A Dirty Shame by Liliana Hart Read Free Book Online Page B

and turned to me. “It’s good to see you back, J.J. I’ve said many a prayer for you these past months.”
    “Thank you, Reverend.” I was uncomfortable with the kindness, and I wasn’t really sure if he’d been praying for my recovery or praying for my soul like Lorna. Kindness was harder for me to understand, so I usually just expected the worst from people. I understood why some were wary and hostile toward me. It made sense in an odd way that they would be.
    “Come talk to me when you’re ready, child. And make sure you’re taking care of the physical needs of your body as well as the spiritual. I’m sure Jack will be a great help to you if you’ll let him.”
    I nodded and then turned my attention back to Jack to get the focus off me.
    “You called the station last night and reported Reverend Oglesby missing,” Jack said. “What made you do that? Wasn’t he supposed to be visiting his father?”
    “Yes, that’s right.” The Reverend steepled his fingers together. “After services last Sunday, Daniel was supposed to drive to North Carolina to see his father. The man’s battling Alzheimer’s, and Daniel’s been worried about him. Mr. Oglesby has a full-time nurse who stays with him, but his episodes have gotten more frequent of late. Daniel had planned to stay the week and drive back tomorrow morning so he’d have time to prepare for Sunday services.”
    The Reverend stopped and his lips seemed to tremble a bit. “Would you like some tea, Reverend?” Lorna asked. I’d forgotten she was there, she’d been so quiet in the corner.
    “Please, Lorna. And for our guests as well.”
    She didn’t look quite as happy to see to that chore, but she nodded and slipped quietly out the door to head to the kitchen.
    “Go on, Reverend,” Jack prompted.
    “I tried to call,” he said. “Daniel took his cell phone with him in case I needed to contact him, and I called Tuesday morning after my hospital rounds to let him know that Mrs. Perry was in a bad way. Daniel had been seeing to her regularly, and I knew he’d want to know. There was no answer, so I left a message. Mrs. Perry passed on yesterday evening, so I called again and there was still no answer. I knew Daniel would have returned my call if he’d been able. That’s when I started to feel that something was wrong. I had Lorna go through the personnel files and get his father’s home number, and when I called, Mr. Oglesby answered the phone and said Daniel never came home. He was quite lucid at the time, and his nurse confirmed when I spoke to her as well.”
    “Why didn’t they report it?” I asked.
    The Reverend sighed. “The nurse wasn’t aware Daniel was supposed to make a visit, and his father had forgotten until I mentioned it on the phone. I happened to catch him on a fairly lucid day, so once I reminded him Daniel was supposed to be there it all came back to him. Unfortunately, he became quite upset and agitated once he knew Daniel was missing. His nurse had to give him a mild sedative.”
    Lorna came back in with a tea tray, and we all watched as she set it on the Reverend’s desk and prepared to pour.
    “What about his personal life?” Jack asked. “Was he engaged? Did he date? Was there anyone special in his life?”
    If I hadn’t been watching Lorna so closely, I’d never have noticed her bobble the teacup before she set it in front of Reverend Thomas.
    “Thank you, Lorna,” the Reverend said, taking a quick sip before answering. “No, Daniel didn’t have any outside relationships that I was aware of. He was devoted to the church.”
    “What about you, Lorna?” Jack asked. “Do you know if Reverend Oglesby had any close personal friends in the area?”
    Lorna sat back down in the chair she’d vacated earlier and went through the same ritual of pleating the front of her dress before crossing her ankles.
    “Like I said before, it wasn’t my business to pay attention to things like that. The only time I ever saw him