OCR Text |
Show 160 "Sorry to be so long. I couldn't find the maid," Bonner told Hugo. "But I'll take you through the house myself if you want." "That won't be necessary, Charles," Harry Ward announced, belligerent again. "Chief Kerner, you've overstepped your authority, coming here to harass Canaan's most influential citizen. What are you trying to pull, Kerner? Whatever it is, forget it, because you're no longer chief of police. You're fired right now. In fact, you're damn lucky I'm firing you, because otherwise you could be tried for improper search and seizure." "Hold on a minute, Ward," Charles Bonner interrupted. "I'd like to get to the bottom of this. Surely Kerner wouldn't have come here if someone hadn't given him false information. Please have a seat, Mr. Kerner, and we'll...." Karl didn't hear the rest of Bonner's words, because at that moment the realization struck him. Upstairs were the bedrooms. Yulyona had been dressed in nightclothes. She and Charles Bonner must be...adulterers! Oh yes, Karl knew what the word meant. He'd first heard it in catechism class when he was a little kid, but he hadn't understood it until Andy explained it later. Yulyona! Doing that with Bonner! Moving woodenly, Karl passed through the library door, which Bonner had left open. The men didn't notice him leave, and Mary Margaret was gone from the hall. Quietly opening the front door, he stepped into the snow and ran down the driveway, his hot cheeks |