The Pastor's Wife by Diane Fanning

experience with Matthew. “I bet he is an abuser.”
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    Not everyone in the community believed that the Everitts’ version of events was accurate. Despite Sharyn’s protestations that Madison was harmless, Vice Principal Pam Killingsworth thought otherwise. She said that a number of men on Mollie Drive had threatened to shoot that dog.She recalled one day when Sharyn, whose granddaughter attended Selmer Elementary, came into the school office heavily bandaged. When Pam asked what happened, Sharyn said, “The dog bit me. I think I’m going to have to start chaining her up.”

Chapter 16
    Breanna Eloise Winkler was born on March 9, 2005, but something appeared to be wrong with her. Doctors held her in the hospital for an evaluation for a suspected liver malfunction. That proved to be a false alarm, but during the stay, respiratory problems became evident. They felt she would outgrow the problem, but made the parents aware of their need to monitor the situation.
    Finally, Mary and the baby were home. In no time, Mary jumped into the fray of a busy life as a mother of three and wife of a preacher. The newborn was a happy baby who seemed to love the world and everyone in it. She never fussed as her mother happily passed her around before services to be admired by the congregation while Matthew joyfully welcomed members to what he called “the best place to be on the best day of the week.”
    Mary barely had time to adjust to being the mother of three when trouble crossed their doorstep again. Patricia, playing with a golf club, accidentally swung it into Allie’s head. The resulting injury required surgery. After the unexpectedly high medical bill for Breanna’s hospital stay, the financial burden—not to mention the emotional burden—of this new medical crisis was crippling.
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    Pam Killingsworth got to know the Winkler family on multiple levels. In church, she discovered, Matthew was a dynamic speaker with a forceful style. He put his wholeself into giving his lesson. His charisma in the pulpit held everyone’s attention.
    Outside of church services, he met his ministerial obligations without fail—counseling with members, making hospital visits and always remaining on hand for youth group activities. During his brief tenure, he increased church membership from 140 to 200 souls.
    It warmed Pam’s heart when she spotted Matthew sitting in the congregation during the announcements and a capella singing of old-fashioned hymns, because he always held the baby. And he often spoke in and out of the pulpit about his love for Mary and the girls.
    At school, Pam often saw Matthew at the girls’ basketball games. But for many other activities, his responsibilities at church kept him away. Pam encountered Mary far more often. She drove Patricia and Allie to and from school every day with Lady, the Great Dane, riding shotgun. One day she arrived in a Toyota Sienna mini-van. When Pam asked about her new wheels, Mary said, “Yes, Matthew is going to take care of me and the girls.” Pam thought that was an odd thing to say, but read nothing into it.
    More often than not, Mary showed up for school events in a pair of overalls, a shirt and a turned-up baseball cap, pushing a stroller. She was active in the PTO, attended the school festivals—both the Spring Fling and the Fall Carnival—and often dropped in for lunch with the girls. She was there after school for the girls’ music lessons with a private instructor—Patricia studied piano, Allie, voice.
    Patricia was the family tomboy. She wore dresses to church, but was far happier in a pair of jeans or pants. She read a lot and was a good student, but always had to have something to do. She loved playing video games and competed hard with Pam’s 19-year-old son, the youngest of her three boys. They all loved playing with baby Breanna when the Winkler kids were at the house. The young men were at a