Thirty and a Half Excuses
Page 81
He rubbed his mouth with his fingertips. “I don’t know, Rose. My church isn’t exactly conservative. I’ve ruffled a few feathers along the way.”
“I’m gonna need specifics, Jonah. Anyone in particular come to mind?”
“I don’t know.”
“Think. This might help Bruce Wayne too.” I gasped, an idea coming to me. “Could you have upset one of the guys in your troubled youth group? Could they be killing these women to try and make it look like you killed them?”
“Why would they do that? I give them a safe place to come and talk.” Jonah’s head rose, and he took in a deep breath. “Wait, there was an incident that turned ugly.”
“What happened?”
“About three weeks ago, Sly, one of the older guys, a mentor, showed up to a meeting drunk. I told him that he was a negative influence on the teens, and he had to leave. He wasn’t very happy with my request and started to throw chairs around.” Jonah sighed. “I tried my best to calm him down, but I finally had to resort to calling the police. Sly went even crazier. He was shouting about how everything had turned to crap when Daniel Crocker got locked away.” He lifted his eyebrows with a shy grin. “Only he didn’t say crap.”
“I bet.”
“The police threw him in jail for destruction of property. I didn’t press charges but he got into trouble with his parole officer. He blamed me for it, and I haven’t seen him since.”
“Was it the bald guy with the snake tattoos?”
He nodded.
This was good. A solid lead I could actually take to Mason. “If it happened a few weeks ago that was right before Miss Laura died. The only problem is how would Sly know about the deaths in Homer. Did you know him there?”
“No. And even if I did, no one—and I mean no one—pieced those murders together. Maybe it’s just a coincidence.”
“Do you really believe that?”
He didn’t answer me.
“How did the women in Homer die?”
“They were poisoned.”
Could the women in Henryetta have been poisoned? One more piece of information for Mason. “I think Bruce Wayne saw something here at your church last Friday, something that scared him. After we left your house this morning, Bruce Wayne stayed at Merilee’s while I went to get Mason. But when we got back, Bruce Wayne was gone, and the waitress said that he’d left with two guys. One matches Sly’s description and the other sounds like Thomas.”
“Do you think they made him go with them?”
“I don’t know. Maybe. Maybe not. The bald guy could have been his friend from when Bruce Wayne did some odd jobs for Daniel Crocker. Before he was arrested for murder last year.”
Jonah shook his head. “No, Sly isn’t anyone’s friend. And if Thomas is with him, that’s bad.”
“I bet they took him to Weston’s Garage.”
He squeezed his eyes closed. “This is all my fault. What am I going to do?”
“You’re going to pretend like you don’t know anything, and you’re going to have your revival tonight.”
He shook his head, wild eyed. “I can’t.”
“Yes, you can. I’m going to go find Mason and tell him everything.”
“Everything?”
“As much as I can without getting you in trouble.”
“Okay.” He sounded defeated.
I grabbed his hand. “Everything’s going to work out. You’ll see.”
“Thanks, Rose.”
I stood. “You coming out?”
“I think I want to just sit here and pray for a few minutes.”
The church grounds were still bustling when I headed for my truck. Rhonda stood outside the tent with her clipboard pressed against her chest as she talked to several workmen. She shot a glare in my direction before she turned back to her task.
I needed to talk to Mason before I did anything else, so I decided to head back to the courthouse. I’d camp out in his office until he came back if need be.
Halfway to the courthouse my cell phone sprang to life. Before I could look Mason’s number up, the phone began to ring, and I wasn’t all that surprised to see who was calling.
Chapter Twenty-Four
The moment I said “hello,” Mason let loose.
“Where the hell have you been? Why did you leave the sheriff’s office? You didn’t even tell me you were going. I’ve been worried sick.”
“I’m sorry.” I didn’t blame him for his anger. “I can explain.”
Mason took a deep breath and replied much more calmly. “I’m listening.”
“Did Cecelia give you my message about Christy Hansen?”
“What message?’
I groaned. “She told me that she did. I called her around lunchtime, as soon as I could get to a phone. Christy Hansen came into the sheriff’s office with a gun, demanding justice. She was high as a kite. She saw me and remembered seeing me at the church. Somehow she came to the conclusion I was Jonah’s girlfriend and took me hostage to go find Jonah.”
“Oh, God.” He sounded panicked. “Are you all right?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. I got away from her after we wrecked into the back of an SUV. I distracted her with the hope that she’d run off the road or something.”
“That was good thinking, although you could have been hurt in the crash.”
“I’m gonna need specifics, Jonah. Anyone in particular come to mind?”
“I don’t know.”
“Think. This might help Bruce Wayne too.” I gasped, an idea coming to me. “Could you have upset one of the guys in your troubled youth group? Could they be killing these women to try and make it look like you killed them?”
“Why would they do that? I give them a safe place to come and talk.” Jonah’s head rose, and he took in a deep breath. “Wait, there was an incident that turned ugly.”
“What happened?”
“About three weeks ago, Sly, one of the older guys, a mentor, showed up to a meeting drunk. I told him that he was a negative influence on the teens, and he had to leave. He wasn’t very happy with my request and started to throw chairs around.” Jonah sighed. “I tried my best to calm him down, but I finally had to resort to calling the police. Sly went even crazier. He was shouting about how everything had turned to crap when Daniel Crocker got locked away.” He lifted his eyebrows with a shy grin. “Only he didn’t say crap.”
“I bet.”
“The police threw him in jail for destruction of property. I didn’t press charges but he got into trouble with his parole officer. He blamed me for it, and I haven’t seen him since.”
“Was it the bald guy with the snake tattoos?”
He nodded.
This was good. A solid lead I could actually take to Mason. “If it happened a few weeks ago that was right before Miss Laura died. The only problem is how would Sly know about the deaths in Homer. Did you know him there?”
“No. And even if I did, no one—and I mean no one—pieced those murders together. Maybe it’s just a coincidence.”
“Do you really believe that?”
He didn’t answer me.
“How did the women in Homer die?”
“They were poisoned.”
Could the women in Henryetta have been poisoned? One more piece of information for Mason. “I think Bruce Wayne saw something here at your church last Friday, something that scared him. After we left your house this morning, Bruce Wayne stayed at Merilee’s while I went to get Mason. But when we got back, Bruce Wayne was gone, and the waitress said that he’d left with two guys. One matches Sly’s description and the other sounds like Thomas.”
“Do you think they made him go with them?”
“I don’t know. Maybe. Maybe not. The bald guy could have been his friend from when Bruce Wayne did some odd jobs for Daniel Crocker. Before he was arrested for murder last year.”
Jonah shook his head. “No, Sly isn’t anyone’s friend. And if Thomas is with him, that’s bad.”
“I bet they took him to Weston’s Garage.”
He squeezed his eyes closed. “This is all my fault. What am I going to do?”
“You’re going to pretend like you don’t know anything, and you’re going to have your revival tonight.”
He shook his head, wild eyed. “I can’t.”
“Yes, you can. I’m going to go find Mason and tell him everything.”
“Everything?”
“As much as I can without getting you in trouble.”
“Okay.” He sounded defeated.
I grabbed his hand. “Everything’s going to work out. You’ll see.”
“Thanks, Rose.”
I stood. “You coming out?”
“I think I want to just sit here and pray for a few minutes.”
The church grounds were still bustling when I headed for my truck. Rhonda stood outside the tent with her clipboard pressed against her chest as she talked to several workmen. She shot a glare in my direction before she turned back to her task.
I needed to talk to Mason before I did anything else, so I decided to head back to the courthouse. I’d camp out in his office until he came back if need be.
Halfway to the courthouse my cell phone sprang to life. Before I could look Mason’s number up, the phone began to ring, and I wasn’t all that surprised to see who was calling.
Chapter Twenty-Four
The moment I said “hello,” Mason let loose.
“Where the hell have you been? Why did you leave the sheriff’s office? You didn’t even tell me you were going. I’ve been worried sick.”
“I’m sorry.” I didn’t blame him for his anger. “I can explain.”
Mason took a deep breath and replied much more calmly. “I’m listening.”
“Did Cecelia give you my message about Christy Hansen?”
“What message?’
I groaned. “She told me that she did. I called her around lunchtime, as soon as I could get to a phone. Christy Hansen came into the sheriff’s office with a gun, demanding justice. She was high as a kite. She saw me and remembered seeing me at the church. Somehow she came to the conclusion I was Jonah’s girlfriend and took me hostage to go find Jonah.”
“Oh, God.” He sounded panicked. “Are you all right?”
“Yeah, I’m fine. I got away from her after we wrecked into the back of an SUV. I distracted her with the hope that she’d run off the road or something.”
“That was good thinking, although you could have been hurt in the crash.”
