Fall from Pride by Karen Harper

Author:Karen Harper
Language: eng
Format: mobi, epub
Publisher: MIRA
Published: 2011-11-02T23:00:00+00:00

After Nate filled in the sheriff about Jacob’s claims of innocence for the arsons, he went outside and, exhausted, just sat in VERA’s driver’s seat. It was late afternoon, the time, he’d heard, Ray-Lynn Logan went home for a break before the evening rush. He knew which house was hers just outside of this little one-cross-street town with its two rows of commercial establishments and then a scattering of houses. He intended to keep an eye on things at the auction tomorrow, and he was sure she’d be in the thick of things there, too, so he’d probably never get any private chat time with her then. Yeah, he’d phone her just before going to her door. He had to check out the lead Gabe had reluctantly given him. Even if she wasn’t somehow tied to the arson, she might have seen something. But why hadn’t she come forward?

Before he could start the engine, someone knocked on his window. He jolted in surprise, then saw it was Peter Clawson. He turned the key so he could run the window down.

“I’d like your statement about Jacob Yoder’s arrest,” Peter said without any ado. “I’ll get one from the sheriff, but you’re still ‘the Man’ on this arson case.”

“I’ve been wanting to talk to you for a couple of days,” Nate countered. “Walk around and climb in.”

“I’d rather have you come to my office. I have something you’ll want to see.”

Nate got out and locked up, then followed Peter across the street. “Working hard?” Nate asked as Peter held the front door of the newspaper office open for him. It amazed Nate that this was a one-man shop except for distribution, but with a small paper in the digital age, it was obviously possible and profitable.

“Always. To use a cliché—which I hate to do—I like to strike while the iron is hot, and these arsons are making things hot here.”

“So what is it you wanted me to see?”

“Before I show the sheriff or write it up for the next edition—this,” Peter said, and pointed to a piece of white paper with large, block hand printing on his cluttered desk.

Nate saw he’d placed the paper in a stiff plastic envelope, so it shone in the overhead lights. Nate read, “A fire goes before him, and burns up his enemies round about.”

The handwriting looked the same as on the note pinned to Sarah’s door, but to be sure, he’d have to scan and send both to a handwriting expert the bureau consulted with in Columbus. But the expert didn’t like photocopies or faxes because the pressure of the pen point on the paper could reveal things, too. He was quite sure this handwriting was different from what Jacob had done on the Miller barn, even though the materials were so different.

“I checked,” Peter said, sitting in his high-backed leather desk chair which creaked under his big frame. “It’s a quote from the Bible, Psalms 97, verse 3—the Revised King James Version to be exact.”

Nate began to sweat.

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