Divine Justice

Tyree rubbed his chin. "That might explain a lot."

A

He leaned back in his chair. "He was, yes. Called himself Ben, Ben Thomas. How'd you track him up here?"

"Something he managed to send me, a coded message. But it hasn't been easy. I've been to just about every small town in the general vicinity. I was ru

"Well, like I said, he was here, but he's not here now."

"Where did he go?"

"He was in the hospital the last time I saw him."

"Hospital? Was he hurt?"

"Got himself nearly blown up. He was okay, though. I went by the hospital early this morning to see him but he was gone."

"Gone voluntarily?"

"I don't know the answer to that."

"You said he was nearly blown up?"

"We've had some strange things happening here. Haven't gotten my arms around it. Your dad was helping me. And he's not the only one missing. Fellow named Da

"And you have no idea where my father might be?"

"No ma'am, I don't. Wish I did. I'm a one-man police force in over my head. But if he was in protection why is he on the run now?"

"A few weeks ago an attempt was made on my father's life. He made sure I was okay and then he left. The way the attempt came I believe he thought it was an inside job."

"Well, if he was looking to hide out here and get a little peace and quiet, he was sorely mistaken."

"What are you talking about?"

Tyree took a few minutes to sketch out what had happened in Divine since Stone arrived there.

A

She rubbed her hands nervously over the arms of her chair. "Has anybody else been in town, another stranger, asking questions about my father?"

"Not that I know of. He was staying over at Bernie's, that's a little rooming house right around the corner from here. You could check there."

"I will, Sheriff, and thanks." She rose and so did Tyree. "Anybody else in town you think I should talk to?"

"Well, there's Abby Riker. She owns Rita's just down the street. She and Ben seemed to get on right good."

Was it A

"Thanks." She handed him a card. "Here's my phone number in case you think of anything else."

She left Tyree standing in his office looking troubled.

Outside the jail the man had obviously been waiting for her.

Charlie Trimble said, "I couldn't help but see the photo of the man you were looking for. I interviewed him in co

"Murders and suicides and people getting blown up, yeah, he filled me in. You say you talked to him? What did he tell you?"

"Well, perhaps we could have a bit of negotiation there."

"Excuse me?"

"I own a newspaper, ma'am. I thought when I moved here and started ru

A

"You tell me things and I tell you things."

"Like what?"

"Like who Ben really is."

"And if I do, what can you tell me?"

"We have to have a bit of good faith there. But I can tell you that he struck me immediately as not being your typical drifter. He was too well-spoken, too cu

"He had some special skills, yes."

"And your relation to him?"

"My father."

"Excellent. I'd heard he was in the military."

" Vietnam."

"Special Forces."

"Very special."

"And does he make a habit of wandering the countryside?"

"He had a job in the government for a while but got tired of sitting behind a desk."

Trimble gave her a patronizing smile. "I doubt your father ever sat behind a desk. If you don't tell me the truth, I have no reason to accord you any."

"Well, it seems like I've told you a lot already. How about some action on your end?"

"All right, that seems fair actually. Your father has been spending a lot of time with Abby Riker and her son Da

"Is he a druggie? A boozer?"

"Not drugs, but he does like his alcohol. His mother won a big lawsuit against a coal company involving an accident that cost her husband his life. So they have a lot of money, live in a big house, but Da

"The sheriff says he's missing too."

"Your father struck me as a good man trying to do the right thing. My advice would be to not assume that anyone else here has those same intentions, including Da

"Would that caveat include you too?" she said.

"I'm a fairly recent arrival here. I called Washington home for forty years. I still have a lot of friends there, get regular updates. And-" Trimble broke off, his eyes seeming to look right through A

"Mr. Trimble?" A

He seemed to refocus on her, but his eyes showed his mind was still elsewhere. "Excuse me, I have something I need to check right now." He hurried off.

A

"You think he suspects who Oliver really is?" asked Caleb.

"I wouldn't bet against it. And right now our margin of error is zero."

"Damn, Oliver can't buy a break, can he?" exclaimed Reuben. "The one town he picks turns out to be teeming with killers."

"Let's hit the rooming house fast. The clock is ru

A few minutes later A

She got back in the van. "Knox was here. He found out about Oliver. Bernie told him that Oliver was in the hospital or else he could try Abby Riker's place, A Midsummer's Farm. If Knox went to the hospital and found Oliver gone he might have tried Midsummer. Let's roll."