Blood Legacy

by C. M. Sutter

  “Sounds good. I imagine we’ll all have to come back for the court date and testify unless they plead guilty.”

  “We can only hope that’s what they do. None of them have valid defenses that’ll stand up in court anyway.” With a nod of thanks and a promise to email Donny’s statement and our reports, Renz and I returned to our rental car and drove away.

  At the sheriff’s office, we asked to have Donny moved into the interrogation room. Meagher County didn’t have a deputy sheriff, but the next highest-ranking officer was Deputy Doug Manning. He took charge of getting Donny moved and ready for questioning. We weren’t about to go light on him either.

  Renz and I walked in and sat across from him. I took the lead just because I was fired up. “Hear the good news?”

  Donny shrugged. “You’re letting me go?”

  I looked at Renz and laughed. “The idiot has a sense of humor. Let’s see how long that lasts.” I pointed my chin at Donny. “Bart is in the hospital with a head injury. You know what those are like, right? I mean, Cassie can tell you how it feels. Anyway, we had a full-blown shoot-out at the ranch last night. Some of your buddies are dead, but Bart, damn it, I guess I didn’t club him hard enough with that branding iron.” I gave Donny a wink and smiled. “Here’s the rub, asshole. Either you tell us everything about Bart and the ranch, or you go down for numerous murders and attempted murder of two FBI agents.”

  “And if I talk?”

  “Unfortunately, we’ll probably suggest life in prison instead of death, but it’ll be up to the judge in the long run. Bart? He’s definitely headed for death row. Right now is the only chance you get for a deal, and the clock is ticking. You have five minutes to give us an answer.”

  “I lawyered up. You can’t talk to me.”

  “Sure we can. You only had twenty-four hours to come up with legal defense before your request was nullified. You didn’t do a damn thing about it, so here we are, and either you talk now, or you’ll get the lethal injection right alongside your boss. The buddy system—two for one, you know?” I tipped my wrist. “Four minutes. What does the brand stand for?” I waited. “Three and a half minutes. Who’s buried out in the field?” I continued to wait. “Three minutes. Who dumped the dead teens? You’re running out of time, Donny. Two and a half minutes.”

  “Okay, okay! It’s all on Bart and has been forever. His great-grandfather started that ranch. I heard he was a mean son of a bitch and branded not only the livestock but the employees too. It was the way things were back then, Bart’s own father told him, but with every generation, it got worse. Bart’s grandpa was as mean as hell, and during the Depression, he stopped paying the employees altogether. Then Bart’s dad continued that. The employees got food and a cot to sleep on, nothing more. Bart’s father got meaner and meaner as time went on. Hell, we’re all branded, including Bart by his own granddad. He had to work for no pay, and it’s never changed. The ranch continued to be passed down through the generations as the older men died. Bart called the ownership his legacy.”

  I leaned across the table and snarled in Donny’s face. “You mean his blood legacy? Don’t forget, he’s been killing kids too. Don’t tell me nobody knew what was going on.”

  “Seventy years ago, maybe, they did, but once Bart’s dad took the reins, they began bringing in throwaway kids—kids nobody knew or wanted. That way, they had no accountability for anyone. Bart’s dad and Bart himself treated them however they liked. Me and the other workers my age were some of the early ones, and we’ve been at the ranch ever since. You turn on Bart and you die, plain and simple. That’s why he started killing the older kids.”

  Renz clenched his hands into fists. “Because they were about to turn on him. They wanted to fight for their freedom.”

  Donny nodded as he stared at the table. “There’s more than one grave on the property. There’s dozens of people from over the years, but nobody has ever looked for them. They were unknowns.”

  “Yeah, like you said, throwaway kids. You make me sick. Bart makes me sick, and I can’t wait until the judge drops the hammer on both of you.”

  Wait! You said—”

  I held up my hand. “I know what I said, but the final decision is up to a judge or a jury if the case goes to trial. Let’s just say you cooperated after trying to kill Cassie and us. But don’t forget, you did kill Byron. We’ll let that bounce off the judge’s brain.”

  “I didn’t kill Byron. Clarence did, and Bart killed him because the wife didn’t die too. Tara was the main target. Clarence is in the newest grave out in the pasture.”

  “What’s his last name?” Renz asked.

  Donny shrugged. “No clue. None of us workers have last names. Never did.”

  I continued. “What’s Bart’s last name? It begins with an O, right?”

  “I know my place, so I never asked.”

  “What does the brand stand for?”

  He shrugged. “Names, I guess. All I know is that the great-grandfather’s first name was Otis.”

  I shook my head and continued. “What happened to Cassie’s sister, Jolie?”

  “Bart told—”

  “Take some responsibility, asshole! Who killed her?”

  “Me. I shot her in the back.”

  I slapped the table. “Where is she?”

  “Buried at the ranch next to Clarence.”

  I jerked my head toward the door. “Let’s go, Renz. I feel like I need a shower.”

  Chapter 61

  We wrapped up everything we needed to take care of. There was no reason to stay another day. All the reports and signatures could be handled digitally with the Great Falls FBI unit. Renz called ahead to Butte, where the jet had been for the last four days. He told the pilot to get it ready for a return flight to Milwaukee. It would be a two-hour drive back to Butte, but we had other things to address before we left.

  After checking out of the hotel and grabbing lunch, we headed to the hospital to say our final goodbyes. We stopped in Knight’s room shortly before his release papers were signed. He seemed okay and had been given a clean bill of health. There wasn’t any evidence of a concussion. We continued on to Burke’s room. After our knock and his yell to come in, we peeked around the curtain to see Burke lying on the bed, his leg bandaged and his wife at his side. She joked that she wished the doctor would keep him there a bit longer since it was so peaceful at home. We thanked Burke for all his help, wished him and his family well, and told him that Smythe would be returning his SUV to their house later that afternoon. Handshakes were exchanged, and we continued on.

  My throat thickened as we turned the final corner and walked down the corridor that led to Tara and Cassie’s room. I knew that the second I said anything, my voice would crack. There was a special place in my heart for Tara and Cassie, and they’d both endured unimaginable hardship and pain by losing the people they loved.

  Laughter came from the room as we got closer. I looked at Renz and smiled. “What the heck is going on in there?”

  He shrugged. “Let’s find out.”

  I knocked on the partially open door, and we stepped into a room with a half dozen people sitting inside.

  “What on earth?”

  Everyone chuckled, then Tara made the introductions. Agent DeLeon and Agent Monroe, these are my parents, Bill and Leona Moore.”

  “Nice to meet you folks, and our condolences go out to all of you.”

  Leona spoke up. “Thank you both for helping Tara and bringing those horrible criminals to justice.”

  “You’re more than welcome, ma’am, and prison is where they all belong and will be going.” I looked at the other two people in the room.

  Cassie spoke up, and with every sentence, her vocabulary was improving. “This is Mary Fredricks, my social worker, and John Cameron, my attorney.”

  I raised my brows. “Really?”

  Tara took over, and her eyes instantly welled up. “Cassie and I have spent many hours discussing where our lives are headed now.
We’ve grown close and have a special bond that we don’t want to let go of.”

  I knew exactly what Tara meant.

  “Since Cassie doesn’t have anyone, and I”—her voice cracked and she cleared her throat—“don’t either now except for my parents and a brother who lives in Salt Lake City, we’ve decided together that I would adopt Cassie as my own daughter.”

  Tears streamed down Cassie’s cheeks, too, then she took her turn. “Even though Tara isn’t physically old enough to be my mom, she said I should call her Mom anyway.” She wiped her eyes. “I’ve never had a mom.” Cassie looked at Mr. and Mrs. Moore and cried openly. “Or a grandpa or grandma.”

  I went to her side and hugged her. “You deserve the best things in life, honey, and so does Tara. You two are meant to be together.”

  Tara’s mom spoke up again. “As soon as the doctors release them, we’ll stay in Tara’s house until it sells. We and Byron’s parents will help Tara settle Byron’s affairs, then Tara and Cassie will move to Butte to live near us. We’ll help them find a home of their own that they can enjoy.”

  I coughed into my hand. “That sounds really nice, and I know you’ll have a wonderful life together.”

  John Cameron, the attorney, took his turn. “We’re finalizing the paperwork for Cassie today, and we’re working on a settlement for her and Jolie, along with all the other kids who were held captive on that maniac’s ranch. The money will come out of the proceeds from the ranch sales.”

  “About Jolie—”

  “We know where she is, Cassie, and she’ll be brought to wherever you want her laid to rest.”

  I handed Cassie a tissue. “It’s over with, sweetie, and you and Tara can go forward and make a new life. There will be tough times, but if you lean on each other, it’ll be okay in the end.”

  Renz walked over and gave them a one-armed hug. We shook everyone’s hands, and before we left, I gave Tara and Cassie my cards.

  “I don’t want you to forget me, so once you get settled, give me a call. I’d love to hear everything about your new lives. Promise me?”

  Cassie grinned. “I promise.”

  “Okay, then, I guess we should go. We’re heading back to Milwaukee later today, and we have a two-hour drive ahead of us. Pretty soon, Sheriff Burke and Deputy Knight will stop by. They want to meet Cassie and wish both of you good luck going forward.”

  “That sounds wonderful,” Tara said.

  As we walked to the door, Cassie called out to me. I turned around.

  “Yes, hon?”

  “I want you to know that I remember the first face I saw when I woke up. It was you, Agent Monroe, and I wanted to tell you that I love you.”

  My throat thickened again, but I knew it would. I wiped away my tears, and Renz squeezed my shoulder. “And I love you, too, Cassie Philips.” I blew both of them a kiss, stored that beautiful moment in my mind, and walked out.

  THE END

  Thank you!

  Thanks for reading Blood Legacy, the fourth book in the FBI Agent Jade Monroe Live or Die Series. I hope you enjoyed it!

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