Penance (Oak Grove Suspense Book 2)

by Reese A. Stephens

  “This is good news for Judson. What did you find when you checked out his house and workshop?” I ask, handing her back the file.

  “Anderson and I went back over everything. Nothing seemed out of place and the only prints were Judson’s. We couldn’t find any evidence that placed Mr. Clark anywhere other than in those woods at the time of his death. My personal opinion is that whoever killed him brought him to Judson’s and then killed him. He must have woken during the move and that’s when he fought back.”

  “That makes sense. So you’re thinking someone possibly tried framing Judson?”

  She shrugs. “That or it’s a mighty big coincidence.”

  I tap her desk with my finger. “Start on the release paperwork for Jud. I want to talk to him. If this is someone trying to frame him then we need to get a list of names to go on.”

  “I’m running this DNA against the data base to see if something comes up. Only thing is I don’t have access to anything outside the state.”

  “I’ll take care of it if you don’t find a match.” I wink.

  She laughs. “I’m not even going to ask.”

  As I walk off to my office, I call back, “That’s probably best.” I turn toward my secretary. “May, have one of the guys bring Mr. Hardenbergh to my office.” She nods in acknowledgement as I pass her.

  Chapter Eight

  Ryan

  “Hello?” I answer my cell.

  “Hey, stud. You forgot your laptop. Do you need me to bring it to you on my way to work?” Shayla asks.

  I groan. I can’t believe I forgot that. “Yes, please. Can you do me another favor?”

  “Sure.”

  “Call Mom and tell her I’m not sure if I can make it tonight. There’s a lot going on with this case and I’m probably going to be working late.”

  “Okay. How about I bring you some dinner as well, you need to eat.”

  “Sounds wonderful. If I’m not here, May can put it up for me. See you soon. Love you, baby.”

  “Love you, too.”

  I hang up with Shayla as a knock sounds on my door. Officer Anderson pokes his head inside. “I have Mr. Hardenbergh.”

  I wave them in. “You can un-cuff him. There are no charges against him at this time.”

  Anderson looks a little surprised. I guess Jessica hasn’t filled him in. He releases Judson then asks, “Anything else, sir?”

  “No, you can go. Tell Jessica to update you on the situation.”

  He nods and shuts the door. I smile at Judson. I can’t help it. I can see the relief in his eyes. Not that I blame him. If I were in his shoes, I’d be relieved as well.

  “How?” he asks.

  “Your DNA wasn’t a match. There’s no trace of Clark anywhere around your property other than where you found him, and aside from the murder weapon being yours, there isn’t anything to link it to recent use.”

  “So how’d he get there?” Judson rubs his hand over his face and leans forward resting his elbows on his knees. He looks exhausted; probably is.

  “I’m not sure. We’re looking into it. What I really need is for you to tell me the names of anyone you know of who might want to frame you for murder.”

  Judson’s eyes grow wide as he sits up. “You really think I’m being framed? I … I have no idea who would do that to me.”

  “What about Shannon’s family or people at your business, maybe a disgruntled client or employee?”

  “Shan’s family loved me. They were great when everything happened. They’ve even reached out to me while I’ve been here, though not for a long time. I can’t think of a single person who’d want to accuse me of something so horrendous.”

  “What about at J&G?”

  “Rarely have we had any complaints on our work. The only time we have was when Grant screwed up billing or the employees’ pay, but we resolved those as quickly as possible. Actually, as far as I can remember, Ralph is the only guy we’ve ever fired and that was because he was stealing.”

  “What about Grant?”

  Judson seems to go ridged at the question, but relaxes seconds later. “Grant’s one of my best friends. I don’t know what reason he’d have for something like that.”

  “Are you sure? You seemed a little hesitant there for a minute.”

  Without pause he says, “I’m sure.”

  “All right, well, hopefully the DNA will match someone and we can get to the bottom of this. Let me get you something to eat and a coffee while we wait on your paperwork to be processed.”

  I grab him some coffee and a couple of donuts that May brought in and head back to my office where Judson is waiting. I hand him the food and beverage, then walk out front to check on a few things. I’m signing off on Judson’s papers when my sister walks in. I cock my head to the side.

  “What’s up, Laney?”

  “Uh, I was over at your house when Shayla called. I brought your laptop and some food; I thought I’d wait around and give Judson a ride.”

  I don’t question her being at my house so early. I’m positive it’s because she wanted information on Judson. She’s barely been sleeping, since he came to town. She’s consumed with worry for him.

  “Laney, I know you mean well, but don’t you think you’re pushing too hard?”

  “No, I’m not pushing. I just want to be sure he’s okay.”

  I sigh in frustration. She’s going to drive the poor guy crazy. “He’s fine, Lane.”

  “I’ll just wait out by my car. How long before he’s released?” She’s assuming he will be released. I guess that’s fine, I mean, even I never thought he did this.

  “I don’t know, hun. We’re working on it.”

  She glares at me. Her red hair looks like a fiery halo around her angry face. “I told you he was innocent. I don’t understand why you’re still holding him.”

  “Well, the law doesn’t work that way.” I shake my head in exasperation. “I don’t know what to tell you, Laney. I’m doing the best I can.”

  “Chief, I’ve got something,” Jessica calls from across the room.

  I turn and acknowledge her, then look back to my sister. “I need to work. Do what you want, but don’t drive him away with being clingy. Guys don’t like that.”

  “I’m not being clingy.” I raise my eyebrow at her. “Okay, fine. I’ll tone it down.”

  “Good. See you later. Thanks for this.” I hold up my laptop case and lunch then turn to see what Jessica has found. “What’s up?”

  “The sample matches a man named, Colby Jack.” Jessica smirks.

  “Is that really his name?” I ask, trying to stifle a laugh.

  “I know, pretty unfortunate name,” she giggles and then clears her throat before continuing, “He’s been in and out of the system since he was a kid. He’s got a rap sheet a mile long, though nothing for assault and definitely nothing for murder, just petty theft and drug charges. Maybe Ralph owed him something and things got out of hand?”

  I nod. “That’s possible but why do it at Judson’s?”

  “It doesn’t make sense at all. His house is at least two miles off the main road and a mile outside of town. It seems odd to take him out there just to kill him.” Jessica types on the computer as she talks. “According to several of these reports, it’s believed that Jack has ties to a Richard Lyon who owns several nightclubs including one in Brantsville, Walnut Cove, and other areas surrounding us. I don’t see anything that ties him to Oak Grove though.”

  “What’s this Lyon guy’s history? His name sounds familiar.”

  Jess types away then says, “Ah, he’s a suspected loan shark and drug dealer, though no charges have ever stuck. He has one arrest, ten years ago, but he was released due to insufficient evidence that he committed the crime.”

  “Well, it’s a start. Get me Jack and Lyon’s addresses and anything else you can find. I’ll see if Judson knows anything. I signed all his paperwork so he’s not our concern at the moment, but I want him to stay in the area.”


  Jessica nods and goes back to her task. I grab my coffee, lunch, and laptop and head back to my office where Judson is still waiting.

  “You’re free,” I say as I step past him. “But I’d like you to stay for a bit and answer some questions for me.”

  Judson, who seems to be finishing up a bite of food, nods as he swallows. “Sure, anything you need.”

  “Do you know the names Colby Jack or Richard Lyon?”

  His brows pinch. “I think everyone in Branstville knows Lyon’s name. He owns several night clubs, mostly seedy places from what I’ve heard.”

  “Do you have personal ties to him?”

  “Uh, no. Not that I know of anyway. I’ve never heard of the other one, other than it’s the name of cheese.”

  “What were his parents thinking?” I say with a laugh. “All right, well that’s all I have at the moment, but don’t leave the area. If something comes up, please let me know.” I reach in my drawer for my business cards and hand him one of them. “Here’s my cell and house number. Don’t hesitate to call me if you remember anything else that might help us.”

  Judson takes the card. “Thanks, man. It really means a lot that you believe me.”

  “Of course I do. You’ve been through a lot in the past few years, but you don’t seem like the type to kill someone. Especially since you didn’t fight back with Ralph until it was absolutely necessary.”

  Judson grimaces. “Yeah, I’m not sure it’s ever necessary, the guy was drunker than I was.”

  “Yeah, well, maybe you should lay off the alcohol for a while too.” Judson nods, but says nothing. He stands, shakes my hand and turns towards the door. “Hey, Laney’s out there. I know she’s kind of a pain, but she means well.”

  A bit of surprises flashes across his face and a small smile creeps up his mouth. “I know. Girl drives me crazy.” He chuckles.

  “No doubt. Good luck.”

  He nods. “Thanks.”

  I spend the rest of the day researching, looking for any detail, anything that might link these two men. But ultimately, there’s not much I come up with, even with the added access I have thanks to Riley. All I know is that Colby Jack was in twelve foster homes and four group homes until he aged out of the system at eighteen and I have his arrest records, but past that, there’s not even a known address or a place of employment for the guy in the past five years. Even his arrest reports say address unknown, possibly homeless. By six, my eyes are crossing and my head is killing me. I have a plan of action, but no real leads. Later tonight, while I’m going over Mathis sightings, I’m going to check into Judson some more. There has to be a connection, it doesn’t make sense otherwise.

  Throughout my ride home, my mind floats with all sorts of possibilities, trying to piece things together but nothing works. I walk into the kitchen and smile. It seems to be the place we all gather when we’re home. Dylan is doing homework with Faith, Hannah is on the floor playing with pots and pans, Shayla is making some sort of crazy low carb no sugar dessert, which if I’m honest, I don’t mind at all because everything she makes is delicious. I take a seat at the table and lean back, taking it all in. When I moved back to Oak Grove nearly three years ago, I never thought I’d have something like this. It’s almost crazy to think about how so much has happened in such a short period of time.

  “Your dinner is in the oven keeping warm. Let me know when you’re ready to eat,” Shayla says to me.

  I nod, but don’t respond. Don’t get me wrong, I’m hungry, but I’m not ready for food. I’m still processing. My brain is having a hard time trying to be in this moment and not thinking about Judson, dead bodies, and loan sharks that may or may not be involved.

  “Hey, Dad.” I look over at Dylan in response. “Faith and I have a big test to study for and we need quiet, you okay if we go over to your side and study in the game room?”

  I snort. ‘My side’ is what he always calls the half of the house that used to be my house. We’ve successfully built an extension between the two houses so that no one would ever know it used to be two homes before. We took out the outside wall of Shayla’s original house and enlarged her kitchen, dining room, and laundry room. Where we are sitting at the moment used to be the yard between our homes, so really, him going to the game room, or what used to be my living room, isn’t that far off, but the kid acts like it’s a his and her’s houses instead of our family home.

  “Yeah, that’s fine. I’ll be in my office for a while. Pop’s coming over to shoot the breeze with me, so make sure the door in the den is unlocked, will ya?”

  “Sure thing, come on, Faithy.” Dylan gathers all their books and Faith takes their snacks and drinks.

  “They are so sweet. They remind me of us, except I was never as sweet as Faith. I was more of a punk.” Shayla laughs. I stand and walk over to her with a smirk on my face, remembering her multi colored hair and her funky clothes.

  “You were but tried to hide it; you were always sweet to me.” I kiss her neck. “Of course, I was never as studious as Dylan. He’s got a great head on those shoulders, thanks to you.”

  She turns in my arms and wraps hers around my middle. “You were just as studious, Mr. Graduated-a-semester-early.”

  “So, maybe I was naturally smart, but Dylan is so much more than I ever was. He’s got it together. I was a mess.”

  “I’ll give you that, but had you known back then about him, you would’ve stepped up to the plate. You would have been everything we needed.”

  “Your faith in me is overwhelming sometimes. I’ve screwed up so much in our time together.”

  I lean in to kiss her before she can respond. I know she doesn’t agree with me. She’s all about choices and being sure I understand that others’ choices do not define who I am. I get it, I do, but I harbor a lot of guilt for our past and daily guilt over not being able to find Mathis. We’re pulled out of our mini make-out session by a loud baby squeal and the clanging of pots. We both laugh as we look over at Hannah. She’s sitting there, happy as can be, banging the pots with a wooden spoon.

  “Are you making music, baby girl?” I ask as I pick her up, kissing her cheek. She babbles and smacks at my face happily.

  “She loves you,” Shayla says happily and then more seriously continues. “No matter what you think, Ryan. You aren’t responsible for what’s happened to us and you are a good father. Stop with the guilt.”

  Ah, my wife, she knows me so well. She pulls my food out of the oven and ups the temperature for her dessert, looks like cupcakes or muffins. She sets my plate on the table and takes Hannah from me, depositing her in the high chair and handing her a squeeze pouch full of something healthy I’m sure. We both eat in happy silence as we watch Shayla moving gracefully around the kitchen. Twenty minutes later though, I’m ensconced in my office with all my gear booted up and Riley on the phone.

  “What’s the update?” I ask as I position my headset for hands free use.

  “Mathis hasn’t been spotted any closer than Delaware, but there was a casualty that matches his M.O. The only thing is, there was no fox found, so it might not be him at all.”

  “Do you have access to the reports?”

  “Yep, want ‘em?” he asks.

  “Yeah, send me everything you have. Did it seem like he was on the move this way? Appalachia isn’t that far from the East Coast.”

  “Nope, he’s not making it west yet. He’s pretty much stuck to the east coastline, but if he starts moving inland, toward you, I’ll definitely let you know.”

  “I know you will. I’ll call you back if I need anything else. I just got your reports.” I look up and see Tom walk through the door. “Tom is here. We’ll talk soon.”

  “You bet. Later.”

  I disconnect from Riley and turn to Tom. “He was in Delaware.”

  Tom takes a seat. “He’s getting closer. What report did you get?”

  I turn to my computer and pull up the files from Riley. Tom and I peruse through the pages, not saying
anything right away. We are both forming our thoughts on the matter. But from what I see, it does look a lot like one of Mathis’ kills, but there’s something off about it that doesn’t quite fit.

  “No fox?”

  “Nope, there’s also something that doesn’t sit right with the whole case. I don’t think it’s him, or if it is, then he’s not leaving the calling card to throw us off. But according to Shayla, it’s a compulsion. Even before, with Shayla’s case, we thought it wasn’t him, but he had left the fox made out of the leaves, it was just hard to spot at first.” I pull up one of the crime photos and tap the screen. “This girl was left in a dumpster, so if he did leave a fox, the police there probably wouldn’t have noticed if it were made out of the trash.”

  “True. I guess all we can do is keep an eye on his movements for now. Do you think he’s heading back to Virginia? Didn’t you say he had family there?”

  I nod. “Yeah, his grandparents lived there, and, as far as I can tell, the house is still in the family. I’ll call Marsh and see if he can have someone keep watch. He’s probably not even in Delaware anymore. He’s covering his tracks better than when he was in Europe and probably with good reason.”

  Shayla knocks and enters my office. I scramble to close up the screen, but it’s too late, she sees Mathis and drops the platter she’s carrying.

  “Shay?” I stand cautiously and reach for her. She jerks back. She’s going to overreact, I can tell.

  “What … what is all this?”

  Tom stands off to her side; she’s not noticed him yet. She’s staring at the maps and photos of Mathis I have on my board. She looks around the room and I can see the rise and fall of her chest from where I’m standing. This isn’t going to be good.

  “Dad?” she stares at him incredulously. “What are you guys doing in here?”

  “Sweetheart, we’re trying to find him before he comes after you again.”

  He bends to pick up the mess on the floor. Oddly, the tray is only disheveled and nothing but the glass of milk is spilled and broken. The muffins stayed on the tray in their place. I dart into the bathroom and grab the trashcan and a towel. I help get the mess cleaned up and move the tray to the small table by the door, then I pull her into my arms.