Body Bags & Blarney by J.D. Shaw Page A

suddenly saw Miss
Octavia waving to her from near the Channel Four news van. Wrapped in an
oversized woolen coat that went down to her ankles, she stood out from the
crowd with a colorful neon-green crocheted hat and matching scarf. She motioned
for her to join her away from the noise of the press conference. “Hi there!”
Vivienne waved back.
    “Child, have I
got news for you.” Octavia’s smooth voice had a habit of making the most
mundane words sound elegant, no doubt thanks to spending most of her life on
the exotic island of Barbados.
    “Isn’t it
great about the Lotto win?” Vivienne smiled. “Cayuga Cove of all places.”
    “Oh, it’s
great.” Miss Octavia replied. “But, it’s not natural.”
    “Whatever do
you mean?”
    “We shouldn’t
talk outside like this where someone may hear us. Can you come to my shop?”
    “I’d love to.”
Vivienne frowned. “I’ve had the worst morning today.”
    “I’ve got some
wonderful new herbal tea in at my shop.” Miss Octavia smiled broadly. “This
bitter cold weather gives me all the more reason to brew it. So why don’t you
follow me back to the shop and let’s swap news?”
    “Sounds good
to me.” Vivienne replied.
    Vivienne
offered her vehicle up for the journey to Mother Earth Mercantile over on Weyer
Place. Octavia was more than happy to get out of the cold, even if the trip was
less than a five minute drive away.
    They settled
into a comfortably stuffed pair of antique bishop’s chairs that Octavia had
placed around a small coffee table. Sequestered away from the rest of the shop
by a pair of folding bamboo screens, Vivienne could easily imagine she was in a
quaint tea room somewhere in the Far East. “The store looks better every time I
come in.” Vivienne said as she sipped some of the warm Japanese cherry rose tea
from her mug.
    “Thank you.”
Octavia poured herself a cup of tea and then set the pot down on the table. She
waved her manicured fingers over the steam, taking in the vapors. “Just like
sitting under a tree in Kyoto when the blossoms are at their peak.” She was
dressed in pair of relaxed khaki pants and an exquisitely knit sweater that was
the color of the Caribbean Sea. It proved to be quite flattering against her
mocha skin tone.
    “It’s so
fragrant.” Vivienne swirled the liquid around in her mug. “It’s just what I
needed after a terrible morning.”
    “Time to lay
down your burdens.” Octavia spoke softly. “What happened?”
    “I found
Father William dead in the baptismal pool this morning at his church.” Vivienne
felt better getting the news out to someone. “It looks like he accidently fell
off a ladder while cleaning and drowned in the water, but something about it
doesn’t feel right to me.”
    “That is
terrible, Vivienne.” Miss Octavia empathized. “But I can’t say that I’m all
that surprised.”
    Vivienne
gasped. “You’re not?”
    Miss Octavia
reached over to an end table near her chair and retrieved a piece of parchment,
about the size of a wall calendar. “I have no doubt that you’ve noticed the
sudden rise in fortunate events, both good and bad, that have been happening
here in town.”
    “Of course.”
    “Then it
should not come as shock to you when I say that there must be a reason for all
of it.” Miss Octavia continued.
    “Please don’t
tell me that we’re dealing with a manic-depressive leprechaun that has a grudge
against the town.” Vivienne pleaded.
    “If only it were
that easy to fix.” Miss Octavia chuckled. “No, I’m afraid that we’ve got
something even more dangerous on the loose.”
    “What could be
more dangerous than that?” Vivienne asked.
    Miss Octavia
handed the parchment paper to Vivienne. “This is a map of Cayuga Cove that I’ve
been working on for the past few months for the Elder Council.”
    Vivienne
glanced at the hand-drawn paper in her grasp. There were several town landmarks
noted, along with a slew of ovals sketched out in dark blue