Best Kept Secrets(117)
either."
Plummet closed his eyes, shuddering slightly, greatly put-upon.
"God, close my ears to the foul language of your
adversary, and deliver me from the presence of these wicked
ones."
"He'd better send a whole flock of angels down to save
you fast, brother. Unless you start answering my questions,
I'm gonna slam your ass in jail."
That broke through Plummet's sanctimonious veneer. His
eyes popped open. "On what charge?"
"The feds would like to start with arson."
Alex looked quickly at Reede. He was bluffing. Racehorses
were considered interstate commerce, and therefore, would
come under the Treasury Department's jurisdiction. But government
agents didn't usually get involved in an arson case
unless damage amounted to more than fifty thousand dollars.
Plummet didn't fall for the bluff, either.
"That's ridiculous. Arson? The only fire I've started is in
the hearts of my believers."
"'If that's so, then account for your time from last Wednesday
night until today, when Deputy Cappell spotted you slinking
out the back door of that house. Where'd you go after
prayer meeting let out?"
Plummet laid a finger against his cheek, feigning hard
concentration. "I believe that was the night I visited one of
our sick brothers."
"He can vouch for you?"
"Unfortunately, no."
"Let me guess--he died."
Plummet frowned at the sheriffs sarcasm. "No, but while
I was in attendance, the poor soul was delirious with fever.
He won't remember a thing." He made a tsk-ing sound. "He
was very ill. His family, of course, could attest to my presence
at his bedside. We prayed for him through the night."
Reede's incisive eyes sliced toward Wanda Plummet. She
guiltily averted her head. Reede then swiveled around and
looked at Alex. His expression said that he was getting about
as far as he had expected to. When he turned back around,
he asked abruptly, "Do you know where the Minton ranch
is?"
"Of course."
"Did you go there last Wednesday night?"
"No."
"Did you send someone out there last Wednesday night?"
"No."
"Members of your congregation? The believers whose
hearts you had stoked a fire in during prayer meeting?"
"Certainly not."
"Didn't you go out there and vandalize the place, paint
on the walls, shovel shit into the drinking troughs, break
windows?"
"My counselor says I don't have to answer any more
questions." He folded his arms across his chest.
"Because you might incriminate yourself?"
"No!"
"You're lying, Plummet."
' 'God is on my side.'' He worked his eyes like the focusing
lens of a camera, making them wide, pulling them narrow.
" 'If God is on our side,' " he quoted theatrically, " 'then
who can be against us?' "
"He won't be on your side for long," Reede whispered
threateningly. Leaving his chair, he circled the table and bent
over Plummet. "God doesn't favor liars."
"Our Father, who art in heaven--"
"Come clean, Plummet."
"--hallowed be thy name. Thy--"
"Who'd you send out there to trash the Minton ranch?"
"--kingdom come, thy--"
"You did send members of your congregation, though,
didn't you? You're too much of a gutless coward to go yourself."
The praying ceased abruptly. The preacher's breathing became
choppy and light. Reede had struck a chord. Knowing
that, he pressed on. "Did you lead your ratty little army out
there, or did you just furnish the spray paint?"
Reede had told Alex earlier that he'd made the rounds of
variety and hardware stores, checking out places where spray
paint was sold. So far, none of the merchants recalled a
significant demand for it on a single day.
Plummet was probably too clever to have bought it all in
one store; perhaps he'd gone out of town. Reede couldn't
hold him indefinitely because he had no evidence, but Plummet
might be fooled into thinking he'd left behind an incriminating
clue.
For the second time, however, he called Reede's bluff.
Having composed himself, he stared straight ahead and said,
"I can't imagine what you're talking about, Sheriff Lambert."
"Let's try this again," Reede said with a heavy sigh.
"Look, Plummet, we--Miss Gaither and I--know you're
guilty as hell. You all but told her to get tough with the
sinners, or else. Wasn't the vandalism out at the Minton ranch the or else!"