“Of course I remember Gerdie.” Megan grinned. “Although you were a teenager when I saw you last. It’s lovely to see you again.”
“Thanks. You too.” Her lips spread in a tight smile and her hands knotted together. “Aunt Rosa, I’m going to sign us up for the Cleantastic.”
“That’s right. It’s next week. I almost forgot.”
The Cleantastic was an annual event. The town got together one evening to clean the entire church from top to bottom.
“See you outside.” Gerdie’s dark braid bobbed as she raced down the aisle.
Rosa sighed. “I’m sorry about that. This whole thing with Franny has her in knots. They went to grade school together before Gerdie moved away with her mom after the divorce.”
Megan’s shoulders dropped. “Of course. It’s not easy.”
“Not for any of us.” Rosa reached out and squeezed Megan’s arm. “Bessie’s been asking about June every day since the accident. Our Bible study is on Wednesdays, and it’s not the same without your aunt.”
Bessie Granger was Lieutenant Brent Granger’s mother. Come to think of it, Luke had seen the three women huddled together at the Wake Up Cafe from time to time.
“Bessie’s at the hospital so much, what with her cancer treatments and all, and I go up and sit with her when I can,” Rosa continued. “We’d love to pop in on June. You will let us know when she can have visitors, won’t you?”
“Of course, I will.” Megan paused. “Rosa, can you think of any reason why June would’ve been in Woodville?”
“Woodville, you say?” Her lips pursed and she thought for a moment. “Not off the top of my head. I’ll ask Bessie when I see her, though. She’s got a better memory than I do for things.”
“I would appreciate it.”
“Of course, dear. And come see me at the cafe when you have time.”
Megan sat back down in the pew with a sigh after Rosa left. “Poor Gerdie. She couldn’t get away from me fast enough. I’m bringing up painful memories by digging into this case.”
“You aren’t doing it to hurt them.”
“I don’t think that makes it any easier.” She jerked her chin. “Here comes Pastor John.”
The pastor greeted them with a wide smile. Mid-fifties with an upbeat disposition and a mop of unruly curls, he’d been in charge of the church for two decades. Pastor John shook both of their hands and asked about their families.
“I was very sorry to hear about June’s accident and the attack on you, Megan.” Pastor John sat in the pew in front of them, twisting in the seat so they could face each other. “It’s my understanding these events may be connected to Franny’s murder. Is that true?”
“It is,” Luke said. “I know the sheriff’s office didn’t speak to you after the murder, so we’d like to follow up.”
“I was on a two-week retreat when it happened, and by the time I came back, Wade had confessed. I didn’t think the information I had was important and now…”
Beside him, Megan stiffened. Luke placed a hand on her arm to prevent her from asking questions. Sometimes, it was better to let the witness lead the conversation.
“Franny started seeing me because she was conflicted about her relationship with Skeeter. They’d fallen in love, but her father and brother disapproved of the relationship.”
Pastor John confirmed the information Brent had provided yesterday. Luke kept quiet because he sensed there was more.
“Franny gave in to the pressure from her family and broke up with Skeeter.” The pastor ran a hand over his hair and the curls bounced away from his forehead before flopping back. “But the separation didn’t last long. Living on her own and working at the sheriff’s department had given Franny a taste of independence. She and Skeeter reconnected.”
Luke leaned forward. “Hold on, are you saying they were dating at the time of her death?”
He nodded. “They kept it secret from everyone—even their friends. The more their love grew, though, the more difficult it became. They wanted to get married. Franny needed guidance on how to come clean to her family.”
“Do you know if she told them about her relationship with Skeeter?”
“I don’t believe she did. The last time we talked, she was still debating things.” He paused. “Of course, I can’t be sure. Franny and her mom were very close.”
Megan frowned. “Was Franny worried about telling her dad and brother because she didn’t want to cause strife with her family, or was there something more?”
Pastor John’s gaze dropped to his hands, and he fiddled with his wedding ring. His wife worked as an accountant for the Dickerson ranch. Cardin was a small town and word could get around.
“It’s just us here, Pastor,” Luke said. “We aren’t interested in gossiping.”
The other man let out a sigh. “No, of course you aren’t. Franny alluded her brother had been physical violent in the past. In fact, the reason Skeeter stopped training to be a bull-rider with Heath was because Chad accused him of cheating. There was a physical altercation between Chad and Skeeter as a result. Admittedly, I was concerned about Franny telling her family about her relationship with Skeeter, considering the animosity.”
Pastor John wasn’t known for creating drama or speaking out of turn. If he was worried about Chad’s reaction, then Franny must’ve been too. But was Chad disciplined enough to plan a murder and then frame someone else for it?
“I’m very sorry,” Pastor John said. “Maybe I should’ve come forward with the information anyway, but I didn’t think it was important. I was wrong.”
“You didn’t know.” Megan passed a glance at Luke. “We all seemed to have missed something with this case. Did you speak to my aunt about this, by any chance?”
“No. We’ve never talked about it. June did come to me to discuss Wade. This was before the murder, of course. I tried to reach
