Clandestine Cover-Up by Pamela Tracy

Author:Pamela Tracy
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Steeple Hill
Published: 2009-02-15T00:00:00+00:00

Vince raised one eyebrow. “Me?”

Gloria didn’t say anything. Tamara knew the look of confliction. They were about to lose her. Sometimes, during a cross-examination, you wanted to take a witness to the breaking point. Then, if all went well, in anger or confusion they often said exactly what they were trying to hide.

“Vince,” Tamara said, determined to get Lydia back into the story, “do you have any idea why Lydia’s family would suddenly evict the church and then leave the building to deteriorate?”

Before Vince could answer, Gloria said, “Oh, it wasn’t left to deteriorate. Not really. Someone from the Griffin family went in there every month to clean, make repairs and make sure nothing had been stolen. When Lydia’s mom couldn’t do it, Lydia moved back.”

“There was really nothing to steal,” Vince muttered. “And the only thing I know is that something happened, and it made Lydia incredibly sad. Sad enough that she left Sherman for a long time.”

“Twenty-eight years,” Gloria supplied.

Vince blinked. “How do you know that?”

“Because she came back when her mother died.”

“And it was important enough for you to keep track of when she came back?” Tamara asked.

“No,” Gloria said, “I didn’t keep track. My mother did. We always did a family prayer right before bedtime. Until her death, my mother prayed for that family, and especially Lydia and little Billy, every single night.”

“Why would she do that? Was Lydia in trouble? Is Lydia why you were evicted from the church?” The words tumbled out of Tamara’s mouth so quickly she barely had time to put them in order.

Both Gloria and Vince looked at Tamara like she was nuts.

“Okay,” she admitted. “I’m going a little fast, but I’m beginning to think that maybe I’m not a target, maybe the church is. And if we can find out why, maybe everyone will be better off. I mean, whatever secrets that church holds must be pretty serious. A prime piece of real estate stood empty for nearly fifty years.”

“I’ve waited almost fifty years for someone to ask me these questions. No, wait a minute, I’ve waited almost fifty years to have someone who might actually take the information and do something with it. Now, Vince, I know how much you treasure Lydia, and she certainly has repented, but something happened forty-eight years ago, and whatever it was, it was swept under the carpet. After the church was evicted, Lorraine left town. Her father must have done something, been threatened, I don’t know, but both Lydia and Lorraine left town, and Lorraine’s never returned.”

Tamara didn’t say anything. She knew when to talk and when to keep quiet.

Vince, on the other hand, looked slightly shell-shocked. But then, he knew Lydia in a way Tamara didn’t. And if Tamara wasn’t mistaken, Lydia had been more or less a mentor for Vince.

“You think Lydia had something to do with the closing of the Amhurst Church?” he questioned. “That doesn’t make any sense. She’s a faithful member of the Main Street Church. She even got my mother to attend once.

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