I kept reading, looking for more. “March 1985—‘Doogie brought deposit slips for recreation center fund. Numbers look good on paper. Board pleased with progress.’”
“Who’s Doogie?” Dottie asked, reading over my shoulder.
“No idea,” I said. “Never heard anyone called that around here.”
“No,” Dottie said, her glasses slipping down her nose. “I haven’t either.”
“Keep reading,” Dash said. “See if there are more entries about this Doogie person or the recreation center fund.”
I kept flipping pages and skimming over Reverend Pickering’s words. “Jordy Kerr had a gambling problem and lost his house payment at the racetrack. Asked for financial help from the church so his wife doesn’t kill him. Amos Bledsoe lost his job and he and his wife Carla were struggling to put food on the table. They asked for groceries to tide them over until he can find work. Drew Watson’s wife found his stash of Playboy magazines and made him sleep on the couch.”
“I always knew he was a perv,” Bea said. “It was in the eyes. He had shifty eyes.”
“Well, he’s dead now, isn’t he,” Dottie said. “So it hardly matters.”
“Here we go,” I said. “April 1985—‘Doogie said deposit records are missing. The board wants to move forward with breaking ground. Will have to go down to the bank and get copies.’”
I kept reading, but there were no more entries about Doogie or the recreation center fund. The later entries focused on other pastoral matters and concern about the gossip about him and Ruby.
“August 30, 1985—‘I’m going to have to make a decision soon. The children are grown, so I don’t have to worry about them. But what do I do? My vows are with June and my heart is with Ruby. I’m starting to question everything. I can leave the church. I can leave my wife. But I don’t know if I can leave Ruby.
“‘I know June knows. I can tell by the way she looks at me. That’s my fault. Ruby and I haven’t been as careful as we should have been. Elder Crenshaw continues to scold me like a child, but he can’t remove me from my position. Not with what I know. But I do know things can’t stay the same. I know there are whispers through the congregation, and many of the families Ruby cleaned for have quietly let her go. She can’t afford to stay here any longer. She needs a fresh start. We both do.’”
The back room had gone very quiet except for the sound of Carly handling customers in the front and Chowder’s rhythmic snoring from his armchair.
“We’re missing something,” Walt said, studying the murder board with his arms crossed. “We know about the embezzlement, we know about the affair. But we still don’t know who actually pulled the trigger.”
“Jane Sutherland might know,” I said. “Bea, did you ever get anywhere with her after she hung up on you?”
Bea shook her head, frustration evident in the tight line of her mouth. “I’ve tried three more times. She won’t answer my calls anymore. I even sent her an email—very carefully worded, very professional—explaining that we’re officially reopening the case and that her testimony could help bring justice for two murder victims. Nothing. Complete silence.”
“Then we move forward without her,” Dash said. “At least for now.”
Dash stood, moving to the murder board with the restless energy of someone who needed to move to think. “All right. Let’s organize what we know. We’ve got too many threads—we need to see how they connect.”
He pulled down a blank section of the board and started writing, his handwriting surprisingly neat for someone who seemed to do everything with intensity.
VICTIMS:
Reverend George Pickering—shot execution style
Ruby Bailey—shot three times, tongue removed postmortem
Both positioned to look like lovers
MOTIVE—MONEY:
$200,000+ missing from church building fund
Forged deposit slips with Pickering’s signature
Multiple finance committee members made large purchases 1986–1987
Pickering’s notebook: “he can’t remove me from my position. Not with what I know”
MOTIVE—COVER-UP:
Affair was public knowledge—scandal but not murder-worthy
