Secrets in the Shallows (Book 1: The Monastery Murders) (50 page)

“What did the caption say, my child?”

“It said that authorities were searching for a missing boy. You know, Mother? I would be heartbroken to lose somebody so close to me like that. I brought the newspaper with me.”

A zipper could be heard, followed by the rustling of paper. Sheriff Johnson imagined the young man handing it over to Mother.

He said,
“See?”

Sheriff Johnson stared at John, who seemed lost in his own world.

More paper crinkled in the background as Mother Superior replied,
“What you feel is perfectly normal, Tom. It would be devastating to lose anyone close to you. What about a mother, father, or even a cousin? However, what is even worse is when a parent loses a child. I can imagine how devastated they would feel if they lost you somehow.”

“My mom once told me she wouldn’t be able to live anymore.”

“I don’t even want to think about that, Tom.”

“Mother, do you remember when that happened to the boy?”

“As a matter of fact, I do. The town was completely devastated. They never found the boy.”

“Never?”

“No, they didn’t. The case was eventually closed, and I don’t think they found out what happened to him. Who knows? In this Maine weather, anything could have happened. However, he was never found, as far as I know. Here’s your newspaper back, Tom.”

More papers rustled loudly in the background.

“That is so sad.”

“Yes, it is, Tom. I have another session coming up soon. Is there anything else that you would like to talk about before we’re done today?”

“Nope. I have a biology class in a few minutes. I don’t want to be late. We have a major test.”

“Tom, I understand you want to become a doctor one day. I think that’s wonderful. I’ll help you anyway I can to make your dream happen.”

“Thank you, Mother Superior.”

“You are quite welcome. Now, you go make an ‘A.’”

Sheriff Johnson stopped the CD and looked at John, still staring in to space. The sheriff asked him, “John, are you okay?”

John did not budge, so Sheriff Johnson repeated even louder, “John?”

John jerked as he heard Sheriff Johnson’s voice and came out of his daze. Rubbing his mouth, he looked over at Sheriff Johnson and replied, “Yeah ... Yeah ... I’m fine! I was just thinking about the other session.”

The sheriff leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his midsection and said, “I don’t think the second recording we heard seems relevant to the murders, but the first one obviously does. Agreed?”

Sitting up, John rubbed his hands together. He grimaced as he took a sip of lukewarm coffee. “Ugh … My coffee’s cold now. I don’t think the second one has any bearing. The first recording we heard is what we need to show Mother’s motive.”

Sheriff Johnson removed the CD from the player and said, “I had Deputy Williams copy all of the files on the vandalism reports too. I’ll get you copies before you leave here. I’m going to go over those reports with a fine-toothed comb, today. I’ll let you know if I find anything new.”

John stood to his feet and threw the Styrofoam cup in the trash. “That sounds good, Sheriff. I’ll study that CD in depth when I get to my office. I’m so glad Williams found those tapes. They’re going to help a lot.”

“If she had a couple of months of sessions, I wonder where the other tapes are?” the sheriff commented.

“There is no telling where they could be. We’ll have to ask Mother Superior about them, if we can get it out of her,” John replied.

“We’ll just have to wait and see. Give me just a moment so we can get this report started and your copies made,” Sheriff Johnson said, picking up his phone. “Hello, Deputy Williams. I need you to come to my office so we can take care of getting this report filed. Also, I need you to get a set of copies of all the reports for the D.A. and Dr. Balkan. Can you meet us in my office right away?”

From the other end of the line, Deputy Williams responded, “I’ll be right there, sir.”

“Thank you, Deputy,” the sheriff said, hanging up the phone.

Sheriff Johnson leaned back in his chair, opening the file to study the reports more. “That old case sounds pretty interesting. I need to remember to check into it when I have some free time.
If
I ever get any of that,”
he chuckled.

“I remember when it all happened. I was only a teenager, but I still recall how the entire town talked about it for months,” John replied.

“I hate leaving cases unsolved, even if they are cold ones,” Sheriff Johnson smiled. “That is one of my goals to accomplish before I retire. I’d even say it’s my
number one
goal.”

John commented, “Unfortunately, it’s an old case, Sheriff. Most of the people have moved somewhere else, or are probably dead.”

The sheriff smiled at John and said, “Even old, unsolved cases are important. I
will
check into it.”

Just then, a light rapping on the door could be heard.

“Come on in,” the sheriff responded.

Deputy Williams walked in. “You sent for me, sir?”

“Deputy, you found the evidence, so I need you to finish up your report quickly.”

Deputy Williams smiled and replied, “The one for the evidence I collected at the monastery?”

“Exactly! I need you to finish the report so we can get it filed and use it to submit an official complaint. We have enough evidence to finally arrest Mother Superior for the homicide of Tom Green.”

Williams looked completely surprised. “It’s
so
hard to believe, sir.”

The sheriff pulled out the CD from the disk tray and put it in a paper sleeve. Handing it to the deputy, he stated, “All the evidence points to her, and now we have the tapes to back up the motive. I need you to listen to these counseling sessions. You never know what you see or hear that could break a case wide open. You didn’t happen to see any other tapes that may have fallen out of the file, did you?”

“Yes, sir. I’ll get my reports done, and listen to them before I leave today,” Williams replied, looking at the CD. “No, I did not see any other session tapes.”

“I would like to try to find them, if they are still around.”

The deputy nodded and then asked, “Do you need anything else before I get started, sir?”

“No, Williams. You are free to take care of that. Try to have those report copies back right away. I’m sure the counselor and doctor have better things to do than sit around and chat with me.”

“I’ll be right back, Sheriff,” Deputy Williams smiled as he walked out the door.

Sheriff Johnson looked at John and Peter and said, “Well, unless you have something to add, I guess that’s all we need for now; at least, once he brings those copies back.”

“Well, I’m going to take advantage of this last doughnut, if no one else wants it,” Peter grinned.

“Help yourself, Doc. I’ve cheated on my diet enough for one day,” the sheriff chuckled.

C
HAPTER
45

Late in the afternoon in the interrogation room at the Wattsville Sheriff’s Department, Mother Superior and her lawyer, Charles Posey, looked across the table at the Sheriff Johnson. Standing behind him in the corner, Deputy Williams watched silently.

Sheriff Johnson sat back in his chair, “Do you ever spend time counseling the students? Maybe give them advice or talk about their troubles?”

Charles Posey leaned over and whispered in Mother Superior’s ear,
“Mother, you have the right to remain silent for any question if you wish. I’ll let you decide.”

Mother nodded and whispered,
“Thank you, Mr. Posey.”
Turning to the sheriff, she answered him, “Sometimes, I do.”

The sheriff crossed his arms and asked, “Did you ever have a counseling session with Timothy Fields when he was a student at the Catholic school?”

She sat silent in her chair and turned her head away not making eye contact. Her mind raced as she thought of when she had a session with him. “I’m sure I did at some point, but I don’t remember any specifics with Timothy Fields’ sessions. I counseled many students.”

“Are you sure you don’t remember anything about what you talked about with Timmy Fields?” asked the sheriff.

“No, I don’t remember, Sheriff,” Mother Superior Mary Ellen replied.

“Let me try to refresh your memory. At any time in those sessions did Timothy Fields come to you and confess something to you?” he asked.

Charles Posey interjected, “Sheriff, she is a nun at a Catholic school. That is a common practice for parishioners to confess sins. You need to rephrase the question.”

The sheriff restated, “All right then. Let me rephrase the question. Did he ever tell you any secrets that you didn’t tell anyone else?”

“I don’t recall anything important,” she replied.

“Remember, you assured us you would tell us the truth and cooperate.”

“I am, Sheriff,” she responded, furrowing her brow.

Sheriff Johnson stood up and walked around the table then spoke softly in her ear, “You’re lying to me.”

Charles firmly stated, “Watch how you speak to my client, Sheriff.”

She could smell the cigar tobacco on the sheriff’s breath. Wrinkling her nose in disgust at the smell, Mother Superior nervously shifted her eyes and replied, “No, I am not, sir.”

The sheriff stood up straight and grinned curtly at Deputy Williams as he said, “Get the tape recorder out, please. Let’s see if we can refresh her memory.”

After putting latex gloves on, Williams opened a large clear evidence bag, and removed the black tape recorder that had been found in Mother Superior’s office. Quietly, he placed it on the table in front of her and plugged it in.

“Is this your recorder?” the sheriff asked.

She leaned over the table and peered at it.

Posey interrupted, “Sheriff, that could be anyone’s tape recorder.What relevance does it have anyway?”

“Oh, it is relevant, Counselor. Trust me,” the sheriff replied.

Mother asked the sheriff, “Where did you find it anyway?”

Sheriff Johnson smirked, “Oh, we know it’s yours. We found it in your office desk.”

Shifting nervously, Mother said, “I forgot where. I haven’t used it in a while. What difference does it make if I have a tape recorder? A lot of people still have one.”

Turning over the tape recorder, the sheriff revealed a label on the bottom with the words written:
M. S. Mary Ellen – Do Not Remove!

“As you can see, this
definitely is your
recorder, Mother. Before I play this tape, are you sure you don’t want to tell us something you may have just recalled?” he asked.

“No,” she raised her voice.

Reaching over, he pushed the
play
button. Everyone in the room listened attentively as the cassette wheels turned inside the recorder.

“
Hi, Timothy. Why don’t you come in and sit down? Well, how have you been this week?”

“Oh, okay.”

“You seem quiet. What’s on your mind, child? Timmy, what is it?”

“Can I tell you a secret and you not tell anyone?”

“Yes, my child.”

“You promise?”

“Yes.”

“You remember Tom Green who went to this school?”

“Yes. Now why are we talking about him, Timothy?”

“I know who killed Tom Green.”

After several seconds of silence, Timmy Fields asked her, “Why aren’t you saying anything, Mother Superior?”

She cleared her throat. “How do you know this, Timothy?”

“I saw it, Mother, and I didn’t want to say anything because I was scared.”

“Okay, since you know who killed Tom Green, why don’t you tell me who it was? Tell me, Timothy,” she said emphatically.

“You promise you won’t say a thing?”

“I promise.”

“It was a nun.”

“A nun wouldn’t do something like this.”