Page 8 of Serial Burn

“Good.” Nathan tucked his thumbs into the front pockets of his pants. “His wife’s going to need the support.”

“She’ll get it. They have a lot of friends.” The doctor glanced at his phone. “I’ve got to take this. I have your card and will be in touch if anything changes.”

“Thank you.”

The man left, phone pressed to his ear, and Nathan turned to Andrew, who was looking at his phone. “Any progress on security footage around the church?”

“Nothing so far. If there’s anything, we probably won’t have it until the morning. But frankly, it’s in such a rural area, I’m not holding out much hope. Not everyone has cameras on their front doors.”

“Maybe not everyone, but they’re checking convenience stores, liquor stores, and gas stations in addition to the home cameras on all the routes to and from the church. Just need one.”

“True, but we haven’t found it yet.”

“And no one driving by saw anything.” He shook his head. “I refuse to believe we’re at a dead end. What are we missing?”

Andrew pursed his lips. “I haven’t got a clue. I’m afraid we’re going to have to wait for the evidence to be analyzed before we’re able to go much further.”

“Let’s go talk to the pastor again. He gave his statement but needs to be formally interviewed. Then we’ll just start visiting the members of the congregation one by one until we find something.”

“Sounds like a lot of work. We’d better get busy.”

“Busy with what?” Jesslyn asked, walking up to them.

“Talking about visiting members of the congregation,” Nathansaid. “See if anyone knows anything that might help us figure out a motive for burning the church down. What brings you here?”

“Food. And Lainie. I was getting ready to head home to grab some sleep but wanted to check on Mr. Christie first.”

Nathan filled her in on what the doctor said, then told her his and Andrew’s rough investigative plan. “What do you think about that?”

“I think that’s a logical next step.” She glanced at her phone. “Chuck’s probably sound asleep, but he won’t mind you waking him if you need to.”

Nathan glanced at Andrew. “What do you think?”

“It can wait until morning. He’ll be at the church first thing, right?”

Nathan attended as much as he could but didn’t keep up with the man’s schedule other than to know he was usually there in the mornings.

Jesslyn nodded. “He’ll be there by eight o’clock unless there’s an emergency or something.” She nodded to Mr. Christie’s room. “Like visiting Bud’s family.” She hesitated. “You have his number, just text him and let him know you’re going to stop by. He’ll be there if you do that.”

“Good idea. I think I need some sleep so my brain will start working again.” Fatigue gripped Nathan. He needed rest if he was going to be of any use to anyone. He looked at Andrew. “Meet you there around seven forty-five?”

“Meet you there.” The man yawned. “I’m going home to grab a bite to eat and some sleep. Or maybe just sleep. See you in the morning.”

When he left, Nathan turned to Jesslyn. “You think you can use your influence to put a rush on the evidence analysis?”

“I’ve already put in the request.”

He smiled. “Thanks. Any more thoughts on the fire?”

“No. Sorry. I’m like you. I need the evidence processed.” She nodded to Mr. Christie’s room. “He didn’t deserve that. No one deserves that, but he’s just the kindest soul you’ll ever come across.”

“I’ve never met him, but I’m really sorry.” Nathan was there on Sundays. Mr. Christie was there during the week.

“Me too.” She sighed. “On a positive note, though, did the doc tell you his face was protected? Most of his burns are on his back below his shoulders. The firefighters got to him before the flames reached his face, so that’s a huge blessing.”

“For sure.”

“We’ll just have to pray for him. But for now, I guess it’s time to call it a day.” She patted his arm. “Go home, Nathan. I’ll let you know when I hear something.”

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