A Merciful Secret (Mercy Kilpatrick #3)(28)

Stated like that, it sounded ridiculous. “Something to that effect. I’ve been reading up on witchcraft, trying to get a sense of what could be going on in their home.”

David pressed his lips together and appeared to be weighing his words, debating what to share. “I met Olivia once,” he started. “This was years ago . . . way before Morrigan was born. She came to see me.”

“She did?” Shock shot through Truman. “I thought—”

“You thought she’d have nothing to do with a church, right? Well, she was seeking counsel, just like any other person in town might do. She had no one else to talk to. Her daughter, Salome, seemed to be the only person in her life, and Olivia was worried about her . . . like any mother who worries about her daughter.”

Truman was fascinated. “What did she say?”

David frowned. “I feel most of that conversation is private, but I can tell you she was concerned for Salome’s future. She didn’t want her daughter to be ostracized from society the way she had been.”

“Didn’t Olivia choose to live removed from others?”

“She did. But she knew what people in town said about her. Locals crossed the road to avoid meeting her on the sidewalk and never made eye contact in the grocery store.”

“That’s horrible,” admitted Truman.

“That day I saw a lonely woman who simply wanted her daughter to be accepted.”

“How old was Salome at that time?”

“Somewhere in her twenties.”

“Old enough to do as she wished.”

“That was part of Olivia’s heartache. Salome embraced the witchcraft rumors and may have even perpetuated some of them. Olivia said her daughter enjoyed the suspicion and fear.”

Dark, challenging eyes. Dangerous curves.

“I can see that.”

“I told Olivia she couldn’t change her daughter’s behavior. Salome was an adult. Olivia could only sit back and love her.”

“What about the witchcraft?” pressed Truman.

David shifted in his seat, discomfort crossing his face. “Olivia assured me she only practiced white magic.”

“You don’t seem pleased at that.”

“I can’t condone anything of that nature.”

“What I’ve read about white magic sounds like it’s based in nature. Almost a reverence for the elements.”

“Yes, we had a discussion about how she celebrated the world that my God had made. She didn’t see any harm in that.”

“But she lauded the results, not the maker.”

Relief crossed David’s face. “Exactly. Our discussion was polite and interesting, but I don’t think I convinced her of the error of her ways. She wasn’t a bad woman . . . just misguided.”

“Some ministers would have ordered her out of their office.”

“She was a human being with feelings and a family. Just like you and me. She came to me in desperation, and I helped her as I would have done for anyone. I’m not here to pass judgment. That’s not my job.”

Truman’s respect for David rose another notch. The minister might occasionally lapse into a piousness that annoyed him, but his heart was in the right place.

“Did you ever meet Salome?” asked Truman.

The minister took a deep breath. “I did.”

Truman waited ten seconds, but David didn’t speak. “I met her,” Truman stated. “She rattled me pretty good.”

“Yes.” A skeptical light shone in David’s eyes. “That was it exactly. I only met her in passing, but I swear she saw every fault in my soul. I didn’t like it.”

“I experienced the same.”

“Danger and thrills radiated from her,” David said. “It was disturbing, but it helped me understand why so many men fell prey to her looks. Her words and actions implied that she offered escape from the humdrum life.”

“Only a momentary escape,” clarified Truman.

“Right. But sometimes men don’t look beyond what is right in front of them.”

The existence of Truman’s job backed up this statement. Most of his arrests were of people who hadn’t considered the consequences of their immediate actions. Or else simply didn’t care.

David got out of his seat and went over to the giant bookcases. He ran a finger along some spines, searching for something. “I know people have gone out to the Sabin home, looking for assistance with their problems.”

“Problems?” Truman asked.

“Hoping to get help with their health, or financial situation, or love life.”

“That’s not the first time I’ve heard that.”

David pulled out a book, glanced at the cover, and put it back, continuing his search. “Everyone wants a shortcut. If they hear that someone offers a magic pill, they try it.” He removed two more books and nodded in satisfaction at the covers. He handed them to Truman. “Maybe these will help you understand what happened in the woods.”

Truman reluctantly accepted the books, ill at ease with the titles. “You have books on witchcraft?”

“I have books on everything. You can’t answer questions about something unless you study it.”

“Do you think Olivia could have been killed for her beliefs?”