Pathway to Heaven

By Stephen Matava

When the claims man returns from church on a cold winter day, he receives a phone call from his supervisor. They found a woman dead on the altar of a church which will be assigned to him. He follows the path of investigation in the small New England town.
The claims man discovers more than he bargained for when he starts his investigation he discovers that the death was caused by someone.
The novel takes us through various lives in the small town where the loyalties are not always on the side of justice. The investigator follows his instincts, which take him into resolving the murder.
On the surface, the town of Newton Crossing is a sleepy little hamlet of hardworking people living in the foothills of the Berkshire Mountains in Northern Connecticut. Under the layer of respectability lives a cross section of the inhabitants who observe their own agenda. The claims man wades through the mire and solves the mystery.
The author has lived within the values of a small town. He has also seen the dark side of the hamlets.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Dec 12, 2014
• ISBN: 9781503524866

Stephen Matava

The author was born and raised in a small town in Connecticut. His parents came to America int the early 20's. They raised seven children who educated themselves. They followed the values of their forefathers and prospered. He spent many years in the insurance industry gathering material for his books. He has written twenty and has six published. He is married and retired to Florida where he follows his dream of writing.

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE

It was a bitter cold day in the middle of February and Peter Janek had just gotten home from church with his wife, Ella and his three children. The wind was brisk and he was happy to be in his nice warm house.

His daughter, Anne who was eleven, ran up the steps to the family room door. She went right to her room. Petey, his eldest son who just turned ten was right behind her and Andy, who was nine, followed him.

Once inside, Petey asked his father, dad, why do we have to go to church when it’s so cold?

His father answered, You have to go to school and you have to wait for the school bus in this weather, so what’s the problem?

We can run from the house to catch the school bus and when we go to church, we have to walk across the parking lot and that’s a lot further.

Petey, we are going to church hot or cold and even in a snow storm so stop your complaining. I’ll make you some Mickey Mouse pancakes and that might warm you up.

Ella didn’t argue at all. She put up with Petey every day and when Peter was home, she let him take the brunt of Petey’s questions. She just smiled and Peter knew she was enjoying every minute of it.

Peter looked at his eldest, Hang up your coats and don’t leave them hanging around.

He had put up a clothes rack just outside of the door, on the garage wall.

The boys hung up their coats and went right into the kitchen. When are we going to eat? asked Petey. I’m hungry.

His father answered. So am I. Your mother is making us some hot chocolate so sit down.

Just then the phone rang and Ella answered it. She handed the phone to Peter. It’s Clint and he really wants to talk to you.

Peter was surprised as he took the phone. What’s up, Clint? He asked.

He just listened and said, I’ll be there, before he hung up the phone.

What’s so important that he has to call you on a Sunday morning? asked Ella.

I don’t have many details, but I have to go into the office tomorrow morning. He said that a nun was killed and he just got a phone call from the claims manager, Jim Evans, to have me there at ten o’clock. I have no idea what’s going on.

It must be something important to call you on Sunday morning.

Every once in a while, Clint seems to over react and let’s hope that this is one of those times.

Ella said. Let’s just have a good breakfast and relax.

It’s too cold to do anything outside so let’s wait till this afternoon and we can take a nice warm ride to the Sunnybrook Farm for some ice cream. That will cheer Petey up.

Peter worked for the Protective Assurance Company and he had just been promoted to Senior Claims Representative. He handled the whole northeastern part of Connecticut and he usually got the high priority cases whether they were in his territory or not. He stayed home and dictated reports on Mondays. This also allowed him to make appointments for the rest of the week. Tuesdays, he went into his territory and he also went there on Wednesdays.

He considered Wednesday wasted because he did little to reduce his caseload. He had four stops to make on what he considered to be his hand holding day. The company insured the Berkshire Community Hospital and Peter met with the administrator, Miss Cody to discuss any outstanding claims whether there were any or not.

His company also insured the City of Alton and he met with the comptroller, John Solbeck for the same reason. The third stop was the P&C Construction Company who had a relationship with the United Corp of Engineers to build new roads and dams along the Berkshire River. The company purchased Wildcat Mountain, which they were in the process of leveling with explosives so they could have a supply of trap rock for the roads they were building.

The last stop was the Adams Insurance Agency who supplied the claim men in the area with a room in back where they could work and make phone calls. Peter liked to go there because it was quiet and he could make his phone calls without balancing all of his equipment on his lap when he called from the car.

The treat on this Sunday turned out to be supper at McDonalds and an ice cream cone at the Sunnybrook Farm. He liked to take his children to the farm because they talked freely and they opened up with what was going on with their lives, all he had to do was listen and he didn’t have ask too many questions.

Anne confided more to her mother, but the news always filtered down to Peter. Sometimes, Peter thought that the job of raising children was much more difficult than the one he had to make a living.

When they returned home, the sun had already set and he could tell that his children were tired so they dropped off, one by one to their rooms. Anne was usually the first and Andy was second, but Petey usually hung in there until the very last minute.

After the kids were in bed, it was time for the couple to discuss what they had learned about the children in the course of the day. Peter saw them briefly during the course of the week and he relied on Ella to tell him what was going on.

Ella was more interested in the phone call that Peter received that morning. What do you think the phone call was all about? You know you just got off a high profile case and now you have to go on another one.

I have no idea, answered Peter. Someone must have called Clint so it must be important.

This means you will be in and out all the time and we won’t see you as often.

I know, but it goes with the territory and I just got that nice raise. Maybe I should take a supervisor’s job so I can spend more time at home.

At least we have the Mustang now so I don’t have to wait for you to come home.

How are you doing with that bomb?

It’s not a bomb and I love it. I also love the way you got it so it didn’t cost us much. Where did you get the idea of getting two total losses, cutting them in half and putting the good halves together again?

That’s just the way we Slovaks do business.

Peter got up the next morning before anyone else. He went out to get the paper, which might give him a hint as to what was going on. He opened the paper and the front page struck him like a hammer. The headline read, Nun in Newton Crossing found dead on the altar of St. Jude’s Roman Catholic Church.

Peter read the story, but it didn’t tell him much. The Chief of Police, Joseph Tully said that it was an ongoing investigation and he didn’t have any details at this time.

Peter cut out the article and left it on the table for Ella to see. He was sure that this was going to be his case.

Ella got up as he was reading the paper. Is there anything new in the paper?" She asked.

Yes, and I think I know why I’m being called into the office. Look at this article I just cut out.

She got herself a cup of coffee and sat down with the article in front of her.

Who could do such a thing? There must be a lot of crazies out there.

I know we insure the Diocese of Hartford and St. Jude is part of it, but I don’t know how the company is involved. We carry fire insurance on all the churches and a limited amount of casualty insurance, but nobody brings a law suit against the church.

Don’t be too sure. Anybody who would do that wouldn’t hesitate.

Well, I’ll find out soon enough. I would suspect that there will be someone from the diocese there and someone from the W. R. Ward Agency and they are always hard to deal with because they are so big that they expect special treatment. I hate to deal with that agency.

When do you think you’ll be back? Want me to make lunch for you?

I’m not going to spend more time in there than I have to so count on my being here for lunch.

He left the house with a mug of coffee at about a quarter after nine. He would park on the street and he would put two dimes in the meter for the two hours he expected to be there. The ride in was a pleasant one and he wished he could come in at this time of the day all the time, but he got to spend only one day a week in the office so he needed a full day.

Peter got into the office right at ten and the corner office where the claim manager sat was crowded. The claim office was on the third floor and the elevator opened directly into the clattering of phones and the different conversations that were going on.

He didn’t stop at his desk, but walked down the long aisle of cubicles down to the corner office. There were two administrative assistants and they occupied a cubicle on each side of the claims manager’s office. The suit supervisor, Sam Hale was next to one of them. Sam was in charge of making sure that each case that went to trial contained enough investigation to allow a winning verdict.

If something was missing, Sam would forward it to the supervisor of the man who investigated it and he would have to go out on it again. This didn’t make Sam the most popular man on campus, but Peter got along with him fine because he settled most of his cases.

There were five units in the office with four people in each one. The supervisors sat in cubicles that were up against the wall that had windows. This was one of the perks for being promoted. Peter could never understand why a person would trade the freedom of the open road, a company car and an expense account for a small increase in pay and an office by a window.

When Peter reached the corner office, Clint Waller, his supervisor was watching him walking down the aisle. Clint opened the door and said, Come on in, Peter, we’ve been waiting for you.

Peter looked at the clock on the wall and it said five minutes till ten. Clint noticed that, but he didn’t say anything.

The claim manager, Jim Evans was behind his desk and he stood up. Gentlemen, I think we should go up to the fifth floor conference room where we will be more comfortable. I’ll introduce everyone once we are settled up there.

They filled the elevator and when they arrived, Jim sat at the head of the table. After everyone was seated, he started. I don’t know if everyone knows everyone else. On my right going around the table is Monsignor Kelly from the Diocese of Hartford, Al Fortuna from the Ward Agency, Al Goodman one of my administrative assistants, Clint Waller who supervises the territory and Peter Janek who is the outside claim rep that handles the area.

The Monsignor spoke. This is a very unhappy occasion and Bishop Hardy asked me to coordinate the activities of the various people who are going to be involved.

Al Fortuna was next. Does Peter Janek have the experience to handle a claim of this magnitude?

Jim leaned over the table and answered. If I didn’t feel he was qualified, then he wouldn’t be here.

Al’s face turned a mild shade of red and Jim didn’t expect any further comment from him

Jim went on. Peter, are you aware of what has transpired?

I read about it in the papers, but I haven’t seen the coverage or the first report yet.

Clint can fill you in on that. The reason that I have asked all of you to come is that we should have some understanding about how much information will be allowed to reach the public.

Monsieur Kelly spoke. Bishop Hardy has asked us not to let out too much information and maybe the issue will calm down later. It was a shock to our entire sisterhood.

We don’t publicize our investigation and Peter has an excellent relationship with the chief of police in Newton Crossing, said the claims manager.

We would like to be informed, said Al Fortuna.

If you want information, I will request that you go through me, said Jim. I will instruct all my people to refer all calls to me.

Peter, do you have any questions? asked Jim.

Yes, I do, but we should discuss them after I have had a chance to go over the coverage and the first report.

Well, gentlemen, do you have any questions? I would caution you not to discuss this with the press. You can refer them either to the police or to me. Is this understood? asked Jim.

Everyone nodded and Jim stood up to signal the meeting had come to an end. Stop by my office before you leave, Peter, said Jim.

Peter went down to Clint’s office with him. Do you have a copy of the first report and coverage? asked Peter.

Everything is on my desk and I’ll have Kathy make copies for you.

Let me go over them before we stop in to see Jim. I really don’t know how we are involved.

Peter spent a half an hour going over the coverage when Clint stood up and it was the signal to go down to Jim’s office.

When the door closed, Peter asked. How are we involved?

Jim answered as he leaned back in his chair. We don’t really know. We don’t know if the sister’s family will bring a claim against the church. We don’t have comp coverage except for medical because they don’t pay the nuns anything and they provide food and shelter anyway. They don’t pay them so there is no lost time involved.

Did the church carry any life insurance on her? asked Peter.

None that we know about, but you never know. That’s something you can look into, said Jim.

I went over the coverage and I fail to see where we are involved, said Peter.

Clint addressed Peter. Did you ever come across her before?

Yes, and due to the structure of the church in that area, she was in and out of both churches. The Sacred Heart is the main one and that is located in Alton. Father Murray is at that church. St. Jude is in Newton Crossing and that is mainly used for masses and is more or less a chapel. Father Amos Burk is the pastor there, but he is fairly young and he lives with Father Murray in Alton. Father Murray is more or less in charge of both churches and I imagine that financially Father Murray handles the money from both churches.

How do Sister Agnes Marie Becker and the rest of the nuns fit into the organization? asked Jim.

There is a small convent located in Alton and it only has five or six sisters. All they really do is assist the priests and they have a few rooms where they take in women who have no other place to go. They also have a small kitchen and dining room where they feed the homeless, but there are not very many in the area.

You seem to know a lot about the churches in that area, said Clint with a smile.

This is where I took the gal from The Brotherhood and that accounts for much of the traffic in the area.

Where are you going to start? asked Clint.

I want to interview Father Murray and Father Burk to see if they may have seen anything unusual. Next, I want to interview the sister’s parents because that could give us a clue if something was going on. I will determine if they intend to file a claim against the church. From then on, I’ll go where the investigation takes me. It seems that this is a very unusual case. I would like to know what killed her. It could have been a heart attack and that would solve the whole problem. I have a good relationship with the chief in Newton Crossing and he will tell me right off the bat if anything is going on.

Well, good luck, Peter, said Jim. "Keep us posted as to what is going on. It’s all over the news and Les Parker, the Vice President of claims called me Sunday morning and that was a signal that the interview was over so they got up and left.

On the way back to his cubicle, Clint said. Boy, we are having some unusual claims happening lately and they are all in your territory.

"Yeah, we got a bunch of crazy people up there. I’ve got to get down to my car before I get a ticket.

He got home about twelve-thirty and Ella was in the kitchen making a couple sandwiches. Is there anything new on the good sister? She asked.

Nope, all they know is what we read in the papers. I’ll go out on it tomorrow. I have a lot of dictating to do this afternoon.

Well, it looks like you will be running around all over the place again.

Sure does look that way.

CHAPTER TWO

Peter couldn’t wait to get into his territory the next day. He put his overcoat in the backseat, took a mug of coffee that he had made and started north before anyone was up. He thought that he would stop in to see his old buddy, Chief Joe Tully.

The chief’s red Jeep with the blue light on top was in his reserved parking spot so Peter went in the front entrance. The chief looked up to see Peter walk in. He left his little office and came out to greet him.

The chief smiled. Well, Peter, I thought that you would be coming early, but not this early. How are you involved in this mess?

We insure the Diocese of Hartford and all hell broke loose in Hartford yesterday. We even had a Monsignor come out to report it.

We haven’t done much as yet, but we did ship the body to Grissom Hospital for the autopsy.

I’ve got a few questions, said Peter as he opened his briefcase.

Fire away and I have to caution you to keep this quiet because we aren’t letting a lot of information out to the public. This is still an ongoing investigation so keep it under your hat.

What was she wearing?

The chief smiled. The traditional habit and all we could see was her face. I didn’t want to touch her body so we sent it to the hospital as we found it.

So you couldn’t see her cheeks or her neck?

Nope, but the autopsy will tell us if there was anything there.

Any idea what she was doing there? asked Peter.

According to the priest, she was there to see that everything was in order for the Sunday Mass. She was supposed to make sure the chapel was clean and there was enough equipment and communion stuff for the next day’s service.

Do you know if they have a Saturday Virgil Mass?

I don’t believe so and there is no place for Father Burk to stay so he stays in the rectory in Alton.

Do we have any idea who could be there at that time?

Nope, but I’m told Sister Agnes Marie did a lot of work with the homeless.

Are there any physical signs that would lead her to her death?

My guess would be that she was strangled, but don’t quote me on that. I hope that Grissom is going to do the autopsy and then we’ll know. I don’t think that they will have to send her to New Haven because they are very slow over there. It looks pretty cut and dried. Why would the church report this to the insurance company?

I don’t know. I think that all the Bishop is looking for is the cause of death. Did you see any signs that she was assaulted?

Nope, I didn’t want to take off her habit. If she was assaulted, the guy went through the trouble of dressing her back up. The autopsy will tell us that.

If I hear anything, I’ll let you know. All I’m going to put in my report is that the theory is that she didn’t die of natural causes. I’ll explain that after I get the autopsy.

Peter left the Newton Crossing Police Station. He was always pleased after his talk with the chief. He told the story just the way it was and he didn’t hold back anything. He had to be careful what he put into his reports because the legal department reads them and he didn’t want word to get out that he was repeating privileged material. He would lose the credibility of his talks with the chief.

The next visit would be to the rectory of the Sacred Heart Church in Alton and he wanted to talk to Father Murray. He had many dealings with the good father who had helped him in some of his investigations in the past. Father Murray had a great spiritual attitude. He could find no wrong with anyone and Peter suspected that the bishop assigned Father Burk to him so he could train him. He wanted him to learn how to run his own church in the future.

He got to the rectory at about ten and that was a good time since the morning mass was over and he would have time before the noon mass. A rather heavyset woman answered the door. She had on a bright blue apron with huge flowers all around it. Peter thought that there must be an awful lot of material that went into making the apron it was probably made by Omar, the tent maker.

When she looked at Peter, he was smiling and she smiled back. It looked like they would get along rather well. She had bright blue eyes that looked small in her round and red puffy cheeks.

May I help you? She asked.

My name is Peter Janek from the Protective Assurance Company and I have come to see Father Murray and Father Burk.

We have been expecting you. My name is Sister Bernice, but everyone calls me Sister Bunny. The priests are in the kitchen going over what they are going to tell you. Today is my turn to clean up the rectory. I will get them for you.

She left and Father Murray came right out. Good morning, Peter, he said. We have been waiting for you.

He wore a pair of dark blue slacks, a white turtle neck sweater and another dark blue sweater with a V neck.

You look pretty casual, father, said Peter.

We have to wear heavy clothes because we are trying to keep the heating bills down. We spend more time in the kitchen because that is the warmest room in the house. Sister Bunny just made a fresh pot of coffee so why don’t we talk in there.

I’ve never met Father Burk. I take it that he is here?

Yes, I assigned him to the chapel in Newton Crossing. I have enough to do around here with the convent, the soup kitchen and the church.

Peter went into the sparse kitchen and a young priest got up from the table. He was dressed exactly as Father Murray and would have been a clone except that he had a full head of brown wavy hair and Father Murray’s was receding to the back of his head.

After they were seated and Peter had a full mug of steaming coffee in front of him, he said. I guess you know why I’m here?

Father Murray answered. Yes, we have been expecting you.

I have a whole lot of questions. First of all I want to know how you handle your operation and then I want to talk to Father Burk about last weekend.

Let’s get started, said Father Murray as he smiled. "I have to be in church at noon so I’ll go first. We have a convent that houses six, or now five sisters. You have met Sister Bunny. Our sisters handle the religious instructions of the children of our parish as well as a small soup kitchen, which is pretty active this time of the year. Father Burk runs the chapel in Newton Crossing and I will let him tell you of the details.

The sisters take care of cleaning the church, the rectory and the chapel. They have a revolving schedule that is handled by Mother Katherine so one of the sisters is not charged with cleaning one place all of the time."

Can I talk to Mother Katherine when I finish here? asked Peter as he was taking notes.

I’ll call her so she will expect you, said Father Murray.

Peter looked at Father Burk who appeared to be ill at ease so he asked. How long have you been in this parish, Father?

For only about six months I left the seminary in June and have been here ever since.

Father Murray was smiling. He is coming along rather nicely, Peter. We are fortunate to have a chapel where he can get some hands-on experience. Let me go on. This is the busiest time of the year for us. It is two weeks until lent begins. Ash Wednesday is just two weeks away from this Wednesday. Do you have any questions about how we run the operation, as you call it? If not, I have to get ready to go to the church and I’ll turn you loose with Father Burk and Mother Katherine.

Good luck at Mass, Father. How many people do you have at the noon Mass? asked Peter.

We usually have only about six.

That seems like it’s hardly worth the trip.

I would go even if there was only one. Any soul that is saved is worth the price.

Father Murray left and Peter took out his statement pad. I have to get this down in writing. I hope you don’t mind, Father.

Do what you have to do, Peter.

Peter took down the preliminary information and then started to ask the questions. When was the last time you went to the chapel before you found Sister Agnes Marie?

"The parish has a van and we have volunteers to drive us around. I went over there with the good sister about two o’clock on Saturday. We have two Masses, one at eight and one at ten on Sunday mornings. I like to go over there on Saturday afternoon to see that there is enough wine and hosts for the Masses. Sister Agnes Marie rode over there with me. It was her turn to be sure that the chapel was clean and that the altar coverings were clean and pressed. I had to leave by three because I wanted to help Father Murray at confessions.

When we got there, we found that someone had made a mess on the last pew, but otherwise the chapel was clean. The sisters go out there in the middle of the week so someone made a mess after that. I don’t know when the sisters went out there after the previous Sunday Masses."

I’ll check with Mother Katherine.

I left about a quarter to three and the driver said that he would come back for Sister Agnes Marie if he got a call.

Do you know if he came back? asked Peter.

No, after confessions, we went out to the kitchen to get a bite to eat.

I’ll ask the Reverend Mother.

Tell me what you saw when you came into the chapel on Sunday morning.

I went in the rear entrance and it was empty so I thought that Sister Agnes Marie must have gotten a ride back the night before. I went to the altar and found her lying face down with her arms extended like she was reaching for the altar. She looked like she was trying to get to the altar.

What time was that?