Blindsighted (Grant County #1) - Karin Slaughter Page 0,114

miles from her house, she took a side trail off the main road so that she could run along the lake. The terrain was rough in spots, but the view was spectacular. The sun was finally winning its battle with the dark clouds overhead when she realized she was at Jeb McGuire’s house. She had stopped to look at the sleek black boat moored at his dock before she made the connection as to where she was. Sara cupped her hand over her eyes, staring at the back of Jeb’s house.

He lived in the old Tanner place, which had just recently come on the market. Lake people were hesitant to give up their land, but the Tanner children, who had moved away from Grant years ago, were more than happy to take the money and run when their father finally succumbed to emphysema. Russell Tanner had been a nice man, but he had his quirks, like most old people. Jeb had delivered Russell’s medications to him personally, something that probably helped Jeb get into the house cheap after the old man died.

Sara walked up the steep lawn toward the house. Jeb had gutted the place a week after moving in, replacing the old crank windows with double-paned ones, having the asbestos shingles removed from the roof and sideboards. The house had been a dark gray for as long as Sara remembered, but Jeb had painted over this in a cheery yellow. The color was too bright for Sara, but it suited Jeb.

“Sara?” Jeb asked, coming out of the house. He had a tool belt on with a shingle hammer hanging from the strap on the side.

“Hey,” she called, walking toward him. The closer she got to the house, the more aware she became of a dripping sound. “What’s that noise?” she asked.

Jeb pointed to a gutter hanging off the roofline. “I’m just now getting to it,” he explained, walking toward her. He rested his hand on the hammer. “I’ve been so busy at work, I haven’t had time to breathe.”

She nodded, understanding the dilemma. “Can I give you a hand?”

“That’s okay,” Jeb returned, picking up a six-foot ladder. He carried it over to the hanging gutter as he talked. “Hear that thumping? Damn thing’s draining so slow, it hits the base of the downspout like a jackhammer.”

She heard the noise more clearly as she followed him toward the house. It was an annoying, constant thump, like a faucet dripping into a cast-iron sink. She asked, “What happened?”

“Old wood, I guess,” he said, turning the ladder right side up. “This house is a money pit, I hate to say. I get the roof fixed and the gutters fall off. I seal the deck and the footings start to sink.”

Sara looked under the deck, noting the standing water. “Is your basement flooded?”

“Thank God I don’t have one or it’d be high tide down there,” Jeb said, reaching into one of the leather pouches on his belt. He took out a gutter nail with one hand and fumbled for the hammer with the other.

Sara stared at the nail, making a connection. “Can I see that?”

He gave her a funny look, then answered, “Sure.”

She took the nail, testing its weight in her hand. At twelve inches, it was certainly long enough for the job of tacking up a gutter, but could someone have also used this type of nail to secure Julia Matthews to the floor?

“Sara?” Jeb asked. His hand was out for the nail. “I’ve got some more in the storage shed,” he said, indicating the metal shed. “If you want to keep one.”

“No,” she answered, handing him the nail. She needed to get back to her house and call Frank Wallace about this. Jeffrey was probably still in Atlanta, but certainly someone would need to track down who had bought this type of nail recently. It was a good lead.

She asked, “Did you get this at the hardware store?”

“Yeah,” he answered, giving her a curious look. “Why?”

Sara smiled, trying to put his mind at ease. He probably thought it was odd that she was so interested in the gutter nail. It wasn’t like she could tell him why. Sara’s dating pool was small enough without taking Jeb McGuire out of the picture by suggesting his gutter nails would be a good way to pin a woman to the floor so she could be raped.

She watched him secure the drooping gutter to the house. Sara found herself thinking about Jeffrey and Jack Wright