“Did Pastor Caine know about this?”
Pastor John sighed. “I don’t know. He’s a smart man and might’ve put it together. But I don’t see him killing Teri.” He looked into the distance.
Laurel stiffened. “What are you thinking?”
He shrugged. “Nothing I should be. Zeke is a pastor. But there’s a darkness . . .” He shook his head. “Forget it.”
Laurel didn’t require suppositions. “Where were you last Sunday night into Monday morning?”
Pastor John jerked. “When the first victim was killed?”
“Yes,” Laurel said.
He cleared his throat. “At my cabin with Teri all night.” He sagged against the chair. “Who is now dead.”
“Do you know a woman by the name of Delta Rivers?”
Pastor John shook his head. “Never heard of her.”
She drew a picture of Delta from her file folder. It showed the woman on the autopsy table, a closeup of her face with her eyes closed. “This is she. Have you ever seen her before?”
Pastor John cocked his head. “Hm. No. I don’t think so.”
“Are you absolutely positive that the mayor didn’t know about your affair?”
Pastor John nodded. “Saul was planning an anniversary trip for the two of them to Thailand this coming spring. He had no idea.”
“Do you know him very well?” Laurel asked.
“I’ve been his pastor for years, and he’s a faithful member of the church.”
Faithful. How interesting that Pastor John used that word. “Are you aware that he owns a plane?”
“Yes. It’s a smaller one, and he liked to fly over the rivers. Why?”
“He’s gone,” Laurel said flatly. “Do you have any idea where he’d go? If he owns property outside of Washington State?”
Lines dug grooves into the sides of the pastor’s mouth. “No. I have no idea. Teri and I were wrapped up in our own world.” His voice cracked on the last word.
“Does Saul Bearing have a temper?”
“Definitely,” Pastor John said. “All of the Bearing men do. Saul and both of his kids. I wouldn’t call them dangerous, though.”
Jealousy and betrayal could make anybody dangerous. “What do you think he would’ve done if he’d discovered his wife was sleeping with his pastor?” Laurel asked quietly.
Pastor John swallowed. “I honestly have no idea.”
Chapter 19
After work, Huck found Laurel sitting on the top of her makeshift conference table facing the three white boards. She was dressed in dark jeans and a white sweater, her auburn hair curling down her back. “You changed your clothes,” he noted.
She looked over her shoulder. “Yeah. I spilled tea down my front. Sometimes I get clumsy when my mind becomes so busy.”
He looked at the boards in front of her. “What’s going on?”
She sighed. “You’re no longer involved with this case.” But she didn’t make a move to turn any of the boards over.
“It doesn’t mean I can’t look.” He crossed around and sat on the table next to her. Then he shifted back, lifted her up, and put her on the table between his legs, wrapping his arms around her waist. She leaned back against him, and her spicy strawberry scent filled his senses.
