The Graves of the Guilty (Hope Street Church Mysteries Book 3) (38 page)
Read The Graves of the Guilty (Hope Street Church Mysteries Book 3) Online
Authors: Ellery Adams
Tags: #church, #Bible study, #romance, #murder, #mystery
“And we welcome your opinion,” Savannah said. “I have a sister. We’re very close, but she was often jealous of the attention I received because of my blindness. One night, she told me that she had prayed to lose her sight so that our parents would notice her more.”
“Whoa.” Nathan looked at their leader with sympathy. “What happened?”
“Well, she didn’t go blind,” Savannah laughed. “But a few weeks after she told me about her prayer, she fell off a horse and broke her leg in three places. She got plenty of attention, all right.” Savannah paused. “Any other comments on favoritism?” When no one spoke, she said, “Then let’s move on to Joseph’s dreams. There was an assignment in this week’s lesson that asked you to record your dreams to see if there might be messages in them. Mine disappear like mist by the time I wake up, so I didn’t have much to say. Anyone else?”
“I had a cool dream the other night,” Bryant began eagerly. “I was a kid, and it was a really hot day, like that string of hundred-degree days we had this past July. I could hear the music that the ice cream truck plays, but I couldn’t see the truck. I ran all around the neighborhood and couldn’t find it. Then, this lady who works at the station with me—she’s about my age, divorced, has two kids and isn’t my type at all—showed me where the truck was and I ordered an orange creamsicle.” He sat back in his chair. “Didn’t get to eat it, though. My alarm went off and that was that.”
“Perhaps someone is trying to tell you that your coworker might be worth having as a friend,” Trish suggested. “Even though she’s probably ancient—what is she, thirty?”
Bryant considered the question. “Paige is maybe thirty-five. But she’s funny and she comes up with great story ideas for the news desk. Maybe I’ll take her and the kids out for ice cream. Missy and I haven’t been getting along too well lately. It might be nice to go out with a woman and do something quiet.”
“There’s nothing quiet about two kids,” Quinton pointed out. “My nephews can make more noise than an angry football stadium crowd.”
“It would be a change from that techno music Missy likes,” Bryant said. “My head is still ringing from taking her dancing last night. If I asked out the woman from work, I could be in bed by ten!”
Nathan gazed into his coffee cup and said, “I’ve had a recurring dream that’s kind of creepy. Someone keeps knocking on the back door of my house and I can’t decide if I should let them in.”
“Can you see their face?” Savannah asked.
“No. Just a dark shape in the night,” Nathan said. “I sense the person’s a man, and though I’m not exactly scared of him I don’t think I want to invite him into my home.”
Quinton studied Nathan. “Is there anything going on at work? A project or new client that’s worrying you?”
Nathan snapped his fingers. “As a matter of fact there is! This guy wants me to design a commercial website where he can sell muscle-building vitamins. I guess he’s made a nice pile of money as a chemist because he drives a yellow H2, has a fancy gold watch, and a serious golf tan.” He flicked his eyes at Bryant. “He even out-bronzes you, my friend.”
Bryant pretended to be crestfallen. “First George Hamilton and now a chemist. Shocking.”
“Sounds like a lucrative project,” Trish said.
“It would be,” Nathan agreed. “He wants top-notch graphics, a flash video on the home page, shopping-cart features, you name it. And since my older-than-dirt A/C and heater units are on the fritz, I could use the cash.”
Jake perked up at the mention of the units. “You’re gonna call Mr. Faucet to replace them, right? You know we’re doing that stuff now besides the regular plumbing jobs.”
Nathan smiled. “I wouldn’t think of calling anyone else, Jake, but unless I accept this project, I won’t be able to afford a new fan.” He shrugged. “It sounds like a treasure chest has fallen in my lap, but I have a funny feeling about this guy.”
“Why don’t you get to know him?” Quinton said. “Take him out for coffee and see what your gut tells you. Listen to the man talk. He might surprise you.”
Nathan nodded. “That’s good counsel.”
The rest of the Sunrise group members murmured in agreement and then closed their workbooks as the chimes announcing the start of the worship service echoed in the hallway.
“We’re going to be on time for once!” Trish exclaimed.
“I’ll take everyone’s cups to the kitchen,” Cooper offered. “Would someone save me a seat in a dark corner?”
“Nah. We’re going to put you front and center,” Nathan said with a wink and a smile.
“You’d better not!” Cooper smiled back.
Cooper gathered napkins for the garbage, then piled the empty mugs and coffee carafe on a tray and carried them into a small kitchen area used by the academy teachers. She washed the cups thoroughly, enjoying the feel of the warm water and the scent of the lemon dish soap. As she rinsed the last cup, her dream from the night before came back to her with vivid clarity.
In the dream, Cooper had been heading for the banks of Gum Creek, the stream that wound lazily through the woods behind her house before meandering westward into Louisa County. She’d been barefoot and had continuously stepped on the prickly gumballs that fell like small bombs from the leafy canopy above. Finally, after picking her way over twigs, sharp pebbles, and spiky plants, Cooper reached the narrow creek.
A rowboat sat expectantly in the placid water, but when she reached down to grab it, the boat shifted sideways and was pulled away by the current. Within seconds, it was out of reach. Hoping to reclaim the little vessel, Cooper ran along the bank, but the current kept moving faster and faster, bearing the boat farther and farther away. Cooper couldn’t keep up.
Suddenly, the space of sky ahead of her turned dark and a fork of lightning fractured the clouds and punctured the stream. Cooper’s dream-self halted, afraid. And then, in a blink, she was in the boat, barreling straight for the storm. There was no rain—just black clouds, jagged lightning, and an eerie silence. Again and again, Cooper reached out and tried to grab hold of one of the plants growing at the edge of the bank, but they slipped from her grasp as though made of fog.
Cooper had woken abruptly, her body trembling with dread. Even in the comfort of the morning light, she could still see the black horizon and the tongues of lightning, waiting for her imminent arrival.
“Lord, are you trying to warn me?” she whispered in the silent kitchen. “Is a storm coming?”
She stared at the last drips of water as they slipped into the drain and then shut her eyes. Alone, in the stillness of the small room, Cooper strained to listen. The answer she heard in her heart was,
Yes
.
And watch for an all-new
Hope Street Church Mystery,
The Root of All Evil
,
coming soon!
Books by Ellery Adams
The Hope Street Church Mysteries
The Path of the Crooked
The Way of the Wicked
The Graves of the Guilty
The Books by the Bay Mysteries
A Killer Plot
A Deadly Cliché
The Last Word
Written in Stone
Poisoned Prose
Lethal Letters
The Charmed Pie Shoppe Mysteries
Pies and Prejudice
Peach Pies and Alibis
Pecan Pies and Homicide
The Book Retreat Mysteries
Murder in the Mystery Suite
Writing as J. B. Stanley
The Antiques & Collectibles Mysteries
A Killer Collection
A Fatal Appraisal
A Deadly Dealer
The Supper Club Mysteries
Carbs and Cadavers
Fit to Die
Chili Con Corpses
Stiffs and Swine
The Battered Body
Black Beans & Vice
Ellery Adams’s books at Amazon!
About the Author
Ellery Adams grew up on a beach near the Long Island Sound. Having spent her adult life in a series of landlocked towns, she cherishes her memories of open water, violent storms, and the smell of the sea. Ms. Adams has held many jobs, including caterer, retail clerk, car salesperson, teacher, tutor, and tech writer, all the while penning poems, children’s books, and novels. She now writes full-time from her home in Virginia.
Contents
Excerpt from The Path of the Crooked
