Keith did not stand. Instead, he watched Boyette shuffle quickly out of his office.
Dana was staring at the door, refusing a smile. She managed a weak "Good-bye" after he said "Thanks." Then he was gone, back on the street without a coat and gloves, and she really didn"t care.
Her husband hadn"t moved. He was still slouched in his chair, dazed, staring blankly at a wall and holding the copy of the newspaper article. "You all right?" she asked. Keith handed her the article and she read it.
"I"m not connecting the dots here," she said when she finished.
"Travis Boyette knows where the body is buried. He knows because he killed her."
"Did he admit he killed her?"
"Almost. He says he has an inoperable brain tumor and will be dead in a few months. He says Donte Drumm had nothing to do with the murder. He strongly implied that he knows where the body is."
Dana fell onto the sofa and sank amid the pillows and throws. "And you believe him?"
"He"s a career criminal, Dana, a con man. He"d rather lie than tell the truth. You can"t believe a word he says."
"Do you believe him?"
"I think so."
"How can you believe him? Why?"
"He"s suffering, Dana. And not just from the tumor. He knows something about the murder, and the body. He knows a lot, and he"s genuinely disturbed by the fact that an innocent man is facing an execution."
For a man who spent much of his time listening to the delicate problems of others, and offering advice and counsel that they relied on, Keith had become a wise and astute observer. And he was seldom wrong. Dana was much quicker on the draw, much more likely to criticize and judge and be wrong about it. "So what are you thinking, Pastor?" she asked.
"Let"s take the next hour and do nothing but research. Let"s verify a few things: Is he really on parole? If so, who is his parole officer? Is he being treated at St. Francis? Does he have a brain tumor? If so, is it terminal?"
"It will be impossible to get his medical records without his consent."
"Sure, but let"s see how much we can verify. Call Dr. Herzlich-was he in church yesterday?"
"Yes."
"I thought so. Call him and fish around. He should be making rounds this morning at St. Francis. Call the parole board and see how far you can dig."
"And what might you be doing while I"m burning up the phones?"
"I"ll go online, see what I can find about the murder, the trial, the defendant, everything that happened down there."
They both stood, in a hurry now. Dana said, "And what if it"s all true, Keith? What if we convince ourselves that this creep is telling the truth?"
"Then we have to do something."
"Such as?"
"I have no earthly idea."
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JOHN G GRISHAM has written twenty-one novels, including the recent has written twenty-one novels, including the recent #1 #1 New York Times New York Times bestsellers bestsellers The a.s.sociate The a.s.sociate and and The Appeal The Appeal, as well as one work of nonfiction, The Innocent Man The Innocent Man. He lives in Virginia and Mississippi. His new book from Doubleday is Ford County: Stories Ford County: Stories.