Pastor's Assignment by Kim O'Brien Read Free Book Online Page B

awful thought that if Laney could see him now, pencil and notebook in hand, he would never convince her he hadn’t written the note she’d found.
    He thrust the pad into his back pocket. The pencil slipped from within the pages and landed with a small noise on the ground.
    Squatting, Ty reached for the pencil. As his fingers closed around it, deep lines drawn into the gravel caught his attention. On further inspection, it proved to be a series of numbers. Odder and even more disturbing, they appeared within the drawn outline of a bullet. A chill went down his back.
    He had a terrible sense of déjà vu. He rubbed his eyes, wondering if fate was playing a cruel joke on him. But when he opened them, the drawing was still there, larger and more unmistakable than ever.
    Was history repeating itself? Ty needed to get to the station to try to convince G. C. to take a more aggressive approach to school security. He had no time to go to Laney’s shop and retrieve the note. No time for any more cat-and-mouse games with her. This time he wouldn’t let anyone down.

Nine
    Laney cleared the desk in the back room of her store in preparation for Ty’s visit.
    She neatly arranged a thermos of coffee, a plate of sandwiches, and a variety of pet-care books across the top. Although she was pretty sure a pair of female guinea pigs would be the best pets for Ty, she wanted him to make an informed choice for himself. Thus the reading materials.
    She had books on rabbits, mice, gerbils, ferrets, birds, and fish. Ty could sip his coffee and leisurely browse through the books in private. When he was ready, he could call her back to the office, and she’d bring him whatever animal he chose.
    Yawning, she checked the display one more time. She’d spent a sleepless night, tossing and turning and wondering why the hands of the clock moved so slowly. As she’d lain there, no matter how hard she tried to sleep, her thoughts had returned to Ty. She wanted to know more about him, to understand what had happened to his brother, and to unravel the mystery of his past.
    Sinking onto the seat, she laid her cheek on the desk. She closed her eyes and tried to picture the big detective holding a guinea pig. She nearly laughed. He’d probably hold it as far away from him as possible, as if it were some bomb that might go off any minute.
    â€œYou want me to take care of this tail-less rat?” he’d say. Oh, he would fight her every step of the way. But in the end, Laney knew he’d give in. He might look tough on the outside, but she had read his note. His heart was pure gold.
    Distantly, as if in a dream, she heard the jingle of the front door and knew he had come. “I’m in the back,” she called.
    She heard the sound of boxes moving as he maneuvered through the cluttered room.
    â€œLaney?” a man said.
    Laney turned. Her eyes widened in shock. In front of her, smiling with determined kindness, was Pastor Bruce Burke.
    â€œPastor Bruce,” Laney managed. “Wow! This is a surprise.”
    Pastor Bruce bent over, revealing the purple birthmark on the top of his nearly balding head.
    â€œMay I sit down?”
    Laney motioned to a chair. “Of course.”
    â€œYou aren’t meeting Rock, are you?”
    Laney swallowed. She ran her fingers through her hair and wondered why police bothered with lie detector tests when all they had to do was put Pastor Bruce in a room. “Actually I was meeting a friend who is going through a hard time right now.”
    The smile faded from Pastor Bruce’s face. His brow furrowed in concern. “I don’t like to pry, but is everything all right with you and Rock?”
    Laney blinked. “Of course,” she said quickly. “Why would you think otherwise?”
    The senior pastor shrugged. “There have been signs,” he said.
    â€œSigns?” Laney repeated faintly. “Letting Mother Tilly eat the gerbil food was an