Penance (Oak Grove Suspense Book 2)

by Reese A. Stephens

I take my leave from the ‘Security Office’ and drive to a parking lot about five blocks from where the van is parked in front of the bank and walk the rest of the way. I arrive at the van just as night falls. We’ve been told by Agent Davies that the gambling starts at eight tonight. She was also able to get us the password and a description on several people working. Marisa Martin, however, has not been in all week and as of twenty-minutes ago, was still not at Lyon’s as far as Davies could tell.

  “How’d everything go?” I ask Jessica as I make myself comfortable.

  “Good. No problems here.” I cut a glance to Anderson. She smiles and shakes her head. “Nope, no problems. Everything has gone smoothly so far.”

  “Good. Marsh should be here soon. We’ll have full communication with him the whole time.”

  “Does he have a molar mic?” Anderson states cynically.

  I laugh. “Not this time. He has glasses with a camera, a hearing aid insert to hear us, and a lapel pin for his mic.”

  Anderson shrugs. “I guess that’s pretty cool, if we’re being forced to work with these guys.”

  “You do know that we’re all on the same side, don’t you?”

  “I know that, but the FBI is always uptight and taking over our cases. We could totally take this guy down on our own. We didn’t need the feds to step in.”

  I stare at him for a few minutes. “I was an FBI agent. I know how these things work on both sides. It’s not that they are taking over our case. They are working their case, which happens to overlap with ours. They could have taken over this case completely, with just cause I might add, but they aren’t doing that.”

  “Because the guy is your friend,” Anderson responds sarcastically.

  I swear, sometimes talking to this guy is like trying to reason with a stubborn kid. “Look, I’m not going to debate semantics with you. We’re here, we’re doing our job. If we can help them find the root of the problem, great, if we can only find the murderer of Ralph Clark, great, but either way, we have a job to do and if you can’t do that, you can leave.”

  “I can do my job just fine.”

  He turns back to the monitors and busies himself adjusting settings and testing equipment. I leave him be for now, even though I should probably send him packing. There’s not much for me to do right now other than watch or listen. I may go in at some point and ask routine questions as I have in the past couple of weeks, but for now, I’m sitting tight.

  “Jess, you ready to go in?” I ask after several minutes have passed.

  She looks down at herself, then smiles. “Yep.”

  She’s dressed in what Shayla calls date night attire; a black dress, that’s a little too short and heels that are a little too high. Her hair is pulled up on her head, makeup is overdone, and she’s wearing some seriously big earrings. She doesn’t look trashy, per se, but definitely not the Jessica I’m used to seeing.

  “You’ll do great. I think it’s important that you’re in there. We need some eyes and ears in the bar. At the first sign of trouble, you get out of there. I doubt anyone but Justin Clark will remember you. We want that, so it’ll work in our favor.”

  “You look smoking hot, Jess,” Matthew and Anderson say, practically drooling.

  She blushes deeply. “Uh, thanks. I guess. I’m going to go.” She’s clearly embarrassed.

  “Check your coms.” She nods, then checks to be sure she’s clear before hurrying out of the van. She walks about twenty-five feet before saying.

  “Testing 1…2…3. Do you read me?”

  “Loud and clear. Remember, if you need out of there say the code word clearly.”

  “I will, no matter how stupid it is.”

  We all laugh. In our meeting, I’d asked for a word that would mean she’s in trouble or just needed to leave ASAP. It needed to be a random word that wouldn’t be said in a typical bar setting. When we were trying to decide, Matt had been eating a bear claw pastry, so even though Jessica had wanted something cool for her first mission, she ended up being stuck with ‘bear claw’.

  Jessica has no problems getting in or finding Justin, who clearly remembers her. She orders a drink and sits at the bar to chat. Marsh arrives with a couple of men on his own team. One is stationed inside with Jessica and the other is acting as his driver for the night. Marsh is great at undercover work. He always made the missions we were on together unforgettable and we never lost a bad guy. And no, Mathis doesn't count. That was entirely my screw up.

  Once Marsh is set up in the game room, he starts to play. He loses the first couple of hands, then starts winning. His game is on point; it’s not too obvious that he’s counting cards. He still loses a few, but then he really starts to go at it; you can tell by his stance that he’s going hard core. He is incredible at counting cards. I can’t even keep up. I feel like I’m watching some crazy movie. His winning streak is up to ten hands. He’s getting loud and boisterous the further he goes, throwing around money for everyone’s drinks, tipping the girls by placing money in their bras or the waist of their skimpy outfits. He’s letting everyone know he’s cocky and in control. He wants them to notice him. After about seven more wins, a man comes out of the side door and leans against the wall watching him.

  “Marsh, on your six, against the wall,” I advise.

  He stretches and turns his head casually side to side. He spots the man I described. He rolls his head around and then looks back at the dealer continuing his game and winning. They let him win five more hands before the man against the wall approaches.

  “In coming,” I tell Marsh.

  “Excuse me, sir.” Marsh turns to look at the guy.

  I nudge Anderson. “Get him on facial rec.” He nods and freezes the frame sending the photo to the facial recognition software.

  Marsh has acknowledged the man who claims his boss would like to congratulate him on a job well done. Marsh plays it up as the drunk whose loving the chance to be recognized for his greatness. The side door opens to a dim hallway with a brighter light shining towards the end. A door is standing open and voices can be heard. The closer Marsh gets, the clearer the voices become. I recognize Lyon’s right away, but the other voices I don’t.

  “I don’t care what you have to do. I told you, he needs to be taken out. I don’t think I need to explain what I mean when I say that, do I?” Lyon asks.

  A stuttering voice replies. “No, sir. No, I can do it. I swear; I won’t let you down.”

  “It’s too late, you already have. Five, take him downstairs. I already sent Three to take care of the problem.”

  “But, sir. You promised me I could take out Judson.” I’m immediately on high alert.

  “You failed. Get him out of my sight!” Lyon barks.

  I grab my cell and call Judson’s phone, there’s no answer. I call Laney and there’s no answer on her cell either.

  “Go, Chief. We’ve got this,” Snyder says.

  “Jess, get back to the van as quickly as you can. I’ll contact Marsh’s men. I need to leave.”

  I hear her tell Justin she has to go, as she pretends to get a text on her phone telling him it’s work. He wishes her good luck and she’s out the door. I contact Marsh’s men on the com as well as let Marsh know what I’m doing. He can’t respond to me, but I can’t wait. They have plenty of people here without me staying. As soon as I feel that I’m clear of any prying eyes, I take off in a run. It takes me at least five minutes running full speed to get to my vehicle. Once I’m in the car, I call the station.

  “Oak Grove Police Department this is Officer Goins, how may I help you?”

  “Sam, this is Ryan. Is there someone watching Judson’s place?”

  “We did a few drive-bys, but he wasn’t home, sir.”

  I curse loudly. “I wanted him watched, not a drive-by!” I know Sam isn’t responsible for this, but I hate when my orders aren’t followed to a T. This could cause Judson his life.

  “Chief,” he starts hesitantly, “Judson called about ten minutes a
go and said there were shots fired and a woman in distress. A unit was dispatched over there. I tried to keep him on the line, but there were more shots and the line went dead. I’ve not heard from anyone yet, but they’re probably just getting there.”

  “I’ll be there as soon as I can,” I say, trying to contain my fury. “Keep me updated.”

  “Will do. Oh, wait a minute, something’s coming through.” I listen to the one sided conversation which gives me no answers, before Sam comes back on the line. “They can’t reach his place because the road is blocked off by a fallen tree. They’ve heard another shot and are calling for backup.”

  “Does anyone know if Judson is alive?”

  “No, sir. I’m sorry. We just don’t know.”

  “I’m on my way. Send another unit out and also an ambulance. NOW!” I bark into the receiver.

  “Yes, sir.”

  I hang up and press my foot on the gas pedal. “I’m coming, Jud.”

  Chapter Eighteen

  Ryan

  I grab my siren from the floor of the car and attach it to the roof. I drive as fast as I can back to Oak Grove. Once there, I head straight for Judson’s. On the police scanner, I heard that the road was cleared and that they made it to Judson’s, but have yet to find him or the woman. Pulling up the driveway, I’m met by lights from the police cars. I park haphazardly and approach my people who are milling about.

  “What’s going on?” I ask the nearest officer.

  “The body of a woman was just found in the woods; killed less than two hours ago. There was a struggle, but ultimately it was the shot to the head that killed her.”

  My heart races as I ask the next question. “What did she look like?”

  “In her late twenties early thirties, blonde hair, about five-five,” he answers quickly.

  “Any identification?” he shakes his head when another question pops into my head. “Was anything left at the scene?” I pause and take a breath. “Was there an origami fox?”

  “Not that we’ve found, sir.”

  I breathe a sigh of relief. It is probably a coincidence, but in my line of work that doesn’t happen often. I push that thought aside. Right now, I need to focus on what happened here and locate Judson.

  “Where’s Judson?”

  “In the house. We found him hiding in the woodshed out back. He’s been shot, but he’s okay. The medics are working on him.”

  “Thanks. I’ll go check on him.”

  I run up the front steps and into the house. Judson is sitting at the kitchen island, his arm bandaged with the EMT working on his head. Thank God he’s all right. I walk up to him and take a seat in one of the barstools near him.

  “Man, you okay? What happened?”

  Judson looks up at me wearily. “I did not kill that woman.”

  I rub the back of my neck. “From what I heard, you had nothing to do with this. Tell me what happened, from the beginning.”

  “I went over to Laney’s to apologize and make things right with her. I stayed for dinner and then we got to talking about everything. I got home around nine-thirty. I kind of spaced out in my truck for a bit, then when I was coming to my house, I heard shots. I started up the stairs, but shots rang out again taking out the truck windshield. I ducked for cover and called the police. Another shot went off, hitting my arm. That’s when I dropped my phone and couldn’t reach it under the porch. So, I just hid. I heard a final shot after I was in the woodshed, but I didn’t leave my spot until the police arrived. I didn’t see anyone.”

  “So, you didn’t notice anything at all?”

  “Nothing.”

  “What about leading up to this. Anything unusual?” I ask and see Judson’s eyes grow wide. “What is it?”

  “I didn’t think about telling you this before, but now maybe it’s connected.” He pauses and then sighs. “Probably not though.”

  “Let me decide if it’s connected, okay?”

  “Well, when I run, sometimes I feel like someone is watching me. A few times, I’ve seen a dark figure, but when I would go to investigate, I couldn’t find anything, not even tracks. So, I thought I was just imagining things. Do you think they were watching me?”

  “It’s a …” I’m interrupted by a loud and hysterical Laney, barging into the house.

  “Where is he?” She hurries over to Judson, tears streaming down her face. She practically flings herself into his arms. Judson grunts in response. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” Laney pulls back, fretting over him. “I just thought … I didn’t know what to think. I can’t lose you.”

  She kisses him but he doesn’t push her away, which surprises me. I know he said they talked, but he was adamant that he couldn’t have a relationship with her. I guess that must have been some talk. I clear my throat as I stand there awkwardly. I glance over to the EMT, he looks at me, silently asking what he should do. I shrug my shoulders and smile. I give them their moment, then clear my throat again.

  “Uh, Laney. You need to let the EMT finish his job.”

  She pulls back blushing. “I’m sorry. I’m just so happy he’s alive.” She turns back to Judson. “You’re okay?” She tries to pull back, but he wraps his uninjured arm around her and pulls her back to him.

  “I’m fine, sweetheart. Just a little bump on the head and a graze on the arm.”

  She kisses his forehead near the cut, then turns to glare at me. “I swear to all things holy, if you even consider taking him down to the station, I will hurt you.”

  I laugh. My sister the fiery spitball. “Calm down, ginger. I’m not taking him anywhere. As far as everything legal is concerned, he’s not a person of interest at this time and most likely won’t be. I was on my way to him before the shooting happened.”

  “What? Why?” Judson asks.

  The EMT finishes and starts to pack up his gear. I gesture to the living area. “Mind if we sit?”

  “Of course.”

  Keeping his arm around Laney, he leads her over to the couch and they sit down side by side. I take the chair across from them. Leaning forward with my arms resting on my legs, I start to explain.

  “Marsh and I were on a sting operation tonight at Lyon’s Bar. I overheard Lyon telling someone he called Three, to kill you. I tried calling, but there was no answer. I’m sorry I didn’t get here sooner.”

  “My phone was on silent when I was at Laney’s. I forgot to turn it back on, then the shooting happened.”

  “I wouldn’t have been here soon enough anyway. Things could have gone way worse. Obviously, there were two people in those woods. There has to be a reason the woman was killed.”

  “Do you know who she was?”

  “No, I’ve not looked at the body yet and from what I gather there was no ID.” I look between the two of them. “I’d like for you to stay elsewhere for now. We don’t need anyone else coming after you.”

  “Why would Lyon send someone to kill me?”

  “My only guess is because of Grant. Maybe he’s aware that Grant is in our custody now. He’s not going to just forgive Grant his debt, because he’s in police custody. He’ll take out everyone Grant knows if he feels it’s necessary. Not to mention, Grant himself. We’ll have to be extra vigilant until we have Lyon’s operation taken down.”

  “So, I have to leave my home until you have?” Judson looks around in obvious frustration.

  I sigh. “I don’t know exactly how long, but at least until we find out who was in those woods.”

  “Do you think the woman was the one after me? I mean, why would she be in the woods?”

  I don’t say anything right away. I still have reason to believe it might have been Mathis. If he left a fox out of leaves again, my men may not have recognized it. I need to search the scene myself. I’m not going to rule him out until I do.

  “Ryan?” Judson questions.

  “I don’t know much of anything at this point. I’m going to go check things out for myself and get back to you. Why don’t you two go stay at our
mom’s for now?”

  Laney nods. “Yeah, that would be a good idea. They wouldn’t know you were there. We’ll take a crazy route in case we’re being followed.”

  Judson leans back on his couch and stares at the ceiling. “Yeah, if your mom doesn’t mind. I don’t want to impose on her. I’d like to stay here until you guys finish up though.”

  I stand. “Sure thing. Mom will love having you, don’t even worry about it. Just pack a bag for a few days. I’ll stay until everyone is gone so we can be sure you’re safe.”

  He nods, but doesn’t move from his spot on the couch. His head is still against the back and my sister runs her fingers through his hair, comforting him. I’m sure this is hard for him, but keeping him safe is my priority. With a sigh, I stand and head outside.

  “Somebody give me an update,” I say as I jog down the stairs and head to where my officers are talking.

  Jay North, one of my rookie officers, jumps to the task. “The ME is with the body right now. We don’t know much. The victim is a Caucasian female in her late twenties, early thirties. She was shot twice during what looks to be a struggle.”

  We walk towards the spot where the body was found. It’s not deep into the woods and there’s a clear view of Judson’s home from where the body lies. This is definitely where she waited for Judson to arrive. I’m thankful that Laney wasn’t with him.

  “Where was she shot?”

  The EM looks up. “Ah, Chief, I didn’t expect to see you here.”

  “Well, I’m here.”

  Mackey smiles, looking way too pleased to be doing his job. “It looks like the shot to the abdomen was acquired during the struggle, probably wrestling over the gun. The whole thing seems very random, sloppy even. The shot to the head was what killed her.”

  “So this could have been unmeditated. Maybe a disagreement between her and the assailant, maybe they were in cahoots planning to kill Mr. Hardenbergh,” Officer North speculates. “Or, she was just here to kill Judson and came across a hiker?”

  I look at him for a few moments. “What would make you think it was a hiker?”

  He shrugs his shoulders. “She was clearly here for a mission. She’s dressed from head to toe in black. She’s wearing hiking boots and has several weapons on her person. She wasn’t out here enjoying the scenery. If she came upon a hiker, then it’s possible that said hiker fought her off.”