Page 6 (2/2)

"Like what?"

"Like you’re standing up at an AAa confession Lots of people attend church, you know"

"What about you?"

"I go every now and then, and I always feel good afterward I don’t have anything against going to church and you shouldn’t, either"

"I want to live a better life," Christie said, re the charity baskets Instead of being so self-absorbed, so consumed by her own loss, she’d reached out to help others less fortunate

"That’s what I want, too," Teri echoed "A better life than our rinned as she said it

"Pastor Fle," Christie said The letter sat on the kitchen counter and she picked it up When it first arrived, she’d been feeling depressed and had given it a cursory glance The only thing she reram sponsored by the church She decided to find out what that was

"Will you come to church with me on Sunday?" Christie asked

Teri didn’t even hesitate "Of course"

"Thanks"

"I’d get up and hug you," Teri said, "but I’hed and stretched out a hand to clasp her sister’s

Five

Sheriff Troy Davis closed the file concerning the break-in at Faith’s horess, and he felt he should deliver the disappointing news in person As he drove his patrol car toward Rosewood Lane, he reviewed the little he knew about the situation

He’d spoken to his lead detective regarding the break and enter Detective Hildebrand had assured Troy that his staff had done everything that could be done--the neighbors had been interviewed, and comparisons made with similar crimes in Cedar Cove and in nearby jurisdictions

Instead of letting Hildebrand or his assistant call or visit Faith, he’d stepped in and volunteered to do it She was, after all, his friend Or at least, she had been Mostly this visit was pro after the break-in

When he’d parked in front of the house, he didn’t leave the car i He knew that seeing her would be hard Faith had made it clear that she didn’t want any further contact and he’d respected her wishes This, however, was official business--even if it didn’t have to be his business

Hethe bell and waited, hat in his hand

She answered the door cautiously, and her eyes brightened when she saw hione, however, replaced by a faraway look, flat and emotionless In that moment, it demanded all his discipline not to pull her into his ar for another chance He needed Faith, loved her, wanted to

"I have the report fro that this was police business and not a social call

"Oh, good" She unlocked the screen door and held it open for him to come inside

Troy paused to examine the lock and was relieved to see that Faith had taken his advice and installed a dead bolt Or rather, Grace and Cliff Harding, the owners, had arranged for it Not surprisingly, Grace had been horrified by what she’d seen This had been her hoan had told him that both Grace and Cliff had helped with the cleanup

The house was tidy once again and back to nor reh his lunch hour

"I just took some bran muffins out of the oven Would you like one?" Faith asked

It’d been a long ti home-baked He wondered if she offered because she’d heard his storowl or if she’d noticed that he’d nearly swooned when he entered the house Orpolite Whatever the reason, he wasn’t about to turn her down "That’d be great," he said, hoping he sounded casual

"I have coffee on, too Can I get you a cup?"

"Please" He followed her into the kitchen and watched as she poured the coffee and took ait on a small plate He waited until she was seated before he pulled out the chair across from her It seemed to take her an inordinate alance in his direction, and then she lowered her eyes again

"What did you find out?" she asked, folding her hands neatly in her lap

Troy wished he had so positive to share with her "Unfortunately, the news is…inconclusive"

"What do you erprints They wouldn’t letuntil they’d finished The deputy said they ed to lift a number of solid prints" Her eyes pleaded with hihtmare Troy wished he could; he wanted to prove to Faith that he was her hero…and that she could trust hiht The crierprints"

"But they were all mine?"

"No," he said "Not all of them But the clear ones weren’t out of the ordinary That’s e took the elied "We suspect the intruder wore rubber gloves"

She looked confused "A professional, then"

"At this point, we can’t say My guess is this isn’t the first hoed "I’d hoped--I was sure with so many prints…there’d be at least one that would identify whoever did this"