Page 27 of Raging Inferno

“Why do they stay together?”

“If I had to guess, I’d say appearances. They’re practically royalty around here. Jessie chairs several philanthropic committees, and Sam contributes to dozens of causes. They host a couple of fundraising galas each year.”

“Oh, yeah, Jessie invited me to one in a few days.”

Dominic wondered if Presley would still be in town, and if so, would she want to go with him?

“Oh, look, there’s Sam now.” Presley pointed to a billboard.

“There are a bunch around the area. His mug also graces the side of busses.”

“What was up with Jessie downing alcohol this early? She reeked of it when she entered the room.”

“It’s well-known but not talked about. She’s been pulled over a few times, but the cops escort her home, and that’s that.”

“Dominic, that’s not right,” Presley protested, sounding every bit the cop she’d once been. “She could kill someone.”

He glanced over at her. “You’re preaching to the choir. Sam donates heavily to police funds, so they look the other way.”

“That’s disgusting. Why doesn’t someone try to get her help?”

“That I can’t answer.”

“Do they have kids?”

“No.”

“Well, there is that, I suppose,” Presley said. “What do you know about Charmaine Dunn?”

“She’s Charmaine Wells now. She married Ezekiel, a minister. They have three children, and she’s super-religious.”

“That surprises me,” Presley murmured. “She was always the wildest one, getting the others in trouble. They usually had to rein her in.”

“She’s not like that anymore. A holier woman, you won’t find.”

#

Dominic parked in the empty lot of All God’s Children Church. The chapel itself was an unassuming red-brick building with little landscaping and even less curb appeal. If not for the soaring gold cross on the flat roof, Presley never would’ve known it was a house of worship.

“Charmaine and her family reside in the minister’s house across the parking lot from the church,” Dominic told her.

Presley walked beside him to the modest dwelling. A scattering of toys in the yard added the only color to the drab brick exterior. The grass was brown and ragged, and the house could use new windows and a new roof. Dominic rang the bell.

A heavyset woman with long white hair fastened into an old-fashioned bun on the top of her head appeared. Her face was pale and her cheeks flushed. She wore a white turtleneck, a long denim skirt that reached her sensible shoe-covered feet, and not a drop of makeup.

“Dominic, this is a surprise. It’s good to see you.”

“You too, Charmaine.”

Presley stifled a gasp. This was Charmaine, the girl who’d glommed on makeup with a putty knife like it was going out of style and favored low-cut tops to showcase her Double D’s?Wow.Presley wouldn’t have recognized her in a hundred years.

“Bless you for saying so. Did you come to pray with us today?”

“No. We’re here to talk to you.”

Charmaine’s gaze moved to Presley, and there was no recognition there at all.

“Hello, Charmaine.”

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