Penance (Oak Grove Suspense Book 2)

by Reese A. Stephens

  I nod. “Not bad, but why would a hiker shoot her in the head to kill her. If this person had her down with the abdomen shot, why finish her off? If this were a random hiker, they’d come forward for help, not kill a wounded person.”

  He nods. “Yeah, that’s true. So maybe it’s that guy back after your wife. She kind of looks like her.”

  I stop short, everyone else on the scene also freezes. “Why would you say that?” I ask, now suspicious of him.

  He blushes. “Huh, I don’t know. I heard you telling Bailey that you thought he could be close. I didn’t mean to overstep.”

  I had told Jessica about my suspicions, but it was in my closed office. I’m almost positive I haven’t said anything else about Mathis outside of there or my own home. I look away from him, trying to calm down. He’s a rookie and just blurted something out off the top of his head.

  “Well, either way,” I say turning back to him. “We need to find out who did this. I want the crime scene photos on my desk by morning.”

  “Sure thing, Chief.”

  I step away from him and start investigating the area near the body. I don’t see anything around that could be a fox or anything else for that matter that would point to this being done by Mathis. Aside from the shot to the head and the physical description of the woman, it’s just as likely that she had a partner who turned on her. I’ll know more tomorrow after I get all the reports and evidence from tonight. For now, I’ll take care of getting things wrapped up and make sure that Judson and Laney get out of here so I can get home. It’s been a long day and I’m exhausted.

  By the time I do get home, several hours later, everyone is asleep. I scrounge through the fridge and eat a quick bite, and then after I’m done, I head up to the shower. The hot water feels good on my weary body and relaxes me from this hectic day. When I’m done, I crawl into bed with my wife.

  “Hmm, you’re late,” she whispers as she cuddles against my chest. I squeeze her tightly and kiss her forehead.

  “Yeah, sorry. It was a crazy night.”

  “It’s okay. I’m glad you’re home now. I missed you.”

  I kiss her lips softly. “Missed you too. Go back to sleep. We’ll talk in the morning.”

  “Kay,” she mumbles as sleep claims her again.

  I was so caught up in this new murder that I forgot to check in with Marsh or Jessica. I never heard anything from either, so I’m assuming everything went well. I’ll have to check after I’m sure Shayla is asleep. I lie there for about ten more minutes, then ease her back to her pillow and grab my phone. It’s dead. So I quickly plug it in and wait for it to start back up. I have two text messages.

  One from Marsh saying, “Went well. We can officially take over.”

  And one from Jessica saying, “Everything went well. We’re back at the station. Marsh relieved us from duty.”

  It’s a relief that Marsh will be taking over, but I feel like tonight’s murder ties in with Lyon. I wait a few more moments, not wanting to wake up Shayla again and to let my phone to finish charging, before I walk to the kitchen to call Jessica form the landline. It rings twice.

  “Hello?”

  “It’s me,” I say quickly. “Tell me what went down.”

  “Nothing really. Marsh got roughed up a bit, but he’s fine and Lyon invited him to some big tournament. He wants to use his card counting skills to take down a competitor. Lyon said he’s never seen anyone as good as Marsh, not even McMann.”

  So, there it is. Grant was indeed Lyon’s card counter. “Did Lyon say what happened to McMann?”

  “Marsh asked that. All Lyon said was he wasn’t good enough and lost his head in this very same game against his rivals. Marsh said they may be able to take down both, but he’s unsure who this competitor actually is. He’s going to stay undercover and try to take them down.”

  “Thanks for the update, I’ll see you at the station. We have a lot to go over tomorrow. The FBI is taking over the case, but we still have Clark’s killer and this murder tonight.”

  “What happened at Judson’s? I only got a part of the story.”

  Jessica and I talk for a few more minutes as I go into detail about what I found at Judson’s place. She asks a few questions, suspecting Mathis just as I did, but we both agree that we have no evidence that Mathis is back in town, but we’ll not rule it out until we know for sure. When we are done talking, I make my way back to my wife.

  ~*~

  The following morning, I hurry out of the house before breakfast so I can get to the station. I have so much to do that I don’t want to waste any time. Jessica is already there when I arrive and after some morning paper work, we head down to the ME’s office.

  “Chief, Detective, come on back. I wasn’t able to do much last night, but I was able to search the database for fingerprints so I have a positive ID. The victim’s name is Marisa Martin.”

  “That’s the woman that worked for Lyon,” Jessica states.

  I nod. “Yeah, she was identified by Grant.”

  “Do you think she’s Three?”

  “I’d bet my paycheck she is.” I turn to the ME. “Is there anything else you can tell us, Doc?”

  “I stand by what I said last night. This was a little messy and unplanned. She could have come upon the wrong person in those woods, or had a partner, but either way, this wasn’t something thought out.”

  “Is there anything on the body that we can use to identify the assailant?” I ask hopeful.

  He nods. “There were some particles under her nails and a few deep scratches on her arms. I’m sending everything off for analysis. I’ll have that and the bullet samplings back to you as soon as possible, but I can go ahead and tell you that the bullets were from the gun found on the scene.”

  “How can you be sure?”

  “From the trajectory of the stomach wound, it was self-inflicted during a struggle, the bullet to the head most likely occurred by the assailant after. There was only one bullet recovered in her body, the other was found in the ground, but both matched the weapon found on the scene.”

  “Thanks. Call me as soon as everything is in.” We leave the ME’s office and head back to the station. I look at Jessica once we arrive. “I want to talk to Colby Jack again. See his reaction to this picture.”

  “I’ll have him brought to interrogation room one.”

  Jessica leaves and I gather the photos I need of Marisa Martin. I head over and wait for Jessica to bring him in. When she cuffs him to the table, I wait and observe him for a few moments from behind the two way glass. He looks tired. He’s lost the cocky air about him. I enter the room and take a seat across the table from him. He glances up, sighs, and then looks back down at his lap.

  “I’ve already told you everything. I didn’t kill that guy.”

  “Thing is, I don’t believe you. A slap with a dead person’s hand wouldn’t have scratched you. I’m finished playing around with you. I want to know the truth.”

  “If I tell you, will you help me out?”

  “I’ll see what I can do, but honestly, you’ve already been sitting here for weeks, it’s not going to look too good for you.”

  Jack groans. “Fine. My boss told me to take out Hardenbergh. She said there was a good reward in it for me. I’ve been trying to get out from under Lyon for a long time. So she sent me with Three. I wasn’t lying about Three. I don’t know what her name is, but I could probably identify her.” I pass him a picture of Marisa Martin. “Yeah, that’s her. She’s dead?”

  “She is. Do you know who might have wanted to kill her?”

  “Nah, but that doesn’t mean that someone didn’t want to. She’s Lyon’s go to after Hatchet.”

  “Did this Hatchet have anything to do with Ralph Clark’s murder?”

  I have my suspicions and what Grant said but I need more. If Colby Jack can corroborate what Grant said, that will help. Jack seems to be deliberating for a few moments before he finally speaks.

  “Yeah, I was only
there to move the body. I don’t know which one killed the guy. I’m serious, I was only helping move the body.”

  “How’d your DNA get under his nails?”

  He laughs and shakes his head. “They did it. They scratched me with the guy’s hand. They said I was going down for this. They told me to blame that Grant guy for the whole thing.”

  “You said you did this to get out from under Lyon, but Hatchet and Three work for Lyon, so how was that supposed to work?”

  “It’s complicated,” he replies, sadly.

  “Try me!” I retort, annoyed at this point.

  “Lyon’s boss, she’s the one who calls the shots. I wanted to be higher up in the organization. So, when I met with her, she said if I moved the body and framed Grant, it would put me on the up and up. So, I did.”

  I’m pretty sure this boss had no plans of ever promoting him. They needed him as a fall guy, a scapegoat, and for the most part, it worked. At least now we know that either Marisa Martin or this Hatchet guy killed Ralph Clark and that Lyon’s boss is indeed a woman.

  “Do you know the name of Lyon’s boss?”

  “No one does. When I talked to her I called her Ma’am. Everyone does, even Lyon, though I have heard him call her Honey a few times.”

  “Are they in a relationship?”

  He shrugs his shoulders. “I don’t know.”

  “Are you willing to work with a sketch artist again, to identify her?”

  “Anything to keep me from rotting in jail for the rest of my life.”

  “I’ll see what I can do. Someone will be in shortly. Thanks for your cooperation, Mr. Jack.”

  I head out of the room and get our artist on the task, then head back to my office. There is so much to do still. I spend the next hour or so working on paperwork and getting things in order. It’s a little after lunch when Marsh calls.

  “I was just about to call you,” I say.

  “What’s up?”

  “I had an interesting conversation with Colby Jack this morning.”

  He snickers slightly, then composes himself. “Go on.”

  I spend the next few minutes telling him what Mr. Jack told me. He was happy his suspicions were accurate as well. He also filled me in with more details about the sting operation and how everything went down the other night after I left.

  “By the way, I’ll be bringing McMann back to you in a few hours. We want to use him as bait. Lyon has no clue where he is. It was clear to me last night that they do not suspect he’s been in police custody, though they do know he was questioned. They think he’s on the run, so I’ll bring him back this evening.”

  “Yeah, that’ll be fine. Are you coming here first before letting him go home?”

  “Yeah, I want to go over a few things with you. I’ll take him back to Brantsville when I’m done. He’s dyed his hair and we gave him brown contacts. He won’t be as noticeable.”

  We talk a bit more before saying our goodbyes. I spend about thirty minutes or more sorting through paperwork for the week, trying to get my administrative duties out of the way so I can concentrate on this new murder and what to do with Judson. I’m deep in thought when the door to my office bursts open and a frantic looking Shayla enters, carrying a crying Hannah. I’m up and out of my seat and have her in my arms in seconds.

  “What’s wrong? What happened? Are you okay?” I ask in quick succession. She’s sobbing.

  “Chief, you need help? Should I remove her?” I look up to see Jay North standing in the door with his hand on his gun.

  “Stand down. She’s my wife. We’re fine. Shut the door.”

  He nods and shuts the door. Eager rookie may just get fired before this is all said and done. I turn back to my wife and stroke her hair gently. “Baby, please tell me what’s wrong. Is it Hannah, Dylan, Gail, Tom?”

  “No, I think they’re all fine. I sent an ambulance to our parents.”

  “Wait, you didn’t get Hannah from mom?”

  I pull Hannah from her arms and soothe both my girls. It takes several minutes, but they both finally settle down. I lead them over to the couch in my office and pull Shayla to sit beside me, while I bounce Hannah on my leg slowly to keep her occupied.

  “Shay, please tell me what happened.”

  “I was at work.” She sniffles, and takes a few stuttered breaths. “One of the new nurses told me you and Hannah were waiting in my office. I was so excited.” I stiffen as a cold chill runs down my spine. “I hurried through my tasks and went straight to my office, but it wasn’t you. Hannah was there, but you weren’t there.”

  My breath comes out shaky as I ask, “Shay, who was in your office? Who had Hannah?”

  “Jason. He was holding her, playing with her. She was giggling and happy.”

  She sobs, burying her face in my chest. My mind starts racing to a hundred different scenarios. I squeeze her tighter, kissing her head, telling her it’ll be okay, that she and Hannah are safe, trying to settle her down enough to hear the rest of the story.

  “What happened? Tell me everything.”

  She sits up so she can see me and wipes at her face again. “He’s in town and he’s watching you; has been for a while. He wanted me to tell you that he’s enjoyed the game you’ve been playing, but now it’s time for him to …” She shivers and I squeeze her hand in reassurance. “It’s time for him to collect what’s his. He said you played with his toy long enough. He told me to be sure I said the word toy. He said, very soon, he’ll be collecting his toyand there’s nothing you can do to stop him. He even walked me to my car and put Hannah in her seat. He was very adamant that I remembered his exact wording. He’s coming for me, Ryan.”

  I pull her into my lap, alongside of Hannah. “He’s not going to get you, baby. He’s not going to get close to you again. I’m calling Marsh, Jon, Paul, and Riley right now. We’ll protect you. I won’t let him get to you this time. I swear.”

  “Ryan, he’s already gotten to me. There’s nothing anyone can do. He’s too clever. He’s too invested. He’s been planning all this time for this.”

  “We’ll get him. I promise!” I state adamantly.

  “That’s not all he said,” she blurts out.

  I blow out several deep breaths, readying myself for whatever she has to say next. “Go on, what did he say?”

  Hannah squirms, wanting down. Shayla moves off my lap and I set Han on the floor, grabbing the basket of toys and books from under the coffee table that I keep here just for her. She settles in to play and I grab Shayla’s hands and turn her to look at me.

  “Tell me. What did he say?”

  “He told me that he has a need to kill victims who look like his late wife, like me, but he’s not killed anyone since I was last with him, until last night. He didn’t plan it and he didn’t leave a fox, but he killed a woman in the woods. He said he didn’t really have time to leave a fox; that I’m the fox he’s sending you. I’m his next game piece, but things have changed. He doesn’t want to torture me to get to you, he has no plans to kill me or you. He wants you to know he has me and suffer in the fact that I’ve chosen him and not you.”

  “You’re not going to choose him, baby. You won’t be put in that position. I’ll make sure of it.”

  She doesn’t say anything for a long while. She just watches Hannah play. After a long sigh she turns to me. “Can you take me home? I don’t think I can drive and I need to talk to my mom.”

  “Of course I can. Let’s go.” I help her up from the couch, but before I do anything else, I hug her to me tightly. “I’m so sorry. I failed you again.”

  “It’s not your fault,” she mumbles in my shirt. I pull back just enough to see her face.

  “It is. This whole thing is my fault. I’m so sorry. I won’t let anything happen to you. I love you so much.” I press my lips to hers, sealing my promise with a kiss.

  Chapter Nineteen

  Ryan

  We head straight to Gail and Tom’s from the station. The ambulance is out f
ront, but the EMT’s are all inside the house. Shayla rushes in while I get Hannah from the backseat. By the time I’m inside, Shayla and her mom are in each other’s arms crying. I look over to Tom.

  “Is she okay?”

  He nods. “She’s just shook up. She was lying down with Hannah for a nap. She said she had a headache and Han was fussy, so they just laid in our bed. The next thing she knew, the paramedics were waking her.”

  “Do they know what knocked her out?”

  “Not yet. They took some blood samples. I checked our security cameras and there’s nothing on them.”

  “I’ll have Riley see if he can figure out what happened. Maybe a power surge, or Mathis tampered with them in some way.”

  “Gail is tore up. She’s beating herself up over this.” Tom runs a hand through his gray hair.

  “It’s not her fault.” I walk over to the women and take a seat on the sofa beside Gail, taking her hand in mine. “This isn’t your fault. Please, don’t blame yourself.”

  “It’s just when I think of what that man could have done …” She shivers.

  “Mom, we’re all fine. Everything will be okay. Ryan will find him.”

  I’ve failed her so much already, I won’t fail her again. “I’ll do my best.”

  Gail squeezes my hand. “You’ll find him. I think I’d like to lie down. Whatever he drugged me with is really taking a toll.” Shayla fusses over her mom and helps her to her room.

  “Tom, is Hannah okay here? I need to call Dylan and the guys.”

  “Of course. Do what you need. I’ve got her.”

  I hurry out of his house and into mine, calling Dylan on the way.

  “Hey, Dad.”

  “Bud, Mathis is in town. I need you on high alert. Remember everything we’ve trained for and talked about.”

  I don’t waste time. Dylan and I have been doing combat training since he healed from the abduction almost two years ago. I’ve basically put him through boot camp. He’s a good fighter. I know he can take care of himself, but I don’t want it to come to that.