"Pastor Daniels is ready to see you now," the church secretary said in a singsong voice. After Sutton was unable to get a meeting with Frank Salucci, Rex decided he'd do a work-around and get to him through Sammy Daniels. That's how he and Viv ended up back at church.
Handing Rex a stack of papers, the secretary added, "Here are the prenuptial guidelines of St. Bartholomew's. Pastor will guide you through the details and arrange three appointments prior to your ceremony.”
Rex felt Viv's body stiffen. He turned to her. "Come along, darling, let's get this part done so that we can go shopping and pick out your dress." He took her by the elbow. Then he whispered in her ear, "You're the bride, remember. Act happy."
The door to the pastor's office opened, revealing Samuel Daniels. He wore an ecclesial collar with a black long-sleeve shirt. Light gray slacks emphasized his tall, slim build. "I remember you now," he said, beaming at them. "Come in and have a seat."
Rex and Viv sat in two chairs on one side of the expansive mahogany desk. A gold pen, next to a worn Bible, lay on the right-hand corner of the polished surface. Behind the desk was a credenza that held the customary photos. The largest was of a beautiful woman in her fifties and two teenage children, a boy and a girl. When Pastor Daniels seated himself, he held his hands like a steeple in front of his chest and smiled.
"I see you're ready to tie the knot," Daniels began the conversation.
Aware of Viv's eyes boring into the side of his face, Rex could barely refrain from laughing. He'd not explained earlier how he'd gotten the appointment with Daniels, just that he had one. She must be surprised.
It was Sutton who'd instructed him earlier on how to dress for a meeting with the pastor. "Okay, so I made the appointment for you and Viv at St. Bart’s for this afternoon. I recommend that you wear clothes that look like you stepped off the golf course. Since Pastor Daniels golfs, you'll have an instant connection point with him."
Rex had yawned at the time, trying to recollect when exactly Sutton had become his clothing consultant among all the other things she was in charge of. "And Viv. What should she wear?"
"Whatever the hell she wants, Viv's a grownup. You, I'm not so sure of," muttered Sutton. Kevin chose that moment to leap on the bed and lick Rex's face.
But now that he sat in the pastor's study, he realized Sutton knew what she was doing. He hadn't anticipated feeling so disingenuous. Sitting here like this, a minister staring him down, reminded him of times in the past. Like when I was a kid and the priest chewed me out for sampling the communion wine. He shifted his legs, trying to get more comfortable. The guilt makes me fidgety. He only had to look down at his knee bouncing up and down to be convinced this wasn't the place he wanted to be.
Rex laid the paperwork on the desk. He cleared his throat. "Okay, so we're not here for prenuptial counseling." He observed Daniels's face carefully. He's a good hider, that guy. Must be the collar.
"Is that so," came the sonorous reply.
"We're here to talk to you about the Desert Tortoise Estates. We're all residents and you're on the HOA."
"We tried to get a meeting with the director, Frank Salucci," Viv explained.
"But he couldn't come to the phone," Rex added.
"According to the letterhead, you're the next in charge," Viv said.
"I'm the facilities coordinator," Daniels explained. "I work with Judy in the office. And then once a month we take a tour of the property, driving around the neighborhood, to see if neighbors are in compliance with the CC&Rs. That kind of thing."
Viv spoke. "So we have issues with the CC&Rs. But that's not why we want a meeting. I'd like to get a copy of the annual budget. For some reason that's not been sent out electronically or through the mail."
Sammy Daniels's jaw tightened.
Rex commented quietly, "I can see these questions bother you."
"Not at all," Daniels’s voice boomed. The sheer volume of his response told Rex everything he wanted to know. Gotcha. Having achieved his purpose of throwing the pastor off guard, Rex knew the better part of valor was to make a quick exit.
He stood. "So if you could call Judy and tell her to send us the yearly report, we'd appreciate it."
"And then we can have a good long look." Viv stood too. "Another thing, if you could put a call in to Joey Baker, that would be great. He's the treasurer and I'm sure he can answer any questions we have after reading the report."
Pastor Daniels’s face sagged. He gripped the side of the desk as he stood. "Joey is not available at the moment," he said. "He's on a cruise."
"How long will they be out of town?" Viv asked.
"I'm not sure. At least two weeks." Then he leaned closer, using a conspiratorial voice. "Joey may be in a spot of trouble. I'm only saying this because you're part of the estate community and I think you should know."
Rex took Viv's hand. "We've heard that Joey killed Carmine."
"I cannot confirm or deny, but you can put two and two together. He was the only one not at the HOA that night."
Rex inched Viv closer to the door. "Thanks for that information," he told Pastor Daniels on their way out.
Once inside the SUV, Viv spoke first. "He practically insisted Joey is hiding from the cops and that he murdered Carmine. You know, I'm not sure I believe him about the cruise. It's like a hunch."
"I like it when you have hunches," Rex said. "And I'm inclined to agree."
Viv sighed with exasperation. "So what did we learn from that charade?"
"It's a lot of paperwork to get married in a church?" he said with a grin.
"Besides that." Viv scowled.
Rex pulled the SUV into his driveway. "We learned that Sammy Daniels has confidentiality issues and that the HOA is hiding something. And that the board may just be a front for what they're hiding."
Viv shook her head. "Since Joey is the HOA accountant, he must be in way deep. Maybe he's skimming money off the top. You know, embezzling." She paused for a breath before continuing. "Maybe Carmine figured it out and tried to blackmail him. That's when Joey decided to kill Carmine."
Rex whistled. "Sounds plausible."
Viv opened the SUV door. "I'll see you later. I have some phone calls to follow up on. Plus we can't do anything until we get that report."
"See you soon." Rex waited for her to close the door before pulling into his garage.
"Bork," came a greeting from inside the house.
Rex opened the door to Kevin, who wriggled and wagged his tail.