Stutely hadn't even noticed that Tuck had ducked out of the church building. The parishioners were still milling about, chatting, and Tuck had been circulating among them, and though his eyes had drifted back to the exits a few times during his own awkward conversation with Patrick, the expected trouble had never materialised.
Or so he'd thought, until his phone vibrated with an all-caps message from Scarlet that hit him like a slug in the guts. He cast a wild look around the room – still no trouble, but also, he realised with an awful jolt, no Tuck.
in church where is he
He didn't wait for a response, just shoved the phone back into his pocket and bolted for the door. It had been, what, minutes since he'd seen Tuck? So if the Friar wasn't in the church, chances were good he was in the yard or the house.