Fiction Short Story

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Fiction Short Story

by Shirley McCann

Motive, Means and Opportunity

Stan bent over the body to check for a pulse. Satisfied she was dead, he grabbed her arm and smashed her wristwatch against the hardwood floor, shattering the crystal into several pieces. He then set the time for eight o'clock.

"You'll pay for this!" Janice had screamed at him earlier. "You can't just toss me aside."

Stan knew he had to come up with something quick. Not only did he have a wife and kids to consider, but as prominent televangelist Stan Markel, he had a spotless reputation to uphold.

"Janice," he said. "Put yourself in my position. My wife knows about us. She's threatened to divorce me if you continue on as my secretary. You know what this kind of scandal will do to my ministry."

"Not nearly as much as learning that the reputable Stan Markel is a murderer," Janice retorted.

"You wouldn't dare!"

"Oh, wouldn't I?" Janice's green eyes flashed like a cat ready to pounce. "I'm sure the police will be very interested to learn about Alma Norton's substantial bequest to the church upon her sudden, mysterious death."

"You're bluffing. You'd have to confess your own involvement."

Janice turned and started to exit the room, then changed her mind. "Don't cross me, Preacher. You don't know what I'm capable of."

Stan's mind whirled with fear. "Wait!" he shouted. "Maybe we can work something out. I'll come by your house tonight after my session with Mrs. Starnes." He smiled sweetly. "Surely we can come up with a plan that will benefit us both."

Every Friday night, Stan paid a visit to Maggie Starnes, another of his ministry's wealthy, ailing parishioners. On this particular evening, Stan set the stage for his alibi.

As was customary, Maggie supplied an elegant tray of tea and cookies while they sat to read passages from the Bible. Only this time, Stan administered a few sleeping tablets to Maggie's drink. Within minutes, the woman was sound asleep.

Slipping out the back door, Stan raced to Janice's house a few blocks away, and killed her. Thirty minutes later he returned to Maggie's house and quietly slipped inside, setting her clock to display eight PM. Sucking in a deep breath, he combed his hand through his tousled hair and brushed his hands down his rumpled sweater before opening the Bible and resuming his seat next to Maggie.

"Maggie?" he said, gently shaking her awake. "Are you sure you're up to this tonight? You seem pretty tired."

Maggie rubbed her eyes. "Oh my," she answered groggily. An embarrassed flush crept across her face. "I guess I am tired." She squinted at the clock. "Why, it's only eight o'clock, and I'm already falling asleep on you."

Stan closed the Bible and patted her arm. "It's okay, Maggie. You obviously need your rest. Why don't you go on to bed? I'll lock up before I leave."

As soon as Maggie exited the room, Stan reset the clock to the correct time.

The following morning, a Detective Wilson was ushered into Stan's office. "I understand that Janice Barker was an employee of this church."

Stan spooned some sugar into a cup of coffee and tried to look surprised. "Yes, she was, Officer. Has something happened?"

"I'm afraid she's been murdered. Can you tell me where you were around eight o'clock last night?"

Stan raised an eyebrow. "Surely you don't suspect me."

"Just standard procedure."

Stan pursed his lips and pretended to study the question. "Eight o'clock, you say?"

"That's right. Miss Barker's watch was broken during an apparent struggle, stopping the time at eight o'clock. And that time seems to corroborate the medical examiner's time of death."

"Ah yes," Stan finally said. "I spent the evening reading Bible passages with Maggie Starnes. The dear woman is one of our elderly members who can't make it to regular church services."

"What time did you arrive?"

"Around seven thirty. But I didn't stay long. She was having trouble staying awake, so we cut the evening short. I'd say I left around eight fifteen, but you’ll have to verify that with Miss Starnes."

"We've already done that, Reverend."

"You did?"

Detective Wilson nodded. "She called us this morning when she heard the news of Miss Barker's death."

"Why would she call you?"

"She was upset over a message she received on her answering machine."

Stan's heart thumped a worrisome tune.

"Let me play it for you, Reverend." Removing a recorder from his jacket pocket, Detective Wilson pushed a button and set it on the desk.

"Stan, it's Janice. If you're there, pick up." A heavy sigh ensued before the message continued. "Don't bother coming by tonight. I'm taking the next flight to the Caribbean. I've mailed a letter to the police, detailing our involvement in Alma's death."

Stan's breathing quickened.

"The time of the call was listed as 7:50 PM, Reverend Markel. Which, by your own admission, was the time you were reading passages to Miss Starnes."

Stan refused to be ambushed. "So neither of us heard the call, Detective. What does that prove?"

"It casts doubt as to your whereabouts at the time of the murder, Reverend. And it definitely provides you with motive."

Stan produced a smug grin. "I suppose it would give me motive for murder if it were true, Detective. But the only thing it really proves is that neither Mrs. Starnes nor I heard the telephone ring. You still can't prove I was in Janice's house."

"You're wrong, Reverend. During our interview with Mrs. Starnes, she became concerned that her crystal glassware might have been chipped because of a small piece of glass she found on her sofa. As it turns out, the broken glass didn't come from her set at all. It matches the broken crystal we found from Janice's watch.

"There's no way the frail Mrs. Starnes had the means to sneak away and murder Janice, Reverend. You and I both know there's only one other way those watch crystals could have gotten into her sofa."

Detective Wilson produced a set of handcuffs. "I believe that's what we call opportunity."

Copyright © 2004 Shirley McCann

About the Author
Shirley McCann lives in Springfield, Missouri with her husband and two children. Her fiction has appeared in Woman's World, Nefarious, EWG Presents Without A Clue, Story House, and Orchard Press Mysteries.