After Alicia had strolled around in Neiman’s and hadn’t found anything that caught her attention, she went outside and walked down to Nordstrom. First, she looked at a pair of four-inch-heeled sandals, which she purchased, and now she was in the handbag section, picking up a small, pure-white Kate Spade tote. She turned the purse around to the other side, realizing she sort of liked it, but then put it down when a woman walked up to her.

“Alicia Valentine, right?”

“Yes,” Alicia said, feeling as though she’d seen the woman before.

“Hi, I’m Donna,” she said, shaking Alicia’s hand. “I used to be a member of New Life Christian Center until a few years ago. But I did come visit the Sunday your father was the guest speaker, and I said hello to you and your stepmother on my way out.”

“Yes, I thought you looked familiar. There were a lot of people there, but I rarely forget a face. It’s nice to see you again.”

“Likewise. So, how does it feel being first lady of such a large church?”

“Wonderful. Everyone has been so kind and that makes a huge difference in itself.”

“I can imagine.”

“I’ve been working on a project at home, but now that I’m finished with that, I’m really looking forward to getting more involved with the women’s ministry. I’d also like to begin bringing in a featured female speaker every month and then hold open discussions afterward.”

“That sounds like a great idea. When I was there they had a pretty organized women’s ministry, but when the former first lady passed away, they stopped sponsoring so many events,” she said, looking at Alicia with sad eyes.

“I’m sorry. Was Michelle a friend of yours?”

Donna sighed and then said, “Hey, I know we really don’t know each other but just the idea that you and I would bump into each other out of the blue, not to mention in the middle of a department store on a quiet Tuesday afternoon, well, I just don’t believe in coincidences. I believe in fate and that every single thing that happens is somehow in God’s plan.”

Alicia wasn’t sure where Donna was going with this conversation but kept listening.

“I hope I don’t regret this, and my prayer is that no matter how negatively this might affect your marriage to Pastor Valentine, I’m doing the right thing by telling you the truth.”

“Telling me the truth about what?”

“Pastor Valentine’s first wife and how she may not have been killed accidentally.”

“What?”

“Some people think she was murdered…and that Pastor Valentine was behind the whole thing.”

Alicia frowned, immediately taking offense to what this Donna woman was saying. “If that’s true, then why haven’t I heard anything about it?”

“Probably because when the police did their investigation, they found no evidence of foul play and had no choice but to rule it an accident.”

Alicia’s heart beat faster. “Well, if that’s the case, then why would anyone think otherwise? And who are these people you’re referring to?”

“Some of her friends and also her parents and siblings.”

“This is crazy.”

“I’m sorry, but I really thought you should know about this.”

“JT loved his first wife and would never have hurt her like that.”

Donna looked at Alicia calmly and then said, “Well, he had I don’t know how many affairs on her, and I know she wasn’t happy about it. As a matter of fact, she was so fed up that for the last four or five weeks of her life, she didn’t even attend church services and she told a few of the women she was close to that she was planning to divorce him.”

Alicia was overwhelmed. Her father had basically told her the same thing, that JT had regularly messed around on his first wife, but Alicia refused to believe any of this. She didn’t believe her father, and she didn’t believe the woman standing in front of her. Especially since JT had denied sleeping around any more than the one time he had admitted to and because he talked a lot about how much he’d loved his first wife. Plus, what could he possibly have had to gain from her death? Insurance money maybe, but as far as Alicia could see, JT didn’t have millions of dollars stashed away in some bank account. He earned quite a bit of money through his ministry, but he certainly didn’t have the kind of millions that people committed murder over.

“Look, I have to get going,” Donna said. “But again, I thought it was only right that you know. And please, please take care of yourself.”

Alicia smiled, acting as though she hadn’t been shaken one bit, and the woman went on her way.

But Alicia was shaken. And she couldn’t wait to talk to JT.

Chapter 10

Hi, baby,” JT said after walking into the bedroom and pecking Alicia on the lips.

“Hey.”

It had been four hours since that Donna woman had made those disturbing accusations about JT, and still, Alicia couldn’t stop thinking about them. She’d tried focusing on something else but no matter how much time had passed, she just hadn’t been able to. She had even tried to do a little more shopping; however, for the first time since she could remember, she’d found no interest or excitement in it. She hadn’t been able to enjoy herself because, whether she wanted to admit her true feelings or not, she was very troubled by all of this.

“So, what did you buy at the mall?” JT asked, removing his navy blue suit jacket and dropping it onto the bed. Then he loosened his classic red tie and unbuttoned his French-cuffed sleeves.

“Nothing.”

“Nothing?” he said, laughing. “Alicia Black Valentine went shopping and came back with nothing?”

Alicia never acknowledged his comment and instead leaned against the dresser and crossed her arms. “There’s something I need to ask you.”

JT went into his closet. “Okay, go ahead.”

“I’ve tried to figure out the best way to ask you this, but I’ve decided that there’s no other way except to just do it. When your wife died in that accident, was there an investigation?”

“Yes. All accidents are investigated, but why do you ask?”

“Were you a potential suspect?”

“Suspect for what?”

“Murder.”

JT quickly stepped back out of his closet with only his underwear on. “Excuse me? Who told you that?”

“A woman came up to me while I was in Nordstrom.”

“What woman?”

“She said her name was Donna and that she used to be a member of NLCC a few years ago. Then she said that Michelle’s parents and siblings and some of her friends thought you had something to do with her death.”

“I can’t believe this,” he said, exhaling loudly and taking a seat on the edge of the bed. “What did she look like?”

“She had a medium-brown complexion, was a little taller than I am, and had very long hair.”

JT sighed again. “Baby, come here and sit down next to me.”

Alicia did what he asked.

“Sweetheart, yes. There was an investigation, but in the end I was cleared.”

“But why would anyone think you were involved in something so horrible in the first place?”

“Envy, of course. Some people just don’t want to see others do well, mainly because they’re miserable themselves. And so they thrive on starting vicious rumors such as this one.”

“This Donna woman also claims that you messed around on Michelle repeatedly and that Michelle was planning to divorce you.”

“Lies, lies, lies. Baby, Michelle and I were the happiest couple I knew. We loved each other, we were committed to each other, and we’d planned on spending the rest of our lives together.”

“Well, why didn’t she come to church for the last few weeks she was alive? Because this Donna person mentioned that to me as well.”

“She stopped coming because she was tired of hearing all those lies and rumors about me and other women. She was so humiliated, and she just couldn’t face people at the church anymore.”