Jamie Garrett - Riley Reid 02 - Fire and Lies by Jamie Garrett Page B

kind of crisis.”

    “He called me up and told he was using again. Robert was a meth addict.”

    “So you went over to … what?”

    “Help him!”

    “Right. So, Robert Branch calls you up and tells you he was back to smoking meth? You go over to help him, but decide to hide in his bushes instead?”

    At that, the pastor sat bolt upright, his hands on the table shaking a little, suddenly flustered. “I wanted to help him!”

    Sam acted like he was writing something down in the folder, but he was just scribbling on the back of some photos. It was another mental feint. When he was done pretending, he looked up at the pastor.

    “You didn’t answer my question. Why were you hiding in the backyard? Why did Riley have to chase you? What were you running from, if all you were there to do was help?”

    “I was scared.”

    “Of what? Riley? I know she can be a little rough around the edges, but she’s certainly not scary enough to have to run from.”

    “I knew that if I was seen there, I’d be blamed.”

    He’d be blamed? Blamed for what? Pastor Pritchard was indirectly admitting to seeing the Branches dead. And, of course, Sam picked upon that.

    “Blamed for what?” Sam took a couple of photos out of the folder. He slid them over to the pastor. They stopped right in front of him. “For that?”

    The photos were a test. Seeing his reaction would be important.

    Pritchard was shocked. In fact, he was too shocked. His reaction was obviously fake. And that was what Sam would be hoping for.

    “What if I were to tell you that after I arrested you, we sent your gun to the crime lab in Richmond along with the bullets we found in the Branches? And what if I told you that I got a call this morning from a very nice young lady at the lab who told me that the markings on those bullets matched the barrel of said gun? Would you still try to tell me that you were there just to help out a parishioner who had fallen off the wagon? Well … would you?”

    Sam was bluffing. It took much longer than twelve hours to send out evidence to the Richmond crime lab. Getting back the results took even longer. This was a gamble, but chances were the pastor was in no way aware of how long it really took.

    “Maybe I need to speak to a lawyer,” said Pastor Pritchard. The gamble worked. He was nervous.

    “Why? In my experience, only the guilty need lawyers. If you ask for one, I can’t talk to you anymore, and there goes a plea bargain.”

    “Look, maybe I should just take a minute …”

    “Look, Pastor, you’re not leaving this police station. It’s time for you to start talking or find yourself charged with two counts of murder and arson. Is that what you want?”

    Pastor Pritchard didn’t say anything. He looked as if he was going over his options in his head. Sam seemed to have him right where he wanted him. Then a knock at the door to the interrogation room had both men’s heads turning to the door.

    Sam got up and opened the door. One of the Stone Harbor police officers was at the door. It was a man named Hardy. “I got that information you requested, Detective.”

    “Not now, Officer Hardy.” Sam looked back at Pastor Pritchard. “I’m a little busy.”

    “With all due respect, Detective, this is important.”

    Sam sighed. “Don’t go anywhere, Pastor. I’ll be right back.” He went out into the hallway with Officer Hardy.

    I’ve always been a naturally curious person. When it came to one of my cases, that urge to know only got stronger. So, I left the dark cramped room and went into the hallway.

    I found Sam and Officer Hardy talking. Hardy handed Sam a file, then left.

    “What is it?” I asked as I walked up to Sam.

    “It’s Pritchard’s records.”

    “And?”

    Sam handed me the file. “Read it.”

    Much to my surprise, the file on Thomas Pritchard was pretty long. The pastor was from nearby Saluda. At the age of seventeen he had been arrested for the first time in his life.