Page 104 of Shadow of Deceit
“Why did you lock up the barn and then come back to take the locks?”
“Loomis had me lock it after I set the fire. He didn’t want anyone to wander in and get killed in the fire or the fire department to get inside before the body burned up. But I didn’t want the fire department to know about the locks or they might think the fire wasn’t an accident.”
Mia didn’t point out that they would’ve known it was arson, but she supposed a small town fire department might not have dug deeper. “So you were in the clear, but why didn’t you just take off when you had a chance?”
His narrowed eyes turned mean. “That’s for me to know and you to find out. We’ll have lots of time for talking since you’ll be driving me out of here.”
He thought this would scare her, but she’d willingly go with him to protect Jessie and the others, maybe get a chance to free them.
“So tell me,” she said. “How’d you hear about Jessie in the first place?”
He grinned wide, revealing a missing tooth on the right side. “Not that you’ll make it out of this alive, but if you did, I’d suggest upping the security on your wireless network. I hacked into your email to the good sheriff.”
Oh, no!She’d brought this on them. If she hadn’t emailed Russ, Pope would never have known Jessie identified him or even where the camera would be. Still, there was nothing Mia could do about it now. She just had to keep trying things until God provided the help she’d asked for.
Surprisingly, she believed He would come through for them. Maybe not her, but for the others.
She took a quick breath and tried not to let Pope see how upset she was over his news. “You didn’t say exactly what will happen now?”
He scrubbed his hand over tired eyes. “Shut up. I’ve got some thinking to do.”
Mia leaned back. She wouldn’t push it. If there was any good news in all of this, it was that Pope didn’t appear to be mentally impaired in any way. Mean, ornery, and a murderer, but not impaired. She could work with that. Someone who’d gone over the edge was another story.
Time ticked by. Slowly. Maybe fast. She didn’t know, but it felt like an eternity as they sat silently and awaited their fate. How must sweet little Jessie be feeling?
Mia leaned forward and tried to get the child’s attention to give her a thumbs-up, but her head was hanging as she sobbed quietly.
Grr.This man would pay for what he’d done to her.
Mia shifted her focus to Eddie to take a visual measurement of how he was coping and if he was going to try to be a hero. His arm was slung around Nikki, who trembled and nibbled on her lip. Mia motioned with her hands to stay calm and keep his anger in check.
He gave a nod of acknowledgment.
Good.He didn’t seem like a loose cannon.
Mia’s phone rang. She looked at the caller ID. “It’s the sheriff.”
Pope stood up and crossed the window and cracked the blinds. “Answer it.”
“Russ.”
“Is Pope listening?” Russ’s voice was low and urgent.
“No.”
“Ryan entered the house through the cellar. He should be nearby. He has a gun. Stay as far away from Pope as possible. Now tell him we’ve done as he asked, and the road is clear.”
“Okay, let me tell him.” Mia looked at Pope. “The sheriff has left, and the road is clear. We can go now.”
“Tell him I have my gun in the kid’s neck. Anyone takes a shot at me, she gets it. And tell him you’re driving.” Pope’s face took on a hard determination.
He wasn’t impaired, but he was still a killer.
She relayed the message to Russ, though he’d likely heard Pope say it.
“End the call and give me the phone,” Pope demanded.
She did and handed it over.
