“Laurel, it’s good to see you.” The pastor ignored Kohnex. “I know you’ve called several times to speak with me, but I needed space after our first rather unfortunate interaction.”
Huck kept his face expressionless. He hadn’t realized that Laurel had reached out to her father. There was no doubt in his mind that she planned to put the man in prison, and he believed she’d eventually succeed.
“Yes. Last time we spoke, you were in the hospital after being brutally attacked,” Laurel said. “Yet, for some reason, you won’t tell me who assaulted you.”
They all knew who’d stabbed him. Abigail Caine, his other daughter, had attacked him.
A calculating smile lifted the pastor’s lips. He probably stood a little under six feet tall and appeared broad and in fairly decent shape for his age.
Huck wondered how many punches he could take before he fell. Probably two. Maybe one if Huck aimed perfectly. “Where were you last night?”
The pastor finally looked at him. “Captain Rivers, it’s good to see you. We should probably go out and have a drink since you’re dating my daughter, don’t you think?”
Huck had faced predators his entire life, and until now, he’d considered Abigail Caine to be the most dangerous of them all. This guy could give her a run for her money. At least it explained where Abigail had inherited the crazy gene. “I’m not going to ask you again. Where were you last night?”
The pastor placed the coffee pot and cups on the table, stepping between Huck and Kohnex. “I worked here until about nine at night, and then it’s absolutely none of your business where I spent my evening.”
“There was a body found out by the river behind your church,” Huck drawled, standing to his full height. “So you can either come into the office with me for a more formal interview, or you can stop being a jackass.”
Kohnex gasped. “I feel dissent here,” he said. “Maybe we should all take a deep breath.”
Oh, yeah, there was definitely dissent here.
Laurel cleared her throat. “Where were you, Pastor Caine?”
He honed in on her. “You mean ‘Father,’ don’t you?”
“I absolutely do not,” she said.
He sighed. “Fine. I was with a friend all night.”
“Does your friend have a name?” Huck asked.
Zeke sighed. “I really wish to leave her out of this, if you don’t mind.”
Huck just stared at him and crossed his arms.
“Very well,” the pastor said. “Her name is Uma Carrington, and she owns the Little Tin Box, which is the antiques store right around the corner from the Center Diner.”
Laurel didn’t so much as move. “Is she older than eighteen?”
Zeke smiled again, all charm. “I believe she’s in her late twenties. You can’t believe every story your mother tells you.”
“No,” Huck said before Laurel could get in a word. “We’re not going there, and we’re not talking about anything other than this case. If you have a problem with that, I’ll put you in cuffs and take you out of here right now.”
Zeke drew in air and focused on Huck. “Aren’t you the overprotective lover?”
Towering over the man, Huck stepped closer. “You’re going to want to watch yourself, Pastor Caine. You really are.” He let his voice lower to pure threat. “Now, we would like her phone number.”
The pastor easily rattled it off, taking a discreet step away from Huck.
Huck remained in place. For now. “What do you know about the woman found frozen on your church grounds?”
“I arrived here in time to be told to stay inside the church,” Zeke said. “I didn’t even get to see who’s out there.”
“It’s probably Teri Bearing, the mayor’s wife,” Kohnex said suddenly.
Huck twisted toward him. “How did you know that?”
