Bill Crider - Dan Rhodes 09 - Death by Accident Read Online Free PDF Page A

Lawton’s fault, though. He never —”
    “Just tell me about the phone call,” Rhodes said, his tone a little sharper than usual.
    “All right, then,” Hack said.  “You don’t have to get all huffed up about it.  You and Ivy gettin’ along all right?  You seem mighty cranky today.”
    “Ivy and I are getting along fine.  Tell me what Brother Sterling wanted.”
    “OK, but I hope you and Ivy ain’t havin’ any trouble.  A man who don’t keep regular hours and all can get out of touch at home if he’s not careful.”
    “I appreciate your concern,” Rhodes said.  “Now, about that phone call.”
    “Yeah.  Seems like Brother Sterling’s a little bit upset with the Sons and Daughters of Texas and their plans for the big celebration next summer.”
    “Why?” Rhodes asked.
    “Well, he says the word on the street is that there’s gonna be some unChristian goin’s-on there.”
    “‘The word on the street’?”
    “That’s what they say on those cop shows on TV,” Lawton said.  “What it means is —”
    “Never mind,” Rhodes said.  “I know what it means.  What kind of unChristian goings-on is Brother Sterling worried about?”
    “Indian dances,” Hack said.
    “Indian dances?”
    “Native American dances,” Lawton said.  “See, Columbus thought he was goin’ to India, and —”
    “I guess you did go to school, after all,” Hack said.  “I guess you’re gonna show off your education now and tell us all about how the Indians got their name, and —”
    “Forget it,” Rhodes said.  “Just tell me about the dances.”
    Hack looked at Lawton.  “See what I mean?  Cranky.”
    Lawton nodded and opened his mouth to say something.
    Rhodes gave him a warning look.  “Don’t say it.  Just let Hack get back to the point.”
    Lawton closed his mouth and shook his head.
    Hack said, “Downright cranky.  Anyway, it seems like Ty Berry’s been in touch with some tribe of Indians from over in East Texas.  They’re gonna come in and do some of their dances at the Old Settlers’ Days.  Brother Sterling says that’s paganism and a ’bomination in the sight of the Lord.  Least that’s what I think he said.”
    “And what does he expect me to do about it?” Rhodes asked.
    “He didn’t tell me that.  But he said that you’re the sheriff and that if you don’t stop that dancin’ at the Old Settlers’ Grounds, there’s gonna be trouble.”
    “There’s already been trouble,” Rhodes said.  “There was a dead man out there this morning.”
    “Yeah,” Hack said.  “You think the preacher killed him?”
    “It’s a thought,” Rhodes said.
     

Chapter Six
     
    L ike the Old Settlers’ Grounds, The Free Will Church of the Lord Jesus was in better shape these days than it had been on Rhodes’s last visit.  The sign in front of the building had been repainted, as had the building itself.  The windows all had glass in them, and the glass was clean.  The roof had new shingles, and there was even a new doorknob on the door to the little room that jutted out to the side of the church and served as Brother Alton’s office.
    The inside of the office had also undergone some renovation and improvement.  Someone had stripped the old dark varnish off Brother Alton’s desk and put on a new coat of a lighter color.  The windows had been washed and thin white curtains had been hung over them.  Formerly, all the light in the room had come through the windows, but now there was an electric light fixture on the ceiling.
    “Your church seems to be prospering,” Rhodes said.
    “The Lord has blessed us,” Brother Alton said.  “To a certain extent.”
    The preacher was lean and lanky and, unlike his church, hadn’t changed a bit since his last encounter with Rhodes.  He was wearing what appeared to be the very same black suit, the same wide black tie, and the same white shirt.  He sat rigid and unsmiling behind his desk, and his rimless glasses reflected the light