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“William gave her the perfect marriage and environment to raise their children, and she forced him to look for attention elsewhere when she decided she enjoyed giving his money away to ridiculous charities instead of keeping him satisfied. William was justified in looking elsewhere, though he should have waited to quench his carnal cravings until after the vows had been dissolved.”
“And did you ever—quench William’s carnal cravings?” Jack asked.
My eyes got big, but I somehow managed to keep my laughter contained at the way Jack phrased the question.
Lorna’s face turned so red I was afraid she was going to go into cardiac arrest, and I saw her knuckles go white as she pressed her fingers into her legs, probably hard enough to leave bruises.
“Of course not,” she sputtered. “How dare you imply such a thing? If this is how you get your jollies then I’m going to report you to the mayor.”
“Good friends with the mayor, are you?” Jack asked. He pulled a copy of the photo I’d found inside George’s throat and placed it on the table in front of her. “What do all these men have in common, Lorna?”
She licked her lips once and looked at the photograph, but she didn’t say anything.
“There’s your grandfather,” Jack pointed out companionably. “Right next to Frank Greenbaum. Did you know Frank gave George the loan to start up his auto shop? Jesse and Frank were good friends, weren’t they? In fact, this whole group seems pretty tight.”
She stayed silent, but I could see the beads of sweat on her upper lip. Jack left the picture in front of her and put the crime scene photo of Reverend Oglesby on top of it. She went pale.
“That’s an abomination,” she said, scooting back her chair. “I want you out of my house.”
“It is an abomination,” Jack said, nodding. “The group who did this—they don’t have any regard for those they see as the minority. Whether it be skin color, religion, sexuality—or gender. They hate women. But you know that, don’t you? How did your grandfather feel when he was presented with a granddaughter instead of a grandson? He couldn’t pass on the legacy to you, could he? I bet he was angry.”
“My grandfather loved me.” Her voice quivered with the lack of conviction.
“He figured out a way to use you though, didn’t he, Lorna? Right from the beginning. He trained you to act as a woman should. To be whatever they needed. These men find whoever’s malleable enough to do what they ask. Until they’re through using them. You should ask George Murphy how that turned out.”
Lorna was completely still, her gaze directed down and slightly away from the sight of Reverend Oglesby.
“You know what someone did to Daniel Oglesby, Lorna?” Jack put his finger on the picture so her gaze was drawn to it again. “Someone went to his house. Someone he knew. Maybe even someone he thought was a friend. And that person injected him with a drug that rendered him unconscious. And then this group of men—the men who hate everyone who doesn’t fit their ideal—they loaded up his body and took him somewhere secluded. And they beat him and tortured him until this is what was left of Daniel Oglesby.”
Jack’s voice never faltered as he played it back for her. “The person that gave him that first drug—they’re guilty of murder. Did you know that? Just as much as the person who took the whip to his back or the knife to his genitalia.”
“Do you have a point to make, Sheriff?” she asked, her eyes finally coming up to meet his. There was fear in her gaze, but also hatred—mostly hatred. “Like I said. I have things to do.”
“Tell me again where you were the afternoon Reverend Oglesby went missing.”
“I spend Sundays at the church. All day.”
“You ever have a chance to drive your grandmother’s Cadillac?”
If I hadn’t been looking for it I never would have seen the change that came over her. She became more confident—almost defiant—right in front of our eyes.
“I haven’t seen that car since Grandmother died,” she said. “It’s probably nothing more than scrap metal by now.”
“I guess a good mechanic would know all about how to make that happen.”
She scooted her chair back further and stood. “I don’t like the tone you used today, Jack.” She omitted his title this time. I guess she wouldn’t be voting for him when it came election time again. “Now if that’s all—”
“Actually, I do have one more request. Would you mind if we took a look at your barn?”
Her eyes snapped up. “I’m afraid I don’t have time to spare today. I think it’d be best from here on out if you speak with my attorney.”
We followed Lorna back to the front of the house and Jack’s phone rang. “Excuse me a minute.”
Lorna grabbed her purse, and followed us out to the porch just as Jack was hanging up the phone. He turned to look at Lorna and said, “Reverend Thomas must have called to tell you we were looking for you.”
The statement caught her off guard just for a moment. “He called to tell me I needed to update my address with the city.”
“It gave you plenty of time to call William and let him know we were coming. He’s under surveillance you know. My men caught him trying to sneak out of the back window of his house and get away. Was he coming to help you, or do you think he would have let you take the fall all by yourself? Things don’t look good for you, Lorna. They’ve made you out to be the scapegoat. It’s your name attached to the car and the house here. Not theirs. What will we find in that barn?”
