BooksBarbecue
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

Nick and Gunner crossed the street and approached the library from behind. They kept the flashlight off to avoid being spotted.

“I can’t believe I’m doing this,” Gunner whispered.

“You didn’t have to come—all you had to do was give me the key.”

“And when you got caught, how would you explain the key? I agreed to this, so I’m part of it—I might as well come along.”

“Kind of fun, isn’t it?”

“Pastors aren’t supposed to do this kind of thing.”

“What, support the law?”

“I thought we were breaking the law.”

“Ironic, isn’t it?”

As they neared the loading dock they suddenly saw the outline of a figure moving in the shadows. Nick held out a hand and both men stopped. He put one finger to his lips; they moved closer to the building and crept forward. As they got closer they could make out two figures— one dragging the other across the loading dock toward a waiting pickup truck. Nick switched on the flashlight and pointed it at the face of the standing figure; a pair of startled eyes stared back.

Nick slowly lowered the beam of the flashlight, following the line of her stumplike arms to her blunt gnarled fingers clenching the jacket collar of a man’s body. He saw the head slumped forward and the tangle of hair damp with blood; he saw the shoulders shrugged high and the arms hanging limp at the sides; he saw the legs dragging loose and lifeless; and he saw a smear of blood marking a trail back to the library door.

Gunner’s mouth dropped open. “Agnes—what in heaven’s name have you done?”

34

34

The dogs heard Nick’s car approaching before Alena did. Those in the kennels lined up along the chain-link fences and began to bark viciously; inside the trailer, Ruckus bounded off the sofa and began to scratch at the door.

Alena opened the door and stepped out. She looked toward the opening in the woods and waited; a few seconds later she saw the flicker of headlights filtering through the trees, and then Nick’s car emerged with its three-dog escort trotting alongside.

Nick’s car pulled up in front of the trailer and stopped. Alena commanded the dogs to be silent and take sitting positions, and they immediately obeyed. When Nick’s window began to roll down she leaned forward and said, “Where have you been? This is why I wouldn’t go to Endor with you. You said it would only take a minute, but—” She drew a sharp breath and stumbled back from the car.

It wasn’t Nick. It was his car, but someone else was driving it—a tall man with wavy black hair.