Marcie's Murder by Michael J. McCann Read Free Book Online

I’m surprised you could spare the time to come down here. ”
    “ Latest case wrapped up quickly. S uspect got his sorry fucking ass shot .”
    “ Oh? ”
    She didn’t really want to get into it.
    The sun was shining brightly through the windshield as they rounded a bend in the highway. Karen grabbed a pair of sunglasses from her bag and put them on. A few minutes later Branham slowed and turned right onto Highway 623. “This take s us up Rich Mountain .”
    “So who’s this guy we’re going to see? Brother Charles Baker ?”
    “ He’s the head of the Monastery of God in Burkes Garden.”
    “ G reat. Religious fanatics. Hopefully they won’t start a shootout while we’re here. ”
    “Not likely ,” Branham said . “They’re pacifists. Although you look like you’re ready to fight the next world war all by yourself.”
    “ N o idea what you’re talking about.”
    “Now now,” he chided, “full disclosure. Collins mentioned the P-226 you’re carrying. Y ou like it , by the way?”
    “Love it.”
    “ A f riend of mine is a SIG enthusiast and he particularly likes the P - 226. Which one is it ?”
    “The Elite Dark,” Karen replied. “I fire the .40 S and W through it.”
    “With the short reset trigger or whatever they call it ? ”
    “That’s right. ‘Faster trigger return during high speed shooting,’ as the brochure says. I used to carry a Px4 Storm as my off-duty but I doubled up on the 226 instead and I leave the Px4 at home. ”
    “Hmm.” Branham glanced in the direction of her feet. “So what do you carry in the shoulder bag?”
    “A Kel - Tec P-11. I had it for a while as my oh-shit backup ,” Karen said, “but I tried a P-32 and it was better , so that’s what I ’m carry ing in my boot.” She made a face. “Since I knew you were going to ask.”
    “You a mouse gun fan or something?”
    “Hell, no. If I ever have to fire anything in the line of duty other than this baby on my hip then I’m in deep shit, but I wanted something a little more comfortable in my boot and the P-32 is a quarter inch thinner and half as heavy as the P-11 , so I put the P-11 in my shoulder bag when I’m hauling it around and go with the P-32 as my primary backup. I know it’s only a .32 compared to the 9 mm P - 11, but what can you do ? ”
    “An in-your-ear gun.”
    Karen laughed. “That’s right. Stick it in some guy’s ear and it might as well be a cannon .”
    “So that’s it?” Branham asked. “That’s everything you have to declare today?”
    “You sound like c ustoms . ” Karen smiled . “ Yeah, that’s it. I left the rest of the arsenal at home.” She shifted in the seat to look at him. “You were telling me about Brother Charl es . What’s the deal with th e garden hideout ? ”
    “ Burkes Garden is the name of the place. It’s a historical district, the highest mount a in valley in the state. Ten miles across. From the air it looks like a moon crater but it has some of the most fertile soil in the area. The Appalachian Trail follows the ridge so they get a lot of hikers and tourists up here . Plus there are some organic farmers with pretty good retail operations, that sort of thing . This brotherhood, the Monastery of God , has a fifty-acre property. They have a small farm operation, a residence and chapel, and they also operate the best free medical clinic in the county . ”
    “Come into town a lot, do they?”
    “ No, actually, they don’t . They usually do business in Tazewell or Bluefield . Occasionally I see a few of them in Harmony and I’ve talked to Brother Charl es once before. I came out here to represent Chief Askew at a charity event and talked to him for maybe five minutes. Other t han that . . . ”
    “So Brother Charl es being seen twice in Harmony inside of seventy-two hours is an unusual thing, then.”
    “A little.” Branham paused, choosing his words. “My take on him? Quiet guy, very polite, intellectual. He’s the abbot of the m onastery,