Cry From The Grave
Chapter 12
Missy Crabolli entered the chapel just as Isabel Andrews shot through the doors with Tori in tow.
"That was pleasant," she chuckled as she approached Ballack. "Zane is checking with Evan and Sheilah. He'll be here in a bit. Thought it might be good to talk initial results."
"Can't be worse than what we just endured," Ballack replied. It took him a couple of frustrating minutes to ready his laptop and open another folder on the desktop. "Go ahead."
Crabolli looked over her recordings. She always chose a flip-top Steno notebook, white and blue cover. Old-school, like Tori. "Aside from Helen Smith, no one among the patients even saw Hibbler this morning. And judging by their relative strength and the size of the hole in his neck, it's safe to say none of them could have taken the doc out."
"That's the general consensus," said Ballack, "but thanks for checking."
"Daryl Goodspeed is the only one remotely strong enough to pull it off, but he and James Caple were involved in a marathon game of checkers this morning from seven-thirty to nine-thirty, right after breakfast. Beverly Overton verified she got Goodspeed up at seven-ten."
"Thus, both Overton and Barber were here since seven o'clock, at least?"
Crabolli nodded. "Shift change. Two nurses on the weekend crew versus three during the week."
"I assume neither nurse happened to confess to the murder and tie this up in a nice bow for us?" asked Ballack.
"Overton claimed to be getting patients up and to breakfast, those who needed it, anyway," said Crabolli, finding her place in the notes. "Plus, she had clerical duties and had to run off some copies."
"In the room next to Hibbler's office?"
"That's where the copier is."
"Which means she had access during that time."
"Couldn't anyone get in?" asked Tori, who had just returned with Isabel Andrews' scrub pants in a plastic exhibit bag.
"Barber had a key to Hibbler's office on her," replied Crabolli.
"That's of keen interest," Ballack mused. "Of course, Overton grabbed one from the closet on that hall, as directed by Isabel. So Anna Barber had a key, Isabel knew where a key was, and it's conceivable Beverly Overton could have known, given that security around here seems to be a joke."
Zane Hull walked into the chapel, holding up a finger to signal his entrance into the conversation. "Beverly Overton was visibly upset," he announced. "Anna Barber maintained she was in the nurses' lounge and never saw Hibbler until she and Giles heard Beverly's scream. I asked if she was sorry he was dead, blah, blah, blah. She spread her arms out and said 'I am only sorry for the fact this might cause us to close for sure. No one could survive the publicity we'll get now.' And then she went right back to looking at her phone."
"Sounds charming," Ballack replied. "And the cafeteria duo?"
"Bob and Georgia Hagan? Pleasant couple. Oddly enough, they seem to be the most upset by his death and had the best relationship with Hibbler. Probably because, being non-medical personnel, they weren't viewed as competition. They got here at six-thirty to cook breakfast, were both in the kitchen throughout that time, and were to stay until two this afternoon. A couple of volunteers handle the dinner hour."
"The question is if they saw Hibbler alive," said Tori.
"Bob did. According to him, Hibbler sucked into the kitchen to ask for a bagel and cream cheese, which Bob promptly gave to him. Said the doctor took it toward his office. Never saw him again. That was just after Hibbler arrived."
Ballack then gave a concise summary of their talks with Father Giles and Isabel Andrews, neither ignoring nor repeating anything.
"So," Crabolli answered, "we have almost everyone here at some point within the time frame, but both the priest and the nursing director for the least amount of minutes. Yet they both stood to lose the most if Hibbler achieved closure."
"The most that we know of," Ballack cautioned. "Don't forget we have two other persons of interest. Musa Zakhary is Verna McBride's son-in-law. During the incident yesterday, Hibbler used an ethnic epithet against him and practically dared him to pull Verna out of here. And with Hibbler firing Eric Carter from his position, we need to question him. The rector across the street, one Nick Fisher, was with Hibbler, Andrews, and Giles two days ago at a tense business meeting, so we should hit him up as well."
"Just so you know," interrupted Hull. "Holbrook said they were free and clear at the morgue with no wait time, so he was going to get busy on the body. Not that manner of death is a mystery. Sheilah and her crew will be busy here for a while in that mess."
"In the meantime," Ballack redirected, "let's leave that to the experts and focus on our upcoming chats. If you two could skip across the lawn to Eden Seminary. See if Eric Carter is working in the bookstore today and, if not there, find out where he lives. His mailing address is a post box at the school, so we'll need to find out where he hangs his hat. Talk to people there if it helps to get a picture of what he's like. That could tell us more than a dozen direct questions aimed at Carter himself. We'll get Hibbler's personnel file from Isabel before we leave. That might reveal some tidbits. The main thing is to focus on everyone who was here on site within the last twenty-four hours. "
"What about you guys?" asked Crabolli.
"We'll check Zakhary's home and--if not there--his office at Webster. And from there, we can get Fisher at the church."
"Anything for us aside from Carter?" Hull inquired.
"Once you're done with him, if you get him," replied Ballack, "then go to Billy Hanspard's address. Since he was in the therapy snafu yesterday, he might lend some insight. If you have time afterward, go to father Giles' house in Crestwood and pay a surprise visit to his wife to confirm his comings and goings this morning."
"We haven't had a murdering clergyman before, C.B.," Hull muttered with restraint.
"Doesn't mean it's not possible," said Ballack, putting his wheelchair in gear. "Let's move. We're fighting time."
"Sounds charming," Ballack replied. "And the cafeteria duo?"
"Bob and Georgia Hagan? Pleasant couple. Oddly enough, they seem to be the most upset by his death and had the best relationship with Hibbler. Probably because, being non-medical personnel, they weren't viewed as competition. They got here at six-thirty to cook breakfast, were both in the kitchen throughout that time, and were to stay until two this afternoon. A couple of volunteers handle the dinner hour."
"The question is if they saw Hibbler alive," said Tori.
"Bob did. According to him, Hibbler sucked into the kitchen to ask for a bagel and cream cheese, which Bob promptly gave to him. Said the doctor took it toward his office. Never saw him again. That was just after Hibbler arrived."
Ballack then gave a concise summary of their talks with Father Giles and Isabel Andrews, neither ignoring nor repeating anything.
"So," Crabolli answered, "we have almost everyone here at some point within the time frame, but both the priest and the nursing director for the least amount of minutes. Yet they both stood to lose the most if Hibbler achieved closure."
"The most that we know of," Ballack cautioned. "Don't forget we have two other persons of interest. Musa Zakhary is Verna McBride's son-in-law. During the incident yesterday, Hibbler used an ethnic epithet against him and practically dared him to pull Verna out of here. And with Hibbler firing Eric Carter from his position, we need to question him. The rector across the street, one Nick Fisher, was with Hibbler, Andrews, and Giles two days ago at a tense business meeting, so we should hit him up as well."
"Just so you know," interrupted Hull. "Holbrook said they were free and clear at the morgue with no wait time, so he was going to get busy on the body. Not that manner of death is a mystery. Sheilah and her crew will be busy here for a while in that mess."
"In the meantime," Ballack redirected, "let's leave that to the experts and focus on our upcoming chats. If you two could skip across the lawn to Eden Seminary. See if Eric Carter is working in the bookstore today and, if not there, find out where he lives. His mailing address is a post box at the school, so we'll need to find out where he hangs his hat. Talk to people there if it helps to get a picture of what he's like. That could tell us more than a dozen direct questions aimed at Carter himself. We'll get Hibbler's personnel file from Isabel before we leave. That might reveal some tidbits. The main thing is to focus on everyone who was here on site within the last twenty-four hours. "
"What about you guys?" asked Crabolli.
"We'll check Zakhary's home and--if not there--his office at Webster. And from there, we can get Fisher at the church."
"Anything for us aside from Carter?" Hull inquired.
"Once you're done with him, if you get him," replied Ballack, "then go to Billy Hanspard's address. Since he was in the therapy snafu yesterday, he might lend some insight. If you have time afterward, go to father Giles' house in Crestwood and pay a surprise visit to his wife to confirm his comings and goings this morning."
"We haven't had a murdering clergyman before, C.B.," Hull muttered with restraint.
"Doesn't mean it's not possible," said Ballack, putting his wheelchair in gear. "Let's move. We're fighting time."
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