by Amy Storm
“That’s very kind of you, ma’am. We could use the help. Please feel free to attend any of our services here.”
“Please, call me Olivia.”
“Let me introduce you to my associates, Charlie, Bruno, and Phil.” He motioned to three men standing to the left of him a few feet away. They were all similar in age by appearance, but their hairstyles differed a little as well as their weight and height. Olivia took note of their differences, as it could be a pertinent part of her investigation.
Reverend Higgins turned to his associates. “Meet Olivia. She has volunteered her cleaning services to the church.”
Olivia asked, “Do any of you teach Sunday school? I have a young nephew that I would love to bring here.”
Phil spoke. “We all teach together as a team and help each other out.”
“Wonderful. I’ll talk to my sister about sending my nephew here. You have a lovely and inviting church.”
“Thank you. When are you interested in starting your volunteer work?” Reverend Higgins asked.
“I have my cleaning supplies with me. I can start as soon as the services are finished.”
“Excellent. May I offer you the grand tour?” Reverend Higgins asked.
“Yes, but would it be okay if I take some pictures of your beautiful church to show my sister?”
“Sure, go ahead.”
“Would you mind doing me a favor and allow me to take a picture of everyone together so I can assure my sister that my nephew will be in good hands?”
They lined up around Reverend Higgins. Charlie and Phil were eager, whereas Bruno stood towards the back almost hiding behind Charlie. Reverend Higgins, Charlie, and Phil grinned, but Bruno had more of an irritated look and he looked away from the camera. As she stared at the four men, Olivia wondered if it was possible that Zoe could have identified the wrong man. They dressed similar, but to a young child it could be confusing. All four men had similar hair coloring and styles, all dark brown with silver streaks. Bruno, Charlie, and Reverend Higgins were close in height and weight. Phil was the shortest.
Afterwards, Reverend Higgins escorted Olivia around the church and she snapped a few pictures.
“What time does Sunday school begin?” Olivia asked.
“The class for the four to six age range begins in ten minutes. Why don’t you sit in on the class and observe?”
“That sounds great. I would love to.”
Sunday school was about to begin and Reverend Higgins introduced Olivia to the teacher, Sister Janet. Olivia took a seat in the back of the classroom. She watched the little kids interact and ask questions. Reverend Higgins was not in the room. It was Sister Janet, Charlie, Bruno, and Phil. The three men walked around and paced while Sister Janet taught. When the class was over, the children participated in the service with their parents.
Reverend Higgins entered the room. “Attention everyone, the service is about to begin. Please, go find your parents.”
Olivia sat in the back of the church where she could take everything in and observe everyone and everything. She made a note of different sections of the church she wanted to explore further when she was alone. The service ended and a few women hung around gossiping about Zoe and her parents. Olivia listened without being obvious.
A lady in a pink flowered dress was talking to another lady in a blue dress. “Do you think Reverend Higgins could have molested that poor little girl?”
The other woman shook her head. “No, but I wonder about Phil and Charlie, especially Charlie. He seems a little too friendly with the young children. Have you seen the way he acts with Alice and Sammy?”
Olivia chimed in. She had been recording the conversation. It was just their opinions, but she had learned to follow every lead. “I’m sorry to interrupt. I heard you ladies talking about the case against Reverend Higgins. I’m Olivia. My nephew may begin attending Sunday school here. Do you see any reason I should tell my sister not to send him here?”
The ladies introduced themselves to Olivia. The one in the pink flowered dress spoke first. “Hi, My name is Donna.” She pointed to the lady wearing the blue dress. “And this is Pam.”
“Nice to meet you both,” Olivia said.
Pam said, “Reverend Higgins was always so kind to my son and never laid a hand on him. I would have known if something happened. We have been watching Charlie and Phil since the allegations against Reverend Higgins. Charlie and Phil spend the most time in Sunday school and are more hands-on with the kids.”
“I agree with Pam. My daughter, Alice, has never mentioned anything to me. Quite frankly, I think the whole thing was made up to get attention,” Donna said.
“Thanks, ladies. I appreciate your honesty. I’ll let my sister know. I’m sure I’ll see you again soon.”
“Pam and I get together with a few other ladies from church to play Bingo on the third Saturday of every month. You are welcome to join us. The more company the merrier.”
Olivia smiled. “That sounds great. Count me in. Goodbye, ladies. Enjoy your afternoon.”
Chapter Four
After the crowds departed from the church parking lot, Olivia grabbed a few cleaning supplies from the car. Mary Miller from the front desk spotted Olivia as she was coming back inside.
“The storage closet is down the hall and has a green symbol on it that looks like a butterfly. One of our children here at the church made it during an art class. You can store your supplies in there, and you are welcome to use anything you find inside. Here is a spare key,” Mary said
“Thank you, Mrs. Miller.”
“Please, call me Mary. There are plenty of cleaning supplies in there. I used to help out a bit before arthritis creeped up on me.”
“I’m sure you kept the church in tip-top shape, but I’m here now to help out. I’ll try my best to do as good a job as you did.” She took the key from Mary.
“Thank you, dear. If you’ll excuse me, I have to make a phone call.” Mary smiled and shut the glass window in front of her desk.
Olivia made her way down the hall to the storage closet. The pretty green butterfly with wings looked more like a Slinky with wings. She chuckled when she saw it, but it was adorable though. That is much better than the artwork I did as a kid. She turned the key in the lock and pushed. It took a good amount of force to push open the door. A huge whiff of mildew and dust greeted her causing her to cough and sneeze. She covered her nose with her shirt trying not to gag. Olivia turned on the light and found boxes stacked on top of one another with tons of cleaning supplies. There was a large red cart inside also. She placed the supplies that she had brought in into the cart and left to explore the church.
She polished the church pews aisle after aisle while keeping her eyes open and listening to any gossip around her. While glancing around, she saw a young man, who looked to be in his late thirties, approach the confessional. Olivia was right on the other side of the wall where the man waited to confess his sins. She continued dusting while eavesdropping.
The man said, “Bless me Father for I have sinned.” Olivia continued cleaning. “I’ve been a terrible husband. I have been unfaithful to my wife with a lot of other women. I had a vasectomy. My wife wanted to have children, but I lied to her. I told her I wasn’t able to have any. The truth is I never wanted children. I just wanted sex. My libido is unforgiving. I thought I would settle down after getting married, but I can’t stop. I haven’t tested myself for STDs because I’m afraid of what I may find out. I’m trying to stop, but I can’t fight this strong urge to keep having affairs. Other than that, I’m a good and honest Christian.”
That was all Olivia heard. She couldn’t hear Reverend Higgins’ voice. She was angry and felt bad for the man’s wife, knowing how his wife had yearned to have children with her husband for years. It disgusted her to learn the man had a vasectomy just so he wouldn’t get his wife or anyone else pregnant. Hearing about how he had slept with a lot of women and continued to do so made her skin crawl. She wanted to hel
p his wife and make him suffer in the process. It was another example of how far someone will go to be deceitful, something she had seen way too often in her line of work.
She took some pictures of him and followed him out to the parking lot. She got in her vehicle parked a few spots behind his. Before he left, she snapped a picture of his license plate and held back a little bit following behind him. Then, the hunt was on. She was so angry at this stranger, and she wanted to do something about it. The thought of crashing into his vehicle and making it flip off the side of the road flashed in her mind. It wasn’t her place to do such a thing, but she knew if she was his wife she would want to know what he was doing.
It was getting dark earlier now. It was six o’clock and it was completely black outside, which allowed her black car to blend in as she followed him. He stopped off at a hotel near Fenway. Olivia watched him call someone on the phone. She knew it wasn’t his wife. A silhouette of a woman in a long coat and heels walked in a seductive gait towards the parking lot in the direction of his car. The tall, thin, brunette woman ran the last few feet to his car. After reaching the car, she opened her coat and grabbed her breasts pushing them up as she licked her bottom lip. In any other situation, Olivia would have found the woman attractive.
Olivia snapped some pictures using her infrared camera. She parked far enough away that he didn’t see her, but with her telephoto lens, she could see inside his vehicle. He was parked under a bright light. Yeah, he’s a real genius, very subtle, she thought to herself.
The woman opened the passenger door and threw her coat onto the backseat. Olivia saw that the mistress was completely naked. The woman acted nervous and looked around her to make sure no one was watching. Olivia ducked down before the woman looked in her direction. The sexy brunette climbed on top of the man straddling him. Olivia zoomed in with her camera and took some close-up shots. She was riding him up and down slow at first, and then sped up her rhythm faster and faster. She arched her head back until she squealed so loud Olivia could hear her. It sounded overly done and fake to Olivia. The woman’s head hit the sun roof and she rubbed her head after smacking it. Olivia said, “Ha, ha. You stupid whore. Gotcha bitch.” The mistress grabbed her coat and gave him a kiss and left. He stayed there for a little bit and made another call.
He left the hotel and pulled out onto a highway. Olivia followed him for about thirty minutes until he turned into a shopping center with a bar on the corner. A woman dressed in all leather came out. Olivia snapped some shots with her camera. She wore a short leather dress and knee-high boots. The slutty woman went inside his vehicle, and Olivia saw her head disappear into his lap. Olivia wanted to vomit. She felt like getting out of the car and castrating him herself. She was so disgusted and outraged by this piece of shit. Olivia was able to take some more pictures.
They went in the back of his vehicle, and he was on top of her this time. Olivia captured some pictures of the man naked from behind and a closer one of him kissing the woman’s breasts. Olivia couldn’t believe this guy. He was a disgrace. The woman left the vehicle, and he drove off. Olivia wondered how many women this man was going to sleep with before returning home to his wife.
He drove back towards the church before pulling into a driveway a few blocks down. She grabbed her camera and took a picture of the house and wrote down the address. A pretty lady who looked nothing like the other women ran out to greet him in the driveway. No sex this time. This was his wife. He got out of his car and gave her a hug.
Olivia overheard the woman speak. “Hi, honey. Did you have fun with the guys? I hope you had a good time.”
Olivia fought the urge to run up to his wife and tell her about the guys he was spending his time with instead of staying home where he should be. After they went inside, she drove away. She would send his wife the evidence in the mail and let her decide how to deal with him.
As soon as Olivia returned home, she searched online for the names of the owners of the address she had written down. She found the name of the man and his wife, Chris and Stephanie Fairchild.
***
Olivia phoned Mrs. Boswell and Ms. Rosa answered the phone. “Good evening, Boswell residence.”
“Ms. Rosa, is Mrs. Boswell there?”
“Yes, whom shall I say is calling?”
“This is Ms. Porter.”
“One moment, Ms. Porter. Please hold.”
Clara’s voice came on the line. “Olivia, I have been eager to hear how your first day went at the church.”
“Pretty good, but slow. I met Reverend Higgins and a few of the Deacons. I also met Sister Janet.”
“Anything out of the ordinary?”
“Not so far, but I have a lot of work ahead of me. I’ve been cleaning and spying at the same time. I was able to sneak in some pics today at the church as well.”
“Oh, really?”
“Yes. I also attended the Sunday school session for the young children, and I sat in on the service that followed. I met two ladies, Pam and Donna. They were suspicious of the Deacons, Charlie and Phil in particular.”
“Oh, the two gossip queens? I know who you are talking about, little miss know-it-all and her sidekick.”
Olivia chuckled.“I gathered that when I met them. They told me they had young children that attended the Sunday school class.”
“I never talked to them myself, but whenever I would drop Zoe off, I would hear them gossip about other women. They play their pathetic bingo games, but it’s just an excuse to talk about the other women in the community. I’ve heard them talk about how fat and ugly the other women are compared to them. I don’t have time for such juvenile criticism.”
“Well, I’ll be sure to never play Bingo with them or I’m sure I will be the topic of their conversation.”
Mrs. Boswell sighed. “Thanks for calling. I’ll let my husband know you phoned.”
“No problem. I’ll be in touch in a few days as the investigation unfolds. I will let you two know about any evidence I find that could prove helpful to you. Goodnight.”
***
The next morning, Olivia downloaded pictures of Chris Fairchild engaged in his sexual escapades onto a flash drive. The envelope was addressed to Stephanie Fairchild at fifty-seven Farmington Drive. Olivia included a note for Stephanie that read, I thought you should know who your husband, Chris, has been seeing lately. She placed the flash drive in the envelope, sealed it up, and dropped it off at the post office. She left the post office with a big smile on her face. She thought it was the right thing to do, and she hoped the evidence would give Stephanie the confidence to leave her cheating husband or at least give her the strength to confront him. It was not her place to be the one to decide the outcome. She was more of a mediator or instigator, depending on how you looked at it. She presented the evidence, but it was up to the individual to decide what to do with the information laid out before them.
She never thought she would hear confessions at church while investigating Zoe’s accusations of Reverend Higgins. It was going to be a tough case, but she enjoyed every minute of it. This is what she lived for. This was her passion. She believed in karma, even if she needed to give it an extra push every now and then.
She loved her job, especially the financial rewards. She loved the independence, and she never had to answer to anyone. She was free to work her own hours and make her own decisions. This was her dream job. She was a confident and secure woman who wasn’t afraid to ask questions or use her sexy charm to obtain information, but this time she couldn’t rely on her looks.
She had been doing okay on her own, but it was expensive living near the Boston area. She charged enough to maintain her lifestyle. She loved the liberal atmosphere of Boston and the surrounding New England towns and cities. She grew up in a small suburb nearby, and she knew she would remain here forever.
Chapter Five
Olivia drove to the local mall to buy more nice casual clothes, unlike her usual expensive and flashy taste in clothing. She nee
ded more things to wear to church, so she picked up a few things. It was a change to see herself dressed down. She felt less confident than she normally felt, but Olivia wasn’t shy. She was very strong and always said what was on her mind. If she wanted something or someone, she would get it. No one ever walked away from her. She was a fierce, independent woman. She dropped off her new purchases in the trunk of her car. She was on the way to the church to clean and investigate. The church was big with several rooms and areas for her to clean that she had not reached yet.
When she entered the church, she met Mary crying in the hallway. Olivia was not a touchy-feely type of person, but she knew she needed to be kind to Mary and the other people in the church. She needed to keep everyone close. Mary was sitting on the wooden bench in front of the office weeping.
“Mary, are you okay? What’s wrong?”
Mary looked up at her. “I just lost my best friend, Kathryn, of twenty years.”
Olivia sat down beside her and put her left hand on Mary’s shoulder. “I’m so sorry for your loss.” Olivia reached into her coat pocket and pulled out a small packet of tissues and gave Mary a few. “Here, take these.”
Mary wiped her tears away. “Thank you. Kathryn lost her husband years ago, and she didn’t have any family. She never had any children. I was the closest thing to a family she had left. I’m going to miss her so much.”
She told Olivia about Kathryn and how they met. She told Olivia several stories about the two of them and how they liked to pull pranks on everyone.
After a brief silence Mary asked, “Do you mind sitting here with me for a little while?”
Olivia relaxed back on the bench. “Sure, I can stay. It sounds like Kathryn was special.” She handed Mary more tissues.
Mary wiped her tears and continued on. “Kathryn lived in a convenient all-in-one retirement place in Boston. It was like a little village with restaurants, doctors, a gym, and library all in one place. There was a pool and tennis courts. She wanted me to live with her, but I already had an apartment near the church. I loved being on my own and volunteering my time as the office manager. It has given my life meaning. The church has always taken good care of me and helps with my rent.”
