had been up there Thursday afternoon as well, and we enjoyed our walk until this man and his dogs appeared and ruined our outing. We left. We tried again on Friday. But no, the Rottweilers bore down on Dewey again. I scooped him up and glared at the owner. He laughed at us. That was it for me. But it was lovely and sunny out, and Dewey and I weren’t ready to call it a day. On the way back to my car I looked up, noticed the spires of Stella Maris, where I’d made my first communion as a girl. I said to Dewey: ‘How about a walk around God’s house on the hill?’ That sounded just fine with him, so off we went.” She smiled down at the dog.
“So you parked where, behind the church?”
“No, there’s a small parking lot behind a white building, a city building of some kind, at the top of the hill. From there I walked across the grass to the church.”
“Then what?”
“We went for our walk down by the church and along the hill there.”
“You didn’t go into the church.”
“Oh, no. I assumed it was locked. Even though they’re tearing it down. What a shame. But no, I just walked around it.”
“And you heard something?”
“I thought I did. I thought I heard voices.”
“Coming from the church.”
“Well, I thought so. But when the police questioned me I had to admit there were voices I could hear from the container terminal. And someone was unloading a truck at one of the businesses nearby. So now I have to wonder whether the voices I heard came from the church at all.”
“I understand. Could you make out any words?”
“No.”
“Could you tell anything about the tone?”
“It seemed they were speaking loudly but it wasn’t loud to me, if you understand what I mean. It was windy, and there were other noises, so the voices were faint by the time they reached my ears, but it sounded like yelling. Does that make sense?”
“Yes, I think I know what you mean.”
“But, as I say, it could have been from somewhere else. And I couldn’t catch the gist of it anyway.”
“Was it English?”
She looked up from petting the dog. “I don’t know. I didn’t even think about it. I’m sorry.”
“That’s all right. So then what happened? You had your walk and went back to your car?”
“Yes, I heard the voices when I passed the church the first time. We had our walk around. Dewey found an injured seagull farther down the hill so that occupied him for a while. Then we returned to the car.”
“How long were you there, do you think?”
“Twenty minutes maybe.”
“What time was this?”
“Three, three-thirty or so.”
“And you didn’t see anything unusual around the church on your second pass by.”
She shook her head. “No, just got in the car and started for home. I nearly got hit, but that could happen anywhere.”
“Nearly got hit by —”
“Another car in the parking lot. I had just backed out of my space and was getting ready to leave the lot. He pulled out in front of me. I guess he didn’t see me, with the sun in his eyes. And the wipers flapping.”
“Wipers?”
“Yes, it was funny. The sun was so bright, it reflected off his wind-shield when he pulled out. That’s probably why he didn’t see me driving out of the lot. He was in a hurry and for some reason he had his windshield wipers on.”
“Maybe he was cleaning the windshield.”
“I don’t think so. It was a nice, clean car. And he didn’t have the water spraying or anything like that. Just had his bright lights and his wipers on, in the blinding sun!” She shrugged. “But we didn’t collide. No harm done. I got Dewey home and fixed him a nice supper after his outing.”
“Thanks, then, Mrs. MacIntyre. I appreciate your speaking with me.”
“Sorry I couldn’t be more helpful.”
“That’s quite all right.”
I gave Dewey a pat on the head on my way out.
I called Brennan after work the next day, Tuesday, gave him a quick précis of my talk with Clara MacIntyre, and asked him how we
“So you parked where, behind the church?”
“No, there’s a small parking lot behind a white building, a city building of some kind, at the top of the hill. From there I walked across the grass to the church.”
“Then what?”
“We went for our walk down by the church and along the hill there.”
“You didn’t go into the church.”
“Oh, no. I assumed it was locked. Even though they’re tearing it down. What a shame. But no, I just walked around it.”
“And you heard something?”
“I thought I did. I thought I heard voices.”
“Coming from the church.”
“Well, I thought so. But when the police questioned me I had to admit there were voices I could hear from the container terminal. And someone was unloading a truck at one of the businesses nearby. So now I have to wonder whether the voices I heard came from the church at all.”
“I understand. Could you make out any words?”
“No.”
“Could you tell anything about the tone?”
“It seemed they were speaking loudly but it wasn’t loud to me, if you understand what I mean. It was windy, and there were other noises, so the voices were faint by the time they reached my ears, but it sounded like yelling. Does that make sense?”
“Yes, I think I know what you mean.”
“But, as I say, it could have been from somewhere else. And I couldn’t catch the gist of it anyway.”
“Was it English?”
She looked up from petting the dog. “I don’t know. I didn’t even think about it. I’m sorry.”
“That’s all right. So then what happened? You had your walk and went back to your car?”
“Yes, I heard the voices when I passed the church the first time. We had our walk around. Dewey found an injured seagull farther down the hill so that occupied him for a while. Then we returned to the car.”
“How long were you there, do you think?”
“Twenty minutes maybe.”
“What time was this?”
“Three, three-thirty or so.”
“And you didn’t see anything unusual around the church on your second pass by.”
She shook her head. “No, just got in the car and started for home. I nearly got hit, but that could happen anywhere.”
“Nearly got hit by —”
“Another car in the parking lot. I had just backed out of my space and was getting ready to leave the lot. He pulled out in front of me. I guess he didn’t see me, with the sun in his eyes. And the wipers flapping.”
“Wipers?”
“Yes, it was funny. The sun was so bright, it reflected off his wind-shield when he pulled out. That’s probably why he didn’t see me driving out of the lot. He was in a hurry and for some reason he had his windshield wipers on.”
“Maybe he was cleaning the windshield.”
“I don’t think so. It was a nice, clean car. And he didn’t have the water spraying or anything like that. Just had his bright lights and his wipers on, in the blinding sun!” She shrugged. “But we didn’t collide. No harm done. I got Dewey home and fixed him a nice supper after his outing.”
“Thanks, then, Mrs. MacIntyre. I appreciate your speaking with me.”
“Sorry I couldn’t be more helpful.”
“That’s quite all right.”
I gave Dewey a pat on the head on my way out.
I called Brennan after work the next day, Tuesday, gave him a quick précis of my talk with Clara MacIntyre, and asked him how we
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