"It is getting late," he said. "And I could call the garage and have them take the car in to have a look at it while we sleep today."
Sighing, Lissianna nodded and unbuckled her seat belt.
"I hope you don't mind, but as it's on the way, I thought I'd just stop at the suppliers on the way out."
Lissianna glanced toward the front of the van at Father's Joseph's words, then out the window as he turned off the highway. By her estimate, they were less than rive minutes from her mother's house.
"I suppose it would have been just as quick to stop on the way back, but I could really use a hand loading the supplies, and as you wouldn't be with me on the way back..." He sent an apologetic glance toward Greg. "You wouldn't mind, would you? I can turn around if you--"
"No, of course not, Father," Greg assured him. "We appreciate the ride. It only seems fair to help you with your supplies."
Lissianna smiled faintly at the polite words. She knew Greg well enough to recognize that while he was disap-pointed at the delay, he felt it would be rude to refuse to help when the man had saved them the price of cab fare to her mother's.
"Here we are."
Lissianna glanced out the window, frowning as he started up a long driveway leading to a large white house. There were no signs anywhere that would indicate it was any kind of business. It was also in the middle of nowhere from what she could see as she glanced around. There were no neighboring houses in view. Lissianna began to feel a bit uncomfortable all of a sudden.
"This is the lady who embroiders our logo on all the towels, sheets, and pillowcases, Lissianna," Father Joseph announced as he parked in front of the house. "She's one of my parishioners, a very sweet old lady."
"Oh " Lissianna murmured, and felt herself relax.
"It does take a little longer than a mechanized place would," he went on cheerfully as he turned off the engine and undid his seat belt. "But she's a widow and needs the money, so I bring all the sheets and towels to her whenever we get a new batch."
"That's kind of you," Greg murmured, unbuckling his own seat belt.
"Actually, I'm glad to have you two with me," he babbled on. "She often tries to get me to stay for tea, and I'll have an excuse not to stay with you two along."
Lissianna murmured politely, then undid her seat belt as Father Joseph opened his door and got out.
"He seems a nice old man, but he's pretty chatty, isn't he?" Greg muttered once the door closed and they were alone.
"He's been suffering insomnia the last week or so," Lissianna explained apologetically, but wasn't at all sure the man wasn't chatty whether suffering insomnia or not. He worked days, she worked nights. She really hardly knew him.
'"Well, the sooner we grab those sheets, the sooner we get home," Greg said, reaching for his door handle, then he paused, and asked, "How much sunlight can I take at this stage of the game?"
Lissianna glanced toward the skyline, noting that the first fingers of dawn were creeping up the sky. She shook her head. "I'm not sure. But this shouldn't take long and we're only five or six minutes from home. You should be fine."
Nodding, Greg opened the door and got out, then held the door open and offered her his hand as Lissianna climbed out of the bench seat and scrambled over the passenger seat to get out.
It was obvious that the sweet old lady who embroidered the linen had been waiting for them, the door was already open and Father Joseph was entering the house by the time Greg closed the van door. They hurried to catch up to him and heard him speaking as they approached, then he paused and glanced back at them as they started up the porch steps.
"She says they're all done, and she was just packing them away," he informed them as they reached the door. "She's gone back to put the last of them in the boxes. It's this way."
Lissianna closed the front door so all the heat didn't escape, then followed the men down the hall. At the end of the hall, Father Joseph paused to open the door and held it to usher them in. Lissianna murmured, "Thank you," as she followed Greg into a small dark room, lit only by a tiny lamp on a table by the door. She nearly stepped on Greg's heels when he suddenly halted.
"Go on," Father Joseph said, and Lissianna glanced back, then froze at the sight of a gun in his hand. She stared at him blankly for a minute, confusion reigning in her mind, then turned back and stepped to the side of Greg to peer around him. She wasn't at all surprised that there was no little old lady who embroidered linens in sight. Lissianna was surprised, however, when she recognized the man standing in front of them, pointing a second gun at Greg's chest.
Chapter 21
"Bob." Lissianna peered at the man with surprise.
"Dwayne," he corrected with irritation, and she recalled that she'd wanted to call him Bob that night in the parking lot, too, and he'd had to correct her.
"Do you know this guy?" Greg asked, easing to the side and drawing her with him as he repositioned them so that they faced both men, rather than having a gun at the front as well as behind them.
"Yes," Lissianna answered absently, her concentration on trying to infiltrate Dwayne's thoughts as she watched him shift closer to Father Joseph's side so they both stood blocking the door. Unable to get past his alarm and wariness, she sighed, then realized what Greg had asked her and how she'd answered and grimaced. "Well, no, not really."
"Which is it?" he asked dryly. "Yes, or no, not really?" Lissianna shrugged helplessly. "Sort of?" He rolled his eyes, then glanced at Dwayne, as the man said, "I was dinner last Friday."