Page 19 of Dark Side of the Cloth (The Righteous 1)
“Please do. Maybe you should exorcise this place while you’re at it.” The sheriff grabbed his shoulder. “I’d really love to know who the tipper was. Maybe they have an idea of where we can find this bastard.” Dean nodded as the sheriff left him alone with the six pairs of sightless eyes staring at him.
It didn’t seem to matter how many pedophiles, rapists, or abusers he killed. There was always another. Dean stepped up close to the glass and looked at a girl he guessed was no more than five. At least with the work he did, it meant that he’d saved one more child from a similar fate. His hand tightened around the bible. He knew what it was like to be at the mercy of one of these fuckers. That piece of knowledge fueled him like a fatty meal in a barren landscape, and he would always come back for more.
“The coroner is ready,” the sheriff said, poking his head in the main door.
“I hope you catch this one, Sheriff,” Dean said as he stepped back outside to join the sheriff and deputies.
“So do I, Father. I better get you home. There is nothing else for you to do here tonight.” Sheriff Daniels walked toward the gates, and Dean fell into step beside him.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, but I have let the boys know that if they need to speak to someone, your door is always open.”
“Very well.”
Much like the ride over to the scrapyard, the journey back to the church was the same. Dean watched as the sheriff pulled away from the church, and the moment the taillights were out of sight, he smiled.
Please, please don’t do thisplayed over and over like a favorite song in his head.
He looked up at the clear night sky and savored the cold air as it refreshed his lungs and mind. His mouth pulled up in a smile as he pushed open the church door. He would sleep well tonight with thoughts of Tim as he gasped for his last breath and that final moment as Tim’s eyes bugged out as he begged one last time for his life. The images were like a beautiful ballet in his mind. This town and the sleepy ones surrounding it had a lot more skeletons left to clean out, and he just so happened to be the right kind of man to do the scrubbing.
