A Scarlet Cord by Deborah Raney

Author:Deborah Raney [Raney, Deborah]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-307-55296-9
Publisher: The Crown Publishing Group
Published: 2012-07-03T16:00:00+00:00

“You showed this to the police?” Matt asked.

“Yes. But if anything, it hurt my cause. Like I told you, the officer said that unless he’s committed a crime, they can’t conduct a search for someone who left of his own accord. I … I didn’t make an issue about Joel taking his paycheck. Maybe I should have. Maybe they would have taken some action then. But … well, he had the pay coming. It was rightfully his.”

Matt shook his head, racking his brain for the missing piece to the puzzle. “Do you have the list of references Joel gave when you hired him?” he asked suddenly.

“You mean from his résumé?” Don stood and went to the file cabinet in the corner of his office. He pulled out a file folder and leafed through the papers inside, then spread them on the desk for Matt’s perusal. The thin file yielded Joel Ellington’s tax and insurance forms, curriculum lists, and an assortment of what appeared to be handwritten sermon notes.

“Hmmm, that’s strange,” Don Steele said, scratching his chin. “His résumé doesn’t seem to be here.” He went back to the file cabinet and riffled through several other folders, but returned to the desk empty-handed.

Matt remembered that Joel had left the note in Don’s desk. “You don’t keep your drawers locked? Or the file cabinet?”

Don shook his head.

“Who has access to the files besides you?”

Don gave a mirthless laugh. “Just about anybody in the building. But no one else actually uses this filing cabinet … well, besides Darlene, the secretary. I lock my office at night, but I suppose during the daytime anyone could come in here. Why? What are you thinking?”

“I’m not sure yet. Are you positive Joel’s résumé was in that folder?”

“Reasonably sure. We keep a copy of each employee’s application and résumé on file. But I can’t say for certain that I’ve seen Joel’s since we opened a file for him a year ago.”

“I just wonder … if for some reason Joel didn’t want anyone to have access to the information in his résumé. He was here to get his check and leave that note in your desk the day he disappeared. Is it possible he also cleaned out his file then?”

Don shrugged. “I suppose. But why would he take the résumé and leave all his financial information?”

“I don’t know.” Matt thought for a minute. “Do you remember who you called for references when you were considering hiring Joel?”

“Well, I didn’t make the calls. It would have been someone on the personnel committee that hired him. Probably Bill Randolph or Jerry LaSalle or maybe Ruth Dutton—”

“Jerry was on the board?”

“Yes. He was.”

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