The Night Killer

off?”

David and Neva agreed.

“There’s a lot to do,” said Diane. “The museum has a fund-raiser in Atlanta coming up at the end of the month. I have several new exhibit designs I need to look at. The board wants me to find out how much it would cost to convert the attic into environmentally controlled storage spaces.”

“For what?” asked David. “The attic has to be a huge space.”

“It is. It’s another full floor. I’m not sure what they have in mind. I suspect some members want to increase our holdings to the point that we can change out exhibits more often,” she said. “Anyway, I’ll see you tomorrow.”

Diane rose and complimented them all again. She left by way of the museum and walked through to the east entrance, where her vehicle was parked.

Outside, she was about to get in her SUV when a car drove up beside her. The occupants were the woman in blue and her husband from the First Baptist Church in Rendell County-Maud and Earl, she thought their names were. Earl got out first, walked around their car and opened the door for Maud.

Chapter 52

What now? Diane subconsciously rubbed her aching lower back and wiggled her aching feet in her high heels.

“I was just leaving,” she said as they approached her.

They were well dressed, the two of them. Maud-whatever her last name was, Diane didn’t remember-was dressed in a red-gold silk blouse and cream linen slacks. Earl was in a tan linen suit. Maud’s makeup looked fresh, and she had a sparkly golden sheen to her blush that oddly matched her blouse. They looked like they were about to go out on the town. Diane wondered what they were doing here.

“This won’t take long,” said Earl.

For an instant, Diane wondered if he was going to shoot her right here in the parking lot-and they had dressed up to look good in their mug shots.

“Very well,” said Diane. “What do you want?”

They said nothing, just stood there looking at each other nervously. Well, hell, thought Diane, are they trying to work up the nerve to shoot me after all?

“How can I help you?” said Diane.

“This thing,” said Earl, “this thing about our sheriff. We want you to tell us it is a lie.”

“Can you be more specific than ‘thing’?” said Diane. “I’m not trying to give you a hard time, but I don’t know exactly what thing you are referring to.”

“People are saying he put you in a cell with a bunch of men who tried to. . to violate you,” said Maud.

“If by ‘bunch’ you mean three drunken men, then yes, it is true. Why would you want me to say it is not?”

“It can’t be true,” she said. “Leland wouldn’t do that. He respects women.”

“It is true. And it was terrifying. And I am very angry,” said Diane. “In my previous position, before I came back to Rosewood, it was my job to investigate petty dictators in third-world countries who used the same tactic to intimidate the population into submission. Such horrors are not supposed to happen here.” She felt her face getting warm. “Not in this country, where we cherish freedom and safety. But Conrad did it.”

They looked at each other and back at Diane.

“We don’t believe you,” Maud said, shifting her shoulders back and her chin up.

“There are half a dozen witnesses, but I suppose you wouldn’t believe them either,” said Diane.

Diane couldn’t figure out why they were here. They’d made up their minds not to believe her, so why bother with the trip? Then she realized: They had a part in it. Therefore, they didn’t want it to be true. Classic cognitive dissonance with a generous splash of guilt. The brain can’t hold two contradictory beliefs without some serious mental fireworks. For them, Leland Conrad was a good man. But good men don’t cause women to be raped. So one must be a lie. It was more comfortable to let the lie be on Diane. She wasn’t having any of it.

“He’s admitted it,” said Diane.

“He didn’t. He couldn’t,” said Maud. “You’re lying.”

“Look, I don’t have time to stand out here all day telling you what you came here refusing to believe anyway. It wastes both our time.”

“Some are saying he did it to teach you a lesson. . that he wasn’t going to let it happen,” said Earl. “The deputy was supposed to stop it but he got sick. That’s one rumor.”

So they know more about it than they initially let on.

“Deputy Bob is known to be unreliable, and Conrad puts him in charge of something as important as saving me from a brutal gang rape? So we have criminal negligence, rather than just plain criminal, is that it?”

“It wasn’t his fault about Bob,” said Earl.

“It’s all right with you that he thought it was his job to teach me a lesson? That’s not a problem for you? Would it be okay if he did the same thing to you? Or to someone you love?”

“Well, it’s not the same thing at all,” said Earl.

“You were interfering. You were warned off,” said Maud. “You violated the sheriff’s order.”

“Well, let’s examine that,” said Diane. “Before I went to your church on Sunday, I checked the statutes to see if perhaps your sheriff had been granted the authority to ban someone from setting foot in the county. Rendell County doesn’t have any such provision. Neither do the statutes of the State of Georgia. The State of Georgia frowns on individual sheriffs making and enforcing their own laws. In fact, it is prohibited by the state constitution. The sheriff is sworn to uphold that constitution and enforce the laws of the State of Georgia. He is sworn to protect the personal freedoms and the personal safety of everyone who lives or travels within the borders of Rendell County. Everyone-not just those he likes or those who support him.”

“These are bad times,” said Earl. “Sometimes you have to do things you don’t like in order to protect people.”

“We are simple people of faith,” said Maud. She straightened her shoulders again, which had begun to sag, hopefully under the weight of Diane’s words.

“But your faith is not enough for these times?” said Diane.

“It certainly is. Why would you say that?” said Maud. “Why would you say such a thing?”

“I didn’t. Your husband said it. He just said you have to do things contrary to your beliefs in order to be safe. You’re saying your beliefs are fine when the times are good and things are going along okay, but they aren’t good enough for hard times, when they are needed the most.”

They looked at each other again. “You’re twisting our meaning,” said Earl.

“No, I’m not. If you examine your words and carry your statement to its logical conclusion, you’ll see that I’m not twisting anything.”

“Sheriff Conrad is a good man. He’s been good to us. And he’s had a hard life,” said Maud. “His wife committed suicide when Travis was just a boy. His in-laws blamed him and tried to turn little Travis against him. Poor Travis had a real hard time after his mother died. He got into alcohol, vandalism, and some reckless driving. Nothing bad, but Leland was worried sick about him. That’s why he joined his church. He thought the kind of strict beliefs they have would help Travis, and they have. He’s a fine young man and it’s Leland’s doing. And Leland does what he thinks is best for the community,” Maud added.

“And then there was this thing with Joe Watson,” said Earl. “We don’t need to be a tourist trap. How could we maintain the morals of our kids if they lived in a tourist trap, with outsiders coming in with their drugs and alcohol?”

“Whatever went on in Conrad’s past or whatever is going on now can never be an excuse for what he did to me,” said Diane. “The only acceptable excuse would be if someone were holding a gun to his child’s head and would pull the trigger unless he put me in the cell with those men. That’s the only duress I’ll accept. And for the life of me, I don’t understand why the excuses you listed are good enough for you. Now I need to go.”

“You think you are so smart.” Maud was almost shaking. “You can outtalk us; I’ll give you that,” said Maud.