Furmidable Foes

41

July 5, 2019

Friday

Harry, Fair, Susan, Ned, Mrs. Murphy, Pewter, Tucker, and Pirate sat in Reverend Jones’s office with Cazenovia, Elocution, and Lucy Fur.

Harry and the others felt Reverend Jones should be consulted as soon as Sheriff Shaw informed them they could do so.

The chase made the morning news on TV and in the papers. All wanted to talk to their pastor.

“Mags hasn’t confessed. She was part of a smuggling network to carry illegal liquor across the Mason-Dixon Line.” Ned, who as an elected official could question the sheriff, informed them, “She testified that neither Janice nor their husbands knew anything.”

“This network is well organized, stretching from the mountains of Georgia to Virginia,” Fair added, as he and Ned had spoken. “Millions, Reverend Jones, millions. And millions to Mags for God knows what purpose.”

“How did she think they would get away with it?” Reverend Jones was aghast.

“Mags has gotten caught, but that doesn’t mean the network will be brought to justice,” Ned reminded them. “The kingpins are highly intelligent, can hide behind all manner of buffers, plus they can hire the best lawyers in the country.”

“Will they abandon Mags?” Susan asked.

“Of course,” Fair answered. “The question is, did Mags kill the South African, Pieter, as she knew of the still, or did someone in the syndicate kill him. Chances are he wanted a bigger cut.”

“I don’t know if I would be here if it weren’t for Tucker and Pirate.” Harry praised her dogs.

“If I’d been there, Mags would never have gotten as far as the library. I can smell evil. Oh, yes I can,” Pewter bragged. “And I found the skull at the old still.”

“Dead humans are disgusting.” Elocution grimaced.

“A rib cage and half a skull with a ball cap. Not enough left to be disgusting.” Tucker wearied of Pewter’s blabbing.

Ned predicted, “If Mags will tell everything she knows about the syndicate, maybe she can plea-bargain.”

Reverend Jones, wise in the ways of the world, replied, “If she tells everything she knows, she’ll be killed.”

“It’s odd, isn’t it?” Harry added. “Here we’ve all been focused on the necklace. Our attention was only on that.”

“But who would think about contraband?” Fair asked.

“When the truck was robbed at Bottoms Up, that was a clue. As it turns out, the sheriff’s department and other agencies knew of the network, but they didn’t know how extensive it was or exactly who was in on it. Then they found the still and later Harry produced the piece of the bracelet.” Ned spoke again. “Little things, but they add up. All supplied by Harry.” He praised her again. “There’s a good chance Mags had the beer stolen from her truck, a diversion, if you will. Then again, she could have done it to pocket the money herself. Any way you look at it, Mags is in deep trouble.”

“Given how much we’ve all worked together, including Mags and Janice, we thought we should come to you.” Susan looked to her pastor.

He exhaled deeply. “Thank you. I must say something tomorrow. I can’t pretend this hasn’t happened. I don’t know what my sermon should be, but I won’t hide from it.”

“Greed,” Susan simply stated.

“Never goes out of fashion.” Her husband smiled at her.

“What I can’t believe is that Mags is a Lutheran,” Harry exclaimed.

No one said a word.

Then Pewter purred. “Death by lipstick.”