Read Online Medieval Murders by Aaron Stander - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Aaron Stander
Ads: Link
Durning—known on campus as Father Bob—at the back of the building on the lower level. The door to the office was ajar, and Ray could hear Father Bob. “Listen, I’ve got an appointment in a few minutes. I’ll get back to you tomorrow with an answer, okay? God bless.”
Ray knocked and pushed the door open. Father Bob stood up and reached across the desk to shake hands. “Please,” he motioned to one of the two unoccupied chairs, “have a seat.”
Elkins settled into the chair, the same chair he had sat in when he and Father Bob had discussed the details of Ellen’s funeral. He was struck again by the intense blue of Father Bob’s eyes, the color heightened by his deep tan and his thick blond hair.
“You mentioned on the phone that you wanted to talk about Sheila Benson. Don’t know how much I can tell you. It’s strange, really. I had almost daily contact with the woman, but I can’t say I ever really learned much about her.”
“Well, just start by telling me about the daily contact,” said Ray.
“As you know, this is an ecumenical campus ministry. My office is here, but I conduct services at our campus chapel down the street. We don’t have an organized altar guild like a regular parish. Sheila filled that role. She came in every morning about six-thirty and helped me with the seven o’clock mass. This has been going on for years, long before I arrived. She hardly ever missed a day.”
“How long have you been here?”
“This is the start of my fourth year.”
“So, she was here on Monday morning?”
“Yes,” Father Bob answered. Elkins waited until it became clear Father Bob wasn’t going to say anything more.
“Monday, did you notice anything unusual?”
“No, she was here when I arrived and had taken care of everything. I’m not much of a morning person. I come in, do the Mass. It’s a ritual, it’s sort of automatic, and then I go down to the Brown Jug. After an hour of coffee, breakfast, and the paper, then I’m fully awake.”
“How did she get in?”
“She had her own key.” Father Bob slid back in his chair, pulling his athletic frame into a more erect posture.
“To the exterior door?”
“Well, actually I’ve never thought about it. She must have had keys for most of the doors. She would need several.”
“How many?”
“Let’s see. One for the chapel door, it’s kept locked during the night. Another for the vestry. And then she had a key for the storage cabinet where we keep the wine, communion wafers, chalices, and other valuables. Again, before I arrived, there were several instances of theft and vandalism, so we have this heavy steel cabinet to keep things safe. So that’s three keys.
“You gave her....”
“No, I didn’t give her anything. Sheila came with the Ministry. She had performed the same function for Father Timothy. He probably gave her the keys. If you need to know, I could find out where he is, and you could pursue it with him.”
“Monday, did you see her leave?”
“I don’t remember. Days blend. As I said, after the service I go down to the Jug.”
“How many people were at the service?”
“There are never many, as few as three or four, occasionally around ten. And I’m not sure about Monday. They’re mostly foreign students—usually from South America, Asia, and Africa—occasionally a staff or faculty member. Our kids don’t like to get up that early. But then, I didn’t either when I was a college boy,” he gave Elkins a wry smile.
“Can you remember anyone who was here Monday morning? Someone I might talk to. Are there any regulars?
“Monday morning was a bit of a disaster, and the subsequent events have made things even more of a blur.” He opened his hands.
“How so,” Elkins pushed, hearing impatience creeping into his voice as he moved forward in his chair.“I was out with a friend till very late. I’m afraid I had a very bad hangover,” he said sheepishly. “It’s been years since I’ve had a
Ray knocked and pushed the door open. Father Bob stood up and reached across the desk to shake hands. “Please,” he motioned to one of the two unoccupied chairs, “have a seat.”
Elkins settled into the chair, the same chair he had sat in when he and Father Bob had discussed the details of Ellen’s funeral. He was struck again by the intense blue of Father Bob’s eyes, the color heightened by his deep tan and his thick blond hair.
“You mentioned on the phone that you wanted to talk about Sheila Benson. Don’t know how much I can tell you. It’s strange, really. I had almost daily contact with the woman, but I can’t say I ever really learned much about her.”
“Well, just start by telling me about the daily contact,” said Ray.
“As you know, this is an ecumenical campus ministry. My office is here, but I conduct services at our campus chapel down the street. We don’t have an organized altar guild like a regular parish. Sheila filled that role. She came in every morning about six-thirty and helped me with the seven o’clock mass. This has been going on for years, long before I arrived. She hardly ever missed a day.”
“How long have you been here?”
“This is the start of my fourth year.”
“So, she was here on Monday morning?”
“Yes,” Father Bob answered. Elkins waited until it became clear Father Bob wasn’t going to say anything more.
“Monday, did you notice anything unusual?”
“No, she was here when I arrived and had taken care of everything. I’m not much of a morning person. I come in, do the Mass. It’s a ritual, it’s sort of automatic, and then I go down to the Brown Jug. After an hour of coffee, breakfast, and the paper, then I’m fully awake.”
“How did she get in?”
“She had her own key.” Father Bob slid back in his chair, pulling his athletic frame into a more erect posture.
“To the exterior door?”
“Well, actually I’ve never thought about it. She must have had keys for most of the doors. She would need several.”
“How many?”
“Let’s see. One for the chapel door, it’s kept locked during the night. Another for the vestry. And then she had a key for the storage cabinet where we keep the wine, communion wafers, chalices, and other valuables. Again, before I arrived, there were several instances of theft and vandalism, so we have this heavy steel cabinet to keep things safe. So that’s three keys.
“You gave her....”
“No, I didn’t give her anything. Sheila came with the Ministry. She had performed the same function for Father Timothy. He probably gave her the keys. If you need to know, I could find out where he is, and you could pursue it with him.”
“Monday, did you see her leave?”
“I don’t remember. Days blend. As I said, after the service I go down to the Jug.”
“How many people were at the service?”
“There are never many, as few as three or four, occasionally around ten. And I’m not sure about Monday. They’re mostly foreign students—usually from South America, Asia, and Africa—occasionally a staff or faculty member. Our kids don’t like to get up that early. But then, I didn’t either when I was a college boy,” he gave Elkins a wry smile.
“Can you remember anyone who was here Monday morning? Someone I might talk to. Are there any regulars?
“Monday morning was a bit of a disaster, and the subsequent events have made things even more of a blur.” He opened his hands.
“How so,” Elkins pushed, hearing impatience creeping into his voice as he moved forward in his chair.“I was out with a friend till very late. I’m afraid I had a very bad hangover,” he said sheepishly. “It’s been years since I’ve had a
Similar Books
