Baptist DISTINCTIVE: An Adam Mykonos Mystery (The Adam Myknonos Mystries) Read Online Free Page B

maybe give them a
heads up?”
    “Yeah
I got this.”
    She
left the conference room; I hung back a minute and glanced over the phone lists
once more. Interesting.
    I
stepped out in the corridor and was immediately swamped. I could barely make
out voices there were so many people crowding around me. Finally I all but
shouted.
    “Pastor,
if you can’t keep this crowd in check they are going to toss you out!!”
    Tim
Lafayette surged forward “I would like to see you try.”   He took a step toward me and grabbed my arm
near the elbow.
    I
grinned. Tim was a good ten years older than me and a head shorter. He was a
fat out of shape bag of wind.   I twisted
quickly and took hold of his thumb bending it backwards, like a kid in a playground.
    “Do
not touch me.” I said more menacingly than I meant.
    Longstreet
came along side of me “Adam. Let him go. Tim, it seems in this case Brother
Adam is once more on the side of righteousness, stand down.”
    I
started to say something and then thought better of it. Instead I jerked my
thumb towards the conference room. “Step inside a minute.”
    Longstreet
and Lafayette entered the conference room like men who were about to take
charge of a situation, I dissuaded them of that notion by speaking first.
    “Ivy
will not be getting bail.”
    They
began to speak and I held up my hand.
    “Christina
will try but it is a Capital Murder case and so no bail will be granted.”
    “We
will mortgage the church” Longstreet said repeating his promise of the night
before.
    “You
can do what you want but no bail will be set.”
    He looked
at me hard, with those Southern eyes, deep gray they spoke of a time when Men
were Men, women were weak and blacks were slaves, when the smell of human sweat
mixed with the jasmine of the trees on plantations from Virginia to Mississippi
and back again.   There was something not quite
human in them. His voice when he next spoke was soft and mellow like a wind though
cypress, but I could smell the fire and brimstone in the air.
    “They
will regret doing this to a fine Christian Woman.”
    I
shook my head. “Perhaps.”
    I
gave my best, ‘I really do like you even though I think you are a brain damaged
jerk’ grin to Lafayette.   It fell short
but I asked my question anyway. “Tim, why did you call Josh and Mac yesterday
morning?”
    He
stammered and lied. “I didn’t.”
    I
shook my head. “No, don’t lie, you did I have their phone records.”
    Longstreet
looked at Tim than glared at me.
    Tim
paused and chewed a little on his lower lip. I kept watching his eyes and
smiling, just a good ole boy waiting for an answer. “Brother Tim?”
    “I
guess maybe I did call, likely something to do with the church’s radio station
you know the paper work and such is all fouled up thanks to Joshua’s
mismanagement.”
    “And
Mac?”
    “She
was the church’s financial secretary.”
    “Did
you go to see them?”
    “Huh.
No why would I do that?”
    “Just
wondering.”
    Longstreet
gave me his copperhead grin. “Brother Tim, can you step outside for a moment,
tell the folks I will speak to them in a minute. Remind them that Brother Adam
is helping Miss Ivy.”
    Lafayette
nodded but I don’t think he believed the last part.
    When
Tim had closed the door behind him Longstreet took a step towards me and said
“I appreciate your helping Miss Ivy, but I will not let you badger anyone else
in the church over this. You know as well as I do that Brother Tim had nothing
to do with this.”
    “I
do?”
    “Yes.”
    “No,
Sir I don’t. See here’s the deal, if Ivy did not kill Josh and Mac then some
else did and I intended to pursue every avenue to find out who.”
    “A
random robbery” He stated it as if it were a fact.
    “In
which nothing was taken? Unlikely Sir.”
    He
cocked an eyebrow. “But you will look into that as well correct?”
    He
had me.
    “I
will but I will also examine every other option.”
    He
gave me a tight smile. “I will not allow