Body Bags & Blarney (8 page)

“She’s still
wearing the jewelry.” Kathy suddenly snapped to attention and darted toward the
front door.

“I don’t think
that’s a good idea confronting her right now.” Vivienne tried to warn her.

Kathy stormed
out the front door and confronted Alexis. Once again, Alexis seemed to become
upset and started waving her arms around again. Kathy, appearing utterly
infuriated with her diva-like behavior, put her hands on her hips and gestured
to the front entrance of the store.

Alexis
furiously started to remove jewelry from her body as she shivered in the cold.
She stomped over to Kathy and handed her all of the borrowed goods and walked
away at a hurried pace.

Kathy took a
moment to compose herself and returned to the store. “I would like to apologize
for what just happened.” She looked a bit lost for words as the room remained
deadly silent.

Vivienne
stepped forward. “We still have plenty of cake and punch left. Don’t forget to
check your cake pieces for the golden baby figurines. Anyone that finds one
gets a twenty-five-percent discount off a future purchase at the Sweet Dreams
Bakery.”

The women in
the store looked a bit uneasy for a moment but soon began to spread out once
more and head for the refreshment table. The conversation grew from hushed
whispers to a general murmur as forks began to pick through the king cake
slices in search of the hidden treasure.

“Crisis
averted.” Vivienne reassured her best friend with a pat on the shoulder.

“Thank you.”
Kathy reached out and gave Vivienne a hug. “This could have turned out just
like the other night at the library.”

“But it
didn’t, thanks to that tall stranger.” Vivienne scanned the crowd. “Speaking of
which, where did he go?”

Kathy looked
around the room. “I don’t know. I’d like to thank him personally for helping
out.”

“It’s not easy
for him to hide with his height.” Vivienne added. “I don’t know why, but he
looked sort of familiar.”

“You think you
met him before?” Kathy asked.

“No, I don’t
think I have.” Vivienne pursed her lips in thought. “But there was something
about him that was just so...” Her voice trailed off. “I can’t really explain
it.”

“Excuse me
Miss Saunders, but I started taking some orders for you.” Stephanie
interrupted. “I noticed you had these forms earlier, so I hope you don’t mind
me filling them out for you.” She handed her a stack of forms.

“Oh, Stephanie,
that was so thoughtful of you.” Kathy sighed. “You really didn’t have to do
that.”

Stephanie
blushed a little. “It wasn’t a problem. After all, you loaned me this beautiful
dress to wear tonight.”

“It’s yours.”
Kathy added as she began to look at the pre orders.

“Oh, I
couldn’t possibly accept this.” Stephanie took a step back. “I didn’t do
anything extraordinary.”

“You kept
everyone’s mind on the jewelry instead of that little punk and his hired goon.”
Kathy added. “Giving you that dress is the least I could do.” She gestured to
the women who were once again gathering around the display case demos. “I’d
give you some jewelry, but it belongs to the company.”

“Oh, this
dress will come in more useful for my social life.” Stephanie smiled. “Let me
see if I can drum up some more orders for you.” She excused herself and
wandered back to the crowd.

“Oh, no. Don’t
even think it.” Vivienne warned.

“Think what?”
Kathy quipped back.

“I found her
first.” Vivienne smiled.

“I would never
do that.” Kathy fanned herself with the order forms.

Vivienne put
her arm around her friend’s waist. “So, I suppose in a strange way tonight was
a lesson learned?”

“It sure was.”
Kathy nodded back. “Even with a few rotten apples, I can sell the rest in the
barrel.”

“No.” Vivienne
shook her head. “I was talking about how judging someone’s work ethic based on
their outward appearance usually blows up in your face.”

“Oh, that.”
Kathy looked around to see that no one was within earshot. “I suppose so.”

Vivienne gave
a little laugh. “Don’t worry, your secret is safe with me.”

“Good.” Kathy
glanced around the room again. “Now, if we could just find that handsome
stranger so I could thank him.”

“Handsome? I
don’t recall using that word to describe him tonight.” Vivienne teased.

“Well good.”
Kathy countered. “Besides, you already hit the jackpot with Joshua when it
comes to the tall handsome types that stroll into town.”

“I found a
gold baby.” One of the women cried out in surprise. “I won.”

Kathy put on
her best smile and strolled toward the crowd. “Congratulations, I’ll go get
your coupon from the register.”

Vivienne had
to admire her best friend’s business sense. Despite what could have been a
disaster, she brushed it off and continued the party. Of course, had it not
been for the tall stranger, things could have turned out very different. She
was happy to see that Kathy’s luck had taken a turn for the good side.

The next
morning, as she stepped into the atrium at Our Lady of the Lake church to meet
with Father William for their planned meeting at ten in the morning, she paused
to smell a pot of purple and white hyacinths that were sitting on a table under
the church bulletin board. Their fragrant perfume always reminded her of
spring, more than any other bulb plant. She was never crazy about lilies, as
they reminded her too much of funerals and sadness.

Upon entering
the nave, where the rows of empty wooden pews seemed to stretch on forever, she
admired the architectural beauty of the building itself. The morning sunlight
streamed through the East-facing stained-glass windows, throwing a rainbow of
multi-colored hues across the blood-red carpet of the main aisle. “Father
William?” Vivienne called out, her voice echoing inside the empty chamber.
“It’s Vivienne Finch.”

As she
continued to walk up toward the choir section, her eyes fell upon the
rippled-sunlight patterns projected on the ceiling above the baptismal pool.
The reflected light danced like diamonds across the warm woodwork, adding to
the awesome beauty she was surrounded by.

“Hello?” She
called out again. Although she was not a member of the church, she knew that he
had an office off to the side of the confessional booth where the faithful
sought atonement for their mortal transgressions. They had met there several
times when she dropped off cakes and cookies for church member meetings. With
the door ajar, she could see the antique Tiffany lamp that adorned his desk
turned on. She figured he was most likely planning the upcoming carnival for
Saint Patrick’s Day and was lost in deep thought. She knocked three time on the
door and peeked in only to find the office empty. The desk lamp was on, as was
his computer. “Father William?” She asked again.

As she turned
to leave she saw movement near the baptismal pool and relief washed over her.
“There you are.” She called out expecting to see him with a warm smile on his
chubby face when her mouth dropped open in shock. She saw a pair of black-clad
legs flopped onto the tiled floor surrounding the rectangular pool.

She couldn’t
believe her eyes. Father William was submerged below the surface of the water
from the waist up, his eyes and mouth wide open yet expressionless. She heard
the sound of a woman’s scream and then stopped when she suddenly realized it
was coming from her own mouth.

CHAPTER
SEVEN

“What in
heaven’s name is going on here?” Mother Superior rushed into the nave from the
entrance where Vivienne had come only minutes earlier.

“Call the
police.” Vivienne cried out as she removed her purse from her shoulder and
waded into the pool to pull him out of the water. She was glad the water was
only about two and half feet deep, as it kept most of her clothing from getting
soaked.

Mother
Superior rushed forward, her black and white clerical clothing flowing behind
her as she raced to the baptismal pool where Vivienne had waded in. “Father
William.” She cried out in disbelief.

“Help me pull
him out.” Vivienne ordered.

Mother
Superior grabbed him by the legs as Vivienne put her arms under his arms and
together they slid him out of the pool. “Does he have a pulse?” Mother Superior
asked, her brown eyes wide with terror.

Vivienne
checked quickly on his neck and shook her head. “I have a cell phone in my
purse, we need to call the police.” His skin was cold and clammy.

Mother Superior
reached for Vivienne’s purse and opened it up. After a few moments, she pulled
out her cell phone and called for help.

Vivienne
wasn’t sure what she was supposed to do next, but she put her hands together on
his chest and began to pump up and down. “I think we’re too late.”

Mother
Superior began to cry as she finished talking to the dispatch officer. “Please
hurry, he’s not breathing.”

Vivienne
paused in her compressions and put her ear against his mouth to listen for any
sign of life. “Nothing.” She pinched her fingers over his nostrils and gave him
two emergency breaths.

“There’s an
AED kit in his office.” Mother Superior bolted away. “I’ll be right back.

Vivienne
returned to attempting the chest compressions but another check for a pulse
proved fruitless. She kept going, waiting for the kit to return in the hopes it
could do what she could not.

Mother
Superior returned after what seemed like an eternity with the kit in hand. She
opened it up, her eyes wild with fear. “I don’t know what to do with this.”

“You take
over.” Vivienne ordered. “I’ll use the kit.”

She and Mother
Superior changed positions. Vivienne scanned the directions inside the kit. “We
can’t use this here with all the water around. We could both be electrocuted.”

“It’s too
late.” Mother Superior shook her head. “He’s gone.”

“I’m so
sorry.” Vivienne felt tears welling up in her eyes, clouding her vision.

Mother
Superior pulled out her rosary. “Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with
thee.”

As Mother
Superior continued to pray, Vivienne noticed the overturned step ladder off to
the side of the baptismal pool along with a long-poled duster used to sweep
cobwebs from the arches above the altar. It looked as if Father William had
been attempting to clean the area when either he or the ladder gave out and
knocked him into the water.

A few minutes
later, several uniformed officers stormed into the church and took over the
scene. The emergency team gave them blankets to dry off as they loaded Father
William onto a gurney and wheeled him away. Sheriff Rigsbee personally escorted
Vivienne and Mother Superior into Father William’s office and closed the door.
He had them each sit in the chairs facing the desk where he could conduct his
questioning session. “Who found Father William?” He asked as he pulled out a
small pad of paper and began taking notes.

“I did.”
Vivienne answered.

“Why am I not
surprised?” He asked back.

“I had a
meeting scheduled with Father William at ten this morning.” Vivienne replied.
“I looked in his office first and when he wasn’t there I turned to leave and
that’s when I saw his shoes bobbing in the pool water.”

 
“Was he moving at all?” Sheriff Rigsbee asked.

“No, he was
still.” Vivienne recalled with a chill.

Sheriff
Rigsbee scribbled something down in his notes. “What about you, Reverend
Mother?”

“I heard a
scream coming from inside the church while I was outside refilling the bird
feeders in the gardens.” She replied as tears streamed down her face.

“What happened
next?” He asked.

“When I arrived
inside the sanctuary I saw Vivienne standing beside the baptismal pool. She
called me over and that’s when I saw Father William in the water.”

Vivienne
nodded. “I told her to call the police and went to pull him out of the water.”

“Why did you
do that, Miss Finch?” Sheriff Rigsbee pressed on.

“To try and
save him if it was possible.” Vivienne replied. “But I couldn’t get him out of
the water by myself so I asked Mother Superior to help me.”

Sheriff
Rigsbee returned his gaze to the nun. “You helped her move the body?”

“Yes.” She
answered. “She asked me to.”

Sheriff
Rigsbee frowned. “I see.” He scribbled down some more notes.

“I felt for a
pulse and when I did he was cold to the touch, so I didn’t know what else to do
but try to revive him.” Vivienne explained.

“She made a
valiant effort.” Mother Superior added. “We were going to use the AED kit, but
with all the water around it was too risky.”

“Yes, that
would have been extremely dangerous.” Sheriff Rigsbee replied. “I have a
feeling it wouldn’t have made a difference if you had tried it.”

“I just can’t
believe he’s gone.” Mother Superior sniffed. “He had so much left to do for the
church. So many plans for the future.”

“I’m so sorry
for your loss.” Vivienne reached out and grabbed hold of Mother Superior’s
hands.

In that
instant, her power of tactile recall kicked in. She was transported to the
garden area where the sun was shining brightly on the cold winter morning. She
could hear the birds chirping as a bucket of seed was poured into the feeder
plate that the statue of Saint Francis of Assisi held in his hands.

“Eat up my
little darlings.” The voice of Mother Superior rang in Vivienne’s head. “This
winter has been so cruel to you.”

As the memory
continued, Vivienne caught a glimpse of a figure darting away from the back
entrance of the church toward Cayuga Lake. When she tried to take a second
look, she heard the sound of her own scream from inside the church. The vision
blurred.

Vivienne
jolted in her chair as did Mother Superior when the magical vision ended
abruptly.

“Are you
ladies okay?” Sheriff Rigsbee asked.

“Static
shock.” Vivienne was quick to answer.

“We’re fine,
but this church will never be the same.” Mother Superior shook her head.

“There was a
stepladder off to the side where Father William was discovered.” Sheriff
Rigsbee noted.

“Yes, he would
often clean the woodwork above the altar on Saturday mornings.” Mother Superior
added. “He was more than happy to help out with the upkeep of his church
whenever possible.”

“If I recall,
Carl Hillman is the maintenance man for the church, is he not?”

“Yes he is.”
Mother Superior nodded. “He’s worked for the church for nearly twenty years
now.”

“As far as you
know, has he ever had any complaints working here or problems with Father
William?” Sheriff Rigsbee asked.

“Not to my
knowledge.” Mother Superior frowned. “He is a good family man. Never once have
I doubted that.”

“I wasn’t
suggesting anything of the kind.” Sheriff Rigsbee continued. “I was just
curious if you knew of his whereabouts today?”

“I saw him
this morning in the sanctuary garden, shortly after we had morning prayers. He
was repairing some of the burlap wraps around the shrubbery.”

Sheriff
Rigsbee wrote something down on his pad. “What time was that?”

“If I had to
guess, about quarter to eight this morning.”

“You didn’t
see him afterwards?” He asked.

“No. The
sisters and I were spending the morning in the parish kitchen putting up
preserves and jams to sell at the carnival.” Mother Superior let out a sigh.
“Around ten the kitchen was getting quite warm from all the stove burners
going, so we decided to take a small break and get some air. I went out to the
gardens and noticed that the bird feeder was nearly empty. I went to the garden
shed where the extra seed was stored and scooped up a cup. As soon as I poured
it into the feeder, I heard a scream and found Miss Finch inside the church.”

“That’s all I
need for now.” Sheriff Rigsbee finished writing and put his pad away. “Thank
you both for your cooperation.”

“That’s all?”
Vivienne blinked. “What about the investigation?”

“We’re taking
care of that.” Sheriff Rigsbee replied as he walked around and opened the door.

“What about
the crime scene?” Vivienne asked. “Won’t it be compromised if services are held
here tomorrow morning?”

“There is no
crime scene at the moment, Miss Finch.”

Mother
Superior walked slowly out of the office and paused at the site of yellow crime
tape surrounding the altar. “What kind of a world do we live in today?” She
asked.

Sheriff
Rigsbee shook his head. “A violent one, I’m afraid. But rest assured, my men
are on top of this case.”

“Bless you.”
She replied softly and then walked toward a small group of nuns who were
huddled by the entrance. They raced forward and surrounded her with questions.

Vivienne stood
her ground outside the office door. She stared at the yellow tape and shook her
head. “If this isn’t a crime scene, why seal it off?”

“We are
running an investigation.” He was curt.

“I hope so.”
She replied.

“Do you have
something to add, Miss Finch?” He glowered at her.

“I’m just
saying that this seems too convenient to be just an accident.” Vivienne
continued. “Especially with what happened earlier this week at the library.”

“I am well
aware of the situation that took place at the library involving Father William
and Pastor Kilpatrick.”

“Good.”
Vivienne nodded. “Because there is something about that man that makes me
uneasy.”

“Well, why
don’t I just run down to his church and place him under arrest right now?”
Sheriff Rigsbee taunted her. “If Vivienne Finch has a bad feeling, that’s as
good as evidence, right?”

Vivienne threw
her hands up in the air. “Sheriff Rigsbee, I’m not accusing him of murder. I’m
just telling you that there might be some connection between what happened at
the library and what happened today.”

“You’re
right.” He gave her a little smile. “There is a connection between those
events.” His eyes narrowed. “Want to hazard a guess?”

“Me?”

“You know,
Miss Finch, I can be a very cordial man when I need to be. Part of being
elected Sheriff is having to learn to talk to all kinds of people, learn to
communicate with them at a level that is comfortable for both sides.”

“I agree.” She
interrupted him.

He raised a
finger up toward her face. “But, I draw the line at having civilians start
their own investigations into police business. Especially, when said civilian
happens to be dating someone under my employ.”

“I’m not going
to interfere with your investigation.” Vivienne assured him. “That’s the last
thing I have time for.”

“Yet,” Sheriff
Rigsbee continued, “you always seem to find yourself at the eye of whatever
storm happens to land in Cayuga Cove.”

“Pure
coincidence.”

“Let’s hope
so.” He finished. “Because if I get even a hint that you are poking your nose
into any sort of police investigation, I won’t hesitate to lock you up. Is that
clear?”

“Crystal.”
Vivienne nodded.

“Good day,
Miss Finch.” He stepped away to talk with the officers who were standing around
the baptismal pool.

Vivienne followed
behind him. “Sheriff Rigsbee, just one more thing.”

He stopped in
his tracks but refused to face her. “What is it?”

“I need my
purse from inside the crime…” She corrected herself quickly. “From inside the
investigation scene.”

“Charlie, do
you see a purse in there?” He yelled to one of the officers inside the tape.

“Yes sir.”
Charlie replied.

“Will you
please hand it over to Miss Finch so she may leave?”

“Yes sir.”
Charlie replied again and swooped up the purse with his gloved hands. He ducked
under the tape and walked over to Vivienne. “Here you are.”

“Thank you.”
Vivienne grabbed her purse and made sure to leave right away. The last thing
she wanted was Sheriff Rigsbee to yell that she was moving too slow.