No Sanctuary (A Dark Oak Mystery)

Two churches, two ministers, two wives, one murder. While on patrol in the central California foothills near Rocky Bluff, Officer Stacey Wilbur spots a car crashed into a giant oak tree. A woman is slumped against the steering wheel, blood pooling on the floor mats. Stacey calls the incident in to her colleague and special friend, Detective Doug Milligan, then secures the scene and waits for emergency crews. The rescue squad confirms Wilbur's judgment. The woman is dead, but it's soon apparent the crash had little to do with her death. There is a bullet hole behind her ear. The license check reveals the car belongs to the minister of a local church with an upscale congregation, and it is his wife who is dead in its front seat. Officer Wilbur drives to the minister's home to give him the bad news, which is met with aloofness bordering on unconcern. The typical "suspect the spouse first" theory ratchet up a few ticks in Stacey Wilbur's analytical mind. Before that jells, however, Wilbur learns there is a potential "other woman" in the mix, not to mention a stalker has been following the minister's lovely wife. Stacey examines these relationships, and discovers another minister and his wife may have a stake in the outcome of the case, as well. As she sorts through the elements of the case, Stacey tries to find enough time to explore her feelings for Doug Milligan.