If there is anyone I would rather not be at this moment, it would be Rick Mims, not because he is a bad guy, but because Mims is in a difficult place right now. He befriended a man, and held that friendship for 27 years, only for things to unravel in horrific circumstances.

It’s the stuff of nightmares—something none of us ever want to experience.

While we can’t say that Peterson did anything conclusively, we all know the evidence is stacking up in the corner opposing Peterson. I’ve stated I don’t trust him; furthermore, there is simply too much coming out in the news for reasonable people to support Peterson.

Now imagine being Peterson’s friend—his best friend. Imagine how you would feel.

Read more You’d likely have a lot of self-doubt about how you could have been so blind, how you could have missed all the clues, not added up the pieces, trusted someone who ultimately may be one of the most untrustworthy of people—who is suspected of killing two people.

If the unthinkable becomes reality—that Peterson did have his hands in the foul play of both of his wives—for Mims to cope with the fact that he was friends with a killer— a serial killer—may be overwhelming.

Rick will likely doubt his ability to trust others, and may feel unsafe for a while. He will wonder how he could have missed the signs. He will wonder how come he was so blind to what was before him—so close—and yet unseen. It could be devastating, yet Mims may find the strength in realizing that people like Peterson aren’t on every corner—thankfully.

Furthermore, we must also realize, as should Mims, that Peterson may have treated him quite well. People who are disturbed and who do commit serious crimes often have people in an inner circle who they respect and treat well—and keep the truth hidden away from—and as long as these inner-circle people don’t violate them, they are safe. Perhaps Mims is one of these people who Peterson respected?

Then again, Peterson seemed to have a flair for controlling women—so Mims may have never been or become a threat—so should he have been any wiser? He wasn’t the target of Peterson’s aggression.

Sure, Savio’s death was odd and may have raised red flags, but if you knew Peterson all these years and put your trust into him, it would be hard for you to believe that your friend was capable of committing such an unspeakable crime, if it, in fact, occurred. I think most of us would naturally go into a state of denial—especially when the police closed the case.

Who wants to admit and accept that we befriended a potential murderer? Anyone?

Most of us can accept that our friend has relationship issues, but there is a huge jump to being a potential murderer—a serial murderer.

That jump gives me the chills.

None of us have any way of knowing when, why, or what motivates someone to cross the threshold and take someone else’s life. We all have the potential to kill, but thankfully most of us never do it.

I personally look for people who lack the ability to empathize; and that lack of empathy is a red flag for me, but some killers can swoon the best of us over into being believers, and I take no confidence that I am any different than anyone else.

I don’t think less of Rick for being a friend of Drew Peterson should the worst circumstances materialize. Instead, I actually respect him all the more, because he put faith in his friend, he believed in him and he stood by him through it all until the alarm bells became too loud to ignore. Mims didn’t give in early to media pressure. Mims did what a good friend should do, and he still is doing what a good human being should do. He still isn’t talking badly about Drew, yet he is supporting the search for Stacy.

Rick Mims is an admirable human being caught in the worst of circumstances right now, and while I am sure Mims isn’t a perfect human being, he is handling this stressful situation amazingly well and with grace.

In all of this darkness, there is light.