White Cloud Retreat (2 page)

Kelly grabbed her phone from her
pocket and with a trembling hand, punched in Mike’s number. He picked up the
call immediately. “How was class, Sweetheart?” he asked.

“You need to come to the
Retreat Center right now,” she said shakily. “Scott’s been murdered. I just
discovered his body in the forest behind the Center. Hurry!”

“I’m on my way. Don’t hang
up. Okay, I’m in my patrol car and heading out. I’ll be there in a few minutes.
Tell me specifically where you are.”

She was dazed with an
uncomprehending look on her face as she stood staring at Scott’s body, the
phone in her hand. “Kelly, answer me,” she heard Mike saying. “Tell me where
you are. Are you all right? Whoever killed him could still be in the area. You
might be in danger. Is anyone with you?”

She shook her head, trying
to clear away the image in front of her. “No, I’m alone. I’m in the forest
behind the center, on the far right side. Take the path named Tranquility and
about halfway down it you’ll see a path that leads to the right. It’s a
shortcut. I’ll wait for you.”

“All right. Stay there.
You’re probably safe. I imagine whoever did it is gone by now. I need to call
Rich. Don’t touch Scott or anything else.”

She continued to look at
Scott, trying to understand why anyone would want to kill him. No one came to
mind. All she could think about was how everyone loved and respected the man. A
few minutes later, she heard footsteps behind her and whirled around. “Oh Mike,
I’m so glad you’re here.” She ran over to him and tearfully threw her arms
around him.

“Kelly, it’s okay. I’m
here.” He held her closely, gently stroking her back. Soon, he could feel her
body stop shaking. “Stay here,” he said, releasing her and walking over to
Scott’s body. He was quiet for several minutes and then he turned back to her.
“Kelly, you were right. He’s dead and it’s an obvious homicide.”

They heard footsteps and
saw Mike’s chief deputy sheriff, Rich, striding towards them, gun drawn.
Several students were following him. “Rich, secure the area as an active crime
scene and call the coroner. Also, you need to alert our crime scene
investigators and have them come out here as soon as possible.”

“Step back, everyone,”
Rich said. He took his phone out of its holster and made the calls Mike had
requested. A large man pushed through the quickly gathering crowd and ran past
Mike and Rich. He stopped and stared at Scott’s body lying on the forest floor.

Mike walked over to him
and put his hand on the man’s arm. “Don’t touch the body. This is now a crime
scene. I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

“That’s my brother and I’m
not leaving him! What happened?” he screamed. “Who did this?” He fell to the
ground, sobbing, and put his arms around Scott’s immobile body.

Kelly had met Scott’s
brother, Luke Monroe, on several prior occasions and had taken a couple of yoga
classes from him. She walked over to where Luke was lying prostrate on the
ground. “I’m so sorry. I was coming back from the walking meditation and took a
shortcut. At first when I saw Scott’s beard I thought it was a black bear.” She
began to cry again and was so overcome with emotion she couldn’t speak.

Mike had been on his phone
while Kelly spoke to Luke. He turned to face what had quickly become a crowd of
people. “I want each one of you to remain here. My deputy and I need to talk to
you. We’ll be with you shortly. While you’re waiting, try to think if you saw
or heard anything unusual.” He turned to Kelly. “I’ll begin with you. I want
you to tell me everything you saw and heard from the moment you drove up the
road leading to the Center.”

She recounted everything
to him. “Kelly, were there any unusual people in the class? Was there anything
different during the class or did you notice something or hear anything when
you were out here walking?”

“This is my first class at
the Center in a couple of months, so I really don’t know much. I recognized
some familiar faces from when I’ve taken workshops and classes here over the
years, but that’s about it. As for when I was walking in the forest, I didn’t
see or hear anything unusual. I sure didn’t hear anything that sounded like a
gunshot.”

Mike turned to Luke. “I’ll
need to talk to you at length. I recall Kelly telling me that you moved here
from the East Coast and were helping Scott run the Center. I’d like you to try
and think of anyone who might have a motive for killing your brother. I know
this is terribly painful for you, but tell me everything that comes to you, no
matter how trivial you may think it is. I’ll get back to you later.

“Rich, I’ve called Dave
and Joe. I told them to get to the Center as fast as they could. I’ll start
interviewing these people here, but in the meantime, I want you to go back to the
Center and put the people who are there in one room. When Dave and Joe get here
they can interview them, then I need you to come back here and help me with
these people. Dave and Joe should be here within minutes. Kelly, you can go
home now. Do you think you can drive?”

“Yes,” she said in a shaky
voice. She walked over to Luke. “Your brother was one of the finest men I’ve
ever known. I promise you we’ll find out who did this.” She looked up at Mike
and noticed him shaking his head when she said “we.” He wasn’t very happy with
her involvement in his cases. That had been the only disturbing element in
their otherwise perfect relationship. She didn’t know how she was going to find
out who killed Scott, only that she would. She wished she could have stayed and
listened to what everyone had to say, but she knew that for now, Mike wanted
her to leave. She was already planning on finding a way to talk to Luke
tomorrow without offending Mike or making it look like she was once again
getting involved in one of his cases.

Rich felt the tension and unrest as
soon as he opened the front door of the Retreat Center. The crowd of men and
women couldn’t figure out why there were two sheriff’s cars in the Center’s
parking lot. He heard snippets of conversations indicating that rumors were
being born. Within minutes the sound of sirens was heard and soon blue and red
flashing lights filled the lot. Dave and Joe threw open the doors of their
patrol cars and raced up the steps to the front door.

Students from the
different classes held at the Center, people taking part in the residential
training program, and workers at the Center were all talking to one another,
trying to find out what happened. The rumor that Zen Master Scott was dead was
circulating like wildfire, but everyone hoped it was only that, an unfounded
rumor. They’d gravitated toward the large yoga room and Rich sequestered them
in it. He saw Dave and Joe in the hallway when they entered the building.

“Dave, Joe, stay where you
are, there in the hallway.” He turned to the crowd of concerned people gathered
in the room. “I’m sorry to confirm what you may have heard, that Zen Master
Scott was killed earlier...” He was interrupted by a number of people asking
him who had done it, when it had happened, how it had been done, and every
other question that popped into their minds. Several people began crying, some
openly sobbing, others silently weeping. Zen Master Scott was beloved by all of
them.

Rich continued, “There are
two officers out in the hall who will be interviewing you shortly. If you think
of anything you may have seen or heard which seemed unusual, please tell them.
They’ll want to know where you were between 3:00 p.m. and 3:20 p.m. this
afternoon. Evidently Mr. Monroe was killed sometime during that time frame. He
was in this room teaching a yoga class until 3:00 p.m. when he took the class
into the forest for a walking meditation. His body was found by one of the
students at 3:20 p.m., so it’s a pretty safe guess to say he was killed
sometime between 3:00 p.m. and 3:20 p.m. Please cooperate fully with these
officers. Finding the killer of Scott Monroe is our primary concern. I’m
returning to the scene of the murder to interview the students who gathered
there following the walking meditation.”

He walked out of the room
and into the hall. “Dave, Joe, the people in that room all have something to do
with the Center. Some are students who take classes here and others live on the
property, either working here or taking part in the residential training
program. I understand there are some priests and nuns who live on the property,
probably in one of the other buildings, and Mike and I will interview them.
Anyway, I want you to find out where each of these people was between 3:00 p.m.
and 3:20 p.m. this afternoon as well as any other relevant information you can
find out from them. When you’re finished, give Mike or me a call. If you’re
comfortable releasing them, go ahead, but make sure you have contact
information for each of them. If there’s anything you think we need to know,
don’t hesitate to call us. Talk to you later.

*****

Well, I guess he should have taken me
up on my offer to come to my apartment. If I can’t have him, I’m glad no one
else can either. He may have said he was celibate, but I never believed him.
Guess now I’ll never find out. He was the only person beside my mother who ever
really cared for me. I remember when he told me I had pretty feet, just like
she used to tell me. I wonder if I’ll miss him as much as I miss her.

Kelly quietly got out of bed and tiptoed out of the
bedroom. She didn’t want to wake up Mike. He’d called her the evening before,
telling her he wouldn’t be home for several hours and not to wait up for him.
He’d been tied up at the Center interviewing people and then he had to go to
his office to do the necessary paperwork on the case. She let Rebel, the guard
dog she’d had for several years, and Lady, her new Labrador retriever puppy,
out the back door, and made some coffee.

I need to talk to Luke. He and Scott
were close, plus he was helping Scott run the Center. He must know something.
Think I’ll go to the coffee shop, make a casserole, and take it out to the
Center and give it to him. He can either eat it today or freeze it and have it
later.

She opened the door and let the dogs back
in. Lady stayed next to Rebel, imitating whatever he did. The drug agent who
had trained Rebel and then was killed in the line of duty had made sure Rebel
was housebroken, stayed off of the furniture, and didn’t chew on non-doggy
treats. Lady was so enamored of her “big brother,” she wanted to be just like
him. Fortunately, he was a very good role model for the growing little bundle
of fur to follow. At four months old, she was stepping out of puppyhood. She
slept next to Rebel, ate next to him, and accompanied him when he patrolled the
property to make sure Kelly was safe. Privately Kelly thought Lady was as
observant as Rebel. She’d noticed in the short time she’d had Lady that she was
becoming as devoted to her as Rebel had once been. She was pretty sure that one
of the reasons Mike had gotten Lady for her was because Rebel was gradually
switching his loyalty from Kelly to Mike.

“Rebel, you stay here with Mike. Lady,
come. We’re going to the coffee shop.” She wrote a note to Mike telling him she
was going to the coffee shop so she could get ready for the coming week.

Several hours later she headed south along
the coast thinking how typical the day was for January – drizzly and cloudy.
No
wonder the grapes grow so well at the White Cloud Retreat Center
.
It’s
always misty and cloudy there. Then a little sun comes out to help ripen the
grapes and voila, you have perfect weather for a killer pinot noir wine. And
the Center definitely makes a killer pinot noir!

She pulled into the parking lot of the
Retreat Center and told Lady to stay. She noticed that Lady positioned herself
in the exact spot Rebel always occupied when she left him in the minivan –
standing on the passenger seat until she returned, protecting the turf. As she
walked up the steps to the front door of the Center, she saw a piece of white
paper tacked to the door with the words “Classes Cancelled All Week. Will
Resume on Saturday” written on it.

Kelly knocked on the door. Usually
students simply opened the door, walked into the center, and went to the room
where their class was going to be held. When no one answered, she knocked
again. There was still no answer. She tried the door knob and it opened easily.
She took a tentative step into the hallway and didn’t see anyone. She was
debating what to do next when a tall, athletic looking man wearing yoga pants
and a T-shirt walked up to her. “May I help you?” he asked.

“Yes. My name is Kelly Connor and I’m here
to see Luke Monroe. Is he available?”

“He’s in the office, looking over some
papers. I don’t think he’s in the mood for visitors, but I can ask him, if
you’d like.”

“Please. I was the one who discovered his
brother’s body yesterday. I’ve come to give my condolences and I brought him
some food.”

“I’ll go ask him, but don’t be
disappointed if the answer is no.”

“I understand.”

He returned a few minutes later. “Luke
said he could talk to you for a few minutes. Please follow me.”

She walked into the large room which prior
to Scott’s death, had served as his combination office and study. Bookcases
filled with books lined the walls. A large roll-top oak desk was situated in
front of the windows, providing an excellent view of the vineyard and the ocean
beyond. Luke Monroe was sitting behind the desk. He looked up from a file he
was reading and greeted her.

“Hello, Kelly. I know my brother was a
friend of yours. Scott’s death must be hard on you as well. Please, sit down.”

He turned to the young man who had
escorted her into the room. “Blaine, I’d appreciate it if you would handle any
other calls or people who stop by for the rest of the day. If it’s something
you can’t handle, ask Zeb to take care of it. Thanks.” He turned back to Kelly.
“Zeb’s the second priest in charge after Scott. He’s taking care of the day-to-day
matters relating to the Center.”

“I just want to tell you again how sorry I
am about the loss of your brother. I can’t understand why anyone would want to
kill him. I considered Scott to be a good friend. I’m getting married in a few
weeks and he told me if my Catholic priest couldn’t marry us because my
fiancé’s divorced, he’d be happy to perform the ceremony. It was a very kind
and thoughtful gesture for him to make and I really appreciated it.”

Luke wiped a tear away from his eyes. “I’m
sorry. As much as I’ve cried in the last twenty-four hours, I didn’t think I
had any more tears left. It seems surreal and although Scott and I were
estranged for a number of years, in the last year we really became close. It
was a brother thing, I guess. He couldn’t understand why I was so intent on
following the gods of commercialism and I couldn’t understand why he was
following the teachings of the Eastern ways. What a stupid waste of time for
both of us! And now he’s gone.” He shook his head from side to side as if that
would get rid of the grief he was feeling.

“I know it may be premature, but are you
planning on running the White Cloud Retreat Center yourself or will you be
asking some other Zen priest like Zeb to assume the role of Master?”

“I don’t know. I’ve been a Zen student for
a few years and although Scott was a Zen Master, the Center has never been
strictly a Zen Center. By that I mean all kinds of different beliefs were
studied here, not just Zen Buddhism. Scott embraced all beliefs. I could run
the Center as a non-denominational Center, but what most people don’t know is
that Scott actually ordained me recently as a Zen priest.

“He conducted a very simple ceremony
called a Tokudo for me. It was attended by only the nuns and priests who are in
residence here. I took some vows and agreed to devote my life to Buddhism. He
chanted a few verses from the Buddhist texts and gave me some robes and food
bowls.

“The bowls he gave me were strictly
ceremonial. In some countries, even today, the monks leave their monasteries at
dawn with their bowls and the villagers put food in them. According to
tradition, giving food to the monks is considered a way of gaining merit. In
some monasteries a monk isn’t allowed to consume food after midday and isn’t
allowed to store food overnight. The monk is expected to live on whatever’s
offered by the villagers, that’s why so many monks are vegetarians. That was
it.”

“You’re kidding! I thought you had to do a
lot more than that to become a Zen priest.”

“No. Some ceremonies are very elaborate
and others are almost dirt simple. Knowing Scott, you can imagine he’d go for
the dirt simple, so theoretically I’m a Zen Buddhist priest. I became a
vegetarian after I’d been here at the Center for a few weeks. The cook here is so
good that I’ve never missed not eating meat. I’m divorced, so although I
haven’t been celibate, I could be, even though that’s not a prerequisite to
being a Zen priest. Scott certainly took his vow of celibacy seriously,
probably to the regret of some of our female students. Drinking wine isn’t a
problem, although there are a couple of winemakers in the area who would love
to see the Center no longer produce wine. I’ve heard rumors they’re pretty
jealous of our success. I’m not surprised to hear that given how good the
Center’s wines are and their reputation for excellence in the wine industry.

“Luke, let’s talk for a minute about who
might have killed Scott and why. What about religious zealots? Cedar Bay is a
small town and this whole area is pretty conservative. Did Scott ever mention
that someone may not have been happy that the Retreat Center was here? It’s
certainly not a bastion of old line Christian thinking.”

“Kelly, I’ve racked my brain trying to
come up with who might have had some motive for wanting to kill Scott and I
haven’t come up with an answer. Sure, some wacko could be responsible, but they
would have had to have taken part in the walking meditation or else laid in
wait for Scott in the forest. The forest area that surrounds the Center is
pretty impenetrable. Neither of those options seems to make a lot of sense.”

“Well, I’m sure this is a distasteful
thought, but could it have been someone who’s a resident here at the Center?”

“It could be anybody, but the nuns and
priests here loved him. And why would someone come here to study with him and
then kill him? That doesn’t make any sense either.”

“I agree. I don’t want to take up any more
of your time, but here’s a casserole I made for you. You can freeze it or eat
it right away and fortunately, it doesn’t have any meat in it!”

“Thank you very much, Kelly. My brother
mentioned that you were very involved in helping solve a couple of murders
which happened recently in the local area. How about you? Do you have any
thoughts as to who might have killed Scott?”

“I wish I did. If something comes to mind,
I’ll call you. To change the subject, and I know you haven’t had much time to
think about it, but have you made a decision regarding a service for Scott?”

“Yes. Zeb and I met this morning. It’s
traditional for Buddhists to be cremated upon their death. That’s what we’re
going to do. Zeb and I will conduct a simple ceremony here at the Center
Thursday afternoon he’s been cremated. Anyone is welcome to come.”

“Luke, I’ve never been to a Buddhist
funeral service. What’s expected? I’d very much like to come.”

“Nothing is expected. Often mourners will
bring offerings of flowers or fruit. Incense will be burned and usually the
mourners wear white. We’re planning on doing it Thursday from 4:00 p.m. to 6:00
p.m. You’re more than welcome to come. In fact, I hope a lot of people from
Cedar Bay come. I know that Scott believed death is simply a transition from
one form of life to another, but even though I’ve taken the vows of Zen
Buddhism, I’m struggling with that concept at the moment. Seems like there’s a
lot of finality in death when you can’t talk to the person anymore.”

Kelly stood up and walked over to him,
putting her hand on his arm. “Luke, I know a lot of people are going to depend
on you in the next few weeks, but if you ever want to talk to someone, I’ve got
a big ear and a strong shoulder to cry on. I’d consider it an honor if you
would.”

“Thanks for the offer, but I hope I won’t
have to take you up on it. I’m curious how you and Scott came to be friends.
When did you meet Scott? As soon as he bought the property or later?”

“I think it was several months afterwards.
He came to the coffee shop one day and we talked about food and wine and the
Center. I told him I wasn’t getting any younger and I was often tired and tense
after spending most of the day on my feet. He suggested I come to the Center
and take a yoga and meditation class. I took a number of classes as well as
some workshops and I always felt better afterwards, so it was after the Center
had been operating for a few months that I first met him.”

“I just thought of something. It’s
probably nothing, but last week he mentioned he’d been getting phone calls. As
soon as he answered, whoever was on the line hung up. We have a telephone
number for the Center, but these hang-up calls went to his cell phone. He
thought it was just some wacko. Now I wonder.”

“Where’s his cell phone?”

“I gave it to Sheriff Mike when he talked
to me yesterday.”

“I’ll be seeing Mike when I leave here and
I’ll mention it to him. It’s probably nothing, but he should know about it.”

“I agree. Thanks again for coming, Kelly,
and let’s stay in touch.”

“Well, if I don’t hear from you this week,
I’ll see you Thursday afternoon at Scott’s service.”

She walked out to where Lady was standing
in the minivan, waiting for her safe return. “Okay, Lady, back seat.” Lady
turned and jumped into the back seat, just as Rebel had shown her.

If I didn’t know better, I’d think
these two dogs are telepathic. Then again maybe they are and I don’t know any
better.