“They found a business card in his pocket.”

“Do I want to know?”

“It was for a sex worker.” He didn’t mention she was a dominatrix. He hadn’t quite wrapped his head around that part yet.

Paulina turned away, placed her hands on the counter. She lowered her head, closed her eyes. Praying, knowing her. Her long dark eyelashes fluttered on her cheeks, and he felt a wave of tenderness toward her. Most days, she wore her curly brown hair down around her face, a look she jokingly called Shirley Temple Black. Today, it was pulled back in a red ribbon to match her dress.

“You think you know someone.” She raised her head and stared out the back window.

“You know we can’t know anybody. Not really. If we did, I’d be out of a job.”

“It shouldn’t be a betrayal, but it is,” Paulina said. “You know what I mean? It shouldn’t be our business but it still matters. It’s like having married friends, and you think their marriage is strong, and you admire them because their marriage is strong, and you want something strong like that. Then you find out he hits her or she cheats. You know their marriage is private, but it hurts something in you to know you’ve been watching nothing but a show all that time. Father Ike was married to God.”

“I don’t know if anybody gets married or becomes a priest planning to break their vows.”

“No, I know. Still.”

“We could be jumping to conclusions,” Cyrus said softly. “He might have been counseling her, trying to help her get out of that life.”

“You think that?” she asked. He could hear the hope in her voice.

“It’s possible.” True, it was possible. But not very probable.

“Is this going to get out?”

“We’re going to try to keep it quiet,” Cyrus said. “Until we know something, I guess.”

“He’s an adult man, and I’m gonna assume she was an adult woman if she’s handing out business cards. This shouldn’t be something for the press. This is between that man and God, and he’s in God’s hands now.”

“I wish it worked like that. Look, if you don’t want me digging, I won’t take the case. But if you think I should—”

Paulina faced him. “If he was seeing somebody like that and somebody knew and told him they knew…”

“Blackmail, you mean?” Cyrus asked.

She shrugged. “Maybe. Maybe not. But if there’s any chance something else was going on, somebody making him do it, I’d hope somebody was investigating, that’s all.” Paulina checked the oven, all business. He knew the tears were coming, but not yet. She was still in shock.

“How long until breakfast is ready?” he asked.

“About ten minutes? Biscuits need to cool.”

“You mind if I go out back for a minute?”

“Gotta think your thinks?”

“Gotta think my thinks.”

She smiled sadly at him, and he kissed her forehead. She closed her eyes and leaned against him. He wrapped his arms around her and let her lean. He’d let her lean forever if she wanted to.