Here I Am. Send Me.-Chapter Twenty-Eight

Evelyn and Chris visit Claire. She knows more than she has told them.

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

         Chris watched Cal rush from the restaurant and then turned to Evelyn. “Do you think that a reaction to my mentioning Leyla’s age?”
         Evelyn nodded. “It sure seems like it. Just like Josey.”
         “Is there anything squirrely with her birth certificate?”
         “No. I’ve seen it. Everything seems in order.”
         “How about their marriage certificate? Maybe they didn’t actually get married before Josey was pregnant and they’re trying to hide that.”
         “Their marriage certificate records are in the file. Everything matches what they’ve said.”
         Chris shrugged in exasperation. “Are we seeing something that isn’t there?”
         Before Evelyn could answer, their pizza arrived and a few moments were spent divvying out plates, napkins, knives and forks.
         “How much…” As Evelyn started talking, she realized her mouth was full. She stopped, chewed a few more times and then tried to force it down. The unchewed morsel lodged in her throat and she sucked in some water to help it down. It finally squeezed through, leaving a dull throbbing ache in her neck.
         “How much do you think the other church members knew about Josey’s mental issues?”
         Chris understood where she was heading. “In a small church like that, keeping a secret takes a lot of effort.”
         “So, the odds are that Courtney knew a lot about Josey’s schizophrenia.”
         “Given her mother’s relationship with the family, she probably knew most of it. Do you think that she could manipulate Josey’s issues?”
         Evelyn took another sip of water before answering. “If you mean do I think she is smart enough? Yes. Whether she is devious enough would be more your area than mine.”
         “But why? It feels like Leyla is at the center of everything, but I can’t make the pieces fit together.”
         “I’ve got the same feeling. Maybe we should take another pass at Claire.”
         He cocked his head. “Claire? She’s the only one that I didn’t think was holding anything back.”
         “Maybe that’s because we haven’t asked her the right questions yet.”
         Just before five o’clock, Evelyn and Chris pulled up in front of Claire’s double-wide. Their police escort had no place to blend in, so they pulled into the grass next to the gravel driveway.
         Claire was standing out on the front porch as Chris and Evelyn got out of the car. “Goodness! Another visit by this nice young couple. All this attention just might go to an old lady’s head! And you brought friends!”
         Chris looked over his shoulder at the unmarked car. “Um… They’re the police. They kind of follow us around for protection. We’ve had an interesting week.”
         Claire’s face briefly grew serious as she squinted to try and get a better look at the detectives in the car. “I guess you have.” The smile returned to her face. “Come on in. I’ll squeeze some coffee through those little plastic pods. Pipe down. Brutus!” The chihuahua was jumping back and forth around Claire’s ankles, yipping and urinating with wild abandon.
         She shoved the little dog back inside with her cane, led them inside, and made her way to the kitchen to fulfill the tradition of having hot coffee for guests. Chris and Evelyn made their way to the same chairs in the small kitchen. The decision had been made in the car on the ride over that Chris would do most of the talking.
         But Claire started first. “Should I make a couple of cups for the policemen?”
         Chris shook his head. “I think they’re still nursing the gigantic mugs they filled up at a gas station. They might be asking to use your restroom, though.”
         “Well, you tell them they’re welcome. Anything to help.”
         Chris struck a serious note. “We went to the hospital yesterday and visited Josey.”
         Claire was standing in the small kitchen, focused on filling the three cups. She looked up. “Really? How is the poor dear doing? I pray for her every day.”
         “She seems to be doing well. We had a nice talk. How much does the church know about her history of mental illness?”
         “Most of it. Like I said before, I love our church, but we have a real problem with gossip. And there always seems to be so much to gossip about for having so few members.”
         “Like what?” Evelyn couldn’t help herself.
         Claire smiled. “Get behind me, Satan. I gossiped enough the last time you came by. I must put some limit on my hypocrisy.”
         Chris continued. “Who knows the most?”
         This seemed to puzzle the older woman. “The most?”
         “The most detail about Josey’s mental health.”
         “Why are you asking?” The smile was gone and the coffee forgotten.
         Chris looked at Evelyn, who took a breath before speaking. “After speaking with Josey yesterday, we spoke with Cal earlier today. Full knowledge of Josey’s mental history could be important to figuring out what is best for that family.”
         Claire returned to preparing the third cup of coffee. Her voice was calm. “I don’t really know you two very well, do I?”
         With a glance, Evelyn passed the baton back to Chris. He kept a straight face. “No ma’am. You don’t.”
         “I checked on you after your last visit. Your picture is on the Lakeland Church website. You’re on staff there. So, I know you’re a pastor. But that just means you went to college and passed some tests. It doesn’t make you a good person.”
         Claire stepped around the counter and placed the three cups down. She sat. Strangely, the dog had quieted. Chris added some sugar to his coffee and stirred it. The tinkling of the spoon against the side of the mug was the only sound in the room.
         Claire was looking straight into her cup without moving. Her voice was barely a whisper. “What do you want from me?”
         Chris made no effort to look at her face. “Something is happening here, Claire. And it feels bad. It feels wrong.”
         “Rachel, Courtney, and me.”
         Chris had almost forgotten the original question. It took him a second to catch up. “You three knew Josey’s details and no one else?”
         “Like I said, the church folk gossip. Everyone knew a little. Most filled in the blanks with guesses. Some close to right. Most completely wrong. That didn’t stop the lies from spreading.”
         “The pastor made no effort to stop it?”
         “He gave a sermon on the evils of gossip. You know how those work. Everybody thought he was talking to somebody else.”
         “Cal told us that Josey wasn’t taking her medication. Were you aware of that?”
         “Yes. We knew about it. She would get confused and it was sometimes hard to have a conversation with her. She would just lose the thread. Rachel called her a snowflake.”
         Evelyn took over. “Were they worried about Leyla?”
         “How do you mean?”
         “Schizophrenia is a hereditary condition. Did they consider taking Leyla to a doctor about it?”
         “There was no…” Claire’s voice trailed off. “Your coffee must be cold. Do you want another cup?”
         The sound of a car pulling up in the gravel outside pulled Claire’s attention away. With a slight groan, she pulled herself to her feet and limped to the front window. Brutus got up but didn’t bark.
         Claire sidestepped from the window to the front door and muttered under her breath, “What’s Courtney doing here?”
         She opened the door and stepped out onto the front stoop with the Chihuahua tagging along at her ankles. Evelyn heard a brief, muffled conversation from outside and then Courtney burst into the room, incongruously holding Brutus in her arms and followed by her mother. “Who are those men parked in the yard?”
         “They’re police officers, sweetheart. Would you like a cup of coffee?” Claire’s voice was utterly calm as she hobbled back into the kitchen.
         “No! I don’t want a cup of coffee. I want to know why these two people are here.”
         Evelyn tried to keep her voice steady. “We’re following up on Josey’s case and wanted to ask your mother a few questions.” The level of emotion that Courtney had brought into the room was hard to ignore.
         “I thought you had been told to stop bothering us!”
         “A complaint was filed but we were given no such order.” Evelyn watched Courtney closely. Rachel had filed the complaint. Had she found out through the church gossip grapevine, or did Courtney and Rachel have a different relationship than everyone thought?
         “You have to get out! You’re harassing my mother!”
         Claire was still puttering away in the kitchen. “They’re doing no such thing. We’re just having some coffee and a chat. It’s not like you or anyone else from the church ever visits me.”
         “I’m here now! And they need to leave!”
         Claire’s voice grew harder. “Why are you here now?”
         “I’m here to visit you!” Courtney’s voice was edging toward shrill. Evelyn glanced over at Chris. The look on his face was as puzzled as she felt. There were undertones in this conversation that ran deep.
         Claire stared into her daughter’s eyes. “Am I being watched?”
         Courtney’s eyes darted nervously to Chris and Evelyn. “Of course not, Momma. Why would you say such a thing?” She turned full on Evelyn. “See?! You’ve got my mother all upset. Go!”
         Claire kept her focus on Courtney. Her voice was strong and steady. “No one who practices deceit shall dwell in my house; no one who utters lies shall continue before my eyes."
         Chris couldn’t help himself. “Psalm 101.”
         Courtney’s voice dropped to a whisper. “Momma, don’t do this.”
         “We’ve lied long enough. Can’t you see what it’s doing? Can’t you feel what it’s doing to you? This lie is eating away at our souls. I love you, honey, and I’m not going to let your eternal soul wither and die.”
         Courtney turned again to Evelyn. “My mother is getting old. She’s rambling. You need to go so that she can get her rest.”
         Evelyn shook her head. “I don’t think so.”
         Courtney looked like a frightened child. “Momma, you don’t know what Rachel’s capable of.”
         “Maybe not. But I know what Satan and his dark lies are capable of. And this lie ends today. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
         “Momma, you don’t know what you’re doing.”
         “I’m doing what I should have done from the beginning.”
         Courtney looked at Chris, then Evelyn, and back to her mother. Then she left. Chris stood and stepped over next to Claire, and they watched her walk out to her car. Her phone came to her ear as she drove off.
         Claire leaned against Chris. “Pastor, it’s time for me to unburden my soul.”