“So, you saw the fire and called it in.” James was more thinking aloud than asking a true question. The tree line was miles away from where they were standing now.

“Right. I was out here having a smoke.”

“Did you go to the Pearce place after you called?”

“Couldn’t,” Earl said, squinting against the sun.

“Why not?”

“Baby was inside.”

James tried to hide his skepticism. “What about your wife?” he said evenly.

“What about her?”

James wondered why a simple question would put such defensiveness in the other man’s tone, but he schooled his expression and his tone. “Where was she?”

Earl looked him directly in the face. “Visiting relatives.”

James didn’t miss the challenge in Earl’s dark brown eyes. He glanced away, far out at the tree line. “So you were out here having a smoke and your baby was inside…alone. You left the baby inside alone?”

“He was sleeping. He was fine.” Earl pointed to the snow between them. “And you see that line in the ground?”

James looked down.

“Friend, you just crossed it.” He shifted and lifted the shovel into his right hand. “Drive carefully,” he said as he turned away. “Can’t see it, but the road’s all ice.” He went back to shoveling snow.

Dismissed with prejudice. James hadn’t quite seen that coming.

What if Earl had been the guy? Wouldn’t be the first time the perpetrator was also the person who reported the crime, and Earl seemed awfully defensive for a man who just happened to see a fire start and then did the neighborly thing to save lives. Earl certainly had the means and opportunity. If his wife was gone, and since his infant obviously couldn’t be a witness, Earl could have marched across the field and torched the Pearce place.

But what would have been Earl’s motive?

As a counselor, James was trained to observe behavior and recognize the underlying meaning behind people’s words, and he’d definitely noticed some defensive posturing from Earl. As a pastor, James was trained to hope for the best in people and to give each the benefit of the doubt, and he definitely did not get the hint of any motive from Earl. So why was Earl not forthcoming in helping James investigate?

Why didn’t anyone want to investigate? Even the sparse police report indicated this was an open-and-shut case. But that didn’t sit well. Seemed Travis had been trussed up and bow-tied like a prize pig at auction. James was beginning to think that Travis was being railroaded. Nobody wanted to investigate; they just wanted to lock Travis away and be done with it.

Case closed. Duane’s words echoed again.

“Not today,” James mumbled as he climbed into the cab of his truck. Today, he was going to get some answers.

~*~

The blue truck sped down the highway. James spent the time thinking over the information he’d gathered thus far. If he were honest with himself, the unraveling facts seemed to indicate a truth he didn’t want to face. Duane was a level-headed man. Not prone to fancy or bigotry. So, while he might not be quick to help Travis, Duane wouldn’t put the guy behind bars with no evidentiary support. Like a flat-out confession? Of everything he’d gathered, that confession was the most troubling. Hard to get around, but so unbelievable, just the same.