Grits and Glory by Ron Benrey

Author:Ron Benrey
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Steeple Hill
Published: 2008-09-27T04:00:00+00:00

Ann seemed completely lost in thought when they reached her sedan. Without any warning, she lobbed the car keys at him. “You drive!” she ordered.

“Yes, your highness.” He punctuated his reply with a curtsy, but she ignored his feeble attempt at humor. He could feel the frustration coming off her in waves.

He unlocked the car. She sprang into the passenger’s seat then yanked the door shut with enough force to rock the compact sedan on its springs.

Sean climbed into the driver’s seat, started the engine and aimed the rearview mirror so he could see her face. She’d pressed her head against the headrest, her eyes shut, her expression bleak. But despite her grim visage, there was color in her cheeks, and she looked remarkably pretty.

“You are a strange lady, Ann Trask,” he murmured, as he readjusted his mirror and pulled into traffic.

“Did you say something?” she asked.

“I said ‘You are a strange lady, Ann Trask.’”

“What are you talking about?”

“You…and me,” he said.

“Sean, you’re babbling.”

“You seem angry, Ann. Was it something I did?”

“I’m not mad at you. I’m mad at me—and at the situation.”

“What situation, Ann?”

“What situation?”

“Just call me Blockhead Miller,” he said.

Ann began to smile. “I’m sorry, Sean, but I’m wound tighter than a broken alarm clock.”

“I’d never have noticed,” he said. “Are you going to tell me why?”

She sighed. “Look. We drove all the way from Glory to Norfolk to find a reason why someone might want to kill Richard Squires, but we still don’t have a motive.” She sighed again. “When I think of all the work waiting for me back at the church, well, I feel stupid for wasting an entire morning on a meeting with a man we both agree was less than truthful with us.”

“Look at the bright side. We’ve learned many new facts about Richard Squires during the past twenty-four hours.”

“But not the most important fact.”

“Well, you know what they say about detecting.”

“As a matter of fact, I have no idea.” Ann laughed.

“Eighty percent of the work done during an investigation doesn’t pay off. The trouble is, no one knows in advance which eighty percent not to do. In other words, we may have made a vital discovery, but we just don’t realize it yet.”

“A lot of good that’s going to do me. I’m running out of time, Sean.”

The intensity of Ann’s voice—the anxiety her tone conveyed—stunned Sean. Several seconds passed before he realized what she’d actually said.

“Running out of time?” he asked “In what way? Rafe didn’t give us a specific deadline to meet.”

“Forget it. Now I’m babbling.”

“I don’t want to forget it. You’re concerned about time and I want to know why,” he said gently.

She hesitated before she replied. “Well, you’re going to leave Glory soon, and then I’ll be investigating on my own.”

Sean glanced at her and realized instantly that Hayden wasn’t the only one being less than truthful.

She’s lying to me. Why?

Sean gripped the steering wheel tightly and wondered what to do next.

He tried to recall their conversation after they’d left Miles Hayden.

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