Secret Sins: Murder in the Church (13 page)

I cross a bridge into the interior of the hospital, and as I walk across the bridge I
am greeted warmly by a kiss from the sun and a full view of the landscape in
front of the hospital. I can see Forest Park and people playing tennis in the double
tennis court across the street and the cars entering and exiting the parking garage
sitting
directly in front of the hospital. Upon entering the main lobby of the
hospital, I was swept away by the various curves and vertical shapes that created a
swaying affect that would produce light- headedness in some people. Another part
of the large lobby is painted in earth and ocean tones and the enormous fountain
that sat in the center of the lobby hummed its own unique and peaceful lullaby.
The Information
and Concierge Services Desk is located in next to the
large
glass
display window of the gift shop. There are
various gift baskets of food and flowers, but it
was the gorgeous pink roses and snow white lilies arraignments that stole the show.
I paused for a moment of thought about my mother-in-law, Nadine and
everything she does for me and the girls, and that I would stop and pick her up
some flowers before I leave the hospital. I walked up to the desk and was greeted
by the receptionist with shoulder length blond hair and with blue eyes as deep as the
ocean and delicate southern drawl that
sounds like a throwback from the days of Gone With The Wind, “Good morning.
May I help you?”
I showed her my badge and replied, “What floor is the ICU on?”
She smiled politely and asked, “We have ten ICU’s here, but if you could give me
the patient’s name I’d be happy to look it up for you.”
“I’m looking for two patients, Shatoya and Jade Quinn,” I added.
It only took the receptionist a few quick keystrokes to find who I needed. She
jotted the information on a small piece of paper and handed it to me and point in
the direction of the elevators, “Take the North Elevator up to the second floor
ICU and the Nurse’s Station can help you from there.”
I smiled and replied, “Thank you.”
The Receptionist cheerfully said, “Have a good day Detective Breeze!”
As I and a crowd of people boarded the North Elevator, I remembered quickly
flashing my badge at the Receptionist and
I figured it was too fast for her to
have caught my name, but she had nevertheless, but I suppose it comes with her
job.
The elevator arrived at the second floor and I stepped off directly in front of the
Nurse’s Station and a female spoke in a smoky, fatigued, ICU-weary voice, “Who
are here to see Detective?”
From that moment I knew she was the type
that my badge would not carry any clout with
this Drill Sargent of a charge nurse. I flipped
my badge and responded, “Shatoya and Jade
Quinn.”
“They are heavily medicated and can’t talk right now,
so you’ll have to come
back,” she
said as she got up from the desk and scanned her identification
badge along
the
electronic
panel
on
the
wall,
then
walks
a
set
of
double doors
and
the
doors
automatically closed
behind her. I passed a waiting room as I approached the electronic double doors. I
made
up my mind to enter at the next opening. I could see through the small
window that the Nurse was sitting at another station just into the entryway looking
at a computer monitor.
She
glanced
up
at
me and continued gazing
without
blinking
at
the computer screen. I was standing in
front of the door when a
woman came out of the waiting room and asked, “You here to see my Grand
Daughters?”
I looked at the woman and her face seemed familiar, but I couldn’t place where I
knew her from. I took out my badge and showed it to her, and she responded,
“You don’t need to show me that Virginia, I know who you are, but it looks like
you don’t recognize me. I’m Prophetess Vergi Quinn.”
I said, “Oh course, I’m so sorry.” Of course I remember her now. She used to be
a Gypsy Fortune Teller back in the day, and after she had spiritual epiphany in
1959 while riding on the old Hodiamont Streetcar Line in St. Louis and claimed
Jesus appeared to her. She is still a Fortune Teller, but she works strictly within the
church and she is referred to as Divine Prophetess Quinn.
“I can get you in for a few minutes,” She explained, “They have been in and out
since they came in, but I wished I knew what
happened,” she said looking directly at me. The Nurse enters the waiting
room, “Mrs. Quinn you may go in for a few minutes.” Divine
Prophetess

Quinn
got
up
and motioned for me to follow, but the
nurse stopped us and said, “Only Family.”
“She is
family,”
said Devine Prophetess Quinn.
I wasn’t prepared for her to lie, but in is in no matter how you get in.
The Nurse give me a dirty look, “You might have
said
so
in
the
beginning
Detective and saved yourself a lot of trouble.” The electronic doors opened and
we entered following the Nurse, “Come this way,” she instructed. We were led to
room 2B and the Nurse explained, “Jade is still on life support and Shatoya has
some consciousness.”
I bent over the side of the rail and took Shatoya’s hand and asked, “I need to
find out what happened to you and your sister?” Shatoya
is
off the
ventilator,
but
she is struggling to take a breath, “I’ve seen your name on the membership
list.”
“Yes, when I have time” I said and smiled. The Nurse is standing nearby takes vitals
for Jade in the next bed and she turned to me and said, “Keep it short.”
Still
holding
Shatoya
hand
I asked again, “What happened?”
“Jade tried to warn me, but I wouldn’t listen and took it anyway,” said Shatoya.
Shatoya’s Grandmother asked, “Take what?”
I told her, “Take your time.” I tried to get bits and pieces of information and she
tried to tell me.
“We took the Lottery Ticket from Ray Murdock,” she said.
Her Grandmother in shock, “You two stole from a dead man.”
Shatoya starts coughing and the Nurse comes over, “It’s time for you to leave.”
I released her hand and her Grandmother took her hand, “Grandma…it’s cursed.”
There was a sudden loud pitch beeping sound followed by alarms and teams of
people rushing in and pushed Divine Prophetess Quinn and I out into the hall. I
remained with her until Reverend Shawn Graves arrived. Vergi was surprised to
see Shawn, “I thought Junkyard was coming over?”
“The insurance company finally sent in all the paperwork for Jade and Shatoya’s car
and Junkyard had to go pick the car up at
the police tow yard,” said Reverend
Graves, “But, he’ll be her.”
Shawn was caught off guard at my presence and he kept looking at me looking
at him. I thought it rather odd that he would be wearing leather driving gloves
on such a warm day as this. The current temperature is almost ninety-two with a
heat index of one hundred and two degrees. Shawn rubbed his nose with his index
finger and said, “I don’t think either of the girls are in any condition to talk to you
right now Detective Breeze.”
Vergi never let on that I had already spoken to Shatoya and neither did I, and we
left it at that. I looked at Shawn Graves closely and tried to discern whether or
not the man that stood before me was Shawn Graves or Eric Campbell and that is
when it hit me. How could I have missed it and it was in front of
me the entire time.
Divine Prophetess Quinn looked at Shawn
and said, “Thank you for coming.”
“I wouldn’t leave you here alone. Nichelle should be here soon,” he told her.
Shawn sat down in the chair next to Divine Prophetess Quinn and she looks at
him and asks, “Aren’t your hands hot in those leather gloves?”
He looks at her and said, “These are my hospital gloves…I don’t want to catch
anything.”
I
thought
hundred outside and it’s too hot for any kind of gloves,” and in an attempt to keep
her mind off of the twins she continues looking at his hands and the gloves, “I
know you’re self-conscious
about the burns on your hands, but you’re among
friends.”
I stuck around to see whether or not he would remove his gloves, but his wife,
Nichelle came in and interrupted and hugged Vergi, “I’m so sorry,” said Nichelle.
Shawn never took them off, so I quietly excused myself.
Vergi bought
his explanation,
but
I guess
she didn’t, “It’s over
a

Detective West was outside puking up his guts when I drove up, but he managed
to get his stomach in working order long enough to streaming out orders like a
Drill Sargent, “Put on your Forensic Protection suits now!”
I made no reply and grabbed a suit from a nearby technician and went into the
church.
The stench hit me like a line drive and went
through the Forensic Protection suit like it
was
being
controlled some
special
stench
guidance
system.
The
stench
penetrated
through the mask and flew straight up my
nostrils as I walked as I walked toward the
open
casket. The
team used this
as
an opportunity to stand back so they
could get a breath of fresh air while I took a good look inside at Tyrone Lane and
the dense globs of blood that stained the interior of the coffin. For once, I decided
this would be a good opportunity to stay out of the action and allow the
Forensics Team to do their job. I exited the church and snatched the head gear
and mask from my face and flung it to the ground and coughed as I tried to
catch my breath. My lungs felt like a great battle was being waged between the
stench and the fresh air.

The entire church congregation was waiting and watching from the North
side of the parking lot.
I saw everyone, even
my Mother-in-law, Nadine. The
only missing persons were Shawn and Nichelle Grave and
Kristen Lane. Detective West approaches me and asks, “You okay?”
“Yeah, just needed to catch my breath,” I said.
I continued standing there watching the church congregation mingle as though they
are at a dinner party. The Undertaker, Brad Mosley and Junkyard Prophet are in
a heated discussion, and Brad Mosley gets directly in Junkyard Prophet’s face and
the congregation gathers around them like school children watching a fight. “We’d
better get over there,” I told Captain West.
Captain West used the power of his weight to push his way through to the center
of the crowd, “Alright! Break it up!”
Brad Mosley turned a deaf ear to me and Detective West and he grabbed Junkyard
Prophet by the collar with one his right hand, “Listen
here
you Jackleg,
selfappointed, internet ordained, Son-of-a…”
Brad was about to connect a left hook at the Junkyard Prophet, but Captain West
forcefully jerked Brad off of the Junkyard Prophet. Detective West demanded in a
loud stern voice, “Stop it now!”
Junkyard Prophet looked relieved to be out of Brad Mosley’s Goliath hands and he
didn’t want to admit that he was scared to death and cracked
his
trademark
charismatic
smile
and said
to
Detective
Reed, “I’m
glad
you
came over and
pulled my off him,” he joked and the crowd laughed.
Troy walked over to his father and Brad looked at him, “Everything’s fine.”
I stood next to Brad and asked, “How in the hell did this happen.”
Brad was about to get angry
again and said, “Look! Someone is targeting my
mortuary for some purpose I don’t understand!”
I raised my hands and said, “Lower you voice and calm down.”
There was no point in questioning Troy because I know he lives the life of a
playboy and the funeral business is the least of his interests. I looked Brad directly
in the eyes and demanded, “Where is the body of Ray Murdock?”
Troy
answered, “He was in the coffin!” Captain West walks over and looks at
Troy and asks, “What in hell going on now?”
Troy looked sidelong at Captain West and answers, “Doggoned
if
I
know…Deacon Murdock done did a Lazarus number again.” Brad looks at Troy and
holds down his head with embarrassment and Captain West shifted his weight from
one foot to the other and said, “Sounds reasonable enough for me at the
moment.”
Commander Keel, Chief of Forensics pulls me to one side and we walked to his
Mobil Crime Lab Van and handed me a plastic bag containing a box of .22 caliber
bullets. Commander Keel, “We found it in the coffin.”
I shook the package and I could hear the raddle of bullets and the box was old and
faded from age and there are no scan bars on the package. Captain West walks over
and takes the box and all he needed was one quick look, “These fit what used to be
called a Saturday night special.”
He hands me a second bag containing a single
.22 caliber bullet and he explained, “Dr.
Hussein just fished it out of the victim’s palm and he thinks there are somewhere
between fifteen to twenty bullets in the body.”
“It’s small and easy to conceal,” I suggested. Captain West added, “Saturday night
specials only took six bullets at a time.”
“The
shooter
reloaded
and
someone
was very
angry,”
I
question his wife, Kristen.”
Captain West and I walked across the parking lot and to our respective unmarked
police cars, “I got your back.”
“Sounds good,” I said as I got into my car. Detective West and the two police
cars tailgated the entire trip to Kristen Lane’s house.
I
thought:
Ray
Murdock
was a
well- known Deacon of the church and it’s not unusual to see a packed
church.
Nadine
and some
of
her
church
friends
Grapevine Doctrine. Nadine
told
me
months
ago
Nichelle and Tyrone had been sneaking around, and that there would be trouble if
Kristen ever found out. I remember a girl named, Drew that was asked never to
return to Spirit Temple Pentecostal Christian Church because she was going out
with one of the members that was wealthy and married. Mother Beulah and the
Devine Prophetess Quinn took her to the side and told her she needed to find
another church and since Drew never tithed more than a dollar, the male members
would be better off without her.
continued shooting him,” I surmised, “Sounds like