Chief Among Sinners

by Lois K. Gibson

  The crowded living room was suddenly quiet. Eyes shifted from Herb to Louise and back. Terry saw Louise blush, but she didn't deny what Herb was insinuating.

  Ken Davis broke the silence. "Isn't that a little unseemly, Louise? You're husband was just murdered, and before the week is out, you announce you're going away with another man. If he wasn't dead, the chief would gladly put a bullet in the rabbi's thick head."

  He continued, "Given the insurance and Scott's pension, Louise, you are about to become a wealthy widow. Yesterday in his office, I went through his desk looking for anything to shed light on the murder. Now, if you back off and sit down, I'll tell you what I found."

  In what seemed like one simultaneous movement, the priest took hold of Louise and grabbed Dan's arm. Frank took hold of Kate's arm to keep the whole Addams family from lunging at the sheriff.

  Dan yelled, "What do you mean, you went through his things? What gives you the right?"

  Ken reminded them that as county sheriff, he had the right to look through the chief's desk for any and all official papers. Terry guided Louise back to the sofa, physically pushed Dan into a chair as Kate retreated to Frank's side and said, "Let's listen to the man, before you take his head off. You were saying, sheriff?"

  The sheriff leaned over and took some papers from a brief case at his feet. "Louise, did you know your husband's insurance was five hundred thousand dollars? With double indemnity, you can do the math. And you'll get his pension, which is quite substantial after twenty-five years of service. If you weren't at the top of my list before, you just became a prime suspect."

  Louise sputtered, "But...but, sheriff, I didn't know, never knew about his insurance. He never told me. Scott didn't tell me a lot of things. You know how he was."

  She stopped. "Well, maybe you didn't know everything, but you knew he didn't talk much about his private affairs. I never saw the bills. He held the checkbook and gave me a cash allowance twice a month. I knew we had insurance on the car and house, but I never saw his life insurance."

  Terry interrupted, "Hold on a minute, sheriff. You just said Frank Stevenson was your number one suspect. Now you say it's Louise Addams. Just what evidence do you have? Can you prove anything about either one of them, or anybody else, for that matter?"

  The sheriff blustered, "If you'll shut up and let me continue! As for Dan and Kate, there was a letter directing that all stocks and bonds be divided equally between them. He had a substantial amount of investments. Although, I wonder where the hell Addams got the kind of money he would need to invest so much. So that makes Kate and Dan both suspects."

  Terry raised his voice. "But if the letters were sealed and the family didn't know about the insurance or the pension, or the stock, how are they suspects?"

  He was glad when Herb Gordon also rebuked the sheriff. "Cut the crap, Ken. We all know what kind of husband Addams was. Give the woman a break."

  The sheriff said, "Not so high and mighty, there, Mr. Rabbi. You may be a rabbi, but that doesn't put you above suspicion. Now, the priest here, that's a different story. I know Father O'Reilly. I don't know you. You're a Jew cozying up to a wealthy widow. I hope you aren't planning to leave Oakton."

  Terry tried to control his anger. "What the hell is wrong with you, Ken? Herb Gordon is no more capable of murder than I am. How dare you suspect him because he's Jewish."

  Terry had a strong ally in Mrs. Murphy. She stood from her seat and got in the sheriff's face. "What kind of bigot are you? You shouldn't even be a sheriff. I bet you don't like blacks or Muslims or anybody else that isn't lily white. You're a disgrace." She stopped and took a calming breath. "I don't believe Rabbi Gordon could do murder, but I swear on St. Patty's grave that you're a man who could, with never a qualm."

  Louise nearly bowled Terry over as she stormed over to join the faceoff with the sheriff an add her two cents. "Well, you're right. I must be a prime suspect. Not only did I just become a rich widow, not only am I rid of an abusive, bully of a husband, but I, too, am a Jew."

  The room became silent, save for Terry's gasp. "Louise, you know that isn't true. You have been bringing your family to St. Timothy's since I became priest here. I've always known you to be a good Christian wife and mother. You can't explain that away."

  He couldn't believe it when Louise said, "All of you are looking at the best actress in town. The only people who knew were Bridget Murphy and Rabbi Gordon when I told him Monday."

  Mrs. Murphy walked over and put her arm on Louise's shoulder. "Of course she couldn't keep it from this old Irish harridan. Nobody in Oakton keeps secrets from me."

  She turned to Herb. "Rabbi Gordon, congratulations. This sweet lady needs you, after all the abuse she's suffered, and I know you will be good to her."

  Kate's shrill voice gave Terry goose bumps. "Hold on a minute, all of you." She faced her mother. "Do you know what you're saying? Dad hated Jews, and you say you're a Jew and yet you lived with him for thirty years. Nobody here believes that." Terry watched Kate turn to Herb Gordon, then back to Louise. "I can't believe you're turning your back on us, your family, your whole past, for him. What kind of man would ask you to do that?"

  Terry wasn't surprised when the sheriff yelled again. "Wait a minute! Hold it! You're all acting as if the coroner closed the case, and we can cremate the chief and forget it. The case isn't closed, and that's the only thing I care about right now. I don't care who knows what about who. I'm the only one that can close this case, and with everything I know, I still don't have a murderer. Am I the only one here, to mourn the death of Scott Addams?"

  The sheriff looked around at the silent parlor before he went on. "No cremation, no burial, no write-off of this murder until I say so. Chuck and Billy are going over the car. I'm leaving here to cover the scene behind the church one more time and going over every inch of ground for clues we might have missed. My guess is that in spite of their alibis, either Maggie or Sally Clark pulled the trigger, but none of you are off the hook until the investigation is complete, and I'm the one who decides. Remember that, all of you!"

  He assured them that the Clark women would be found, since he had ordered an APB. "Oh my God, Ken," Kate exclaimed. "Think! If they are caught, the whole world will know about the chief. Our lives will be ruined. The town will be ruined. Whatever possessed you?"

  The sheriff tried to explain his reason for ordering the APB was for child abandonment, but Kate shook her head and said she wouldn't have any of it. "But that doesn't mean anything, Ken."

  Louise insisted that the Clark girls would tell everything to anybody that would listen, and there went the whole 'let's keep it off of CNN' plan. She scowled at Terry. "Father O'Reilly, stop patting my hand and do something."

  Terry snatched his hand back and avoided the look Herb gave him. He coughed politely and said, "Louise is right, sheriff. They will spill their guts to any law officer. After what he did to them, nothing would make them happier than to blacken the name of Scott Addams to anybody who will listen, especially the police."

  He asked, "So how do we stop them? How do we get them back here to answer for a murder?"

  The priest was surprised when Louise said, "Remember what Chuck said before, Ken? No matter how you look at it, it's justifiable homicide."

  The sheriff said that such cases were decided by a judge and jury, not by cops and certainly not be people involved in the case. "Besides, I have my own theory of who did it and why."

  Terry watched Dr. Gold walk up to the sheriff and scold him. "Who is it now, Ken? First it was the Clarks, then it was Louise, then it was Frank, then Dan or Kate, even Rabbi Gordon. What do you think you are doing? The murderer can't be everybody on your list."

  Ken Davis sat back in his chair and smiled at the people standing around, waiting for his answer. He surprised them, saying, "Why not? I can certainly see a conspiracy for murder here. Weren't you all planning to meet at the church? I bet that wasn't for choir practice, now was it?"

  He wriggled out of the
deep club chair, pulled his sweater down, straightened up, and said, "Well, surprise, surprise. You are going to meet at the church, each and every one of you at one o'clock. After I inspect the scene again, I'll have lunch, and then we'll get to the bottom of this, once and for all."

  Twenty-One

  When the sheriff announced he was going to the church to give the crime scene a final inspection, Herb, for one, was glad to see him go. He wished ev­erybody, Dr. Gold, the two men from county, Mrs. Murphy, and even Terry, would leave so he could have some privacy with Louise, her family, and Frank.

  Of course, he knew that they would all be shocked when he an­nounced their relationship, and even more so when Louise announced she was Jewish. Dan reacted as if he'd been punched in the gut. Herb saw Kate pale, grab a chair, and almost fall into it. He watched Louise's face when he said it, and when she turned as pale as Kate he realized she hadn't expected him to reveal their secret that way.

  When the sheriff surprised everybody with his announcement, confirming that Louise actually was a Jew, Herb had to grab a chair to steady himself. He never believed Louise when she said she was Jewish. He was sure she was saying that to make it easier for them to be together.

  Everybody struggled into their coats and hurried out into the cold. When Terry was leaving, Herb held the door open for him, as­suring him that they would be at the church at 1 p.m. as ordered.

  He shut the door, turned, and almost bumped into Dan, stand­ing behind him. The rabbi recognized Dan's belligerent pose, his arms folded and chin thrust forward.

  Herb noted that Dan's thin face was pale, but there was fire in his eyes, and the young man seemed a little unsteady, his voice strained. "Well, Gordon, that was some performance you put on for the sheriff and all those people. So now, let's talk facts."

  The rabbi smiled. "What facts?"

  "Fact one," Dan said, "You're not going to marry my mother. Fact two, I don't care what she says, she's no Jew. Fact three, you are not now, and never will be, a member of this family. Ask Kate if you don't believe me."

  Herb tried to back away, but Dan kept step with him, putting his face right up to the rabbi's until, Herb put his arm out and his hand on Dan's chest. "Whoah there, Dan. That's a lot of pronunciamentos. Let's go into the kitchen with the others and talk about this."

  Dan pushed Herb's hand away, "There's nothing to talk about, mister. The chief is dead. I'm the head of this family now, and I'll nev­er let you marry my mother. Her husband is dead. There's a murderer running around Oakton, and she's so upset, believe me, she doesn't know what she's saying."

  Herb couldn't help a slight smile. It would break his heart to know Herb had been seeing his mother on the sly for months now. He'd let Dan rant a little, defending his father, protecting his mother. He knew the young man had to do that, but he hoped, that in spite of his grief, Dan could come to terms with him and Louise.

  Dan looked at him, and said, "Listen, you son of a bitch, you don't get it. That woman is still my mother. She was married to the chief for almost thirty years. He was a bastard sometimes, but he loved her. I don't care what crazy things she's saying, I'm telling you, she never was, and never will be a Jew." He almost spit out the word.

  "Calm down, Dan." Herb reached for the young man's arm, to lead him into the kitchen, Dan jerked away, and the rabbi followed Dan into the brightly-lit kitchen. He smiled when Louise came to greet him, her face aglow. She took his hand, looked around at her family, and Herb was glad to hear her state in a clear, ringing voice, "I hope all of you understand. Ding dong, the fiend is dead. We can get on with our lives. There's no man behind the curtain, a fake wizard, a bastard maker, a corrupter."

  Herb hugged her to him. Dan, Kate, and Frank stared at her, open-mouthed until she explained, "You still don't get it, do you? It's the Wizard of Oz all over again. Time after time we were told to ignore the man behind the curtain, and we did. We knew the chief was a monster. We were told not to look, so we never admitted to ourselves or anyone else what a cruel brute he really was."

  Kate looked at her. "Hey, Mom, I get it. He was an evil wizard, and ding dong, he really is dead." She looked at her brother. "Dan don't you have something to say?"

  Dan leaned against the kitchen counter, a sneer on his face. "I say you can all go to hell." He took a beer out of the refrigerator and resumed his stance against the counter.

  Louise freed herself from Herb's arm and walked around the kitchen, looking at each person. Herb wasn't surprised when she said, "We put up with that man for way too long. I have to admit, if someone else hadn't beaten me to it, I thought about putting a bullet in his brain, myself."

  Frank smiled. "I can't tell you how glad I am to hear you say that, Louise. I never considered you a suspect, but the sheriff sure as hell, did. I'm glad you didn't have the nerve to pull the trigger."

  Although Louise glared at Frank, Herb was proud to hear her say, "What do you mean, I didn't have the nerve? I have plenty of nerve, and I have a gun, but I didn't have too much opportunity." Louise sat down and humphed under her breath. "'Didn't have the nerve.' What a nerve."

  Herb said, "I believe you have the nerve, Louise, but I don't think you have it in your heart to kill anybody, even someone who deserved it as much as Scott. But seriously, Frank, did the sheriff tell you that he considered Louise as a serious suspect? Even with all his grandstanding this morning, I find that hard to believe."

  He was surprised when Frank said, "You heard the sheriff say that everybody's a suspect. I didn't hear his interview with Louise, but she knew what was going on. She knew the chief brutalized her and everybody else. That makes her a suspect, just like everybody else."

  Kate turned away from where she stood fixing sandwiches at the kitchen counter. "Rabbi Gordon, I'm surprised at you. You are aware that you're a suspect too, but I understand that Terry, Sally and you were all together at Millie's at the time of the killing."

  Herb thought about that, and he agreed that Millie could confirm his whereabouts at the crucial time, but what about Louise? Wasn't she at the library or the clinic? He was sure somebody could account for her whereabouts.

  Herb was a little unnerved when Louise said, "Actually, Herb, I told the sheriff I wasn't at either of those places when they say Scott was murdered. I had chores to do, and I was home alone. Kate was at the clinic. Dan was there, too, with Dr. Gold. So, I'm the only one here without an alibi, except..." She looked at Frank. "Where were you, Frank? And you, Bridget, where were you?"

  The rabbi was eager to hear everybody's alibis, no matter who was implicated when everything was out in the open.

  Frank hesitated before saying, "I already told Davis I had no alibi. I'm in the same predicament as you, Louise. I was cruising my regular morning beat. Somebody probably saw me drive by, but the sheriff would have to canvass the town, and I'm sure he's not about to do that."

  Kate said, "But, Frank, what reason would you have? You didn't know about the chief and the Clark family, so where's your motive? I'm actually more curious about you, Mrs. Murphy. What did you tell the sheriff? Does he know that you knew everything that went on, that the chief was a vile monster, a pedophile, a blackmailer? What did he think of your alibi?"

  Calm and cool, Mrs. Murphy said, "Why, bless your soul, Kate. I told him I was at the church, in the kitchen, trying to get ready for you people coming there at two o'clock."

  Herb asked, "Is that all you told him, Mrs. Murphy? Didn't you tell him you knew about the chief and that you actually saw him abuse those poor girls?"

  She explained, "I told him about hearing a car backfire. That must have been the gunshot, but after I saw the chief drive around to the alley, I didn't even look out the window a second time. You're right, rabbi. I never told him that whenever I saw that car drive in, I could see everything from my window. If it wasn't Lucy, it was Sally. It didn't matter, as long as he got what he wanted."

  She took a handkerchief from her apron pocket. "It's not the Christian thing to admit, but I
'm not sorry he's dead. He'll not threaten me or anybody else ever again."

  Herb helped himself to a sandwich from the platter Kate put on the kitchen table. She asked, "How could the chief threaten you, Mrs. Murphy? You're a housekeeper at St. Timothy's. I'm sure Father O'Reilly will vouch for you."

  Mrs. Murphy reached for a sandwich. "To be sure, there are things even the priest don't know, things I never told him, but somehow, that bastard, Addams, knew everything about everybody. No wonder he was hated all over town."

  "But surely, there wasn't anything he could know that would cause you to murder him, Mrs. Murphy?" Herb asked.

  Mrs. Murphy pointed to her full mouth and didn't even try to answer. Herb turned his attention away from Mrs. Murphy and watched Dan come to the table, grab a sandwich, get another beer from the fridge, and lean back against the counter. He didn't say a word.

  Kate said, "Well, I certainly don't consider you a suspect. I'm hoping that the sheriff will turn out to be a reasonable man and agree to the suicide idea."

  The rabbi said, "That would be a blessing, Kate, and why not? It gets the sheriff off the hook. It means no publicity, and lots of people realize that these days, the stress of being a cop makes the story plausible. He wouldn't be the first peace officer to off himself. I'm sure it happens more often than the public knows or the police establishment admits."

  He turned to Frank. "Do you think he'll buy into that, or is he a stubborn old goat that dots every I and crosses every T? You know him better than the rest of us, Frank. What do you think?"

  Frank hesitated before speaking. "I don't know him all that well, Herb. I heard the chief talk about him. Never said a good thing about the man, but then, the chief never said a good thing about anybody unless he wanted something." Frank paused. "I remember seeing Ken Davis at a sheriffs parade at the State Fair once. He seemed pretty easy-going then, but I don't have a clue how he'll react to the suicide solution."