Chapter Five:
The church was of modest size, located downtown and made of stone; thick and strong. She allowed herself to imagine all the elements it must've faced through the years just to remain standing, all the secrets it contained under its roof. It had a rustic feel to it, with vines and moss growing out of the cracks in the stones, and though it had been sometime since Angie had set foot inside a church, she couldn't help but feel at peace the moment she was inside.
They entered into a parlor, which held a few chairs and led through a series of arches, each leading to another division of the church. She took a breath and inhaled the scent of pine and wood, smiling to herself. It reminded her of the forest her grandfather would take her on walks in. He would smoke on his pipe and stop here and there to explain to her the differences between the trees. Even after his death, there were certain scents she always associated with him, and here in the church she was flooded with memories.
Christmas was very much present, each doorway was adored with two poinsettias, deep red and lush. There was even a Christmas tree located in one of the corners, decorated with lights and draping with tinsel. She thought about all the holidays she spent with her son. How she would wake him up in the early morning hours and how he raced out eager to see what Santa had left him. She missed that, the innocence of seeing the holiday through a child's eyes. This would be her first Christmas she would be waking up alone in an empty house. She frowned and tucked a strand of blonde hair behind her ear, trying to get her mind back on the task at hand.
Her partner seemed to pick up on her sudden discomfort and quickly reached out a hand, planting it firmly against the small of her back. His touch was warm, even through the thick fabric of her coat. She signed and leaned into him, allowing his comfort without words. His hand adjusted slightly, lowering to wrap his fingers possessively along her hip as he guided her into the next room. Here, the room opened to a larger division. In the far back she could see a stage-like area, which was lined with several pews. She realized that they were standing in the heart of the building; the place people came to worship, to ask for forgiveness, to seek prayers, to confess their sins and wrong-doings.
Angie carried her share of burdens; things that she had done that she wasn't proud of. She didn't really attend church, considering herself more of a spiritual person than religious. But she admired the aspect of faith, of having something to believe in.
She glanced around, noting the several smaller rooms. She guessed that is where they would hold Sunday school lessons, or other classes. Almost as if on cue a lady appeared out of one of the rooms. She was short and stocky and had light auburn hair that fell in curls around her head. She smiled pleasantly at the detectives as she quickly approached to greet them. "Can I help you, folks?"
Automatically, Oscar and Angie lifted their badges in union, a routine they were quite accustomed too. "Detectives Flynn and Vega," Angie stated, taking the lead. "We're investigating a murder and we believe the victim may have been a member your church. Is there anyone here that would know this information?"
The woman appeared completely in shock at hearing Angie's words. "A murder…that's horrible," she paused, trying to collect her thoughts. "The pastor isn't here at the moment, but my name is Peggy White and I guess you can say I'm the person in charge behind the scenes, so to speak. I'm willing to help with your investigation in any way that I can."
"We appreciate that Ms. White," Vega began. "Could you tell us if Sarah Walker was a member of this church?"
Peggy nodded her head. "Sarah's dead?"
"I'm sorry," Vega offered, glancing down at his shoes for a moment before clearing his throat. "Ms. White, we were hoping to get some insight on why someone would want to harm her. Was there anyone in your congregation that didn't like her?"
Peggy's eyes grew wide. "You think someone from the church murdered her?"
"We didn't say that," Angie injected. "We're just trying to get as much information as we can." She shot Vega a warning look. He shrugged his shoulders in response.
"Sarah only recently became a member," Peggy explained. "It's only been about a month since she joined. I can't think of anyone who had an issue with her. She kept mainly to herself, pretty quiet for the most part." She shook her head as she thought for a moment. "Two weeks ago, she did start to volunteer to work in our office, to help with our record keeping and such. We're in the middle of transferring everything over to a computer software program. She wanted to get more involved and with her computer experience, I was grateful for her help." Her voice cracked slightly. "I can't believe she was murdered."
Angie cleared her throat. "You said she was helping transfer records over to a computer program? What kind of records exactly?" She reached into her coat pocket and pulled out her notepad, turning to a blank page, preparing to take down notes.
"I know we are a little behind in modern technology, but as you can imagine the church has limited funds to work with," Peggy said, attempting to give the detectives a small smile. "Currently, we're in the process of switching over our financial records. Sarah was assisting Marie Manuel with that."
"Marie wouldn't happen to be here today, would she," Vega asked.
"Actually, she is," the woman answered, pointing in the direction down the hall. "She's in the last room to the left. I can take you to her, if you wish to speak to her."
"If you don't mind," Angie said, smiling warmly at Peggy.
"Of course," Peggy replied. "But you have to excuse the mess, detectives." She shoved a box aside with her foot. "We are preparing for our yearly Christmas yard sale; all profits go to charity. It's this weekend, if you're interested, or feel free to look around today if you like."
"We'll do that, thank you," Vega offered, as he followed the woman down the hall.
They entered to room to find a young woman sitting at a desk typing away. She had several files scattered around her. She glanced up at the commotion, eyeing them curiously.
"Marie, this is Detective Flynn and Vega. I'm afraid I have some bad news. Sarah was murdered the other night and the detectives would like to ask you some questions." Peggy quickly informed her then glanced at Angie and Vega, stepping aside to allow them to do their job.
"How well did you know Sarah," Vega asked, studying the woman.
Marie swallowed as she wiped her hands over her eyes and through her long blonde hair. "I'm afraid not very well," she explained. "I mean, she just recently started helping out in the office. She seemed like a nice enough lady."
"Can you think of anyone who would want to harm her," Angie asked.
"No, I can't. Like I said, I barely knew her. She seemed to get along with everyone. I'm sorry I'm not much help."
"That's okay," Angie said. "Could we get a copy of the records Sarah and you were working on?"
Marie frowned. "I'm sorry, but those records are confidential."
"Don't be silly, Marie," Peggy interrupted. "It's just our financial records, where the church money is being spent. We have nothing to hide and if it will help with their investigation, I don't see a problem." She picked up a binder from the desk. "I'll make you a copy detectives."
As she headed to the copy machine the detectives made their way out into the hallway, glancing at the items for the yard sale. Angie glanced inside one of the boxes and inhaled sharply. "Hey, Vega, come look at this."
He gave her a puzzling expression as he walked in her direction and glanced over her shoulder. "Well would you look at that," he whispered into her ear.
"Here you go, detectives," Peggy announced, handing them a copy of the records.
"Can you tell us who left this box?" Angie asked.
Peggy glanced in the box and then at them. "Actually, that was left on the doorstep the other night. People are always donating anonymously."
"We would like to take this box with us and leave a donation," Vega said, pulling out his checkbook. He wrote out a figure that Angie couldn't see and handed it to Peggy, who upon seeing the number on the check broke out in wide smile.
"That was very generous of you detectives. God bless."
Vega turned slightly red as he took the box from Angie. "Let's see if this Wiseman is our murder weapon."