dropping a gigantic slice of pie onto her plate. “I came by twice, but you were out both times. I was afraid you might have moved on without saying goodbye.”
“Never,” she promised. “I met up with Zoe and Mason in town. They offered to show me around.” It was the perfect segue, so she continued, “They took me to Dane Crispin’s home and the old mill. I had no idea the town had such a rich history.”
Adage poured them both water before he sat and steepled his fingers. “I think you’ll find this area is full of little dramas and secrets. Do you mind if we say grace?”
Keira bowed her head while Adage said a few words. Once he finished, she straightened, trying to come up with a natural way to bring the conversation back to the mystery, but Adage spared her the trouble.
“I suppose they told you about poor Emma Carthage and Frank Crispin?”
“Yes. It must have been a shock for the town.”
Adage speared a piece of broccoli as he shook his head. “It was terrible. I had only taken over the parsonage a year before their deaths, and I was so clueless. I’d given them counseling, you see, and it was hard not to think that perhaps I could have saved them if I’d known what was coming. It took a long time to learn how to forgive myself.”
Keira froze with a piece of pie held near her mouth. “I didn’t realize you knew them.”
“Oh, yes. I wasn’t much older than them, but they had asked me to officiate their secret wedding. It was to be a very quiet affair, held in the church after dark, with only the two of them and a couple of close friends in attendance. Emma and I waited at the church for hours, but Frank never showed. I didn’t learn until the following morning that his father had locked him in his room. And, of course, while Emma was with me at the church, George Crispin went to her parents to negotiate the lovers’ separation. The next time I saw Emma after that night was when she lay in her coffin.” He shook his head. “It was a dark time, my dear. I confess I doubted the Lord’s mercy that he would allow two such kind people to perish when they had been so close to happiness.”
Keira had lost her appetite. She put her fork back on the plate. “I’m so sorry.”
Adage shrugged. “I have grown since that time. I still regret what happened to Emma and Frank, but I have no doubt they met in the afterlife, where there can be no petty judgment or selfishness or suffering to separate them.”
Keira glanced toward the window. Night had fallen, and the mist was already rolling in. She had to clench her hands to keep them from trembling. Emma has not moved on. Is it possible that Frank lingers too? Does she live on this earth because she doesn’t want to step into the next life without him? “It sounds like they were deeply in love.”
“Oh, yes, in the way two young, willful people tend to be.” Adage had cheered a little and ate his meal with enthusiasm. “It was a very Romeo-and-Juliet situation, complete with warring families and a tragic ending. Don’t you like the pie, my dear?”
“Ah, it’s delicious!” Keira picked her fork up again, but her stomach was still too unsettled to let her eat, so she poked at her food while she chose her next question. “I suppose you must have known George Crispin as well?”
“Not closely. He had attended my predecessor’s sermons but seemed to think I was too young to be at the pulpit, so only came at Christmas and Easter.”
“It must have been a surprise to learn he was capable of murder, though.” Keira was trying to prod around her theory that George hadn’t been the killer, but it was impossible to say so outright without it sounding as though Zoe’s conspiracy mania had rubbed off on her.
“Yes and no. He was an important member of our society, of course, and no one expects their neighbor to take a life. But during the trial, many witnesses came forward to speak of his violent nature. Business partners claimed to have been threatened. Staff reported physical violence. Many were of the opinion that he was a bomb waiting to go off and that Emma’s reappearance pushed him an inch too far.”
Damn. Keira tried another tack. “But Emma was