Read Chapter 1 of Strong In Faith

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Whit sat across from Anna in their Columbus office kitchen while the TV played softly in the background.��

���I wonder if they���ll repeat our interview?��� she said. ���They said they would run it twice, but I didn���t know if they���d save it for the evening or late news.���

The local station had already played their interview during the morning news program. It had been Anna���s idea to get their business out there. Now that they had everything set to officially open up for business, they had to let people know they were there to help.

���I���m sure we���ll have our hands full after the word gets out,��� he said. ���Let���s just hope it���s some interesting cases. If I have to spy on too many cheating lovers, I might have to go back to teaching.���

Anna grinned at him over her fountain drink. ���Well, that���s the beauty of it. We can take whatever cases we want.��� She had been working hard on getting her certifications and permits, but Whit still had to take the lead until she completed them.

With a few cases behind them, Whit was more than ready for her to be able to divide the workload and work her own cases as well. Not that he minded working with her one on one, but with both of them able to wrangle cases, they could take on twice the work, and that meant more money in his pocket.

Anna, whose pockets were already heavily padded, had done so much already and surprised him with the office lease when they returned home from Mississippi. She had secured the building the day she flew out to join him, and they immediately went to work getting moved in and set up after returning home.��

With her mother busy with his pal, Bill Roberts, they had the time to get set up without any interference, and just under a month later, they were ready to take on clients full time. Their interview on the local news was the kickstart they needed.

���I think it was a brilliant idea,��� he said. ���And you look amazing on camera.���

Anna nodded deeply as if taking a bow. ���Thank you. I also ran a few ads and put us in the local directory. We should get some attention on Monday.���

A knock sounded on the door.��

���Or sooner,��� said Whit making a face. He got up and peeked around the corner to find a tall man standing outside their door.

The stranger had a reasonably handsome face and was only about thirty if Whit had to guess.��

���Are you expecting anyone?��� he asked her, hoping the young man wasn���t there to see her.

���Nope, we got the last delivery we were expecting yesterday. Other than tidying up today, we���re ready to go.��� She came over from the table where they had eaten lunch together, just like the old days at the Thatcher building.

Whit walked over as the man knocked again and unlocked the door. ���May I help you?���

���You���re Whit Filmore, aren���t you?��� The man raked his hand through his hair and glanced over his shoulder.

���The one and only.���

���Thank God for that,��� said Anna with a chuckle, stepping up to greet him. ���Hi, I���m Anna Upton. Come on in.���

���Thanks.��� The man seemed relieved to be getting off of the busy street.

���What can we help you with?��� asked Anna.

���I���m Alex Baron.��� He offered his hand to Anna and shook Whit���s as well.

���Anna Upton.���

���I know. I saw your interview this morning. I was hoping I could get your help. I have a friend who is missing. She���s my wife���s friend actually. We know her from our old church, and she���s just up and disappeared. We haven���t heard from her since Monday morning. She���s not home and hasn���t been when my wife has stopped by.���

���Have you filed a missing person���s report?��� Whit needed to know if the police had their own case open on the matter.

The man shrugged. ���No, I, um, I saw the ad that ran early this morning and thought you might be able to help us in a more discreet way.���

���Why the discretion?��� asked Anna. ���Most people want their missing friends to get attention. The more people who know, the more likely they are to find them.���

���Yes, but it���s just that I���m pretty sure there���s something bad going on. She might be in danger, and I don���t really want my family dragged into anything.���

���That���s reasonable.��� Anna looked at Whit, and he could tell by her deep expression, she was already worried for the young girl.

���And if I have to get the police involved?��� Whit needed him to know it might be a possibility.

���Look, do whatever you have to. Just don���t involve us.��� His attitude was a little short for Whit���s taste, but he felt the man was sincere enough that it was only a sign of his frustration.��

The guy scrubbed his face with his hands. ���Sorry. My wife and I just want to be careful about it. I���d love to explain more, but I thought I���d see if I should even bother first.���

���We���re listening,��� said Anna, offering him a seat in their lobby. She had gone through the trouble of buying matching furniture and had been excited about using it.

The man sat in the closest chair. ���Thanks. It���s just, my wife, Eliza, and Valerie are really close friends. So much that my wife asked her to go to our church, but we���ve recently left due to some incidents, and now that Valerie is missing, we���re worried something might have happened to her.���

���You mean someone at the church could have something to do with her disappearance?���

He nodded. ���It���s possible. Considering everything else happening in that place. My wife could explain things better. She wasn���t feeling well today, or I would have brought her down.���

���Do you think Valerie could have decided to leave town?��� Whit asked.

Anna glanced at him, and he knew exactly what she was thinking. But this wasn���t a case of missing people like they had in Mississippi or even Texas. This wasn���t a family reaching out. It was a man who didn���t think it was important enough to call the police. ���I���m not saying that���s what happened, but I just need to know what you���ve considered.���

���As I said, my wife is her best friend. They���ve gotten close, and according to her, Valerie doesn���t have any family she could have gone to visit. Eliza is really worried. She���s pregnant and due in a few months, so I hate to see her sick over this. Losing the church family was bad enough. She���s one of the only friends my wife had left. So, I promised her we���d look into it. We just feel responsible, having gotten her involved in that awful place.���

���You make it sound pretty bad,��� said Anna.

���You have no idea.��� He looked down at his feet and shook his head. ���I���d rather know if you���re interested before I go into it. I know you weren���t planning on being here until Monday. Forgive me for coming down today, but we just didn���t know if this could wait.���

���We understand your situation, Mr. Baron.��� Anna glanced at Whit. ���Could we perhaps meet with your wife today and get a little more of the information?���

���Today is a bad day, but I���d love to have you over to the house for dinner tomorrow if that���s okay? We could tell you everything. I think you���ll see why we���re worried.���

Whit was about to open his mouth to suggest he bring his wife by the office, but Anna spoke up before he could. ���We���d love that,��� she said with a smile. ���What time?���

���How about seven?��� said Baron. ���I hope you love a good pot roast. It���s my wife���s favorite to make.���

Anna chuckled. ���That sounds great, but she doesn���t really have to cook.���

���No, she loves cooking. She says it���s her true calling.���

Anna chuckled. ���Well, I know we both have a calling to eat. If you just give me your address, we���ll see you then.���

The man looked relieved. ���Oh, thank you. You don���t know what this means to us. We live just outside of town.��� He told them the address and Anna wrote it down. ���My wife will be so happy to meet you both.���

���No problem,��� said Whit, showing the man to the door.

A moment later after Mr. Baron left the office, Whit turned to Anna. ���What are you thinking?���

���What?��� she asked.

���I wanted to see Emily this weekend. Did it ever occur to you that I wanted to enjoy the last three days of my vacation?���

Anna gave him a pointed look. ���Vacation? Is that what this is? Because I���m pretty sure we���re opening a business here. And I���m sorry about Emily but you can still see her on Sunday. We can���t really afford at this point to turn anyone away. Besides, the sooner we get this case out of the way, the better, right?���

She had a point. ���Right.���

���And what if this girl is really in trouble? She has no family, and she���s just disappeared. And what���s with the church? Aren���t you curious? Just a little?���

Whit walked to the kitchenette and sat down as Anna followed.

���Whit, what���s wrong?���

���Some church-going people don���t really like me. They see me and my lectures as being sinful. They don���t like the subjects I talk about and think I spread falsehoods like I���m some kind of false prophet. You wouldn���t believe the hate mail I���ve gotten from people who claim to be devout Christians.���

���Not all Christians are like that. But what if there is a problem in that church? You could help a lot of people by exposing them.���

���Or I could stir a hornets��� nest that is going to backfire on our business before we���ve even gotten it off the ground. It���s one thing to be known for my lectures and another to be considered the type of man who bullies churches. We are taking this man���s word for what happened. It���s like picking a side right off the bat.���

���We have to hear him out.���

���I agree, which is why I didn���t say anything, but I need you to know. There might not be a case here. These women are friends, sure, but all friendships have problems. What if this is just a matter of Valerie ghosting them? Maybe she doesn���t see the friendship as strong as they do. They could be the very people she���s trying to get away from. Especially if they left the church and she didn���t.���

Anna nodded. ���That all sounds possible. And I agree, we have to make sure this is something we want to work on. But what can it hurt to go to dinner and hear them out?���

���It���s not ideal, for one. I can honestly say I���ve never taken a case over pot roast around the client���s dinner table.���

���Well, there���s a first time for everything. Anyway, you���re going. I���m not going alone.���

He shook his head. ���Oh no, you���re not going alone, for sure. I love a good pot roast.�����

He would also love her company. Working on the office over the past few weeks had been great for a change of pace and made him feel like things had finally gone back to the way they were before her mother had gotten in the way. He was glad to see they still made a good team after everything they had gone through.

He often thought of kissing her, the way he���d cupped her face and leaned in closer. How she could miss the adoration in his eyes every time he looked at her was beyond him. It further led him to believe that she didn���t feel the same way he did.��

Even though it wasn���t the way he wished things could be, he would take what he could get. ��

���Whit?��� she said, bringing his head around. ���Are you okay? I said it���s a date. But you were daydreaming. Don���t tell me you���re thinking about the case already.���

Whit nodded. ���Something like that.�����

Starting a new adventure with her was going to be worth it.