-haired woman in a blue dress.
“This is Mrs. Chandler, our volunteer administrator ,” Brother Charles said . He forced a smile at the woman . “Can you see if Brother David is free?”
“Of course.” She picked up the phone and punched a button .
“I’ll just make arrangements for Brother David to take over my duties for the next little while,” Brother Charles explained to Branham, “just in case. We’re in the middle of a budget review and there are a few deadlines coming up that have to be met.”
“Budget review?” Karen asked, skeptically.
Brother Charles nodded. “ Of course . As a bbot I’m responsible for a n annual budget of over twelve million dollars.”
“ Twelve million!”
“Surprised? Most of it is dedicated to the clinic and the farm operation. The profits we realize from the farm are channeled into our charitable works. We’re a benevolent order.”
“After expenses, no doubt.”
“That’s correct, but not in a negative sense as you imply. We don’t live the high life here. We don’t take expensive vacations to St. Lucia or wine and dine every night. We live simple lives, we pay our bills, and everything else goes to our charitable works. When I say we’re a benevolent order, I’m not saying we’re a bunch of nice guys, I mean it literally. The primary purpose of this order , apart from our own spiritual studies and writings, is to create a vehicle for charitable works to benefit the people of this county who desperately need it . It’s the reason we’re here.”
Karen was about to reply when a short, stocky blond man in another white cassock joined them.
“This is Brother David Wilbur,” Brother Charles said. “David, this is Deputy Chief Branham from Harmony and Detective Karen Stainer. They need me to go to Harmony with them. It’s about the murder of Marcie Askew.”
Karen saw something pass between the two monks, a subtle shift in expression, perhaps, nothing she could put her finger on, but something that made the tiny hairs stand up on the back of her neck. Whatever it was that Brother Charles was not telling them, this Brother David character also knew about it .
“The revised estimates for the clinic expansion need to be signed off by five o’clock,” Brother Charles said. “Please act as a bbot until further notice. Tomorrow morning, if necessary, chair the committee meeting and get the next steps in the review process approved.”
“All right, Charlie. Should I call Garrett?”
Brother Charles hesitated , looking at Branham. “Gordon Garrett’s our attorney.” He turned back to Brother David. “I’m not under arrest yet, but you might as well let him know what’s happening. If I need him, I’ll call him.” He turned back to Branham. “Fair enough?”
“You’ve voluntarily agreed to come to Harmony for a formal interview, ” Branham said, “ so it’s your choice whether or not to have your attorney present . Y our rights will be respected at all times .”
“Then let’s go,” Brother Charles said.
They stopped at his office on the way, where Brother Charles removed his robe and hung it up in a small closet. “We don’t wear these off campus,” he explained, “because it puts people off. We want to be able to interact with people without artificial barriers. We wear them here as a symbol of our commitment to the order.”
Karen looked around the office. It was unexpectedly small, given that Brother Charles was top dog in a n outfit that managed twelve million dollar s a year . She looked at a wall filled with books, a simple walnut desk and chair, a small meeting table and chairs on the side, and a leather armchair near the window in the back corner. It looked very much like the office of a professor of religious studies on a medium-sized university campus.
She glanced at the spines of the books on the bookshelf. She wasn’t a reader the way Hank was, and she seldom saw a book that she’d actually read, but she was an
“This is Mrs. Chandler, our volunteer administrator ,” Brother Charles said . He forced a smile at the woman . “Can you see if Brother David is free?”
“Of course.” She picked up the phone and punched a button .
“I’ll just make arrangements for Brother David to take over my duties for the next little while,” Brother Charles explained to Branham, “just in case. We’re in the middle of a budget review and there are a few deadlines coming up that have to be met.”
“Budget review?” Karen asked, skeptically.
Brother Charles nodded. “ Of course . As a bbot I’m responsible for a n annual budget of over twelve million dollars.”
“ Twelve million!”
“Surprised? Most of it is dedicated to the clinic and the farm operation. The profits we realize from the farm are channeled into our charitable works. We’re a benevolent order.”
“After expenses, no doubt.”
“That’s correct, but not in a negative sense as you imply. We don’t live the high life here. We don’t take expensive vacations to St. Lucia or wine and dine every night. We live simple lives, we pay our bills, and everything else goes to our charitable works. When I say we’re a benevolent order, I’m not saying we’re a bunch of nice guys, I mean it literally. The primary purpose of this order , apart from our own spiritual studies and writings, is to create a vehicle for charitable works to benefit the people of this county who desperately need it . It’s the reason we’re here.”
Karen was about to reply when a short, stocky blond man in another white cassock joined them.
“This is Brother David Wilbur,” Brother Charles said. “David, this is Deputy Chief Branham from Harmony and Detective Karen Stainer. They need me to go to Harmony with them. It’s about the murder of Marcie Askew.”
Karen saw something pass between the two monks, a subtle shift in expression, perhaps, nothing she could put her finger on, but something that made the tiny hairs stand up on the back of her neck. Whatever it was that Brother Charles was not telling them, this Brother David character also knew about it .
“The revised estimates for the clinic expansion need to be signed off by five o’clock,” Brother Charles said. “Please act as a bbot until further notice. Tomorrow morning, if necessary, chair the committee meeting and get the next steps in the review process approved.”
“All right, Charlie. Should I call Garrett?”
Brother Charles hesitated , looking at Branham. “Gordon Garrett’s our attorney.” He turned back to Brother David. “I’m not under arrest yet, but you might as well let him know what’s happening. If I need him, I’ll call him.” He turned back to Branham. “Fair enough?”
“You’ve voluntarily agreed to come to Harmony for a formal interview, ” Branham said, “ so it’s your choice whether or not to have your attorney present . Y our rights will be respected at all times .”
“Then let’s go,” Brother Charles said.
They stopped at his office on the way, where Brother Charles removed his robe and hung it up in a small closet. “We don’t wear these off campus,” he explained, “because it puts people off. We want to be able to interact with people without artificial barriers. We wear them here as a symbol of our commitment to the order.”
Karen looked around the office. It was unexpectedly small, given that Brother Charles was top dog in a n outfit that managed twelve million dollar s a year . She looked at a wall filled with books, a simple walnut desk and chair, a small meeting table and chairs on the side, and a leather armchair near the window in the back corner. It looked very much like the office of a professor of religious studies on a medium-sized university campus.
She glanced at the spines of the books on the bookshelf. She wasn’t a reader the way Hank was, and she seldom saw a book that she’d actually read, but she was an
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