Page 49 of Into the Dark, We Go

"Oh?" Reverend Carver replied, his eyes narrowing slightly. "What seems to be of interest to you?"

"We’re just trying to see if there’s anything... unusual going on around here."

Reverend Carver pondered this, then shook his head. "I’m not aware of anything specific. Perhaps you could share some examples of what you’re looking for?"

"Anything ritualistic? People gone missing? I’m not sure… Fights? Maiming?" Mitchell offered.

"Maiming? There’s certainly no shortage of that."

"Oh, really?" June’s sarcasm was as thick as the holy air.

"Addiction’s a terrible thing," the Reverend nodded. "It’s been a problem in our community for a long time, causing folks to do things they wouldn’t normally do."

"Like what?" June asked.

"Take, for instance, a husband who, under the influence, raises a hand to his wife. Or young men fighting in alleyways. Black Water, I’m afraid, is not immune to these problems. But we’re working tirelessly to address them."

"Yeah, but do you have anything else?" Mitch probed.

"Such as?"

June inserted herself abruptly. "Like, satanists? Or cults? Witches?"

Reverend Carver’s gaze snapped to June’s T-shirt, lingering on the image of a cat paired with a cheerful slogan, "Sometimes dead is better". His expression turned tense. "No, nothing of that nature. May I ask what prompted your question?"

Mitchell said, "We’re just looking for some people."

We promptly produced our phones, displaying photos of Amanda—of course, she was first—and Lucas. The Reverend examined them without touching either one, then shook his head.

"So, nothing of that sort?" Mitchell asked again, his voice devoid of hope.

June threw a glance at Nick and added, "Or maybe unusual murders?"

"I’m not sure what you’re getting at," Reverend Carver said with a stern expression, "but Black Water’s a good town with good people. I don’t appreciate any implication otherwise."

Mitchell cleared his throat. "Just one more thing. Did you happen to see a little boy come in?"

The Reverend shook his head curtly. "No, I didn’t. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve parish business to attend to."

We didn’t get a chance to say another word. It was just another dead end, unless we wanted to sit in the parking lot and wait for the little boy to eventually show up. However, that, combined with our pursuit of him around town, could result in the police being called on us. And after what had happened at the cemetery, we couldn’t brush off another incident as a misunderstanding.

What surprised me was that Nick, who had just finished reprimanding Mitchell, now let him take the lead. He actually seemed to trust him not to lose control again. For once, I wished Nick would step up, but he kept deferring to Mitch. I couldn’t understand why. Maybe he didn’t want to spark more conflict with Mitch.

The Reverend’s demeanor was curt and cold, like someone who would quietly sweep scandals under the rug and smile benignly for the cameras. He was eager to get rid of us, the outsiders with too many questions. He and his answers were as welcoming as a brick wall.

With no new leads at the church, we had no choice but to move on. I was still hopeful of catching up with Duane.

15

Chapter Fifteen

September, 2020

"We need to talk to Duane,"I said again, but Mitch was busy scolding his sister, and Nick didn’t contribute his support.

"Why the hell did you mention murders to the Reverend?" Mitch asked June.

June folded her arms across her chest. "Because I’m sick of you all tiptoeing around with your photos. Someone murdered Nick’s mother. Why not start with that?"