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“Is it possible for you to get me a photograph of Reverend Oglesby? It would be helpful to the investigation.” What Jack wasn’t saying was that it would be nice to see what the man was supposed to look like without his face bashed in.
“All of the pastoral staff has a photograph taken to hang on the wall in the church lobby. You’re free to look at it at any time, just like the rest of the congregation.” She folded a neat pleat in her dress and crossed her feet at the ankles.
“Was Reverend Oglesby fitting in okay here at the church? Any trouble with one of the congregation members or maybe other staff?”
“Of course not. Reverend Oglesby was sent over to help Reverend Thomas late last December. The Reverend’s getting older, and it’s been harder on him to keep up with his hospital visits and the extra duties that come along with a growing congregation, so Reverend Oglesby was here to take some of the load. Not that Reverend Thomas was shirking his duty, mind you. I don’t want it being spread around that he’s lost interest in doing the Lord’s work.”
“No, ma’am,” Jack said.
“And he fit in as well as anybody. He did his job and did it quietly, and I resent you implicating that there might have been bad blood between Reverend Oglesby and those of us who work here at the church. We all have one mission, and our personal feelings will never get in the way of that.”
“Did anyone from the congregation pay closer attention to him than they should have? Did he seem overly interested or worried about anyone in particular?”
I could follow Jack’s line of thought easy enough. He wanted to know if Reverend Oglesby had been killed by jealous lovers or angry fathers.
“His personal life is none of my business. It isn’t Christian to pry. He was a man who did his job.”
“You never saw him around town? Never saw him talking to other members of the church outside of Sunday morning? Come on now, Lorna. This is Bloody Mary. You can’t sneeze without bumping into someone on the street that you have to stop and talk to for five minutes.”
“I’ve answered what I’m going to answer. You won’t get information so you can spread tales from me.”
“Ms. Dewberry,” Jack growled, the first signs of irritation starting to show. But he was interrupted by the rattle of the old iron doorknob as Reverend Thomas pushed his way into the room.
“Now, Lorna,” he said, his deep baritone just a little louder than an indoor voice required. “That’s not what the Sheriff means, is it Jack? It’s our duty to remember a man’s soul has departed, and if we can help we will.”
Reverend Thomas was a stooped man of close to eighty years of age with kind brown eyes and a sharp wit that didn’t put up with any nonsense. It seemed he’d grown shorter over the years, and his black, natty suit seemed to swallow him whole as he’d shrunken. His papery thin skin hung on his bones, and his earlobes and nose had almost doubled in size since I was a child. His hair was thin and solid silver, but he kept it combed ruthlessly back with Brylcreem. I’d always been distracted by the wild tangle of wiry hair that sprouted from his ears.
“Thanks for seeing us, Reverend,” Jack said.
He waved his hand in dismissal and turned to me. “It’s good to see you back, J.J. I’ve said many a prayer for you these past months.”
“Thank you, Reverend.” I was uncomfortable with the kindness, and I wasn’t really sure if he’d been praying for my recovery or praying for my soul like Lorna. Kindness was harder for me to understand, so I usually just expected the worst from people. I understood why some were wary and hostile toward me. It made sense in an odd way that they would be.
“Come talk to me when you’re ready, child. And make sure you’re taking care of the physical needs of your body as well as the spiritual. I’m sure Jack will be a great help to you if you’ll let him.”
I nodded and then turned my attention back to Jack to get the focus off me.
“You called the station last night and reported Reverend Oglesby missing,” Jack said. “What made you do that? Wasn’t he supposed to be visiting his father?”
“Yes, that’s right.” The Reverend steepled his fingers together. “After services last Sunday, Daniel was supposed to drive to North Carolina to see his father. The man’s battling Alzheimer’s, and Daniel’s been worried about him. Mr. Oglesby has a full-time nurse who stays with him, but his episodes have gotten more frequent of late. Daniel had planned to stay the week and drive back tomorrow morning so he’d have time to prepare for Sunday services.”
The Reverend stopped and his lips seemed to tremble a bit. “Would you like some tea, Reverend?” Lorna asked. I’d forgotten she was there, she’d been so quiet in the corner.
“Please, Lorna. And for our guests as well.”
She didn’t look quite as happy to see to that chore, but she nodded and slipped quietly out the door to head to the kitchen.
“Go on, Reverend,” Jack prompted.
“I tried to call,” he said. “Daniel took his cell phone with him in case I needed to contact him, and I called Tuesday morning after my hospital rounds to let him know that Mrs. Perry was in a bad way. Daniel had been seeing to her regularly, and I knew he’d want to know. There was no answer, so I left a message. Mrs. Perry passed on yesterday evening, so I called again and there was still no answer. I knew Daniel would have returned my call if he’d been able. That’s when I started to feel that something was wrong. I had Lorna go through the personnel files and get his father’s home number, and when I called, Mr. Oglesby answered the phone and said Daniel never came home. He was quite lucid at the time, and his nurse confirmed when I spoke to her as well.”
“Why didn’t they report it?” I asked.
The Reverend sighed. “The nurse wasn’t aware Daniel was supposed to make a visit, and his father had forgotten until I mentioned it on the phone. I happened to catch him on a fairly lucid day, so once I reminded him Daniel was supposed to be there it all came back to him. Unfortunately, he became quite upset and agitated once he knew Daniel was missing. His nurse had to give him a mild sedative.”
Lorna came back in with a tea tray, and we all watched as she set it on the Reverend’s desk and prepared to pour.
“What about his personal life?” Jack asked. “Was he engaged? Did he date? Was there anyone special in his life?”
