Page 57 of Hidden Sins

When Bridger finished, Tai crossed his thick arms over his chest. “Are you serious? That is the worst plan ever.”

“Worse than the Kandahar Taxi?”

Tai made a dismissive gesture. “So much worse than that.”

“You have a better idea?”

Tai grimaced. “I got nothing.” He thrust his fist at Bridger for a fist-bump. “Dumb trumps nothing. You have a go, Captain.”

Despite his misgivings, Bridger laughed. Setting up the pastor was the only way he could think of to flush out their prey. And keep Jane safe while they did it.

27

Jane had just vacuumedthe front of the store when Sheriff Hammond called to tell her he was sending a deputy out to the Peckham’s property to take Billy into custody.

She thanked him and shoved a hank of hair out of her eyes. She was covered in sawdust from the repairs. So was the front half of the store.

There’d be hours of cleaning to do. At least no one had been hurt.

The thought of Billie Peckham being handcuffed made her sad. The guy might be dangerous, but it was through no fault of his own. She hoped the deputy would be gentle with him.

Bridger and Tai jogged up the street from the diner, giving her something else to dwell on for the moment. The tall, fit men strode into the store, bristling with suppressed energy.

She explained about Billy’s imminent arrest.

Bridger nodded thoughtfully. “That’s good news.”

Tai grabbed a push broom from behind the counter and started to sweep. “And there’s more. We have a plan.”

“For finding Jason?” With Billy soon to be in custody, and the pastor’s original blackmailer dead, locating her brother could take top priority. “When do we start?”

Bridger waved her off. “One thing at a time. I want to be positive Peckham’s responsible for the violence, and the extortion first. We’re almost there,” he added.

He must have seen her face.

What could he mean? She knew he and Jason and their team had dealt with complicated operations in the military, bad actors with murky motives and fewer morals, but this seemed so clear cut. They had Billy Peckham on video.

Bridger toed the bottom of the counter. “I just want to be certain.”

Fair enough. She could humor him. For a while. As long as he got back to searching for Jason ASAP. He probably thought she was clueless, but she’d been part of a military family long enough to be able to read between the lines. He and Tai were worried about her brother.

The landline on the wall by the display of fishing lures rang, startling her. “Redemption Hardware,” she answered automatically.

“It’s Rita King. Are you all right, dear?”

The elderly woman’s voice trembled with concern. Or curiosity. Probably both. Not that there was any harm in wondering. Jane rolled her eyes and covered the receiver.

“Word’s out,” she said to Bridger and Tai before going back to the caller. “I’m fine, Mrs. King. Just a broken window. We’re all fine down here.” No need to mention the nasty note, though whoever started the town gossip line running probably had that information, too.

“I’m so glad.” The woman hesitated. “If you’ve got a few minutes, there’s something I need to talk to you about. I know this isn’t the best time, but…”

“Of course.” Rita King was a frequent customer, and a nice woman, but Jane couldn’t imagine what they had to discuss. “Anytime.”

“I’m not feeling up to driving these days. I hate to ask, but could you come out here? I wouldn’t ask, but it’s important. It’s about Pastor Zack,” she whispered, as if she was concerned about being overheard.

Jane’s heart thudded against her ribs. Was someone there, threatening the poor woman? Her husband had been head of the church council when they hired Pastor Zack.

Maybe Rita did know something.

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