Hangman's Curse Read Online Free Page B

walls—testified to that.
    A uniformed police officer also rose and offered his hand. Gessner introduced him. “Nate Springfield, this is Dan Carrillo, in charge of security.” Carrillo was a shorter man, a bit thin, and nervous, like a tight little terrier. He shook Nate’s hand and muttered hello, but didn’t appear too happy. Gessner continued, “He’s an officer with the Baker police, and this year we have him on campus full time to handle security.” Then he added with a twinkle in his eye, “He came with the metal detectors.”
    â€œAnd to serve as liaison between the school and the police department,” Carrillo added boldly. “When you talk to me, you’re talking to the Baker City Police—and they’re talking to you.” That last line came across as a stern reminder.
    Nate noticed Officer Carrillo’s badge, gun, belt radio, night stick, handcuffs, and beeper. He was serious about this. “It’s a pleasure to meet you, sir,” Nate said.
    â€œMaybe.” Officer Carrillo closed the office door as Gessner gestured to an empty chair. “But let’s be clear from the beginning. Mr. Gessner’s the one who called you in—”
    â€œMy pastor had read about you,” Gessner shared proudly.
    Carrillo continued, irritated by the interruption. “But I’m still not convinced you’re needed.”
    â€œWell, this would be a good time to find that out,” Nate replied, looking in Gessner’s direction.
    Gessner sat in his desk chair and rotated it toward the center of the room, facing Carrillo and Nate. “Well, Mr. Springfield comes with some impressive references from police departments all over the country.” He handed Carrillo a folder crammed with pages of information. “Take a look. He and his associates—his wife and kids, to be exact—have done undercover work, crime-scene reconstruction, sting operations, you name it.”
    Carrillo scanned the papers and scowled. “The Veritas Project? What’s that?”
    â€œIt’s what we are and what we do,” said Nate. “We’re privately funded—”
    â€œWhich means they don’t cost us a cent!” Gessner inserted.
    â€œâ€”to investigate unusual cases and uncover the Truth, whatever it is.”
    Carrillo read further. “‘Judeo-Christian principles applied to case study.’ . . . Is this religious?”
    Nate chuckled. “No. We just employ a tried-and-true way of looking at things.”
    â€œAnd considering what we’re up against,” said Gessner, “their way of looking at things could be exactly what we need.”
    â€œA way of looking at things?” Carrillo asked, his skepticism obvious.
    â€œOur country’s having its problems, Officer Carrillo,” Nate explained. “We’ve got drugs, disease, crime, violence, the breakup of the home, and that’s just naming a few. Now, everybody likes to find something or someone to blame, but we’re saying a big part of the reason is that we’ve lost sight of God. When you lose sight of God, you lose sight of what the Truth is. When The Veritas Project investigates a case, we assume up front that the Truth is the Truth, even if it isn’t popular, even if we don’t like it. The Truth is like God: It is what it is, and you can’t change it, and you can’t ignore it.”
    Carrillo nodded to himself. “A philosopher!” He scolded Gessner, “You bring us a philosopher when what we really need is more cops!” He looked at Nate. “No offense, Mr. Springfield, but I don’t see what all this, this touchy-feely, get-to-the-heart stuff has to do with our problem here.”
    â€œI think it has everything to do with it,” Gessner countered. “But you don’t have to worry about Mr. Springfield’s qualifications. Both he and his wife, Sarah, were with the