What could they be talking about? Was Raelynn confessing to Ian O'Malley's murder? Had my initial theory that she was responsible for his and potentially Prudence's death been true?
“Hope will be so disappointed in me. I don't want to lose my daughter. I'm afraid if I confess, things won't ever be the same again. I'm losing too many memories as it is, Father.”
“You have a disease that can sometimes be controlled. Do not give up faith. God does not abandon his flock. I promise you, my child.”
Raelynn stood. “I will think about everything you said. I'm so glad I returned to Braxton to see you again. I just pray that you will be forgiven too. We're in this together, Father. I only hope we're not too late. Hiram might never wake from his coma. Then, what would we do?”
Father Elijah nodded. “There are other ways of handling this matter. If it becomes necessary, I will seek guidance on whether I can break a vow I once made to someone. All hope is not lost yet.”
Raelynn exited out the far doors. Father Elijah shuffled up the aisle toward the altar. It was imperative that I pressured him to speak with me.
“Father Elijah,” I called out, standing in the aisle as he turned around. “I'm so sorry, but I overheard your conversation with Raelynn Lawson. Two people have died because of a fifty-year-old secret, and another might not last much longer. Isn't it time to tell the truth?”
“Kellan, I appreciate your desire to fix things, but what you heard won't help us find out who killed my brother and Prudence Grey.” He slowly closed his eyes and inhaled deeply.
I gulped. “How did you know it was Prudence and not Madam Zenya?”
“Because I counseled her not to go through with this silly plan she concocted to trap Hiram. I loved Prue many years ago before I became a priest.” Father Elijah stepped closer to me and placed a hand on my shoulder. “I didn't harm Prue, and I do not know who did. You need to leave this alone, Kellan. Too many people have gotten hurt.”
“That's not fair, Father. I need to trust you. You're our parish priest. My daughter attends Sunday school with you and Minnie.” I urged him to lean on me, suggesting that I could protect him and Minnie if someone was trying to hurt them.
“This isn't about Minnie. It never was.” Anger flashed across his face like a strike of lightning.
“Father, please. If you won't talk to me, I must share what I overheard with Sheriff Montague, and then things will get a lot worse.” I motioned to him to sit at the nearby pew, but he declined.
“Follow me, if you must. My office is much more private.” When we entered, he directed me to sit across from him while he prayed. “If I didn't know you had the integrity of your grandfather, Michael Danby, and the audacity of your grandmother, Seraphina Betscha, I wouldn't confess my sins to you.”
“I've been told I'm like a dog with a bone,” I remarked, cringing at my choice of words. “What is the secret, Father?”
Father Elijah stared intently at me. “Hiram Grey isn't Damien's father.”
“What?” I stood there, waiting for the other shoe to drop. “Who is?”
His penetrating gaze never wavered from me. “I am.”
Chapter 14
“Prue and I fell in love over fifty years ago. We couldn't help it, and then one day, everything exploded.” Father Elijah relayed the story of his and Prue's courtship. He'd always had a crush on his schoolmate, but her parents pressured her into marrying Hiram Grey. Her parents had thought the Greys would provide the respect that the Garibaldis craved. For too long, they'd been deemed the kooky family and excluded from the town's upper crust. “We stayed friends, despite confessing our love for one another just weeks after Prue married Hiram. He insisted she stay home and give him a child, but it scared her. Hiram Grey was a tyrant.”
Father Elijah confirmed the information that Bartleby and Hope had shared with me from their research. Hiram only married Prudence to access the Garibaldi money. It had been fortuitous for Hiram when pirates killed her parents in the South African ocean. Prudence had been depressed and gave in to her feelings for Elijah. “We couldn't help ourselves. For weeks, we met in secret while Hiram was at school or working at the county courts. Then one day, Prue told me she was pregnant.”
“Couldn't the child have been Hiram's?”
Father Elijah shook his head. “She'd refused to be intimate with him for months, citing the medicine she'd been taking was a depressant. Hiram had already been cheating on her with other women. Prue knew all about the extramarital affairs. She ultimately decided if he could cheat on her, it was okay to be unfaithful to him.”
“Why couldn't she leave him and raise the child with you?” I also failed to understand why Raelynn had been involved in so much of Hiram's life, unless she was one of the women he'd slept with.
“Hiram discovered Prue wasn't taking her anti-depression medicine and threatened to lock her in an institution like her sister. Constance had just died too, and Prue struggled with so much loss in her life. She gave into Hiram one night when he induced her to trust him.” Father Elijah shared the sudden downward trajectory of their lives. Hiram had intercepted the call from Prudence's doctor and learned his wife was pregnant. He had no reason to believe she'd been unfaithful, so he told her how thrilled he was to become a father. “Hiram kept Prue locked away in the house for months, convincing her she was going crazy whenever she suggested leaving him. Finally, when she tried to escape the week the baby was born, he threatened to kill her.”
“Why didn't you intervene, Father?” If I loved someone, I would have done anything I could've to protect her.
“Prue and I had a plan. We would depart together after she had the baby. She worried what Hiram would do to me if he'd found out about our affair.” Father Elijah explained that he'd patiently waited on the sidelines, watching as Prudence grew despondent and dark in the last few months of her pregnancy. Doctors had placed her on bed rest, with no visitors except Hiram's family. When she gave birth, Hiram drugged her because she threatened to hurt the baby.
“Did you tell Hiram the truth? Does he know that Damien is your son?”
“No. I snuck in to see Prue when the baby was born. I could see for myself how much she suffered. I didn't know what to do and wanted to talk to my brother, Ian, about it prior to hatching any plan to help her escape.” Father Elijah placed his forehead on the desk and sighed heavily. “If only I knew what would happen, I would've stopped it much sooner.”
“Who do you believe killed your brother, Father Elijah?”
“I don't know. Two events happened during the library fire and Vietnam protests.” Elijah revealed the truth finally. Minnie had hidden a note from her brother-in-law in a book she dropped off as a baby gift for Prudence. Hiram had no reason to suspect Minnie was there on Elijah's behalf, letting her in with the hopes it'd calm his crazy wife. After Minnie had left, Prudence realized Elijah still pined for her, so she confronted Hiram. “Prue never told Hiram that I was Damien's father, but she informed him she was leaving and taking the baby away. Hiram wouldn't stand for it and confirmed he was divorcing her and wouldn't let Prue keep their son. That's when he left for Braxton to attend class.”
Hiram had gone off to meet with Belinda fifty years ago, thanks to her brother Lloyd's machinations, but no one else had known about it. Prudence waited until Damien was asleep and snuck out to confront Hiram about his affair. She'd been confused by her medication and depression and hadn't realized she was neglecting her child. That's when Lloyd had trapped her in the library.
“Does anyone know what happened when Ian showed up at the library?”
“Whoever killed him. I thought at first it was Minnie. I assumed she must've been angry and couldn't share the reasons. I never knew my brother was coming home, so there was a possibility she'd been keeping secrets. I wanted to protect her, that's why I wouldn't let you speak the other day.”
“But you no longer believe she's guilty?”
“Prue recently told me she saw Ian through the
window in the door of the room where Lloyd had locked her up. Someone attacked Ian and set fire to the building. She never knew who it was.” Father Elijah explained that Ian had woken up after getting hit on the head, but there was a cloud of heavy smoke. He unlocked the door, and since the smoke hadn't gotten in there yet, Prudence could get away. She tried to save Ian, but he'd passed out. All she could do was push him into a hole in the ground near the construction area to save him. She rushed out, but with the fire consuming the immediate vicinity, Prudence was forced into the underground tunnels. By the time she'd gotten home, Hiram was upstairs with the police, claiming she'd abandoned the baby.
Prudence Grey had lost her mind that day. Her parents and her sister had been killed, leaving her utterly alone. Hiram was a horrible husband. She witnessed an unknown villain kill Ian, then she pushed his body into a hole. She had a breakdown and lived in the tunnels until Hiram moved out and deserted the Garibaldi house. She'd forgotten her own identity and that she'd even been a mother.
“How did she improve after all these years?” I was missing something important.
“I wish I knew. Shortly before Ian's service, Madam Zenya approached me while I was alone in the rectory. It was Prue in disguise. She's somehow gotten hold of Madam Zenya's costume and went out in public to find me. Prue told me everything I've just shared with you, including that someone had been helping her the last few weeks. When it was time for Mass to begin, I begged her to remain in the hidden room behind the pulpit. After Minnie knocked on the door to tell me she was ready to begin, I stepped out and led Mass.” Once the service finished, before Father Elijah could get back to Prudence, he'd found me in the aisle. While Father Elijah chatted with me, Prudence had snuck out another entrance. She then appeared in the front courtyard when Hiram was arguing with everyone after the ceremony. We assumed it was Madam Zenya, but it was Prudence in disguise. Hiram must've figured it out when she spoke to everyone and followed her to the haunted hayride. “I can only assume they struggled and perhaps he killed her. I have no idea where the real Madam Zenya is now.”
I suspected Bartleby knew but navigated a different path. “How does Raelynn fit into this?”
“I am bound by the sanctity of confession. You will need to discuss it with her.”
“Could she be the person who killed your brother?”
Father Elijah covered his face with his hand. “I've said enough, Kellan. It's time for you to go.”
“Why didn't you try to claim Damien as your son? Or get to know his daughter Imogene?” I couldn't understand how or why Father Elijah abandoned his family.
“Many reasons. I suspected Hiram killed Prue but had no proof. I worried that Prue had been lying to me about the paternity. I was poor and heartbroken. My brother had disappeared. I turned to God and serving him became the purpose of my life.” Father Elijah explained how much it hurt to deny his own blood, but given Prue's psychological imbalance and disappearance, he had never been certain Damien was his son. When Prue returned this week, he finally accepted the truth.
My heart sank once Father Elijah revealed the sordid tale to me. By the time he finished, it made sense why Damien shared DNA with Ian O'Malley. Ian was Damien's uncle. When I processed the news, it became almost obvious. Neither Damien nor his daughter Imogene had the typical protuberant jaw that had afflicted the rest of the Grey clan. I'd been too focused on the details to recognize the obvious.
After leaving, I pondered what this all meant. If Damien had learned he wasn't Hiram's eldest child, could he have engineered the accident, so he'd inherit the money before anyone else found out? Had Raelynn been Hiram's spy and killed Prudence to prevent the past from hurtling forward? Or were Raelynn and Prudence working together to get revenge on Hiram for his past indiscretions? It was imperative that I confront Raelynn. I also needed to understand where Madam Zenya had disappeared to and how she fit into this puzzle. I grew increasingly swayed that Raelynn was masquerading as Madam Zenya, and maybe she wasn't Prudence's sister who'd, in fact, died years ago.
My stomach wouldn't stop squelching angrily, threatening to implode like the library if I didn't get something to eat. Since I hadn't seen Eleanor in several days, I popped into the Pick-Me-Up Diner for lunch. Eleanor was busy in the kitchen, and Manny had taken a break after the normal crowd quieted down. Calliope had less than five tables and was pouring a cup of coffee for her father, Lloyd, in the corner booth. She waved me over, which reminded me I hadn't caught up with Lloyd to understand what he thought had happened at the haunted hayride.
“You just missed Nana D. She was in here with all the town councilmen, hooting and hollering about the first quarterly crime report since they took office.” Calliope wiped the table with a wet rag and handed me an electronic menu from her pocket. “We're testing these out. You'll be my guinea pig.”
I'd forgotten to reply to Nana D's text earlier that morning when she rejoiced because crime had gone down by ten percent since she'd taken office. I sent off a quick response, congratulating her and reminding her we'd just had another murder, then placed the phone on the table.
“What's with the new devices? I prefer reading old-fashioned menus that I can hold in my hands. The kind with delicious smelling stains from the day's specials and all the cross-outs when the prices have changed.” I was telling the truth too. I frequented the diner to have a traditional experience, not a modern-everything-is-automated one.
Lloyd guffawed. “I said the same thing when she tried to pass that tomfoolery off on me.”
My phone pinged before I could respond. I glanced casually to see what it said.
Nana D: No murders in three months. Skeleton doesn't count. Yesterday was after last quarter. Bite me.
“As if you even pay for your meals, Kellan.” Calliope winked and pressed a button on the electronic tablet so that today's specials appeared. Then, she held her apron up to my nose. “Here. Butternut squash soup with a touch of cream and truffles. It's out of this world.”
I waved her away and stuck out my tongue. “No fifty-percent tip with that attitude, missy.”
“That's what I love about you, honey. You're the kinda customer who knows to properly thank his server when they get the grub for free.” Calliope took the ridiculous new menu from my hands and dropped it in her apron. “You're having the special. And help my dad, will ya? He's depressed over that whole escapade at the Fall Festival.”
While Lloyd informed his daughter he intended to pay for his meal, I replied to Nana D.
Me: Re the murder, you're slipping. They're gonna vote you out soon.
Nana D: If they will vote anyone off this island, it's your girlfriend. Murder is her jurisdiction. Not mine. She should stop fantasizing about you and do her job, brilliant one.
Nana D had me there. April was up for reelection the following year. I would get revenge on my grandmother over the weekend. Perhaps I'd persuade the so-called ghost to haunt her instead.
As Calliope sauntered away, Lloyd frowned. “Ignore my daughter. She's just grumpy because the roof is leaking in her condo and the new owners aren't doing anything about it.”
We caught up on the plumbing issues, and I promised to mention it to the owner's wife, a fellow professor at Braxton. Then, I broached the subject of what'd happened with the horse-drawn carriage hayride. “Can you shed any light on what caused the horses to get spooked? And don't toss any of that headless horseman ghost stuff at me. I've had enough of this town's fascination with the paranormal.”
“Eh, it is Halloween, Kellan. People like to get in the mood.” Lloyd warmed his hands on the freshly refilled mug of coffee. “As near as I can tell, someone removed the blinders we put on the horses when they lead the carriage. They can only see directly in front, since we don't want them to worry about anything except the road ahead.”
“Do you think there was someone else besides Hiram Grey and Madam Zenya in the carriage?” I had to be careful not to reveal the woman who'd died was Prudence.
Part of me worried Lloyd purposely confessed to killing Prudence fifty years ago so he wouldn't be arrested when they discovered the victim was Ian O'Malley. Yet, he didn't behave like a murderer to me. Lloyd was always quiet and honest, the kind of man who'd verbally assault you if you crossed him. Violence wasn't in his nature. I'd watched him take care of Nana D's horses and occasionally interact with Emma while he'd been working at Danby Landing.
“There had to be. Hiram and the other passenger were in the back trailer. Chip saw the carriage at the first stopping point from the barn. That's when the horses got spooked.” Lloyd explained the route, clarifying Chip hadn't seen who was driving the carriage. Someone else must've been because he saw two people in the back.
“Do you think the person jumped out at that first stopping point, scared the horses, and took off?” It made sense to me. Could the person have stabbed Madam Zenya with the pitchfork and hit Hiram Grey, so they couldn't escape from the runaway carriage?
Lloyd stood, mentioning he had to leave for Danby Landing to feed the horses before their evening responsibilities. “That's what I believe happened. Whoever did this must've known the path the horses would normally follow. There were a bunch of wooden fences blocking that path, and it forced the horses to turn toward the old grain silo and the great big oak tree. That's a dead-end before you approach the Saddlebrooke National Forest. The horses had nowhere to go but stop short, and that's why at least one passenger went flying through the air.”
If that were the case, this was a premeditated murder. The killer arranged for Madam Zenya and Hiram to show up at the haunted hayride, for Chip to disappear for at least thirty additional minutes, and for the animals to get spooked without their blinders. Then, the killer attacked his victims and sent the horses off toward danger.
Calliope dropped off my lunch after Lloyd left. “Did he tell you he's worried about Minnie?”
Haunted House Ghost: Death At The Fall Festival (Braxton Campus Mysteries Book 5) Page 21
