Page 63 of Five for Silver

If he crashes, I’ll kill his wholefamily.

Chad blinked. “They’re filming us. They’refilming us right now.”

“So?”

“Everyone can see you driving like acomplete idiot.”

James slowed down, allowing Lucy’s escortcar to catch up. A helicopter whirled above them.

Chad exhaled, slumping into his seat. Hereached down for the file on the floor and opened it up on thearial footage of Little Wren. Many of the fields and woodlands hadbeen sold to housing developments, and Harriet and Lucy’s schoolhad been knocked down and rebuilt from scratch at a differentlocation.

Chad turned the page and found the church,one of the only identifiable features between Little Wren of thepast and Little Wren of the present. It was a traditional churchpositioned north of the village at the top of a slope. Chad spottedthe west tower topped with a spire that housed the bells. Yew treessurrounded the church, evergreen all year round, and old, chippedand cracked gravestones were on the east side of the church infront of the porch.

Vincent said something indecipherable fromthe backseat, but Pauline seemed to have heard him and craned herneck between the seats.

“He wants you to stop in front of thechurch.”

James straightened in his seat, noddingeagerly. He slowed the car to a stop beside the surrounding wall.Chad could see the patches where it had been restored over theyears.

“Such a quaint little thing,” Vincentremarked from the back.

“Did you go to church?” James asked.

Vincent’s laugh was dry and painful.“No.”

The escort surrounded them, flashing bluelight, and in turn, the press vans and cars boxed them in, trappingtheir car against the church. Doors opened, people shot out, andtheir shouted questions murmured outside of the car.

“This was Harriet’s church,” Jameswhispered. “She used to sing in the choir. Her voice was beautiful,haunting but beautiful.”

Chad bit his lip. “Is that where you firstmet her?”

James flashed Chad a look of scorn, then hetwisted to face Vincent on the backseat.

“This place is important to you.” Vincentsaid to James.

“Yeah—”

“Because your daughter is buried here.”

Chad opened then closed his mouth. He hadn’tbeen aware James had a daughter. He frowned. He didn’t know muchabout him at all, other than he had a wife at the time of themurders and was somehow involved with Harriet.

James paled. “How did you—”

“I am sorry. It’s so tragic to lose a childso early into her life.”

“Yes,” James swallowed. “She’s buried here,”he twisted to look out his window. “She’s on the other side.”

“Father Daniels told me…” Vincent began.

Chad stiffened, peeking a look back atVincent looking out the window.

James’s teeth snapped together in his hasteto keep quiet.

Vincent wet his lips before continuing. “Hetold me traditionally people were buried on the on east side sothey could be facing the lord when he arrives on judgment day.”

“I didn’t know that,” James whispered.

“Where’s your daughter?”