Page 150 of Seven Deadly Sins

With a snip of the shears, Amber’s finger fell to the floor. Robert stepped out of sight of the camera. A door slammed. Amber slumped forward.

Mr. Barker barged into the conference room. “Why haven’t you stopped this yet?” He glanced around the room. “There’s enough of you here. Why haven’t you saved my wife?”

Harper wished more than anything that they had. She got to her feet, feeling as if the weight of the world tried to keep her in the chair. “Sir…”

“Come with me, Mr. Barker.” Chief Donnelly swept an arm toward the door. “Let me fill you in on what we’ve been doing. Would you like a cup of coffee?” The two men left the room.

“Let’s go question Reynolds.” Liam held the door open for Harper. “Maybe he can tell us something useful.”

She doubted it, and from Liam’s tone, he felt the same. Still, they had a job to do and needed to give it all they had.

Harper went to the break room to get coffee while Liam went to get Steve. By the time the two men joined her, she had three coffees on the table waiting for them to start their questions. She adopted a stoic expression and folded her hands around her cup.

“Have a seat, Mr. Reynolds.”

“I ain’t telling you anything.” He plopped into a chair and crossed his arms, a belligerent expression on his face. “Us believers need to stand firm.”

“You’ll be standing behind bars if you don’t cooperate.” Liam took a seat next to Harper.

“I did nothing wrong. It ain’t against the law to preach, you know?”

Harper took a sip of her coffee, then set the cup on the table with slow deliberation. She speared Reynolds with a sharp, silent gaze until the man started to squirm. “You’re right, Mr. Reynolds. It isn’t against the law to preach, but I had your name run through our system. Know what I found?”

He paled.

“You’re a thug and a thief.” She tilted her head. “There’s a warrant out for your arrest. We have plenty to hold you on. But…” she waited several seconds before continuing. “If you help us, we can lessen your sentence. Maybe get a lesser charge dropped. What do you say? Hmmm? Tell us how Thompson gets information to his followers.”

“I can’t betray him. I took an oath.” He swallowed hard enough to make his Adam’s apple bob.

She leaned closer. “Is that why his people die? He has them killed if they make a mistake? We all make mistakes, Mr. Reynolds.”

“No.” He shook his head. “The more enlightened we become, the less mistakes we make. People like you and the agent wouldn’t understand.”

“People like us?” She arched a brow. “You mean unenlightened?”

“Yes.”

“If we knew how he makes contact, maybe we could be enlightened. After all, other than the live feed, we haven’t heard the message.”

Uncertainty crossed his face. “You’re part of the quest. You’re the final game. It’s too late for you.”

She didn’t like the sound of that at all. “I guess you’ll have to spend a very long time in jail then, Mr. Reynolds.” She started to stand. “A young man like you will be liked very much in prison. Maybe you can make some converts.”

“Why aren’t you talking?” He glanced at Liam. “Why are you letting the woman have control?”

Harper frowned. She hadn’t realized Thompson’s group might be chauvinistic.

“Because she’s doing a very good job, and I’m still mad at you for making me chase you and scuff my favorite pair of shoes.” Liam smiled. “The Detective is tenacious, Mr. Reynolds. She won’t stop questioning you until the iron door of your cell slams shut.”

~

Reynolds face fell. “I don’t know anything. I’m a follower on the outside.” His handcuffs clanked against the table when he rested his hands there. “Mr. Thompson doesn’t know I exist. I thought if I did something good for him, he’ll tell me where he is.”

Liam forced himself not to reveal how frustrated he was. The man had been an entire waste of their time. He planted his palms flat on the table and pushed to his feet. “Looks like we’re done here. We’ll book you on your warrant.”

He led the man from the room and handed him to Annie. With the man’s pleas to stop and listen, he had information after all, Liam returned to the conference room and the live feed of Amber Barker.

“A woman came in and bandaged her finger,” Agent Harris told him. “Mrs. Barker has stumbled in her reading since you left, but never completely stopped. Get anything from the perp?”