The Pastor's Wife by Diane Fanning Read Free Book Online

pathetically thin answer to the reason for the shooting.
    I was upset at him because he had really been on me lately, criticising [sic] me for things, the way I walk, what I eat, everything. It was just building up to this point. I was just tired of it. I guess I just got to a point and snapped.

Chapter 7
    After their visit with Mary, Dan and Diane Winkler followed representatives from social services to the foster home where the three girls spent the previous night. They hugged and kissed their granddaughters, gave vague answers to their questions and assured them that they were loved.
    They all traveled to the courthouse in Foley, Alabama, for a hearing before a juvenile judge. Baldwin County officials transported Mary to the hearing as well, where she indicated her approval of her in-laws as guardians of her daughters. Dan and Diane spoke to her again, telling her once more that they loved her. The judge awarded custody of the children to the grandparents.
    Upon leaving court, Dan spoke to the media, thanking supporters for their prayers. “Now we want to turn our attention to remembering our son and to the care of three young children.”
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    In Selmer, members of the police department parked their vehicle in the lot behind the Fourth Street Church of Christ. They emerged from the building carrying a computer tower.
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    Authorities transported Mary from the courthouse to the Baldwin County Corrections Center in the county seat of Bay Minette, Alabama, more than an hour’s drive away, the coastal town where police took her into custody.
    Back in Orange Beach, TBI Agent Chris Carpenter searched through the passenger area of Mary’s mini-van. Special Agent Brent Booth went through the contents of the rear compartment looking for any relevant evidence. He spotted an orange tackle box, but did not open it or confiscate it.
    The Winklers spent the night in a hotel with their granddaughters. They were joined by both of their sons, and friends Eddie and Sheryl Thompson. They had the hard task of telling the two older girls that their father had passed away.
    â€œPatricia, something terrible’s happened to your daddy.”
    â€œI know someone hurt him,” she said.
    Then, they delivered the news that she would never see him alive again. They repeated the heart-wrenching scene with Allie. Breanna was too young to know or understand.
    In the morning, the authorities released Mary’s mini-van to the Winklers, who used it to make the long drive with the three girls to their home in Huntingdon. Their granddaughters behaved beautifully. The only unpleasant incident was when Patricia had a bout of car sickness. At one meal stop, a stranger recognized them and paid for their food. They arrived home very late, but Matthew’s Aunt Linda and his maternal grandmother were there to greet them.
    The girls were fearful and full of questions. Aunt Linda held her two great-nieces tightly to her side as they sobbed out the worries. They wanted someone they knew with them at all times—preferably Nana and Poppa. Lights had to be left on at night, or they were too afraid to sleep.
    In Selmer, church members gathered to plant annuals in honor of their fallen minister on Saturday, pausing to share memories of him. Before his death, Matthew planned a spring clean-up of the church grounds that included planting flower beds. “We’re doing this because Matthew wanted us to,” James Turner said.
    Retired psychiatric nurse Jimmie Smith said, “It keepsus busy. We don’t understand all of this, but God’s with us, and we’re working for Him, planting His flowers.” Then she was back digging in the dirt.
    In Bay Minette, Mary waived her right to an extradition hearing, clearing the way for her transfer back to Tennessee. Saturday morning, Baldwin County sheriff’s deputies outfitted Mary with handcuffs, a belly chain and shackles. She climbed into the back seat of the McNairy