Baptist DISTINCTIVE: An Adam Mykonos Mystery (The Adam Myknonos Mystries) (25 page)

 
“I
also know she is traumatized, not speaking or responding to any one at the Blaine
House. But what I don’t know is whether she killed her Father and Mac or she saw
who did.”

Ivy jumped up and slapped a hand on the
table. “My child did not kill anyone.” She shouted.

“Sit down Ivy, before the C.O. comes in.” I
said softly. She obeyed reluctantly.
 
She
sobbed a little as she added “She did not.”

I took a deep breathe “Well the only way I
am going to know that for sure is to talk to her.”

“Pastor Longstreet did.” Ivy responded.

“And we believe him now? Sorry not me Ivy.”

“You don’t have children.” She said as a
commendation.

“Not biological that I know of. I have
Roberta and Donald.”

“They are not yours.”

I was going to argue but she needed to be
mean and who was I to deny her.

“No.”

“I would rather rot in here than have
Miriam accused of killing her father.”

“I can see that, but Miriam is clearly
upset. Very upset. The life she is leading now is not one a good parent would
want for their child.

“I….” She had no response.

“I’m going to go see Longstreet and I am
going to talk to Miriam.”

I banged on the door alerting the C.O. to
my need to get out. Ivy sat silently.

She never said a word as I left and the
door slammed behind me.

As I pulled away from the county jail I
called my pastor.

“Luke, I need to see Miriam right away.”

I could see him blink over the phone.
“What?”

“Please Pastor.”

“I am out in the field give me an hour” He
finally responded.

“Okay.”

I hung up before he could ask why I was so
adamant about seeing Miriam
 
and I
ignored his call back as I zipped down RT 40 and out towards the church.

Chapter
Thirty

I parked where the sign said reserved for
Associate. Since Luke was no longer there and they had not yet hired another
associate I figured why not. I did not stop this time to shoot the breeze with
Perky Patty instead I brushed past her and her cries of “Adam wait.” and
directly into Longstreet’s office.

A couple who I vaguely recognized sat in
the chairs in front of Longstreet’s desk. The Once and Current Pastor of
Calvary wore his standard Colonel Sanders suit with a bolo tie.

“Brother Adam, I am in the middle of
something.”

I cut him off “Darn right you are. You are
in the middle of a mess right up to your southern rear end. “

I looked at the young couple and recognized
them as Duncan Lacheln and his finance Lisa whose last name was something or
other. “You are going to want to leave.”

“Now see here Sir.” Said Longstreet.

“No sir, you see here. They can leave or I
can air all the dirt in front of them, up to you, you have three seconds.”

Longstreet stood behind his desk, his
gnarled fist balled and resting on the top. “Duncan can you and Lisa give me a
moment with Mister Mykonos?”

The young man continued to sit.

“Get out.” I said with real malice.

He scampered away. The girl looked back
with more admiration than fear. Better she know now he was a coward.

Longstreet sat back down. “This had best be
worth all this commotion Brother Adam.”

“Did Miriam confess to you that she killed
her Father and Mac?”

“Sit please this standing makes me
nervous.”

I kept on standing.

He sighed deeply. “No, she remembers little
of that night. Speaks of it even less.”

“And so you thought it best not to tell me
or the police she was there that night.”

“It seems to me Sir, that it was the job of
the police to find out that Miriam was at Mackenzie’s home that evening. Yours
as well I assume. But the police were satisfied that they had caught Ivy with
the gun in her hand. Mac’s gun by the way. Not that you ever asked. And you my
friend seemed satisfied with chasing after my Son-In-Law because you have a
personal dislike for racist, and could in the long run care less who killed
your friend.”

“Why you sanctimonious old crow.”

He laughed. “I’m sanctimonious, really? You
get this piece of information and come charging in here like Sherman marching
to the sea accusing me of whatever it is you think you are accusing me of, and
not for one second thinking that I acted in exactly the way YOUR friend would
have wanted me to act. I protected his daughter.”

“Just like you protected Nancy all these
years?”

“Nancy is not a simpleton.”

“Neither is Miriam.”

“That is up for debate. In either case both
Joshua and Ivy thought she was immature.”

I huffed. Not the best response of the day.

 
“So
what exactly did Miriam tell you and what did you tell her?” I finally asked.

“She was very upset. Clearly distraught and
so I did the wisest thing I told her that she should never under any circumstances
tell anyone about that evening. That the matter was settled between her and the
Lord and that she not trouble herself with it.”

Just like that.”

“As her Pastor that was my recommendation
and she like a good child followed it. She will not speak of the matter.”

I snapped. I reached across the desk and grabbed
the old man by his suit collar. He was about three inches shorter, thirty
pounds lighter and thirty years older than me but I could still feel him strengthen
as he pulled back.

“Understand me.” I said softly pressing my
face as close as I could to his across the expanse of the desk. “An innocent
woman is in jail. She will be freed. An innocent child is carrying a secret
that is destroying her mind. She will be helped. And if you make any effort to
stand in my way than I will crumble this building down around your head.”

I released him with a shove and strode out
of the office.

Longstreet yelled to Patty. “Hold him.”

She reached and grabbed my arm

I spun and pulled away. “Patty, I like you,
but understand I like you in the same way as I like Humming Birds, cute in a
way but of no significance. I was in prison it is a serious and fatal mistake
to grab at me. Do not presume to hold me back or to interfere in a matter that
is above your job classification.”

I walked out. I could hear the Old Man on
my heels as I went down the hall.

I knew I needed to calm down before I spoke
with Miriam but I was in no mood for calm.

I stormed out and into my car and drove
off. And it was at that moment that I made a dreadful mistake. No let me
rephrase that, it was at that moment that the wheel turned. Instead of driving
to the Blaine house I spun around and headed back to the diner. I needed to
talk to Rita.

Chapter
Thirty-One

A half hour later Rita and I sat in a booth
a Lighthouse sipping coffee.

“So you set to go and speak with her now?”
My wife said after having spent the time talking me off the ledge.

“Yes.”

“Okay, big question then, do you think she
killed her father and Mac?”

I shook my head. “I think two different
people killed Josh and Mac and I don’t think Miriam was either of them, but she
saw something, something that shook her.”

Roberta came over and filled our coffee. “Too
bad it ain’t your creepy friend” she said displaying once again her talent for eavesdropping.

I laughed. “You really don’t like him do
you.”

“Eight days of him coming in here, ordering
the same breakfast and being rude is wearing thin.”

Her mother smiled. “And you would have had
two of those days off if you hadn’t gone to New York last month and used sick
time.”

“I’m your daughter.”

“Get a DNA test and prove it.” Her mother said
with a smile.

Roberta stomped off dramatically.

I sat happy to be with my wife. My cell
rang.

“Brother Adam.”
 
Luke Blaine said without introduction. “Just
what is going on here, Doug Hallman just came by with some paper signed by a
judge and took Miriam.”

“What???”

“He said that Ivy and Beau Longstreet both
called him and told him that he had best get her out of my care. Ann is upset
and I am trying to get Ric on the phone. How did he do this?”

“I’m not sure Pastor.” I said. “But I will
find out.”

I hung up and turned to Rita as I rose to
go. “Do me a favor call The Courthouse and find out who issued the order
turning Miriam over to Doug Hallman.”

“The Blaine’s just let her go like that?
Did he bring Sheriff?”

“Not likely. The Blaine’s are too good at
being up right citizens; the court order was all he needed. Talk to Bill Shank
at Hagerstown PD if you need to or Jake Welter at County.”

“Where are you going?”

“Over to the Holiday Inn Express to talk to
Dougie.”

Three minutes later I was at the front desk
of the local Holiday Inn Express.

“Can you tell me what room Doug Hallman is
in?” I asked the pimple faced teen age desk clerk.

She smiled that sweet fake smile that so
many of her generation have. “I’m sorry Sir, Mr. Hallman checked out just a few
minutes ago, you may have even passed him in the lot.”

“Checked out?”

“Yes, he and his niece. Strange child. He
said he picked her up this afternoon from his sister and was going to take her
to Antietam and then head on home with her.”

Okay, I thought what the heck was going on
here. I thanked the clerk and jumped back into my car. From Massey Blvd where
the Holiday Inn is the fastest way to the Antietam battlefield was to cut
across I70 and then down route 68. I sped along hoping that Doug had not been lying
to the clerk and wondering why he would be lying if he did lie.

Oh no.

I floored the car.

As I did I fumbled with my phone and called
Longstreet.

“Brother Adam I hope this is important.”

“Did you have Doug Hallman fill out
paperwork to take Miriam from the Blaine’s?”

“I spoke with Brother Hallman and he
informed me that it was unlikely a judge would grant such an order. Why?”

“Because he presented one to the Blaine
less than an hour ago and now is on his way to Antietam with Miriam.”

“Why?”

“You tell me. “

“Oh my Lord.”

“Call my wife and then the cops.” I said as
I hung up.

See I’m not as dumb as I look calling Rita
to call the cops would only end up with her showing up, and calling them myself
would require far too much explanation.

I zipped into the parking area at Antietam
and came to a halt. The battlefield is a vast area covering more than eight miles
on a car tour. A goodly size chunk of Sharpsburg is located in the confines of
the national battlefield. Hallman could literally be anywhere.

But he would need to be away from the
crowds I thought. Somewhere here but not here.
 
It was hopeless, by the time I or even the police scouted the area we
would be too late.

“Lord” I said as I sat on the hood of my
car. “I am still not sure what is happening here, nor do I have the time to
figure it out. I know in my heart that I have to find Miriam, please Lord Guide
me make my steps your steps. Lead me to this child. In Jesus’ name I pray.
Amen”

What I just prayed about steps not
withstanding I jumped back in my car, the battle field was far too big to cover
on foot, I closed my eyes for a moment then turned towards the sunken road.

One of the things I had learned as a cop,
especially during my time in homicide was that for many criminals there is a
moment when your mind snaps. The most perfectly sane person can commit a crime
but the stress of doing so wears on them, until that moment when the cover up
becomes their reason for existence and the whole of that existence begins to
spiral out of control.

My college history teacher, along with my Sainted
Irish Mother, spoke in my mind as I headed for the Sunken Road:

The second phase of the Battle of Antietam
was an attack on the center of the Confederate line. The Confederates had found
a natural defensive position, a narrow road used by farm wagons which had
become sunken due to wear from wagon wheels and erosion caused by rain. This
obscure sunken road would become famous as "Bloody Lane" by the end
of the day.

Approaching five brigades of Confederates
positioned in this natural trench, Union troops marched into a withering fire.
Observers said the troops advanced across open fields "as if on
parade." The shooting from the sunken road stopped the advance, but more
Union troops came up behind those who had fallen. Eventually the Union attack
succeeded following a gallant charge by the famed Irish Brigade, regiments of
Irish immigrants from New York and Massachusetts. Advancing under a green flag
with a golden harp on it, the Irish fought their way to the sunken road and
unleashed a furious volley of fire at the Confederate defenders. The effort
cost the Irish though with a 60% causality count coming up from the Sunken
Road.