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Back Less than Dead Save as PDF
Chapters (50)
  1. COVER PAGE
  2. TITLE PAGE
  3. COPYRIGHT PAGE
  4. DEDICATION
  5. CONTENTS
  6. 1
  7. 2
  8. 3
  9. 4
  10. 5
  11. 6
  12. 7
  13. 8
  14. 9
  15. 10
  16. 11
  17. 12
  18. 13
  19. 14
  20. 15
  21. 16
  22. 17
  23. 18
  24. 19
  25. 20
  26. 21
  27. 22
  28. 23
  29. 24
  30. 25
  31. 26
  32. 27
  33. 28
  34. 29
  35. 30
  36. 31
  37. 32
  38. 33
  39. 34
  40. 35
  41. 36
  42. 37
  43. 38
  44. 39
  45. 40
  46. 41
  47. 42
  48. 43
  49. 44
  50. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

“You’ve been around here a long time, right? You must know just about everybody in town.”

“Everybody in Endor—half the people in Front Royal too.”

“Then help me out here. Who do you know who might be capable of murder?”

Gunner began to chuckle.

“Did I say something funny?”

“To someone in my profession, yes.”

“So what’s the joke?”

“You know what I like about being a pastor, Nick? I don’t have to go around spouting some nonsense like ‘Human beings are basically good.’”

“I thought pastors were supposed to believe that.”

“Not the ones who read their Bibles. I’d like to believe it—unfortunately, there’s just too much evidence to the contrary. The Bible treats people as fallen—made in the image of God but corrupted in a fundamental way. Fatally flawed, you might say—that’s the human dilemma, and nobody is exempt. You asked, ‘Who do you know who might be capable of murder?’ The answer to your question is, ‘Everybody— every man, every woman, and even the children by a certain age.’”

“Must be a tough town.”

“No tougher than anywhere else. People are people, Nick. That’s the problem; that’s the human dilemma.”

“Everybody,” Nick said. “That doesn’t help me a lot—I’m trying to narrow the field.”

“Maybe you shouldn’t.”

“What do you mean?”

“Keep an open mind—especially when it comes to the human capacity for evil. That’s what I try to do; there are fewer surprises that way. Everybody has the capacity to do evil—all they need is the right frame of mind.”

“Okay,” Nick said. “Then who do you know who might have the frame of mind?”

“Let me think about that one,” Gunner said. “I have to be careful. Pastors tend to hear a lot of confessions. If I start pointing the finger at everyone who’s ever admitted a bad attitude to me, I’ll be pointing out half the people in town.”

“I’m not interested in bad attitudes,” Nick said. “I’m looking for someone who has a reason to kill.”

“Who doesn’t?”

“Excuse me?”

“I know people who’ve been robbed of their life’s savings; parents who’ve lost kids to drunk drivers; wives who’ve been abandoned by husbands after thirty faithful years of marriage. Everybody has a reason to kill somebody; most people don’t do it. It isn’t just about reason—it’s about what’s going on in your heart, and that’s what God wants to change.”

“Now you’re starting to preach.”