53/365 History: Sabotage

"The rectory got broken into last night," Sr. Fern mentions in the faculty room, sort of off-hand, to me and a couple other teachers standing their at our mailboxes. "Somebody with a key."

"Then it's not really a break in," Ina points out.

"True, but they sabotaged a computer."

We all look at each other. I am suddenly really thankful I don't have a rectory key. I don't need that kind of heat.

"Which one?" Ina asks.

"Joey's." Sr. Fern leaves and I look at Ina.

"Joey has a computer in the rectory?"

"She has an office," Ina points out.

"Really."

"Yeah, she's a full-time volunteer over there, you know."

I sort of knew. Whatever. I put it out of my mind because it doesn't directly concern me and there is plenty going on at the moment that does. But a few weeks later I'm in the library trying to sift through non-fiction books to label when I hear a key in the door across the hall. Since it's evening and I'm there with Mary, essentially alone and defenseless, I stick my head out to see what's up. It's Joey and her husband. They're fighting about something. I duck back into the library and tell Mary I'll be right back.

"Hey Joey," I announce before I'm completely in earshot. Colin backs off. She looks at me and waves me over. Colin doesn't say anything to me but heads back down the stairs.

"I'll wait til you call," he tells her.

We go into the computer room. She dumps her armful of supplies on a table and sighs.

"Heard about the rectory," I tell her.

"Yeah. A lot of people don't like me very much." She goes over to turn on a bank of computers. "I can't figure it out. I--me and Colin--we're the top donors to this parish. I know because I'm on Finance. But then people who don't give more than $5 a week think they have a right to complain."

I almost felt bad until she said that. Always pulling rank. Not that I gave $5 a week--Mike and I did quite a bit more than that--but she shouldn't get to know, and then tell people.

"Do you know who did it?"

"I've narrowed it to Dolores or Roxanne. Maybe one of Roxanne's kids. They both have keys--had keys, that is. Bill took everybody's keys away unless they were employees."

"So you don't have a key anymore?"

"Oh, I still have a key. I'm not paid, but I'm an employee. You know, when Colin and I moved here we didn't live in the parish, but at St. John's. And I went to the priest there and asked if there was anything I could do. He shooed me off. Wait until I was here longer, that sort of thing. So we started looking around, and then we moved into the parish and when I asked Bill if there was anything I could do, well, he had plenty. I'd just had back surgery and quit my job," she trails off.

I don't say anything. I lean in the doorway watching her do something on the computer.

"We have money because we worked for it. It wasn't given to us." She must be rewinding the conversation in her head.

"Sure," I nod.

"And Roxanne. Damn it. That crazy bitch."

I sort of agree with that statement. Actually, I agree 100% but I'm not going to show my hand. Dolores is a stickier problem. I teach both their kids, and each is a piece of work in her own right, but Roxanne kind of scares me in a way that Dolores never did (and never will).

"Why do you think it was her?"

"Well, she doesn't have a key, but Dolores does. And I think they did it together. They erased all sorts of my files. Some are gone for good. And they both hate me, you know."

She leans back in her chair and beckons me over with her hand.

"I need to tell you something."

We weren't friends yet, but this was where the ice started to break.