flowers, but that was it.” He pursed his lips. “Not that it’s any of your business.”
His accusation echoed a small voice in the back of his mind. Bradshaw had a point. Kir wasn’t a cop, or a Fed, or a private eye. He was a glorified handyman who was grasping at any straw in the hopes he could figure out who had taunted his father and was now threatening Lynne.
But he wasn’t going to stop. Not until he had the truth.
He was nothing if not stubborn.
“Why did you lie?” He repeated his earlier question.
Bradshaw licked his lips. “This is bordering on harassment.”
“If you think this is harassment, just imagine what’s going to happen when the sheriff discovers your secret.”
Kir tossed the words out in the hopes of striking a nerve. They were a direct hit. This time the pastor didn’t pale. He went snow white with fear.
“What secret?”
Kir’s lips twisted. He hoped this man never played poker. His emotions were etched on his face. Unless he was a lot more clever than he pretended to be. “Your obsession with Randi Decker.”
“Obsession?” Bradshaw managed a strained laugh. “That’s ridiculous.”
“Were you having an affair with her?”
“She’s a—” His words broke off. “She was a married woman.”
There was a pain in his voice that sounded genuine. Of course, he’d seemed genuine when he was pretending Randi was barely more than a random stranger. “When has that ever been a barrier?” Kir asked. “I know a lot of men who prefer women who are committed to a husband and family. It keeps them from being too demanding.”
With a sharp motion, the pastor turned to pace across his cramped office. “I wasn’t having an affair with Randi.”
“But you wanted to?”
“You can’t prove that.”
“I don’t have to. I just have to call the sheriff and share my suspicion with her. She can dig for the truth.”
The threat hung in the air. Like tossing a hand grenade that landed without exploding—there was no predicting whether it was going to combust or be a dud. Not even Kir knew if he would follow through. The sheriff didn’t seem to be overly pleased that he was lingering in town. She would be even less pleased if she suspected he was interfering in her investigation.
Whirling around, the pastor glared at him. “Why are you so determined to destroy me? I’ve done nothing but try and comfort you during your time of mourning.”
“There’s a killer out there,” Kir said with a simple honesty. “He has to be stopped.”
“It has nothing to do with me.”
“Then why did you lie?”
Frustration and something that might have been panic twisted the man’s features. “I can’t risk being involved.”
“Involved with what?”
“I just want to tend to my flock without scandal.” Bradshaw glanced toward the framed photograph on the wall. It was a picture of him in front of a large, glass and steel building with a wide smile on his face. It looked like one of those megachurches that catered to the wealthy suburbs of Boston.
Why would he leave such a plush position to come to Pike? There was only one explanation. “Like the scandal you had at your previous church?” Kir asked.
Bradshaw swayed. Was he going to pass out? At last he reached to grab the corner of a filing cabinet, visibly trying to regain command of his composure. “How did you know?”
“I have a lot of friends in a lot of places.” It wasn’t a lie. He did have a lot of friends in a lot of places.
The man made a weird sound. Something between a sob and a curse. “I didn’t know that the person I was chatting with online was underage,” he finally snapped. “She told me she was twenty-one. I might have many faults, but I have no interest in young girls.”
Well, well, well. The good pastor really did have a secret. One that presumably ruined his promising career. “That’s an easy claim to make,” Kir drawled.
The man jutted his chin. “The police searched through every chat we shared and even subpoenaed my phone to make sure I hadn’t contacted her outside the dating site. They cleared me of any wrongdoing.” A raw anger darkened his eyes. “If the investigation hadn’t become public, I would never have been asked to leave.”
Did he believe him? Kir mentally shrugged. Right now he was more interested in what happened after he came to Pike. “Is that why you were determined to choose an older woman like Randi Decker?”
Bradshaw resumed his pacing, his expression distracted.