The Night Killer

supposed to happen here.” She felt her face getting warm. “Not in this country, where we cherish freedom and safety. But Conrad did it.”
    They looked at each other and back at Diane.
    “We don’t believe you,” Maud said, shifting her shoulders back and her chin up.
    “There are half a dozen witnesses, but I suppose you wouldn’t believe them either,” said Diane.
    Diane couldn’t figure out why they were here. They’d made up their minds not to believe her, so why bother with the trip? Then she realized: They had a part in it. Therefore, they didn’t want it to be true. Classic cognitive dissonance with a generous splash of guilt. The brain can’t hold two contradictory beliefs without some serious mental fireworks. For them, Leland Conrad was a good man. But good men don’t cause women to be raped. So one must be a lie. It was more comfortable to let the lie be on Diane. She wasn’t having any of it.
    “He’s admitted it,” said Diane.
    “He didn’t. He couldn’t,” said Maud. “You’re lying.”
    “Look, I don’t have time to stand out here all day telling you what you came here refusing to believe anyway. It wastes both our time.”
    “Some are saying he did it to teach you a lesson . . . that he wasn’t going to let it happen,” said Earl. “The deputy was supposed to stop it but he got sick. That’s one rumor.”
    So they know more about it than they initially let on.
    “Deputy Bob is known to be unreliable, and Conrad puts him in charge of something as important as saving me from a brutal gang rape? So we have criminal negligence, rather than just plain criminal, is that it?”
    “It wasn’t his fault about Bob,” said Earl.
    “It’s all right with you that he thought it was his job to teach me a lesson? That’s not a problem for you? Would it be okay if he did the same thing to you? Or to someone you love?”
    “Well, it’s not the same thing at all,” said Earl.
    “You were interfering. You were warned off,” said Maud. “You violated the sheriff’s order.”
    “Well, let’s examine that,” said Diane. “Before I went to your church on Sunday, I checked the statutes to see if perhaps your sheriff had been granted the authority to ban someone from setting foot in the county. Rendell County doesn’t have any such provision. Neither do the statutes of the State of Georgia. The State of Georgia frowns on individual sheriffs making and enforcing their own laws. In fact, it is prohibited by the state constitution. The sheriff is sworn to uphold that constitution and enforce the laws of the State of Georgia. He is sworn to protect the personal freedoms and the personal safety of everyone who lives or travels within the borders of Rendell County. Everyone —not just those he likes or those who support him.”
    “These are bad times,” said Earl. “Sometimes you have to do things you don’t like in order to protect people.”
    “We are simple people of faith,” said Maud. She straightened her shoulders again, which had begun to sag, hopefully under the weight of Diane’s words.
    “But your faith is not enough for these times?” said Diane.
    “It certainly is. Why would you say that?” said Maud. “Why would you say such a thing?”
    “I didn’t. Your husband said it. He just said you have to do things contrary to your beliefs in order to be safe. You’re saying your beliefs are fine when the times are good and things are going along okay, but they aren’t good enough for hard times, when they are needed the most.”
    They looked at each other again. “You’re twisting our meaning,” said Earl.
    “No, I’m not. If you examine your words and carry your statement to its logical conclusion, you’ll see that I’m not twisting anything.”
    “Sheriff Conrad is a good man. He’s been good to us. And he’s had a hard life,” said Maud. “His wife committed suicide when Travis was just a boy. His in-laws blamed him and tried to turn little Travis against him. Poor Travis had a real hard time after his mother died. He got into alcohol, vandalism, and some reckless driving. Nothing bad, but Leland was worried sick about him. That’s why he joined his church. He thought the kind of strict beliefs they have would help Travis, and they have. He’s a fine young man and it’s Leland’s doing. And Leland does what he thinks is best for the community,” Maud added.
    “And then there was this thing with Joe Watson,” said Earl. “We don’t need