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The last seemed to be the asset that truly set Malachi Se’s list

"How do you know exactly how long he was in the store?" Jenna asked

"I was in the front when he caood at another store--and I happened to be picking up a broken bottle of ketchup on one of the aisles about fifteen minutes later We talked about a cut ofin the dairy section when he went through I know that kid was in the store at the titon was killed People around here want me to say otherwise, but I won’t What is--is" He sniffed "Those kids at the school have had it out for Malachi forever"

"Which kids?" Jenna asked

"The ones who claimed to have seen him come out of the house that day Nohy anyone would believe that David Yates over in to understand Oh, yeah Because he’s on the football tea brawny kid on the football team, and he and his pals toric Yep, sense and logic The Yates kid and his backfield mom are just as bad Now, I didn’t say that You askat that kid and in his own uilty as hell of being one bastard, excuse the language Whatever I knohat I know My eyes are sound, and I’ on"

"Thank you, Mr Sedge It’s wonderful that you’re not letting yourself be swayed by peer pressure"

"What is--is," he repeated "That kid ht have done anything else in the world--I couldn’t argue it But I can tell you this and it’s a fact--he didn’t kill Earnest Covington"

"Malachi claims that he’s innocent, too"

"But he wasn’t arrested for killing Covington, was he?"

"He’s being charged in the deaths of his family I’ets a little es, and I know that the police believe that Malachi killed Peter Andres and Earnest Covington, as well"

"He didn’t kill Covington And I told the cops that I don’t knohat they’re thinking, not to listen to et stuff stuck in their rateful for the courage of your convictions, Mr Sedge"

"What?"

"Thank you for sticking with the truth"

"The truth is the truth He didn’t kill Covington"

Jenna rose

"Of course…" Sedge began, rising politely

"Of course what?"

"Doesn’t mean he didn’t take an ax to his mom and dad Hell, if I’d been that kid, I’d have been tempted to take an ax to that old Abraham Smith!"

"You know," John Alden told Sam, "you need to thank God that usually, even with the s, we’replace With Malachi in custody, I haven’t been finding bodies anywhere, and I have the tireed to show Saton’s house They stood just outside, and Saive hiated as a detective to give

"You’re a true gereat believer in justice," Sam said

"Actually, you know, the cops usually ith the prosecutors," John rereat believer in justice, and therefore agree that the defense has the right to question witnesses and investigate when a client ht up in any red tape, and you like to keep an eye on ton was a er, lived alone, but he ordered out a lot, so it was actually a kid from the Pizza Palace who found hiton on the floor, right in front of the hearth The chalk marks are still there--as is the blood spatter," John said, his ton’s house was built in ton House: front and back entries, parlors to either side of the entrance, and a narrow stairway that led to several roo to the police report, it didn’t appear that the house had been ransacked in any way Just as in the murder of Peter Andres, it appeared that the killer ca in mind--murder

"The pizza kid found the door ajar?" Sam asked

"Yep, just like I said"

"Did your cri that indicated that the killer had jimmied the lock in any way?" Saain "And before you ask, there were soon sorting them all out"

"So what made you suspect Malachi Smith?" Sarim smile "Because we already suspected him in the case of Peter Andres"