Mitchell?â
âReverend Mitchell was a senior minister at New Testament Cathedral. He was also one of the largest individual donors to the new cathedral construction project and a man who would do anything Samantha told him to do. It was an open secret that he was in love with her, and she used that to control him.â
âHow did he die?â
âPoor man shot himself in the head on the night Hezekiah was killed,â Cynthia answered with as much sympathy as she could muster. âIt was such a tragedy.â
âDo the police think thereâs a link between Hezekiahâs murder and Mitchellâs suicide?â
âNo.â
âSo what makes you think there is?â
âReverend Mitchell was madly in love with Samantha. So why would he kill himself after the man he believed stood between him and Samantha was now out of the way? It doesnât make sense.â
Gideon still had not opened the folder that lay on the table. âIs Danny St. John a member of New Testament Cathedral?â
âNo. Heâs a social worker who works with the homeless at an agency in downtown Los Angeles. Iâve never seen him before, but Lance told me he is quite beautiful. You should pay him a visit. You might like him.â
Gideon ignored the poorly veiled reference to his orientation and opened the folder. The first e-mail was dated February twelfth two years earlier. It was sent from Hezekiahâs New Testament Cathedral e-mail address to a Google address for Danny St. John.
Hello, Danny,
Iâm between meetings and wanted to tell you how much I love you. I think about you so much sometimes, itâs hard for me to concentrate. I was just counseling a couple whose marriage is falling apart, and all I could think about was holding you in my arms and kissing your body from head to toe. I love the way you taste, the way you smell, and the way you make me feel. I canât wait to see you tomorrow night.
Love you,
Hez
Gideon continued reading randomly through the stack of e-mails. They ranged in tone from completely innocuous to sexually graphic. Some were innocent communications, while others spoke to the undeniable emotional and physical bond between one of the nationâs most powerful religious leaders and a young, naive social worker. After a while Gideon looked up from the papers at Cynthia, who had been studying him the entire time he read. There was silence at the table as they each planned their next move.
Gideon went first. âSo, what do you want out of this? Our network has a firm policy that we donât pay for stories.â
Cynthia had anticipated that these would be the salivating journalistâs next words and reverted to her best ministerâs wife impression.
âIâm not seeking any type of financial remuneration,â she responded indignantly. âI donât want anything but for Godâs will to be done. My heart goes out to Samantha. Who knows what diseases he may have given her? Also, what if this Danny St. John killed Hezekiah in a jealous rage? She needs to know for her own safety.â
âWhy didnât the Los Angeles Chronicle run the story?â
âIt was scheduled to be their lead story on the Monday after the Sunday Hezekiah was killed. Obviously, Hezekiah being killed was a much bigger story than him liking to suck dick. And, afterward, Iâm sure they realized there would be a significant backlash if they were thought to be maligning the dead.â From the expression on Gideonâs face, Cynthia realized her choice of words didnât fit with the preacherâs wife image. âIâm sorry if I offended you.â
âNot offended. Just a little surprised.â Gideon took a mental note of the multifaceted woman and continued. âIf this is true, it has the potential to be one of the most sensational stories of the year. Have you spoken to anyone else in the media?â
âNo, I