The Pastor's Wife (27 page)

It is always useful when a true crime writer can count a private investigator among her friends. Dan Phillips of Mission Investigations in New Braunfels is mine. He's terrific at digging up obscure information for me, but the best thing about Dan is that he is a diehard Dallas Cowboys fan.

There are so many people in Selmer, Tennessee, who have been wonderful to me. I can't say enough about Russell Ingle, reporter for the
Independent Appeal
in Selmer. He welcomed me warmly to his hometown and offered every professional courtesy. But Russell went beyond that. He didn't just help me when I asked him; he offered his assistance at every opportunity. He's a great guy and a dedicated journalist. Thank you, Russell, for everything.

In the McNairy County Court Clerk's Office, I always found a smiling face and willing assistance. Y'all are a great bunch of folks—you made me laugh and you kept me from crying. Thanks to everyone there including Court Clerk Ronnie Brooks, Jackie Cox, LeAnn Knight, Dana Seigler and Pam West.

The state of Tennessee sent Sue Allison, public information officer for the Tennessee Supreme Court, down to Selmer, where she bridged the gap between the court and the media with stunning professionalism and cordiality. Thank you, Sue. And thanks to Judge Weber McCraw for creating a reporter-friendly environment, and to Judge Van McMahan, who gave up his courtroom for the use of hordes
of journalists who landed in town for the trial. And thanks to District Attorney General Michael Dunavant for the post-trial interview.

Thanks to all the law enforcement folks who added to my information base and my understanding, including Investigator Roger Rickman and Police Chief Neal Burks of the Selmer Police Department, Rodney Weaver of the West Tennessee Task Force and Theresa Hockabee and Sheriff Rick Roten of the McNairy County Sheriff's Department.

Around town, there were a lot of people who made my visits memorable or helped me with information, but I especially want to thank Patricia Templeton of The Book Shop, Pam Killingsworth and Dorothy Weatherford. And thanks to Fourth Street Church of Christ Elder Drew Eason who discussed theology with me on a Sunday evening after the service.

And thanks to Pat's Place, now I know what a Slug-Burger is, and actually ate one—and enjoyed it, too.

In McMinnville, thanks to Alice Weddington of the McMinnville–Warren County Chamber of Commerce, for an overview of the community, and Mary Robbins, head librarian at the Magness Library, for historical background.

Thanks to all the other people in McMinnville who spent a little time with me including Paul Pillow of Cleaners Express, Robert Harper, principal of Boyd Christian School, Evon Dennis and JoAn Cantrell.

Thanks to all the members of the media I met while at that trial, but especially Emanuella Grinberg of Court TV, Tonya Smith-King with
The Jackson Sun
and
It's Your Call
with Lynn Doyle. And thanks to Kerry Cobb and reference librarian Sharon Hoyt for answering far more questions than it was reasonable for me to ask.

If you've read any of my books before, you'll know what's coming next—an expression of my gratitude to the two anchors in my writing life, my peerless agent Jane Dystel and St. Martin's Press executive editor Charles Spicer.

And I would be lost without my partner in crime, my talented and fantastic editor, Yaniv Soha.

Finally, I send a bucketful of appreciation to my partner in life, Wayne Fanning. He's stuck with me through every page of every book and he promised he will never leave—unless I buy a shotgun.