chapter 3: shadows of the past

The day after the cryptic text message arrived, Cassidy was outside of a small diner situated in the center of Gracetown, where she could feel the aroma of bacon being prepared together with some coffee. She moved her gaze around the busy tables, trying to find someone she knows who may assist her in knowing more about Reverend Solomon Hayes.

Her search came to an end when her gaze found Judith Reynolds, who was the church secretary for many years and was actively involved in the coin scene of Gracetown. According to sources, Judith has always been known for her inquisitive nature because she loved gossip, her vicious tongue and long sharp nails also helped, one was always better than the other. If anyone was likely to have an understanding of Solomon's the past - or today's - times, then it was her.

"What's the matter Judith?" Cassidy greeted her while sitting on the other corner booth, hoping her look would irritate the woman and jog her thoughts.

The senior lady lifted her gaze in astonishment, her cup of coffee lingering in mid-air. "Sheriff Grayson," she said in a strained vocal inflection because she was curious. "What brings you here?"

"Never mind, I was just checking up," Cassidy said in a manner that appeared to be effortless. "It has been... difficult ever since the news of Sarah Parker's death spread in the region, and I felt I would get your angle."

Judith put her cup of coffee down and clasped her hands in anticipation as her patience ebbed and her eyes narrowed. "Krasenberg has been getting phone calls with tipsters ever since the news broke about the incident and the murder. First, a little girl goes missing, and then she turns up dead in the old mill? I find it disturbing."

Cassidy responded deliberately, her gaze locking with the interrogator's. "I believe Solomon's trying hard to start afresh. But I know, and I feel that people have certain... misgivings about him."

Judith's heads moved about the diner as if she was paranoid, he lowered the chances of their being heard: "Suspicious isn't the half of it, Sheriff. There's a large Mister that attracts a great deal of attention because there's so much that Solomon does not. But I was in the vicinity when the time he existed in Gracetown, he was so radical when initially I met him so into the Lord."

"What was he like?" Cassidy desired to know, remaining composed but clarity in her voice.

Judith sealed her lips, as though considering how to phrase what she was about to say. "He was savage. He was a barbarian, I'd say. There were always whispers behind his back… ...there were people who would vanish in his vicinity. And though he purports to have moved on from that, I have always held the view that a man like Solomon does not fully change. Not on the inside."

Cassidy could tell that there were further suspicions and so what she had heard was just the tip of the iceberg. "Do you think he hits anybody?"

Judith's expression changed, her eye darting a little to the sides. "I haven't seen it. But one thing is clear: Sarah wasn't the first child who looked up at him proudly and certainly wont be the last".

Cassidy absently drummed her fingers on the table. "Is there anyone who I must yet speak with? Is there anyone who could fill the blanks in regarding what he was like?"

She turned her head as though to see who was around the room. Judith blushed and looked at the door. "There is one. But he has been away from this town for quite some time now and it's been over two decades since he last visited, William "Billy" Carr. He was Solomon's second in command in those days. He would be the one in my books to know the deepest and darkest secrets of Solomon."

"And what is he doing these days?" That interest was easily read on Cassidy's face – for some it was staring.

"I don't know," Judith answered so softly that her voice was nearly lost. "But he would stay around the old mill. That area... that was theirs, I guess. If he's holed up anywhere, it's there."

Cassidy slumped back in her chair, her head spinning with possibilities. The mill, where Sarah's remains turned up. The eerie coincidence was far too disquieting for Cassidy. She gave Judith a curt nod. "Thanks, Judith. If you recall something else, contact me."

Judith's expression became more maternal. "Look after yourself, Sheriff. In a place like Gracetown, always be careful of the truth."

-----

In her office, Cassidy once again checked the police files from the previous years. The name of Billy Carr was quite often in the papers—it seemed like he hung around Solomon but had never done anything deserving of arrest. If he was indeed alive, Solomon had a lot to tell—Carr could be the Rosetta Stone of Solomon's entire saga.

Mark entered the room and raised his eyebrows when he noticed the pile of files. "You seem to be up to your elbows in the past."

Cassidy focused her gaze on the documents. "I am in search of a gentleman known as Billy Carr, who used to work with Solomon. He is likely still in the vicinity."

"Billy?" Mark's frown grew deeper. "The name sounds familiar, but I thought he had left years ago."

"Perhaps, but Judith seems to believe he has not yet left the area around the mill. If he's still in the region, I will attempt to contact him," said Cassidy, her tone hardening.

Mark shifted his gaze to her with an earnest expression. "You want to take someone with you?"

"Not really," Cassidy, looking at the watch, added, "I will go this evening. It would attract less attention. I will do my best to ensure no noise is made."

---

That night, Cassidy left her cruiser some distance away from the old mill. The gaping holes in its wooden walls were showing some signs of wear and glowing slightly due to the bright moon. The place appeared to be deserted but because of her hunch, Cassidy knew that was not the case.

After better positioning herself, Cassidy crawled through the bushes with her eyes aimed at the rough ground. A soft but gradual thudding sounded within the vicinity. Just as she turned the corner to get to an opening, something brushed past her eardrums. She clenched her jaw and stood still, baring the noise.

"Which one of you is it?" she shouted, pulling out her gun as her body went tense reflexively.

From behind the rot of the wooden logs, a figure walked into the flash of her light. The figure was a man with a rugged face and sharp eyes. He stared back at her with some sort of defiance, but also submission.

"Was it Billy Carr?" Cassidy inquired, keeping her voice firm.

The man bobbed his head like a man slowly seeing something heartbreaking and smiled in a ghost like manner. "So, the sheriff has finally found the time to come looking for me. How long did I wonder it would take?"

Cassidy remained nonchalant and defensive as she fixed her stare at him. "I want to talk to you about Solomon Hayes. About Sarah Parker, too."

Billy's smile disappeared and hardened himself with a fierce stare. "Solomon's hands are not as clean as he is manipulating people to believe. But I'm not saying anything else unless I'm assured of my life safety."

"Safety?" Cassidy burst out, sneering as she said this. "From who? Solomon?"

Billy chuckled bitterly as if to mock her. "There is more than Solomon you should be concerned about, Sheriff. This town, it guards its secrets quite well. Believe me, you do not know half of it."

Cassidy felt shivers down her spine but did not move to conceal her feelings. "Then tell me why Billy. Because Sarah is dead, and I will make sure her case is not closed without it being solved."

Billy turned his head away and clenched his jaw. "There were the four of us once, long before Solomon managed to start his sermons. We don't do legal things … The sort of things that the world doesn't need to see. Sara died? There is a reason for it Sheriff, and it is an ongoing circle that has been successive for ages."

"An ongoing cycle?" Cassidy pressed the question. Her patience was now running thin.

"What are you trying to say?"

He sighed and backed into the dark area of the warehouse once more. "You think this ends here? You are in for a rude shock, Sheriff. Some things in Gracetown transcend any single person."

Cassidy was about to speak when Billy pivoted and stepped into the dark space, the sound of his feet retreating in a rush. She tried to go after him, but it turns out he was already gone, consumed by the shadows.

Outside the mill, Cassidy was by herself. Then she slowly began absorbing what he said. Gracetown was not just another secret town; there were forces at work which made Gracetown more than just a town stuffed with lies. There were shadows beneath that ever withstood the tangles.

As she entered back the vehicle, self evident truths about the menace of the warning struck her again as she sighted Billy wait for her appointment to escort her. She felt it did not contain an empty slogan. It was an assurance that this was only the beginning of trouble as serious as she did not presume.