PArT 1 OF A MURDEr MYSTERY

“Know where Father Ray is?”

The voice came from one of the pews.

Liza knew nothing about this place. She had simply come in in response to the bells ringing as she had climbed the steps up into the University to see her Supervisor. There was a strange ring to them – she had felt as if they were calling her, and she had to answer them. She looked briefly around to see if she could fathom out where they were coming from, but could see nothing obvious. She was aware of the time, and that she had to be in her Supervisor’s office within three minutes, but she knew that when she had finished her meeting with him she had to find out where those bells were from, and follow their calling.

An hour later she exited the University and walked briskly to the main road to see what she could find. She guessed that the bells must have come from some church or religious building of some kind or other, but this was a city full of such places, and there were many around the University. She stood on the pavement and there was one huge building straight opposite, that looked as if it might be a church. All that she could do was go and find out.

Liza crossed the busy main road, then walked up to the building. It did not look like a church, but there was a board outside simply saying, “The Holy Name of Jesus.” She had no idea what kind of a church it might be but she was curious. It was a massive building, and, once inside, she felt swallowed up. She tried to work out what kind of a church it was and, upon spying some statues at the front of the church she surmised that she must be in a Catholic Church.

Upon hearing the voice, she looked and saw a dishevelled figure half sitting, half lying on one of the pews.

“I’m sorry, I don’t,” she replied, wondering who Father Ray was.

She felt like a foreigner in this place, but it fascinated her. This, indeed, must have been where the sound of the bells had come from.

The dishevelled man got up from the pew and, giving her a kind of nod, walked to the back of the church and out of the door. Liza also walked to the back of the church and started looking at the various booklets that were on a stand in the porch. She picked up one on marriage. It took her interest. Her own marriage was in difficulty, and so the booklet fascinated her. She took it back to a pew and sat down and read it. There it was – marriage was indissoluble! She put the booklet into her handbag, went and paid for it and left the church. She would show it to Jack the next day. Jack had been trying to get her to leave her marriage for a long time, but she had refused. He had even said that her marriage was totally against God and that he could provide her with a way out, and a safe place to go. She didn’t need money. He would pay for it. She clutched her handbag holding it tightly to her chest. Yes, she would show the booklet to Jack the next day.
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