DEATH ON THE NEW MOON (A Troubled Waters Suspense Thriller Book 6)

by Michael Lindley

  Alex turned to his father who had just noticed Beau Richard's wife talking to his son. "Back in a minute, Pop? Alex saw that Ella Moore had come up and was sitting on the other side of his father. The two had obviously made up and were in deep and for the moment, affectionate conversation.

  Amelia helped him down and held his arm close as they made their way through the crowd to a back room that still had a few empty booths and was a bit quieter. She helped him into the booth then sat across from him. A server came up and asked for their order. Amelia told her to bring two waters and black coffee.

  Alex took a deep breath to gather himself, his head weaving and eyes trying to focus on the face of this woman.

  "I told you about the men looking for something they think Beau left behind before he was sent to prison," she said.

  Alex nodded, trying to recall the details of their earlier conversation.

  "I was out on our boat today," she continued. "I had the crew take me out to get some fresh air and think about what I was going to do with Beau being gone for at least ten years."

  "It's not my place, Amelia, but I'm not sure you should be waiting for a guy like that. You know he tried to kill me and how many others did he hurt or kill trying to run all that illegal business?" He knew his words were slurred but he could at least string a sentence together.

  "I know, Alex. It's all I've been thinking about since he's been gone."

  The girl brought over the water and coffee Amelia had ordered.

  Alex lifted the coffee cup with both hands to keep from shaking, first sniffing the strong brew and then swallowing a long hot gulp.

  "What did you want to tell me?" Alex asked.

  "On the boat today, we have some kayaks and I wanted to get out on the water for a while. It was very calm and one of the boys pulled a kayak from the lower bay for me. When he was helping me in off the stern of the boat, I felt something with my feet down at the end of the kayak. When I was away from the boat and crew, I reached down and pulled out a sealed bag."

  "And what was in the bag?"

  She took a sip from the water glass in front of her and looked back intently. "There were several thumb drives."

  "Thumb drives?"

  "Beau had a recorder on his office phone. I knew it was there because I came into his office one day and he was listening to some telephone conversations on his laptop."

  Alex was trying to keep concentrating on what she was telling him. The coffee had given him a small shock of clarity, but he found her face coming in and out of focus. He placed a hand on the table to steady himself and took another sip from the coffee. "And have you listened to these recordings?"

  She nodded. "I know why this Dellahousaye man is sending people to search our homes. There are several conversations Beau had with him about their business."

  "About their business?"

  "There are discussions about some very bad things... even murder."

  "And how do you think Dellahousaye knows about these recordings?" Alex asked

  "I don't know. Maybe Beau told him about them as some sort of insurance, maybe even to protect me."

  Alex was trying to think through all she was telling him when he noticed someone walking up to the booth. He turned to see Hanna stop just a few feet away. Even in his diminished, drug-induced state, he knew the scene didn't look good, him sitting in a back booth at a dive bar with a beautiful woman. He didn't even try to stand because he knew he might fall over again. "Hanna!"

  He watched as she stood for a moment, obviously taking in the situation. He was sure she was going to come to the wrong conclusions. "Hanna, come here. I want you to meet someone."

  Hanna came the rest of the way up to the table and didn't wait for Alex to make introductions. She held out her hand to Amelia Richards. "Hello, I'm Hanna Walsh."

  "Amelia," she answered, taking Hanna's hand in a quick shake.

  Alex started to speak but his gesture knocked over the water glass in front of him and most of the water spilled across the table into Amelia's lap. She slipped out of the booth quickly, reaching for napkins to wipe at her dress. Alex tried to get up too and nearly fell into Hanna, who helped him back on his seat, then stepped back and said, "I'm sorry to interrupt. Bad timing." As she turned to walk away, Alex could see her face was either confused, angry, disappointed... he wasn't sure. Her last words before walking away were, "Call me tomorrow." And then she was gone through the crowd. He knew he could never navigate the way to go after her.

  Alex tried to open his eyes. There was birdsong and then the roar of some motor... a leaf blower? He laid back on the pillow, his head feeling like it might explode. He saw blood on the pillow from his neck wound. As his eyes focused, he realized he had no idea where he was. He glanced around at an elegantly furnished large bedroom with two windows looking out over a long field down to a line of trees. He forced himself to sit up against the padded headboard. There was a glass of water on the nightstand and he gratefully took a long drink to quench the dryness in his mouth. He looked down and saw he was wearing only his plaid boxer shorts. The rest of his clothes were on a chair in the corner. What the hell?

  He had no recollection of where he was or how he had gotten here.

  The door opened and Amelia Richards walked in carrying a tray with a carafe of coffee and two cups. She was dressed in a short silk robe and was barefoot.

  "Good morning, Alex,"

  "Amelia...?

  He tried to clear his head, to think about the previous night. He had been at Gilly's with his father. Amelia had come in, then... then Hanna had been there. Hanna!

  Chapter Thirty-seven

  Hanna had driven straight back to her apartment in Charleston the previous night after leaving Alex in the bar with the woman in Dugganville. In her heart, she knew she had over-reacted, and on the entire trip back she kept trying to rationalize what she had seen, how she had responded. A half bottle of wine in her kitchen hadn't helped to sort through her emotions. If anything, she grew angrier and more confused.

  She and Alex Frank had been together long enough, she thought she knew his true character and could trust him with her life. Maybe last night was a completely innocent situation, but she was still having a hard time coming up with a scenario where that would be the case. He had tried to call her twice already this morning, but she hadn't answered the calls. If the woman hadn't been so damned good looking!

  She was sitting again in her kitchen, waiting for the coffee pot to finish. Her phone lit up. It was Sam this time. That's all I need right now, another man!

  Reluctantly, she took the call. "Sam?"

  "Good morning, Hanna." She sensed the tentativeness in his voice. "Will you have some time today to see me? We really need to talk."

  She thought for a moment about their previous discussions about reuniting, about him coming back to Charleston. She sighed and shook her head. "Sam, I've got a crazy day with a case I'm working on. I need to meet with my client again this morning then we have an appointment with a judge after lunch." The nightmare that Calley and Carolyn Barbour were enduring came back to her.

  "This afternoon, then?"

  "I don't know, Sam..."

  "My photo shoot is down by your old house on the Battery. I want you to see what we're working on."

  "I just don't know. Let me call you later."

  He pressed her again to meet and maybe have dinner later before they ended the call.

  She thought again about Alex sitting last night with this woman, too drunk to stand and barely able to talk. Was he trying to drive her away? Hadn't he just asked her the other day why she was still with him? Good question!

  Two hours later, the hectic chaos of her law offices had kept her distracted from thinking about the men in her life for at least a few minutes. She had hoped to talk to Alex the previous night about the Barbour sisters and bringing charges against their father for sexually assaulting the girls. Instead, she had called her fr
iend this morning in the Prosecutor's office who specialized in these types of cases. She had everything she needed to consult with Calley and Carolyn when they came in for their ten o'clock appointment.

  Alex had called two more times and she had declined both after just two rings, sending a clear message she was in no mood to talk. He had texted her, "Hanna, please call. I'm sorry. I need to explain." You're damn right you need to explain! Do I even want to hear it?

  Calley and Carolyn arrived for their scheduled appointment and the three women were seated around Hanna's conference table. Both looked shaken and tired. They would both have some very difficult decisions to make.

  "Girls, I've had a chance to speak to someone in the Prosecutor's office and ..."

  Calley jumped in, panic in her eyes. "You didn't tell them about..."

  "As your attorney, I'm not revealing any specifics until you tell me you're ready to proceed. We spoke only generally about a client I'm representing with no names used to this point."

  Her words didn't seem to calm Calley down. She fidgeted in her seat and was obviously close to tears. Her older sister was more stoic and just looked angry if anything. "What your father has been doing is a serious crime. Sexual assault of minors, incest and I have no idea if there has been any other physical abuse."

  The girls didn't answer but looked at each other for a moment.

  Hanna continued. "Your mother may also be implicated if she was aware of your father's abuse and refused to intervene or report the... well, let's call it what it is, rape." She could see that Calley was visibly shaking now. Hanna reached over to take her hand to comfort her. "As your attorney, I have to advise you both to bring charges against your father. Calley, we will get you out of the house where you will be safe..."

  "Oh God, Hanna!" Calley cried out. Carolyn leaned over and put her arm around her younger sister. She said, "Honey, we need to do this. We should have done it years ago."

  "I have nowhere to go! What will momma do?" Calley said, the tears flowing heavily now.

  Hanna let the two of them process the situation for a few moments, then said, "And we have to make a decision about the baby, Calley. I'm sorry, but we do. We have another appointment with Judge Kraft this afternoon."

  Calley didn't hesitate, "I don't want this baby!"

  "I understand dear and your case with the judge will be very clear. Incest is unacceptable and one of the main issues considered in these cases."

  "But he'll be arrested... prison." Calley said, thinking out loud. "And what about Momma and the congregation?"

  Carolyn was remaining remarkably calm and said, "This needs to end."

  Judge Louise Kraft was ten minutes late for her appointment. Hanna and the girls were finally shown into her office. They all sat across the desk as the Judge finished with some paperwork and turned her attention to them.

  "So, where are we?" Kraft asked.

  Hanna looked at both Barbour sisters, then said, "Your Honor, new information has surfaced that puts this situation in an entirely new light. First, my client wants to apologize for not being fully truthful with us leading up to our meeting yesterday."

  "I figured," Kraft said, impatiently.

  "We have an even more difficult situation to deal with, Judge."

  "And what is that?"

  Both Calley and Carolyn have been sexually abused by their father since they were young girls." The judge's face remained impassive. "Calley's father is the father of this child. There was no intercourse on the beach with another boy.

  Judge Kraft took a deep breath. "Calley, I'm very concerned that you came to me with lies about your pregnancy. How am I to believe your story now?"

  Carolyn spoke first. "Judge, my father is a monster and my mother let him get away with it. We should have come forward years ago, but there are so many issues we've had to deal with. I left home when I was old enough to take care of myself. I've tried to get Calley out of there, but she kept trying to convince me things had changed. When she told me about the pregnancy, I knew we had to expose this, regardless of the consequences."

  "And you're absolutely right to do so, dear," Kraft said. "You will both need to file a complaint with the police. Hanna can help you with that."

  "What will happen?" Calley asked, her voice broken and shaky.

  "Your parents will be brought in for questioning. Charges will likely be filed based upon how the police view the veracity of your charges. A DNA test of the embryo should certainly provide solid proof of your father's assault."

  Calley looked at her sister, then the judge. "And what about the abortion. I don't want this baby, Your Honor."

  "I understand completely, and if all of this proves out, I will certainly grant your waiver of parental permission to have this procedure."

  "Thank you, Judge," Hanna said. "Is there anything else today?"

  "No, I would strongly encourage you to go immediately to the police and file formal charges. Hanna, you might call your friend, Greta, down at the Women's Shelter for temporary living arrangements for both girls."

  "Yes, I've already spoken with her."

  Later that afternoon, the Barbour sisters filed formal charges against their father. He was arrested in his office at the church. The sizable staff and several congregation members there were stunned as he was led away in handcuffs. Their mother was also brought in for questioning. After hours of interrogation of both parents, Reverend Warren Barbour was charged with numerous counts of sexual assault and related charges. He was booked and later released on a sizable bail commitment. Their mother, Katherine, was released but with assurances there would be a thorough investigation of her role in enabling the reverend's crimes. The ripples of chaos for the pastor, his family and his congregation were just beginning.

  Chapter Thirty-eight

  The coffee did little to clear his head. He was sitting up in a bed in Beau and Amelia Richards' ranch house and he had no idea how he had ended up here. By the current state of his undress and Amelia's tiny and slinky robe sitting across from him in a large overstuffed chair, he could only imagine the worst. He remembered Hanna coming into the bar at Gilly's and seeing the two of them together. He had barely been able to speak let alone go after her to explain what was going on.

  Amelia said, "Can I get you anything else?"

  He looked over at her clean washed face and wet hair combed back. The guilt kept sweeping over him and the embarrassment at not knowing what was going on.

  "Alex?"

  "Amelia, I'm not sure what happened last night, but...."

  "Nothing happened Alex, if you mean between you and me."

  He stared back at her for a moment. It's not that he wasn't attracted to her, but he had never been one to chase women for one-night stands and he was in a relationship, he thought, again chastising himself for getting into this position. "Then what am I doing here?"

  "We were talking about the evidence I found with recordings Beau had made. You wanted to listen to them."

  Slowly, their conversation at Gilly's Bar was coming back to him. She had found recordings of phone conversations between her husband and Asa Dellahousaye, recordings the gangster was somehow aware of and trying to get back.

  "I'm sorry. I'm sure I must have passed out when we got back here. I'm on painkillers for the neck and..."

  "Yes," she said, smiling, "you were asleep in the car almost immediately and it was all I could do to get you inside."

  He looked over at his clothes on the chair.

  "I thought you'd sleep better," she said, following his gaze. "I've got some breakfast in the kitchen. Why don't you get dressed and come out? I've got the recordings on a laptop."

  "I'll be right out."

  Alex had listened to three different conversations between Amelia Richards' now incarcerated husband and the gangster, Asa Dellahousaye. All had contained damaging evidence of the two men's complicity in an organized drug ring along the coast of South Carolin
a. He could see why Asa D wanted to get these recordings back. The last had also included Dellahousaye's demand that Beau Richards eliminate Detective Alex Frank who was getting too close to the truth about the drug dealings as he investigated the murder charges against his father the previous year. It was unnerving to sit and listen to a man order your death sentence.

  He looked up at Amelia, standing across the counter in the kitchen. Her face was troubled with concern as he clicked off the last recording. "What should I do with these, Alex?"

  His first reaction was to call in the cavalry, local and Feds to go after Dellahousaye immediately, but he hesitated, thinking about the danger this would put Amelia Richards in. The evidence should be enough to get a warrant to question the man, not only on the drug network that was surely still operating, but also on any attempts Dellahousaye was making to influence upcoming legislation to expand gambling in the state. How do I protect Amelia if we go after Asa D? He'll know the source of the evidence.

  "You were right to bring this to me," he said. "I need to think about how we go forward with this. I'm worried about your safety, frankly." He could see the fear on her face.

  "Maybe it's a good time for me to go home to visit my family in Italy," she said, thinking out loud.

  "That's probably a very good idea. How soon can you make arrangements?"

  "I'll check," she said and then walked around the counter. As she came up, he stood, and she placed her arms around him and pulled him close. He tentatively returned her embrace. "Thank you for helping me with this, Alex. I didn't know where else to turn."

  She didn't back away and he continued to hold her, smelling the wet scent of her hair and feeling the tautness of her skin under the thin robe. His senses were colliding in a jumble of lust, guilt and confusion until he finally pushed back. "As soon as we're sure you're out of the country and safe, we'll get these recordings to the proper authorities.