“Seriously—what a terrible thing, to leave behind such a legacy. I don’t think I’ve met a single person who is genuinely saddened by his death. I’m already fretting over what to say in his eulogy. I can honestly say that he worked hard for the vestry, and took seriously his responsibility of stewardship, but beyond that, I confess, I am stumped.”

“Have you seen his house?” I asked.

“I’ve dropped him off there a time or two, but no, I’ve never been inside.”

“I suspect it’s unchanged since his wife’s death,” I said. “Perhaps some of the oldtimers can tell you more about her—from her portrait, I suspect she was a kind person. And he bought expensive cat food for his cat, in spite of being disappointed in her mousing abilities.”

“Thank you,” she said. “I can use all that.”

“Go out and look yourself,” I said. “You’ll get a better sense of the man. The key’s taped to the underside of the mat.”

“I will,” she said. “Thank you. I’m tempted to go over there right now.”

“Why not?” I said.

“Because first I’ve got to find Riddick and tell him I’m taking the rummage sale out of his hands.”

“Mother can’t possibly schedule anything till January,” I said. “Why not wait till after Christmas to tell him?”

I could tell from her face that she was tempted.

“No,” she said finally. “I think I’d rather not have it hanging over me. And your mother needs to be able to start planning and organizing without any secrecy. Besides—”

We both started slightly on hearing a door slam in the distance.

“Front door, I think,” Robyn said. “I suppose the crime scene tape is down. People will start coming for events.”

“We don’t have any scheduled here for tonight,” I said.

Just then Riddick came into view. He glanced into the doorway and nodded to us.

“I see you heard the news,” Robyn called out.

Riddick stopped and turned.

“I heard we finally got our church back to ourselves,” Riddick said. From the way he was glowering at us, I wondered if he was blaming me and Robyn for all the unfortunate events that had disturbed his normal routine. And then he put his hand up and massaged his temples, wincing, and I realized that maybe he was just still feeling his migraine.

“All the congregations have their churches back, and everyone’s Christmas Eve and Christmas Day services can go on as planned,” Robyn said. “Isn’t that wonderful?”

Riddick nodded glumly and turned to leave.

Robyn took a deep breath, gave me a brisk nod, and stepped out into the hallway.

“If you have a moment, there’s something I’d like to talk to you about,” I heard her say.

She and Riddick disappeared into her study. I silently wished her luck and turned to leave.

Chapter 35