The Root of All Evil (Hope Street Church Mysteries Book 4) by Ellery Adams, Elizabeth Lockard Page B

came next, and finally Nathan. As they were about to begin, in sauntered an unexpected guest. It was Edward Crosby, in jeans and his leather jacket.
    “Edward!” Cooper exclaimed as she rose to meet him. “You came!”
    “Well, I told you I’d think about it.”
    “I thought that was a polite way of shutting me up.”
    “It was. Kind of.” Edward smiled. “But I did think about it, and, well, if I want to keep my nose clean, what better place to be?”
    Nathan stood and shook his hand. “I’m glad you could make it.”
    “Donuts are on the table over there,” Jake said, sans introduction. He and Quinton had both met Edward during a previous “investigation,” when Edward and Cooper were trying to find a drug kingpin by winning a pool contest. Jake and Quinton were backup. Jake continued, “Good to see you again!”
    “Yeah, nice to see you, too. I think I’ll check out those donuts.” Edward went to the snack table and nonchalantly gestured for Cooper to join him as everyone continued to chat. He looked back at all the people and spoke in a low voice. “I know I’ve met that guy . . .”
    “He’s Jake,” Cooper replied. “And the portly gentleman is Quinton. You’ve met him, too. But don’t worry about it, Edward. I’ll introduce you to everyone else. I’m just glad you came!”
    “I hope I’ll be as glad as you are.”
    “Aren’t you happy you came?”
    “I’ll let you know when it’s over.”
    When Edward had a plate and coffee and had taken a seat beside Nathan, the Sunrise members went around the circle, each introducing himself or herself to the newcomer. Halfway through their introductions, a woman in her fifties appeared in the doorway.
    “Dear me, I’m late!” she said, putting her hands to her cheeks and shaking her head in dismay. She wore a pale blue dress and a broad-brimmed white hat with a matching pale blue ribbon around it. Her orthopedic shoes squeaked against the tile floor. Her hair was perfectly white, surrounding her face with lose curls and giving her the look of someone much older. Her arms and hands, though, were strong and her smile was vivid.
    Savannah turned to the door, squinting. “Ms. Donna, is that you?”
    The woman in question grinned, went to Savannah and squeezed her hand. She had a limp that favored her right leg and a hunch to her shoulders. “You guessed right, sweetie.”
    “No guessing needed,” Savannah replied. “You smell like rosemary, same as last week. Everyone, this is Donna Linley . . .”
    “But everyone calls me Ms. Donna,” the woman interjected.
    Savannah continued. “Last week was her first week at Hope Street Church, and I invited her to give our little group a try.” She turned to look up into Ms. Donna’s beaming face. “I’m so pleased to see you again.”
    “I’m the one who’s pleased, sweetie,” Ms. Donna said, sitting in the empty seat beside Savannah. “Been far too long since I opened the Good Book and had some good fellowship. But I see I’ve gone and interrupted. Please, please, continue!”
    “We were just introducing ourselves for the sake of another visitor,” Cooper explained. “This is Edward’s first visit, too.”
    “How nice that I’m not the only one!” Ms. Donna exclaimed.
    Edward nodded toward her coolly, his expression unreadable.
    “Is it the limp, sweetie?” she asked, trying to determine the source of his discomfort. “I was in a car accident years ago. Instead of going to a physical therapist, I was stubborn and decided I’d be fine on my own. Now I’m stuck with a limp and a hunch for the rest of my life.”
    Edward replied with a disinterested, “Oh.”
    Ms. Donna went on. “Maybe you all could just go back to the beginning again, for my sake. If that’s not too much trouble . . .”
    “Not at all,” Quinton assured her. “I’ll start.”
    Again, they went around the circle, each saying his or her name and a hobby or interesting fact. Edward was impassive, but Ms. Donna