Read Bad Samaritan for Free Online Page A

the sun that way, like some French Foreign Legion soldier.” Smitty, the town’sgrocer, often left day-old sandwiches on a window ledge at the back of his store for Scout. They’d always be gone by morning. Others in the community also left out food for him.
    â€œThat’s the guy. With all the chow at hand yesterday, he’d have been here,” Chuck said. “No way he’d pass up the chance to scrounge for food. Mike Herrera, who was working at one of the refreshment stands, told me that he saw him filling a grocery bag with hot dogs and buns snagged from paper plates.”
    â€œPeople tend to ignore the homeless, or just look away, not wanting to make eye contact. There’s no telling what Scout might have seen,” Sister Agatha said.
    â€œExactly. Like maybe the killer?”
    â€œWould Scout return here so soon, though? Particularly with the police and media so interested in the place?” she asked as an afterthought.
    â€œThe police
were
here, but they’ve been gone for hours now. I was hoping he’d come back to look around some more.”
    â€œLet’s take a walk, look around, and see what we can find,” Sister Agatha said.
    Chuck fell into step beside her. “The sheriff and you have been good friends for years. This has got to be hard on you—particularly in view of the recent bad news at the monastery,” he added, deliberately not looking at her.
    His words and the implication took her by surprise. The townspeople hadn’t yet been told that Our Lady of Hope Monastery would probably be shut down.
    â€œWhat are you referring to?” she asked, careful not to give anything away.
    â€œI’ve heard that your cook, one of the really old nuns, passed on.”
    She stared at him and blinked. “Huh?”
    â€œSister Bernarda told Smitty that your meals were a lotmore basic now because the nun that used to cook is no longer with you.”
    â€œShe’s not at the monastery, but she’s not dead,” Sister Agatha said, laughing, then realized that her statement would require more of an explanation than she’d been prepared to give. Well, it was too late now. She had to say something. “Sister Clothilde is very elderly. She needed to go to another monastery that has more resources and is better able to cater to her special needs. She moved away, that’s all.”
    â€œYou have retirement homes for nuns?” Chuck asked, his gaze continuing to take in the area around them as he searched for Scout.
    â€œWe have retirement homes, yes,” she answered, grateful that he hadn’t specifically asked if Sister Clothilde was now living in one of them. She wouldn’t have wanted to lie.
    They’d been circling around the perimeter of the park and were getting close to the community center, a large one-story block structure, when Chuck stopped and turned to face her.
    â€œWhat’s up?” Sister Agatha asked him quickly.
    â€œSomebody’s standing behind that cottonwood tree next to the community center’s trash bins. I think it’s Scout, but don’t look over there now,” he warned. “If we spook him, he’ll just disappear.”
    Sister Agatha leaned down to pet Pax, then glanced sideways. There was a flicker of movement as a shape backed farther into the shadows.
    â€œScout’s jumpy and usually won’t let anyone get close. I think we need to box him in real subtle-like. If we try to approach him directly, he’ll bolt and we’ll never catch him. He knows the ditch banks and the bosque like the back of his hand.”
    â€œWhat’s your plan?” she asked.
    â€œStay here for a minute or two, Sister, then walk off. Pretendyou’re training Pax. I’ll head for the community center, but instead of going inside, I’ll circle around and wait at the corner. Give me a few minutes to get in place, then stroll toward the back of the