“Thank you for everything, Elliot.”

The guy closed the door and strode away, looking as if he owned the world.

Darby unclipped her seatbelt and climbed over into the front passenger seat next to Eban. “Where to now?”

He pulled out of the hotel’s driveway. “The way I see it we have two choices. First, the smarter option, head to the cabin, hunker down and get some rest while we let the cops solve this thing.” He wasn’t particularly confident about their abilities, but he didn’t tell Darby that.

“What’s the second option?”

“You accompany me—at a discreet but safe distance—while I start interviewing some of the people who might answer a few questions about what took place last night. I thought I’d start by visiting the church and see if I can talk to the pastor.”

“I have my laptop with me so I can sit in the car and work.”

Even though he was a little uneasy at the thought of leaving her in the car, he wasn’t sure he had much alternative. He wouldn’t be far away.

“I also want to talk to your therapist. Would you be cool with that?” He searched her surprised expression. “He won’t tell me anything confidential.”

Darby bit out a laugh. “You know as much about me as he does. More probably.” She shrugged. “I don’t mind. I wish it wasn’t necessary. I wish Adele and Martin weren’t dead.”

* * *

In his attempts to track down the pastor, Eban ended up at a local homeless shelter.

“Stay here.” He parked directly across the street from the entrance. “Keep the doors locked and do not get out of the car for any reason. I have my phone turned on.”

Eban left the engine running so Darby didn’t die of exposure and the engine didn’t freeze. He jogged across the road. He could not imagine living on the streets in such extreme conditions. Bad enough not to have a home, magnify that depressing reality by a thousand when the temperature dropped to thirty below. Exposed skin suffered frostbite within fifteen minutes. How long did it take for people to freeze to death? It was a grim thought and an unfortunate reality for some of the more vulnerable members of society living in harsh climates.

People didn’t always get a choice about the crappy situations in which they found themselves. He knew that from his own experiences as a child.

Eban glanced back to check on Darby, but she already had her head down, absorbed in her work. Or at least she was pretending to be. It wasn’t easy to push this sort of anxiety aside, but Eban also knew she’d been working on coping techniques with her therapist. His desire to interview the guy was also an opportunity for Darby to connect with him. See if she needed an emergency session to help get her through this and do so without making it too obvious.

St. Paul’s church had been shut tight with crime scene tape on both the front and side doors and no one had opened up when he knocked on the annex. He’d seen a flash going off inside and assumed the evidence techs were busy.