Hangman's Curse Read Online Free

anymore.”
    Perkins smiled. “Not if we can help it.”
    â€œSo . . . ,” Nate’s eyes scanned the room. “Let’s go, folks. We need to give this house back to the owners so they can get back to renting it. Gather up the gear—and whose cat is that?”
    While Perkins and Dunlop discussed who might own the cat, the Springfields opened cupboards and drawers, removing dishes, silverware, groceries, and dishtowels they’d placed there to make the kitchen look lived in. They also removed microphones strategically hidden behind the window shades, the ceiling light fixture, and under the counter.
    â€œOh, by the way, Nate,” said Sergeant Perkins, “Morgan called. He needs you to call him back right away.”
    â€œThanks,” Nate replied, stepping out onto the back porch and opening his cell phone. He punched in a number, the phone beeping with each entry.
    A woman’s voice answered after one ring. “ Veritas Project.”
    â€œThis is Nate Springfield.”
    â€œAh, hello, Nate. Hang on, I’ll connect you.”
    In only a few seconds, a man’s voice came on the phone. “Nate. How’d it go?”
    Nate looked toward the kitchen and the cleanup going on. “We have Marv.”
    â€œWonderful!”
    â€œHe was the last drug slave working for Gomez, so that clears that out. And now we finally got the information we needed on Gomez and the others, so there goes the drug ring— hopefully.”
    â€œExcellent! And what do you think of their antidrug program?”
    Nate smiled. “The reports we got were on the money. The police and prosecutors are joining up with the community and the churches too, and they’re working the problem at a heart level. I guess they’re finally starting to see that if you change the heart, the life will change with it. They’ve seen it work.”
    â€œThink it’ll work for Marv?”
    â€œWell . . .” Nate gave it some thought. “It worked for those other two kids Gomez owned. As for Marv, well, we’ve gotten to know him a while, and I think he has a good chance of turning things around. We’ve got a Christian family lined up to take him in. We’ll just have to let God do the rest from there.”
    â€œSo the Truth works.”
    Nate had to chuckle. “Well, yeah, if you give it a chance. The problem is, if you really want the Truth, then you have to have God along with it, and that gets a little sticky. If you can persuade the courts and communities to give God’s ways a try, then yeah, the Truth works—and that’s what I intend to report to the President.”
    â€œGood enough. Now get ready for another one. We just got word of something brewing in Baker, Washington. Some kids are getting sick and demented, and no one knows why. Could be drugs, could be toxic contamination, could be a disease—or it could be something nobody’s even thought of. Drug Enforcement’s been called, and so have Environmental Protection and the Centers for Disease Control, but they’re all backlogged and it’s going to take them weeks to get on it. Nate, the President wants you in Baker now. There are . . . well, let’s say there are certain undercurrents at that school, certain issues that the other agencies won’t be looking for. The President is counting on you to get this thing solved before these other people have a chance to muddle it all up with politics and press releases. As always, Nate, for the record . . .”
    â€œI know,” Nate had heard this disclaimer so often he had it memorized. “The President wants to know the reasons, not just the facts. The Veritas Project has nothing to do with his administration. The job is strictly unofficial, strictly up to me if I want to take it.”
    â€œYou’ve got it.” Morgan laughed.
    Nate took out his pen and pad. “Go ahead.”
    â€œWe were contacted by a