by DiAnn Mills
He texted April. Stay clear until I give the ok.
The man, in his early fifties and wearing casual slacks, moved closer. Not quite six feet tall and thick snow-white hair. Guys around here wore Wranglers and Levi’s, not golfing pants. Jason reached behind him for his gun and felt the hard, cold metal.
The man walked into the treed area and pulled a semiautomatic. He raised it to firing position and approached Jason’s truck. He peered into the trees. Then moved stealthily toward the cab. Once he confirmed no one was inside, he bent to study footprints. After a few moments, he laid his gun on the ground, stood, and raised his hands.
“Snyder, I know you’re watching me. Smart man to see who’s tailing you. I’m Special Agent Simon Neilson. Just want to talk.”
Jason listened. Did April know Simon was paying him a visit?
“Okay, I’d be leery too. I’m reaching inside my jacket for my business card. Going to stick it under your windshield wiper blade.”
Jason had no inclination to open a conversation. Yet.
“I’m leaving now. I understand you don’t want to expose yourself and may not find credibility in my words. Do this for yourself and your daughter. Let us take you into protective custody with your family. Or at the very least stay in hiding until this is over. Move to another secure spot today.”
“Give your gun a kick,” Jason said. Simon sent it whirling about twenty feet. Jason stepped from the shadows, just enough for Simon to see him. “When are the agents transporting my daughter and mother today?”
“I told April around 2 p.m.” He started to lower his hands.
“Keep them up. How about publicly exonerating me?”
“I agree the announcement would handicap Willis.”
“You wouldn’t be going to this much trouble if you weren’t sure of my innocence. Did Willis kill Russell?”
“I have no idea.”
“So why are you here? Apparently I wasn’t that hard to find.”
“The FBI has ways. I’ll give you credit for swiping license plates and not using a credit card in any transactions.”
Jason sighed. “I just want this straightened out.”
“I understand. We’re investigating Willis’s probable mishandling of the case.”
“What do you want from me?”
“What does Willis Lennox have against you?”
“It’s personal.”
“Must be for him to frame you for murder.”
“I plan to keep searching on my end.”
“No, leave this alone. The investigation is for trained law enforcement. I’d hate to see your independence get you killed. Worse yet, find your and April’s bodies dumped on the side of one of these roads. I get your stake in Russell Edwards’s death. But dead heroes can’t raise their daughters.”
Unfortunately, Simon made sense, but Jason had made his choice. His concern did center on Isabella and his family. “How will the transfer happen?” he said. “Unless you say it’s too dangerous, I’d like to tell my family good-bye.”
“I anticipated you’d want to see them off. Here’s the deal. I’m suggesting a Woodville location, the parking lot nearest to the restaurant at Heritage Village.”
“I know the spot.”
“The busy locale is the best solution for everyone’s safety. I’ve told April your family needs to leave their home at precisely 1:40. Agents will follow them from there to the transfer spot.”
He’d prefer to have the FBI drive into Sweet Briar and escort them to Houston in an armed tank. “And the Viners won’t be told? Kevin had suggested his family and mine keep company together. Not smart until we’re assured of his allegiance.”
“This isn’t a ‘we’ operation. You are a civilian, and if you step out of line or interfere in a federal investigation, I’m tossing your rear in jail. Listen to April. She has questions that need answers. Now, if you don’t mind, I’ll collect my gun. Call me if you come to your senses.”
28
APRIL DROVE CURVY COUNTRY ROADS to where Jason kept a low profile. He’d texted her to stay clear until he gave her the word. Now she was on her way, navigating a dirt-and-gravel road, and curious as to what he’d encountered.
Sunshine bathed the quiet countryside. Pretty autumn drive if not for her attention swirling in every direction. Patches of sparse brown grass hinted at fall and the few months of winter to come. Most of the trees were dressed in vibrant gold and scarlet, but the pines retained their year-round color.
Without responses and solutions from Simon, she vowed to stay on the investigation. The crime had the FBI’s attention, and she believed in the mission statement—even if she didn’t have all the facts.
Still, the missing details left her frustrated.
Ted reminded her of a hero from the Battle of the Alamo. He refused to desert his home. But the Alamo ended badly, and the old story needled her.
She couldn’t help but think about Carrie Edwards’s sorrow. Had emotional instability caused Carrie to lie when she said Russell and Jason argued before their meeting? What about Willis’s claim that Russell contacted him for help? Could Willis be afraid Carrie might present new information? April craved an interview alone with the widow. Questions tumbled over into questions.
The newest maze of confusion had her mind on overload. She couldn’t continue one step farther on Jason’s behalf until she learned the truth behind Lily Snyder’s death. Simon’s startling piece of information regarding an alleged call from Vicki Snyder tied her in knots. And as much as she believed Willis had arranged the accusatory call to the FBI, she feared he could have evidence, something April missed in her conversations and analysis of Jason. She groaned. A good lawyer would kick her testimony against Willis out of court—a hostage negotiator who supported a fugitive.
Why identify the woman as Vicki Snyder? What if Vicki’s voice matched the woman who’d made the call? April had to process the possibility Jason could be innocent of one murder and guilty of another. Doubts always had a way of surfacing until the true picture came into focus.
Every phrase entering her mind began with a “why.”
The turnoff ahead captured her attention, and she followed the narrow tractor path leading into the woods, squeezing Ted’s truck between towering pine trees.
When she pulled next to his vehicle, he emerged from behind a tree. His lips framed a slight smile, but the lines fanning from the sides of his eyes indicated far too much stress. Had the migraine attacked him again?
Jason cleaned debris off his truck bed with his hand and grabbed a can of bug spray. “Sitting inside my truck gives me claustrophobia, like being locked up for a murder I didn’t commit.” He pointed to the tailgate. “Air-conditioned,” he said. “Mosquitoes aren’t quite as bad as in the summer. Use this spray and keep your sweatshirt tight around you.”
While she updated him on Isabella and his parents, he drank coffee and ate his mother’s breakfast casserole. She moved on to what she’d learned from Vic Henley.
“I’m not surprised,” Jason said. “Another reason why Willis has to be stopped.”
“Brenda Krew wasn’t at her office, so I left a message.” She hesitated a moment before continuing. “Simon called me.”
Jason stopped chewing and stared into her face. She could feel his scrutiny. “He paid me a visit.”
She blinked. Why hadn’t her partner said anything about it? “Here? What did he say?” This revelation added a little crust to her and Simon’s friendship. Maybe he hadn’t told her his intentions because . . . She’d ask him.
Jason relayed the conversation. “He knows I’m not leaving the area. He advised me to listen to you.”
“Based on the timing, he must have called me from his car,” she said. “And never said a word about his attempt at a face-to-face with you.” Denying her growing annoyance with Simon, she moved forward. “His appearance is a positive sign.”
“Is it?” He shook his head. “There’s so many things about how the FBI use
s technology to track down people, but do they have my best interests? I try to pacify myself by thinking the bullet that killed Russell must have been meant for me. Except then I’d go to my grave with Billie’s secret, and Willis wouldn’t have the info he wants.”
“Unless they’re already dead.”
“The thought’s crossed my mind.”
She pointed to his breakfast. “You need your energy.”
“The look on your face says bad news is coming.”
“I have to ask you a couple of hard questions.”
“Okay. Bring it on.”
“Where were you when Lily died?”
“Unusual question.” Jason set his half-eaten casserole on the truck bed. “In the hospital room. What’s this got to do with Willis?”
“Were you alone?”
He frowned. “Isabella was with me. Why?”
“The FBI received a call from a woman who claimed you assisted in Lily’s death.”
Color mounted in his face. The memory of him losing his temper yesterday with Willis when he threatened Isabella and April at the motel put her on alert. Jason might have killed Willis if she hadn’t talked him down.
“I have to run down every piece of evidence and hearsay that comes my direction,” she said.
“The accusation is a lie.” He blew out what she figured was a string of his internal expletives. “You know Willis is behind this. He’s using both barrels to try to show I’m a killer.”
“I agree the move fits his MO. But I have to hear from you what happened.” His answer would determine if she’d made an erroneous judgment call with him.
Jason looked away and rubbed his face before speaking. “Lily was my reason to climb out of bed every morning.”
“You loved her. I see it in your face. Hear it in your voice.” She offered silence for her words to register before posing the critical question. “Did you love her enough to end her pain?”
“No. A mercy killing is murder. I’ll say this once, then you choose who you want to believe. As much as I hated Lily’s suffering, God held the keys to her life and death.” He dug his fingers into both palms.
“A woman made the call.” April poured sympathy into her tone. “She gave her name as Vicki Snyder. Said she couldn’t keep it a secret any longer since you’d been charged with Russell Edwards’s murder.”
He left the truck bed and took several steps. When he lifted his face to the sky, she longed to read his thoughts.
“I’m glad Willis isn’t here. My vow to keep my anger under control would be tested. April, give me a moment to calm down.”
She kept her composure and waited, part of her training.
“Have you already interrogated my mother?” Irritation laced his tone. Before April could form a response, he shook his head. “Sorry. I’m way off base here. I understand this is part of your job.”
“I’ve only talked to you. No point in upsetting your parents. But I need to know where Vicki was during Lily’s passing.”
He rejoined her and began again. “Mom and Dad were in the waiting area with Russell and Carrie. We knew Lily’s end had come, and they wanted to give us her last few minutes. I remember Carrie cried to be with Lily, but Russell insisted she wait with him and my parents. Lily’s vitals were monitored at the nurses’ desk, and as soon as she passed, two nurses were immediately in the room. I was holding Isabella . . . not trying to find a way to end Lily’s life.”
“I asked Simon to retrieve those records and send them to me. The security cameras with a time stamp will show Vicki couldn’t have been in two places at the same time.”
“Can you use voice recognition software to show Mom didn’t make the call?”
“We’ll ask for a recording from your mom for comparison.”
“Could the findings be used against Willis?” he said.
“A gray area at the moment. If we are able to identify the caller, and the woman could be persuaded to testify that Willis put her up to the call, she could be an integral part of your defense.”
“Giving her a plea bargain? Don’t ask me how I feel about a criminal walking the streets,” he said. “Especially if she’s the same woman who kidnapped Isabella.”
“She’d still face punishment.”
“The jury is filled with humans who allow sympathetic testimony to sway their opinion.”
“Justice is not supposed to work that way, but I see your point.”
Anguish etched his features, and she longed to reach out to him. Her phone alerted her to a text.
Jason absolved of guilt in murder of Russell Edwards.
She handed him the phone, and he read the message.
“Willis will come after me like a rabid dog,” he said. “Sic all his buds and their friends on me. You too. But I welcome the risk to expose him. Anytime you want to head back to Houston, I’m okay with your decision. You’ve done far too much now. Trust me, you don’t deserve Willis’s vengeance. No one does.”
“I took this case seriously after experiencing him firsthand.”
“Thanks, April. You’re amazing.”
His gaze into her eyes caused her to momentarily lose herself in the depths of his brown eyes. An uncomfortable silence lingered, and her heart soared into double time.
Jason yanked his phone from his pocket. “I’d better call Mom. Let her know the latest.”
He’d felt the awkward moment too.
“Can you put it on speaker so I can record it?”
“Sure.”
Jason phoned his mom, verified Isabella was fine, and reiterated the FBI’s directives about the transfer. “Yes, I’ve been exonerated. Everything else is the same, unfortunately. Has Dad changed his mind? The danger of him getting hurt is not worth the risk—”
“He’s already told me not to bring it up again.”
Jason shook his head. “Tell Dad stubbornness is for mules, not men.” He glanced at April. “Mom, there’s more I need to tell you. A woman using your name phoned the FBI. She said I assisted in Lily’s death.”
“What?” Vicki’s voice shrilled.
“It’s all right. April’s recording this. The FBI will compare the woman’s voice and yours to confirm they aren’t a match.”
“Good. And tell her to check my cell phone records for such an outrageous call. Ted’s too. Mercy, what’s next?”
“I’d like to think we’re on the downhill side of things.” Jason’s attempt at optimism sounded flat. “Stay put until it’s time to leave. See you soon. Love you.”
He ended the call, and April sent the recording to Simon before reverting her attention to Jason.
“I’m looking for more info about Brenda Krew’s relationship with Willis.”
“As in she could be the mystery woman?” He shrugged. “I’m at the point of believing anything.”
“I’ll talk to her before the day’s over. Avoiding the FBI never pans out.”
“Unfortunately, true.”
She caught his gaze. The stress in his eyes overwhelmed her. “Shake off the unfairness, Jason. Think like Willis and use logic and not emotions. If you can’t wrap your brain around how he operates, the anger will destroy all we’re trying to accomplish.”
“Willis has always been a bully and self-centered. I went off to college, and he qualified as deputy sheriff. Took the training. When I graduated, I built a construction business, but Willis’s activities seeped deeper into muck. Rumors mostly, and nothing I can swear to. Willis and Billie dated for years. They married when Billie got pregnant with Zack. She told me he’d roughed her up a few times when they were dating, but he always apologized, and she took him back. Most people thought Willis’s new responsibility of husband and father might instill good stuff.”
“But it continued?”
“Yep. His tough-guy attitude grew worse. A womanizer. Willis ran for county sheriff and won. More abusive to Billie. She filed assault charges twice that I remember but later dropped them. Been downhill ever since. The rest you
know about—Billie asking me to help her and Zack leave him.”
“He has over two thousand acres. How does a man acquire so much land on a sheriff’s salary?”
“Inherited from his grandparents and parents. I’m sure he’s dabbled in things illegally, but I don’t have proof.”
She sighed. “About time we took the offensive. After ensuring your family’s safe, what’s your number one priority?”
“Same as earlier. Finding out who replaced the glass in my office window. Before Simon arrived, I made calls to the commercial and independent installers in the area. Nothing yet.”
“Could Kevin have replaced it?”
He grinned. “Last summer, one of his boys broke a window in his living room. I tried to tell him how to do it, but he had me call an installer. Besides, the office window was a custom size.”
“Any of your crew able to replace it?”
“Where would they have gotten the glass? I have another idea.”
29
JASON STRETCHED HIS SHOULDERS. The stakes weighed heavily on his heart, as though a bulldozer sat on his chest. A part of him wanted to walk away from this. He had no investigative skills and a flimsy plan. “There’s another company east of Woodville. I’ve met the owners a few times and worked on a community project with them. Might as well check there.” He pressed in the number.
A woman answered the phone. “City and Country Glass, Tessa Barker.”
“Afternoon, Tessa, this is Jason Snyder of Snyder Construction.”
“Yes, sir, what can I do for you?”
April heard a perky lilt in the woman’s voice. Jason gave her the memorized spiel.
“I really doubt any of our installers handled the job, but hold on while I pull up the logs.” A moment later she confirmed nothing in her files corresponding to the night of the crime. “We have three installers, all our sons. Let me talk to them. If they did the job, the work order could be still in their trucks. We’re a family business, and sometimes paperwork doesn’t arrive in the office in a timely manner.”
