Chapter One

Cindy Preston loved Fridays. Anything-can-happen Fridays was how she liked to think of them. As they neared the holidays and First Shepherd church became a center of activity, Fridays became even more deserving of their name. Being a secretary at a church was a far more chaotic job than most people imagined.

For Cindy, the job had turned even more exciting several months earlier when she had stumbled across a dead body in the church sanctuary. The week that followed had seen many people murdered by a serial killer, one whom Cindy had helped stop.

For a couple of months afterward, the church had seen a large swell in attendance as people wanted to come gawk at the woman who had survived attack by the Passion Week killer and had helped the police turn the tables on him.

Their interest had gradually waned, and aside from three new members who had actually joined the church, things had pretty much returned to normal.

The one unfortunate thing was that her friendship forged in shared danger with Jeremiah, the rabbi at the synagogue next door, slowly faded as well. They still exchanged pleasantries over the shrub hedge that separated the parking lots of the church and the synagogue, but not much else. It made sense, really. They had nothing in common.

At first the return to normalcy had been a relief, a sanctuary from the days of terror she had lived through. Lately, though, she had felt a growing restlessness. In a fit of what could only have been insanity she had actually decided to do something daring with her weekend.

Of course, as daring went, participating in a speed-dating ev

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