Page 51 of Petty's Crime

Martina looks abashed. “He was very interested in you, Rose.”

The hairs on the back of my neck prick up at the mention of someone being interested in her. It couldn’t have been Saul himself, they’d have recognised him. But it’s possible it’s his accomplice, the hypothetical help he’s getting from someone in the police. Maybe it wasn’t just information they’d been providing.

“Whisky?”

“Please,” I answer Rufus, then wait while he pours us both a generous portion of amber nectar, which as RoseLyn had indicated was pure and not the blended stuff. He then produces two wines for the ladies.

After rolling the liquid around in the glass, breathing in to appreciate the strong aroma, then finally taking a sip and showing my appreciation with a small sigh, I lean forward and place my glass on the table. I try to get them back on track. “So what’s this new pastor like?” I ask, as casually as possible.

Martina smiles, and her eyes lose focus as she travels back in her mind. “Lovely fella. He’s new to the area and wanted to get to know the residents on his patch. Very talkative and friendly. When I said I had a daughter, he wanted to know all about her, and one thing led to another, and we were looking through all the old photographs.”

Photographs which include many pictures of her growing up, and ending with some of her earlier performances. I wonder what other secrets Martina had innocently spilled when discussing the daughter she so obviously loves.

Rufus is shaking his head and chuckling. “Martina doesn’t get out much. I feel sorry for the man. We don’t even attend church, yet she kept him trapped all afternoon.”

“Well, he was nice.” Martina glares at her husband as she defends herself. “And you were out playing golf.”

As I’m wondering how I can probe further without showing my hand, RoseLyn, showing she’s far from an airhead says, “He must have been nice if you chatted with him so long. What was he like?”

Martina winks at her daughter. “Quite young, mid-twenties at most. Really cute. His hair was dark, neatly cut, and he had these twinkling blue eyes.”

“Your mom was trying to flirt with a man of the cloth,” Rufus puts in, chortling.

RoseLyn rolls her eyes, then asks, “What church was he from?”

Martina shifts her eyes and looks a little contrite. “I didn’t catch that.”

Rufus laughs again. “She was too busy ogling him to ask.”

Dutifully I chuckle at Rufus’s remark, but something smells off to me. Why should a pastor visit a potential parishioner without canvassing for the church he’s a member of?

“Oh.” Martina suddenly jumps up. “But he did leave this for me.” She goes to a shelf piled with papers and magazines and pulls off a leaflet.

When she passes it over, I clearly see it’s a flyer for a local evangelical church. My nose ceases to twitch quite so hard, but I do make a mental note to follow up the lead and dig into the pastor a little further.

“What was his name?” Again RoseLyn saves me from having to ask.

Martina scratches her head. “Johnson, I think? Pastor Johnson. He offered his first name as Walt.”

Discreetly taking out my phone, I tap out a message to Keys, asking him to look up the name of the man and the church that I’ve sent to him. While looking at the photographs is indeed a coincidence, if Johnson was who he said, then I can’t see how a man of the cloth has anything to do with the shit that’s been happening to RoseLyn.

Nevertheless, I don’t let it lie. “Apart from enjoying the trip down memory lane, did this pastor ask anything else about RoseLyn?”

Martina gives me a sharp look as if wondering why I should ask. Then she brushes it off with a laugh. “He didn’t have to ask. I’m so proud of what my girl has done, I think I might have bored him to death telling him all about her.” She sends a slightly guilty look to the woman I’m supposed to protect with my life. “He did ask whether you carried the Lord in your heart.”

RoseLyn snorts. “I hope you answered him correctly, Mother.”

“I told him we brought you up right,” Martina says, defensively.

Rufus reaches over and puts his hand on her arm. “We did, love. But the child’s got to find her own way in life, and her own spiritual guidance.”

Martina gives me a considering look. “If you hadn’t already got a boyfriend, I’d have liked Johnson for you, RoseLyn. He was very attractive and had this way about him.”

It’s time I stepped into the role I’m supposed to play. Letting a touch of possessiveness invade my voice, I pull RoseLyn into my side. “It’s lucky I got in first then. If you see this pastor again, please be sure to tell him RoseLyn is taken.”

I cement my words by turning her face to mine, and placing a kiss on her lips. Her gasp shows I’ve taken her by surprise, but she responds to the warning in my eyes with a hint of laughter. Without words she’s letting me know that she’s happy to be saved from her mother’s matchmaking.

Although the evening is getting on, Rufus and Martina want to make the most of this visit from their daughter. They get out a board game which initially makes me groan inside, but my competitive streak soon wins out and I’m quickly engrossed and enjoying myself. When Rufus cleans up, we then watch a romantic sitcom, which even has me chuckling.

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