by Glen Ebisch
“It seemed to be a very nice place.”
“We’re trying to improve the ambiance and make it more mainstream, a place where families go to eat.”
“I think you’ve accomplished that. I was wondering whether you could find a time to meet with me to discuss your experiences with Sam.”
There was a long pause. “Well, I only really spoke with Sam once during a sort of informal job interview before I employed him at The Slipped Anchor. I didn’t actually know much about the boy.”
“We just have to show the court that we’ve done due diligence,” Clarissa improvised. “I’ll come by myself, and it shouldn’t take more than a few minutes.”
“Of course, I’m willing to meet with you if it will help to get to the truth of this sad event. But Saturdays are really busy for me. It would be better if we could meet on Sunday, but I realize that might be a very busy day for you.”
“Only in the mornings. Why don’t we agree to meet tomorrow afternoon at two?”
“I’ll look forward to it,” Schyler replied.
After ending the call, Clarissa walked down the hall that connected her office to the sanctuary. She always liked to do a little tour on Saturday afternoon to make sure that everything was ready for Sunday. The ushers usually straightened things up before they left after the service, and Samantha, the sacristan, would check things out at least once during the week. But being a new minister, Clarissa liked to review things for herself to avoid any unpleasant surprises on Sunday mornings. Once she had explored the sanctuary and made sure everything was in good trim, she settled down in the front pew and consciously relaxed her mind, hoping it would be filled with a divine presence. That didn’t always happen, but at some important times in her life it had.
Much of being a minister was a matter of having faith—not in a narrow doctrine or creed—but in the idea that the universe somehow made sense. This was something to cling to when everyday life was filled with disorder and anxiety.
Clarissa sat and waited for that sense of order to come.
Chapter Sixteen
The next day Clarissa gave her sermon on how even apparently negative changes, such as autumn giving way to winter and middle age turning to old age, can lead to positive outcomes. Mrs. Gunn, sitting in the middle of the church, smiled frequently during the sermon, and as she shook Clarissa’s hand at the door, she had tears in her eyes when she told Clarissa that she had found it inspiring. Several other members of the congregation, particularly those of senior years, expressed satisfaction with what she had to say. So Clarissa was feeling rather satisfied, when Lieutenant Baker came along at the end of the line.
“Good sermon as always, Pastor,” he said, then he dropped his voice. “Inserting Ashley into the inn is a go, but I want to brief her in your office on Monday morning. The chief approved the action because I convinced him that the risk of injury to a civilian was extremely low, but I want to talk to her to make sure she doesn’t decide to be a hero.”
“That sounds fine, Lieutenant.”
He gave her a crisp nod and left.
Andrew had been sitting in one of the back pews, and he came up when the church was empty.
“What was that all about?” he asked.
“Another matter.”
He looked like he was about to question Clarissa more closely, but the expression on her face deterred him.
“I’ve arranged a meeting with Ed Schyler for this afternoon,” Clarissa said.
“I don’t think I can make it.”
“That’s okay. I’m seeing him by myself. I thought he might open up more if he wasn’t talking to a lawyer.”
Andrew looked unhappy. “Why this sudden desire to talk with Schyler?”
“I spoke with Tyler yesterday, and he recalled Sam saying that Schyler was interested in his mother romantically, and the boy didn’t appear to be happy about it.”
“You think Schyler killed the boy in order to get the mother. That would be pretty cold.”
“I’m not saying that, but I believe it’s worth talking to the man to find out what kind of relationship he had with the boy.”
Andrew sighed. “I’m not real happy with you talking to him by yourself. What if he did kill the boy? You could be in danger.”
“I’m just going to ask him a few questions. I doubt that he’s suddenly going to admit to anything even if he is guilty, and he isn’t likely to attack me in the middle of his own restaurant.”
“What time is your meeting?”
“Two o’clock.”
“Call me as soon as you’re finished to let me know that you’re all right, okay?”
Clarissa agreed, torn between being impatient with Andrew’s protectiveness and being pleased by it.
She walked down the front stairs of the church. Small groups of people stood along the front walk chatting. Clarissa saw Ashley standing next to her aunt. She caught her eye and gave her a meaningful glance. Ashley drifted in her direction.
“What’s up, Boss?”
“Lieutenant Baker will be coming by the office tomorrow morning to talk with you. He’s decided you can go undercover at the inn.”
Ashley grinned. “Great! I never thought he’d come through for me.”
“He wants to brief you on what’s to be done.”
“He’s checking up to see that I can handle the job. He should be happy that I’m willing to help out.”
“He’s putting his own reputation on the line letting you do this, and I’m sure he wants you to be aware of the risks.”
“Handling a phony ghost who pushes women around doesn’t sound so hard.”
Clarissa was about to warn her not to discount the dangers when Ramona Russell, the chairperson of the church board, came up. Ashley quickly disappeared.
“I just wanted to ask about the Board meeting this coming Wednesday. I noticed that one of the subjects you wanted to add to the agenda was replacing the floor in the bell tower. We have several other spending items to discuss, and I wondered if this one could be put off until next month.”
“I’ve seen for myself that it needs to be replaced as soon as possible. One really bad storm, and we could end up with damage to the ceiling in the vestibule. Samantha’s estimate for the job is also very reasonable, and she’s perfectly capable of doing the job.”
Ramona nodded. “I don’t doubt it, but there are always people on the Board who want to challenge any new expenditure, especially Harry Blanchard.”
“If Harry has any objections, I’d be happy to take him up into the steeple and let him test the floor for himself.”
“Harry is no lightweight. He’d be a pretty severe test for any weakened floor,” Ramona said with a smile. “Okay, we’ll leave it on the agenda. I just wanted you to expect some opposition.”
“I always do when it comes to spending money.”
Clarissa spent the next twenty minutes chatting with different members of the congregation and asked after the health and wellbeing of several more. She often thought that the most important of her Sunday duties took place after the service and outside the church. Finally, when the last of the congregation had drifted away, Clarissa went into the parsonage and changed into her civilian business clothes in preparation for her visit to see Ed Schyler. She took advantage of Mrs. Gunn’s absence to have a light lunch of yogurt and fruit.
Despite its name, The Lazy Dolphin proved to be quite an elegant plantation style structure right across the street from the beach. Clarissa went through the double doors and into the large shadowy lobby. A young woman greeted her. Upon hearing that Clarissa had an appointment with Mr. Schyler, she took her up a wide flight of stairs to the second floor. They walked down the hall, and the woman knocked discreetly on a door. When a man’s voice responded, she opened the door and introduced Clarissa.
The man who stood up from behind the desk was wearing what to Clarissa’s eye was a very nice suit. He was in his forties and about six feet tall with a trim build. He gave her a smi
le that was friendly but a bit wary.
“Thank you for seeing me,” Clarissa said, when she was seated in front of the desk.
“Of course, I’m very concerned about what happened to Sam. He was an employee of mine, and it happened outside of one of my establishments. Also his mother is highly valued here at the restaurant.”
“Your relationship with Sam’s mother goes a bit further than that of an employer and employee, doesn’t it?”
He gave her a quizzical look.
“Sam mentioned to Tyler Hamilton that you and his mother were dating.”
“Ah, yes, well that is true. Sarah and I have kept that a bit of a secret. An employer dating an employee can be a bit awkward in the work setting. The other workers assume that there will be some kind of favoritism, even when there is none. Sarah is a fine woman who has had a difficult life, and I didn’t want her to have to face more adversity.”
“How did Sam feel about your relationship with his mother?”
Schyler shrugged. “Sam was very devoted to the memory of his father, so naturally he resented someone who seemed to be trying to replace him.”
“Did you argue?”
“To be honest, we rarely saw one another. When I went to pick up Sarah for a date, he stayed in his room. The longest conversation we ever had was when I offered him the job at the Slipped Anchor. I had him come in for an informal interview.”
“How did that go?”
“Pretty well. He was polite. I think he really wanted the job. I gave him my usual pep talk about the value of hard work and the importance of loyalty and punctuality. I wouldn’t say it was a warm meeting, but everything went fine.”
“And he did well on the job?”
“You’ve met Carl Restover, my manager at the bar?”
Clarissa nodded.
“Well, I asked him to keep a close eye on Sam. He was young to be working in a bar setting, and I didn’t want him getting into any trouble.”
“I don’t think your head chef would let him.”
“Joshua. Yeah, he’s quite a character. Not exactly in keeping with the new ambiance I want to cultivate, but he’s a darn good cook, and they are surprisingly hard to find even in a foodie town like this. And you’re exactly right; he also runs a tight kitchen. He and Ricardo keep a close eye on everything that goes on there.”
“They missed something the night Sam was killed.”
Schyler’s mouth turned down and he nodded. “And I’m not sure that Sarah will ever get over it. Although she doesn’t say so, I’m sure she partly blames me. After all, I promised her that I would look after Sam, and I dropped the ball.” The man studied the top of his desk for a moment, as if composing his thoughts. “Look, if Tyler Hamilton isn’t the one who killed Sam, I hope you find out who did. Until the killer is tried and convicted, I don’t think things are going to start to become right between Sarah and myself.”
Clarissa nodded. “We’ll do our best. On another topic, I heard that you were interested in purchasing The Shipwreck Inn.”
“Where did you hear that?” he asked sharply.
“Sylvia Drummond is a member of my congregation and a friend.”
Schyler sighed. “Nothing stays secret round this town for long. I’ve been interested in buying a bed and breakfast for a while, but I haven’t made a lot of noise about it because I don’t want a bunch of realtors approaching me.”
“Why did you happen to choose The Ship Wreck?”
“The Shipwreck Inn has always had a good reputation, going back to the previous owner. So I’ve sort of kept my eye on it. But since Sylvia isn’t interested in selling, I guess I’ll have to look elsewhere.”
Clarissa studied his face carefully to see if he was concealing a plan to get the inn away from Sylvia, but his expression remained open. When she stood up to thank him for his time, she noticed an unusual vase on a side table.
“That looks to be something special.”
“Yes. It’s early nineteenth century, probably brought over from China but not the common export ware. Antiques are sort of a hobby of mine.”
When they shook hands, he gave her a long look.
“I meant what I said about finding out who killed Sam. If I can be of any help, don’t be hesitant to ask.”
Clarissa left the restaurant thinking that he was either a good man or a very fine actor.
Chapter Seventeen
“I enjoyed your sermon yesterday like I said after church, not that I haven’t liked them all so far, but that one about changes later on in life really got to me”
“Thank you,” Clarissa said, cutting into the single egg she insisted on rather than Mrs. Gunn’s offer of two.
“I’m sure Reverend Holdsworth is a very smart man,” Mrs. Gunn said, referring to Clarissa’s predecessor as pastor, “and he certainly knew the Bible inside and out. But he always wanted to let you know it, if you understand what I mean.”
Clarissa gave a neutral nod. She had her own opinions about Reverend Holdsworth, but tended to keep them to herself.
“Your sermons are easy to understand, and they relate to real life,” Mrs. Gunn continued.
Clarissa wasn’t sure whether easy to understand meant simple-minded, but she decided to take it in the best possible way. She finished her breakfast, and arrived at the office just as Ashley was settling in behind her desk.
“How’s the retraining of Paul the Parrot going?” Clarissa asked.
Ashley shook her head. “I’m working on it, but he’s not ready for prime time yet. He still sounds like Paul the Apostle on a grumpy day. If I keep at it and continue repeating more positive and inclusive sayings of Paul’s, I’m hoping he’ll have an avian conversion experience. But he is proving to be rather stubborn.”
The door to the office opened, and Lieutenant Baker and Officer Rudinski stepped inside.
“Oh, I guess the interrogation is about to begin,” Ashley said in a stage whisper.
Clarissa thought a quick smile passed over Officer Rudinski’s face, but Lieutenant Baker looked severe as he sat down in a chair across from Ashley’s desk.
“Ashley, I want you to take this seriously. Even though we will make every effort to keep you safe, there is always an element of danger in undercover police work, and you aren’t a trained police officer. Are you sure you’re up to doing this?”
“I think I’ll manage.”
“She looks to be pretty fit,” Rudinski commented.
“Why, thank you for noticing, Officer,” Ashley said, batting her eyelashes at him.
He reddened and stayed silent.
“Of course, you’ll have to wear a disguise,” the Lieutenant said.
Ashley’s eyes widened in surprise, “Why would I have to do that? I’ve never been inside the Shipwreck Inn.”
“But you’ve lived in Shore Side your entire life. Many people know you, and we can’t have someone accidentally revealing your true identity. Also, we think you should look a bit more . . . vulnerable.”
Her eyes narrowed dangerously. “You mean normal.”
“We aren’t talking about changing your choice of life style,” Clarissa said gently. “But if you want to be attacked, you have to look harmless.”
“And I don’t look harmless dressed all in black?”
“Actually you look dangerous,” Officer Rudinski said.
“Good. That’s the way I want to look.”
“But think of yourself as an actress getting dressed for a part. A role very different from the one you play in real life,” Clarissa said.
Lieutenant Baker cleared his throat, trying to take charge of the conversation, which had somehow drifted away from him.
“The department has a few wigs that our female undercover officers wear. You could borrow one of those. We can afford a small budget of say a hundred dollars for you to buy clothes that would be appropriate.”
“A hundred dollars won’t go far,” Ashley said.
The Lieutenant shrugged as if to indica
te that the budget was outside of his control. “But you get to keep whatever you wear.”
“When would I want to wear it again?”
The Lieutenant smiled. “Perhaps you’ll decide that you’d like to modify your wardrobe.”
Ashley glared at him but said nothing.
“You could always donate them to the church bazaar,” Clarissa said.
“Just make sure that what you purchase is colorful and girlish,” Rudinski said with a grin. “You have to look like someone a ghost would want to shove around.”
“Very funny,” Ashley responded.
“Go out to the car and get the bag,” the Lieutenant said to Rudinski. Once the officer had left the room, Baker focused his attention on Ashley. “We’ll have Officer Rudinski at night right down the hall, from nine o’clock until you lock yourself in your room at night. The ghost hasn’t attacked as early as that, so you should be safe until nine. You’ll be wearing a mike, so he can hear everything you say. If you sound like you’re in trouble, he can be there in seconds.”
“So I won’t end up locked in a closet for the night.”
“That’s not going to happen. Plus we’ll have backup out on the street from nine until midnight.”
“That sounds like a good plan,” said Clarissa.
“Not quite good enough,” Ashley replied with a stubborn look.
Lieutenant Baker raised a quizzical eyebrow.
“I also want someone watching out for me that I know and trust.”
“Who would that be,” the Lieutenant asked.
“I want Clarissa there as well.”
“Not another civilian,” Baker exclaimed, looking distressed.
“It’s a non-negotiable,” Ashley said, setting her lips in a firm line.
The Lieutenant turned to Clarissa. “Are you okay with this?”
Clarissa nodded. “As long as Officer Rudinski is there, I don’t mind offering support.”
Officer Rudinski came back into the office with a large grocery bag. He dumped the contents on the desk. Clarissa could see that there were four wigs in varying colors. Baker looked at the assortment, and glanced at Ashley.
