”

“Honey, it’s only
been twenty minutes since they took him in.” Vivienne tried to assure him. “I’m
sure we’ll be getting an update soon.”

Joshua looked
down at his watch and nodded. “You’re right.”

“As far as we
know, no one was killed tonight and that is the real miracle.” Vivienne
grimaced. “Sorry. Poor word choice.”

“So, you were
saying that you have other siblings?” Kathy asked.

Joshua
swallowed a large gulp of his coffee. “There are five of us.” He continued.
“Lily is the oldest, she lives in Santa Fe and runs a pottery shop.”

“She’s an
artist?” Vivienne asked.

“Yes, she’s
the free-spirit of the family. Left home when she was eighteen, married her
high school sweetheart, and usually visits once a year for Thanksgiving.”

“How old is
she?” Kathy wondered.

Joshua’s stared
upward at the ceiling as he paused in thought for a moment. “She’s forty-three,
but you’d never guess it. She still looks like she’s in her late twenties.”

Vivienne set
her coffee down on the table. “Do they have children?”

“No. They’re
happy with just the two of them.”

“What about
the other siblings?” Vivienne pressed on, fascinated to finally hear some
information about his family.

“Scarlet is
forty, lives in Phoenix with her heart surgeon husband. Their son, my nephew
Wyatt, is graduating high school this year.” Joshua let out a sigh. “Which
makes me feel a hell of a lot older now.”

“You don’t
look it.” Kathy reassured him. “Youthful genes must run in your family too.”
She took a sip of coffee and frowned. “Some people have all the luck.”

“My older brother
Logan is thirty-eight and lives in Maine where he works as a ranger for the
Acadia National Park. He’s divorced, but has twin sons Lucas and Levi who are
sixteen, I think.” He scratched his beard. “It’s been a few years since I’ve
seen them but I think they’re both big into sports.”

Vivienne
leaned into him and rested her head on his shoulder. “So that leaves you and
Hunter, the baby of the family.”

“Yeah.” Joshua
finished. “He’s thirty and still lives in Indian Lake near my parents.” He
shrugged his shoulders. “At least he used to, last I knew of.”

“Married?”
Kathy perked up.

Joshua shook
his head. “No, he’s a loner. Never really wanted to be with anyone.”

“Oh really?”
Kathy finished her coffee. “I think everyone needs someone special to care
about in their lives.”

Vivienne
raised an eyebrow at Kathy’s remark. “This is Kathy Saunders, my best friend
sitting next to me, correct?”

Kathy
shrugged. “I know. I really need to steer clear from the self-help section at
Hearthside Books. You walk away with more issues than you came in with.”

“Actually,”
Vivienne gave a little smile, “I kind of like this version of you.”

“Even Wonder
Woman needs to let down her hair every now and then. Enjoying a glass of merlot
with someone special at a fancy bar that still believes in the power of
age-flattering candlelight.” Kathy winked. “She may be able to keep crime in
check, but she can’t stop her biological clock from ticking.”

Vivienne
chuckled. “I suppose that’s true. Still, she has a golden tiara and all that
fabulous jewelry to console herself with in the meantime.”

Kathy
grimaced. “And if she had to throw a party like I did to sell the damn stuff in
her boutique on Main Street, she’d probably end up in the Justice League’s
loony ward with the Wonder Twins as bunkmates.”

Joshua spoke
up. “Funny that you both brought up justice, as my little brother happens to be
a bounty hunter.”

Vivienne
pulled her head off his shoulder. “That’s an unusual profession.”

“Well, he was
in the training program to become a police officer, but he just wasn’t cut out
for all the rules and regulations that come with it.” Joshua confessed to them.
“He and I never saw eye to eye on things like that. I guess that’s why we
aren’t that close.”

“But you worry
about him.” Vivienne thought back to the shocking moment last December when she
had learned that Joshua’s emergency contact was his brother, Hunter. “Those
strong feelings mean you still have a relationship with him, even if you don’t
keep in contact all the time.” She had just assumed he had chosen him because
they had a special bond. But now, she was starting to think it had simply been
a matter of physical distance. They obviously had some wounds to heal in the
future, but she hoped they would find a way to do that sooner rather than
later. She had known far too many families who had let petty differences tear
them apart until the moment it was simply too late to fix it. That type of
grief she witnessed at funerals, was something she hoped she would never have
to experience.

“He’s family.”
Joshua agreed. “For better or for worse.”

“Since he
wasn’t in Cayuga Cove to visit you, why do you think he was here?” Kathy asked.

“That’s a good
question.” Joshua wondered aloud. “I hope we get a chance to ask him.”

Vivienne gave
him a kiss on the cheek. “You will. I’m sure of that.”

A bald man
dressed in light blue scrubs stepped into the doorway of the waiting room.
“Who’s here for Hunter Arkins?” He asked quietly.

“That’s us.”
Joshua stood up and towered over the man. “I’m his brother.”

“I’m Doctor
Abrams.” He shook Joshua’s hand. “Your brother is a very lucky man. Quite
frankly, I’ve never seen such minor damage given the description the paramedics
had given when he was brought into the hospital.”

“He’s okay?”
Vivienne asked with more than enough hope in her voice for all three.

“He’s resting
comfortably right now. Our initial exam and tests discovered no major internal
or external damage.” Doctor Abrams smiled warmly. “He had some lacerations
along his left upper arm that required some sutures, but other than that he’s a
very lucky man.”

“When can I
see him?” Joshua asked.

“You can go in
now, if you’d like. We’re keeping him overnight for observation due to the loss
of consciousness. Barring any unforeseen complications, he should be discharged
in the morning.”

“Thank you,
Doctor Abrams.” Joshua let out a sigh of relief.

“His actions
probably saved the life of Pastor Kilpatrick.” Doctor Abrams smiled back. “That
makes him a hero.” He gave Joshua a pat on the shoulder. “But I guess that just
runs naturally in your family.”

“So Pastor
Kilpatrick is stable too?” Vivienne asked.

Doctor Abrams
nodded. “I can’t release any specifics, but your brother acted like a human
shield and took the brunt of the damage from the accident. If he hadn’t, I’m
almost certain things would have turned out very different tonight.”

“That’s just
his nature.” Joshua replied.

“If you’d like
to follow me, I’ll take you to see him.”

Vivienne
reached out and took his hand in hers for a moment. “You go. Kathy and I will
wait here.”

He kissed her
on the lips. “I won’t be too long.”

“Take all the
time you need.” Vivienne insisted. “After all, he’s your family.”

Joshua
followed Doctor Abrams out of the waiting room, leaving Vivienne and Kathy
alone.

“It sounds
like no one was seriously injured.” Vivienne sat back down in the chair.
“That’s a relief.”

“Yet it is.”
Kathy picked up a popular entertainment magazine and flipped through it. “But
you know what this means.”

“What?”

Kathy stopped
on a section devoted to Academy Awards fashion choices. “The mystery
surrounding his sudden arrival in town just got that much deeper.”

Vivienne
grabbed a home décor magazine off the table. “I’m hoping that he can help to
shed some light on things.” She flipped through the pages, barely noticing any
of the photographs or articles within.

“That would be
a nice change of pace.” Kathy flipped through a few more pages of the magazine,
stopping to rub her wrist on a scented perfume ad.

Vivienne
glanced up at the television and then gasped and pointed to the screen. “Clara
Bunton is on the local news.”

Kathy looked
up. “Really?”

Vivienne
rushed over to the television and fumbled with the buttons along the side. She finally
found the volume button and turned it up so they could hear the newscaster. She
took a few steps back.

There was a
live remote from the tent accident scene as a local reporter gestured to the
yellow tape blocking off the perimeter. “Several people were treated for minor
injuries at the scene, but at this time there is no report on the condition of
the two men taken to Cayuga Memorial earlier this evening. We will continue to
follow this story as the evening progresses, but for now it looks to be a very
lucky break for dozens of people. Back to you, Sara.”

Sara, the
perky brunette news anchor, looked into the camera and smiled. “On a happier
note, one local Cayuga Cove area merchant learned today that a penny for your
thoughts, could be worth more than you know. News at Eleven reporter Jonah
Reed, has the story.”

The image of
Clara Bunton filled the screen, standing behind the counter of her diner. “I
didn’t think anything of it until my cook, Harold, noticed it sitting in my
‘leave a penny take a penny’ cup on the register.” She spoke into the
reporter’s microphone.

The tenor
voice of Jonah Reed narrated over the image of Clara walking orders over to her
customers in the diner. “Clara Bunton, owner of Clara’s Diner in Cayuga Cove,
may have received the tip of a lifetime. The longtime restaurateur was
surprised to discover that hidden among the pennies left by customers, there
was something worth much more.”

The image
shifted back to Clara talking into the microphone. “Harold pulled it out and
told me that he thought it was a rare coin.” She smiled and gestured to him
standing beside her. “Thank goodness he collects them as a hobby.”

Jonah’s voice
over returned as an image of a penny appeared on screen. “Left in the cup on
her register was this coin known to collectors as the 1969-S Lincoln cent with
a doubled die obverse. What does all that fancy description mean exactly?
 
Well, that means there is a clear doubling of
the entire obverse, or head side of the coin as it is more commonly known,
except for the mint mark. A very rare coin that was once confiscated by the
Secret Service until the United States Mint admitted that the coins were indeed
genuine.”