disappeared.
“Kelly,” Gavin yelled over his shoulder.
The officer reappeared.
“There’s a priest up by the stretchers.”
“Right, I saw him.”
“Get him. Tell him to bring his Bible.”
“Did you say Bible?” Kelly said, frowning.
12
Y es, Bible,” Gavin said, not wanting to explain, fixated on the victim. The deep, clean slices in the man’s skin spoke of a
razor-sharp blade, and the neck punctures brought an image to mind of a knife that looked a lot more like a weapon than a
tool— probably sharpened religiously, he thought. The lack of blood dripping from the message meant the victim had been dead
when the letters were carved. At least that’s what he hoped the medical examiner would tell him.
Chris said, “Talk to me,” or something like that.
“This is a Scripture, Chris. That’s not an exclamation point after
act
, it’s an
s
.”
“And the two thousand, sev—”
“Is twenty-seven, forty-two. Acts twenty-seven, forty-two.”
“What Scripture is that?”
Gavin gave Chris a look. “Do I look like a priest?”
“Uhhh… no.”
“Here, take this light and shine it down here.” Gavin pointed to one of the man’s pockets. Chris took the light and Gavin
patted the pocket, reached in, and pulled out a jingling set of keys with a remote attached to the ring.
“Maybe he’s sitting on a wallet,” Chris suggested.
Gavin reached around and found there were no rear pockets. “Nothing. Somewhere there’s a… let’s see,” he said, looking at
theignition key. “There’s a Toyota parked and it’s probably got his wallet in it. Shouldn’t be too hard to find with this remote.”
“He looks like a jogger, but those aren’t running shoes.”
Gavin frowned at the dirty white sneakers and socks, then felt the socks between his fingers. “Wet… like mine.”
“Maybe he was bird-watching and saw the guy working on the tracks… ran through some water to get to him?”
“Why leave your wallet behind to go bird-watching? He was probably out here… I don’t know, doing something, but I think you’re
right about him sighting the perp.”
The sound of gravel crunching caught Gavin’s attention. Another bobbing flashlight—no, not one, but two bobbing flashlights
were approaching. One was attached to Officer Kelly. The priest Gavin had seen on the tracks had the other.
“This is Father Lauer, sir,” Kelly said, holding a branch back for the priest to enter. He was younger than Gavin had thought,
his white hair making him look older from a distance.
“Thanks for coming down, Father. I’m Detective Grella and this is Detective Pi—”
“Oh, Lord Jesus!” the priest gasped and then made the sign of the cross upon seeing the man with the message.
“Do you have a Bible?” Gavin said bluntly, but the priest was apparently too shocked to hear him.
“A Bible, Father?” Chris asked more politely.
“Huh… oh yes, of course. Here,” Father Lauer said, extending a leather-bound book toward Chris.
“Why don’t you just read it for us?” Gavin said, his gaze back on the victim. He knew the book was in the New Testament but
didn’t know where.
“Read it?”
“Acts twenty-seven, forty-two,” Gavin said.
“Acts…”
Gavin pointed to the dead man’s chest and drew in the air with his finger as he read each letter and number. The more he looked
at it, the more obvious the letters became.
“My God!” Father Lauer said, apparently seeing the ugly slashes come into focus. “Okay, okay, okay,” he said quietly as he
flipped through thin pages. “Twenty-six… twenty-seven… forty… here it is. Forty-two.” He cleared his throat. “‘And the
soldiers’ plan was to kill all the prisoners, that none of them should swim away and escape.’”
Silence.
“Read it again,” Gavin said.
Father Lauer frowned slightly, then cleared his throat again and complied.
“May I?” Gavin asked.
“Certainly,” Father Lauer said, handing
“Kelly,” Gavin yelled over his shoulder.
The officer reappeared.
“There’s a priest up by the stretchers.”
“Right, I saw him.”
“Get him. Tell him to bring his Bible.”
“Did you say Bible?” Kelly said, frowning.
12
Y es, Bible,” Gavin said, not wanting to explain, fixated on the victim. The deep, clean slices in the man’s skin spoke of a
razor-sharp blade, and the neck punctures brought an image to mind of a knife that looked a lot more like a weapon than a
tool— probably sharpened religiously, he thought. The lack of blood dripping from the message meant the victim had been dead
when the letters were carved. At least that’s what he hoped the medical examiner would tell him.
Chris said, “Talk to me,” or something like that.
“This is a Scripture, Chris. That’s not an exclamation point after
act
, it’s an
s
.”
“And the two thousand, sev—”
“Is twenty-seven, forty-two. Acts twenty-seven, forty-two.”
“What Scripture is that?”
Gavin gave Chris a look. “Do I look like a priest?”
“Uhhh… no.”
“Here, take this light and shine it down here.” Gavin pointed to one of the man’s pockets. Chris took the light and Gavin
patted the pocket, reached in, and pulled out a jingling set of keys with a remote attached to the ring.
“Maybe he’s sitting on a wallet,” Chris suggested.
Gavin reached around and found there were no rear pockets. “Nothing. Somewhere there’s a… let’s see,” he said, looking at
theignition key. “There’s a Toyota parked and it’s probably got his wallet in it. Shouldn’t be too hard to find with this remote.”
“He looks like a jogger, but those aren’t running shoes.”
Gavin frowned at the dirty white sneakers and socks, then felt the socks between his fingers. “Wet… like mine.”
“Maybe he was bird-watching and saw the guy working on the tracks… ran through some water to get to him?”
“Why leave your wallet behind to go bird-watching? He was probably out here… I don’t know, doing something, but I think you’re
right about him sighting the perp.”
The sound of gravel crunching caught Gavin’s attention. Another bobbing flashlight—no, not one, but two bobbing flashlights
were approaching. One was attached to Officer Kelly. The priest Gavin had seen on the tracks had the other.
“This is Father Lauer, sir,” Kelly said, holding a branch back for the priest to enter. He was younger than Gavin had thought,
his white hair making him look older from a distance.
“Thanks for coming down, Father. I’m Detective Grella and this is Detective Pi—”
“Oh, Lord Jesus!” the priest gasped and then made the sign of the cross upon seeing the man with the message.
“Do you have a Bible?” Gavin said bluntly, but the priest was apparently too shocked to hear him.
“A Bible, Father?” Chris asked more politely.
“Huh… oh yes, of course. Here,” Father Lauer said, extending a leather-bound book toward Chris.
“Why don’t you just read it for us?” Gavin said, his gaze back on the victim. He knew the book was in the New Testament but
didn’t know where.
“Read it?”
“Acts twenty-seven, forty-two,” Gavin said.
“Acts…”
Gavin pointed to the dead man’s chest and drew in the air with his finger as he read each letter and number. The more he looked
at it, the more obvious the letters became.
“My God!” Father Lauer said, apparently seeing the ugly slashes come into focus. “Okay, okay, okay,” he said quietly as he
flipped through thin pages. “Twenty-six… twenty-seven… forty… here it is. Forty-two.” He cleared his throat. “‘And the
soldiers’ plan was to kill all the prisoners, that none of them should swim away and escape.’”
Silence.
“Read it again,” Gavin said.
Father Lauer frowned slightly, then cleared his throat again and complied.
“May I?” Gavin asked.
“Certainly,” Father Lauer said, handing
Similar Books
