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Alibis & Angels

Page 24

by Olivia Matthews


  Sister Lou glanced at Chris and Shari, who sat opposite Heather and Diego on the matching love seat. “Chris told me you found the note in your coat pocket.”

  Heather eased her grip on the sheet of paper; it shook in her hand. Her voice trembled as she read the message aloud. “Outsider, you announced your plans to run again when you know you should be making plans to leave. Why aren’t you taking me seriously? Do you want to be the next to die?”

  Shari looked at each of them. “Is it my imagination or does this note sound angrier and more frustrated than even the last one?”

  “It’s not your imagination.” Diego was grim. He took the paper from Heather and scanned it before offering it to Sister Lou.

  Sister Lou reviewed the note. The threat was worded as Heather had read it. The message matched the others in appearance: the plain printer paper, computer print, the neat folds. But there was something about the tone of it that kept running through her mind.

  It’s as though there’s more of his personality in his phrasing.

  Sister Lou leaned forward to give the sheet of paper to Shari.

  Diego shifted to face Heather. “This has already gone on too long. We have to report these threats to the deputies.”

  Heather was shaking her head even as Diego spoke. She stood to pace the width of the room from Sister Lou’s front door to her kitchenette. Her black stilettos tapped against the hardwood flooring. “How can I sound an alarm now? I’ve just announced my campaign.”

  “Who cares?” Diego was incredulous. “You need protection. You need a security detail.”

  “Absolutely not.” Heather slashed her right hand through the air. “I won’t let this guy scare me.” She spun away from the kitchenette.

  “Well, he’s scaring me.” Diego appeared to be running out of patience.

  “And me.” Shari passed the note on to Chris.

  Heather stopped in front of the door to Sister Lou’s apartment. “I’m safe here at the motherhouse. And, Diego, you’re driving me back and forth to work.”

  Diego spread his arms. “What about when you jog? Who’s with you then?”

  “I’ve been using the treadmills in the college’s fitness center instead of running through the streets.” Heather made an expression of disgust. Sister Lou could empathize. She didn’t enjoy running indoors, either.

  “Diego has a point.” Chris held up the message that Shari had passed to him. “For your own safety, we should call in the professionals.”

  Heather stopped pacing. She stood with her arms wrapped around her waist as she considered Chris. Then she lifted her gaze. “What do you think, Sister Lou?”

  Sister Lou took another sip of her chai tea as she put together the pieces of this puzzle. The warm cinnamon taste was soothing. “Your stalker is deliberately playing a game of cat-and-mouse with us.”

  Shari cradled her mug in her palms. “How do you figure that? I think it’s just mouse.”

  Sister Lou considered the note Chris still held in his hand as she visualized their most recent sequence of events. “Heather announced her campaign on Monday afternoon. Why did the stalker then wait three days before contacting her? If he’s really so angry that she’s not taking him seriously, why didn’t he rush this threat to her on Tuesday?”

  Shari spoke to Heather. “He probably wanted to lure you into a false sense of security.”

  Chris turned to Heather. “Either that or he wanted to increase your tension.”

  “He was toying with you.” Sister Lou considered Heather. “You did the one thing he told you not to do, so he punished you by making you wait to see what he would do next. I’m curious. Did you put him out of your mind or did you worry about his reaction?”

  Heather looked away, pulling her fingers through her hair. “As much as I hate to admit it, I was worried.”

  “That settles it,” Diego said. “We’re calling the deputies now.”

  Sister Lou interrupted. “Actually, Diego, I would have been more worried if Heather had put these threats out of her mind.”

  “That’s somewhat comforting.” Shari crossed her arms over her sweater dress.

  Diego sent Heather a disgruntled look. “I want to go on record that I disagree with your decision.”

  “Me, too.” Chris gave Heather a concerned look.

  “Me, three.” Shari raised her left hand, palm out.

  Heather waved a dismissive hand. “Duly noted.”

  Sister Lou inclined her head. “In the meantime, we have to consider the message he was sending when he left that note at the event.”

  “What do you mean?” Heather resumed her pacing. Her movements seemed even more stiff and agitated.

  How can I get you to admit that we need to go to the deputies? “Why did he leave the message at the event rather than your office or even your home as he’s done in the past?”

  “I have no idea.” Heather rubbed her hands together. Her voice was thin and distracted.

  Diego rubbed the back of his neck. “He must have been at the event. We may have even spoken with him.”

  Heather looked at each of them. “Let’s think about who was there.”

  “Everyone on our list.” Chris spread his hands. “Every member of your executive team, Owen, Wesley.”

  “Hal.” Shari’s new addition drew everyone’s attention. “He’s been asking a lot of questions about Sister Lou’s investigations.”

  Heather shook her head. “I’ve never seen Hal before in my life. Why would he threaten me?”

  Shari threw up her hands. “Why is he fixated on the idea of Sister Lou investigating Opal’s murder?”

  Diego inclined his head. “It’s worth looking into.”

  Shari nodded. “I’ll take care of that.”

  Sister Lou contemplated her guests. She sensed Diego’s anger, Chris’s frustration, Shari’s confusion, and Heather’s fear. “Whoever he is, he wants Heather to know that he can reach her wherever and whenever he wants to, whether it’s her office, her home, or an official event attended by hundreds of members of the community.”

  The blood drained from Heather’s face. She collapsed back onto the sofa beside Diego. The room was silent as she stared blindly at the hardwood flooring. No one seemed to be breathing.

  Finally, Heather turned to Sister Lou. “Let’s bring in the deputies.”

  Chapter 29

  The temperature in the congregational office’s small conference room had dropped several degrees since Sheriff’s Deputy Fran Cole and her partner, Deputy Ted Tate, had joined Heather and Sister Lou late Friday afternoon. It didn’t show any signs of warming up this millennium.

  “We still don’t understand why we weren’t called when you first started this investigation.” Fran’s voice was cool. Her bottle green eyes were glacial.

  Sister Lou turned her attention to Ted, who was seated on Fran’s left across the ash wood table from Sister Lou and Heather. As Sister Lou had expected, Ted’s expression of displeasure could curdle milk.

  Sister Lou addressed Fran. The female deputy was usually more receptive to reasoning. “I apologize. I wanted to gather as much—”

  “It’s my fault,” Heather cut in. She looked from Ted, seated across from her, to Fran. “I repeatedly told Sister Lou that I didn’t want to involve the sheriff’s office. Last night, she convinced me to change my mind.”

  Ted gave the mayor a sullen look. “Why didn’t you want to call us in right away?”

  Heather’s words dripped with sarcasm. “Oh, I don’t know, Deputy. Maybe because bringing you in would make me look weak and persecuted, and I’d lose the confidence of the community?”

  Sister Lou raised both of her hands. “Excuse me, Deputies, but you mentioned you’d found some information that could be helpful in identifying Mayor Stanley’s stalker.”

  “Thank you for bringing us into the investigation, Sister Lou.” Fran opened the thin manila folder that lay on the table in front of her. “We did background checks on all o
f the people on your suspect list. We found some troubling information on Kerry Fletcher.”

  “What troubling information?” Heather sounded defensive at the implied criticism of her administrative assistant.

  Ted took a sheet from his manila folder and slid it across the table to the mayor. “Your admin has a record. Didn’t you do a background check before you hired her?”

  Sister Lou pictured Kerry’s big blue eyes and doll-like features. Past experiences had confirmed for Sister Lou the error of judging people by appearances. Still there was something about the effervescent assistant that didn’t seem to match a criminal past.

  Sister Lou glanced at the page in front of Heather. Presumably it was a duplicate to the document in Fran’s folder. “What was the charge?”

  “Charges.” Ted made the correction. He seemed to enjoy delivering the bad news. “Breaking and entering, and assault.”

  Heather stared fixedly at the document in front of her. “These charges are more than eight years old. We don’t typically go back further than five years for positions that don’t require a security clearance.”

  Ted seemed disappointed. “You should change that policy, especially since it seems that Fletcher could be behind your threats.”

  Sister Lou found the accusation farfetched. “As I explained on the phone this morning, we interviewed the mayor’s executive team. We don’t think any of them could be behind the threats. They’re too loyal.”

  “Or they want you to think that the mayor has their loyalty.” Fran sat back on the cushioned conference chair.

  “I know my team.” Heather’s violet eyes darkened with temper. “No one can fake that kind of loyalty. We never should have given you that list. You just took it and ran with it without checking in any other directions.”

  “Look, Your Honor.” Ted stabbed the sheet in front of Heather with his hefty index finger. “The facts speak for themselves. You didn’t even know your admin had a sheet. What else don’t you know about her?”

  Heather’s gaze wavered. She turned to Sister Lou. “What do you think?”

  Sister Lou slid the so-called rap sheet closer. “I think there’s a better explanation behind Kerry’s record than we’ll find on this single sheet of paper.” She looked up at Ted first, then Fran. “Were there any leads on similar threats in your crime database? Are there any recent stalking reports or threats against other public officials?”

  Ted again gestured toward the sheet Sister Lou held. “Why would we search the database when we’ve got our suspect right here?”

  Perhaps a search would result in a better suspect. Sister Lou returned the printout to Ted. “I see.”

  “We have the information you gave us.” Fran counted each point on a different finger on her left hand. “First of all, the stalker knows the mayor’s schedule, which means she has access to the mayor’s calendar. So does Fletcher. Secondly, the stalker has access to the mayor’s mail. So does Fletcher. Third, the stalker knew where the mayor kept her spare key.” She turned to Heather. “Does Fletcher know you kept the spare under your planter?”

  Heather crossed her arms over her pearl gray sweater. “Yes, she does, but she wouldn’t need to use the spare key. I gave her a copy in case I needed her to retrieve something from my home.”

  Sister Lou considered the mayor. Heather cared a great deal for her administrative assistant. And she trusted her completely. “What can you tell us about Kerry?”

  Heather didn’t hesitate. “She’s intelligent, dependable, honest, resourceful, and efficient. She also has a great nature.” She frowned at the deputies. “I can say that about all of my staff. These are dedicated professionals who gave up lucrative opportunities in the private sector to do some good in their community.”

  Ted grunted. “Yeah, well maybe they think getting you out of office would do some good.”

  Only time would tell, but Sister Lou suspected that keeping the deputies out of the investigation may have cost Heather the support of the sheriff’s office during the next election.

  “According to Sister Lou’s notes, Fletcher’s even dating some political staffer, which could give her motive. Add that and her B-and-E to the other evidence and we have a compelling suspect.” Fran pushed back from the table. She collected her brown felt campaign hat as she stood. “Let us do our job. We’ll bring Fletcher in for questioning this evening.”

  Heather rose. “Deputies, I’m counting on your discretion. I don’t want these threats to become public knowledge.”

  “We can do discrete.” Ted collected his hat and followed Fran from the conference room.

  “When will you have an update for us?” Sister Lou escorted the deputies down the hallway to the front lobby of the congregational offices. Heather joined them.

  “We’ll call you in the morning.” Ted tossed the response over his shoulder.

  Heather waited beside Sister Lou and watched the deputies disappear through the congregation’s dark wood doors. “I hope we didn’t make a mistake by calling in the deputies.”

  I fear that we did.

  * * *

  “Good morning, Mayor Stanley.” Sister Marianna settled onto a chair across the table from Heather during breakfast Saturday morning. “I see we’re both early risers.”

  Heather struggled to switch mental gears. She was worried about Kerry. What questions had the deputies asked her? Had it been an interview or an interrogation?

  Was Kerry really involved with these threats?

  Heather pulled her mind off the torturous loop it had been on since she’d spoken with the deputies yesterday evening. “Good morning, Sister Marianna. Yes, I find the morning hours to be very productive, even on the weekends.”

  Sister Marianna gave her an approving nod. “I hope you’re enjoying your stay with us.”

  Now that she was no longer deep in thought, Heather was aware of the activity around her. It seemed that most of the sisters were early risers. Heather scanned the other tables in the formal floral dining room. They were full of women breaking their fast. Their conversations and laughter floated around her.

  Heather glanced at Sister Marianna’s breakfast tray. The large glass of water, small white porcelain bowl of oatmeal, and an even smaller bowl of fresh fruit seemed lost on the powder blue surface. In contrast, Heather had capitalized on the tray’s space with a plate of scrambled eggs, turkey sausage and hash browns, a separate plate of buttered whole grain toast, a bowl of blueberry yogurt, and a large glass of orange juice. She’d also managed to accommodate two cups of coffee. After a fitful night and an early morning run on the treadmill at the college’s fitness facility, she was too tired to even think about returning to the coffee station for a refill.

  Heather managed a smile in response to Sister Marianna’s question about her time at the motherhouse. Sister Lou had warned her about the other woman’s insatiable curiosity. “Yes, I have enjoyed my stay. The residence is lovely. Everyone is so warm and welcoming, and the accommodations are very comfortable. Everything was perfect for my needs.”

  “I’m happy to hear that.” Sister Marianna glowed with pride. “If I may ask, what have your needs been while you’ve been with us?”

  Heather shrugged with studied casualness. “My needs haven’t been out of the ordinary, eating, sleeping, and of course some work. The motherhouse is quiet enough to allow me to concentrate.”

  “I’m glad.” Sister Marianna filled her spoon with more oatmeal. “We want to ensure that our guests are comfortable. It’s extraordinary to have such a prominent government official with us. I trust we haven’t infringed on your privacy?”

  “Not at all.”

  Sister Marianna nodded. “Good, and how long did you say you would be with us?”

  “I didn’t say, Sister Marianna. Sister Barbara was very generous. She said that I could stay here as long as I liked, but I won’t impose on the congregation’s hospitality much longer.” Heather’s tension returned with a vengeance.

  When
did the deputies intend to contact her with an update on their meeting with Kerry? She checked her rose gold wristwatch. The seven o’clock hour continued at a snail’s crawl.

  “You’re certainly not imposing on us, Mayor Stanley.” Beneath Sister Marianna’s smile, curiosity shone in her gray eyes. “We enjoy having you here. It’s a privilege and an honor. We’re glad that you chose to stay with us at the motherhouse instead of more public accommodations such as the Sleep Ease Inn Hotel, for example. How did you make your decision?”

  Heather smiled at Sister Marianna’s lack of subtlety. “The answer to that is obvious. Look around you. The motherhouse is charming. You must love living here. How long have you been with the congregation?”

  Sister Marianna seemed pleased with the mayor’s interest. “I’ve been with the Briar Coast Motherhouse for almost six years. I arrived just a few months after Louise and Carmen. Were you able to tour the motherhouse?”

  It took Heather a moment to realize that “Louise” was “Sister Lou.” “Yes, Sister Lou gave me a tour when I first arrived. Where were you before you came to Briar Coast?”

  “I was teaching at one of our schools in Nigeria.” Sister Marianna set aside her now empty bowl of oatmeal.

  Nigeria? Heather was intrigued. “I hadn’t realized that the congregation had schools in other countries.”

  Sister Marianna looked up from her bowl of fresh fruit. “Yes, we have ministries all over the country and around the world. In fact, congregations of Catholic religious women have founded many of the hospitals, educational institutions, and organizations that serve communities in need in this country and abroad.”

  “I wasn’t aware of that. I’m very impressed.” Heather looked around the room again, this time seeing these unassuming women with different eyes. A lot of the preconceived—and admittedly negative—notions she’d had of nuns and sisters were being dispelled the more she learned about this congregation.

  A movement toward the front of the dining room drew Heather’s attention. Sister Lou was crossing the room toward Heather, weaving around tables and exchanging only brief greetings with the other sisters. Speaking of early risers, Sister Lou looked as though she’d been up for hours. She was well dressed, and her movements were brisk and purposeful. What gave Heather pause, though, was Sister Lou’s expression of concern. Even from a distance, Heather could tell the other woman wasn’t coming toward her to share good news. Quite the opposite. Heather took a deep breath and almost forgot to exhale.

 

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