The Root of All Evil (Hope Street Church Mysteries Book 4) by Ellery Adams, Elizabeth Lockard Read Free Book Online Page B

slowly slid it away. “I wasn’t supposed to say that. I’m so sorry. That is not meant for everyone to know.”
    “It’s all right,” Cooper assured her. “What’s said in the art room stays in the art room.”
    Sylvia emitted a relieved sigh. “Thanks.”
    Cooper took a seat in the desk beside the teacher. “I knew the school was having some trouble, but I didn’t realize it was so serious.”
    “Only a few of us do. That’s why I shouldn’t have said what I said. It just . . . came out.”
    “Well, I didn’t hear a thing. But if I did, I might say that I hope your flattery of students is successful.”
    Sylvia nodded gratefully. “The same goes for your cookies and cupcakes.”
    “Do you need anything?”
    “I’m fine.”
    “You sure?” Cooper asked. “You’re tied to this room, but I’ve got backup at the snack table. You’re looking a little tired, too. I’d be glad to bring you some coffee or something.”
    The teacher considered her request. “If you mean it . . .”
    “Sure I do.”
    Sylvia rose, walked to her desk and returned a moment later with a piece of paper. “I made a little ‘About This Class’ flier for the parents, and I’ve run out. The copy machine in the teachers’ lounge is broken. Do you have a minute to take it to Pastor Matthews’s office and make copies? Fifty should do it. I know he won’t mind.”
    “I can handle that,” Cooper replied, smiling kindly. “I’ll be back before you know it.”
    Cooper took the paper and hurried over to Pastor Matthews’s office, catching him on his way out of the room. “Hey! Pastor Matthews!”
    Pastor Matthews greeted her with a smile. He was a kind and humble man with an honest face and a slight hunch to his shoulders. “Good evening, Cooper. Do you need something?”
    “I told Sylvia—your art teacher—that I’d make copies of this for her. Mind if I use your copier?”
    Pastor Matthews opened his office door and waved her inside. “My copy machine is your copy machine.”
    He turned on the lights. His office was a large room, modestly furnished with a desk and a sitting area on the opposite side of the room. The walls were lined with bookshelves, stacked with volumes on theology interspersed with framed photographs and souvenirs from the pastor’s trips overseas. The copy machine sat behind the desk, beside a safe. The machine was new.
    “It was a donation,” Pastor Matthews commented as Cooper admiringly studied the machine. “I’ve had it for about six months.”
    Cooper’s inner repairman took control, and she squatted beside the machine to see behind it. The panels were clean and tightly affixed. The cables were properly wrangled—not knotted together. “This one’s in great shape. Who donated it?”
    “A business downtown. It was great timing, really. My older machine died, and that same day a rep from the company stopped by and asked if I’d like a new copier.”
    “Sounds more like miraculous timing.”
    “Tell me about it. Now, with the copier in the teachers’ lounge on the fritz, we may need to move this one so the teachers can use it.”
    Cooper placed the flier on the copier surface, set the machine to fifty copies and pressed the start button. “What’s wrong with the other copier?”
    Pastor Matthews shrugged. “Not sure exactly. I’ve taken a look inside a few times, but I’m not really sure what I’m looking for. Truth be told, I’m not the most tech-savvy person.”
    Cooper stood and turned to face the pastor with a smile. “You know, I just happen to be familiar with these machines.”
    “You are? Really?”
    “I work at Make It Work! This is kind of my area of expertise, actually. I’d be glad to take a look sometime, if you like. Pro bono, of course.”
    “Would you? Anything you can do to keep it in working order would be terrific!”
    “I make no guarantees,” Cooper explained. “But I’ll do what I can. No need for you to spend money getting it fixed if you