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Chapter Twenty-Nine

Jayne Self — Thu, 09 Sep 2010 05:01:16 +0000

Paige fetched me from the hospital before the morning shift came on duty and charged me for spending the night. I had a fresh dressing on my hand, thanks to little Miss Pony-Tail, and a Styrofoam cupful of lethal coffee coating my stomach. I was ready for anything.

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Jayne Self — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 05:01:12 +0000

In the end, I took a taxi to the hospital. No need for Paige to venture out in the cold. I wanted her safe behind the building’s new security guard—compliments of Pepperfield clout—and Justin’s electrified alarm system. She promised to keep it armed this time, and with Hamlet on guard duty, I had every confidence she was beyond harm. Or so I kept telling myself.

Chapter Twenty-Seven

Jayne Self — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 05:01:28 +0000

I looked around, waiting for Paige to explain why we were here.

Walking Humbly

web admin — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 05:00:47 +0000

Sarah Smith and students from Apatsa Private Primary School.

I spent days researching and learning as much as I could about Malawi and mission trips. I read countless articles about the dangers that mission trips pose to developing nations — about how North Americans run amuck preaching, offending, and taking away jobs with construction projects that could have employed several local workers. Even with this information, I felt called to go to Malawi on a Youth in Mission trip.

Thanking God

web admin — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 05:00:46 +0000

Mike Birks and Carol Gamuti.

It was on May 5, 2010 that we expected our friends from Canada, but when we got to the airport we didn’t know what to expect. We didn’t know what they would be like. But now the trip is over, and it has been like an undreamed dream come true. It has changed us spiritually, intellectually and physically, and has also given us opportunities to visit places in Malawi where we couldn’t afford to go.

Battling the Cynical Side

web admin — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 05:00:41 +0000

As an international development graduate from Trent University, I was looking forward to seeing firsthand some of the development projects supported by Presbyterian World Service and Development. I initially chose my major because I thought it would teach me how to help those suffering from poverty; what I experienced was a deconstruction of everything I considered “development” to be, and a growing skepticism of everything being promoted as “development.” I graduated with few firm beliefs about the subject, a general cynicism and a lack of faith in humanity’s desire to help one another.

Read more on Battling the Cynical Side…

Malawi: A Youth Mosaic

web admin — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 05:00:40 +0000

Youth in Mission:
It’s a three-week whirlwind tour; a glimpse into the people, places and partnerships of Malawi’s Church of Central Africa Presbyterian and Canada’s Presbyterian Church. It brings together nine Canadian youth, most of them veteran camp counsellors, and five Malawian youth from various presbyteries in Blantyre synod.
Most of the stops involve visiting or playing with children — unsurprising since over half of Malawi’s population is under 18. But most of the children met are orphans; in Malawi this means they have one or no surviving parents.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Jayne Self — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 05:01:41 +0000

I let myself in the front door, not bothering to lock it after me. It felt good to be inside, away from the cold air that seared my chest with each breath I took.

Chapter Twenty-Five

Jayne Self — Thu, 26 Aug 2010 05:01:01 +0000

I gripped Mrs. F’s by the shoulders. “They haven’t cleared the house?”

Chapter Twenty-Four

Jayne Self — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 05:01:50 +0000

I’d heard enough. Stuffing my mitted hands into my pockets, I followed a lacy trail of bird tracks in the opposite direction.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Jayne Self — Thu, 19 Aug 2010 05:01:55 +0000

Howie’s girls burst from the vehicle. They raced through the snow, throwing snowballs at anything that moved, including the Pepperfield’s yelping Airedales. Howie looked indulgent. Dora looked adoring. Connie Lynngate Pepperfield looked pained.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Jayne Self — Mon, 16 Aug 2010 05:01:26 +0000

My head ached like a demon. I pictured myself sneaking into Nick’s hotel room in Florida, my fingers wrapping around his thick neck as I squeezed.

Chapter Twenty-One

Jayne Self — Thu, 12 Aug 2010 05:01:41 +0000

I stared at the pile of money. “You took this out of the bank?”

Chapter Twenty

Jayne Self — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 05:01:17 +0000

More confused than enlightened, I drove home and changed for my run. I had a lot of adrenaline to burn off before I’d be able to concentrate on finishing my sermon.

Chapter Nineteen

Jayne Self — Thu, 05 Aug 2010 05:01:55 +0000

Howie wouldn’t be happy to see me but I didn’t care. I bullied my way past the receptionist, and barged into his office.

Chapter Eighteen

Jayne Self — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 05:01:15 +0000

I should have been finalizing my sermon but I couldn’t get my mind off the case. That’s what it had become for me, a case. I had a string of seemingly unconnected events, a missing BlackBerry, several lost files and two murders. But mostly what I had was a gut feeling that a killer was closing in on another victim.

Chapter Seventeen

Jayne Self — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 05:01:43 +0000

January second, Pepperfield College’s Administration Building was locked up tighter than the Masonic Lodge. Fortunately for me, I had Paige. She’d borrowed the security codes from her father, who’d taken Paige’s mom to Toronto for a theatre matinee. I wasn’t clear on whether Pepperfield was aware of his generosity, or not.

Chapter Sixteen

Jayne Self — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 05:01:27 +0000

Justin Pepperfield, killed when his tampered breaks failed, and Dillys Merryweather, Justin’s secretary, strangled, her body disposed of in another motor vehicle accident. Two murders someone tried to cover up with car accidents. What did they have in common?

Chapter Fifteen

Jayne Self — Mon, 12 Jul 2010 05:01:30 +0000

I was half way out the door Thursday morning when the phone rang. It clicked into the answering machine, then urgently shrilled again. I shouted for Dad to wait, and picked up.

Chapter Fourteen

Jayne Self — Mon, 05 Jul 2010 05:01:08 +0000

I had no office at the church, just a cubby hole and closet to store my vestments, so I used the Ladies’ Lounge for my appointments. I had to book the space well in advance. The ladies were very possessive of their plush couches and potted plants.