False Witness
Page 22
“Do you see the sheriff?” Sister Bernarda whispered.
“No, but he’s out there,” Sister Agatha answered, matching her soft tone. “He was going to park his unit out of sight from the road, then move in on foot. Tom was hoping to film Terri trying to dig up the loot before he arrests her.”
As the temperature continued to drop, Sister Agatha wrapped her coat more tightly around herself and took the gloves out of her pockets. Sister Bernarda had slipped hers on already, but otherwise seemed oblivious to the frigid breeze as she surveyed the grounds.
“I just saw a flicker of light by the front of the pantry,” Sister Bernarda said. “She must have found the flashlight.”
Sister Agatha took the binoculars back from her and, focusing them, saw Terri closing the door behind herself. She took a long look at the monastery, then walked away in the direction of the flagstone walk, carrying a small shovel. Terri took special care to shield the flashlight beam with her body so it couldn’t be seen from the monastery.
Sister Agatha had Tom’s number preprogrammed, so all she had to do was press one number to call him. “She took the bait and is carrying a shovel.”
“Hang back and give her enough slack to incriminate herself.”
After an eternity, Terri looked toward the monastery again, pointed to a window, then turned and pointed to a nearby cottonwood tree.
“What’s she doing?” Sister Bernarda asked.
“Getting her bearings, I think, looking for reference points that haven’t moved.”
Terri took two steps forward, and looked at the same places she’d studied before. Then she crouched and, with the aid of the flashlight, began studying the ground carefully around the spot where they’d found the case.
Suddenly Terri jumped to her feet, dropping the shovel at the same time, and raced away, heading for her car.
“She knows it’s a trap,” Sister Agatha told Tom, not bothering to lower her voice anymore.
“Let Pax go,” Tom said.
“Pax, voran, pass auf,” she said, remembering the German commands he’d been taught. The dog immediately sprang forward.
“What’d you say?” Sister Bernarda asked quickly, jogging after the dog with her.
“Watch and you’ll see,” Sister Agatha replied, trying to keep up with her.
Pax caught up to Terri before she could reach the pantry, then backed her into a corner of the outside wall, barking and growling like he was about to eat her alive. When Terri swung the flashlight at him, he chomped down on it, yanking it from her grip and flipping it away like a toy. Then he lowered his head and gave an even deeper growl, inching forward. Terri froze, escape now clearly impossible.
“Better stay put,” Sister Agatha yelled as she and Sister Bernarda caught up to them.
A heartbeat later Tom ran up. “It’s over. This time you’re going to prison,” Tom said.
Sister Agatha waited until Tom had handcuffed her before she recalled Pax.
“What is going on? I’ll sue! Your dog attacked me!” Terri said angrily. “I was going out for a walk and he just came at me!”
“Nice try, but we all saw what you were after,” Tom shot back, “and I have it all on video. God bless telephoto lenses.” He pointed to a lump in his jacket pocket. “There’s more, too. I just got a call. Ballistics went over the gun we found buried inside that metal case—along with nearly eight hundred and fifty thousand dollars. We didn’t find your prints anywhere on the box or the revolver, but you missed a spot. You forgot about the ammo. Your prints were found on three out of the six shell casings. The rifling marks on test bullets fired from this weapon match those taken from Mark Rio’s body, too. This time, lady, you’re going down.”
When Terri turned around Sister Agatha saw the unbridled hatred mirrored in her eyes. “You have it so soft, Sisters,” she spat out, looking from her to Sister Bernarda. “Neither one of you has the remotest idea what it’s like to be truly alone. Even when you’re out here you’ve got all of them behind you,” she said, gesturing with her chin toward the candlelit chapel. “I bet the entire monastery is in there now, praying for you to come home safe. They care what happens to you. I’ve never had that in my life. My real uncle didn’t give a rip about me. He kept me fed and I had a place to live, but he made it clear I was just a burden, someone he was saddled with. That’s why I left.”
“You’ll always have God. He can’t be taken from you—not ever,” Sister Agatha said softly.
Terri laughed. “Easy for you to say. You live in your own universe. The monastery will never go away and it provides for all your needs. Companionship, family, it’s all there in one neat little package.”
As Tom led her away, Sister Bernarda stood rock still. “Though she doesn’t see the whole picture, she’s right, you know. Because we serve the Lord, we’re part of something that’s stronger and more permanent than any of us. The spirit of Our Lady of Hope Monastery beats inside our hearts. I may never know what it’s like to have children, but I have a family,” she said slowly, then added, “I’m exactly where He wants me to be—and where I belong.”
“Let’s head back inside, Sister Bernarda,” Sister Agatha said, her hand on Pax. “It’s time for us to go home.”
The following morning, Sister Agatha took up her post as portress, giving Sister Bernarda a much deserved break from parlor duty.
At a half past eight she heard someone knock at the door.
“Deo Gratias,” she said, softly thanking God according to their custom, then went to greet their visitor.
Seeing Tom, she smiled and waved him in. “I’m so glad you stopped by. I was just about to call you for an update.”
The sheriff sat down in one of the parlor chairs. “A lot has been happening,” he said. “Garza’s murder conviction will be overturned, and he’s already busy making a deal with the DA on the recent charges. My guess is that he’ll end up spending the rest of his life in protective custody at a local hospice. Ralph Simpson admitted that he stole the SUV and grabbed the beer cans to make it look like it was a drunk crashing into the gate. It was like you’d guessed. Garza had wanted to make sure you’d need the money and agree to find Terri for him.”
“Was Garza the one watching us from the vineyard?”
“No, that was Ralph keeping an eye out for Terri. He made sure he was spotted because it also served to heighten the monastery’s concern about intruders and snoops. The idea of selling the vineyard to developers and offering you the buffer zone—again that was all part of Garza’s plan to motivate you and smoke out Terri.”
“Cold and logical.”
“Yeah,” he agreed. “Garza’s told us a bit more about the original scam. When their victims started asking questions, he and Rio emptied the bank accounts and cashed out. Then Rio got cold feet and wanted to return the money.”
“How did Angie play into that?” Sister Agatha asked.
“She found out about the money, killed Rio, and framed Garza for the crime. She testified against him, all the while planning to go back for the cash once Garza was in prison.”
“Except Garza escaped,” Sister Agatha added.
“With Garza after her, she had to get protection from the Feds. They insisted she relocate, and that put her in Arizona, out of reach of the money. By then Garza had figured out that she’d stashed the money in the vicinity of the body, just not too close by—either the vineyard or the monastery.”
“The rest is pretty much as we guessed, correct?”
Tom nodded. “Greed is the oldest of motives.”
“Terri must have thought that fortune had smiled on her when Garza crashed through our gates. But she still had Pax to worry about. I remember how friendly she always was to him. She probably hoped he wouldn’t give her away when she sneaked in to dig up the money. But after I found her and she identified Garza at the motel, fear trumped greed.”
“Exactly.” Tom shifted in his chair, then stood and walked to the window, staring at the workmen
outside, who were applying a coat of plaster to the restored wall.
Sister Agatha remained at the desk. “We managed to get a donation for our wall, but it’s a shame things got so fouled up. If John Gutierrez had been for real, we would have received another check. Heaven knows we could have used that money.”
“You’re going to be getting the money you need, and more,” Tom turned, a smile on his face. “Didn’t you know there was a reward—a finder’s fee from a group of the investors Garza and Rio scammed?”
“Thank you, Lord,” Sister Agatha said looking upward, then quickly glanced back at Tom. “Would it be uncharitable to ask how much?”
“Ten percent of whatever was recovered, which puts it at around eighty-five thousand dollars. That will give the monastery enough money to invest—perhaps in a vineyard?”
“Tom, that’s a great idea. I wonder if Eric Barclay could use a partner? I know Garza owns the vineyard, but if there are no legal issues, do you think he might be willing to cut a deal? He asked me to help bring Angie to justice, and I have. I honored his last wishes.”
“I can arrange for you to meet with him and his lawyers, of course. It would be difficult for anyone to prove that the money Garza stole years ago was the same money used to buy the winery, so a deal may be possible. I’d go for it if I were you.”
“If you were me, you’d look awful silly in a nun’s habit, Tom.” She grinned.
Tom checked his watch and stood. “I’ve got to go now, but I’ll stay in touch. Good luck.”
Sister Agatha saw Tom out, then returned to her desk to answer the phone. The call was from their contractor, who was confirming that the gate would be up by tonight.
As she placed the phone down, another knock sounded at the door. Sister Agatha gave thanks to God and went to answer it.
Eric Barclay stood there, cap in hand. “I hate to bother you, Sister Agatha, but I’ve heard a rumor that the man who bought my property was a wanted criminal. I’ve been trying to catch up to the sheriff, and was told he might be here.”
Sister Agatha ushered him inside. “You just missed him, but I can fill you in,” she said, telling him about Jimmy Garza. “I haven’t had the chance to discuss this with Reverend Mother yet, but I’m hoping we can come up with a way to save the winery. As it turns out, Jimmy Garza owes me a big favor, Eric. If things work out, it’s possible we may join you as silent partners.”
He grinned widely. “That’s the best news I’ve heard so far!”
“There are still some rough spots that’ll need to be smoothed over, but I’m very optimistic.”
“Now I have some good news of my own. The leading provider of altar and table wines in our area, Casa de Avila Winery, closed down a month ago. Our hope has been to take over the business they left behind. But we didn’t have much of a chance—that is, until our San Miguel Rojo won a major competition. Word got around quickly, and the biggest distributor in our area wants to do business. Luz de Cielo Winery could pick up where Casa de Avila left off.”
“That’s wonderful!”
“May this be the beginning of a long association between Luz del Cielo and Our Lady of Hope Monastery, Sister.”
As Eric left, Sister Bernarda came into the parlor. “How’s everything going?” she asked.
“Our financial troubles may soon be behind us,” she said and explained.
Sister Bernarda smiled broadly. “When we let go of our problems and put them in God’s capable hands, wonderful things always happen!”
Sister Agatha smiled as the bells announcing Chapter rang. “Let’s lock up the parlor and go join the community. It’s time to share the news and give thanks for all our blessings.”
Table of Contents
Cover
Other Books By This Author
Title Page
Copyright
Acknowledgments
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23