Deadly Deception (SCVC Taskforce)

by Evans, Misty

  She needed to alert Thomas that Jacob was armed. “Why are you carrying a gun?” she asked.

  “I always carry it when I leave the farm, and yeah, I might have done a little target practice out back. Big deal. Lance called me to pick him up at four-fucking-a.m., so I strapped on my gun and took my badge. I haven’t been to my room yet to lock them away.”

  Thomas gave Ronni a look that said he wasn’t buying Jacob’s story. Then he pulled out his cell phone. She hadn’t heard it ring, but the screen was lit with an incoming call. Thomas continued blocking the door as he answered. “Yo.”

  Sounded like a man’s voice, although she couldn’t hear what he was saying.

  Thomas quirked an eyebrow, looked at Jacob. “Is that right? The pills in the lithium bottle were placebos?” A pause. “I see. So someone tampered with Adam’s meds.”

  He continued to stare down Jacob. Jacob frowned.

  “And there was a partial print on the bottle? They matched it already? Wow, that was fast. Yeah, guess my hunch paid off, just not about the gun. Interesting.”

  Thomas stealthily shifted into the shack as the voice on the other end spoke again. “Funny coincidence, he’s standing right here. I’m sure he’ll be more cooperative now. Police are on the way? Great. We’ll hold him until they get here.”

  He disconnected, casually slid the phone into his pocket.

  “What’s going on?” Jacob said.

  “I told my boss that Ronni and I suspected you were setting up Adam and asked him to run your prints against any they found on the gun confiscated from the poor guy’s room. Because this is a Southern California Violent Crimes taskforce case, a rush was put on the results—my boss, and my boss’s boss, have a lot of pull with the crime lab. Turns out, the techs couldn’t find any prints on the gun, but they pulled a partial off Adam’s pill bottle. Yours.”

  Jacob shrugged, struggling for nonchalance. “I gave the kid his pills all the time. He listened to me better than Mel.”

  “But you were giving him placebos. Sugar pills.”

  He raised his hands in the air. “Hey, I don’t know anything about pills. If they were placebos, someone else did a number on him.”

  Ronni glanced at Thomas. “Dr. Elgin? Melanie said that’s who prescribed them for Adam, but we know Elgin had to be obtaining them illegally.”

  “We’ll notify the police and have them talk to him too.” Thomas picked up a hive tool from the bench and slowly tapped it against the side of his leg. Such a subtle thing, and yet, in that moment, it made the hair on the back of Ronni’s neck rise. Thomas was challenging Jacob.

  Such an alpha male.

  But Jacob had a gun. A hive tool, while effective in hand-to-hand combat, could do little against a bullet.

  Diffuse the tension. Distract Jacob.

  How?

  “I don’t know about you two,” Ronni said, channeling Melanie. “But I need caffeine. Let’s head up to the house and I’ll make a pot of coffee. We can sit down and sort all of this out before the police get here.”

  Thomas shot her a questioning glance. He thinks I’ve gone looney.

  Maybe she had, but a showdown in the honey house was going to end badly for someone, and she wouldn’t let Thomas risk his life.

  Jacob planted his feet, squaring off. His hands brushed back his jacket and settled on his waist, putting his gun in plain sight. “I didn’t fuck with the kid’s meds, and I didn’t kill Kristine. I may have fudged a few reports, but I’m not a cold-blooded killer.”

  Thomas stopped rapping his thigh with the hive tool, and instead, spun the end in his hand like a tennis player twirling a racket. “Let’s head up to the house like Ronni said. You can give your statement to the cops when they get here.”

  “You can’t tell them about the reports.” Complete indignation. “I’ll be fired.”

  First he talked like he wanted to quit and settle down with Melanie. Now he was worried about being fired?

  “I’ll lose my insurance. My pension.”

  Jacob was dangerous, regardless of his claims. Ronni eased behind him, wishing she had a weapon. He’d backed her away from the bench and all the tools.

  Over her shoulder, jars of honey lined the shelves.

  “Hand over your gun, Jacob.” Thomas kept the man’s focus on him as Ronni slowly and quietly lifted a jar and held it at the ready. “Cooperate, and I’ll do whatever I can to help you out.”

  “You help me?” He snorted. “You two have been out to frame me for something since the moment you arrived. I’m not giving you my gun. You’ll probably shoot me and say I tried to kill you.”

  Adam wasn’t the only one around here with paranoia. And the burning between Ronni’s shoulder blades was shooting white heat into her arms. Now or never.

  With one fell swoop, she brought the jar down on Jacob’s head.

  The glass shattered upon impact, knocking him off balance. Thomas, ready for the blow, jumped on Jacob before he’d staggered two feet to the left. He kicked Jacob in the side of the knee, buckling his leg and brought an elbow down on the back of his neck.

  Jacob fell, honey coating his hair and the back of his coat. Ronni grabbed the twine from the bench and experienced a déjà vu moment from the previous day with Lance.

  Thomas put his knee in Jacob’s back. The man ranted and cursed, but the blow to his head kept him unstable enough while Thomas secured his hands behind his back without too much trouble.

  He used a foot to flip Jacob over. Then he reached down and removed the gun from its holster.

  “You bastard! You’re not framing me for Kristine’s murder!”

  Jacob continued to spew accusations and curses. Ronni wiped her hands on a towel, handed it to Thomas.

  He grinned at her. “Nice shot.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Let’s get him to the house. I could use that coffee.”

  He stuck Jacob’s gun in his waistband and kissed her over the top of his prone body. Jacob tried to kick Thomas and Thomas planted his heel in the guy’s sternum, cutting off his breath. Jacob contorted and wheezed, but at least he quit yelling.

  Each of them grabbed one of Jacob’s arms and hauled him to his feet. He fought, but he was too off balance to do much. They marched him toward the house, past onlookers who were out feeding chickens, milking cows, and preparing breakfast. Eyes widened and a few glared at Thomas and Ronni, but none questioned them. Seemed to Ronni like this was becoming a daily ritual.

  By the time they made it to the house, Jacob was regaining his senses and his breath. He tried to run, but Thomas grabbed him and knocked his feet out from under him. He dropped to the ground and refused to move.

  “Always the fucking hard way,” Thomas murmured.

  Her partner was more muscled than Jacob and far stronger. He lifted the guy by his tethered hands and brought him to his knees. “On your feet, Jacob.”

  The man yelped. “Fuck you.”

  “You’re not my type, Kemo Sabe.” He jerked Jacob’s arms straight backward, forcing him to stand or dislocate his shoulders. “But then again, you’re not a Lone Ranger type. You’re more of a…”

  Thomas glanced at Ronni. “For the first time in possibly forever, I have no movie comparison.”

  “How about a biblical one?” she offered. “Judas comes to mind.”

  “Huh. You’re right.” He glanced back toward the farm. “By the way, keep an eye out for Adam. He escaped the mental hospital early this morning. He’ll probably turn up here soon.”

  “He escaped? In his condition? Was anyone injured?”

  “No. They’re not sure how it happened, but he might have had help. Just keep an eye out.” Thomas launched Jacob forward. “Okay, Judas. March.”

  Ronni headed toward the house. She shouldn’t enter the crime scene again, but she wanted to gather her things and she really could use some caffeine. It had been another long, mostly sleepless night. But as the coonhound lifted his head and wagged his tail at her approach,
Thomas steered Jacob, now yelling at the top of his lungs for Melanie, down the driveway and toward the parked cars—her rental and Melanie’s sedan sat side by side.

  “Where are you going?” Ronni called, scratching behind the dog’s ears.

  He pointed with his free hand at her rental. “I’m going to wait for the cops out here with Judas. I’ll stick him in the car until they arrive. Bring me some of that coffee, will you?”

  She watched him force Jacob into the car. The guy was still putting up a fight, but had lost steam again. If only I’d found those guns…

  Ronni headed around back to the kitchen door.

  Chapter Thirty-six

  The smell of brewing coffee sent a wave of calm through Ronni’s nerves, still buzzing with adrenaline. Lance was innocent and Thomas had Jacob in custody. The guns were still MIA, but maybe there really weren’t any guns.

  Knowing Adam had escaped the hospital and might be roaming the streets of San Diego wasn’t good news. He’d been through so much, and now this. Someone, thinking they were helping him, had added to his problems and set him free.

  As soon as they had things settled with Jacob, she would go looking for him.

  Jacob. Why would he kill Kristine and frame Adam?

  The thought circled her brain as she retrieved a clean mug from the dish drainer and willed the coffee maker to hurry up. Jacob had admitted he’d dropped breadcrumbs to his superiors so he could stay undercover on the farm and off the streets. Why blow that and bring heat on the farm by killing Kristine?

  He could get rid of Adam, but Adam was his meal ticket in this sense. With Adam gone, how would the cult continue? The people living there weren’t there for the organic farm only. They wanted a religious leader.

  Maybe Jacob hadn’t planned on killing Kristine and then had to cover his tracks. Had she discovered his duplicity? The guns? The fact he and/or Dr. Elgin had switched out Adam’s medications?

  As soon as the glass pot had half an inch of coffee, Ronni snagged it from the burner. Maybe caffeine would restore her logic and reasoning. The liquid steamed as she poured, and after returning the pot, she raised the cup and blew on the coffee to cool it before taking a sip.

  Ahhh. She closed her eyes and sipped more. Strong. Hot. Delicious. Just the way she liked it.

  If the police hadn’t confiscated the scrapbook Adam had in his drawer, she was taking it with her. It still creeped her out, and no one outside the FBI needed to know the classified cases she’d worked on. Jacob had to have a contact inside the Bureau. Tracking the slime bag down was next on her to-do list after she found Adam and checked him back into the hospital.

  While the pot of coffee finished brewing, she took the stairs two at a time. She’d grab the scrapbook and her stuff, then take Thomas a cup of coffee.

  The hall was gloomy and dark. Her feet froze on the top tread just like they’d done the day before. Why? No answer came. It was like she was waiting for Petero Valquis to jump out of the shadows and blindside her again.

  Thomas wasn’t with her this time to keep her mind off things, and with the jolt of caffeine in her veins, her nerves were working overtime. She really shouldn’t disturb anything, but she wasn’t leaving without her belongings and that damn scrapbook.

  Shut it down.

  Forcing her feet to move, she walked down the hall, took a fortifying breath, and opened Adam’s office door.

  Just like the previous day, the desk sat empty. The curtains were drawn. Ronni could imagine Adam there, working on his next bible study, or going over the books with Melanie.

  Or entering another page in my scrapbook…

  Ronni located the drawer, popped it open and removed the book. Just touching it gave her the heebie jeebies, but she tucked it under her arm and quickly exited the room.

  In her bedroom in the tower, she deposited the scrapbook in the bottom of her overnight bag. Next went in the measly collection of clothes she’d arrived with. She was on her way to the bathroom to retrieve her hair products and toothbrush when Melanie appeared in the doorway.

  “My goodness, what are you doing here?”

  “Packing my stuff. What are you doing here?”

  “It’s my house.”

  “And it’s a crime scene. Off limits.”

  “Yet, you’re in here.”

  Touché. “You sent me on a wild goose chase to the honey house. You knew Paige wasn’t there.”

  “Jacob told me to do it.”

  “That’s what he said.” At least their stories matched. “He ever act suspicious around you? Like when he met you in town?”

  Her eyes darted to Ronni’s open overnight bag. “What do you mean by suspicious?”

  Melanie knew what she meant. “Did he tell you he works for the LAPD?”

  “What?” Her attention snapped back to Ronni’s face. Melanie gripped the door frame. “Jacob’s a police officer?”

  “I know you’re having an affair with him, but he’s not a good guy. He lied to you, and not just because he’s an undercover officer. It’s possible he’s using you and the farm for criminal activities.”

  Her shoulder hit the doorframe as her knees went weak. “You can’t be serious.”

  Ronni let her absorb the news without saying anything, even though she felt sorry for Melanie. She knew first hand deception was an ugly toxin that seeped through your skin and into your bones.

  “Why would he…?” Melanie shook her head, straightened. Her face set, she dropped her hands. “I can’t believe he would deceive me like that. I need to speak to him.”

  “We believe he tampered with Adam’s meds. Possibly killed Kristine and made it look like Adam did it. Can you think of any reason why Jacob would do that?”

  Horror replaced anger. “Jacob’s not like that. He would never…” She stopped herself, remembered Jacob had deceived her. “Okay, maybe Jacob lied about being a police officer, but he had no arguments or complaints about Kristine. Adam, on the other hand, had many issues with her.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “You’re not shifting blame from Adam to Jacob to clear your brother’s name, are you?”

  “Adam is still a suspect, but now, Jacob is too. I’m examining both men for means, motive, and opportunity.”

  The woman stepped forward, patted her arm. “Just so you know, even though Adam won’t be here, his work—the iChurch and its mission—will carry on. Much of our overhead is covered by donations, but the farm is making enough now to cover the mortgage and most of the other expenses if we manage carefully. We’ll lose a few members initially, but we’ll continue to grow. People are hungry for this kind of community and the type of acceptance they find here.” She smiled. “And we’ll invite leaders of the other iChurch communities around the world to visit us and keep our mission alive.”

  A mission without Adam. Melanie had it all planned out.

  Ronni ignored the annoyance and suspicion eating away at her. Melanie was a nice, normal person in a crazy world. A business person. Of course she’d be concerned about her family farm and its future. “It’s possible Jacob was running guns or other illegal weapons and using the farm as cover. Ever see him hiding anything here or contacting strangers in town?”

  Melanie paled, the look on her face suggesting Ronni had hit on something.

  “What is it, Melanie? Do you remember something?”

  “Jacob, he…he built the stage in the chapel for Adam. For the pulpit to stand on and lift Adam up so it was easier for us to see him. A couple of times, I saw Jacob fiddling around with a secret door in the back. He said it was for the microphone and computer recording equipment. The wires.”

  And maybe it was. “What makes you think there’s more under that stage?”

  “I don’t know. It’s just that…I’ve seen Jacob carrying large sacks—like army duffel bags—in and out of the chapel on occasion. Could there be guns in those sacks?”

  Yes! An adrenaline surge shot down Ronni’s spine. She’d seen Jacob going in and out of the c
hapel too. Not with bags, but… “Show me the hidden door.”

  The women started down the stairs, Ronni following behind Melanie. This was the break she’d been waiting for. She debated telling Thomas, decided he had his hands full with Jacob, and she didn’t want to show her cards to the cop just yet. She wanted to see his face when she had proof he was as dirty as the fields.

  Melanie headed for the front door. Ronni stopped her and led her toward the back door. The smell of coffee had spread from the kitchen to the other downstairs rooms. Once again, the place felt homier. A sense of satisfaction spread in Ronni’s chest.

  “Ronni?”

  The voice came from the front sitting room, stopping her dead in her tracks. Melanie too. Cautiously, they walked back to the door. Ronni eased into the room. The heavy curtains hadn’t been pulled back, and the room was dark. Ronni flipped on the overhead light. “Adam?”

  He emerged from the shadows, looking pale and tired. “Oh, thank God.” He nearly fell into Ronni’s arms, hugging her tightly. “You’re okay.”

  He wasn’t agitated like he’d been the day before. The frenetic energy had disappeared. He seemed calm, or maybe it was the exhaustion.

  “Adam, how did you get here?”

  “God provides.” He turned to Melanie. “You didn’t really think I’d let you get away with this, did you?”

  Her eyes widened. She took a hesitant step back. “I, uh…” She glanced at Ronni with a help me look. “What is he talking about? Why is he here?”

  “God visited me in the hospital.” He stepped forward, backing her up. She bumped into a high-backed chair. “He told me what you had done.”

  She gave a nervous laugh. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. You’re off your meds, and you’re delusional!”

  “At times, yes, my brain chemistry is off kilter, but not now. Not at this moment. I know what you did, and why you did it.”

  Her eyes darted around. She gave Ronni another please help me look.

  Adam wasn’t touching her, wasn’t threatening her. Ronni decided to see what he had to say. “What did she do, Adam?”

  “She killed Kristine.”