After putting Summer to bed, along with her Be-be, Guy donned his coat, cap, and gloves and excused himself to go check on Becky’s cabin accommodations and get her fireplace started. When he returned about fifteen minutes later, he said he’d walk Becky there when she was ready, because he almost couldn’t find his way in the intense blowing snow.
It wasn’t long before Becky was ready to get to the cabin and to bed. She held onto Guy’s arm as he carefully led her to the cabin through the driving and whirling snow. The intense wind periodically whipped so much snow about that the one-yard light even disappeared momentarily. Only an eerie glow gave hint of its presence. Guy made sure she was settled okay with her bags, and they said their good night. He stepped back into the howling storm and closed her door.
By herself again, Becky chased off the demon of loneliness and replaced it with a recap of the earlier incident. She just couldn’t figure out what that circle represented to the child and why it brought out such an intense reaction. It seemed to be one of the key pivotal questions, maybe the key one, to solving this case and understanding this tormented little girl.
Becky got ready for bed, stoked the fireplace again for the night, crawled under her covers, and sat back against the headboard. The raging storm outside was probably going to be good for sleeping, but it was too loud to consider calling Bert and Norah. As soon as the blizzard subsided, reportedly by late afternoon tomorrow, she’d update them on the case. She was interested in how they were doing in Nebraska City. She also wanted to ask if Norah could shed any light on the guy in that dark pickup. Was he just a reporter? Or was he something else, maybe sinister? She knew she needed to keep an eye open for him from now on.
As she scooted under the covers and turned out the light, Becky felt that twinge of aloneness hit her again. She was not a loner, never had been. She enjoyed the company of a mate, a companion, someone to share life with, a lover. Maybe someday the right guy would come along. She had to believe that. For now, though, her job would govern her life. Her eyes closed to the dim light of the flickering fireplace. The storm raged on.
***
Tuesday morning dawned cold and clear in eastern Nebraska. The brilliant red sunrise was giving way to the blue sky of another brisk winter day, as Bert and Missy finished their walk. The only sign of an impending winter storm was a gathering cloud cover far to the west on the horizon. He knew that Becky would be experiencing blizzard conditions by afternoon, and he wondered how she was doing in Red Lodge. He needed to talk with her soon. As he thought about her, Bert wondered what it was about her that was both attractive and intriguing. Sure, she was a beauty and easy on the eyes, but there was a lot more to Becky Thompson. There was an attraction of personality and character which was as magnetic as her looks. He felt fortunate to have her on their team. He knew it wasn’t just because of her abilities as a P.I. Norah was a psychic; she knew that also.
He gathered Norah and Missy into the doghouse for the short drive into Nebraska City to Jonnie’s Café. Missy settled into her usual bedding in the car, while Bert and Norah went inside to meet with Patty. Norah stood beside Bert where he sat across the table from Patty, who was already inside. Norah had repeated her insight that Patty somehow held the keys to solving this mystery. Bert just had to help her discover that bit of hidden knowledge. It would be tough, since none of them knew what it would be.
They exchanged the usual greetings and small talk for a few minutes. Patty still used a bit too much perfume, for Bert’s liking, but she had such a sweet grandmotherly personality that he could overlook it. She was as interested in helping now as during the previous meeting.
“Patty, there’s a couple of questions I’d like to ask you,” Bert told her. “One is about Robert. As you know, he seems to be a very introverted guy and lacking in confidence. Has he always been like that?”
“Well, no,” she replied. “He was a normal, outgoing little boy until several years before his mother disappeared. Vicki was getting concerned about him as time went by. We talked about his change of personality many times but couldn’t understand it.”
Bert asked, “Did his personality changes occur after they changed churches? Or before?”
“Oh, he was changing for a year or more before they transferred. It was probably closer to two years, maybe even three.”
“Could you and Vicki tie it to anything about the churches?” he asked.
“No,” she said. “Robert’s doctor thought it might be a growing social or mental disorder. He referred Vicki to a psych, but she was offended by that and never took him. Vicki really clammed up the last year. She didn’t want to discuss it and seemed to be lost in her own world a lot. I was her best friend and she wouldn’t even talk with me about it.”
“That seems unusual that she wouldn’t even talk with her best friend. Any idea why?”
“I had the impression that she was very conflicted about the situation. It felt kind of like when a close person is diagnosed with a terminal illness, but you hide from the reality of it. I guess that’s being in denial, huh?”
“Yes, in denial,” he answered. “Maybe the question is whether she was in denial of the condition her son had, or in denial of the cause? Perhaps she felt that she was a part of the cause?”
Patty answered, “Yes, that could be some of it, I suppose. I did have the feeling that she felt a lot of guilt about Robert’s poor social skills. As if she was somehow to blame.”
“Another question I have concerns Janice Campbell and her son, Terry. Did you know them?”
“I knew of them,” Patty said. “But I don’t know that I ever really met them. I learned about them mostly from the disappearance. There was a big manhunt for months, trying to find Mrs. Campbell. Nothing turned up. Two or three years later, Vicki disappeared. Everyone tried to connect them to each other, but only their disappearances joined them.”
He asked, “Did you know anything about Campbell’s son, Terry.”
“Just that he was apparently a strange kid, always kind of distant from what I heard,” she said. “He and his father left the area a few months after the mother disappeared. That caused some speculation that maybe the father had something to do with it.”
“Did Mr. Campbell return to the area at any time, that you know of? Bert said.
Patty seemed to stare out the window, searching for an answer. Finally, she said, “Yes, I believe he came back at least a couple of times, for sure on the yearly anniversaries of his wife’s disappearance for the first three or four years.”
“Would he have been back here around the time that Vicki disappeared,” Bert asked.
“Well, yes and no,” Patty replied. “His wife disappeared during the early summer as I recall. To avoid our winters, I think he came back primarily during the summers for a few years. I do remember either seeing him or hearing comments about him. Even though the police could not connect him to her disappearance, many in the congregation still felt like he had something to do with it.”
Bert’s phone rang and he noticed it was from the phone company, so he placed them on hold and said good-byes with Patty. She told him again to just call if he needed to talk again. As Patty left the café, Bert answered the call from Gennie, the phone company representative he’d spoken with earlier.
It was not good news. After several minutes on the phone with Gennie, he hung up and briefed Norah once they’d returned to the vehicle. Gennie could not locate any records from the pay phone in question and concluded they had been purged. There was no way to draw any conclusions about whether Vicki used that phone on the day she disappeared. Apparently a dead end. Apparently Norah’s vision was wrong.
“Norah,” Bert said, “I can’t see any real connection between Vicki and Janice other than the church they attended. But what could that mean? Do you suppose they were both stalked by a member of that church?”
She pondered that, then replied. “Honey, I have a weird feeling about that church, but I’m not getting anything sp
ecific to hang a hat on. I have the growing sense that the church is somehow a part of this mysterious disappearance, but I just don’t sense how. I wonder if Janice’s spirit would open up more to the teenager?”
“That’s a good idea,” he said. “I’ll ask Dori if she’d keep trying to build a relationship with Janice’s spirit and try to find out what happened to her. Since we have no other real leads now, let’s go to the Holy Mother Church and see what we can find out about any of this.”
Bert drove back out to Highway 2 so they could give Missy a brief walk at their favorite hillside field. It was becoming obvious that she needed to get out of the car for a bit. She covered the entire field in just a few minutes, giving extra attention to the game trails and smells down along the wooded ravine. The clear sky of sunrise was giving way to thin, wispy clouds as the winter storm approached from the west. He thought he could perceive a slight drop in the temperature.
It was close to noon when Bert piloted the doghouse up the driveway to the Holy Mother Church. Rays of late morning sunshine through the thin clouds illuminated it with a surreal quality. He pulled to the edge of the driveway near the parking lot to the front of the structure. Zooming in with his phone’s camera, he took a couple pictures from several angles. The next time he talked with Becky, he’d show her a few pictures from Nebraska City and their case. Perhaps something would occur to her that he and Norah hadn’t yet considered.
He rolled down the windows enough that Missy could stick her head out, and he and Norah entered the church and headed for the business office.
When Bert entered the office, a perky and friendly little woman introduced herself as Deloris and asked how she could help. Returning the introduction, Bert explained that he was looking into the missing mother of Robert Sturdevant. Norah remained behind her husband and to the side of the door, where she could watch and listen.
Deloris was apologetic as she said she’d only been at the church for about five years and had no direct knowledge about Vicki or Robert. As Bert was starting to shift his mental gears into plan B, Deloris added that another lady, Phyllis Overland, was doing some errands inside the church and she’d been here a lot longer. Deloris was sure that Phyllis could shed some light on the issues.
“Could I give you a tour of our church,” Deloris asked. “It is one of the most beautiful churches I’ve seen, anywhere. Phyllis should be back by the time we finish.”
Bert nodded in agreement. “Sure, I’d love to see your church. It’s quite beautiful and unusual on the exterior. I even took some pictures this morning.”
With that, Deloris led Bert down the hall to the entrance door to the main congregation chamber. Norah followed just behind Bert. As they entered the large, and very exquisite, worship chamber, Bert noticed a woman leaving the altar area and quickly walking to and out the side door, disappearing from view. She wore a light blue skirt and matching short sleeve blouse. She appeared to be exiting the church. A glance at Deloris told him that she did not see the woman. Bert knew this apparently was the side door that Janice Campbell was going toward from outside, the first time he saw her.
The church was indeed both large and beautiful. As they toured the altar and returned to the main door, he made note of the placard which stated that the seating capacity was 600. Back at the office, Phyllis Overland extended her hand in greeting. Following introductions and his explanation for the visit, Phyllis invited him to sit near her desk and she would do her best to answer his questions. Perhaps they could continue over lunch soon, if they weren’t completed, she stated.
At first Bert wanted to know more about the church. She told him it was now about seventeen years old and she had started working there about nine years ago. Her first major issue was the disappearance of Janice Campbell and the subsequent attention that brought to the church. Although Janice had disappeared several months before Phyllis started work there, the ongoing search for her continually involved the church for the next year or two as the police attempted to connect the church with the disappearance. The questions gradually tapered off as the case turned cold.
“Why were the police so interested in the church,” Bert asked her.
“Mr. Campbell kept alleging that his wife was involved with a church member. He couldn’t be more specific, but his claim brought the investigation back to us, time and again,” she said.
“I take it that his claims could not be substantiated,” Bert asked.
Phyllis answered, “That’s right. It seemed to be more of an assumption on his part than founded on anything concrete. He was apparently suspicious but had nothing to base it on.”
“I guess when Vicki Sturdevant disappeared under somewhat similar circumstances, it probably brought the church back into the limelight again.”
“Oh, yes, you bet it did.” She said emphatically. “This time, though, there were no allegations of wrongdoing by anyone in the church. A few people, including her son, reported that Vicki was very angry about something, but nobody could explain about what. It was part of the mystery. No connection was ever made to anyone associated with the church.”
“Just to cover all the bases,” Bert said, “do you suppose I could meet with your priest and get his thoughts about these cases?”
“I’m sure that Father Romero would be happy to talk with you. He’d love to see these cases solved. I’ll see if he’s available right now.” She pulled out her cell phone and called. After a brief discussion, she told Bert that the Father could meet with him right now. She motioned for him to follow her.
Bert was introduced to Father Romero, a short, portly fellow, about fifty, with a booming voice and a laugh to match. The man was instantly likable.
“How may I help you,” the Father asked. “I understand that you’re looking into the unsolved disappearances of Janice Campbell and Vicki Sturdevant. We’ve spent a lot of time with the investigators in past years.”
“Thank you for talking with me, Father,” Bert said. “I have reason to believe that Janice’s disappearance is somehow associated with this church. I was hoping you might be able to shed some light on that.”
“All I can tell you is that we answered probably hundreds of questions related to the same issues, following the second woman’s abduction. None of us have been able to make any connections to members of this church. Although both were before my assignment here, I feel that I know the women personally.”
“You weren’t here then,” Bert asked. “When did you get here then, Father?”
“I was assigned here in the summer of 2012, about five years ago. Interest really peaked during the two-year anniversary of Vicki’s disappearance. For about six-months or so, there was a renewed interest in solving the two cases.”
“There was another priest here before you then. Did you know him very well and where is he now?” Bert inquired.
“Father Riccardo DelFranco was the shepherd of this flock before me,” Father Romero answered. “He’d been here for quite some time and was up for reassignment. I worked with him during my two-months transition. He was a good man, very distressed about the missing ladies. I think it was heartbreaking to him that these cases remained unsolved. The heartache probably followed him to his grave.”
Bert took instant note of the Father’s words. “Are you saying that the Father isn’t with us anymore?”
“Yes, Mr. Lynnes, Father DelFranco passed away a couple of years after leaving here and going to his new assignment.”
“I’m very sorry to hear of his passing. Where was he assigned after here, Father?”
“He went to the church in Boise, Idaho. The beauty of the mountains and the people called him there, he told me. He went there to eventually retire; it’s a shame that he died so soon.”
“Can you tell me what Father DelFranco was like, Father,” Bert asked. “It sounds like he was very concerned about his congregation.”
“Oh yes, he took his role very seriously. He was always mentoring our youth and giving his time to
those in need. The congregation loved him.”
“What was he like as a man, beyond the robe? Did he have interests outside the church?”
“He was a rather tall and athletic man, with an interest in physical fitness. He ran almost every day and participated in numerous marathons throughout the region. He loved to go on organized hikes, and several times a year he would travel to regional events, often taking other parishioners with him for fellowship.”
“What happened to such a man,” Bert asked. “Did he die in an accident?”
Father Romero was subdued. “No, well, it was kind of an accident, I guess. My understanding is that he had a reaction between sleeping medication and a prescription he was taking for a bronchial infection. It was very sudden and unexpected.”
They continued talking for another half hour. Father Romero could not shed any more light on the mysterious disappearances of the two women. All leads were dead ends. Bert thanked the Father for his time and departed the church.
Bert knew that Norah was deep in her thoughts, thinking about the visit. They decided to give Missy a walk around the church, despite the snow-covered grounds. In the greying light of an increasingly overcast sky, it was still obvious that the well-manicured lawn and shrubbery was a beautiful place to walk and meditate. Numerous evergreen and deciduous trees lined the property and created patches of summertime shade with benches and picnic tables for taking advantage of the serenity. In the southwest corner, a groundskeeper shed was nestled among medium-sized shrubbery and a few small trees.
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