Biding His Thyme: 4 (16 page)

“Sister Bitter is no longer a member of
Children of Nature.”

A hum of chatter sprang up in the dining
hall, echoing the buzz in Jake’s head. Brother Jake had forced Sorrel to leave
the compound, like a damn chick pushed from the nest by a bigger and meaner
cuckoo.

“Where has she gone?”

“Did she apologize?”

“Will she be back?”

“Who is going to supply the shop with
products?”

The questions fired at Brother Rick in
staccato beats, one after the other.
Bang. Bang. Bang
.

Brother Rick smiled and held up his hands
in a gesture for quiet.

“Sister Bitter will not be back. She is
shunned.”

Silence greeted his announcement then
everyone burst into more excited chatter.

“Shunning doesn’t happen very often,” a
sister said.

“Condoms,” the brother shuddered. “It’s
against God’s will. We are put on this earth to beget children.”

Jake scowled. The man would beget his fist
if he didn’t shut his mouth. Jake jumped to his feet, unwilling to listen to
another word. Shunned? How the fuck could Brother Rick live with himself?

“Brother Jake, are you going somewhere?”
Brother Rick called.

“Call of nature,” Jake gritted out. God, he
had to get out of here before he blew his cover. Now, more than ever, he needed
to keep to character. He exaggerated his gait, listing from left to right like
a drunken sailor.

“You should go to the clinic,” Brother Rick
called. “It sounds as if you have a bladder problem.”

“I’ll be back shortly.” Jake burst through
the dining room doors, the breeze outside flapping his robe around his bare
legs. He needed to find somewhere private so he could ring Luke. He scratched
at his chin. Damn beard itched all the time. The day he could shave it off
would be a celebration.

He glanced over his shoulder and couldn’t
make anyone following him. In the ablution block, he checked the stalls and
cursed under his breath. The last one was occupied.

After using the facilities, he headed back
to the dining room. Sorrel was smart. She was resourceful. She’d find shelter,
somewhere to stay until she managed to sort herself out.

“Ah, there you are,” Brother Felix said
when Jake entered the dining room. “Brother Rick wants to see you in his
office.”

Jake nodded and continued farther into the
dining room.

“Now,” Brother Felix said.

“I haven’t finished my dinner.”

“I’ll get the sisters in the kitchen to box
it up for you to have later.”

Jake turned slowly, scanned the man. He had
a hell of a poker face. Jake nodded. “Sure. I’ll come now.”

Outside the dining room Brothers John and
Tyrone fell into step with Jake, flanking him.

“You attending the meeting too?” Jake
asked.

“We’re witnesses,” Brother Tyrone said.

“I see.” It was shakedown time. Hell, maybe
he could help Luke get the bastard for blackmail and extortion as well as
cattle rustling. The thought made his mood perk right up.

Outside the closed office door, the trio
paused and Brother John knocked on the door.

A snort escaped Jake unbidden. “Why do I
feel like I’m back at school, visiting the principal?”

“Quiet,” Brother Felix barked, coming up
behind them. “Have a little respect.”

Respect had to be earned.
Wisely Jake kept his mouth shut.

“Come in,” Brother Rick called.

Jake stepped inside, hesitating when he
noted the lack of chairs. Better and better. Brother Rick intended to treat him
like a lackey.

Yes, sir. No, sir.

A snort of derision pressured his chest,
but he didn’t allow himself the luxury of releasing his emotions. Better men
than Brother Rick had interrogated him and failed. Let him do his worst.

“Thank you for helping today,” Brother Rick
started. “I understand you’ve decided to stay with us.”

“That’s right,” Jake said.

“Then I won’t need to use any…persuasion to
insure your loyalty.”

“Of course not,” Jake said. “I like it
here. I feel right at home, even though I haven’t been here long.”

“Good. Good.” Brother Rick clasped his
hands behind his head, leaning back in his chair. “Do you have any idea about
what tasks you’d like to perform around here?”

“I don’t mind,” Jake said. “I’m happy to
work in any area I’m required. I like a bit of variety.” Somehow he managed to
get the words out without choking.

“Is your limp still improving or is that as
good as it will get?” Brother Felix asked.

“The doctor I saw said it will never be a
hundred percent again.” The truth, even though it pained him to voice the fact.

“Pity,” Brother Rick said. “That might make
you a liability in some situations.”

Jake shrugged. What the hell did they
expect him to say? “Did you need me for anything else tonight?” He wanted to
get Luke to find Sorrel, to make sure she was in a safe place.

“There is the contribution of your assets
to Children of Nature,” Brother Rick said.

“Of course,” Jake said. “I’ll need to go
into town tomorrow morning to withdraw my funds. I can let you have them
tomorrow. Is that all right?”

“You could transfer your funds via the
Internet,” Brother Rick said.

“You have Internet access here?” Jake
didn’t try to hide his surprise.

“I intend to take Children of Nature into
the future.”

“I see.”

Brother Rick’s gaze was piercing, but he
couldn’t hide the faint tinge of greediness in his expression. “Which bank are
you with?”

“I’m sorry, but it will have to wait,” Jake
said. “I haven’t registered for Internet banking. Computers give me headaches.
I’ll get you cash as soon as the bank opens tomorrow.”

Brother Rick gave a curt nod. “Excellent.
That’s all for tonight. I’ll see you in the morning.”

Jake accepted his dismissal with good
grace. He exited the office and by habit, he limped over to Sorrel’s workshop.
It was as good a place for privacy as anywhere.

In the workshop, Jake switched on one lamp
and checked the place, making sure there was no one present to eavesdrop on
him.

Once assured he was alone, Jake pulled out
the cell phone Luke had given him. He pushed speed dial and waited anxiously
for someone to pick up.

“Luke?” he asked when someone picked up the
other end.

“Yeah.”

“Have you seen Sorrel? They kicked her out
of the cult while I was away. Have you seen her?” The words wouldn’t stop
spouting out of his mouth. His hand trembled, and he clenched it harder around
the phone. “Luke?”

“She’s spending the night in our spare
room.”

Jake slumped against the wall, relief
buckling his knees. “Is she okay?”

Luke chuckled, and Jake heard the rustle of
paper. “Sorrel marched into the police station this afternoon and dropped a
bombshell. Have you got anything for me?”

“What bombshell?”

“According to Sorrel she suspects Brother
Rick is responsible for the death of the original cult leader.”

“Does she have proof?” And more to the
point, why the hell hadn’t she told him when they’d discussed the matter
earlier?

“Yes, but it’s in Brother Rick’s office.”

“She didn’t trust me.” The realization sent
a sliver of pain darting straight to his chest. “I’ve got info for you.” Jake
rattled off the details of his day and directions to where they’d left the
beast in the chiller. “There’s something else. They took photos of me, photos
to make it look as if I was responsible for killing the animal and butchering
it. Tonight they were ready to blackmail me into joining the cult. When I said
I’d decided to join them, they wanted me to transfer my money to their account
right away. I got the impression they’re desperate for money.”

“Good.”

“What is Sorrel going to do? Can I talk to
her?”

“She’s taking a shower,” Luke said. “Can
you get into town tomorrow some time?”

“Yeah, they want me to get my money for
them tomorrow. But they seemed so desperate. It wouldn’t surprise me if they
offered to drive me down and waited for the cash.”

“Could you put them off for a day?”

“Why? What are you thinking?” Jake didn’t
want to stay on the compound for any longer than he had to.

“If I could get a search warrant, we could
serve it while they’re away in town. That way I could take Sorrel with me.
She’s the one who knows where to find the proof we need to get rid of Brother
Rick.”

“I don’t like Sorrel getting mixed up in
this.”

Luke sucked in a quick breath. “Holy hell.”

“What?” Jake said. “What’s wrong?”

“Sorrel just walked into the room.
She…she…” Luke trailed off with a soft whistle.

“You’re married,” Jake snapped. “Keep your
damn eyes off.”

A long pause. “Ah, so that’s the way of it.
I wondered.”

“Don’t,” Jake said. “Have you got the tests
back on those pills?”

“Not yet,” Luke said. “I should have them
next week.”

The creak of one of the steps outside made
Jake mutter a curse. “Gotta go. I’ll try to see you tomorrow.” He clicked the
phone shut and tucked it out of sight under his robe. He dropped to his knees
and bowed his head, muttering random things out loud.

“Please I seek guidance on this matter,” he
murmured. Meantime every one of his senses scrambled to let him know how many
people loitered outside the door.

At the last moment, instinct propelled him
to remove the cell phone from his person and tuck it out of sight.

“I need to know how I should act, what I
should do.” Memories of Greg flooded him, the wounds of loss painful and
tender.

The door behind him flew open without
warning. Brother Felix and Brother Tyrone stood in the doorway.

Jake gave an obvious start and hoped he
hadn’t overdone it. He cowered a fraction before straightening.

“What are you doing?” Brother Felix
demanded. “Who were you talking to?”

“I was praying.” Jake remained on his
knees, despite the silent urge propelling him to stand to gain even footing
with the two men towering over him.

“Why are you doing it here?” Brother Felix
remained suspicious.

“Habit,” Jake said, keeping his voice low
and timid. “I knew I’d be alone down here.”

“Search the building,” Brother Felix
snapped.

Jake forced himself not to react. He
climbed laboriously to his feet, grunting for effect. “I may have over done
things today.”

“You were talking to someone,” Brother
Felix said. “Who?”

“I was talking to God,” Jake said. As much
as it galled him to buckle under anyone’s gaze, he forced himself to do it this
time. He stared at his sandals in the same manner Sorrel employed.

“Put your hands in the air.”

“Why?” Jake kept his focus on Brother
Felix, sensing he was the more dangerous of the two. Brother Tyrone was nosily
searching the workshop, but not in a systematic manner. Jake was pretty
confident he wouldn’t find the phone.

“I want to search your person.”

Damn, he’d find the knife. Too bad. While
he preferred a weapon of some sort, there was more than one way to kill a man.
“W-why?” Fuck, he hated acting the ninny. Luke was gonna buy him a beer or two
after this stint. At least Sorrel was safe, out of their clutches. Just a bit
longer, he told himself as he raised his hands in the air.

Brother Felix patted him down. His eyes
narrowed when his hand skimmed across Jake’s knife. “What’s this?”

“A knife,” Jake said.

“Why do you have a knife?”

“Habit,” Jake said. “It comes in handy for
all sorts of things.”

Brother Tyrone concluded his halfhearted
search and rejoined them. He laughed now in disbelief. “What sort of things?”

“Well.” Jake paused, flicking through his
mind for suitable reasons. “While I’ve been helping Sister Bitter I’ve used it
to cut sprigs of herbs and leaves. I’ve cut rope, strips of cloth to bind wounds.
I’ve used it to quarter apples and cut meat.” Surely that was enough bullshit
to bury them?

“We don’t condone weapons on this
compound,” Brother Felix snapped.

“But it’s not a weapon.” Jake’s gaze shot
to his sandals again. They were dusty and still bore dirt from this afternoon.
Maybe he should clean them tomorrow.

“Give it to me,” Brother Felix said.

“I…okay.” Jake slipped his hand under his
robe and removed both knife and sheath. That sucker was sharp and he wouldn’t
want anyone to hurt themselves.

“I will be informing Brother Rick of this.”

“Of course,” Jake said. “I’m sorry. I
didn’t realize I was breaking the rules. The last thing I want to do is upset
anyone.”

“You should leave the workshop. This place
is out of bounds until Brother Rick decides what is to be done with it.”

Surprise hit Jake at the decision. “I
thought the shop earned Children of Nature a tidy income.”

“You thought wrong. The place doesn’t break
even.”

Because for some reason Brother Rick had
told the shop staff to practically give away Sorrel’s products.

“Of course. I’m a newcomer here. I believed
what I was told.”

Brother Felix snorted. “Sister Bitter lives
in a fantasy world. I hate to say it, but she’s as mad as her mother.”

Mad? It was the first Jake had heard this
particular accusation. Brother Rick and his cohorts went out of their way to
belittle Sorrel at every opportunity, and he still didn’t know why. If he added
murder into the mix perhaps he could make better sense of matters.

“She did say a few weird things,” he
allowed.

“Like what?”

“I don’t like to repeat gossip,” Jake said.

“Right,” Brother Felix said. “You’re coming
with me. You can tell Brother Rick what Sister Bitter told you.”

Hell, he didn’t want to be interrogated by
the man again tonight. “Nothing that I believed,” Jake said. “Could it wait
until morning? I’m very tired. Sometimes my leg pains me, and I don’t sleep
well.”