The woman began walking toward the church. I peered upward at Sterling’s expression, knowing that going inside the church and speaking to this woman wasn’t what he wanted.

“Maybe she can help,” I whispered.

“I don’t like this.” His deep tone left little room for rebuttal.

I let go of his hand. “Then stay with Patrick. I’ll go in alone.”

“Hell no,” he growled, retrieving my hand as we walked past Patrick and the black sedan, following Jackie Fellows, not into the basement where we’d been, but into an entry taking us into the newer addition, a sprawling, more modern wing. The outside lawn was deep green, and above the path, recently fallen leaves blew in the light breeze. The peaceful surroundings were contrary to the quandary within my mind.

After Pastor Fellows unlocked double glass doors, she asked us to follow her through a wide entry and down a hallway. The walls were lined with bulletin boards filled with announcements of all kinds and brightly colored paper borders, reminding me of my elementary school.

The office where she stopped had a nameplate near the door: Pastor Jackie Fellows. The next line said: Senior Minister.

I took a deep breath as we entered her small office as she turned on lights and opened the blinds. The view through the window was out to the street in front of the church, not the parking lot or cemetery.

“May I get the two of you something to drink? Coffee or water?”

“No, we’re in a hurry,” Sterling replied.

“No, thank you,” I corrected, reaching for Sterling’s arm. “As I said, this has been more emotional for me than I planned.”

“Please, have a seat...” She motioned to two chairs across from a standard desk. “My secretary will be here shortly, but we can keep this private if you prefer. First...” She leaned forward in her chair as Sterling and I sat. “...as I said, I’m Jackie. And you are?”

“I-I’m...” I began first. “...Kennedy Hawkins.”

“Mrs. Hawkins?”

“Miss,” I replied, “and my—”

“Kennedy and I are dating,” Sterling replied. “I’m her boyfriend.”

I held back a smile, still unsure about that title. As he mentioned last night, Sterling Sparrow was hardly a boy. It was also clear that he wasn’t offering his name.

“Kennedy,” Jackie’s tone was soothing, despite the scary-guy act coming from the man beside me. “Would you like to speak alone?”

“No,” I answered quickly. “He’s been helping me uncover some family secrets. You see I was adopted, and now I’m trying to make sense of an unknown family history.”

My mostly truthful answer seemed to relax the pastor a bit.

“Well, as you probably know,” she began, “this is a very old church. Our chapel dates back to 1851. What is it about our church and our graveyard that you believe is connected to your family history?”

“From stories I’ve been able to piece together,” I answered, “at one time, my father was close with a minister here. I believe his name was Kenneth Watkins.”

Jackie nodded. “He was the senior minister here for quite a stint. While many ministers like to move about, I understand why he was here for so long. I’ll admit presiding over this church is a gem.”

“Is he...may I contact him?” I asked.

“No, I’m sorry. He’s deceased. I’m the...” She seemed to be thinking. “...third senior pastor since Minister Watkins.”

I let out a long breath at another dead end.

“Kennedy, what were you hoping to find?”

I shrugged, gazing from the pastor to Sterling and back. His dark gaze was fixed on me and his jaw clenched. It was no secret he was uncomfortable and wanted to leave. “I really don’t know,” I answered honestly. “There’s an old wives’ tale—”

Sterling sat taller, every cell in his body emitting his disapproval of what I was saying.

I swallowed. “Supposedly, my father was close to Minister Watkins, and my father left something with the minister for safekeeping. I don’t even know what it was, but I know I’m supposed to find it.”

“That’s quite a story. A hidden treasure?”

A smile came to my face. “I know it sounds farfetched. It’s fine.” I started to stand. “Thank you for your time. We can—”

“Kennedy...”

I stopped.

“Can you give me any more information about this hidden treasure?”

I looked to Sterling and opened my palm his direction. “I have this key.”

Begrudgingly, Sterling reached into the pocket of his jeans and removed the small key, placing it in my palm.

Jackie Fellows exhaled and leaned back in her chair. “This is highly unusual.”

“I know. I’m sorry to waste—”

“Can you tell me whose grave you were visiting?”

I didn’t want to tell her mine. Instead, my mind searched for names that I’d read on the headstones. The truth was that I hadn’t paid that close of attention to any but mine. And then I remembered a name that I’d read.

“Valentine Shadows,” I replied. “I know it’s a long shot, but I read that name in a family bible.”

“The Shadows were a well-established family in Cambridge before their children moved away wanting the big city. If you need more assistance with information on them, I’d be happy to assist you.”

I stood as did Sterling. “Thank you again.”

“Kennedy,” Pastor Fellows said, “one more thing. I’m not sure if this will help you or not. However, being connected to the Shadows...well, I’ve always been curious. The senior minister before me told me about something. He also didn’t know what it was. However, for years we’ve held on to it.”

My eyes widened as I looked again between Jackie and Sterling. “What?”

She stood and went to a large bookshelf behind her desk, one filling the expanse of the wall nearly to the ceiling. The spines of many of the books appeared old while there were also newer editions. Walking the length of the shelf and back, she murmured to herself. She reached upward, standing on her tiptoes to retrieve something from a higher, less-accessible shelf.

“May I help you?” Sterling offered.

“Thank you. It’s the one...” She pointed. “...with the worn leather spine.”

Sterling reached above her, tipping the book back. As he did, his neck straightened.

He lowered the book. Turning it in his large hands, he revealed a lock where the pages should be. “This isn’t a book.”

Minister Fellows took it from his hand and turned to me. “It’s something that has been passed on between senior ministers for years. There was some discussion of breaking the lock, but it seemed that the mystery superseded the need to learn its contents. Kenneth Watkins was a pillar, a man highly regarded in this community. I hope that for his memory, if your key fits, you will respect his loyalty to your father. I...well, no one wants to believe Pastor Watkins would be hiding anything that would bring shame on his name or this church.”

She handed me the lockbox.

My pulse accelerated as I held the box that appeared from a distance to be a leather-bound book. In my grasp, it was considerably lighter than a book its size should be. I swallowed back the emotion as some contents within rattled. “Thank you.”

“Do you want to see if your key works?” she asked.

My hands were once again shaking. “I-I think...if you don’t mind. I would like to do that in private.”

She nodded and stepped around the desk. “I’ll give you two a moment. If it fits, it’s yours. If it doesn’t, please leave it on my desk and maybe another day the mystery will be solved.”

Once the door shut, I laid the box on the minister’s desk and turned to Sterling. His gaze was dark, yet his expression had changed from one of concern and irritation that I was speaking to the minister to one of anticipation.

“Fuck,” he growled under his breath. “This could be it.”

I fumbled with the key, finally handing it his way. “Please do it. You’re with me. That’s all I want. I can’t open it. I can’t see if there are pictures.”

“McFadden said CDs.”

I extended my hand with the key. “Please, Sterling.”

Maybe the man beside me wasn’t the villain but Prince Charming, and instead of a shoe that needed to fit, it was a key.

His chest expanded and contracted. With his gaze set on me, I nodded again.

Taking the key from my hand, he inserted it into the keyhole and turned...