Page 24 of Shattered Sanctuary

“I actually live closer than anyone else. Besides, I was wondering if you’d come to any conclusions yet.”

“We’re just going through the photos now,” Kaely said. “I’d like to complete that before I write the profile. I’ll try to do all I can tonight. We’re going into town tomorrow to do some shopping. Can I bring what I have by your office?”

“Certainly. I’d appreciate that.” He sighed. “We have other, larger departments reaching out, offering to help. That means they want to take over. When I tell them we have your help, I hope it will give us some breathing room. A chance to solve this thing ourselves.”

After petting Jake, Kaely stood up. “I’ll get your hot chocolate. Then we can talk about what happened tonight.”

Erin noticed Adrian’s jaw tighten. Seems he wasn’t as happy to respond to her phone call as he’d said. “So how long have you been the police chief here, Adrian?” she asked, hoping to keep the mood cordial. It was an obvious conversation starter, but it was the best she could come up with.

“I’ve been chief for five years now.”

“You look pretty young to be in such a position of authority. I noticed that your officers seem to respect you. Not so sure about Dr. Gibson though. I got the impression that he doesn’t have much use for anyone else.”

Adrian’s tight expression relaxed some, and he smiled. “You’re very perceptive. I’m blessed to work with great officers. They might be looked down on some by people who see Sanctuary as a small town with small-town attributes, but I truly believe they could compete with any police department in any city.”

“I used to work in St. Louis, a huge town with a lot ofcrime, and I was impressed by what I saw this morning. You’re also fortunate to have an officer trained in forensics.”

“Yes, I am. Timothy could get a job at almost any large police department, but he was born here and loves it, just like I do. Like me, he doesn’t have any living relatives. The department and the people in Sanctuary are our family.”

“With the strange story I heard about the man who originally built this place,” Erin said, “I find the name of the town rather odd.”

Just then, Kaely came into the room carrying two cups. She put one down on the coffee table near Adrian and then handed Erin the other one. “I know your tea is cold. I made you another cup.”

“How nice, but you didn’t need to do that,” Erin said, surprised. “I could have taken care of it.”

Kaely wrinkled her nose at Erin and smiled. “I know that, but I think you need someone to pamper you once in a while.”

Erin took a sip. Perfect. Kaely must have watched her make her original cup of tea. It was a small thing, but it meant a lot to her.

“I heard you mention Timothy,” Kaely said. “I noticed that his hand was bandaged this morning. Is he all right?”

“Yeah. He’s a brilliant officer, but he’s a little clumsy. Cut his hand chopping carrots for a salad. Nothing work related. He’ll be fine.”

“You were talking about the name of the town,” Kaely said after sitting down on the couch again. “I’d love to hear how that came about.”

“You’ll probably find the answer surprising,” he responded. “William Watcher was actually the man who settled andnamed Sanctuary. He’d left New York City because he felt it was growing too quickly and he wanted some place quieter and more peaceful. He bought land and built his home here. It was in town. Victorian, palatial, and impressive. As the first settler in this area, he named it Sanctuary. It was his idea of heaven on earth. But he eventually wanted a place where he could go to be alone. To get away from his wife. He actually built a cabin on this property. Other men would come with him on hunting parties, or getaways, so they could play poker and drink. Of course, the original cabin didn’t resemble this. Steve actually tore down most of the previous structure and rebuilt it.” Adrian pointed at the wall on one side of the living room. “That’s an actual wall from the first cabin. And many of the bricks in the fireplace are original as well.”

“I’m sure his wife wasn’t too thrilled about this place,” Kaely said.

Erin felt something and looked down to see that Jake had put his head on her lap and was looking up at her adoringly. She stroked his soft head.

“You could say that,” Adrian said. “In fact, accounts I’ve read say that she was miserable. It seems that Mr. Watcher was raised in a family known for keeping a tight watch on their wives. The Watcher men weren’t known for their kindness. Wives were created to serve their husbands, and a disobedient wife was beaten if she wasn’t as submissive as her husband expected her to be.”

“Hmmm,” Erin said. “So I take it Mrs. Watcher disobeyed, and her husband dealt with it severely?”

“Yes, unfortunately. He eventually killed her.”

“I hope he went to prison for it,” Kaely said.

Adrian shook his head. “He did not. An inquiry resulted in the judge deciding that he’d been pushed past the point of his endurance by a willful and sinful wife. I have no idea exactly what her sins were, but the judge felt she deserved to have her throat cut. Hard to believe, I know. But back then, people saw things much differently than they do today.”

“So, what happened to the murderous Mr. Watcher?” Erin asked.

“I guess it proves that no sin really goes unpunished,” Adrian said. “William started telling people that the ghost of his wife was haunting him. That she wouldn’t leave him alone. Reports say he became gaunt and nervous, jumping at everything. Eventually, he took his own life. Here, in this cabin.”

“Here?” Kaely said.

Adrian nodded. “Well, in the cabin that used to be here.”

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