Chapter 21: Suspicion

After my question, she paused for a moment and then spoke.

"Then...there was this one man. He used to come here with his wife all the time. But last year, his wife passed away. Now he comes with her necklace on his hand. I wouldn't have mentioned him, but since you said you're looking for those who have changed, it's him. Especially since last spring, he prayed for a very long time. There wouldn't be a reason to worry, but he has prayed like that four times from last year till now. The last time was a little over two months ago," she said.

"With his wife's necklace on his hand? Besides the fact that he wears his deceased wife's necklace, are you worried about his long prayers? Isn't it good that he prays? Besides, he lost his wife, and I think that's a significant reason for someone to change," I asked her.

"When you put it that way, maybe I made it up in my head. He may be just commemorating her and praying for her soul," she said.

"Can you think of anyone else besides him?" I asked Rebecca.

"Unfortunately or fortunately, I can't remember anyone like that. Maybe someone from the council can also offer their suggestions," she replied.

"Then I'll ask you a couple more questions," I said.

I talked to her for a while until members of the church council started coming into the room. They greeted me and sat down at the table. Unfortunately, Father John wasn't in this council. When they settled at the table, the apparent head of this council spoke up.

"Let me introduce myself again. My name is Andrew Young. On this side, we have Rebecca and David, and on the other side, we have Sophie and Polina. We gathered here at your request, namely to answer your questions. For us, the most important thing is that your investigation doesn't get leaked, as it will tarnish the image of our church," Andrew said.

I looked at him intently and then spoke to them in a serious tone.

"I ask that you tell me about all your visitors, ministers, and employees who have changed over the past year or in the current year. Even if it was an insignificant change," I said.

I watched the reaction of the church council carefully, trying not to miss even the slightest change in their emotions. In the office, there was silence for about 10 seconds. Everyone seemed frozen, until Polina and Sophie looked at each other. After their silent interaction, Polina turned to me.

"Um...James, right?" she asked.

"Yes, I'm listening," I replied.

"Can a person's disappearance be considered a change in personality?" she asked.

"More likely no than yes. But I'll take any strange or unclear actions right now," I said.

"If so, then... there's a girl who disappeared a few months ago. We went to her place, but no one answered. She didn't even respond to our calls, even when we called from unfamiliar numbers. Since we reported her disappearance, they called her parents, but they said she was away. If she's away, then who's living in her house?" she asked me.

I paused for a moment. Maybe this had nothing to do with my case, but this situation made me wary. There's a possibility that someone is illegally living there or the girl is deliberately hiding from people, which means that something happened to her or she did something herself.

"Got it, I'll remember that. Please write down her name and address here. I'll check it out," I replied, handing her a sheet of paper and a pen.

"Are there any other strange parishioners or church employees?" I asked.

"I have one," said Andrew, the head of the council.

"I'm listening, Andrew," I replied.

"As you know, we try to guide people on the right path, so we often deal with people like drug addicts. Only a few of them come to us, but some of them are able to quit drugs for good," he said.

"Tell me, do you want to tell me about a drug addict?" I asked him.

"It would be more accurate to say drug-dependent. But yes, unfortunately, last year closer to summer, our parishioner who had stopped using this poison more than 5 years ago...well, he resumed using it," he said with bitterness that was visible on his face and in his tone of voice.

"Did he stop coming to church?" I asked.

"No, he started coming even more, but only at night when only Father Lewis and a few guards were in the church. He doesn't bother any of the parishioners or workers, but he often cries at night in the church, which makes one wonder why. Father Lewis couldn't find out the reason, insisting that he is showing remorse for resuming his sinful habit," he said, sounding more grim.

"I don't think that's of much use, but it's worth checking his information with the state drug control. Thinking that, I handed Andrew a piece of paper and a pen.

"I won't disclose who gave me the tip. Please write down his name and address. I'll ask the appropriate department to investigate him," I told him.

"Thank you for this. I've been thinking about it for a long time, but I wasn't sure. Now I can breathe a sigh of relief," he said.

"Is there anyone else?" I asked.

I waited for about a minute for their response. In this silence, my mind thought about these three people. Maybe each of them was just a person mentioned by chance today. But considering that every even insignificant detail is important now to complete the puzzle, I will have to bother them.

"If no one else remembers or wants to say anything, then I will ask you. I need data from your cameras for the entire last year, specifically from three places: the street, the entrance, and the church hall where sermons are held," I said.

"I won't be able to give you that," Andrew replied.

"I'm not asking you for cameras near confessionals or in restrooms. I'm asking only for three places. The street, the entrance, and the church hall where sermons are held," I repeated.

"Are you asking for footage from the pulpit?" asked Rebecca.

"The pulpit?" I asked her.

"The pulpit is the place where the gospel and sermons are read," she replied.

"That's what I'm asking for," I confirmed.

"You'll have to get permission from Father John and Father Lewis for that," she said.