Charlene softened. “I’m sorry to come at you like that, Mr. Kincaid, but...all right the Sheraton is fine. I’ll be there. What time? How will I know you or for that matter how will you know me?”
“Okay then, about 6:30 in the lobby,” Andrew answered reassuringly,” I’ll find you, don’t worry, Mrs. Thayer, I’ll know you.”
✽✽✽
When Ben arrived at the Center at 8:30 on Wednesday morning, he was glad that all three of his volunteers, Sister Ruth, Byron and Davey were there.
“Just the people I need to see.” Father Ben greeted them with a tired smile. Trying to clear his mind of the events of the night before and focus on the needs of the day at hand he said “Ruth, Byron, I know you have been working on this; I need some figures for the budget committee meeting today. We need to concentrate on what we have and what we need.”
“Sure” Byron nodded. “Ruth and I have come up with some figures to go over with you before you go to the meeting.”
“Good! Davey, I need you to run interference for Ruth, Byron and me. Can you answer the phones and greet visitors so that we are not interrupted for a little while? It is an important task, Davey.”
Davey’s face lit up. He was pleased Father Ben was counting on him again today. Father Ben always treated him with respect. That was important to Davey. “Oh yes, I can do that,” he grinned.
As they entered the office, Sister Ruth said in a worried tone, “I have heard rumors that our funding is going to be cut.”
“I’ve heard that too,” Byron added.
“Well, we will do the best we can,” Father Ben reassured them. “I know that we will have the Bishop’s support for the work we do here. Do not worry so much.”
“You do a great job with what we do have,” Byron told him.
“I do hope it’s an empty rumor,” Sister Ruth repeated. She noticed that Ben looked tired and wondered if he really felt as confident as he sounded.
For the next couple of hours the three worked without interruption. Byron had prepared a Plan A and Plan B budget for the Center. Looking at Plan B Byron explained, “If it comes to this, Father, we will have to close the Center several days a week.”
Ben’s usually placid face registered alarm. “No, no, Byron, we must not even contemplate such a thing. Soon there would be little reason to have a maritime ministry at all!” he said emphatically. “We must trust the Lord to provide for our needs. He has not failed in the past, so let us just use Plan A.”
“Okay, Father, I guess my banking background gets in the way of my faith sometimes. Of course, you’re right. If this is a ministry that the Lord wants, He certainly will provide.”
Sister Ruth rubbed her forehead, a nervous habit she did whenever she felt stressed. “Amen, I guess,” she murmured.
Davey had done an effective job telling everyone who called or came in that Father Ben, Sister Ruth and Byron were working on debits and credits. He thought that sounded very official.
As Ben emerged from the office, a file folder of papers in his hand, Byron following close behind tapped him on the shoulder and asked the question he had bottled up all morning.
“By the way, what happened here yesterday?”
“Yes,” echoed Ruth from the doorway. “What did happen here?”
Immediately Davey responded, “I know, I know, I can tell you.”
“Never mind, Davey, not now!” cautioned Father Ben and to Ruth and Byron. “I promise when I get back I will tell you both all about it. And yes, Davey, you can tell too, but not now. It is getting late. I have to get to Diocesan House and we all have work to do. I will pick up the mail on my way back to the Center. If Andrew comes in tell him where I am and that I will see him or call him later.” He paused and looked squarely at Sister Ruth and asked, “Do you think that Chinese are inscrutable?” He didn’t wait for an answer.
Ruth’s mouth fell open and she looked at Byron, “What in the world caused a question like that? Inscrutable indeed!” she snorted. “You think he’s been watching too many old Charlie Chan movies?” Byron just smiled and shrugged.
✽✽✽
As Ben hurried out the door he barely took notice of the two men who stepped out of his way and entered the Center.
Jake and Leo had arrived. “There’s the priest!” Jake whispered watching Father Ben as he left. They paused at the door and looked around, “Detective Maxwell would be real happy with us, huh?” Jake grinned.
“He’ll be happier when we find the stuff,” Leo asserted. He didn’t care much for this assignment. For one thing, they didn’t know what to look for; what the package or merchandise looked like. He wondered; he surely didn’t want to talk to Monte again so he concluded they would take anything, big or small that could be classified a package.
They were wandering around, looking at everything, moving magazines, papers, and trying to keep a low profile, not realizing they stuck out like a pair of sore thumbs. “I don’t see the guy who was with the priest at the hospital, do you?” Jake asked Leo.
“No, but he might be somebody who just visits now and then,” Leo answered. “Kelshaw wasn’t carrying anything when we hit him. He could have left it in here somewhere; depending on how big it is, keep your eyes open.”
“Oh, all we gotta’ do is find out all about the guy at the hospital with the priest, and some package that we don’t even know what it looks like!” Jake swore and complained sarcastically. “Leo, this is like lookin’ for a needle in a haystack. And we’re not supposed to ask any questions about who we’re workin’ for or nothin’. Who does Maxwell think we are anyway, some Houdinis? Maybe we should get a crystal ball?” Jake continued to grumble getting angrier by the minute.
Leo elbowed Jake and said in a low voice. “Quit whining and be quiet! Here comes a Nun.”
“May I help you, gentlemen?” Ruth inquired cautiously.
“N-No,” Leo told her. “We just dropped by to-to get out of the rain for awhile.”
“If you don’t mind,” Jake spoke in his most polite tone of voice and smiling a toothy grin at Sister Ruth.
“Oh,” she exclaimed, “I didn’t realize it had started to rain. Well, that’s Seattle for you. Of course you are welcome here. There is some coffee and cookies on that table if you would like. Just help yourself, or ask Davey over there.” She nodded toward Davey who was straightening up some magazines on a nearby table.
Ruth went back to work in the office and after a few minutes she commented to Byron, “Do you know those two men out there?”
Byron looked up from the yellow pad covered with figures and glanced through the door at Leo and Jake. “I’ve never seen them before,” Byron studied them; “they look a little out of place to me.”
“They look out of place to me, too, and they seem to be prowling, like they’re casing the Center. They don’t look like sailors by any means!”
“Well,” Byron responded, “they’re probably harmless enough and probably homeless too.”
Sister Ruth was not convinced. “They aren’t dressed like homeless guys that you see down around the Union Gospel Mission. They don’t act like homeless guys either,” she muttered. “I think we need to keep an eye on them.”
Just then Andrew came through the door of the Center. “Hi, Davey, is Ben in?”
“He’s not here right now,” Davey told him, “but Sister Ruth and Byron are in the office.”
“Bingo!” Leo exclaimed when he saw Andrew. “There’s the guy!”
“Yeah,” Jake agreed.
“Do I hear Andrew?” Sister Ruth appeared in the doorway of the office. “Well, you are a sight for sore eyes! Where have you been keeping yourself? You shouldn’t stay away so long. You know we need you here to keep Father Ben occupied,” she scolded tongue-in-cheek referring to the ongoing chess games.
“Where is he?” queried Andrew.
“At the Diocese, at a budget committee meeting. Rumors are that they are planning to cut our budget, again,” Ruth said dryly.
“Uh oh, do we need to do some fund-raising?” Andrew asked.
“Probably, and while you’re at it you might throw in a few prayers, too,” she added. “Father Ben will be back later, he said to tell you if you should stop by.”
“Okay, I’ll call or stop in and see him later.” Andrew said casually. He didn’t want Ruth to see the urgency he felt.
As Andrew was walking toward the door he noticed Jake and Leo. “Scruffy looking guys,” he thought. He eyed the pair as they ambled aimlessly around the room. Leo was dressed in faded Levi’s and a stained tee shirt under an unbuttoned blue flannel shirt that had seen better days. Jake’s attire was nondescript dark green industrial looking clothing that might be worn by anyone, a bus driver, janitor or elevator repairman. They both wore thick soled shoes indicating they spent a lot of time on their feet.
“They don’t fit in here. I wonder what they’re doing.” Probably nothing he mused, “but I think I’ll talk to Ben about keeping his eyes open”.
Leo and Jake watched Andrew leave noticing that he had looked at them quite intently. That made Leo a little uncomfortable.
“Let’s find out who he is,” Leo said.
“How do we do that?” asked Jake.
“We talk to that little nerd over there wiping tables, stupid,” Leo inclined his head toward Davey.
“Hi, Davey,” Leo remembered the name the nun had given as they walked over to Davey.
“How’s it goin?” Jake asked, solicitously.
“Okay,” Davey told them. He looked at them and said, “You fellas are different than the other men who come in here. Did you come off a ship?”
“Ship?” Jake broke in. He looked at Davey with a blank look. “What ship? I don’t know what you’re talkin’ about.”
“Never mind,” Leo intervened. “Davey, do you know who that guy is that just left here?”
“Sure.” Davey answered.
“Well—does he work here? What’s his name?” Jake asked impatiently.
“Oh, no,” Davey told them. He puffed out his chest as he proudly answered their questions. “That’s Andrew Kincaid; he’s our friend. He works for the Seattle Times and he has his own radio show, too. He’s a good friend of Father Ben,” he bragged.
“Where does he live?” questioned Jake harshly.
Davey looked at Jake and Leo and answered slowly, “I- I don’t know.” Davey was suddenly uncomfortable. No stranger ever asked where some one lived before. It didn’t feel right.
“Sorry, kid,” Leo talked softly to Davey sensing his discomfort. “My friend just got excited when you told him about Mr. Kincaid. You understand?”
“Sure,” Davey smiled at him. “I gotta’ go back to work now.”
Leo grabbed Jake’s arm. “Cool it! Play nice with him; we might want some more info and if you scare him we could get tossed out of this joint.”
“I’m hungry,” Jake whined. “I don’t see any real grub around here. Let’s try that bar down the street. There was a sign in the window that they serve food.”
Leo nodded ascent. “Yeah, let’s go get something to eat. We can come back later when the priest is here. Besides we’ve got to call Maxwell.”
That was not exactly what Jake wanted to hear.
✽✽✽
11:00/12:00 Noon
The lobby and reception desk of radio station KGM were deserted when Andrew arrived. Holly Lacey the receptionist had stepped away briefly to make a coffee delivery to one of the program managers.
Andrew checked his message box and finding it empty, proceeded to his desk on the second floor next to the broadcast booth. Everything was on track. The 20 minute canned interview with the Mayor’s assistant on the subject of transit alternatives was cued and ready to roll. The remaining program minutes of telephone comments/controversy would be an easy topic to field. This was not one of the “hot” subjects that Andrew enjoyed, but after the frustration of the interview with County Councilman Bob Mitchell, this was a piece of cake.
He left KGM studio and walked toward his car, totally preoccupied. In less than twenty-four hours his whole focus had changed. He desperately wanted to talk with Ben. Of all days why did the budget committee have to meet today?
He drove up to Capitol Hill and parked in the small lot across the street from Diocesan House. He noticed Ben’s car still there and decided to wait.
The stately old Leary mansion on Capitol Hill housed the headquarters of the Episcopal Diocese of Olympia. The old stone mansion built in 1903 had been designed to be the dream home of John Leary, one time mayor of Seattle, and his second wife, Eliza Ferry, daughter of the first governor of the State of Washington. Not much change had occurred to the gray stone exterior of the house or to the elegant interior which boasted a baronial great hall, Tiffany windows and magnificent woodcarving that included a beautiful wood paneled staircase that soared upward from the entry hall.
Today Andrew’s mood matched the gray stone exterior and his attention was not directed to the beauty of the house but to the comings and goings through its doors.
When Ben finally emerged shortly after noon, he spotted Andrew and trotted across Tenth Avenue ducking traffic.
“I’m surprised to see you here. Has something else happened?”
Andrew asked, “Ben, did you get your letter?”
“No, but I haven’t picked up the mail today. I planned to do that on the way back to the Center.”
“Get in, Ben. I’ll drive you to the Post Office. You need to pick up your mail.”
Obediently Ben got into Andrew’s car and offered, “You know my car is right over there.”
Andrew nodded. “I know. I’ll bring you right back but we have to talk and we can’t do it at the Center. Read this.” He handed George Kelshaw’s letter to Father Ben.
Ben read and reread the letter. Heaving a heavy sigh he looked at Andrew intently and asked “What are you and I going to do? This is most serious—and frightening!” he added.
They had reached the Post Office and Andrew circled the block while Ben retrieved the mail. Andrew saw the same unremarkable envelope and recognized George Kelshaw’s neat handwriting. Ben opened the letter carefully, almost reluctantly.
The letter jarred him and he shook his head in disbelief.
“Father Ben Lee,” the letter began, “You may remember a merchant sailor named Lu Chan. You helped him when he lost his papers several years ago. Lu Chan has helped me...and sent me to you. He has been a good friend. He comes from a small village of Yencheng, China. He may return to the Center one day soon and have some news of your family.
Thank you for your help and kindness today. Please tell Mrs. Thayer I did not mean to frighten her. I wanted to make sure the letter I carried from Paul Thayer reached the right person. Paul Thayer was my friend.
I am being followed and if something happens to me, you must be very, very careful. You and Andrew Kincaid could be in danger as well as Mrs. Thayer.
G. Kelshaw
Again in the parking lot by Diocesan House Ben and Andrew sat in silence in the car; neither man knew what to say. Half formed questions raced through their minds, questions to which there were no ready answers.
Ben spoke first, “Andrew, I must get back to the Center and report on the meeting with the Bishop to Ruth and Byron. They will be waiting. You come back too. Have some coffee... we can talk there, carefully.”
Andrew looked at Ben. He realized how shaken Kelshaw’s letter had left him. He glanced at his watch and nodded and said quietly, “Okay, I’ll see you there.”
If he had been thrown off balance by Kelshaw’s revelation regarding the package, it was nothing compared to the reference to Ben’s family in China. News of a family not heard from in over forty years.
✽✽✽
2:00 PM
“I feel better” said Leo, belching.
“Yeah, that hit the spot!” Jake uttered ruminating praise as they headed back toward the Center. “Glad you waited to call
Detective Maxwell,” he continued, spitting.
“No need to bother him now; we need to find out a little more—look some more for that packet or package, or whatever the hell it is, before we call him again.”
“Yeah, and when you talk to him again tell him we need to get paid like he said, you know, when he said we got paid well for what we did, back there at the hospital. We need to get paid!” Jake was wound up now, gesticulating and poking Leo with his finger to bring the point home. “We’ve waited long enough—we need to get paid!”
At this, Leo grabbed Jake’s hand and commanded him, “Pipe down!! We’re almost back at the Center. I’ll take care of it, but you back off and don’t be pokin’ me or I’ll lay you out!” Leo had had a couple of beers and was feeling cocky. “Don’t you worry, Jake, I’ll let Maxwell know he can’t screw around with us just because he’s a cop, we’ve got other jobs we can do.” They swaggered into the Center.
“Hi, Davey,” Leo smiled at him.
Davey smiled back. “Hi, fellas, I see you came back.”
“Wow, Sherlock, did you figure that out all by yourself? What was your first clue?” Jake sniggered in a mocking voice.
Leo intercepted Jake’s remark, “Yeah, Davey, we thought we’d hang around awhile and see what you do here. Do some of these guys ever leave their stuff here?” He gestured toward a few of the men in conversation at tables in the room.
“Sometimes,” Davey replied, “And then we take care of it for them until they pick it up when they’re ready to go back to their ship. You fellas’ want to help out like volunteers, huh?” Davey asked eagerly. He looked at them and smiled, “Father Ben needs more help here.”
“That’s right,” agreed Leo and Jake nodded ascent as they tagged along behind Davey to the supply room. “Is this where you would put their stuff?” Leo probed
While Rome Was Sleeping Page 9
