Standoff by Patricia Bradley

Author:Patricia Bradley
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Romantic suspense fiction;Christian fiction;FIC042060;FIC042040;FIC027110
Publisher: Baker Publishing Group
Published: 2020-02-27T00:00:00+00:00

42

He drove by Thomas Nichols Funeral Home searching for Sharon Marlar’s car. It wasn’t out front, but the receptionist plainly told him the Marlars had an appointment that morning. He checked out the license plate of the one car by the office. It had a Jackson tag. Of course. Sharon would have come with her oldest son, and the house would be empty.

Knowing Thomas Nichols, he could count on the family being at the funeral home a couple of hours. More than enough time to search the house for the photos. He drove to the outskirts of town and turned on the county road that went past the Marlar house. A half mile from the house he found a forestry road where he pulled his vehicle out of sight. He opened the trunk and grabbed the five-gallon can of gasoline and a small cloth bag containing a half stick of dynamite and blasting cap.

It took fifteen minutes to hike through the woods to their property line. The nearest house appeared to be a quarter mile away. Leaving the tree line, he jogged to the house. When he neared the back door, a lop-eared dachshund ran out at him, barking and nipping at his heels. “Get away!” he muttered, kicking at the dog.

It backed up, watching him, the fur on its back raised. Ignoring the dog, he tried the door. Open, like he expected. The South was like that. No need to inconvenience anyone wanting to bring food. Once inside, he oriented himself. The kitchen and living room were an open-concept design. To the right was a door, probably a hallway to the bedrooms and maybe a den. He hit pay dirt at the first door he opened off the hall. Marlar’s office. Now to find the photos.

Half an hour later, he’d gone through every folder in Marlar’s file cabinet and had come up with zilch. The laptop was password protected, and he didn’t have time to break the code. He’d have to take it with him, but he’d leave the camera since it had nothing on it. He pulled out a desk drawer and felt under it. Where had Marlar hidden those photos? Maybe in his bedroom? He checked his watch. Not enough time to search the rest of the house.

He’d hoped it wouldn’t come to this, but he’d come prepared. Working quickly, he removed the items from the cloth bag. Using his knife, he cut a three-foot strip of safety fuse, then slipped one end into a cap and crimped it. Once he had the detonator secured in the half stick of dynamite, he turned to the gas can. Needed something to keep it from rolling. He found a small book that would do and placed it and the explosive under Kyle’s desk then set the can on top.

Before he could unscrew the gas cap, the front screen door scraped open, and a woman’s voice floated back to him.

“See you tonight.”

No! Sharon Marlar was not supposed to be back so soon.

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