Page 147 of Seven Deadly Sins

Her eyes widened. “You act as if this is a homicide. Did someone kill my husband, Agent?”

“I cannot comment on that.” He’d said more than he should’ve. Her husband’s body most likely still lay near the tracks. “Come in late this afternoon to ID the body, please.”

“Is there someone I can call for you?” Harper stood.

“I’ll call my sister. She’ll come be with me for as long as I need.” With a heavy sigh, the woman stood. “I always thought Mark would die of something related to his drinking. Can you see yourselves out? I…need a coffee.”

“Well, it wasn’t much.” Liam stepped onto the porch and pulled the door closed.

“How do you think she’ll react if it’s determined that her husband killed someone?” Harper marched for the jeep. “I’m sure the bullet that killed Spooner will match the gun we saw near Beck.”

“Yep.” He slid into the driver’s seat and stared at the house. “I don’t want to have to be the one to tell her.” But he most likely would be. Him and Harper.

Chapter Seven

Robert tapped hisindex finger against his lips. After Beck’s initial call about the other man at the bar talking to the agent and detective, he no longer responded to calls or texts. Which means…he either died in an accident or suicide.

He searched the local news on his phone and found the shooting and the death of the alleged shooter by a train of all things. He didn’t have enough people to afford to lose any to accidents caused because of carelessness.

What he needed was another hired hand. Someone smart who would do the job required with no questions. They wouldn’t be getting paid to ask questions.

Lucy had been the best and failed. She’d sinned right under his nose. If she had needed physical fulfillment, she should’ve come to him. They had already had a relationship and not a one-night fling.

Shaking his head, he poured himself an inch of whiskey and sat down to start writing. Time to get things moving along faster. He didn’t have time to hire another killer. Things would now be done by his hand alone.

He stopped in the middle of his work and popped a pain killer. When he’d finished, he read over what he had written and carried it downstairs to the woman.

“Read this when I give the signal.”

“How about this signal?” She flipped him the middle finger.

“Inappropriate on camera.” He scowled.

“I. Don’t. Care!” She looked feral, eyes wide, spittle flying from her lips, tangled hair. “The woman taking care of me hasn’t been here all day. You’re treating me worse than an animal would be treated.”

He took a step back. Why hadn’t she been taken care of? While he didn’t have a problem with killing someone who deserved the punishment of death, he didn’t believe in treating the living in such a bad manner. “I’ll be back.” He set the paper on a table and went in search of the woman he’d told to care for the one in the basement. He didn’t care about names. They were all the same to him.

~

Harper plopped down at her desk. A long day and it wasn’t over yet. Not until the reports were done.

“Turn on the feed.” Annie poked her head into the office. “Amber is sitting in a chair getting ready to read something.”

“Thanks.” Harper rushed to the conference room where Liam, and the other agents already sat and turned on the television.

Amber Barker, dressed in a flowered dress a couple of sizes too big, sat in a hard-back chair next to a small table. Her hands were tied flat on the arms of the chair, and her ankles crossed. Wet hair rested on her shoulders.

Squaring her shoulders, she began to speak. “I’m here to edu…enlighten you.”

“She’s reading.” Harper sat in one of the padded chairs.

The woman’s eyes flicked past the camera, then back. “The world is full of sin and needs to be cleansed. Cleansing starts with enlightenment. Sin, of which there are seven, is an offense against religion or moral law. It is our duty to uphold the moral law before mankind destroys the world.” Her brow furrowed, and she glanced away from the camera again. Her hands shook. “We must turn away from these sins. To help you, I will tell you of the seven deadly sins and their meaning.

“The sin of pride is the first sin. It often leads to the commission of other sins in order to feed a person’s pride. It is also a rebellion against God. Lucifer fell from heaven because of pride. Adam and Eve committed their sin because the serpent appealed to their pride.”

“Close but not exactly scripture,” Liam said. “I never took Thompson for a religious man, even a misguided one.”

“Comes as a surprise to me, too.” Harper started taking notes. “The level of Robert’s madness has no ceiling.”