CHAPTER FOUR

Steinhart's Bar and Grill was a cozy local spot, its large windows offering a view of Coldwater's main street. As Sheila and Finn entered, the familiar scent of grilled meats enveloped them. The restaurant was bustling with the evening crowd, locals catching up over burgers and craft beers.

They spotted Jonah immediately, a man in his early thirties with worried eyes and disheveled brown hair. He sat alone at a corner table, nervously fidgeting with a paper napkin.

Sheila studied Jonah Tournay across the table, taking in his nervous demeanor and the dark circles under his eyes. Finn sat beside her, his notebook open and ready.

"Mr. Tournay," Sheila began, "thank you for meeting with us. We understand how difficult this must be."

Jonah nodded, his hands wrapped tightly around a steaming mug of coffee. "I just want to find my sister," he said, his voice barely above a whisper.

Sheila glanced around and noticed Mrs. Hendricks at a nearby table, pretending to read a newspaper while obviously eavesdropping. In a small town like Coldwater, news traveled fast, and Mrs. Hendricks was known as the local gossip hub.

That's the last thing we need, Sheila thought. Someone figuring out that Sophie's disappearance might be related to Laura's death—and terrifying the whole town.

Sheila caught Finn's eye and gave a subtle nod toward Mrs. Hendricks. Finn understood immediately. He stood up, smoothing his uniform.

"Mr. Tournay, if you'll excuse me for a moment," Finn said politely before making his way to Mrs. Hendricks' table.

"Mrs. Hendricks," he said warmly, "I'm so glad I ran into you. I was hoping to speak with you about the neighborhood watch program. Do you have a moment?"

Mrs. Hendricks blinked, puzzled. "The neighborhood watch program? What could that possibly have to do with me?"

"A lot, in fact. Why don't we go over to a table by the wall where it's quieter? I'd love to pick your brain about…"

That was all Sheila caught. Then Finn was leading a bewildered Mrs. Hendricks across the room, where there was no risk of her eavesdropping on Sheila's conversation with Jonah.

Sheila cleared her throat and turned her attention back to Jonah.

"I apologize for the interruption, Mr. Tournay," she said. "What can you tell me about Sophie? What's she like?"

Jonah's eyes softened, a small smile tugging at his lips despite the worry etched on his face. "Sophie's...she's amazing. Kind, smart, always helping others. She volunteers at the local shelter, teaches Sunday school. She's very religious, has been since we were kids."

"How old is she?" Sheila asked, jotting down notes.

"She just turned twenty-nine last month," Jonah replied. "We had a small party for her at our parents' house. She seemed happy then, but looking back...I think something was bothering her."

Sheila leaned forward, curious. "What makes you say that?"

Jonah sighed, running a hand through his hair. "It's hard to explain. Sophie's always been...I don't know, serene? But that day, she seemed distracted. Like she was carrying a weight on her shoulders."

"And you said she was meeting with a priest?" Sheila asked, keeping her voice low to avoid attracting attention.

Jonah nodded. "Yeah, she mentioned it last week. Said she needed to talk to someone about...about something she'd done."

Sheila kept her expression neutral, but her mind was racing with the parallels to Laura Hastings' case. "What do you mean, Mr. Tournay?"

Jonah shifted uncomfortably in his seat, his eyes darting around the restaurant before leaning in closer. "Sophie...she made a mistake. A big one. She was really torn up about it."

"What kind of mistake?"

Jonah sighed heavily, his shoulders slumping. "She...she had an affair. With a married man. It was brief, but Sophie was devastated. Said she'd betrayed everything she believed in."

The revelation hung in the air between them. Sheila felt a chill run down her spine as she remembered Laura Hastings' marital troubles. Was it possible the killer's MO involved infidelity? But if so, why not target the married man Sophie had cheated with?

You're getting ahead of yourself. As far as you know, Sophie's disappearance may have nothing to do with Laura's death.

"Did Sophie tell you who the man was?" Sheila asked, keeping her voice low.

Jonah shook his head. "No, she wouldn't say. She did tell me she was torn up about it, though."

Sheila nodded. "And that's when she mentioned meeting with the priest?"

"Yeah," Jonah said. "She said she needed guidance, needed to make things right with God. She said she was too embarrassed to talk with her own priest—he knows the person she had an affair with. She wanted to speak with someone outside the situation...and I guess this priest fit the bill."

"Did Sophie tell you where she was meeting this priest?" Sheila asked, hoping for a solid lead.

Jonah furrowed his brow in concentration. "Chester's, I think? It's a bar at the west end of town."

"I know it. Seems like an odd place to meet a priest."

"That's what I thought, too. She said he wasn't like most priests—not as strict."

Sheila made a note of that. "Did she mention the priest's name, by any chance?"

Jonah shook his head. "No, just that he was new in town. Someone she felt she could trust."

Another parallel to Laura Hastings' case. Sheila felt the pieces starting to come together, forming a picture she didn't like one bit.

"I must say I'm a bit puzzled," she said. "It's been three days since your sister went missing. How come you didn't say anything about this meeting sooner?"

Jonah sighed. "I've been racking my brain, trying to think of everything Laura said, everything we talked about. I forgot about Chester's until just recently—it seemed like such an insignificant detail at the time. I mean, I love my sister like hell, but I wasn't thinking something terrible might happen to her."

Sheila nodded, absorbing this. "One last question," she said. "When exactly was the last time you saw or heard from Sophie?"

Jonah's face crumpled, the pain of his sister's disappearance evident in every line. "Three days ago. We had lunch together. She seemed...I don't know, both relieved and anxious? She said she was meeting the priest that evening, and that afterward, everything would be okay." His voice broke on the last word. "But she never came home. I've been calling and texting, but there's no response. It's not like her, not at all."

Sheila reached out, placing a comforting hand on Jonah's arm. "We're going to do everything we can to find Sophie, Mr. Tournay. I promise you that."

He nodded, hanging his head as if he already knew something terrible had happened to his sister. Sheila caught Finn's eye as she rose from her seat. Finn broke away from his conversation, and they joined each other at the door, which Finn held open for Sheila.

"Thanks for running interference," Sheila said as they stepped into the cool night air.

"You bet. What'd you find out?"

"Apparently Sophie was supposed to meet an unnamed priest at Chester's Bar and Grill three nights ago. She met her brother for lunch that day, and it was the last time he saw her."

They made their way toward Sheila's vehicle, a standard-issue Ford Explorer painted in the department's distinctive black and gold colors. The vehicle was equipped with all the necessary law enforcement gear, including a reinforced push bumper, emergency lights, and a siren. Despite its official appearance, however, Sheila had made the interior her own over the years. A small photo of her sister Natalie was tucked into the sun visor, and a well-worn kickboxing glove hung from the rearview mirror, subtle reminders of her past and her motivation to serve and protect.

"There's something else," Sheila added as she climbed into the driver's seat. "Sophie Tournay had an affair with a married man."

Finn slid into the passenger seat. "You think that's the connection?"

"Could be. Both victims were religious, two."

"Sounds like we know our killer's MO: He targets religious women who've committed some kind of…marital sin, I guess."

"Maybe the killer sees himself as some kind of moral enforcer," she said, pulling out onto the street.

"A vigilante priest," Finn mused, his tone skeptical. "Considering the state of marriages these days, he's not going to run out of targets any time soon."

"All the more reason to stop him as soon as possible. Come on, let's head over to Chester's. Maybe we'll find someone who remembers seeing him."