'I budget like most people do,' she said. 'And I happen to like my car.'
The conversation came to an abrupt end when the sheriff came storming into the kitchen.
'Where the hell is my boy?' he demanded in a snarl. He had his gun half drawn as he shouted, 'What have you done with him?'
Nick’s back was to the door, but Noah sat facing the stampeding sheriff. In a heartbeat, his hand reached inside his black robe and pointed the gun under the table at Lloyd. 'You pull that weapon out, and you’re a dead man.'
Lloyd stopped, frozen in his tracks. He was stunned by this priest who dared to threaten him.
Laurant hadn’t even had time to turn in her chair before Nick had whirled around and drawn his weapon. He was standing now, shielding her, and the barrel of his gun was pressed against Lloyd’s temple.
Tommy came up behind the sheriff and took the gun away from him. Then he calmly suggested that Lloyd sit down and discuss the problem in a reasonable manner.
'I’m the authority here,' he bellowed.
'No, you’re not,' Nick informed him. He put his gun back in the holster and told the sheriff to do as Tommy had said and sit down. Lloyd chose the chair at the far end of the table. 'Give me my gun back.'
Tommy handed Nick the weapon, and he quickly unloaded the magazine before he slid the gun toward the sheriff.
'What seems to be the problem?' Tommy asked.
'My boy,' Lloyd muttered. 'He’s gone missing. That’s what the problem is.'
'He’s hiding,' Nick told him. 'He started that fire, and now he’s hiding.'
Lloyd shook his head. 'I ain’t gonna get into all that fire business ‘cause you and I see it different from each other. My boy knows he’s got me for his alibi. He wouldn’t think he had to hide. He was in bed, sleeping sound, when I got home from Nugent. I was dead tired,' he added. 'Up most of the night, and I was just getting myself in bed when the low-life sheriff from Nugent knocked on my door. He said he was gonna take Lonnie and book him on arson. We argued a bit, but then I decided to let the lawyers handle it, and I let him on in. Lonnie weren’t in his bed though, and his window waswide open.'
Nick glanced at Noah, who promptly shook his head to let him know he hadn’t done anything with Lonnie.
Nick said then, 'Maybe Wesson decided to pick him up.'
'That ain’t what happened.' The sheriff was whining now. 'He’s still with the others cooped up with Brenner in a two-by-four room, questioning him. They wouldn’t let me listen in, didn’t want me to know nothing that was going on. I finally gave up and was heading out the door when I heard they were accusing him of murder. One of the sheriff’s deputies told me they had the goods on him.' He took his hat off and rubbed his brow. 'It’s all going in the toilet.'
'Do you really care what happens to Lonnie?' Noah asked bluntly.
The question flustered the sheriff. Seeing the turmoil in Lloyd’s face, Tommy took over. He dragged a chair to the end of the table and sat down next to Lloyd.
'Your son’s given you a lot of heartache over the years, hasn’t he Lloyd?'
The sheriff’s voice dropped to a whisper. 'He ain’t never been right in the head. Never. He’s got a real mean temper.'
Tommy coaxed Lloyd to talk, urging him to let go of all the anger and disappointment he’d kept inside for so long, and within minutes the sheriff was spilling his guts, telling him all the problems he’d had to clean up for his son. The list was appallingly lengthy.
'He’s done some terrible things. I know he has, but he’s my son, and I had to protect him. I’m so sick of it. I know I’m supposed to care about the boy, but I can’t, not anymore. I’ve still got to find him because if I don’t and he comes home, he’ll be… upset with me, and I don’t want that to happen. He can forget himself and get violent.' He wiped at his eyes as he confessed, 'I’m ashamed to admit it, but I’m afraid of my own boy. He’s going to kill me one of these days. He’s come damn close a couple of times already.'
'Maybe it’s time Lonnie learned the consequences of his actions,' Noah suggested.
'He’ll come after me. I know he will.'
'You need time to think about your options,' Tommy said. 'Why don’t you get in your car and leave Holy Oaks for a week or two, just until things calm down and Lonnie’s behind bars.'
The sheriff leapt at the idea. 'What will folks say? I don’t want them thinking I’m running away.'
'They won’t think that,' Tommy said. 'You’re entitled to take some time off, aren’t you?'
'Sure, I am,' he agreed. 'And maybe… just maybe, I won’t never come back. I’ll leave it all here, won’t pack a thing, so my boy won’t think I’m gone for good. Then he won’t come looking for me.'
'They’ll catch him and put him behind bars,' Noah said. 'You be sure to let Father Tom know where you are.'
The sheriff was suddenly in a hurry to get out of town. He was walking out the door when he stopped and turned to Laurant. 'He’s been skimming money from the very beginning,' he said.
'Who?' Laurant asked. 'Brenner?'
Lloyd nodded. 'He’d tell his backers at Griffen it was gonna cost a hundred grand to buy a store, then offer half that amount to the owner and pocket the difference. He’s got himself an account, but I don’t know where it is. You might want to look into that before the town meeting.'
'Yes, I will,' she said.
The sheriff turned to leave again, but Nick stopped him. 'How deep are you in all of this, Lloyd?'
Lloyd turned away. 'I helped him some. I’ll testify against him. Maybe if I help make this right, I won’t have to serve time.' He gave Nick a hopeful glance, and then spoke to Tommy. 'I’ll let you know where I am. I’ll come back when you call me.' He shuffled back like a broken-down old man and placed his gun and badge on the table, then walked out the door. They watched him leave.
'You sure you want to let him go?' Noah asked Nick.
'Yeah, he won’t go far,' Nick answered.
Nick tried to get Wesson on his cell phone, but he didn’t answer. Then he tried Feinberg and got his voice mail. His frustration mounted. He kept glancing at his watch. Morganstern should have landed in Houston by now. Why the hell hadn’t he returned his call? Tommy had gone back into the pantry in search of potato chips, and Nick followed him. Laurant heard him tell her brother that he shouldn’t let his guard down until Nick was convinced Brenner was the unsub.
The two stood in the pantry and talked. It appeared that Tommy was doing most of the talking. Laurant was so busy watching the two of them, she didn’t notice that Noah was watching her.
'Stop worrying,' he said.
She turned her attention to her food. 'I’m not worrying.'
'Sure you are. You think Nick’s going to tell Tommy that he slept with you.'
She didn’t even think about trying to deny it. She looked into those devilish blue eyes and asked, 'Are you always this blunt?'
'Yeah, I am.'
'How did you know?'
'The way both of you are avoiding looking at each other. I’ve known Nick a long time,' he added. 'But I’ve never seen him this uptight. I figure you’re the reason.'
She picked up a chicken wing and then put it down. 'Nick might tell Tommy.'
'You think so?'
'Yes, I do, and Tommy’s going to be upset, being a priest and all.'
'Maybe,' he shrugged. 'But you’re a big girl now, and it really isn’t any of his business.'
'He won’t see it that way.'
'So how long have you been in love with Nick?'
'How do you know I am?'
He laughed. 'I know women.'
'Meaning?'
'Meaning I know you’re not the kind of woman who would go to bed with a man unless you loved him. Nick knows that too. You must be scaring the hell out of him now.'
