Now she stood in front of the old abandoned church where Ryan had been killed and realized the church had always been her destination. Before his death, Ryan had driven her by the structure and joked that they should buy it and restore it, as they were doing with the rambling old farmhouse theyd bought outside of town. Holly had only scowled at him. One neverending, money-pit renovation project at a time, please!
But Holly had been fascinated by the old church, the beautiful architecture and broken stained glass. The church had been a true treasure, lost to neglect and the elements. Since it was so close to the Community Aid Center, she had walked past the old church many times after she volunteered. Shed made the trip a sort of pilgrimage, a time to remember Ryan and renew her oath to find some truths and give herself closure.
Today, the familiar questions seemed all the more relentless. Why had Ryan been in the old church to begin with? Who had he come across in the abandoned building, and why did that someone bash him on the head, killing him?
Holly noticed white paper tacked to the front door and climbed over the yellow caution tape to read what had been posted on the church door.
Warning! Building CondemnedNo trespassing! This building scheduled to be demolished November 1, 8:00 a.m.
Hollys heart squeezed in disappointment. Demolished? The church might be old and unused, but the architecture was beautiful, and the history attached to the old church was priceless. Why hadnt the Historical Society stepped in years ago to preserve the church? She hated to think of the loss to the community.
And what about the investigation into Ryans murder? If they tore down the building, any remaining clues would be lost forever.
Not that any clues remained. Robert had told her that he and the other officers with Morgan Hollows tiny police force had been through the crime scene multiple times and found precious little evidence to explain Ryans death.
Holly bit her lip, grieved that tomorrow the church would be gone. An overwhelming need seized Holly to go inside the church one last time, see the room where Ryan had died, look once more for something, anything that could explain his death.
Some enterprising hooligan had smashed the padlock fastening the chain through the door handles. So much for security. Clearly she wasnt the only person interested in the old church. Drawing a deep breath and ignoring the warning not to trespass, she pulled the front door open and crept inside.
Shed only been inside the church once before, the week after Ryan died, while shed still been lost in a blinding blizzard of emotions. Though she had visited the property regularly, she knew venturing inside the condemned building was dangerous. Today, that risk didnt matter to her. The compelling need to feel close to Ryan, search the premises for herself and say a last goodbye urged her forward. This exploration of the old church might be the closest thing shed ever have to the closure she craved so desperately.
Cobwebs and dust decorated the walls and broken furnishings with an eerie ambience which any host of a Halloween party would envy. Taking baby steps into the shadowed foyer, Holly headed for the staircase. She grasped the wobbly banister, and the steps creaked as she slowly climbed toward the second floor.
Halfway to the top, a step gave way beneath her weight. Her foot disappeared through the rotted wood. She toppled off balance.
Gasping, Holly clutched the shaky railing to right herself. She paused long enough to suck in a calming breath and eye the last few steps warily. She considered her options, but the need to see the upstairs room where Ryan had died compelled her to continue.
Inching closer to the wall, where she hoped the steps had more support, she crept up the last few stairs. Her heart stuck in her throat. The hallway on the upper floor loomed in the shadows, the darkness broken only where watery daylight seeped through open doors. Dust motes swam in those pools of gray light, and Holly focused on the bright spots instead of the darkness. She paused at the first door on the left. The room where Ryans body had been found.
Standing in the doorway, Holly gazed into the empty room. Paint peeled from the molding. A gaping
hole, where a window had once resided, marred the outside wall. That window, a round piece of stained glass, rested on the floor, propped in a corner.
The room was so still, so quietexcept for her own labored breathing, the pounding pulse in her ears and the occasional coo of a mourning dove from the evergreen tree outside. As a cloud moved away from the afternoon sun, a golden beam poured in through the open hole in the wall and spilled across the floor. The sun lit the stained glass, bringing life to the arrangement of colors.
In the center of the window, a white dove took flight, while all around the bird a dazzling jumble of colors created a brilliant backdrop.
Wow, she murmured, stunned by the gorgeous find in the otherwise lonely and dreary old church. Holly stepped farther into the room and squatted in front of the stained glass for a better look. Upon closer examination she discovered the glass piece, unlike the many other windows in the church, was intact. The small window was in almost perfect condition. A bit of cleaning and a new setting would salvage it, and a tiny piece of history would survive.