Read Online Jolly Dead St. Nicholas by Carol A. Guy - Free Book Online Page B

outside. From the look of things, they were having a heated conversation. Adelaide blended in with a group of shoppers heading for the middle classroom, all the while keeping an eye on the twosome. She watched as Susan swiped what could be a tear from her cheek. When Reverend Underwood reached out to her, she pulled away. He was talking urgently now while she shook her head vehemently. Then she abruptly turned, pushed open the door and fled. He looked ready to follow her, but at the moment Fran Underwood came out of a nearby classroom. She grabbed her husband’s arm. They had words, after which he wrested his arm from her grasp, leaving quickly through the same door Susan had used.
    “Looks like there’s more than just a snow storm brewing,” Zelda Jackson said from just behind Adelaide. “It’s pretty obvious what that was all about?”
    Of all the people to witness that scene let alone find Adelaide spying on the preacher and Susan, it would have to be the town gossip. “Really? And what would that be?” she asked the woman, who now stood beside her in the hallway.
    Zelda’s nasty smile told Adelaide she wasn’t buying the innocent act. “You know as well as I do that there’s something going on between those two.”
    Adelaide turned to Zelda. “Aren’t you scheduled to work in the kitchen until after lunch?”
    “My allergies are acting up, probably from all the mold and mildew in this basement. I’m going home for a while. I’ll be back later to help with the dinner,” Zelda said. She headed for the main stairs, her breath coming in short gasps as she began the climb.
    I’m sure we can get along without you. Enough, Adelaide. Stop it. She may be a troublemaker but she does a lot of work around the church. You know the golden rule—treat volunteers like gold for they are a precious commodity.
     
    * * * *
     
    Jerry Hatfield exited his Monte Carlo in the church parking lot just as his wife Susan came out the basement door. She looked upset, as though she’d been crying. Hurrying up to her, he took hold of her arm, ushering her to a secluded spot near some bushes.
    “What’s going on, Susan. You left this morning before I was up. Where did you go?” he demanded.
    She pulled away. “I took a drive then I came here. I was scheduled to work at the bake sale.”
    Jerry stepped closer. He was tired of the lies. What he wanted now was the truth. “You took a ride at seven in the morning? Where to? It must have been a heck of a ride.”
    Looking ready to flee, Susan backed away, brushing against a spiny shrub. “I just needed to think, that’s all.” She sidestepped.
    “I’ve had enough of this, Susan. You met him somewhere, didn’t you? Where? Here? Is that what you do now, cavort with the preacher in the church? How low can you go?” Jerry knew he was losing it but didn’t care at this point.
    “Keep your voice down. Do you want everyone to hear?” Susan’s face was twisted up in a tense expression.
    “You think people aren’t talking?” He barked out a sharp laugh. “Guess again. I told your boyfriend I’d see him defrocked and I meant it.” He grabbed her arm again, twisting it until she winced.
    “Everything all right here?” Carl Henshaw said from nearby.
    Jerry let go of Susan. When he reeled around, the sight of his easy-going friend acted like a splash of ice water in his face. Suddenly the anger was gone. Replacing it was a deep sadness that he’d been reduced to such behavior. He wasn’t the kind of man who would lay a hand on his wife.
    Susan stepped around her husband. “I was feeling a little woozy. Jerry was just trying to make sure I didn’t fall.”
    Jerry could tell Carl wasn’t buying it. He’d heard too much, obviously.
    “Don’t lie for me, Susan. Or does lying come so easily to you now you do it automatically?” He glanced again at Carl. “Sorry. I need to get inside. I promised to help move the tables around after lunch so they’d be set up for the