Praying for Peace

by Carolyn Ridder Aspenson

  “Pastor Alabaster. He was here.”

  “I know that,” she said.

  My eyes widened. “You saw him, too?”

  “Bless her heart, seeing spirits has clouded her mind,” Thelma said.

  “You said he was here,” Del said.

  “Oh.” I had a feeling Thelma was onto something about my brain being clouded. “That’s right.”

  “Well, what did he say?” Del asked.

  “Nothing that would help.”

  “Did he say why he keeps making that loud sound?”

  “I don’t think that was him.”

  Thelma made a squeaky sound and then said, “Oh, my.”

  “I say we scoot on home. Now,” Del said.

  We headed back up the stairs, each of us with a bit of a spring in our step. Just when we reached the top of the stairs the door slammed shut.

  “Holy moly,” Del said. She grabbed onto the back of my shirt and we almost went sailing down the steps. As if I needed another bump on the head. Who knew what that would do to me?

  I tried to open the door, but the handle wouldn’t budge. “I think it’s locked.”

  “We’re going starve to death down here,” Thelma said. “And I didn’t have a second helping of pot pie.”

  “We aren’t going to die,” Del said. And then she started screaming and pounding her fists on the door. “Help! We’re stuck down here! Someone, help!”

  Boom. Boom. Boom.

  The sound came from right outside the door.

  Del stopped screaming, turned around, and flew back down those stairs faster than I’d ever seen her move.

  Thelma followed behind at a much slower pace. “Wait for me, Delphina. Wait for me.”

  I wiggled the handle again, but it wouldn’t move. I glanced down at the space between the door and the floor and shined my phone’s flashlight on it. I saw a shadow just past the door, but I couldn’t see clearly enough to determine what it was. When it moved, I nearly fell down the stairs.

  10

  “Charlie?” I whispered. “Are you still here? We’re locked in the basement. Come help us, please.”

  The handle jiggled on its own, and the door popped open.

  Charlie stood on the other side. “Wasn’t me neither, locking you down there like that.”

  “Do you know who did it?”

  He shook his head.

  “I saw a shadow, and it moved. Do ghosts have shadows?”

  He smirked. “Some of us more talented folk can be shadowy figures, but it takes a lot of energy. Most of the time we save that for important things, like scaring people.” He blushed. “Not that I ever do that kind of thing.”

  I wondered if that was true, that Charlie never scared anyone. “Well, if that shadow was of a ghost trying to scare me, it sure did the trick.”

  Del hollered from the bottom of the basement stairs. “Who’re you talking to up there? Is the door open?”

  “It’s open. Hurry, let’s get out of here.”

  “Don’t tell Thelma it was me. It’s not the right time. When I think she needs to hear from me, I’ll let you know, but not now. Not like this.”

  I nodded as they trucked up the stairs, and Charlie disappeared.

  Thelma held onto the railing while she caught her breath. “Those stairs are a doozy. Now, what happened?”

  “Oh, nothing. The door was just jammed. I yanked on the handle a few times, and it opened right up.”

  “But who were you talking to?”

  I stumbled over my words. “Talking to? Oh, um—”

  “Was it the pastor?”

  “Uh, no. I was…I was just mumbling to myself.”

  “You do that a lot?” Del asked.

  “Lately.”

  A light in the chapel flipped on and the entire room lit up like it was time for Sunday service.

  “Who’s here?” a woman asked.

  I stopped in my tracks, and Thelma bumped into me, making an uft sound as she did.

  Alice Mae stepped around the corner. “Who’s—Ms. Adair? What’re you doing here?”

  I cleared my throat. “Oh, Ms. Kirk, I hope we didn’t scare you. We were just…um, we were just…”

  “Praying for the church,” Thelma said. “We wanted to pray for the church at the church. After all, it’s the Lord’s home, and where’s the best place to pray?”

  “Why are you praying for the church so late in the evening?” She eyed Thelma’s outfit with disgust and a touch of judgment, I thought. “And in your pajamas.”

  “I like to be ready for bed, and God doesn’t mind. It’s not Sunday service anyway.”

  “Alice Mae, what are you doing here so late?” I asked.

  A red blush covered her face. “I had some work to do. I like to do it in the late evening sometimes.” She stared into the chapel, near the altar. “It’s peaceful here when I’m alone.”

  “By the way, I spoke to William Chamblee. He said he’s been coming to the church during the week for years now.”

  She nodded slightly. “That’s true. He isn’t comfortable being around groups of people anymore.”

  “I can understand that,” Del said. “People tend to get on my nerves.”

  “And you on theirs,” Thelma said.

  A smile crept across Del’s face. “Good, I’m succeedin’ at my goal then.”

  I ignored their banter. “William said he’d made amends with Acel. Do you know about that?”

  Alice Mae tilted her head and shrugged. “It’s not my business to judge, but I wouldn’t say they were friendly. They might have tolerated each other, but that’s it. There’s a lot of bad blood between the men. Or was, that is.”

  “I know we discussed this, but gosh, it’s been a whirlwind of a few days, and I’ve forgotten what you said. The night of the fire, you said Mrs. Alabaster brought dinner for her husband, and he was arguing. Was that with Mr. Grimes or Mr. Chamblee?”

  She rubbed her hands together. “Mr. Chamblee. I thought I made that clear?”

  “Yes, yes, you did. I’m sorry. Like I said, busy few days. So, she brought dinner then?”

  She exhaled loudly. “Ms. Adair, I have work to do. Is there anything else?”

  “Yes, how did you feel about Mr. Grimes? Did you support Pastor Alabaster’s decision to keep him?”

  She blinked. “Of course, I did. Mr. Grimes was a wonderful man, and a necessary employee. We were friendly. Now, I hate to say this, and I wouldn’t want anyone to get the wrong idea, but he did have problems with Pastor Newton.” She leaned against the side of a row of pews in the chapel. “In fact, and I hate to mention this too, but I think it might be important. They were arguing the day you found Acel.”

  “They were arguing? Did you hear them?”

  “Anyone in the church could have heard. Pastor Newton isn’t a quiet man when he’s hair is up. He was not happy.”

  “Do you know what they were arguing about?”

  “It’s not my business to interrupt discussions with the pastor, Ms. Adair. It’s not proper manners.”

  “Always looked like they got along to me,” Thelma said. “Back in the day before my Charlie passed.”

  She smiled slyly. “What happens when church is over is a lot different than people might think.” She stood up straight and adjusted the waistband of her long skirt. “Now, if you don’t mind, I’d like to get back to my duties. Pastor Newton needs the handouts done for the morning.” She stepped toward the main entrance. “I’ll see you out.”

  Del murmured something behind us, but I couldn’t make out the words.

  “Thank you,” I said. “I’m sorry if we scared you.”

  “Please, just make your trips here during normal hours.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  She closed and locked the door behind us.

  “Woman needs a broom to go along with her witchiness,” Del said.

  “She might could use one of those facials from Olivia,” Thelma said.

  Del laughed
. “Yup, stuck where the sun don’t shine.”

  We all breathed a sigh of relief when we got into my car.

  “I don’t know about you, but I think that woman needs a good swift kick in the behind,” Del said.

  I twisted the key in my ignition and the car engine revved to a start. “She’s just protective, that’s all.”

  “Don’t seem like that to me. She threw a rope right around Pastor Newton’s neck and lassoed him up but good.”

  I couldn’t argue that. “It was strange.”

  “Not really,” Thelma said. “She just misses Pastor Jeremiah. They were close. She was very protective of that family. Even after the fire, she did her best to help take care of Georgia and Newton. It was hard on Georgia. You know she’s got that problem in her head.”

  “She’s had that a long time?”

  Thelma nodded. “Don’t remember her ever being right, you know?”

  Del grunted. “Why would Alice Mae help her and Newton if she had a love thing for the pastor?”

  “Maybe she felt bad for them after he died?” Thelma suggested.

  “I think it’s weird. A woman having a thing for a church pastor.”

  “You can’t help who you love,” Thelma said.

  “Did you see how she behaved?” I asked.

  “Oh, you know, she’d do what girls that have crushes on boys do. Bat her eyelashes at him, do whatever he asked. How I was with my Charlie when we were young.”

  Del coughed. “That’s disgusting. He was married.”

  “That doesn’t stop a woman from falling in love, Del. Charlie had ladies falling at his feet. Women would flirt with him while he waited for me on the benches at the outlet mall every time we went there. I didn’t mind it none, and he had a little fun. It was cute, watching those old biddies think they had a chance with my Charlie.”

  Their love reminded me of Mom and Dad, and I couldn’t help myself, but I hoped yet again, it was in the cards for me. Jack’s face flashed before my eyes then, and I shook my head to lose the visual. I was not going there. Nope. Not going there. When his face appeared again, that sweet, toothy smile, and those gorgeous, steely eyes, I clenched the steering wheel hard and exhaled.

  “What’s wrong with you?” Del asked.

  I shook my head. “Don’t you think it’s odd, Alice Mae being there so late?”

  “She said she had to get the handouts done for the morning.”

  “She’s a dedicated employee,” Thelma suggested.

  “A dedicated employee doesn’t throw the pastor out to pasture like she did,” I said.

  “You think she thinks he killed Acel?”

  I shrugged. “It’s possible.”

  “So, what do we do about that?”

  “We don’t do anything. But me, I’m going to talk to the pastor again in the morning.”

  11

  I had a report due to City Council by ten o’clock, and spent the early morning locked up in my den working on it. City Council members worked a lot more than the community knew, all while having a job outside of their political office.

  It was the first day of the lacrosse tournament, so after I finished the report, I made Austin a healthy breakfast he’d fuss about eating—toast, scrambled eggs, fresh cut strawberries, and bacon—woke him up to eat it after a quick discussion including his whining and my pushing, and got ready myself.

  I might have paid a little extra attention to how I did my hair, letting the auburn red strands hang down instead of up in a clip, and I might have added some causal makeup I didn’t normally wear on workdays.

  I examined myself in my bathroom mirror and groaned. Did I really think attempting to look sexy would get me anywhere with Jack Levitt? He’d already told me he had feelings for me, so why was I trying so hard?

  Of course, he’d also told me those feelings frustrated him, that he didn’t know how to handle them, and he wanted to focus on being friends. We’d been friends most of our lives, and realistically, I knew my chance to make an impression on the man was long gone, so why I tried made no logical sense to me. I fussed with my hair one more time, tossed it up into a clip and said, “To heck with it. I am who I am,” as I flipped around and left my bathroom.

  As I did, I walked right through the ghost of Pastor Jeremiah.

  “Oh, woah.” I stepped back into the bathroom, waved my hand for him to come inside, then closed the door. “What’re you doing here? This is my…my home. You’re not allowed here.” A chill ran through me. The only spirits I wanted hanging out in my house were my parents, and I’d barely felt them at all. A long dead man, even one of God, no thanks.

  “You must stay out of this. Please, let it go. It’s time to move on.”

  “Move on? Acel Grimes is barely dead, and he was murdered. I can’t move on until I know he’s able to rest in peace. And what about you?”

  “Mom?” Austin shouted from the kitchen. “Who’re you talking to?”

  I shifted toward the door and quietly turned the lock. “I’m on the phone, honey.”

  “Okay.”

  I turned on the water to drown out the sound of my voice. “This is about what Alice Mae told me last night, isn’t it? About your son arguing with Acel the day he was killed?”

  The pastor didn’t respond.

  “It is. Oh, my gosh, and you know what happened. You were there.”

  “Please, leave this.”

  “I can’t leave this. I’m sorry, but God allowed us to have a justice system for a reason, and I believe in that justice system.”

  The pastor glared at me, and the pits of his eyes turned red.

  “Okay, now that’s scary. You need to leave. Please, this is my home.”

  His eyes shifted to the mirror, and seconds later, the mirror exploded into pieces. I covered my face and ducked. When the loud breaking sound stopped, the pastor was gone.

  Austin banged on the door. “Momma? Mom? You okay? Open the door.”

  I reached behind me, unlocked the door and opened it, all the while staring at my shattered mirror. “I’m fine baby, I’m fine.”

  Austin’s mouth hung open. “What happened?”

  I checked the floor beneath his feet and pointed to the broken glass. “Careful. Don’t come in here, I don’t want you to cut your feet.”

  He stepped back into the hallway. “Are you okay?”

  I smiled. “Yes, I’m fine. I slipped and my—” I searched the small room quickly for something big to use as an excuse. “My blow dryer smashed into the mirror.”

  “Dude. You ought to be careful.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, I ought to. Go finish getting ready. I’ll be out in a minute.”

  As he left, I stared at the shattered glass on my floor and moaned. “Forget it. I don’t have time for this now.” What I needed to focus on was getting Austin to his tournament and figuring out what motive Newton Alabaster would have for killing Acel Grimes.

  Before the tournament started, Jack gave the parents and boys a quick pep talk. He also went over the rules of engagement, for the parents, not the players.

  “No shouting at the refs, no cursing, no screaming at the players on the other team. We’re here to play lacrosse, not get booted because parents can’t control themselves.”

  Unfortunately, he had to make that speech because we had a few parents that thought their kids were the stars of the team and that the refs were out to get them.

  When he finished, he sent the boys to the field to toss the ball around, and I rushed over to him while he reviewed something on his clipboard. “Hey.”

  He smiled at me. “Hey yourself. Austin’s starting. You going to behave?”

  I pointed at my chest. “Me? Nope. I’m that mom.”

  He laughed. “You’re a lot of things, Chantilly Adair, but you’re not that mom.”

  I smiled. “There are a lot of things I want to be that I’m not. Maybe they’ll happen one day.”

  “I have a feeling they’re already happening.”


  My heart fluttered, and I had to glance at the ground to keep my blood pressure in check. “Any progress on Acel Grimes’s murder?”

  “We’ve got a solid lead on one of the gang members.”

  “Really? Are you going to make an arrest?”

  He shook his head. “His alibi checks out, sort of.”

  “What do you mean, sort of?”

  “He claims he was with other gang members at a robbery. The robbery happened, and the other members say he was there, but we don’t believe them.”

  “So, what happens next?”

  “We’re waiting for approval to check the tapes from the robbery. The Atlanta PD is bringing it up today. I’m planning to watch it when the tournament is over.”

  “What’re the odds of the guy being on that video?”

  “If one of the guys that broke into the store thinks he’s going to get off easy by throwing his buddy under the bus, not good, and that’s what I think we’re going to find out.”

  “So, if he’s not on the video?”

  “We’ll bring him in. We can hold him for twenty-four hours without a warrant. Might get something out of him then.”

  “I think you should take a closer look at Newton Alabaster.”

  “The pastor? Why?”

  “Kirk told me he was arguing with Acel Grimes the day of the murder.”

  “People argue. It’s not a crime.”

  “But what if the argument escalated to murder?”

  He exhaled. “What were they arguing about?”

  “She didn’t say, but she said it wasn’t the first time she’d heard them argue. And there’s something else.”

  He eyed me intently.

  “Stories aren’t matching up about the fire.”

  “And you think it has something to do with Acel’s murder?”

  “They’re connected, Jack. I just know it.”

  “What stories aren’t matching up?”

  One of the boys asked the coach if they could shoot at the goal instead of pass and catch.

  “Sure, buddy. Go get everyone in a practice formation and go for it.”

  “Okay, when I first spoke to Pastor Newton, he said his mother told him she brought dinner for her husband the night of the fire and saw him arguing with Acel. William Chamblee said when he was arguing with the pastor that night, Mrs. Alabaster offered to get them dinner and left during their argument to get it. But Georgia and Alice Mae said she brought the food during the argument with William, so one of them is lying. Or two, two of them are lying.”