In the Shadow of Evil by Robin Caroll

Author:Robin Caroll [Caroll, Robin]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Tags: Romance, Suspense, (¯`'•.¸//(*_*)\\¸.•'´¯)
ISBN: 9780805449792
Publisher: B&H Books
Published: 2011-01-01T05:00:00+00:00

"THANKS AGAIN FOR COMING over, Layla." Pastor Chaney met her in the foyer. "I didn't know where else to turn. This has about got us beat."

"I talked to Bob Johnson this morning. He can't figure it out." She smiled at the kindly man who'd presided over her father's funeral so eloquently. The man who'd counseled Alana and tried to counsel Layla when their mother overdosed. He was such a good man. "Let's go look at the pipes."

Pastor led the way to the bathrooms off the narthex. "I've made sure no one is in either one." He pushed open the door to the men's room.

Layla stepped inside and nearly gagged. The stench of rotten eggs almost reversed the coffee she'd ingested this morning. She covered her nose. "What is that smell?"

"I have no idea. We've cleaned in here with everything—bleach, pine cleaner, even specialty odor-fighting cleansers." He coughed, wheezing. "We mask it on Sundays with air fresheners all the time."

"I've heard men's rooms stink, but this is ridiculous." She tried to smile, but the smell turned her stomach.

Pastor grinned and reached for a can of air freshener. He sprayed it generously. "It's the same in the ladies' room." He set it back on the counter with another rattling cough.

The air freshener made her eyes water, but it was better than the horrible reeking. "I'll see what I can find out." She knelt before the sinks. The beautiful tile floor she'd secured at a 40 percent discount was covered in old towels. The yellow-painted Sheetrock covering the pipes had been removed, revealing the inner plumbing.

Sure enough, the copper piping was corroded. The insulation that had surrounded the space had been removed.

"We had to tear it down when the leaks came back. This is twice we've had to replace the Sheetrock, paint, and insulation."

She slipped on her gloves, grabbed the pipe, and inspected it. Totally corroded. She sat back on her heels, surveying the area. What would cause the pipes to corrode so quickly?

Worrying her bottom lip, she processed everything she knew about plumbing. Nothing made sense. Bob said this was the second set of pipes installed. The renovation wasn't even a year old. The shipment of pipes weren't faulty. This didn't add up.

"Oh my goodness." Pastor ripped paper towels from the dispenser. Blood gushed from his nose.

Layla was on her feet in a flash. "Pastor, are you okay?"

He coughed and couldn't catch his breath. The blood kept flowing from his nose.

She helped him sit and grabbed more paper towels.

His coughing and wheezing increased, and his face turned red. The rattle in his chest echoed off the tile walls.

Layla's heart clenched. "Pastor?" She grabbed his arm.

He slumped forward.

She jerked just in time to save his head from cracking against the floor. "Pastor!" She eased him to a lying position on his side.

His breathing was slow . . . shallow.

She reached for her cell from her hip. She flipped it open and dialed 9-1-1. Her hands trembled as she waited for the call to connect.

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