by J A Whiting
***
The sun was setting when Olivia turned the Jeep into John’s driveway. Her stomach was growling and her muscles were heavy and sore. The vet pronounced Lily fit and unharmed after her ordeal in the woods and Olivia filed a report with the police who said they would post the incident on their website to alert those people who used the park to be aware. They assured Olivia that the perpetrator was probably just a bored, local kid looking for trouble. When she reminded the officer about the dead squirrels on her front porch, he shrugged and said it was probably only coincidence that she had the misfortune of two run-ins with trouble makers. Olivia wasn’t so sure that the officer was correct about the incidents being coincidence. Worry picked at the back of her mind.
When she turned into the driveway, Lily put her head out of the half-opened back window and whined to be released from the car.
“I know, girl,” Olivia said. “It’s been a long afternoon. You’ll get your dinner as soon as we go in the house.”
Olivia parked in front of the garage, grabbed her purse off the front passenger seat, and opened the car’s rear door to let Lily out. Lily was caked with mud from the trails so Olivia called her to the side of the garage where the faucet and hose were. Olivia turned on the hose and held Lily by the collar as she gently ran the water over her back, legs, and underbelly. The water was warm from being inside the hose in the sun all day. Olivia unbuckled Lily’s collar and Lily ran around to the backyard. She washed the mud from the collar, turned off the hose, and walked around to the deck where she put the collar to dry in the sun. A small piece of the rope that was used to tie Lily up was still attached and Olivia decided she would need the scissors to remove it. She knew there was a spare collar in the kitchen closet and she would put that one on Lily for now.
“Come on, Lily,” Olivia called. “Let’s go inside and have our dinner. Enough excitement for one day.”
Chapter 30
“The vet was open late luckily and he was able to take a look at Lily. He gave her a clean bill of health.” Olivia was talking to Joe on the phone. “The police took the information and said they would post a news blurb in the local paper and on the town local access cable station to get the word out to people to be careful in the park.”
“I don’t like you walking there alone, Liv,” Joe said.
“I’m not going to take Lily there anymore. Jackie told me that there are lots more people who walk the rail trail located about five miles from the house. The only trouble with that one is dogs have to be leashed and I like Lily to have a chance to run free.”
“It’s not worth taking a chance,” Joe said. “Promise you won’t go back to that trail alone.”
“I won’t. I would never put the dog at risk.” Olivia paused. “Joe, do you think someone’s trying to warn me off from looking into the murders?”
“It’s possible, I guess. But who would do it? That Overman guy has plenty on his plate without chasing dogs in the woods. Is he even out on bail?”
“I’m not sure.”
“It could have been random. Or maybe someone who knows you’ve been researching the murders and decided to try to scare you.”
“I guess so,” Olivia said. “What was done to Lily was so cruel. It must have been premeditated. Why else would someone carry rope while walking in the woods?”
“I don’t know,” Joe said. “Maybe the dog just had the misfortune to run into a nut.”
Olivia stood and paced around the kitchen. “It feels like a warning.”
“Stay around people when you’re walking,” Joe suggested. “It’s safer. And lock the doors when you’re in the house.”
“I will. Definitely.”
“You could come home, you know. Bring the dog here until John comes back from his trip.”
“John will be back soon. It seems silly to go running home,” Olivia said.
“It wouldn’t hurt to stop investigating.”
“Jackie suggested the same thing.”
“Smart woman,” Joe said.
“My class is starting soon. Looking into the crime gives me something to do until then. You know how I am.”
“Yes, I do,” Joe sighed. “Do what you have to. You don’t listen to me.”
“Sometimes I do,” Olivia offered.
“Please don’t get into any trouble.”
“How can I get into trouble in just a few days?” Olivia asked.
“You’ll think of a way,” Joe said. “I’m going to work now. Talk to me tomorrow.”
“I will.”
Olivia clicked off and just as she set the phone on the kitchen table, it rang.
She glanced at it but didn’t recognize the number so she decided to ignore it. She went to the back door and checked that it was locked and then turned for the hall to go check the front door. The phone was still ringing as Olivia walked by the table. She changed her mind and decided to take the call.
“Hello?”
“Olivia.” The man’s voice cracked. “I need to talk to you.”
It was Father Anthony.
Chapter 31
Olivia and Father Anthony arranged to meet the next night at a diner on the Massachusetts and Connecticut border. He wouldn’t say why he needed to talk but he was adamant about having to see her.
Jackie didn’t like the sound of it and insisted on accompanying Olivia to the rendezvous. She said she didn’t want Olivia going alone but would wait in the car while Olivia spoke to the priest so as not to spook him.
Jackie was going to spend the night with Olivia at John’s house in one of the guest bedrooms. Her own house had the beginning of a carpenter ant problem so she arranged with a bug guy to spray inside the house. Olivia invited Jackie to stay with her in order to give the house a chance to air out.
They were traveling down the Massachusetts Turnpike in the dark with rain pelting the windshield. Jackie was giving directions using the GPS on her phone.
“I’m glad you wanted to come along,” Olivia told Jackie. “And it works out well since you’re staying at the house with me tonight anyway.” Her head was tilted forward and she was squinting at the highway. “I can’t see in the dark when it rains.”
“Great,” Jackie said. “That’s good to know.”
A gust of wind rattled the Jeep.
“I could drive, you know,” Jackie said.
“Why would you want to do that?” Olivia teased.
“Maybe, because you can’t see?” Jackie asked.
“You’re worried?” Olivia deadpanned.
“Bah.” Jackie looked out the passenger side window.
“I haven’t been in an accident yet,” Olivia told her.
“So what do you think Father Anthony needs to talk to you about?” Jackie asked. “He just saw you a few days ago.”
“He wouldn’t say. Didn’t hint at anything either. He just said it was important.”
“Obviously he must have held back something the last time you talked.”
“Do you think maybe he saw something?” Olivia asked. “Did he see Mary at the church on the day of the murders? Maybe he was afraid to admit it for some reason.”
“Maybe the reason is because he killed them?” Jackie sighed. She pointed out the window. “Here’s the exit. Turn off here.”
The road was empty and dark. Olivia slowed the Jeep to take the narrow twists and turns.
“I don’t like this,” Jackie said. “I don’t like that Emily Bradford said not to believe what he says. Maybe he can’t be trusted. I’m glad you’re meeting him in a public place.” Jackie looked at her phone GPS. “I wonder if we should turn around?”
“Why?” Olivia asked her. “Are we going the wrong way?”
“No. I mean you should skip meeting him.”
“We’re almost there. We came all this way. I need to hear what he has to say.”
“What if you’ve scared him?” Jackie asked. “What if he killed your cousins?”
Olivia swallowed. She gripped the stee
ring wheel. “Then I need to know.”
The country road got wider. There was a traffic light. They passed a town hall, a post office, a Dunkin’ Donuts. More stores dotted the street.
“At least there’s some civilization now,” Jackie said.
“Here it is.” Olivia saw the lights of the diner and pulled into the parking lot. The lot was crowded. Olivia maneuvered the Jeep into an open space.
“I need to use the rest room,” Jackie said. “I’ll go in first, use the bathroom, get a coffee. You come inside in a minute. We’ll pretend we don’t know each other. Give me the keys so I can come back and sit here in the car while you talk to Anthony. Call me if he makes you uncomfortable or you feel threatened.”
“Come on, what can happen to me in a diner?”
“And don’t you dare leave with him,” Jackie warned. “I don’t care what he says.”
“Oh, for heaven’s sakes. I wouldn’t,” Olivia reassured her.
“I’ll go in. When I come back out to the car, I’ll keep my eye on the door watching for you.”
“Don’t worry,” Olivia said. “We’re just going to talk.”
Jackie got out and ran through the rain to the door of the diner. Olivia waited a minute and then followed. She stepped through the front door of the cozy diner and closed up her umbrella while she scanned the small room looking for Father Anthony. A waitress pointed to an empty booth and Olivia walked over and sat positioning herself to face the entrance so she could see the priest when he arrived. The waitress brought a menu and a glass of water. There was a corridor that led to an addition in the back and Olivia saw Jackie come out from the restroom and order a coffee at the counter. Olivia didn’t acknowledge her. She pretended to glance at the menu.
Father Anthony came through the door just as Jackie finished paying at the register. They passed each other as she left and the priest stood looking around for Olivia. His raincoat was drenched from the downpour and his hair was wet and slicked back. Olivia raised her hand to signal him. He spotted her, went to her booth and slid into the seat opposite. His face was drawn and serious.
“I was surprised that you called,” Olivia said.
“Thank you for meeting me,” Anthony said. “I saw the news about Kenneth Overman.”
Olivia nodded.
The waitress came over and took theirs orders for coffee and tea.
“I need to tell you something,” Father Anthony said. “It probably has no relevance to the case but I need to get it off my chest. You can decide what to do with it.”
Olivia had no idea what to expect. “Okay,” she said.
“When we talked that last time, I told you that I went into the rectory and fell asleep.”
“You didn’t?” Olivia asked.
“No. I did. But I left something out that happened before I went back to the rectory.” He fiddled with the silverware on his placemat.
“What was it?” Olivia asked. She wanted him to spit it out, but she didn’t want him to feel pressured and change his mind about telling her.
Father Anthony took a deep breath. “There was a girl who attended church. She had just finished her first year of college. She attended the young adult group activities that we put on…hiking trips, game nights, things like that. She…I felt like she often tried to flirt with me. She made me uncomfortable. This went on for about a year. I was always careful around her. She was aggressive in her flirtation.”
He met Olivia’s eyes. “One night she was the last one in the rec hall. She was helping clean up after an activity. We were in the kitchen. She was standing close to me. She started telling me how attractive I was…how she felt compelled to be near me. She leaned in and kissed me. I took a step back, but she came forward. She said something like…‘I know you think I’m pretty…I know you’d like to touch me.’ And she was right…in that moment with her being so close to me, touching me…I did want to kiss her. She took my head in her hands and kissed me hard. For a second I kissed her back. Just for a second. Then I came to my senses and pushed her away. I was horrified at what I had done. I told her it was wrong. It was a mistake. I was a priest and that I would honor my vows. I told her she needed to find a young man who would love her.”
“What did she say?”
“She laughed. I didn’t know if she was mocking me or she was embarrassed for kissing me. She said something like ‘you’re the man I want.’ She acted so cocky and superior and that laugh…she frightened me.”
“Then what happened?”
Anthony was sweating. He went on. “She unbuttoned the top few buttons of her blouse and pushed the fabric back. She licked her lips. She had a smile on her face. I felt like she was teasing me. Then she turned around and left. The whole thing was unnerving. There were several other times that she tried to kiss me. I didn’t know what to do…how to handle it. I was afraid to tell Father Mike because I…I don’t know, I felt like…could it be something I did to encourage the girl?” He cleared his throat. “I was afraid of her…I was afraid she might make accusations against me. So I put in for a transfer to another church.”
“So you did request the transfer?” Olivia asked.
Anthony nodded.
“Do you think this has something to do with the case? Why bring it up now?”
“There’s something else. The day I was painting. The day of the murders. I heard someone come in. I turned around expecting Mary to be arriving with the paint. When you and I met last time, I told you a girl from the youth group dropped by that day. Well, it was that girl again. She said, ‘I came to help you paint.’ There was no way I was going to be alone in the rec room with her. I told her that it was inappropriate for her to be with me by herself. She came over close to me. She said she loved me and that she knew I could love her too. I started to walk away. She tried to block me. She told me to just listen. I said that I was a priest and I couldn’t be with her. She said things like… just give me a chance… I’ll be good to you…I need you. She was pleading with me…kept saying she loved me. I raised my voice and told her to stop. I rushed around the table to get out of there but she blocked my way. She got angry, started to cry. She said ‘Who were you expecting? Mary Monahan?’ I told her that Mary was planning to help paint that afternoon. She started ranting, said ‘Why is it alright to paint with Mary but not with me? I see how it is. I see how you look at her. You’re having an affair with her’…things like that. She was saying crazy things. She lunged at me…tried to kiss me…she pulled at my shirt…pulled at my clerical collar and yanked it off me. I had to push her back. I hit her, I think. It was awful. She said, ‘We can be together…I love you…you’ll love me in time.’” Father Anthony wiped at his eyes. His face contorted trying to contain the emotion.
“What happened then?” Olivia asked.
“I pulled away from her. I ran to the rectory. I was physically sick. I felt like I was going to pass out. I felt guilty. I kept playing our encounters over and over in my head trying to figure out what I had done to lead her on. I was afraid she would accuse me of wrong doing. How could I defend myself against that? It would be her word against mine. I was just a young priest. She was from a prominent family. No one would believe me. I wasn’t sure what to do, so I just went to my room. I thought it best to keep it to myself. I didn’t want to embarrass her family. I lay down on my bed. I was exhausted. I ended up falling asleep.” He took a sip of his water. “Now I wonder if she saw something. I wonder if she saw someone approach Mary in the church parking lot. I wonder if she saw Mary’s killer.”
“You didn’t tell the police this?” Olivia asked.
“No. I was ashamed. At the time, I didn’t see how it had anything to do with what happened to Mary. In retrospect, I should have told them.”
“Who was the girl? Is she still in town?”
Father Anthony swallowed. “Yes. She’s still in the area. Her name is Emily Bradford.”
Olivia’s eyes went wide.
“Kenny Overman’s old gir
lfriend,” Father Anthony added.
Olivia leaned against the back of her seat. Her mind was racing. “Emily Bradford. Her parents would have had heart attacks if they had known.”
“You know her?”
“I’ve met her,” Olivia said. “I’ve met her mother and sister, too. I talked to them about my cousins.” Everything Olivia had heard over the past week flashed through her mind. “I met with Emily twice. I told her that you and I spoke. Emily told me not to believe what you say.”
Anthony sat up straight. He blinked. “She assumed I would tell you about her interactions with me.”
“I guess so.” Olivia’s mind was racing. “Emily says she was in New York City that day.”
“Well, she wasn’t,” Anthony said.
“When did you last see Emily?”
“I don’t think I saw her again after the Monahans died. She stopped attending church. Then I moved out to California. I haven’t seen her since the murders happened.”
“When you ran into the rectory to get away from Emily…she could still have been in the rec hall when Mary and Kimmy arrived there. If someone approached them as they were getting out of their car, Emily could have seen it. But if she saw anyone and she did report it to the police, nothing came of it, since they didn’t make an arrest. Or she could have seen someone and never told the police about it?”
“Overman’s DNA matched the DNA from the crime scene,” Father Anthony said. “At least, that’s what the news reported. The two of them were dating. Maybe Emily Bradford knows something. Maybe she saw Overman at the church. What if she knows what happened? Maybe she protected him.”
“Why would Kenny be at the church?” Olivia asked.
“Maybe he had some idea that Emily had gone to the church? Maybe he knew she was interested in me? He could have gone to the church to stop her from talking to me.”
“Kenny says he was in Boston that day.”
“He must be lying,” Father Anthony said.
Olivia shook her head slowly, thinking. “I don’t think so. I don’t get that impression.”
