Pastor Jones was praying with Gladys when I peeked inside her hospital room. I held my head down and joined the prayer. I was always amazed how much our young pastor resembled his dad, the great Reverend Tennessee Jones. He sounded like the man who’d remained at the helm of Missionary Baptist for most of my life. It struck me that Gladys left the church because this young man stepped into the role as pastor. He grew up as a preacher’s kid, so he got into a few things before the Lord captured his attention. None of us truly escaped those periods of our lives when we wanted to rebel against it all. We all surely had a past.
Pastor Jones had his own way of pastoring the church which was a bit more modern than his predecessor, but he shepherded his flock with just as much passion. I was happy that Gladys returned to the church. None of us at Missionary Baptist were perfect, but we treated each other like family.
Pastor Jones glanced over at me after closing out his prayer. “Sister Eugeena, it’s good to see you this morning.”
“You too, Pastor Jones. How’s our patient?” I stepped further into the room, getting a good look at Gladys. She still appeared in a weakened state, but more conscious than when I left her yesterday.
She smiled faintly, “Good morning, Eugeena. I owe you an apology.”
I frowned, “For what?”
Gladys shook her head, “I don’t know what came over me yesterday. I saw the video. I can’t believe I acted like that.”
Pastor Jones patted her hand. “Gladys, you’re grieving. Don’t beat yourself up.”
A tear rolled down her face. “That’s no reason to act like a foolish old woman. I shouldn’t have done it.”
I stepped closer. “You mean you shouldn’t have confronted Theo? So, have you changed your mind?”
The pastor looked over at me and frowned. I’d been warned by Pastor Jones in the past about my sleuthing. He didn’t approve of citizens getting involved in police investigations. It wasn’t like I picked this stuff out for myself to do. Incidents that involved a dead body kept falling into my lap.
Gladys shook her head. “I don’t know, Eugeena. Theo hasn’t been around lately, but I know he’d been violent with Sondra before.”
“He has? Have you mentioned this to the police?”
Gladys nodded, “I did. I told them everything I knew.” Tears spilled down her face. “I saw her, Eugeena. The man pulled that sheet back. My girl was gone. I told her that night she should stay home with the kids. They needed her. If she had stayed home that wouldn’t have happened to her. They said someone hit her across the head. I just thought, Theo hit her before and …” her voice trailed off.
Pastor Jones patted Glady’s arm, “Sister Howell, let the police deal with this. You need to remain calm, let your body heal. Your grandchildren are going to need you now more than ever.”
I nodded, “Pastor is right. Don’t you worry. I’m sure the police will talk to Theo.”
Pastor Jones cleared his voice, “Well, ladies, I need to visit some other patients. Gladys, if you need anything else please reach out. As soon as you hear from the police, we can start talking about the services. I will ask the members to continue to pray for your strength.”
I waited until the pastor left before I asked any more questions. I didn’t want him looking at me disapprovingly. I mean the man was young enough to be my son. That just felt weird. I had my own reasons for finding out more about any involvement Theo may have had in Sondra’s death. I wanted to find out if Gladys knew about Briana. Of course, I didn’t want to ask her directly. I pulled up the chair that the pastor had just vacated. “I’m not going to hold you long. I have one question.”
The woman looked exhausted, but she shifted in the bed to direct her attention towards me. “What is it, Eugeena?”
“When we talked at church on Monday you mentioned that Sondra had mood swings and that she wasn’t doing too good. One of the reasons why you left her alone. Do you know if she was upset with Theo about something?”
Gladys nodded. “I don’t know. Probably. I heard her yelling at him on the phone one night last week. He was supposed to be spending this past weekend with the kids, but he had something else he wanted to do.” She frowned as though she was trying to force herself to recall the conversation, “I overheard her say, ‘You got another woman now. This is how it is when you get someone new. Nobody and nothing else matters.’”
New woman.
That funny feeling like something was making my stomach sink was returning again. “Do you think she found out about this woman? Have you known Sondra to have words with the women in Theo’s life?”
Gladys looked at me, her eyes suddenly alert. “Theo cheated on her the whole time they were together. I knew of one or two confrontations. You think a woman did something to my girl?”
I shook my head. No way was I trying to put that thought in her head, especially because she didn’t seem to be aware of Briana just yet. “I don’t know. I just want to figure out what happened.”
“Yes, I want to know who took my daughter from me. She was my only child, Eugeena. I don’t know what I’m going to do. How can I raise her babies without her? I’m so old.”
I reached over and patted her arms. “It’s going to be alright, Gladys. You have people from the church helping you and we will continue to be there for you. Right now you have to take care of yourself.” I pulled my phone out to check the time. It was time for me to meet up with Leesa soon. “I’m so sorry, Gladys. If you need anything, don’t hesitate to call me.”
I walked down the hall of the hospital, feeling burdensome. With every step, I had to wonder about the person that confronted Sondra that night.