[Dorothy Parker 02] - Chasing the Devil by Agata Stanford

Author:Agata Stanford [Stanford, Agata]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Mystery
ISBN: 9780982754221
Google: cIhhYgEACAAJ
Amazon: B004YWQK7W
Barnesnoble: B004YWQK7W
Goodreads: 10911472
Publisher: Jenevacris Press
Published: 2010-07-14T23:00:00+00:00

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There was little else that occupied Aleck’s mind over the next week. His mood reflected as much when at lunch. “I feel so violated.”

I was relieved about this, however, in spite of his indignation, because he no longer held the misguided idea that there was some conspiracy to do him in; that a killer lurked in the shadows. It appeared we had finally convinced him the theft was nothing more than a prank.

One week before Christmas as we were gathering for our one o’clock luncheon, FPA arrived in a state of nervous agitation and carrying a sheaf of newspapers. As he sported a smile on his rubbery face, I awaited his remarks.

“’Bout time you got here,” said Aleck, grabbing a newspaper from FPA.

“In the paper . . .”

“What’s he talking about?” I asked.

“Copies of the Chronicle, from Dayton, Tennessee,” said Frank. “I told you I’d use my contacts to find out about the murder.”

“There’s a crime wave going on down there,” said Heywood.

“There’s an article about Father John’s murder,” said Mr. Benchley, “which doesn’t tell us more than we already know.”

“And in a featured column entitled ‘Around Town,’ a week before the priest’s murder, there’s mention that Harlow Wayne Healy closed the doors of Healy’s Hardware and Grain on Main Street, leaving a sign on the door stating, ‘Gone Fishing,’” said Ross.

“All right, all right, but what does that get us?” I said.

“‘Gone Fishing’ in November?”

“Does your friend see some connection between this merchant going off and the death of Father John?”

“But there’s this article, Dottie,” said Frank. “Says here that back in November a Negro shantytown was burned to the ground one night, killing five people, three of whom were children. Because the incident made the national wire services, the sheriff of Fremont, where the crime occurred, was pressured to investigate and find the culprits responsible. He’d ignored many lynchings in the past, but now the governor and a congressman from the district called for a thorough investigation to appease the NAACP. An election was coming up; they weren’t going to let this crime pass unpunished, as it spurred a cry of outrage from many progressive-minded supporters. This led to the Bureau of Investigation being called in, too.”

“The Klan, then?”

“Appears so, but those bigots are so secretive, hiding under their nappies, that no one knows who’s a member, and it’s hard to point a finger at any one person. We’re talking big businessmen, lawyers, doctors, politicians wearing the hoods.”

“But that doesn’t tell us anything about Father John.”

Frank continued: “It seems that Father John might’ve seen one of the men take off his hood, because at the time of the fire, a little after midnight, the priest had been performing last rights on an old, dying Negro woman at her home, a shack in that shantytown, and he was the first to raise the alarm.

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