Free A Shred of Evidence by Kathy Herman Page A

started doodling. “I’m gonna keep an eye on Hamilton. But Hank thinks he’s innocent, and I put a lot of stock in Hank’s judgment.”
    “Why—because he picked
you
to pitch the final inning in that championship game?”
    Will laughed. “We won, didn’t we? Listen, I gotta get back to work. By the way, did you ever ask out that lady who runs the clothing shop?”
    “Nah, I haven’t had time.”
    “You big chicken.”
    Gordy sighed. “I don’t think I’m ready, Will. It’s a big step.”
    “Listen, friend, life’s too short to put off the good stuff. Why don’t you just jump in with both feet and ask her out?”
    “Every time I see her I get so flustered one foot ends up in my mouth.”
    “You just need to build up your confidence.”
    “You really think any woman’s gonna get cranked up overa guy with a spare tire that would put Goodyear to shame?”
    “Yeah, I do. You’re a big teddy bear. Women like that. But would it be so bad to get a haircut a little more often and learn to skip second helpings? You’ve got a lot to offer. Don’t sell yourself short.”
    Ellen looked at her watch, then picked up the remote and turned on the TV
    “Good evening, this is Shannon Pate …”
    “And Stephen Rounds. Welcome to Regional News at Six. Seaport police are trying to uncover the motivation behind a blatant and troubling act of vandalism in north Seaport.
    “Shortly after sunrise this morning, Seaport police began getting calls from concerned citizens who had driven past the home of Ross and Julie Hamilton in the 900 block of Whitmore and saw the words ‘Child Molester’ spray painted on the garage door. Jared Downing is at the scene. Jared, tell us what you know.”
    “Stephen, I’m standing outside the Hamilton residence, and you can see the words ‘Child Molester’ are still visible, even after being painted over. Police have investigated the situation and have made no arrests in the case. But sources inside the police department told WRGL News that the incident may have occurred in response to a February 15th article that appeared in the
Biloxi Telegraph
, and which outlined a series of accidental deaths involving Ross Hamilton, including the death of his four-year-old son Nathaniel—and the unexplained disappearances of two young women.
    “It’s unclear at this hour what precipitated the vandal to write ‘Child Molester’ on the garage. But given Ross Hamilton’s history, local residents want answers, fearing that someone may be pointing a finger at a sexual predator. Hamilton and his wife, who have a two-year-old daughter, have refused to comment.
    “Police Chief Will Seevers would not comment on the case,but did say that Biloxi police had no evidence to indicate Hamilton was guilty of a crime, nor has he ever been charged with a crime. This is Jared Downing, reporting live. Stephen …”
    “Thanks, Jared. Well continue to bring you breaking news as it happens. In other news tonight …”
    Ellen turned off the TV and sat for a moment, trying to absorb the impact of what had happened. She shuddered to think of Sarah Beth being in that house.
    The phone rang and Ellen went out to the kitchen and picked it up.
    “Hello.”
    “It’s me,” Guy said. “Brent and I are getting ready to go out for dinner, but I wanted to check in first and see how your day went. How’s your hand?”
    “About the same. But you’re not going to believe the latest in the Hamilton situation.”
    Ellen told him about the vandalism at the Hamiltons’ and the stir it had created in the community. She also told him about her meeting with Chief Seevers.
    “Did the police chief comment on the article?” Guy said.
    “Very little, since it didn’t allude to child molestation and that’s the crime in question. The fact that Hank Ordman thinks Ross is innocent seems to carry a lot of weight with him.”
    “Yes, but no police chief worth his salt is going to decide a man’s guilt or innocence based on the