chapter eleven: Ms. Matthews invites the women to attend church and introduces them to the congregation.
Is the Reverend Dead?
Chapter Twelve
Officer Boyd offers me a chair across from a desk that’s piled high with papers. I resist the urge to tidy. He opens the jewelry box.
“Reverend Paulson’s heart, finger, and eye,” I tell him. And that changes everything. He’s finally taking me seriously. I count the clues off on my fingers. “Ms. Matthews put the poison in the glass. She tried to hide the murder. She hid the body.”
“That’s what you say, but Ms. Matthews has been straightforward and helpful.” He lets that sink in. “But you, you’ve been playing us from the start. The body’s over here. No. Wait. The body’s gone. Ha. Ha. Fooled you.”
“I brought you the Reverend’s body parts.”
“And only one person could have access to those body parts—the murderer.”
“Hmm, pardon me? You can’t possibly think… I told you how I found them.”
He flips through his notebook. “A cat coughed up the finger. A witch gave you the heart. Ms. Matthews was sitting on the eyeball.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
“No, Mrs. Hazelton, that’s not right. Cats cough up hairballs. Witches are in fairy tales, like Snow White. I had a Grandmother. She told me bedtime stories. I’ve outgrown them. I don’t need to hear anymore.”
“I reported the murder. Why would the murderer report the murder?”
“Don’t leave the island, Mrs. Hazelton.”
Chapter Thirteen
On this blog in April
Are you following me?
