Page 34 of Dragon Charmed

Things had gotten bizarre. And that was saying something considering Ben couldn’t remember who he was. Plus, he was lying to an amazing woman who had mistaken him for a private investigator. Now they were heading to church. Would the preacher be able to tell that he was a big, fat liar? Probably not, but he wouldn’t be surprised if he did.

He backed out of the parking space and headed down Main Street to the simple, red brick church. Next to the church was a small house that had a wooden sign that said, Office. Ben parked in front of the house, and they knocked on the door. And knocked again.

Finally a middle-aged man came to the door. “Can I help you?”

Tessa smiled at him. “Are you the pastor?”

“Yes, ma’am, Pastor Richards.”

“We were wondering if you could help us. We’re trying to find someone who used to live here. Her name is Evelyn Turner.”

The pastor nodded. “I knew Evelyn. She was a dear woman.”

He was speaking about her in past tense. “Has she passed?” Ben asked.

“Not that I’m aware of, but she’s been gone for a while. Left town.”

“Do you know where she went to?” Tessa said.

“Can’t say that I do. She might have gone to live with one of her children. She was getting up there in years.”

“Do you know of anyone in town who you could ask where she went to?”

He hesitated for a moment as if he was considering the question, then shook his head. “No. If someone in town knew where she went, I would know. It’s a pretty tight-knit community.”

Tessa glanced over at him before turning to the pastor. “We can see that.”

A thumping noise came from inside the house.

“Is someone else here?” Ben asked.

The pastor’s mouth pulled into a fine line before answering. “Yes. Susan is working on dinner.”

“Your wife?” Tessa asked.

“No. My wife passed away. Susan is a godsend. She cooks, cleans, and she also serves as the church secretary.”

Tessa tried to peek over his shoulder. “Could you ask Susan if she knows anything about Evelyn?”

The pastor hesitated for a moment before turning slightly. “Susan, can you come here for a moment?”

An older woman walked to the door and stood to the side of the pastor.

“Susan, these folks are looking for Evelyn Turner. I told them that I wasn’t sure where she went. Do you know where she moved to?”

“No. I’m not sure. She left rather quickly. Can I ask why you’re looking for her?”

“We were hoping that she could help us find someone,” Ben said. “But maybe you can help instead. We’re trying to find Mia White. She was one of the foster children that Evelyn took care of.”

Was it Ben’s imagination, or did Susan’s eyes tighten slightly before the poker face came back. “Mia? That name seems vaguely familiar, but Evelyn had a lot of children stay with her over the years. Why are you looking for her?”

“Her friends in Nashville are worried about her. She disappeared after her husband died, and no one has heard from her,” Tessa answered.

Susan glanced past them outside to the driveway, and her eyes widened before giving each of them a once-over as if she recognized something. She turned to the pastor. “It’s okay.”

“Are you sure?” Pastor Richards rested his hand on her shoulder.

“Yes. Can you give us a few minutes?”