Read Online The Organist Wore Pumps (The Liturgical Mysteries) by Mark Schweizer - Free Book Online
Authors: Mark Schweizer
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checked his pockets but came up empty. No wallet, no identification, no cell phone, nothing.
I squatted down over the body and took a closer look. The man was older than I’d originally thought, maybe late thirties, and in good shape. His beard was well-trimmed and he wore contacts. One of them had floated out in the lake, revealing a clouded blue eye. The other eye, the one with the contact lens still applied, was brown. His nails were trimmed and he wore a plain gold ring on his right hand. His brown hair was long but neatly cut.
“ Do you know him?” asked Joe.
“ Not me,” said Dave.
“ Nope,” said Nancy.
I shook my head and noticed something odd. One of his sideburns, just below his ear, had lifted away from the skin of his face. I reached down with my right hand, took hold of it, and slowly peeled away a false beard and mustache. It was a professional appliance, a theatrical configuration made of very fine mesh and what felt like human hair. The beard had been affixed to the man’s face with spirit gum.
“ What on earth?” exclaimed Nancy.
“ Why is he wearing a fake beard?” asked Dave. “You think he drowned? And if he did, what was he doing down here in the first place?”
“ I don’t think he drowned,” I said, reaching down again and pulling the wet, matted hair away from his face. There, just above his eyebrows, in the center of his forehead, was a small hole. A bullet hole.
Chapter 8
Needless to say, I was late for the worship meeting. Meg gave me a withering look as I came in. Since Gaylen was in the hospital, Deacon Mushrat had apparently tried to take the reins, but had quickly been quelled in his efforts by Bev. Being the Parish Administrator, she had the final say when the priest wasn’t available.
“ Sorry I’m late,” I said, taking my seat. “Duty called.”
“ We were just discussing our plans for Advent, now that you and Gaylen are down for the count,” said Bev. “Meg was saying that a friend of yours might be available to play the organ until you get out of that cast.”
“ Edna Terra-Pocks,” said Meg. “Hayden went to school with her. She’s supposed to be quite good.”
“ To be honest,” I said, “I haven’t heard her play for a number of years.”
“ Well, we don’t seem to have much choice, do we?” said Deacon Mushrat with a shrug. “I guess we could use one of those CDs with the hymns on them.”
“ She’ll do just fine,” said Bev quickly. Elaine and Joyce Cooper nodded.
“ I spoke with Bishop O’Connell this morning,” Bev continued. “He’ll be here this Sunday, but he’s booked for the rest of Advent. Gaylen said she’d probably be feeling good enough to handle the services by that next Sunday. That’d be...” Bev checked her calendar, “the Third Sunday of Advent. She doesn’t want to have to preach, though. I guess Donald can preach the sermon.”
Donald preened and screwed his mouth into a tight smile. “Awesome,” he said.
Bev looked down at the pad of scribbles in front of her. “Now, what about the choir?”
“ Well,” said Meg, “if we can hire Edna to play the organ, Hayden could certainly choose the music and direct.”
“ Good plan,” said Elaine. “But what about the music for this Sunday? Our cantata?”
Everyone looked in my direction.
“ Well, we have a rehearsal tomorrow morning anyway. If Edna can play the organ part, there isn’t any reason why we can’t do it.”
“ I’ll give her a call,” said Meg happily.
Just then Billy burst into the conference room. “Hey, did you hear? They just dragged a dead body out of the lake!”
Everyone looked in my direction...again.
“ It’s why I was late,” I explained.
“ And you didn’t say anything?” said Meg incredulously.
“ Well, I didn’t think it had anything to do with the emergency Advent meeting.”
“ Is it anyone that we know?” asked Joyce in a small voice.
“ No one that I know,” I answered. “I did see him last
I squatted down over the body and took a closer look. The man was older than I’d originally thought, maybe late thirties, and in good shape. His beard was well-trimmed and he wore contacts. One of them had floated out in the lake, revealing a clouded blue eye. The other eye, the one with the contact lens still applied, was brown. His nails were trimmed and he wore a plain gold ring on his right hand. His brown hair was long but neatly cut.
“ Do you know him?” asked Joe.
“ Not me,” said Dave.
“ Nope,” said Nancy.
I shook my head and noticed something odd. One of his sideburns, just below his ear, had lifted away from the skin of his face. I reached down with my right hand, took hold of it, and slowly peeled away a false beard and mustache. It was a professional appliance, a theatrical configuration made of very fine mesh and what felt like human hair. The beard had been affixed to the man’s face with spirit gum.
“ What on earth?” exclaimed Nancy.
“ Why is he wearing a fake beard?” asked Dave. “You think he drowned? And if he did, what was he doing down here in the first place?”
“ I don’t think he drowned,” I said, reaching down again and pulling the wet, matted hair away from his face. There, just above his eyebrows, in the center of his forehead, was a small hole. A bullet hole.
Chapter 8
Needless to say, I was late for the worship meeting. Meg gave me a withering look as I came in. Since Gaylen was in the hospital, Deacon Mushrat had apparently tried to take the reins, but had quickly been quelled in his efforts by Bev. Being the Parish Administrator, she had the final say when the priest wasn’t available.
“ Sorry I’m late,” I said, taking my seat. “Duty called.”
“ We were just discussing our plans for Advent, now that you and Gaylen are down for the count,” said Bev. “Meg was saying that a friend of yours might be available to play the organ until you get out of that cast.”
“ Edna Terra-Pocks,” said Meg. “Hayden went to school with her. She’s supposed to be quite good.”
“ To be honest,” I said, “I haven’t heard her play for a number of years.”
“ Well, we don’t seem to have much choice, do we?” said Deacon Mushrat with a shrug. “I guess we could use one of those CDs with the hymns on them.”
“ She’ll do just fine,” said Bev quickly. Elaine and Joyce Cooper nodded.
“ I spoke with Bishop O’Connell this morning,” Bev continued. “He’ll be here this Sunday, but he’s booked for the rest of Advent. Gaylen said she’d probably be feeling good enough to handle the services by that next Sunday. That’d be...” Bev checked her calendar, “the Third Sunday of Advent. She doesn’t want to have to preach, though. I guess Donald can preach the sermon.”
Donald preened and screwed his mouth into a tight smile. “Awesome,” he said.
Bev looked down at the pad of scribbles in front of her. “Now, what about the choir?”
“ Well,” said Meg, “if we can hire Edna to play the organ, Hayden could certainly choose the music and direct.”
“ Good plan,” said Elaine. “But what about the music for this Sunday? Our cantata?”
Everyone looked in my direction.
“ Well, we have a rehearsal tomorrow morning anyway. If Edna can play the organ part, there isn’t any reason why we can’t do it.”
“ I’ll give her a call,” said Meg happily.
Just then Billy burst into the conference room. “Hey, did you hear? They just dragged a dead body out of the lake!”
Everyone looked in my direction...again.
“ It’s why I was late,” I explained.
“ And you didn’t say anything?” said Meg incredulously.
“ Well, I didn’t think it had anything to do with the emergency Advent meeting.”
“ Is it anyone that we know?” asked Joyce in a small voice.
“ No one that I know,” I answered. “I did see him last
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