Secrets in the Shallows (Book 1: The Monastery Murders) (18 page)

“Lisa, really? You think he had a crush on Timmy’s girlfriend?”

“It’s possible. We even found a note that Lisa wrote to Timmy about Carter. Seems Carter had some other type of studying in mind. We’re going to talk to Lisa more about it to hear what she says about all of this.”

“It sounds like he may be a good suspect then. Has he been interrogated yet?”

“We asked him to cooperate with us, and he’s on his way in to headquarters now. I want to get some answers from that boy.”

“Well, let me know what you find out. I can’t wait to hear what he had to say.” Glancing at his watch John grinned. “Well, I need to get going. I’ve got court in less than an hour. Remember, I told you that I’ve been planning a special date with Katy?”

“Yes, I do. Are you going to finally pop the big question?”

“Yes, I’m going to ask her tonight. We’re having a special dinner at
The Lighthouse
. She doesn’t know it, but tonight I’m going to give her this.” Reaching in his pocket, John pulled out a little black velvet box and opened it.

“Wow! Very nice.”

“I got it out of the candy machine,” John teased as he stood up.

Sheriff Johnson stood up and gave John a hardy pat on the back. Extending his hand out, he added, “Good luck, Counselor! I’ll let you know once I find out more info on everything.”

Shaking the sheriff’s hand, John replied, “Thanks, Sheriff. I’ll talk to you soon.”

“See you later.” Sheriff Johnson waved as he headed out the door.

C
HAPTER
16

As they turned into the driveway at the St. Francis Monastery, Deputies Williams and Shamberg could see the horrific sight. In the center of the snowy garden, the statue of Mother Mary was covered in what appeared to be deep red blood. In her hands, the statue held the severed head of a deer of which they had been warned.

Shamberg was the first to notice the desecrated effigy. “Damn! Someone is pretty messed up in the head to do that.”

Glancing at the sight briefly, Deputy Williams replied, “First, Timmy’s murder, and now this disgusting display of vandalism ... What has happened to our quiet town? And Maine is supposed to be about the safest state in America!”

“It does seem like we’ve had our share of craziness lately. Hopefully, we’ll catch these nutjobs soon and get everything back to normal,” Shamberg commented.

Deputy Williams parked the cruiser in a small lot near the garden and said, “Guess we should get started.”

Shamberg nodded as they both got out and walked up the driveway and a few steps to the monastery’s front entrance. Raising the old wooden knocker against the door, Deputy Shamburg let it fall again. As the sound echoed throughout the hallways inside, they stood respectfully while the door opened slightly.

Mother Superior Mary Ellen waved them both in as she exclaimed, “Come on in, please. Did you see that terrible sight on your way up, Deputies? Isn’t it horrible?” Closing the door behind them, she wrapped herself up in a shawl.

“Yes, ma’am. We’re going to go and take a look at it in just a second, but first, can I ask you some questions?”

“Of course.”

Deputy Williams asked her, “Do you know who would do such a thing? Anyone that has a grievance against the monastery or anyone here? Any information could be helpful.”

Wringing her hands together, Mother Superior replied, “Well, a couple of years ago, I would’ve had a good idea, but since he is dead, then I don’t have any clue.”

“Since who is dead?” Deputy Shamberg asked.

“Tom Green; the one who committed suicide a while back. Since he is dead, I don’t know who could’ve done it.”

“I see. I worked on that case earlier this year. It’s a very sad case. So, when did you notice the vandalism for the first time, Mother?”

“The deer head and blood weren’t there when we retired for the night. No one heard anyone doing this, that I am aware of. I noticed it about 6 a.m., when I was opening up the monastery for the early cooking shift. They were about to begin making breakfast for all of the sisters.”

“All right, Mother. Later, I’ll need to speak with any other sisters who first saw the damage, or heard any activity last night.”

The elderly nun replied, “I’ll be happy to provide the names of those who were alert at that time.”

Williams added, “Well if you think of anything, please let us know. In the mean time, keep inside the monastery in case there is evidence outside. We want to find out who did this, and even small clues can make a difference.”

“Yes, sir. I just don’t know who could do something this horrible to the statue of our blessed Mother Mary,” she replied, almost in tears.

“We aim to find out, Mother. I’ll let you as soon as we can,” Deputy Williams tipped his hat as he headed back out the door. Deputy Shamberg followed him outside.

“Thank you both,” she replied as she closed the door behind them.

* * * *

Driving down the winding two-lane highway, Sheriff Johnson wondered how Lisa Tucker was going to react to his visit.
Poor girl ... She just lost her boyfriend to some low-life, good-for-nothing killer.
Driving into her driveway, Sheriff Johnson calmed his own emotions so he could do his job properly. Peering through his windshield at the two-story, light yellow Cape Cod, he took a long, deep breath. After getting out of his cruiser, he walked up to the door and knocked.

A thin, young woman with brunette hair held back in a hair band pressed the remote to the TV. The channels flipped in seconds. A favorite red sweatshirt almost matched her bloodshot eyes. Upon hearing the knock at the door, Lisa Tucker jumped and looked toward the beveled glass in the front door. She saw a dark silhouette on the porch.

“I’ll get it,” she called out as she stood up from the couch. When she opened the front door, her eyes widened.
My gosh! What is he doing here?

“Hi, Sheriff. How can I help you?” she asked shyly.

“Lisa Tucker?”

“Yes,” she replied with building anxiety.

Within moments, an older woman appeared behind her. “Hello, Sheriff. How can we help you?”

“I’m Sheriff Johnson. Are you Mrs. Tucker?”

“Yes, I am Ann Tucker.”

The sheriff asked, “May I have a word with your daughter, Lisa, please?”

“Sheriff, have I done something wrong?” Lisa asked with a hint of concern.

“No, I’m investigating the death of your boyfriend, Timmy Fields,” he replied.

Lisa stood in the foyer, with her hand over her mouth. Her eyes began to fill up with tears.

Ann Tucker immediately opened the door fully as she said, “Come in, Sheriff.” Gesturing towards a large, comfortable chair in the corner of the living room, she asked, “Do you care to sit down?”

Taking off his hat, he replied, “Of course, thank you.”

“Sorry for the noise,” Lisa said as she walked over to the coffee table and clicked the button on the TV remote, turning it off. “All I can do is watch TV. I haven’t slept well since Timmy...”

Ann gestured for him to sit down and asked, “Would you like some water, Sheriff?”

“No, thank you, ma’am.” Sheriff Johnson sat down in the adjacent chair while Lisa sat down on the couch. “I know this is hard.”

Lisa stared directly at his face and said, “I know I’m young, but I really loved him, Sheriff.” With a deep sigh, Lisa squeezed her eyes tightly shut, trying to hold back the tears.

Sheriff Johnson sat for a few moments until Lisa seemed able to proceed. “I need to ask you some questions. How long did you and Timmy date?”

“We dated for two years and three months. We were talking about getting married after we both graduated from college. In fact, this weekend we were supposed to head over to Sanger
and pick out a promise ring.”

“Lisa, do you know anyone who might have had anything against Timmy? Did he have any enemies? Was he having any conflicts with anyone you know of, even if it seems insignificant?” he asked in a sympathetic tone.

Lisa sat silent. Looking away from the sheriff, a streaming tear ran down her cheek. In her mind, Carter’s face kept haunting her.

Ann supplied her with a tissue from a box kept on a side table.

Lisa nodded her thanks as she dabbed at her eyes.

Sheriff Johnson asked her, “Do you know anyone who may have wanted to get revenge or hurt him in anyway?”

After taking a deep breath and exhaling slowly, Lisa swallowed hard. She dotted her red eyes, still finding it difficult to contain her emotions. Dark circles surrounding her eyes were evidence of the deep grief she was experiencing.

Sheriff Johnson held up the plastic evidence bag containing the note that was found in his room. In an instant, recognition showed all over her face as she fixed her eyes on the white paper. Taking a few deep breaths, she looked away as she closed her eyes tightly. Lisa’s chin trembled as tears finally flowed freely down her cheeks.

Sheriff Johnson leaned over close with the note in front of her face and asked, “Did you write this note to Timmy Fields?”

Lisa’s tone became slightly defensive as she retorted, “That’s private.”

“Not anymore,” Sheriff Johnson replied crisply. “This was found in his room when it was searched. Now, can you please tell me why you wrote it?”

Taking another long, deep breath, Lisa began, “Carter and Timmy had been friends since they were in elementary school. They were on the lacrosse team together. Before the last season was over, Carter started making eyes at me. You know — flirting with me. Telling me how pretty I am.”

Lisa continued, “I didn’t really care for him much. After all, I was with Timmy. When we would study together over at Timmy’s house, Carter would show up to study as well. It made me uncomfortable, and I know Timmy didn’t like it.”

“Timmy was always so sweet; very passive. He always wanted to be everyone’s best friend.” Lisa’s voice trailed off for a second as she smiled slightly while recalling memories. Suddenly, she brought herself out of her thoughts and added, “Anyway, Carter would sit at the table and stare at me. I know Timmy noticed it, but he didn’t
say
anything. It bothered me, so I finally wrote him that note a couple of weeks ago to explain how I felt.”

“Did Carter make any direct advances toward you?” Sheriff Johnson asked.

“When I was walking home from school one day about a month ago, Carter came out of nowhere and started messing with me. He said crap like that I needed to break up with Timmy and go out with him. I remember him telling me that I was too good for Timmy and he could treat me like a special girl should be. I asked him what he meant by that.”

“What did he say?”

“He put his arm around me and started to stroke my shoulder. I immediately moved away, like this.” Lisa jerked her body to the side.

Sheriff Johnson nodded, “So you clearly let him know you were not interested?”

“Yes.”

Lisa closed her eyes and sighed, “I think he had some kind of crush on me for months, but finally got the courage to try to persuade me to start seeing him. At least, that’s how I took it. I told Carter that I couldn’t believe he would be such a sleaze, and to get lost. He got very angry and stormed off saying that I would change my mind soon.”

“So, Carter has a temper?”

Lisa instantly made eye contact as her eyes widened. “Oh, yes. Anything, and I mean anything, will set that boy off. I saw him beat a guy to a pulp once on the lacrosse field. It was so bad; the poor kid had to have cosmetic surgery on his face and teeth.”

“So, there was blood?”

“Oh, yes, sir; lots of it, too.”

“So, was this beating at an organized game?”

“No, it was just a group of lacrosse players practicing on their own. I went to watch Timmy play. This was a couple years ago. After that, Carter was sent to a private school to work on his anger management issues down in Blue Hull. They have a psychiatrist and counselors on staff to help with that sort of thing ... Kind’of like a place to help troubled teens.”

“So you never told Timmy about Carter making physical advances toward you before you wrote the note?”

“No, not at first.” Shrugging her shoulders, she said, “I thought it would blow over.”