by Clare Revell
“Maggie, I know you and Carson are seeing each other outside of the church.”
She looked from one man to the other. “I’m not sure what me seeing Carson has to do with anything. Surely it isn’t a crime to date your own pastor is it?”
“Maggie…” Dane spoke firmly. “We’re not here on church business. Whether you and Carson are dating or not, has nothing to do with anyone but the two of you. This is an official police enquiry and we need to know when the last time you saw or spoke to him was.”
“What? Is he OK? Is he hurt?”
“Just answer the question.” Nate’s tone changed, becoming harsher. “Or we can go down the station and do this. It’s your choice. When was the last time you saw Carson?”
Maggie’s fingers clenched on her skirt and she pushed back into the chair, shock radiating through her. What on earth was going on here? This was coming out of the blue and so fast that she could hardly catch her breath. “Yesterday lunchtime, after church, but I already told you that.”
“And after that? Did you go around after you left church last night?”
“I did, but he wasn’t in. The house was in darkness. That was about eight. I went home and then walked Gypsy before turning in about eleven.” She twisted the end of her hair over her fingers. “I rang him a couple of times. He finally answered about ten thirty. There was a lot of background noise and loud music where he was, so he said he’d call me back.”
“And did he?”
“Yeah, a minute or so later. Just time for the kettle to boil. He sounded drunk. We talked for a bit.”
“How long for?”
“Five or ten minutes. I couldn’t tell precisely. He was questioning everything. His faith, his calling, said the church wanted rid of him. I told him that wasn’t going to happen.”
“Did he say where he was?”
“No, but like I said it was really noisy. Then there was a crash in the background and he said he had to go.”
The two men exchanged a long look before Nate wrote down what she’d said. “And you’re sure of the time?”
“He rang my mobile. I can show you if you like. I don’t delete my call history.”
“That would be a great help.”
“I’ll go and get it.” She stood and hurried to the staff room. She opened her locker. What had Carson gotten himself into if he were in trouble with the police?
God, be with Carson. Help him fight whatever is going on. I don’t believe he could have broken any laws no matter how drunk he was last night. Maybe it’s a simple DUI, but why would they need to interview me. That’s a simple breath test and fine. Isn’t it?
She grabbed her phone and turned it over. It was always on, just on silent while she was in class. There were three messages. One from Jan, one from Nate and one from Wesley.
She sighed. She really should change her number like Nate suggested. Taking a deep breath, she walked down the corridor, reading her phone as she walked.
Nate’s read: Maggie, can you ring me as soon as you get this? Its urgent. Probably no point doing that now as he’d come and found her at work.
Jan’s message seemed to be full of gossip from the opening few words, but then she’d come to expect that.
Scandal in the church. Pastor Carson has been arrested and charged with murder…
Maggie stopped dead. What?
Her heart pounded, and her stomach dropped into her shoes. She read the message slowly from the beginning again. Scandal in the church. Pastor Carson has been arrested and charged with murder. Frank said there is no doubt he did it. Good job you weren’t with him last night. It might have been you he killed. Once a bad man, always a bad man. The sooner we are rid of him, the better.
Maggie pressed her hand to her stomach, willing her lunch to stay down. That scenario had never even entered her head. He wasn’t capable of that, surely? After a moment, she scrolled to the next text.
Wesley wrote: I told you he was no good. He should have left you alone.
Maggie pushed open the door to the meeting room and let it swing shut behind her.
Nate looked at her, his brows furrowing. “Are you all right?”
“No. Why didn’t you tell me he’d been charged with murder?”
“Who told you that? You were only gone a minute.”
She held up the phone. “Church grapevine. I had a text from Jan Diamond, who got it from Frank. Apparently, it’s no more than Carson deserves and there’s no doubt he’s guilty. And Wesley thinks the same.” She dropped back into the chair, her eyes burning with unshed tears. “I don’t believe this.”
Nate held out a hand. “May I?”
She handed him the phone and closed her eyes. “He wouldn’t kill anyone, not even in anger. I know he wouldn’t.”
“We’ll need to access your phone records,” Dane told her. “And don’t delete those texts.”
“OK.”
“Maggie…” Nate’s voice was hard again. “This Wesley—is he the bloke you were telling me about last night?”
“I didn’t say it was me.”
“We both know what asking for a friend means.”
Maggie took a deep breath and forced herself to surrender the point. “Yeah, OK, it’s me. He’s been hounding me since I broke things off with him, and started seeing Carson.” She filled in the details for them.
“So it wasn’t an amicable split?”
“No. All Wesley knows is how to control people. Carson is so different. He knows how to treat people with respect and love and gentleness. He’s not capable of murder.”
Dane looked up from the phone. “Carson was found kneeling over the body, covered in blood, holding the murder weapon in his hand. It was his knife.”
“Carson didn’t carry a weapon anymore. And he told me he hadn’t seen his knife in years. Not since before he was arrested at the bank.”
“When did he tell you this?”
“Over a week ago. He was telling me about how he got the scars on his chest and back. He gave the knife to someone else in the gang to look after, but he doesn’t remember who. Does he have a lawyer?”
“Not as far as I know. He didn’t even want to see the duty solicitor.”
“Can I see him?”
“I’m afraid not. He’s being held in Whitechapel for now.” Dane handed back her phone. “We’ll be in touch. Don’t delete anything. We may need your phone as evidence.”
Maggie nodded and signed the statement papers that Nate gave her. She saw them out then made a phone call. “Hi, can I speak to Harrison Jacobs, please? Yes, it’s Maggie Turner.”
****
Carson walked back towards the interview room, his hands once again in cuffs. God must really hate him, he decided. He’d been charged with murder and with his record, the fact he didn’t do it would be irrelevant. He sat at the table in the stark empty room and glanced up at where he knew the cameras were.
Did the pub have cameras? If it did, had the police checked them?
The door opened and a tall man with short blond hair and steel rimmed glasses came in. “Mr. Armitage, I’m Harrison Jacobs, your lawyer.”
“I didn’t ask for a lawyer.”
“Maggie Turner requested me.”
Carson slumped lower in the chair, shame flooding him and causing his face to burn. “Maggie knows I’m here?”
“The police have already interviewed her. They’re accessing your phone records to confirm her story.”
“Maggie has nothing to do with this and nor does any phone conversation we may’ve had.”
Harrison sat down opposite him and opened a folder. “According to Miss Turner, you rang her shortly after ten thirty last night.”
Carson shoved his cuffed hands roughly though his hair. “Yeah, but that’s a private matter between her and me. I owed her an apology.”
“You called her to apologize for what?”
“It doesn’t matter. She rang me, I rang her back.”
“Where’s your pho
ne now?”
He shrugged. “With my watch, wallet, belt and shoelaces probably.”
“OK, we’ll check the call log. What did you talk about?”
Carson waved his hands. “I don’t see why this is relevant. But, fine.” He slowly told the lawyer what he wanted to know.
Five minutes later, having signed some papers, the two detectives came back into the room.
DS Lyons sat and looked at Carson. “You mentioned a phone call?”
Carson rested his shackled hands on the table. “Maggie rang me, it was too noisy in the pub but I rang her back.”
“Both your phone records and Miss Turner’s show the two calls logged at 22.30 and 22.32 last night.”
Carson nodded. “Someone jogged me and I spilled my drink over this Troy Andros. I apologized. He hit me and shoved me across the table. My phone rang. I turned my back on him and answered it. I told Maggie I’d call her back and went outside to do so.”
“Let me get this straight. A bloke hits you and you just walk away.”
“Same as I did when Maggie’s ex beat me up last week. I had no reason to hurt him back.”
“Trouble seems to follow you. I understand the church is having a vote of no confidence tomorrow.”
Carson shrugged. “Makes no difference to me. I’m finished anyway thanks to this. Why should they believe my story, when you don’t?”
God, please, help me here. I didn’t do it, but if it’s Your will I go down for this, then so be it. Just give me the strength to cope with it.
He looked up. “We spoke for a bit, there was a lot of noise inside the pub. I ended the call, went back inside and he was lying on the floor with a knife next to him. There was blood everywhere. I tried to help.”
“What about the knife?”
“I just told you. It was on the floor next to him when I got there.”
“You didn’t pull it out of him, to hide the fact you’d stabbed him?”
“Credit me with some intelligence. No, I didn’t. It was lying on the floor. And like I said, it used to be my knife. I picked it up to look at it.” He looked down at his hands, flexing his left fingers.
Harrison looked up from the papers. “According to the postmortem report, the killer was right handed.”
“Yes, we can tell by the angle of the blade.”
“Then you should know that my client is left handed. Something your custody sergeant should have noticed when he signed the paperwork when you brought him in.”
The door opened. A tall bloke beckoned. Lyons got up and had a quiet consultation in the doorway. Then he came back over. “We just got the CCTV footage from inside the pub.” He slid a photo across the table. “Do you know this man?”
Carson glanced at it. “That’s Wesley Crane. He’s Maggie’s ex-boyfriend.”
DS Lyons ran the DVD. “There’s you leaving and in the time you were gone, this Wesley takes your knife from his jacket and stabs our victim. You then come back in and try to help him.”
Carson sat stunned. Hadn’t he said that all along?
Harrison cleared his throat. “So what you’re saying is my client has been falsely accused and arrested? By rights I should issue a lawsuit for wrongful arrest and defamation of character.”
Carson shook his head. “Don’t. It’s over. I assume I’m free to go.”
DS Lyons nodded.
Ten minutes later, Carson signed for his things. He turned to leave as Wesley was brought in. He gave him no more than a passing glance, just wanting to go home.
“You don’t recognize me, do you?” Wesley hissed.
Carson frowned then remembered. “Wesley Beaufort Crane. I gave you my knife to look after before the raid. You kept challenging the way things were done in the gang. But that was years ago. Why try to frame me for this?”
“I told you you’d regret stealing Margaret. She won’t want you now she knows you for who you really are.”
9
Maggie walked Gypsy around the streets in the cold, crisp early morning. Her dreams had been full of disturbing images from her past. Scenes she’d spent years putting behind her and didn’t want to deal with again. She glanced behind, scared of every shadow, every sound. She knew without a doubt where she’d seen Carson before. But at least with him locked up, she didn’t have to face him. She had time to sort through the mess of emotions. She loved him, but he—
Her phone rang and she jumped, heart pounding. “H—hello?”
“Maggie, it’s Carson. They dropped the charges. I thought you should know.”
“Th—that’s good.” She stumbled over the words.
“The CCTV footage and your testimony showed it wasn’t me. Thank you. I was wondering if Pilot and I could join you and Gypsy for a stroll around the park.”
“I’m on my way home, sorry. Busy at work.”
“Oh…OK.” He sounded disappointed. “Will I see you tonight? I could cook dinner.”
“I’ll see you at the church meeting.” She hung up, bile rising in her throat. She coughed, her heart breaking. She needed to talk to someone, but there wasn’t anyone. Pastor Jack was in the States, Jan would side with Frank, and Nate was a cop. She would call Patricia, but she was already at work.
Walking slowly, Maggie found herself outside the church. She pulled the keys from her pocket and unlocked the huge door. She tied Gypsy outside and let herself in. Deactivating the alarm system, she locked the door again and headed through the dark corridor into the chapel. Her footsteps echoed in the darkness. The only light came from the stained glass window from the breaking dawn.
Her steps faltered as she reached the front. She dropped to her knees on the boards that covered the baptistry and looked up at the pulpit.
“It’s not fair!” Her anguished cry echoed around the chapel. “After all this time, it’s not fair of You to do this. Not now. I was over it. The therapy had worked. No more dreams, no more checking behind doors or sleeping with the light on. Eight years and I finally wasn’t afraid anymore.”
Her voice rose as she gave into the fear, anger and betrayal within her. “How could You do this and bring it all back? Wasn’t once enough? I didn’t ask for this. Not then and not now. I miss Ted every single day. My brother got shot and died in that bank raid and I had to watch. Isn’t that enough for you, God? What more do You want? Because I can’t do this anymore. I want…I want Carson, but You’ve taken him, too. Made it so we can’t ever be together—because I’ve fallen in love with the man who was there, holding the gun. Not now. It’s not fair.”
Tears streamed down her face, and she fell face down. The sun rose slowly, its rays warm on the back of her neck, as she lay there yelling and crying. “Why?”
Her voice broke and her prayers became silent, interspaced with sobs and she railed and poured her heart out to God.
****
Carson’s heart pounded, fit to burst, as he ran through Victoria Park. Where was she? He, Nate and several other officers and people from the church were scouring the dark streets looking for her, but Maggie had vanished. Numerous scenarios had filled his mind ever since she’d been reported missing and none of them ended like this. He was worried sick, trailing the streets, wondering if she’d been shot or stabbed and left to die.
He couldn’t lose her, not now. At least the cops didn’t suspect him of foul play. After all, he’d been the last person to speak with her. But that had been twelve hours ago, just after six in the morning. No one had seen or heard from her since.
God, please, I know I seem to be calling in a lot of favors right now, and You’ve done heaps for me the past day or so, but please… Maggie is missing. I know where I first saw her and why she looked familiar that first day. She was in the bank. If she’s remembered…maybe that’s why she’s run. But I need to apologize for not saving her brother, for pointing a gun at her head, for threatening her life…
And if it’s not too much to ask…Lord, I love her. I know that it’s too soon, but I know my heart and if she�
��s the one You have set aside for me…let me know. But first we need to find her.
His phone rang and he pulled the handset from his pocket. He didn’t stop running, his eyes scouring the path and bushes in case she lay hurt. “Hello…”
“It’s Nate, where are you?”
“Victoria Park. There’s no sign of her anywhere. I’m running out of places to look. Have you found her?”
“Meet me at the Haddon Drive entrance. Elliott just spotted a dog tied up outside the church. He thinks it’s Gypsy, but isn’t sure. He’s gone home for his set of church keys, but I thought this might be faster, assuming you’ve got your keys on you. I’m on my way now.”
“I have. Give me two minutes to cross the park.” Carson put his phone away and sped up. He hadn’t run like this since he left school. The same prayer echoed in his mind as he ran. Let her be all right…
****
Stiff and cold, Maggie pushed up to her knees, raising a tear stained face to the pulpit. “I don’t want to be afraid anymore. But I am. I gave my heart to someone I shouldn’t have. To the man who was there when Ted died, to the person who pointed a gun at me and told me—” She broke off. “But I know You’re in control. Help me to trust and not be frightened.”
Footsteps trotted down the aisle. A wet nose nudged her and then doggy breath assailed her as Gypsy barked.
“Who let you in?” she whispered.
More footfalls echoed. “You remember?” Carson asked, kneeling beside her.
Maggie turned to look at him, holding Gypsy tightly. “Yeah. I saw it in my dreams every night for weeks. You pointing a gun at me, and then trying to save Ted’s life after that kid shot him. He was my brother. I didn’t recognize you at first. I knew I’d seen you somewhere, and assumed it was walking the dog in the park. I should’ve twigged when you told me your story, but I didn’t. Maybe I didn’t want to. But you being arrested brought it all back. Now the dreams are back and I’m scared and I’m not safe anywhere.”
“You are safe.”
“No. Wesley is threatening me. I see gunmen on every street corner, in every shadow. I got Gypsy to protect me, but…” She broke off, her voice trembling.
