Saints & Sinners Ball

by Stacy M Jones

  Dan looked across the table at her. “Harper, I was with you when Roxy was killed. I was standing in the tent when Tucker was murdered. I was there the whole night, everyone saw me. I have no idea who killed them. And I certainly wasn’t burglarizing houses. I don’t know how or if these burglaries are connected to Tucker’s murder, but I do know there are things you don’t understand. Dangerous things that could get you hurt if you knew.”

  Harper heard the sirens off in the distance. She leveled a look at Dan and got straight to the heart of it, what had been bothering her all this time. Her gut told her Dan already knew. “The priest is an imposter, right? He’s not really Fr. McNally.”

  Chapter Forty-Two

  Dan’s jaw practically hit the table when he heard what Harper said. His eyes darted around the room before finally settling back on her. Dan started to try to convince Harper that she was wrong, but Harper stood firm. Dan wiped beads of sweat that were forming on his brow and relented, “How long have you known?”

  “Yesterday. I saw photos of Fr. McNally that don’t really match up to the priest. I’ve been suspicious since the night of Tucker’s murder. I don’t know with absolute certainty.”

  Dan explained, “I’ve been suspicious for months, but it was Tucker’s murder that got me really digging around. I probably saw the same photos that you did. It’s not him, but like you, I haven’t had a chance to fully confirm it. I haven’t told a soul though, Harper, and you shouldn’t either. This is bigger than I think we know. Two people are already dead. I’m being framed. You need to walk away from this.”

  “She needs to walk away from what?” Det. Granger said from the doorway. He had his gun drawn and had several uniformed cops behind him. Harper waved him off, letting Granger know that she was okay. Granger hesitated but Harper nodded her head. Finally, he turned to the other cops and sent them back.

  With his gun still at his side, Granger motioned for Dan to stand. He frisked him and asked if he had any weapons.

  Dan sighed. “Just my pen, Detective. As I’ve been telling anyone who will listen, I’m just trying to break the story, not be the story. I have no idea how the jewelry got here. You searched this office already.”

  Dan sat back down. Granger went to look at the jewelry on the floor. He turned to Harper. “Did you touch this?” Harper shook her head. He radioed down to a crime scene tech to come up and bag the evidence.

  Turning to Dan, Granger said, “I don’t know what to believe so we are going to the station and talk about this while my guys go through this office again. I know you have an alibi for the night of the Saints & Sinners Ball when all those houses were robbed, but I need to know your alibi on the other nights, and who might have access to this room.”

  Dan got up but hesitated. “I need someone to lock up the office. My staff is all out on assignments. I can’t just leave it open.”

  “I can do it,” Harper offered quickly.

  Dan didn’t hesitate. He leveled a subtle but knowing look that Harper caught. He explained, “The keys and that contract you were here to sign are in the left bottom drawer in the far back. Sometimes the key slips down so you’ll have to dig around, but it’s in there.”

  Before they left the room, Det. Granger turned to Harper and sternly advised, “You need to stop being in the middle of my investigations. This is two cases now. You need to let me do my job. You are to go get the key, touch nothing else and wait downstairs at the deli. When the crime scene techs are done, they will come get you. Understood?”

  Harper said she understood, but she knew she couldn’t hold to the promise. She was itching to get out of the room and into Dan’s office. She had already signed the contract. Harper wasn’t sure what Dan was indicating she’d find, but she was getting to it before the cops searched.

  Det. Granger and Dan walked out of the office as crime scene techs walked in. Granger gave them the same instructions he had just given Harper. She practically ran to Dan’s office. Once there, she pulled out the drawer and fished around inside. There were old magazine issues on top, which she pulled out and set on the desk. She didn’t see a file or a key. The desk appeared empty.

  Harper slapped her hand around inside, growing frustrated. A crime scene tech was walking towards the door, but she wasn’t leaving without what was inside the desk.

  Dan’s words, far back, slips down, rang in her mind. She traced her fingers to the back of the drawer and her fingertip hit a tiny nearly unnoticeable lip. Harper dug her fingernail underneath it and lifted the false bottom of the drawer. Inside was a thick file holder but no key. She grabbed the folder and slid the false bottom back in place. A crime scene tech walked into the office as she stacked the magazines back in place.

  “Ready?” the tech asked.

  Taking a quick glance at the top of Dan’s messy desk, Harper lamented, “He’s a bit messy. I found the contract he said to take, but I’m still looking for the key.”

  The crime scene tech walked farther into the office and glanced down at the desk. He shook his head in disgust. “How does he find anything? I’ll give you a few more minutes.”

  Harper moved things around on the top of the desk. It was then she noticed a note. It simply read: Meet tonight Drew eight o’clock Murray Park. Harper grabbed the note and slid it in her pocket. As Harper moved another stack of papers, she found the key.

  Harper watched the door to make sure no one was watching her. She grabbed the thick file folder, slipped the key in her pocket and took quick steps toward the door. Harper nodded to the tech as she passed and reminded him that she’d be downstairs at the deli when he was done.

  Chapter Forty-Three

  Jackson opened the door to Hattie’s shop and stopped. He breathed in the air and smiled. He called to Hattie and Beatrix who were standing behind the counter, “I love the smell of whatever you are baking. It’s warm and sweet. It’s a little like walking into my grandmother’s house. What are you making?”

  “It’s always about your stomach,” Hattie teased. She looked back towards the kitchen. “I think my baker is trying something new. He mentioned something about chocolate butterscotch muffins. They should be ready soon if you want to try one.”

  “Always,” Jackson said. He came around the counter and poured himself a cup of coffee. He’d been coming to the shop so regularly that Hattie had instructed him to help himself. After grabbing coffee, Jackson took a seat at the table he liked. He flipped through the day’s newspaper until Hattie said she was ready for him.

  Together they went into her back room. Hattie sat down and let Jackson get comfortable. Concerned, Hattie asked him, “What’s going on? I’ve noticed that you’ve seemed not quite yourself, but I didn’t want to pry. I was glad you asked for my help.”

  “I feel a bit silly doing this. I’ve never had a need for psychic insight. I’m just a bit stumped and not sure what to do,” Jackson admitted. He sat back, took a deep breath and volunteered, “My ex-wife has been calling more than usual. She’s making hints about getting back together, which she knows I have no interest in doing. She’s been calling my parents and my sisters. Basically, she’s just causing all kinds of stress for me. I’m just not sure what to do.”

  “What’s her name?”

  “Cora,” Jackson told her.

  “Are you okay with whatever I pick up? It might be personal. I don’t want to embarrass you or make you angry.”

  Jackson agreed he was fine. Hattie asked if he had a photo. He pulled out his phone and scrolled through for a moment. Handing Hattie the phone, Jackson said, “I don’t keep photos of her. I pulled that from her social media. Will that work?”

  “It will,” Hattie began. She took the phone and stared down at the photo. Then Hattie closed her eyes for several moments. Finally, Hattie opened them and detailed, “Money. That’s her motive. It’s all financial. I see you’ve helped her more than you probably should have. When you first got together, you paid her debts. She ran up your credit, you paid it off. She r
an it up again, and you paid it off again. She’s never been responsible. She’s going to your family to try to gain sympathy.”

  Jackson confirmed Hattie was accurate in what she was seeing.

  Hattie continued, “Forgive me for saying, but I think your sister, not the one you told me about but the other, is playing both sides of the fence. She placates Cora while she’s on the phone but when she hangs up, she wishes Cora would just leave you alone. She doesn’t really want to get back together. Cora is very afraid you are going to move on, and her financial support will go away. She’s holding on to keep you focused on her. She thinks if she can stress you out, you won’t have another relationship. I know you can’t cut her off completely, but you shouldn’t give in and give her anything else.”

  “Is there another man?” Jackson asked. He ran a hand down his face, seemingly a bit lost in thought. He added, “I want her to move on, but I don’t want to fund their relationship.”

  Hattie closed her eyes again. She hated readings like this. She didn’t ever want to hurt anyone, but Jackson deserved the truth.

  “I see you are still paying for the house she lives in. He’s living there with her,” Hattie said matter of fact. Hattie scooted to the edge of her chair. She set Jackson’s phone down and reached across the coffee table for Jackson’s hands. He sat forward in the chair and put his hands in hers.

  “I see you having to go back to court and renegotiate, but you’ll need evidence he is living there. You’ll get it by an unexpected means. You’ll win, and eventually free yourself from her. The more you stand up to her, the more Cora will start to move on and find someone else she can use.”

  Jackson looked at her thoughtfully and squeezed Hattie’s hands. “Thank you. I suspected it all, but the confirmation is nice. I feel guilty for being firm, but I just want to move on with my life.”

  Still holding his hands, Hattie asked, “Do you want to know what else I see? It’s good.”

  “Good news would be terrific. It’s been a rough few days.”

  “You’re falling for Harper,” Hattie picked up. Jackson didn’t confirm or deny. “You’re worried she doesn’t feel the same for you. Harper does. It will just take a little time. You need to open up to her and she will do the same. Did you ask her on a date?”

  “I did,” Jackson admitted. “Harper never really answered. I don’t think she took me seriously.”

  “Ask her again. She will say yes this time,” Hattie assured him. She let go of Jackson’s hands and handed his phone back to him. She felt the energy of his heavy heart. Hattie got up, told Jackson to wait where he was. She went to the front of the shop, waved hello to Lottie who was sitting at a table reading the newspaper. Hattie went to the stones she had lined against the back wall. She pulled a black tourmaline stone and a rose quartz.

  Walking back into her reading room, Hattie opened the palm of her hand so Jackson could see the stones. Pointing to the tourmaline, Hattie informed him, “I don’t know if you meditate but you need to start. Keep this stone with you all the time, especially when dealing with Cora. It will protect you from her negative energy. It will send it back to her.”

  Jackson took the stone and looked at it in his hands. “I don’t meditate much, but I can start if it will help.”

  Next, Hattie placed a tiny pink stone in the center of his outstretched hand. It looked small and too feminine for Jackson’s big, masculine hand. Hattie indicated, “Use that one to bring love into your life. It will revive self-love. Improve your self-esteem. Even those of us who feel good about ourselves can use a boost after dealing with tough situations and negative people.”

  “How do you know all this?” Jackson asked, tucking the stones in his pocket.

  “Years of learning from my grandmother and aunts. This is what I’m hoping to teach Harper as soon as she’s ready,” Hattie explained. “Do you need to know anything else?”

  “I’m good, how much do I owe you?” Jackson asked, standing and pulling out his wallet.

  Hattie waved him off. “Nothing at all. I’m happy to help you. Look at how much you are helping us.”

  She reached out to Jackson and wrapped her arms around him. “You’ve become family to me.”

  “Thank you,” Jackson said sincerely. “I don’t know what I’d do without you. Harper, too, she’s a handful but she keeps me on my toes.”

  “Come on,” Hattie said releasing him from the embrace. “Let’s go try out those muffins. We deserve a treat.”

  “You don’t have to ask me twice,” Jackson laughed, following Hattie out of the room.

  Chapter Forty-Four

  Once at the deli, Harper ordered a sweet tea, a turkey wrap and found a table in a back corner, far removed from all the other patrons. As soon as she sat, Harper moved her food to the other side of the table and started digging through the file. It was all about Fr. McNally. There were photos of him in Brazil, the same ones Harper had found. There were others though, that looked like they were from years ago, tracing some of his previous assignments at different parishes around the country.

  There were other notes too, indicating some of his early schooling in Concord, a town northwest of Boston, Massachusetts. It struck Harper that the few times she heard the man speak there wasn’t even the slightest hint of the Boston accent that was so common for people who grew up in the region. Not that over years and moving around the country it couldn’t have been lost, but there was no trace of it. The file also contained phone numbers and people’s names. Harper had no idea how they connected, but the more she flipped through the file, the more she became convinced that the Fr. McNally she met was an imposter.

  Harper was flipping through page after page and didn’t notice the person standing next to her until she heard him speak. “Interesting meeting you here,” Matthew Inslee commented.

  Harper looked up sharply and closed the file. Without being asked, Inslee slid into the seat across from her. He peered at her across the table, his arms folded across his chest. “What are you doing here, Harper?”

  “Not that it’s any of your business, but eating lunch,” Harper snipped. “Last time I checked I was free to do that.”

  Inslee hitched his jaw at her and asked, “What’s in the file?”

  “Nothing that concerns you,” Harper responded. “If you’ll excuse me, I didn’t invite you to sit, and I’m not open to company right now.”

  Inslee tisked at her. “Harper, if you’re going to make it in the south, you’re going to have to lose those harsh Yankee ways. We are friendly down here. I’m just being neighborly.”

  Harper slid the folder off the table, resting it on her lap. She pulled the turkey wrap that was sitting squarely in front of Inslee to her side of the table. Harper unwrapped it and took a bite. Then she took a sip of her tea. Harper looked at him and said coolly, “I didn’t realize it was a southern custom to force your presence on a lady. That must be new.”

  “We don’t get along much do we?” Inslee asked. He leaned forward on the table, resting his arms. “I like you. I had hoped we could have become friends, but I’m off-putting for you, aren’t I?”

  “I don’t like you, but more importantly, I don’t trust you,” Harper said matter of fact. “You’ve insulted my aunt, you’re arrogant and you’re up to something. I just don’t know what yet.”

  Inslee gave her a slick, conniving grin. “See that’s why I’d never live up north. You’re too direct, all sharp points. I like my women a little smoother around the edges.”

  “You mean quiet and compliant,” Harper interrupted.

  Inslee scoffed. “Those are your words not mine. I might as well tell you, Harper, I’m running for Prosecuting Attorney for the Sixth Judicial District in the special election that they will hold to fill Tucker’s job. Bill Myers is running, too.” Inslee leaned in and looked Harper in the eyes and threatened, “And when I win, I’m going to make sure you and your aunt go back to where you belong.”

  “I guess we will just
need to make sure you don’t win,” Harper retorted. “Now, leave me alone. I have things to do.”

  Inslee didn’t budge, just stared defiantly across the table at her.

  Harper threatened, “Do I need to call Det. Granger and let him know you are harassing me? I can certainly do that. Starting a campaign with a harassment charge won’t do much for you though.”

  Inslee held Harper’s gaze for a moment and then got up, pushed in his chair and walked away. Harper just stared after him, unmoving. She knew Inslee was trouble, and giving him power over the entire prosecutor’s office would be even worse. They’d have to make sure that didn’t happen.

  A few moments later, the crime scene tech walked in the deli door and gave a wave to let Harper know they were done. She grabbed the file and headed up to lock the office. Harper stood at the threshold for a moment and wondered if she should search the place herself, but she assumed the cops would have found anything incriminating.

  Harper tried to call Jackson on her walk back to her Land Rover, but he wasn’t answering. She remembered Jackson said he was going to Hattie’s so she decided to head there. Before starting the engine, Harper pulled out the note she had found on Dan’s desk and reread it. She wondered if it was Dan meeting Drew or Drew meeting someone else. She also wondered if the meeting had already taken place or if it was that night. Clearly, Drew liked Murray Park, she had seen him there that morning. That’s where they’d start their surveillance Harper decided.

  Harper went to put the SUV in drive when she remembered she still hadn’t asked Det. Granger if Inslee was investigating the break-ins the night of the Saints & Sinners Ball. She wanted to know definitively if that’s where Inslee went. Harper placed a quick call to him letting him know she had locked up Dan’s place, but that she also had a question and to please call her. Granger was already angry with her, Harper had no idea if he’d even answer her question.