Faithless

Jeffrey sat up. “That wasn’t on his record.”

“I can’t tell you why,” Lev said. “I’ve never seen his records, of course, but he isn’t ashamed about admitting his past transgressions. He’s talked about it in front of the congregation as part of his Testament.”

Jeffrey was still on the edge of his seat. “You said he used his hands?”

“His fists,” Lev elaborated. “He made money from bare-knuckle boxing before he was thrown in jail. He did some serious damage to some people. It’s a part of his life he’s not proud of.”

Jeffrey took a moment to process that. “Cole Co

Lev’s change in posture showed that was the last thing he was expecting. “Yes,” he said. “He shaved it last week. He used to keep it in a military cut.”

“Spiky?”

“I guess you could say that. Sometimes the sweat would dry and it stuck up a bit.” He smiled sadly. “Abby used to tease him about it.”

Jeffrey crossed his arms. “How would you describe Cole’s relationship with Abby?”

“Protective. Honorable. He’s good to all the kids on the farm. I would hardly say he singled Abby out for attention.” He added, “He watches Zeke for me all the time. I trust him completely.”

“Do you know a Chip Do

Lev seemed surprised by the name. “He worked on the farm off and on for a few years. Cole told me he stole some money from petty cash. We asked him to leave.”

“You didn’t call the police?”

“We don’t normally involve the police in our affairs. I know that sounds bad-”

“Stop worrying about how things sound, Reverend Ward, and just tell us what happened.”

“Cole asked the Do

“Do you know where Cole is right now?”

“We all took the morning off because of Abby’s tribute. I imagine he’s in his apartment over the barn, getting ready.” Lev tried again, “Chief Tolliver, believe me, all of this is in his past. Cole is a gentle man. He’s like a brother to me. To all of us.”

“Like you said, Reverend Ward, we need to eliminate family first.”

CHAPTER TWELVE

Jeffrey could feel Lena ’s excitement matching his own as they pulled up in front of the equipment barn where Cole Co

“The cut on his finger,” Lena said.

“What’s that?” Jeffrey asked, but then understood. Co

“You’d think that he’d have more than a little cut on the back of his hand, considering what Chip Do

“So did Jeffrey McDonald.”

“Who’s that?”

“Viciously stabbed his whole family to death- two kids and his pregnant wife.” He told her, “The only wound he didn’t give himself was a cut on the back of his finger.”

“Nice guy,” Lena remarked, then, “You think Cole took Rebecca?”

“I think we’re going to find out,” Jeffrey told her, hoping to God the girl had just run away, that she was somewhere safe and not buried underground, taking her last breaths as she prayed for someone to find her.

He turned the car onto the gravel drive they had taken to the farm last Monday. They had followed Lev Ward’s ancient Ford Festiva as the preacher closely observed the speed limit. Jeffrey had a feeling he would do this even without a cop following him. When Lev pulled into the drive to the barn, he actually used his turn signal.

Jeffrey put the car into park. “Here we go,” he told Lena as they both got out of the car.

Lev pointed to a stairway inside the barn. “He lives up there.”

Jeffrey glanced up, glad there were no windows at the front of the barn to give Co

Lev seemed ready to protest, but he said, “I think you’re way off base here, Chief Tolliver. Cole loved Abby. He’s not the sort of man to do something like this. I don’t know what kind of animal is capable, but Cole is not-”

Jeffrey told Lena, “Make sure no one interrupts me.” To Lev, he said, “I’d appreciate it if you stayed here until I came down.”

“I have to prepare my remarks,” the preacher said. “We’re putting Abby to rest today. The family is waiting on me.”

Jeffrey knew the family included a pretty sharp lawyer, and he sure as shit didn’t want Paul Ward barging in on his conversation with Co

Jeffrey wasn’t in his jurisdiction, he didn’t have an arrest warrant and the only probable cause he had to talk to Co

Lena tucked her hands into her pockets as the pastor drove away. “He’s going straight to his brother.”

“I don’t care if you have to hog-tie them,” Jeffrey told her. “Keep them away from that apartment.”

“Yes, sir.”

Quietly, Jeffrey walked up the steep set of stairs to Co

“Come on in,” he called, putting the kettle on the stove. There was a series of clicks as the gas caught.

“Mr. Co

“Cole,” the old man corrected. “I was just making some coffee.” He smiled at Jeffrey, his eyes sparkling the same way they had the day before. Co

Jeffrey saw a jar of Folgers instant coffee on the countertop and suppressed a feeling of revulsion. His father had sworn by the power of Folgers crystals, claiming it was the best curative for a hangover. As far as Jeffrey was concerned, he’d rather drink out of the toilet, but he answered, “Yeah, that’d be great.”

Co

“Have a seat,” Co

Jeffrey pulled out a chair at the table, taking in Co

Jeffrey asked, “You live here long?”

“Oh”-Co

“Yeah,” he said. “You’ve got a nice place here.”

“Built it out myself,” Co

“You’re quite a carpenter,” Jeffrey said, taking in the room more carefully. The box they had found Abby in had precision-mitered joints as did the other. The man who had built those boxes was meticulous, taking time to do things right.