Herb smiled sadly. "But...then it wouldn't be a private confession. I'm sorry, Terry. I've just had a lot on my mind with this. Maybe... maybe if we can work together to solve this mystery, and you come to your own conclusions, then I could reveal the rest. Anyway, we need proof if we want Lucy Clark. Someone has to come forward with more information. Let's talk with Maggie or Sally about this. Maybe the Clark family will fill in the blanks, provide some clues we can follow back to the beginning."
Terry sighed. He could understand how Herb's hands were tied. He suggested they get cleaned up and head for the clinic.
Kate Addams woke up from her first delicious dream since she learned about the dead animals behind St. Timothy's. She tried to resurrect her dream of a tall, shadowy figure who might have been Terry, or maybe Frank Stevenson.
They were together on a luxurious yacht, where the crew wined and dined them, then left them to the glories of a full moon skittering across the waves. She opened her eyes and under her breath she swore, "Shit, it isn't real."
She flung the quilt aside, hugging herself against the cold, and hurried into her private bathroom. When she emerged from her room, she almost collided with Dan coming from his room. He grinned and said, "I'll race you for coffee." They flew down the stairs, got to the kitchen, and stopped short, noting that the coffee maker on the counter, usually half full when they came down for breakfast, was empty.
Kate said, "No coffee. No mother, No chief. It's only 6:45. What's up?"
Dan started the coffee maker. Kate put her finger to her lips. "Shh, I'm going back up to see if Mom's there. You check the den. Maybe they slept in."
She tiptoed up the stairs and put her ear to Louise's bedroom door. Not a sound. She turned the doorknob, eased the door open, and saw the bed was made. The room was neat as a pin, as if nobody slept there last night.
Rushing down to the kitchen, Kate announced, "She's not there."
Dan told her the den was empty, although the hide-a-bed was open and rumpled, and it looked like the chief had slept there.
Kate said, "Get that coffee ready to travel and let's get our asses to the clinic."
Dan poured coffee into travel mugs and told Kate he knew the chief was at Millie's for his daily ration of donuts; he was her best customer. They got into his car and Dan drove them to the clinic.
"Mom's probably at the clinic already looking in on Lucy. Maybe we should think some of this through before we head out. Let's work backward, starting with Lucy Clark and her pregnancy.
Dan asked, "Why not start with Father Terry and the packages on the back steps of St. Timothy's? Like, it started on Halloween, the night Agnes died. That was a peculiar accident. If I was the Oakton police, I'd be looking into that. Believe me."
"You may be right about Agnes Clark. I've had my suspicions about that. It was too easy, too convenient, but getting back to Father Terry and the wee beasties, I think Halloween was a coincidence.
"I think it was a Sunday night and this child studied the priest's routine so she could act without being discovered, and Halloween happened to fall on a Sunday. I bet it's just a bizarre coincidence that both Agnes and her husband died on Halloween."
"Wait a minute," Dan argued. "Lucy is slow, maybe seriously retarded, and you're suggesting this retarded twelve year old studied the priest's habits, his timing of his Sundays trips to the cemetery?"
Kate listened to Dan spin out his theory. "My guess is that she was wandering around that first Sunday night, confused by the hullabaloo of Halloween, holding her precious goldfish bowl with the dead fish. She wandered through the woods behind her house and the church. She saw Terry leave and set her fish bowl down on the back steps for no special reason."
"I don't know if that's what happened," Kate said, "but you sure are right about Lucy's ability to study Terry and his habits. But you are forgetting the mouth propped open, and the pin stuck in the brain. Lucy wouldn't be capable of that. And don't forget, there was a definite pattern in those packages, each one bigger than the one before, and the red ribbons, and the hand-written message at the end." Kate paused. "Obviously, somebody was helping Lucy, or trying to attract attention for her."
Dan pulled into the clinic parking lot. "Let's think a minute, sis. If someone else is part of the puzzle, somebody took Lucy to the shed and hid her there, knowing she would have the baby last night."
"Of course," Kate added. "Somebody very close to the situation, so we're looking at Maggie or Sally. I remember Mom telling me that Maggie was twelve when Sally was born. She's only a couple months younger than me. Sally was twelve when the family went away and came back with little Lucy and we know Lucy is twelve, although, she's so small, you might think she was younger." She brushed her hand across her face to wipe away a few tears.
Dan said, "Wow! Whoever this guy is, he's consistent. Kate, are you assuming that there was one monster, one man who did all three Clark girls? But, hey, what if it's just different guys who think the Clark girls are easy targets, like the chief says?
"Listen, sis, I took Sally out Halloween night, and she was more than willing. We got back to her place and didn't even go inside, just did it in the car. When it was done, she gave me a big juicy kiss, got out of the car, ran across the lawn, and waved at me before going inside. No angst, no tears, no nothing, and that's the night her mother died. If that isn't weird, I don't know what is."
Kate said, "Well, I don't know anything about Sally's sex life, and now I know more than I ever wanted to know about yours, but how does that relate to our problem?"
She paused. "Think about this, okay? If it is the same man, that's more horrible than either of us figured. Maggie has Sally, and if the same man raped Sally, we have not only rape, but incest. Then if Lucy is raped by the same guy, we have incest again, and that's the reason Lucy isn't 'all there.' And, if the same guy did Lucy, no wonder that baby was deformed. That's too hideous to think about." She felt a shudder go through her body.
Dan looked at her. "Hey, Kate, we're talking about some twisted, warped maniac. Didn't we always suspect this was a local who knew the Clark family, a man who specializes in nine to twelve year olds? Remember, we don't know when the abuse started."
Kate put her head in her hands and groped for tissues from her coat pocket. She wiped her eyes, blew her nose, and said, "Dan, we have to find out if other girls in Oakton were molested. If the Clark girls are the only ones, that means the rapist knew the family and knew he could get away with it. He must have been holding something very serious over them. Something they couldn't dare let be known. Where do we start to look for clues about who the father is?"
"Getting back to the perp, Dan,." Kate hesitated, "Who would a little girl tell first, her mother or her father and which one would report it?"
"The police must have records, so that's the place to start."
"Good idea," answered Kate. "But the chief can't know we're looking into this. You heard what he said last night about Lucy being a slut. Can you believe that came out of his mouth?"
Dan pulled up to the curb of the clinic and Kate got out. She said she'd see what she could find out from Dr. Gold or Mary while he checked out the police station. Dan said he would call her cell if anything turned up, and he drove away. Walking into the dimly lit clinic, Kate didn't see a soul. She walked to the empty nurse's station and stepped behind the high counter, looking for a chart, papers, anything that could tell her about Lucy.
"What the hell do you think you're doing, Kate Addams?" Mary Hansen came running down the hall. "You shouldn't be back there! You know medical files are confidential. Besides, you won't find anything." She went on, "Dr. Gold has patient files with him. Get out of there! This is my station!"
Kate backed out. "I'm sorry, Mary. You weren't here, and I thought I could find out where Lucy is. I only want to help." Kate tried to sound remorseful.
"Okay, Kate," Mary said. "I know everybody's concerned about that little girl, but there are rules."
Kate walked
to the coffee machine, poured a cup for herself and nodded at Mary.
"Yes, thanks. I've been busy since the minute I walked in, and I'm due for my second cup. I'm beat, I was here late last night, and back here a few minutes ago. Thank God I'm off at four today, then home for a nap."
"Who's on at four?" Kate asked.
Mary bent to the chart. "It was supposed to be Sally Clark. You did know she's a nurse, didn't you?"
Kate was surprised. "Well, no, I didn't. When did she go to nursing school? I don't get home much, and I lost track of Sally. She had a pretty bad reputation in high school."
Mary said, "Wait a minute, I just remembered. Sally was twelve when Lucy was born. That makes her twenty-four, just a few months younger than you, isn't she Kate?
"Sally is a find for the clinic. Ask Dr. Gold. He'll tell you. She's a go-getter, that one. When she's not on duty here, she works at Ed Brown's hardware store. I think they have a thing going." She winked at Kate.
Mary stopped fussing with the papers and looked at Kate. "You know, Kate, I just realized, you and Sally look enough alike to be sisters. Has anybody ever told you that before?"
Kate ignored the comment. She didn't want to be compared to any of the Clark girls. "I remember that Sally was a hard worker, in spite of her bad-girl reputation. But tell me, where is Lucy and how many patients are in the clinic, anyway? I thought Lucy was the only one here."
Mary smiled. "Bert Blake is here with a broken leg. He fell off a ladder trying to melt ice build-up. Every year we have broken legs, arms, and cracked heads from falling off ladders."
Suddenly the lights came on. It was 8 a.m., and the clinic became cheerier, less austere, less forbidding.
Kate heard footsteps, looked around, and saw Dr. Gold approaching. She noticed the patient folders tucked under his arm. His stethoscope swished gently from side to side across the front of his starched white coat. He was not smiling.
"Well," he said, "You're here bright and early. Is this part of your class work for law school, or are you just a nosy bystander?"
"You know me better than that, Dr. Gold. I'm here to help. Could we talk somewhere?"
She saw the doctor's expression soften. "Okay, Kate. I'll finish with these charts and then we'll go to my office."
Kate was surprised when he said her mother had been with Lucy most of the night. Louise had sat there humming softly. He wasn't sure if Lucy even knew someone was there.
He told her Maggie and Sally came by last night before Louise arrived, and neither of them stayed with the little girl more than a few minutes.
The doctor turned to Mary. "Here's Bert's chart. I put a cast on his leg. Call his wife. He can go home later this morning. Thanks, Mary."
The doctor steered Kate into his office and shut the door. He told her that he had an early call from Rabbi Gordon who wanted to know when he and Father O'Reilly could talk to Lucy. He told them the same thing he was telling her, not today, maybe tomorrow.
He said, "Now, Kate, what's so important?"
"Dr. Gold, there's a lot to tell you. Lucy is your patient, but you may not know about the rest of the family."
The doctor sat back and listened while Kate told the whole story, starting with Halloween and the fishbowl on the back steps of the church. She told him about the dead mutilated animals, the messages, and finally Lucy herself. She emphasized that she and Dan didn't believe that Lucy made the Sunday night visits to the church, convinced someone was acting for the child, trying to get the priest's attention.
"Father O'Reilly brought us on board for that mystery, along with Rabbi Gordon, Pastor Schultz, and the chief. Dan and I really got involved last Monday after the baby doll and the note pleading, 'Why don't you help me.' The packages got more and more bizarre."
Dr. Gold's eyes were open wide. "Frankly, Kate, I don't know what to say. Who would believe anything that off-the-wall was going on in Oakton?"
"Believe everything I told you doctor. We all feel guilty about Lucy, even though I know there is nothing to feel guilty about. We did our best for that little girl, especially you last night."
She went on, "We know Lucy is retarded, and we understand she may not even have known she was pregnant, but somebody knew. The Sunday night forays started on Halloween. That would have been her seventh month, and the changes would be hard to ignore." Kate paused, waiting for comment.
"When I saw her last night," the doctor said, "she was not very big. The baby was a little more than three pounds. Lucy is so scrawny, it would be easy to miss the fact that she was pregnant." He paused. "Do you have a theory about her pregnancy?"
"Yes, Dan and I have a theory. How long have you been in Oakton, doctor?" If he hadn't been there for the deliveries for Maggie and Sally, she knew that would explain why he didn't tie the three pregnancies together.
"About twenty-four years, just out of medical school. I interned in Minneapolis. I lived the TV show E.R. at HCMC. Believe me that show was the real thing. I really wanted a small family practice. Dr. Evans was retiring, so I came here, interviewed with him, and liked what I saw of the town and the new clinic. Does that answer your question?"
"Well," Kate continued, "if you were working here when Maggie Clark had her baby, then you should remember that she was just twelve years old."
Dr. Gold thought for a minute then told Kate that after his interview, he went back to Minneapolis to collect his wife Fanny, his equipment, and their belongings. They moved to Oakton after that tragic event. He remembered hearing about it, but he wasn't up on the details.
Kate filled in the details. She started with Joe Clark's death and filled in other details, including that Agnes was a single mother and very strict with her little girl, Maggie. "Since Halloween and this Lucy business, I've done some research and learned more than I ever wanted to know about the Clark family."
The doctor smiled. "I believe you, Kate, although I may be skeptical about your conclusions."
Kate nodded. "But, I'm just starting. Where was I? Oh yes, nobody paid much attention to Agnes and Maggie Clark after the accident. The one big change was a move to the house they have now near the woods, along the alley behind St. Timothy's. Agnes cleaned houses. Maggie went to school. Maggie had been brought up so strict that Agnes was not afraid to leave her home alone for a few hours after school. Everything was okay until Maggie had the baby. Then, from what I have been able to find out, all hell broke loose.
"I learned that the police accused Agnes of child neglect and threatened her with jail and putting Maggie in foster care. Frank Stevenson's father was chief of police then, and Frank told me they questioned Maggie, threatened the kid, did everything they could to squeeze a name from that child's lips. Nothing could get her to reveal who abused her.
"Of course there was speculation that Agnes had a boyfriend who raped Maggie, but Agnes didn't have a boyfriend. The rumors were frightful. Since they live near the woods, there was even talk of witchcraft and devils."
"From what I could find out, Maggie never told her mother who the man was. Agnes promised to keep a closer eye on Maggie. The people she worked for let her bring the baby to work with her while Maggie was in school. Of course, Agnes changed her hours and was home every afternoon when Maggie got home and that seemed to satisfy the authorities.
"Maggie named her little girl Sally. Sally is just a month or two younger than me. We went to school together and became friends for a while."
Kate paused. "Now, this is the hard part, doctor. Give me a minute for a bathroom break and I'll keep going."
Dr. Gold said, "That's a good idea, Kate. There's a bathroom down the hall. Give me ten minutes. I have to make a few phone calls. I'll open the door when I'm ready."
Kate went down the hall to the ladies restroom. She needed a breather as much as she needed the toilet. She didn't realize how hard it would be to tell the Clark family story.
The washroom had white tile floor and walls, white porcelain sinks and toilets, and when she started to rehea
rse what she was going to tell the doctor, her voice echoed louder than she intended. She splashed cold water on her face, washed her hands, and put on some lip gloss she found in her slacks pocket. Looking better, she might feel better.
Leaving the washroom, she saw the doctor's closed door to her left, and to the right, Mary was standing at her station. Kate could see Mary had a lemon in her mouth about being left out. She knew it wasn't good for Mary to be upset. Everybody knew the woman was a gossip.
When she was off duty Mary would fill in anybody who would listen, on what happened at the clinic on any given day.
Trying to placate her, Kate leaned on the high counter. "Lucy must still be asleep, so I guess it's been a quiet morning, Mary. By the way, did you have a nice Christmas?"
Mary launched into a long narrative about her wonderful Christmas. Kate smiled to herself. 'I guess I asked the right question.' Kate nodded convincingly at Mary, then looked down the hall. Dr. Gold had opened the door and beckoned.
"Gee, Mary, I can't tell you how wonderful that sounds." Mary beamed at Kate. "But Dr. Gold is ready for me, so I've got to go."
Mary thanked her, calling Happy New Year to Kate's back.
"Hey, wait for me!" Dan ran in the clinic doors, breathless to catch up.
"Dr. Gold just opened his door," she explained to Dan. "But first, did you find out anything new? I'll poke my head into the doctor's office and ask if he can wait a few minutes while we talk before I tell him our theory about the Clarks."
"No need," Dan answered. "Didn't find out a thing. If you don't think he'd mind, let's go in and I'll listen, and add as you talk."
"Okay." Kate opened the door wider, so the doctor could see Dan. "Look who showed up. Is it okay if he joins us?"
The doctor nodded. Dan pulled his chair up to the desk, leaned back, and listened.
Kate started, "I've been filling the doctor in on Clark family background. He wasn't here when Joe Clark was killed twenty-five years ago. I just painted some broad strokes. But, Dan, I want to hear whatever you were able to find out."
Chief Among Sinners Page 12
