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            “Kelley Marrow committed suicide,” Lisa said. 

            Pulling away from Susie Marrow’s home, Anthony came out of his near-trance, and glanced at her.  “Yeah.  That’s what I was thinking, too.  I didn’t dare say it to her mom, but that was what my gut told me.”

            “Along with Susie’s reluctance to share any details about the girl’s death, her remark that some people would dispute that her daughter is in a better place because of how she died—what she really meant that some Christians believe that by committing suicide, you earn a first-class ticket to Hell.”

            “As if they would know,” he said under his breath.  “What could Bishop Prince have done to the girl that would make her commit suicide?”

            “I don’t know.”  She was shaking her head.  “Something so terrible her mother didn’t want to discuss it.”

            “Neither did Bob, because he sure didn’t bring it up with me.”

            Lisa opened the Bible to the front page.  She traced the letters of the girl’s name as if reading Braille.               

            “You’re thinking about the code Bob might have used,” he said.  “I almost forgot—you’re into brain teasers and word games, too.”

            “As often as I’ve spanked you at Scrabble, I don’t know how you could forget that.”

            “Okay, whatever, I’ll give you your props.”

            “Can we find a coffee shop around here?”  She closed the book.  “I’ve got to be somewhere I can think, and besides that, I’m famished.”

            Fifteen minutes later, they found a Starbucks on Barrett Parkway, Kennesaw’s main commercial drag, a riot of restaurants, shopping malls, bowling alleys, and movie theaters.  Lisa found a table in a quiet corner of the café, and Anthony went to the counter and purchased bagels, cream cheese, espresso, and a pass to use the shop’s Wi-Fi network.      

            Back at the table, as he took a sip of espresso and felt the caffeine blast through his nervous system, Lisa slathered cream cheese on a bagel, bit into it, and chewed hungrily.

            “This stuff is way outside my diet, but I don’t care,” she said.  “I need major brain fuel before I can crack Bob’s puzzle.”

            “Since you’re the puzzle queen, you can work on that, while I do research on the church,” he said.    

            Swallowing a mouthful, Lisa nodded. 

            He booted up his laptop and used his pass to access the network.  He began his research by visiting the most logical of places.

            The New Kingdom Church International Web site.