whole Greyson family would go. Samantha would show up, too.
I confirmed that I was going to attend the barbeque. Then I called Lisa. She wanted to hang out. Admittedly, going over to her house creeped me out just a little bit. But I told her I was willing and said I’d be right over.
Before leaving my apartment in Briar Gardens, I made sure to retrieve my .38 revolver. If Sam was right, there were still people out there who wanted to cause me harm. Killing Lisa’s dog was a pretty clear message. I wasn’t going to be caught unprepared. If they came for me, I’d be ready.
It was a warm summer night. I didn’t get to enjoy it, though. My head was on a swivel. Every little movement caught out of the corners of my eyes was a potential threat. Each sound I heard raised my heart rate. Thankfully, the walk from my apartment to my car was short.
As I pulled out of the Briar Gardens parking lot, I decided to stop at the liquor store before getting to the Williams household. I needed to get something to take the edge off. Chances were Lisa would agree with me.
There were no liquor stores in Stone Harbor. I had to go to nearby Saluda. Saluda Liquors was right across the street from the Side Car Diner. I purchased a bottle of orange-flavored vodka.
The drive from Saluda to Lisa’s house wasn’t far. It took me a little over ten minutes. But I never made it there. Minutes away from the house, I was sidetracked. I could see smoke rising into the air. It was a plume of grey against the black night sky. Where was it coming from? The answer came swiftly.
It was Pastor Pritchard’s church. Surrounded by cop cars and a fire truck, the old wooden building was fully engulfed in flames. A strong wind carried the unmistakable smell of fire and glowing embers.
Someone stepped out in front of my car and made me stop. My headlights revealed that someone to be Detective Sam Greyson. He motioned for me to pull over across the street.
“When did this happen?” I asked as I got out of my car.
“About ten minutes ago. We got a call from the neighbors. The church just suddenly went up in flames.” Sam walked with me, towards the fire.
“Nobody saw or heard anything?”
“Not a thing. From what we were told the church was fine one minute, and the next it was burning.”
“The pastor?” We stopped just far away enough to stay safe, but close enough that I could still feel the intense heat.
“I called him as soon as we got here. He’s on his way.”
I felt bad for Pastor Pritchard. The church was his whole world. He had only just moved from the apartment on its second floor a year earlier. Who would do such a thing? Or, maybe it wasn’t a work of malice.
Fires could be caused by a great many of causes. One of the most common was electrical malfunction. Frayed wires or shorts produced sparks that could lead to infernos. Perhaps a candle had been accidently kept lit. A breeze or a mouse could’ve knocked it over. Or the fire could have been the work of people or a person.
“Do you have any idea of what caused this?” I asked, pointing to the burning church.
“This isn’t exactly my area of expertise. It would help if we had a fire marshal in this town. But since we don’t…”
“It falls in your lap.”
Sam nodded. “I’m only one man. And as important as finding out what happened here is, I have other responsibilities as well.”
I knew Sam would have a hard time asking. He was that stubborn sort of man who refused to admit that he needed help. So, I decided to relieve him of that hardship. “I’ll help. It’ll be my number one priority.”
A station wagon came speeding down the street. It came to a screeching halt, just short of hitting a police cruiser. Pastor Pritchard got out. He was clearly very upset. I’d never seen him so angry and sad.
Sam and I both tried to comfort him. We offered words meant to calm and reassure, but nothing had much of an impact. Fate seemed so cruel to
I confirmed that I was going to attend the barbeque. Then I called Lisa. She wanted to hang out. Admittedly, going over to her house creeped me out just a little bit. But I told her I was willing and said I’d be right over.
Before leaving my apartment in Briar Gardens, I made sure to retrieve my .38 revolver. If Sam was right, there were still people out there who wanted to cause me harm. Killing Lisa’s dog was a pretty clear message. I wasn’t going to be caught unprepared. If they came for me, I’d be ready.
It was a warm summer night. I didn’t get to enjoy it, though. My head was on a swivel. Every little movement caught out of the corners of my eyes was a potential threat. Each sound I heard raised my heart rate. Thankfully, the walk from my apartment to my car was short.
As I pulled out of the Briar Gardens parking lot, I decided to stop at the liquor store before getting to the Williams household. I needed to get something to take the edge off. Chances were Lisa would agree with me.
There were no liquor stores in Stone Harbor. I had to go to nearby Saluda. Saluda Liquors was right across the street from the Side Car Diner. I purchased a bottle of orange-flavored vodka.
The drive from Saluda to Lisa’s house wasn’t far. It took me a little over ten minutes. But I never made it there. Minutes away from the house, I was sidetracked. I could see smoke rising into the air. It was a plume of grey against the black night sky. Where was it coming from? The answer came swiftly.
It was Pastor Pritchard’s church. Surrounded by cop cars and a fire truck, the old wooden building was fully engulfed in flames. A strong wind carried the unmistakable smell of fire and glowing embers.
Someone stepped out in front of my car and made me stop. My headlights revealed that someone to be Detective Sam Greyson. He motioned for me to pull over across the street.
“When did this happen?” I asked as I got out of my car.
“About ten minutes ago. We got a call from the neighbors. The church just suddenly went up in flames.” Sam walked with me, towards the fire.
“Nobody saw or heard anything?”
“Not a thing. From what we were told the church was fine one minute, and the next it was burning.”
“The pastor?” We stopped just far away enough to stay safe, but close enough that I could still feel the intense heat.
“I called him as soon as we got here. He’s on his way.”
I felt bad for Pastor Pritchard. The church was his whole world. He had only just moved from the apartment on its second floor a year earlier. Who would do such a thing? Or, maybe it wasn’t a work of malice.
Fires could be caused by a great many of causes. One of the most common was electrical malfunction. Frayed wires or shorts produced sparks that could lead to infernos. Perhaps a candle had been accidently kept lit. A breeze or a mouse could’ve knocked it over. Or the fire could have been the work of people or a person.
“Do you have any idea of what caused this?” I asked, pointing to the burning church.
“This isn’t exactly my area of expertise. It would help if we had a fire marshal in this town. But since we don’t…”
“It falls in your lap.”
Sam nodded. “I’m only one man. And as important as finding out what happened here is, I have other responsibilities as well.”
I knew Sam would have a hard time asking. He was that stubborn sort of man who refused to admit that he needed help. So, I decided to relieve him of that hardship. “I’ll help. It’ll be my number one priority.”
A station wagon came speeding down the street. It came to a screeching halt, just short of hitting a police cruiser. Pastor Pritchard got out. He was clearly very upset. I’d never seen him so angry and sad.
Sam and I both tried to comfort him. We offered words meant to calm and reassure, but nothing had much of an impact. Fate seemed so cruel to
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