Murder in the Choir Room
Chapter 4
By Toni Walker
I didn't make it too far before one of the choir members caught my attention. The man was in his fifties or sixties wearing overalls. He came bustling up the sidewalk toward me, a badge clipped on the outside of his front pocket.
"Is it true?" he asked me. "Is Delilah McQuade dead?"
I wasn't certain why suddenly everyone thought I was an expert on the subject of who everyone was. It's not like I had seen Delilah McQuade prior to finding her in the dumb waiter.
"I'm afraid so," I said, trying to recall his name.
He shook his head. "That is too bad."
"Who was the first man on the scene," he asked? I had assumed he as a farmer earlier. Apparently, looks can be deceiving in Park Ridge. My confused expression must have said something to him. because he suddenly realized I didn't know him from Adam. "You're new to town, aren't you?" He shoved his hand toward me. "Chester Anders, Police Chief."
The shock on my face wasn't a pretty sight. "I thought you were a farmer."
"I am. Sort of a family thing." He didn't go into detail. "Who is on the scene?"
"I spoke to a detective named Nathan. There could have been an officer there before him but I'm not sure."
Chester nodded and jogged into the building. He put his work face on and marched forward. He was ready for business.
A farmer as a police chief. That was a new one. Must not be a lot of crime in Park Ridge if the police chief had to have a second job, I thought.
I walked through downtown and most places were still dark. Park Ridge rolled up their sidewalks at 8:00 o'clock. The only place with a light burning was Iris' shop. Petals on Broadway. She was the sarcastic redhead from the choir. Like many of the other business owners in town, Petals had been passed down from mother to daughter. Except when Iris became sole owner, she put her own spin on things. Zodiac symbols were etched into the front window glass and a display of tarot and oracle cards were accented with various flower arrangements. I guess you would call it a new age flower shop. I imagined she got a lot of flack by her church chronies. Church people, for the most part, weren't the most open-minded people in the world. Some were, don't get me wrong, but generally they were a bit hypercritical. I could not see Agnes Chambers setting foot in this place. But I could se her starting a letter writing campaign against it.
Poised under glass and in the window was a collection of Egyptian and Wiccan necklaces much like the one Iris had been wearing in choir tonight. In a second display, she offered more churchy-looking fare. And third was a table of fairy designed jewelry. I was definitely going to have to check out her shop a little more closely at a more appropriate time when church people weren't likely to track me down and question me about Delilah's murder.
When I finally arrived home, Tara wasn't there which on one hand shocked me and on another hand, I could understand. Tara wasn't my mother. She didn't have to wait up for me. Without her car in the driveway, the place looked abandoned.
I rented a small cottage that was behind the main estate. Some people would call it a Mother-In-Law's cottage but based on the size of the estate, I would consider it a servant's quarters. I could see scuffs on the floor where bunk beds had once stood. Plus, I swear, I a a vision of a servant girl at the large mirror the other day.
Yes, I have a bit of a psychic inkling in my head and I have been to my fair share of head shrinkers who had labeled me with everything from ADD to Schizophrenia. As a youth, I tried their medicines, but they only made me stupid and filled my head with a fog I couldn't shake off.
This is another reason I thought I'd make a bad witness. Most people from the town I grew up wouldn't take my word for anything. In a small town, once you get a label, it's hard to outgrow it.
I sat out on the back porch attached to Tara's residence and gazed up at the stairs. With all the lights out, every star seemed to wink at me. I had a book about constellations somewhere in my things, but I hadn't got to unpacking too much yet.
It was then I heard a noise from inside. If Tara had arrived home, there'd be some lights on but the house was still dark. I saw a flashlight bouncing around on the inside walls. I got out my cell and called 911 just as a figure dressed in black came barreling out of Tara's house. They bumped right into me, but i wasn't as lucky. This time the momentum of the blow wheeled me backward and when my knees hit the edge of the deck, I knew I was a goner. I was flying over the bannister in midair when the 911 operator came on the line.
"What is your emergency?"
I hoped she could hear me scream. As the dark pathway came hurtling toward my face, I passed out.
