Page 30 of In Her Prayers

Jenna knew only one thing—that if they failed to solve this case, more lives might be at stake.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Jenna stepped into St.Michael’s sanctuary, followed by Jake and Frank.The afternoon sun slanting through tall stained glass windows spread dappled colors across the pews and the team of people working there.

Jenna spotted Officer Maria Delgado moving methodically along the pews, tracing the wood grain as if it might reveal something of importance.Jenna watched the meticulous examination, appreciating the thoroughness that made her one of Jenna’s most trusted officers.

“Maria,” Jenna called out.Maria straightened up from her crouch and turned towards the sound.

“Have you seen Colonel Spelling?”Jenna asked.Maria’s posture shifted to attention, a sign of respect for Jenna’s rank as much as for the urgency of her inquiry.

“Last I saw him, Sheriff, he was heading towards the sacristy,” Maria responded, pointing toward the rear of the church.“Said something about checking the vestment closets.”

Jenna reached into her pocket and pulled out the evidence bag with Caroline Weber’s hair glinting under the solemn light.The lock of hair was their most tangible link to the woman who had vanished from Trentville, never to be seen again until her body had been found in the closet near the back of the nave

“Whenever you can take a break from your work, I need you to do something for me.”Jenna instructed, “This has to go to Dr.Stark at the morgue.It should help firm up the identification of one of our victims.”

“Of course, Sheriff,” Maria responded, her tone equally serious.She tucked the bag securely into her own pocket.“I’ll go when I’m finished with these rows assigned to me.Anything else?”

“Keep your eyes open,” Jenna cautioned.“We’re still not sure what we’re dealing with here.”

Maria nodded, and turned to resume her painstaking work.Jenna watched her for a moment, appreciating the dedication she always displayed before signaling to Jake and Frank to follow her towards the sacristy.The hushed atmosphere of the church seemed to amplify their footsteps as they proceeded down the aisle.

They wound their way out of the huge main space of the church to a smaller room well behind the area where the pulpit stood—the sacristy where the priests prepared themselves for each service.The heavy wooden door stood open, revealing Colonel Chad Spelling inside, his figure imposing against the backdrop of delicate vestments and sacred artifacts.The sacristy was dim, a smaller stained glass window casting a sprinkle of colors that did little to pierce the shadows.

Spelling stood with his back to them and did not turn immediately, his focus absorbed by the contents of the wardrobe.

“Chad,” Frank’s voice cut through the stillness, causing Spelling to halt mid-search.The Colonel turned, and the surprise on his face quickly gave way to recognition and warmth.

“Frank!Didn’t expect to see you here, old friend.”Spelling’s smile was genuine as he stepped forward, grasping Frank’s hand with both of his own—a gesture that seemed to bridge the gap between their formal titles and their shared history.

“It’s good to have you on board.We could use your expertise,” Spelling added.

“Colonel Spelling,” Jenna said, stepping forward and drawing the men’s attention.

“Ah, Sheriff Graves and Deputy Hawkins,” he greeted as he released Frank’s hand and faced them.“What brings you to this side of the investigation?”

“We’re following up on every lead,” Jenna replied, her words clipped with the need for progress.She stood there, surrounded by symbols of faith and redemption, yet weighed down by the reality of the sin they sought to expose.“Have you found anything new?”

Spelling’s expression sobered.“Not another body, anyway,” he said.His gaze swept over the small room, as if to encompass the breadth of their efforts.

“What about the bell tower?”Jake asked.

Spelling directed his attention upward as if he could see through the ceiling to the tower above.“That’s actually the least likely hiding place,” he replied confidently.“It’s solid stone construction, no cavities or closets, no spaces where a body could be concealed.Just an open stair winding upward to the old keyboard where the bells used to be played.”

Jenna more than half-wished those stones could speak.They might be able to help with the investigation.Although she was certain that a third body —that of the autoharp player — must be hidden somewhere in the church, she couldn’t bring that up without something more than a dream to explain her conviction.

“However, we haven’t come up completely empty,” Spelling broke into her thoughts, drawing an evidence bag from his pocket with a flourish.”Inside was a gold ring, its luster long faded.“One of my men found this while examining the hiding place of the body you discovered in the closet of the Sunday School room.”Although his tone was matter-of-fact, Jenna detected a note of excitement under the professional veneer.This was a clue, tangible and potentially pivotal.

Jenna leaned closer as he held it up to the light.“Purdue University,” she observed, reading the inscription.“Class of 1970.”

“Any name or initials engraved inside?”she asked Spelling,

“No, it hasn’t been personalized.But I think that a ring like this, from that period of time, is likely to be rare enough around here that we’ll be able to track down who it belonged to.”

“Good work, Chad,” Frank said, patting Spelling’s shoulder.“You said it was inside the wall with the body?”

“That’s right,” Spelling stood straight as he reported, “We found it when we cleaned out the space.According to Dr.Stark’s estimate of that death, the ring was left in the wall before Father Walsh was ever appointed here.”

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