The Killer Inside (A Logan and Scarlett Serial Killer Thriller Book 4) by Dan Padavona

Author:Dan Padavona [Padavona, Dan]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: www.danpadavona.com
Published: 2022-12-01T16:00:00+00:00

25

Logan Wolf waited for the sheriff’s deputy to leave the church. An alleyway carved between two abandoned buildings cloaked his presence. Now and then, a car motored past. Otherwise, everyone in Diablo Bridge seemed to have disappeared.

He stepped into the shadow so the deputy wouldn’t spot him. The man climbed into a truck and fired up the engine.

Frustration and fear were the only sensations muting the burning agony in Wolf’s stomach. He couldn’t stop himself from picturing Scarlett Bell in place of Renee, her body crumpled on the kitchen floor, blood leaking from the slice across her throat. What if he blacked out and murdered Bell?

After the deputy’s truck turned the corner, Wolf stepped out of hiding and pulled the baseball cap lower. There was no one on the street to recognize him. He felt confident in his disguise, yet he wasn’t taking unnecessary chances.

Except for an eatery halfway down the block, all the businesses on this road had closed permanently or hadn’t bothered to open their doors today. He wondered how any business survived with the town’s population declining every year. A decade from now, empty shells of buildings might be the only proof that anyone had once lived here. Ghost towns were real. Every once in a while, a town died when its people abandoned it for greener pastures.

The United Methodist church was a red-brick building with a steeple looming over the left side of the roof and a double-door entrance to the right. Windows let in an abundance of light. This was by far the largest structure in town. The property was well kept, the lawn mowed, the hedges trimmed, the windows polished to the point of gleaming. From the outside, Wolf guessed the church could house a thousand worshipers for Sunday service, yet only two cars dotted the parking lot this afternoon.

He hopped the curb and found the doors unlocked. The entryway opened to two sets of pews separated by a long and narrow marble path. Each step echoed off the vaulted ceiling. A hallway of small rooms branched to the left, and Wolf followed it until he found a gray-haired man in glasses seated behind a desk. The man set an ankle on a knee while he perused a catalog with a sparkling chalice on the front. Noticing Wolf, the pastor cleared his throat and set the catalog aside.

“May I help you?”

Wolf handed over a card. “Leopold Fox, private investigator.”

“Pastor McClume,” the man said, lifting his eyebrows toward his receding hairline. “Did you say you’re a private investigator?”

“Yes. On behalf of the family, I’m researching Benjamin Durante’s murder. I understand he attended your church.”

“He did, but the sheriff’s deputy was already here. You missed him by five minutes.”

“I’m sorry to bother you and promise I won’t take up your time.”

“I told the deputy everything I know. Honestly, there wasn’t much to say. As I’m certain you’ve heard, Mr. Durante was a quiet man and a solitary figure who rarely came into town except for service. I make it a point to meet my congregation, but it’s difficult to know a man like that.

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