Secrets in the Shallows (Book 1: The Monastery Murders) (26 page)

“Good idea. Wouldn’t want to pull any more bodies from the pond,” the sheriff said.

“Sheriff, I’ll get it all worked out and see you at 10:00 by the pond.”

Sheriff Johnson smiled and said, “Thanks, Jerry. I’ll see you then.”

“Okay, sir. Good-bye.” Sheriff Johnson hung up the phone.

Immediately, it rang again and the intercom light began to flash. The sheriff took a long breath as he picked up the receiver again. “Sheriff Johnson here.”

“Sir, this is Williams. I’ve got something you really need to see on this video footage.”

Sheriff Johnson sat up straight in his chair and asked, “Did you see who took the clothes?”

“Sheriff, you have to see this for yourself. You won’t believe this,” Deputy Williams proclaimed.

“I’ll be right there, Deputy. I can’t wait to see what you found,” the sheriff said as he hung up the phone. Immediately, he quickly headed toward Deputy Williams’ office.

* * * *

Dr. Peter Balkan arrived at the crime lab with a manila folder bulging with reports. He handed several evidence bags to a man standing over a microscope with short curly brown hair, thick lens glasses, and prominent buckteeth. Ray Hugh was Peter’s right-hand man, and one of the main reasons for Peter successfully solving many of the department’s cases.

Ray stood up and took the bags. “Hey, Doc. Are these from that new case you told me about?”

“Yes, they are,” Peter smiled gleefully. “I got a bunch of samples earlier when I went to the morgue. Has the body gotten here yet?”

Ray lifted up the surgical mask to cover his face, and then slipped his hands into a pair of latex gloves, snapping them at the wrists. He opened up the plastic bag, retrieving its contents. Raising his head, he pushed his ‘Coke bottle’ glasses up on his nose with his forearm.

Ray smiled and said, “Yep, I’m on it, Boss. The body got here about thirty minutes ago.”

“Great! I want you to go over it, and let me know what you find right away. I want to compare Dr. Grant’s findings to yours. However, we have to do this quickly so this family can have closure,” Peter said.

“No problem, Boss. I’ll have the results to you ASAP.”

“What would I do without you, Ray?” Peter said with a roguish grin.

Ray smiled, showing his buckteeth.

Peter laughed and continued, “One of the bags has the single shoe that was found by the monastery. If there’s anything from the perp, it may be a big break. I’ll need you to see what you can find on it. Plus, I have one more thing to get from my car. I think you’ll be a bit intrigued.”

Ray raised an eyebrow and said, “Oh really? Need any help?”

“Nah, I’ve got it,” Peter said as he put everything else down and walked back outside to his car. A couple of minutes passed before he returned carrying a large black evidence bag.

“What is that?” Ray asked.

Peter put on a pair of latex gloves and opened the bag. “Is that table clean, Ray?” he asked, pointing to an empty stainless steel examination table nearby.

“Yeah, I just cleaned it about 10 minutes ago. I was going to use it.”

However, before Ray could finish his sentence, Peter lifted a deer head up carefully and placed it on the table. “Here you go, Coke.”

Ray’s mouth gaped open. “A deer head? Where did that come from?”

Peter chuckled, “I thought it would give you a nice scare. It was found on the statue at the monastery; the pond near the gardens was where the body was found. There was a lot of deer blood poured over Mother Mary’s head too. Seems the suspect gave her a special baptism of his own.”

Dr. Balkan took out several photo print outs from a folder. Spreading the photos out across a side table, he pointed to the statue by the garden. The glistening snow around her was stained red with blood.

“The detectives took a bunch of photos of the statue from various angles. It’s pretty gruesome.”

“I can see that, Doc. I’ll check the deer head for any human hair or other evidence, too.” After putting on a fresh pair of gloves, Ray lifted the deer head and examined the severed neck. “Seems to have been cut by a fairly large, blunt weapon. Like a hatchet or ax.”

“That’s what I thought, too. You going to work on the body tonight? Or just put it in the cooler until morning?”

Ray looked up at Peter and replied, “I think I’m going to get started on the body first thing in the morning. I want to start on it when I’m awake and fresh. Don’t want to make any mistakes. I’ll work on the deer head and other stuff now, though. That’s not as time consuming.”

“I understand. I’m going to head to the crime scene where the body was found in the morning and get a first-hand look. Maybe we’ll get lucky, and the divers will pull something useful out of the pond.”

“Okay, Doc. I’ll touch base with you after I look at the body. Let me know if you need me before then,” Ray smiled.

“Sure thing, Coke. I need to get some paperwork done before I leave tonight. I’ll be in my office for a bit if you need me.”

Peter removed his gloves and tossed them in the biohazard waste can. Picking up his kit and other things, he headed directly to his office and closed the door behind him.

* * * *

Deputy Williams stared intently at his computer screen as he reviewed the hospital morgue’s surveillance footage frame by frame. Sheriff Johnson rapped on the door frame as he walked in. Williams pulled up a chair beside his and gestured for the sheriff to sit down.

“Hi, Sheriff. You’re not going to believe this,” Williams smiled.

“What did you find, Deputy?” the sheriff asked as he sat down.

After Williams started the video, it was difficult to see the face clearly due to the low lighting in the morgue. After a few seconds a door opened, letting in a stream of bright light from the adjacent room. Through the doorway, the silhouette of a person in a nun’s habit walked in, closed the door behind her and crept across the floor. Even in the dim light, it was easy to distinguish the heavy crowbar being pulled out from the billowy habit sleeve. Unfortunately, due to the habit’s wimple, it was impossible to get a clear look through the shadows to see any facial features for easy identification.

The nun walked directly to the lockers and tried unsuccessfully to open the small door with her gloved hands. Using the crowbar, she pried the lock, forcing the small door to swing open. Setting the large tool on the floor, the nun pulled out a large tote bag from under her habit, and began shoveling everything from the locker into it. She picked up the crowbar again and put it on top of the other items. Using the bag’s straps and a belt, she secured it to her waist under her robes before making a stealthy exit from the room.

“Oh, my God!” Sheriff Johnson exclaimed. “Did I just see what I saw? Was that a nun?”

Williams nodded and replied, “Seems so, sir. Guess between the victim’s shoe and this video, we’ve got what we need to check out the monastery, right?”

“Absolutely, Williams!” the sheriff proclaimed. “I’m going to get that search warrant signed today if I can. We need to get out there as soon as possible. Maybe we’ll get lucky and find the missing evidence. Make a copy of that video segment and put it on a flash drive for me, Deputy. I need to show it to the judge.”

“No problem, Sheriff. I’ll do it right now.”

Sheriff Johnson stood up and smiled. “It’s nice to have a good break in the case so quickly. Call me when you’ve got that ready, please?”

“Of course, sir,” Deputy Williams replied as he pulled out a flash drive from his desk drawer. “I’ll have it done as soon as I can. These are large files, so it may take a few minutes.”

“Great, Williams. I’ll be in my office getting that warrant going,” the sheriff said as he headed out the door.

C
HAPTER
24

Back at his desk, Sheriff Johnson ran a hand over his face as he leaned forward in his chair. Taking a deep breath, he let it out slowly before picking up the phone to dial a number.

After a few rings, a voice answered, “District Attorney John Smith here.”

“Hello, John. I’ve had quite a big break in the case, and I’m going to need a search warrant as soon as possible,” the sheriff exclaimed.

“Wow! Already? What did you find out?”

The sheriff leaned forward in his seat and rested an elbow on his desk. “We watched the video surveillance footage from the morgue. Remember, the missing evidence from the locker?”

“Yeah. Did you see who took it?” John asked.

“We couldn’t see a face, but the culprit was dressed in a nun’s habit. She took out a crowbar and pried the locker door open before taking everything from inside. All the stuff was shoved in a large bag and hidden under her robe.”

After pausing for a couple of seconds, John replied, “Are you sure that’s what you saw? A nun? Really?”

“Yeah, Deputy Williams saw the same video. We both agree it was someone in a nun’s habit. And, then the missing shoe was found just behind the monastery building. Top that off with the fact that the last person known to see Timmy Fields alive was Mother Superior Mary Ellen. There’s no telling what we’ll find if we search the monastery.”

“That’s incredible, Sheriff. I never would’ve imagined a nun being capable of doing that.”

Sheriff Johnson picked up a picture of his own son and replied, “Me either, John. Well, I tried to get the warrant handled before I left for the day, but the judge had already left to go home. He’ll look at the evidence in the morning. Hopefully, while I’m out at the pond investigation, I’ll get a call saying it’s been signed. It would make things a lot easier with everyone already there.”

“I’ll check on it for you if you like, Sheriff. I know you’ll be busy.”

The sheriff smiled as he put the photo frame down and replied, “Thanks for the help. Yeah, it would be great if you can let me know if you hear of any progress. The divers are scheduled to be at the pond at 10:00 in the morning. If you need me, I’ll be there about 9:00.”

“Sure thing, Sheriff. You’ve got your hands full. In fact, I’ll come by once I’m done, if you’d like?”

The sheriff glanced at his watch and replied, “My guys are spread pretty thin. I could probably use your help, if you’re free.”

“Okay. It’s settled then. I’ll call after I get the confirmation. I don’t see the judge denying it.”

“Sounds good, Counselor. I’ll talk to you then. Good night.”

“Good night, Sheriff.”

* * * *

With briefcase in hand, Peter walked in the lab where ‘Coke Bottle’ Ray studied samples through his microscope. The fawn’s head was laying on its side, staring vacantly across the room.

The strange sight startled Peter when he saw it. “Damn, that’s freaky to see when you walk in a room. Gives me the chills.”

“Yeah, it is a bit creepy,” Ray replied. “I’ve found a couple of things, but I’m not sure it’s anything we can use.”

Peter asked, “What did you find?”

Ray looked up at him and said, “As I had said before, a large blunt-edged weapon like a machete or an ax was used to sever the deer’s head from its body. Plus, I found a single black fabric fiber, but there is no telling where it came from. It’s too bad we didn’t get on this case sooner.”

“Well, you never know how it may tie in.”

Ray rolled his eyes and laughed. “I know that, Doc.”

Peter grinned. “I know you know. After all, I taught you, Coke.”

At that moment, Peter’s cell phone rang.

“Peter Balkan here.”

From the other end of the line, the sheriff greeted him. “Hello, Doc. It’s Sheriff Johnson.”

“Hello, Sheriff. Any news for me?”

“Yeah, Doc. I got the diving crew set up for 10 a.m. Apparently, they’ve got special dive suits that will keep them warm in the freezing water. Pretty cool, eh?”

“Yes, it is. So, what time do you want me there?” Peter asked him.

Sheriff Johnson replied, “Meet me there about 8:30 a.m. so we can get organized before they come to search of the grounds. I should have a search warrant for the monastery building soon, and we can get started on that too.”

“Inside the building too? Did you find something to make you think a nun did it?”