As groups of men arrived and formed a human fighting ring, Abraham crept as close to the wall as possible down the alley. Just as he reached the cover of the porch, a gunshot rang out from the front.
The fight had begun, and time was against him.
Abraham slipped up the stairs. Keeping his weapon ready, he gritted his teeth against the pain as he used his burned hand to unlock the door and gently push it open. The darkened vestibule led to another door, where light shone beneath.
Confirmation that someone, hopefully Lawson, was here.
He lifted a prayer, then gently pushed on the second door. It swung partially open without squeaking. Footsteps moved at a quick pace, growing fainter as they neared the building’s front. Everything else was quiet.
He slid through the half-open door into an unfinished room coated in sawdust and stacked with construction supplies.
If he’d had any doubts as to Lawson’s purpose in hiding here, they were gone the moment he spotted the propped-up, single-barrel shotgun, ready to fire. At least he knew where Lydia and Ingram were.
Now the question was, did he take Lawson by surprise or free Lydia and Ingram so they could escape the building before Lawson returned?
Scraping sounds came from the room, like someone was dragging a piece of furniture across the floor.
With the noise going on inside there, Lawson was bound to hurry back.
Abraham pressed himself against the wall next to the door leading to the front.
By the time the scraping stopped, Lawson’s footfalls announced his return.
Abraham held perfectly still, his weapon ready to press against Lawson’s head the moment he stepped into the room.
The footsteps slowed, then stopped.
A moment too late, Abraham realized the lantern cast his shadow across the open doorway.
Lawson came through the door low and jammed the muzzle of his gun into Abraham’s gut.
Abraham dropped the muzzle of his own gun to Lawson’s temple, careful to keep his finger away from the trigger. He wanted Lawson alive. “You fire, and you’re a dead man.”
“So are you, only my death will be quick, and yours will be a lingering, suffering one.” Lawson slowly stood his full height, keeping his muzzle pressed into Abraham’s belly. “I always knew you’d make a great detective. You just weren’t supposed to become one so quickly.”
Abraham supposed he should take that as a compliment, but at the moment it felt like an insult. The man he’d admired and hoped to learn from had betrayed all who knew him—betrayed the oath they took. “How could you turn your back on everything you’ve stood for?”
“I didn’t turn my back. The courts did that disgrace. We risk our lives every day to bring in these swine, but when we catch them and turn them in with an undeniable bounty of evidence, they walk free. What’s the point of our jobs if we can’t fulfill our oaths to serve and protect? The only honorable thing left is to mete out justice ourselves.”
“And what is the honorable thing here? You’ve committed at least five counts of murder—six, if Mr. Ingram’s dead.”
“Not yet, but Lydia and I have settled on a plan.”
The inclusion of Lydia relieved Abraham more than the knowledge that Ingram lived. “Even so, by all rights, you deserve to face the noose as much as your victims did.”
“An executioner is not guilty of murder.”
“You are no court-appointed executioner.”
Lawson’s mouth twisted. “No. I’m God’s, and I’ll not be condemned for it. It’s an honor to serve Him as His right hand of justice.”
Only Jesus could rightfully claim that honor, but there would be no reasoning with Lawson. That insanity ruling might genuinely be needed. Abraham’s partner was even more delusional than he had thought. If he didn’t choose his words carefully, they’d both die.
“I’ve committed no crimes, Lawson, and we’re friends. Would God count it as justice if you kill me?”
Indecision flickered over the man’s countenance. “I don’t want to kill you, but if you force my hand, God will allow it.”
“Then I guess we’ll stand here in a stalemate until one of us passes out from exhaustion. The only way you’re leaving here is in iron bracelets or a casket.”
