The Whispering Dead (Gravekeeper #1) - Darcy Coates Page 0,21

lounge by the fire and exhaled a satisfied sigh as he relaxed against the pillows. “But those clothes were intended for people who couldn’t easily afford their own. I don’t think anyone would begrudge them going to you.”

Keira swallowed as she flipped through the first few items. She hated feeling as if she was taking and taking without giving back, but it would be nice to wear something clean and soft, and the offering included a T-shirt featuring a bug-eyed cat face that she found absolutely hilarious. “Thank you.”

The pastor was watching her through one eye. “You’ve got a little more color today. Did you have enough stew?”

“Oh, I’m good actually! I walked to town and bought some food, so I won’t have to keep taking yours.” Saying it gave her a little buzz of pride. “Would you like something to drink?”

“That would be lovely.” The pastor’s eyes had closed, and he looked as though he could happily fall asleep where he was. “Black tea with plenty of sugar, thank you. I’ve had the most exhausting day. Both Miss Millbury and Mrs. House wanted to see me, and I swear neither of them have any comprehension of the concept of peace, let alone know what it sounds like.”

Keira had left the cups from that morning to dry on the sink, so she put a tea bag in each while the kettle boiled. “It seems like a really…interesting town. Do you know Zoe Turner? I met her when I was shopping, and she somehow got me to confess everything.”

“Charming soul, that one. Accused me of being a part of a conspiracy involving highly intelligent sea mammals and Scientology.” He chuckled. “She had dossiers and everything. I was quite impressed.”

“Is she…uh…” The kettle finished boiling, and Keira used the interruption as an excuse to chew over how to phrase herself. “Is she an okay sort of person?”

“Oh yes, definitely. Like I said, she’s a charming soul.”

Keira realized, with surprise, the pastor’s comment hadn’t been facetious. “Really?”

“Certainly.” He took the cup she passed him. “She’s a little abrasive, but there are plenty of worse sins a person could indulge in. Cruelty, duplicity, small-mindedness. I’ve known her for her entire life, and she’s never exhibited any of those. You could have a much worse friend.”

That was a relief. She’d wanted to share her puzzle with Zoe, but it had still felt like a risk, and Adage’s reassurance helped to erase some of her uneasiness. Keira took the wooden chair beside the pastor and blew on her cup of tea.

“There’s not exactly an easy way to transition to this,” Adage said, “but I made some inquiries, as promised. I’m friends with the constable, and he was able to search a database of missing persons. No one matching your description has been reported as missing within the last two weeks, but he’s promised to watch it in case a new report comes through.”

“Right.” The news didn’t come as a surprise to Keira. Everything she’d learned about herself pointed toward a nontraditional lifestyle. If anyone was missing her, they wouldn’t be the sort of person to contact the police.

“I hope you’ll do me the honor of staying here until we can find you a more permanent home.”

Keira smiled into her tea. It was an incredibly elegant way of phrasing the offer. “You don’t know how grateful I am. I’ll find a way to repay you.”

“Nonsense. My good deeds won’t be worth half as much in the next life if I take payment for them.” He winked to let her know he was joking. “Would you like me to ask around for a job and a rental place? It would probably need to be in one of the larger towns, I’m afraid. Blighty’s career options aren’t exactly abundant, but I’m sure I could find something suitable in Glendale or McKenzie.”

Keira chewed on her lip as she turned toward the window. Deep-gray clouds had started to gather above them. The town wasn’t visible from her chair, but she could still picture its lights glowing through the valley. The settlement was so picturesque that it had been easy to imagine living there. Still, beggars couldn’t be choosers, and she would be grateful for any kind of stability. “That would be great.”

Adage leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes. “You know, the proper, official thing to do would be to declare yourself to the police and let them look into your past. They might have better luck than I