by Kathy Ivan
When they turned right at the hallway’s intersection, he wondered what was going on, because they always turned left when taking him to see his lawyer. The rooms to the right had glass separating the prisoners from their visitors, whereas the rooms on the left were for the attorneys and their clients to have private, privileged conversations. A knot started forming in his gut. He didn’t like this, not one bit.
When the guard opened the door, he looked down the row of chairs on his side of the glass dividing the prisoners from their guests. Most of the seats were occupied with inmates, spending their few precious moments of quality time with their loved ones. Further down the row, he spotted a familiar face, though it wasn’t the one he’d been expecting.
How he hated speaking through these phones to the person on the other side of the glass. It was hard to intimidate somebody when you couldn’t get up close and personal, show them who was boss. Might not be necessary for this particular guest, though. She was somebody—special.
“Corinne, what are you doing here? I thought I was meeting with your husband.”
“Change of plans, sweetie. Jonathan’s dealing with his own problems right now. Did you know the FBI is breathing down his neck? Have you got any idea how hard it is to be married to somebody stupid?”
“What did he do?” Big Jim enunciated each word, spitting them out like bullets. Drury might be an excellent lawyer who knew every fine point of the law, but the man wasn’t the sharpest wit outside the courtroom.
“The imbecile tried to kidnap Sharon. Can you believe it?”
He closed his eyes and counted to ten. “Tell me everything.”
“Well, he told you I found her, right? I showed him the photo in the magazine.” She smiled happily, practically bouncing in the chair. He made a moue of distaste, staring at her garish outfit, which was probably two sizes too small for her ever-expanding frame. Corinne had once been an attractive woman, and they’d had a brief fling, but she’d let herself go to seed. She’d always like having her ego stroked, which was one thing he could still do, no matter how distasteful.
“You did a wonderful job, Corinne. Jonathan sang your praises the last time he was here, and yes, he showed me the picture. Imagine, of all the people looking for Sharon, you were the only one who was able to find her.”
“I know. She’s been in some little town in Nowhere, Texas, all this time. I couldn’t believe how different she looked with the darker hair, but I recognized her immediately. You can’t fool me, I’ve got a great eye.”
“Of course you do, sweetheart. Now, tell me about Jonathan and the FBI. You said he tried to kidnap her?”
Corinne preened beneath his attention, patting her stringy hair and batting her heavily mascaraed eyes his way. “He went to that town, Shiloh Springs. He said he found Sharon staying with a family there called the Boudreaus. He dug up all kinds of information on her, like the kind of car she drives, how she works for the real estate company, everything. Anyway, he knew she was staying with this Boudreau family on their ranch. Can you imagine Sharon living on a ranch?” She gave a shudder. “Jonathan said he parked along the road leading to the Boudreau ranch. Sat there for hours, waiting and watching. He’d almost given up when he spotted her car in the distance, coming toward him.”
Big Jim could hear the rising excitement in Corinne’s voice, her whole body practically vibrating with it. Leave it to Drury to pull some boneheaded stunt and have it backfire spectacularly, and get the FBI involved. He drummed his fingers on the countertop, his mind racing with possibilities. This was a bloody fiasco, but maybe he could make something good happen from it, he simply needed to think. Come up with the right angle to make things work in his favor.
“Go on, Corinne. What did Jonathan do next?”
“He sideswiped her car, forced her off the road. He swears he didn’t hit it hard, he wasn’t trying to hurt her. Anyway, she climbed out of her car and came over to check on him, thinking maybe he was hurt. She honest-to-goodness trotted over like a puppy. The plan was to snatch her up, stash her somewhere, then come and find out what you wanted done. Only his car got too damaged, and he was going to have to take hers.”
“Wait, you’re telling me he really did try and kidnap Sharon? Where’d he come up with such a seriously stupid move?” Corinne pulled back, leaning away from the glass, some of her excitement dimmed. He must’ve let too much of his anger seep into his voice. Now he had to do damage control, and stroke her ego, because he was going to need Corinne’s cooperation to try and rectify the shambles her husband had made.
“He—he was only trying to help, Big Jim.”
“I know, sweetheart. It’s so hard, sitting behind these walls, unable to deal with things firsthand. And you’re doing the right thing, bringing this to my attention. If the government thinks I had anything to do with trying to hurt Sharon, I’ll never get my appeal heard.”
A trembling smile blossomed on her lips, and he knew he had her back on the hook. He should have remembered he needed to use a gentle touch with Corinne, because as bold as she might project herself to others, underneath she was an insecure little girl thinking she could play with the big kids. The best plan of action, at least until he was sprung from this place, was to play along, let her believe in her own self-importance. She’d learn soon enough how very wrong she was about her place in his world—as would her husband.
“Tell me the rest. He obviously botched things, or the feds would be all over me, thinking I orchestrated the whole thing.”
“Jonathan said Sharon took off running. There are woods and trees along that stretch of road, and she bolted after slamming his wrist in the car door. Poor thing is in so much pain.”
He ain’t seen nothing yet.
“He chased after her and grabbed her, but he said she hit her head on a tree branch, knocked herself out and wouldn’t wake up. Then he heard some men in the woods, and he got spooked. He took off and one of them chased him all the way to the street. He was smart though, and stole Sharon’s car to get away.”
“How is that smart, Corinne? The cops are going to be looking it and for Jonathan.”
She emphatically shook her head, leaning close to the glass and spoke in an almost whisper into the phone. “He ditched the car in a shopping center. And he swears the guy chasing him didn’t get close enough for a good look at his face. Cousin Phil drove down and picked him up and drove him back home.”
“What about Sharon?”
Corinne bit her lip, and didn’t meet his gaze. “We don’t know what happened to her. I—I called a couple of hospitals, but there’s no record of Sharon Berkley or Serena Snowden, the name she uses in Texas.”
His thoughts were a blur, racing one after the next. If she’d died, he’d have heard from one of his contacts. Which meant she was still alive, at least for the moment. He needed her alive a little while longer. Long enough to gain access to the money in the Cayman Islands’ account. He needed that money. The DOJ had frozen every one of his assets, hundreds of millions of dollars, and without the infusion of funds from the offshore bank, all his contacts, his hackers, would dry up and evaporate, because nobody did anything out of the goodness of their hearts. People weren’t kind and generous and giving souls. They were black-hearted, greedy, avaricious, money-hungry sharks who’d sell you out to the next highest bidder who came along.
“Corinne, you said the FBI came to see you. What exactly did they want?”
“They wanted to shake Jonathan’s alibi, wanted me to tell them he hadn’t been home when the accident happened. The FBI agent was hot, and he flirted outrageously with me, but I didn’t tell him anything.”
“Good.” He stood, and the guard took a step toward him. “Tell Jonathan I want to see him. We have a few things to discuss about my upcoming appeal.” He contemplated her carefully, knowing as much as he wanted to toss her to the wolves, he’d need her when he got out, at least in the beginning. After—well, who knew what might happen.
Dropping th
e phone into its cradle, he shuffled out the door and headed back to his cell, the guard following close behind. He could last a little longer. Because he was going to come out on top this time, and then they’d pay. They’d all pay.
CHAPTER TWENTY
Serena settled into the rocking chair in the living room with a sigh of contentment. Doc Stevens released her from the clinic, and Douglas showed up within minutes of the paperwork being signed, ready to deliver her back to the ranch. The FBI agent Williamson had assigned to guard her stood by, watching every movement of the clinic’s staff, and she’d heard him ask Douglas for identification before he’d been allowed into her room. The agent followed them to the ranch, and was now ensconced in the kitchen with a cup of coffee and some baked goods. Ms. Patti never let anybody in her house go hungry.
It felt good to be back at the ranch. The minute they’d driven through the large gate leading to the Boudreau property, she’d felt her world shift on its axis and everything felt right again. Driving up the long stretch of road, past the pastures filled with animals a sense of peace swept through her, and her soul felt like she was coming home.
She’d spotted Dane headed out of the barn as the car pulled up in front of the Big House. He’d smiled and waved before climbing onto his saddled horse. Liam followed close behind, and he dipped his head before riding out. Talking to Ms. Patti in the past, she knew the ranch raised cattle, and leased land to the government for horses. They also hired several ranch hands year-round, keeping the whole operation running.
Serena felt guilty about rushing off and leaving Ridge behind, and planned on apologizing profusely when she saw him again. She glanced up when she heard a noise, and smiled as Ms. Patti walked in, carrying a loaded tray, placing it on the footrest in front of her chair. A pitcher of tea and ice-filled glasses and a plate of cookies. Looking closely, she shook her head and laughed softly, because the cookies were oatmeal raisin. Her favorite. She honestly didn’t know how Ms. Patti managed to do everything she did: run a business, handle a whole crew of ranch hands, deal with a daughter in college, and even though all her sons were grown didn’t mean she didn’t still run them with an iron fist couched in a velvet glove. All that, in addition to being the town’s matriarch. She knew everything going on in Shiloh Springs—everything. Nothing happened in her town she didn’t know about as soon as it happened. There were whispers a lot of the town folk thought she was psychic.
“With everything going on, I forgot to ask. Did somebody help out Mr. Olson?”
Ms. Patti chuckled and slid onto the love seat across from Serena’s rocker. “Believe it or not, in all the confusion, Douglas was the one who remembered poor Mr. Olson. He’s fine, by the way. He waited around for you, and when you didn’t show, he went alone and viewed the property. After all his hemming and hawing for years, he decided he didn’t want to buy the place after all.”
“You’re kidding? He’s been after that place ever since I moved to Shiloh Springs.”
“Sometimes we build things up in our minds, make them bigger and better than they actually are.” Ms. Patti picked up a glass and poured the tea and handed it to Serena, then fixed one for herself. “Have you heard from my son?”
“Not yet. He told me he got a tip and headed to Dallas. I hope he gets back soon.”
The sound of the front door opening had Serena glancing toward the opening, surprised when Rafe walked in. “Afternoon, ladies.”
“Son. What brings you by?”
“I talked with Antonio. He’s on his way. Should be home soon, once he gets through all the Dallas construction.”
Serena started to stand, but sank back into her chair at Rafe’s glare. “He’s okay? Did he find anything?”
Rafe moved to sit on the loveseat beside Ms. Patti, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek, and snatched a cookie off the plate. “He’s going to want to tell you all the details in person, but let’s say it wasn’t a wasted trip.”
“Boy, you better tell me more if you ever expect me to cook for you again.” Ms. Patti folded her arms across her chest, her eyes firmly on Rafe.
“Momma, you know I can’t talk about an ongoing investigation.” He turned his head and winked at Serena. “But since it’s not actually my investigation, I’ll tell you what I can. Antonio got an anonymous tip yesterday. Somebody claimed to have enough incriminating evidence to keep Big Jim Berkley behind bars and derail any efforts he might entertain for an appeal.”
“A tip? Did it seem legit?” Serena cradled her wrapped wrist against her chest and scooted forward, studying Rafe intently. When he was in sheriff mode, he was nearly impossible to read, and right now, his face was an inscrutable mask, except for the hint of humor in his eyes, which he didn’t attempt to hide.
“I’m not at liberty to divulge what Antonio may or may not have found,” he said, holding up both hands, palms out, “but I’ll go out on a limb and say the government is going to be happy.”
“Does it mean Serena’s safe? That’s all I care about.”
Rafe wrapped his arm around his mother’s shoulder. “Serena’s never going to have to worry about Big Jim or any of his lunatic fringe ever again.”
“Son, that’s the best news! I’m going to make you the biggest pan of banana pudding you’ve ever seen. And you don’t have to share.”
Rafe grinned and rubbed his hands together. “I love being the bearer of good news. I get all the rewards and none of the flack.”
The screech of tires outside brought everybody on their feet, racing for the door. Serena heard the thud of boots against the wooden porch before she made it to the front door. It swung inward, and Antonio stood in the doorway, his eyes meeting hers, his lips curved upward in a slow grin.
“Sweetheart, we’ve got him!” Rushing forward, he pulled her into his arms, lifted her off the ground and spun her around. “There’s enough evidence to put him away and keep the feds chasing after his followers for years to come. It’s all over but the shouting.”
“I can’t believe it! It’s really over?”
“I e-mailed copies of everything to Williamson in Austin. Sent another sent to Rafe. I have the originals under lock and key in my own safe deposit box in Dallas, which I’ll turn over to Williamson in the morning. I didn’t want to drive back with them, in case somebody tried to pull something. But it’s over. There’s no way Big Jim escapes wearing an orange jumpsuit for the rest of his natural life.”
Serena sagged in his arms, relief swamping her. Her nightmare was ending. She was finally free.
Antonio led her back into the living room and helped her into the rocking chair. He moved the tray to the floor and sat on the footrest in front of her. Taking her free hand in his, he ignored his mother and brother, who stood in the opening to the living room, his focus solely on her.
“You’ll need to stay here for a while longer, until all the paperwork has been disseminated and verified. Williamson assured me they’re going after Drury too. They found his fingerprints all over the wrecked rental car, and they’ve got footage from the security cameras at the car rental place. He didn’t do the actual rental, his wife did, under the name Sharon Berkley.”
Serena started at Antonio’s words. “Corinne used my name? Why on earth would she try and pretend to be me? It would raise all kinds of red flags with the people looking for me.”
“A question for Williamson to ask her, but she had identification with your name and your information, so it wasn’t a random act. Makes me think the Drury’s had their own agenda.”
“Maybe it has something to do with what Jonathan said, about me being his ticket to freedom, though I’d have to think about it some more. I don’t care, as long as my uncle stays behind bars, and can’t hurt anybody ever again, that’s what matters.”
“Even with the best attorneys money can buy, he’s not getting out of prison. Nobody was killed in the bombings, which was a miracle in itself, but—he has killed. I’m sorry, Serena, but the evidence in the safe deposit box out
lines multiple people who were murdered on his orders.”
Serena stared at him, the words sinking in, a hollow acknowledgement of what she’d always suspected. Her uncle was a cold, calculating monster with no regard for human life or the wants and needs of others. An awful thought pushed its way to the front of her mind, and she couldn’t shake it, didn’t want to voice the question. But could she really live with herself if she didn’t?
“The people he had killed, was one of them my mother?”
Antonio shook his head. “I looked, but didn’t see anything about her. I remembered you saying she went missing when you were little. There isn’t anything to indicate what happened to her.”
Serena closed her eyes, trying to picture her mother’s face, but it had been too many years since her mother had disappeared from her life. Her father insisted she’d run off with somebody else, but Serena had never believed it, not for a minute. It seemed a shame her mother wasn’t around to see Big Jim get what was coming to him.
When she looked up, Rafe and Ms. Patti had disappeared, leaving her and Antonio alone in the living room.
“It still hasn’t sunk in, that it’s all over. No more hiding. No more running away, afraid all the time. It’s kinda surreal, but in the best way.”
“Does that mean you’ll stay here?”
“Wow, I’ve never really thought far ahead, if I’m being honest. Never let my guard down, because it was temporary and I knew I’d have to leave. Living in Shiloh Springs, it’s been the longest I’ve stayed in one place since the trial ended. Even when I bought the townhouse, I knew in the back of my mind I’d have to leave it behind one day. Now, I don’t know what I’m going to do.”
