“How’s my poor mother supposed to deal with this? First my father, then my cousin, and nowShannon.”
“Like I said, I want to help expose the killer. And the more information I have, the better.”
She sighed, her shoulders dropping, and I sensed she was taking me at my word.
“Okay, what is it you need to know?”
“The other day when I asked you if Shannon had ever been to the retreat center, you didn’t have a chance to answer. Do you recall if she had?”
“Not that I’m aware of. But there’s a four-year gap between us, and I was in college by the time Shannon entered high school. I didn’t always know what she was up to.”
“Did she ever talk to you about her decision to rejoin the church? Why she wanted to become involved again?”
“She didn’t volunteer anything. It actually came as a surprise. I showed up at mass one Sunday and there she was.”
Out of the blue. Just as J.J. had indicated.
“Any thoughts on what led her back here?”
Kelly turned her head slightly and stared into the middle distance, as if the answer might lie there. “Why does anyone come here? A yearning for spiritual guidance? A need for community? A desire to make amends? But what does it matter at this point?”
“I’ve been wondering if someone she came into contact with here this summer, someone who knew about the center at Sunset Bay, might have targeted her.”
She narrowed her tired eyes.
“I can’t imagine that. Besides, isn’t it clear there’s a predator at large? And that’s what everyone should be focusing on.”
Her gazed shifted again, this time to directly over my shoulder. “I need to go. My husband’s pulled the car up.”
“Thank you for your time,” I said as she moved toward the steps, tightening the belt on her trench. There was still one more topic to explore in the seconds I had left. “I hope you have good friends you can turn to at a time like this.”
“Fortunately, I’m blessed that way, yes.”
“I spoke to Shannon’s friend J.J. I take it she’s been providing a lot of support at this time.”
“J.J.?” She shrugged. “She was Shannon’s friend, not someone I really know.”
With that she hurried down the steps and ducked into the same SUV I’d seen Doug drive the other day.
What I didn’t want to do was lose my shot at Nolan, and that meant beating it back to where I’d been standing earlier. But as I started to descend the steps, I caught sight of him in the foyer, chatting with an elderly male parishioner. I slipped inside and parked myself by the holy water font. The church smelled faintly of incense and lemony furniture polish, a combination both comforting and exotic. Nolan soon caught sight of me out of the corner of his eye. He nodded a few times to the parishioner and then touched him reassuringly on the shoulder.
The old man shuffled off, and Nolan made his way over to me. The misty weather had added a few more waves to his thick brown hair and one had formed into a little curl at the top of his forehead.
“Hello, Ms. Weggins,” he said, friendly enough. “I’m sorry I didn’t have a chance to return your call yet.”
He looked like such a straight arrow, a guy who’d fought and survived a serious illness, who seemed more than eager to be of assistance to others. Was it a total stretch for me to consider that he was also a serial killer?
“No problem, I’m sure you’ve been really busy, but I did want the chance to chat again. Are you aware that I was one of the reporters who came across Shannon Blaine’s body?”
His expression darkened. “Yes, the Claibornes told me. That must have been a dreadful experience for you.”
“It was, yes. I’m not sure if you heard this detail or not, but I was tipped off to the retreat center by a phone call. I have reason to believe that the person on the other end saw me talking to you—either in the parking lot here or earlierthat day at Dot’s. Do you happen to recall anyone paying close attention to us at either location?”
He slowly shook his head. “No, I don’t. As you can imagine, I had a lot on my mind, trying to help the Blaines and the Claibornes. Wh—?”
“Could you have mentioned the conversation to anyone?”
“Goodness, no. I don’t believe so.... No, I’m sure I didn’t. But what exactly did the caller say to make you think he saw us?”
