Burden of Proof

by DiAnn Mills

  His thoughts tumbled over each other while he ate. Hunter had an average build and wouldn’t have a problem getting into the warehouse. Earning a little extra money might appeal to him.

  Jason reined in his musings. He’d been accused wrongly of a crime, and he certainly didn’t want to do the same to anyone else. But doubts lingered. Jason dug into his second pie, burning his tongue in the process.

  The front door opened, and April entered her home away from home. He walked into the living room to greet her. . . . Her smile lit up his frenzied heart. “Hey, did Brenda give you a lead? Sell you a house?”

  She rolled her eyes. “She’s a prize, but I got our lead. The short version is her daughter is the young woman who nabbed Isabella. I saw her pic.”

  He choked and coughed. “I knew Brenda had a daughter, but I haven’t seen her since she was a little girl and moved away with her dad. I think her name started with a J. . . . Where does she live?”

  “I’m hoping Ted can give us insight.”

  “He’s in bed. Attempted to talk him into leaving town, but no go.”

  She nodded. “I’ll talk to him in the morning about Brenda’s daughter. You’re taking a big chance by being in public.”

  “I know.” He quickly explained his search for info about the Barker boys.

  April typed into the laptop. “Hunter does have a record. Been arrested twice for DUI. He also has a charge for assault. Guess who made the last arrest?”

  “Willis?”

  “None other.”

  “What do you think?” He studied her. She needed sleep. “Am I way out there?”

  “Not sure. But the person videoed going into their warehouse could be the same.”

  He grabbed his phone and called Tessa.

  “Have you identified who broke into our warehouse?” Tessa said.

  “I need some help, and I think you, Nate, and the boys could help.”

  “Andy has an overnight church event. But the rest of us are here. Nate and I want this settled.”

  “Great. April and I will be there by 10:30.” He dropped the phone into his jacket. “I’m driving.”

  When they arrived at City and Country Glass, a light shone through the window. He hoped his suspicions about Hunter were wrong, but Jason had to follow through and find out if the middle son was the one who installed the custom glass in his office window.

  Nate opened the door before Jason and April left the truck. “The four of us are chomping at the bit to see if you’ve identified the thief.” Nate reached out and shook Jason’s hand and then April’s. “Come on in.”

  Did Nate suspect anyone or was he simply wanting justice served? Jason greeted the family. Mark and Hunter appeared open and friendly. Nate pointed to chairs positioned in the office.

  April began the conversation. “Thanks for seeing us on such short notice at this hour,” she said. “The FBI is diligently working with local law enforcement to untangle the death of Russell Edwards. We’ve been looking into the workers you hired during Nate’s illness.” She paused. “Did you have any problems with them?”

  Mark answered. “No, not at all. They were hard workers. I wished we’d had more jobs to keep them on. I have a hard time believing either of them would have broken into the warehouse.”

  Hunter took over. “Their wives took turns sending cookies and stuff with them.” He ran his hand over his mouth. “But do we ever know folks and what they’re capable of? Mr. Snyder, I’m sorry for what’s happened to you.”

  “Thanks.” Jason eyed him. Hunter could have taken a step in the right direction. Maybe his wild ways were behind him.

  “You said neither of the workers were given an access code to the warehouse,” April said. “Is it possible they obtained one of your keys or figured out the code?”

  “I have mine,” Tessa said.

  Mark and Hunter responded by pulling out their keys.

  “What about Andy? Does he have a key?” Jason said.

  “Oh, he’s in school and only helps out on the weekends,” Nate said. “I’ll tell him about y’all’s questions, but I doubt he has anything to offer.”

  April thanked the family. “We appreciate your being here late.”

  “We’re sorry this has been a waste of time for the FBI.” Nate crossed his arms over his chest. “I don’t care about the missing glass, but I know you folks are looking for a killer. Let’s call it a night and talk tomorrow. We’re all tired.”

  “Of course,” April said.

  Jason and Nate shook hands. Again on the road, Jason turned into a farmer’s lane, switched off his truck lights, and put his vehicle in park. “Could Simon request search warrants for cell phone records from the sons?” he said.

  “I’ll do my best.”

  “Now we wait to follow Hunter.”

  “What if you’re wrong?”

  Jason reached across the seat and took her hand. “I have nothing to lose and everything to gain.” He unbuckled his seat belt. “We can pretend we’re sixteen and enjoy the quiet.”

  “I don’t think so.” She laughed. “We have a job to do.”

  Jason grabbed his night-vision goggles and pointed to City and Country Glass. “Nate’s truck is pulling out.” Five minutes later, another vehicle left. “It’s Hunter in his truck.”

  36

  APRIL KEPT HER EYES on Hunter’s truck. Jason kept his distance behind him with his lights off.

  “He’s not heading in the direction of his parents’ home but into Woodville,” Jason said.

  “So is he meeting buds, a girl, Willis, or a person who works for Willis? The million-dollar question.” She recalled how Nate had crossed his arms over his chest. “When I talk to Simon, I’ll add Nate to the search warrants. A father would protect his son.”

  “Nate vowed to find out who entered the warehouse. Do you think he might suspect one of his sons was the culprit?”

  “The short answer? Yes.”

  Upon entering Woodville city limits, Jason turned on his lights. Hunter drove to Whataburger, still open. The clock ticked toward 11:15. Jason passed by the fast-food restaurant, and the two watched from farther down the street.

  “If he’s hungry, he’d have used the drive-through, right?” April said. “But he hasn’t gotten out of his truck.”

  “Must be waiting on someone. The question is who.”

  In less than five minutes, Nate’s truck pulled in beside Hunter and parked. Nate and Hunter emerged from their trucks and walked to the Whataburger entrance.

  “I thought they were tired,” April said.

  The Barker men talked outside the restaurant door. Hunter ran his hand over his face, and Nate wrapped his arm around Hunter’s shoulders as they walked in.

  “Hungry?” Jason said. “That doesn’t look like father and son bonding to me—more like desperation.”

  “We should scope it out.”

  Once inside, Jason and April ignored Nate and Hunter and moved straight to the counter. Jason put in an order for burger and fries, and she requested a grilled chicken melt. After filling their drinks, they looked for a place to sit and appeared to notice father and son seated in a booth.

  “Hey,” Jason said. “Mind if we join you?”

  Nate paled but quickly recovered, reinforcing the theory that Hunter could be in some kind of trouble. Perhaps this was unrelated to the glass replacement. “Sure.” He pointed to a table for two beside him and Hunter. Nate’s hands trembled.

  “Strange to see you two here,” Jason said.

  “We’re talking business,” Hunter said. “Hope we don’t bore you.”

  Jason sat at the table and faced Hunter. “If you’re doing an estimate for me, make it low.”

  April eased onto a chair across from Jason. Nate offered a slight smile. She unwrapped her sandwich and ate slowly while observing father and son from the corner of her eye.

  “What’s it like being an FBI agent?” Hunter dipped fries into a mound of mustard and ketchup.


  “Interesting. You learn the best and the worst about people,” she said.

  “Do you always work murder cases?” Hunter said.

  “No. I work hostage negotiation when needed and public corruption in between.”

  “Interesting.”

  April took a drink of her Diet Coke. “Have you met Sheriff Willis Lennox?”

  “No, ma’am.”

  “Son, the agent here needs to eat.” Nate looked at his watch. “Are you about ready? Your mama wants to talk to us, and we don’t want to keep her waiting.”

  “Gotta keep Mom happy.” Hunter gathered up an uneaten sandwich and wrapped it in a napkin. He shoved his food toward his dad. “You can have this. Good talking to you,” he said to Jason and April.

  Nate and Hunter exited.

  April turned to Jason. “Don’t look, but I think Hunter drove off but not Nate. I need to talk to him.”

  “Okay for me to tag along or does it look like we’re ganging up on him?”

  “Not a good idea. If we’re right, Nate’s emotions may be off the charts.”

  “I understand being overprotective about kids.”

  They ignored their food and walked outside.

  April knocked on the passenger side of Nate’s truck. She didn’t wait for his approval but opened the door and seated herself. Jason waited by his vehicle. In the faint light, lines dug into the outer corners of Nate’s eyes. April worried about his failing health. Permanent heart damage had a way of slowing a man down.

  “Are you all right?” she said.

  He stared straight ahead. “What do you think?”

  “Stress can do us in.”

  Nate breathed in sharply. “When did you figure out Hunter was the man in the security video?”

  “Jason had a hunch this afternoon. I checked his background. When he said he’d never met Willis, I knew he’d lied because Willis has arrested him in the past.”

  “Once you and Jason left, I told him we had to figure this out. He agreed, said he wanted to do the right thing, a step up for my son.”

  “I hear your love for him.”

  “I sent him home. Told him I’d talk to you.”

  “Nate, he hasn’t broken the law if all he’s done is replace a window and used glass from your warehouse.”

  “I told him the same thing, but he’s scared about his past record. Sheriff Lennox paid him $500 to install the window and keep his mouth shut.”

  37

  “HUNTER, TO THE BEST of your knowledge, have you broken the law regarding the murder of Russell Edwards?” April’s soft voice wafted about the room.

  Jason recalled the first time he’d heard her gentle tone. Although she had an objective—to find out about the glass install—he recognized her compassion.

  The twenty-one-year-old sat at the kitchen table with his family, Jason, and April. “I kept quiet about replacing the window. But there was blood on the office floor of Mr. Snyder’s construction office.”

  “Start at the beginning,” she said. “I’d like to record our interview if it’s okay.”

  Hunter stared at his parents. “What do you think?”

  “I prefer not,” Nate said. “When we hear the whole story, we’ll decide together.”

  Sweat beaded on Hunter’s forehead. “Sheriff Lennox called me around 8:15 last Thursday evening. Told me he needed a glass replacement for a friend done that night. I asked if it could wait until the morning, and he offered me $500. All I had to do was keep quiet. The installation was a surprise for a friend. He mentioned not arresting me the last time he picked me up for a DUI. In my opinion, he didn’t offer much choice. I’ve been trying to behave myself. Sheriff Lennox gave me the window’s measurements. I saw right away it was a custom size, and I’d have to cut it in the warehouse. I assumed he’d have replaced it himself if it had been a regular size.”

  “Son,” Tessa began, “would some water help?”

  “No thanks, Mom. My stomach’s queasy. Feel awful.”

  Hunter was showing the classic signs of alcohol withdrawal. Poor kid.

  April touched the knuckles of Hunter’s clasped hands. “Do you feel well enough to finish?”

  “Yes, ma’am. Have to. I couldn’t figure out if I should turn the security camera off.” He shrugged. “I decided if a problem ever surfaced, I’d rather it look like a break-in. So I got the glass, cut it, and met Sheriff Lennox at Mr. Snyder’s office around 10:30. He stood around while I installed the glass and cleaned up. He insisted the inside and outside of the office were spotless.”

  “What did the broken window look like? Did it show any holes that could have been bullet holes?”

  “When I arrived, the whole thing was busted out.”

  “What else did you see?”

  “The blood on the floor bothered me big-time. Found the guts to ask about it, and he told me it was wine. Told me I was being paid for replacing glass, not asking questions.”

  Willis hadn’t been sitting in the sheriff’s office during Jason’s hours in jail but standing over Hunter while he replaced the glass.

  “Was there a hole in the wall opposite the window?”

  “No, sir.”

  “Did you hear anything we can use?” April said.

  “He texted a lot. I could tell by the sound of the messages going out and others coming in. Someone called him. I heard, ‘Finish what you were paid to do and disappear.’ I thought the call had something to do with the blood on the floor.”

  “How were you paid?”

  “Cash.”

  “When this case goes to trial, we’ll require you to testify.”

  “Yes, ma’am. My plans are to straighten up my life before it all goes down the toilet. I haven’t spent the money either. It’s in my bedroom closet.”

  “Hunter,” Jason said, “since I learned the window in my office was replaced, I’ve wondered how this could have been handled so quickly. You’ve provided answers, and I’ll never forget it.” He reached across the table and shook Hunter’s hand. “Thank you for your courage to stand up for truth.”

  “We have a witness,” April said on the way back to the Sweet Briar area. “Hunter’s statement shows Willis is in clear violation of the law.”

  “How soon before Simon can act on it?”

  She’d sent a text from Nate and Tessa’s home, but he hadn’t responded.

  Her phone rang, and she recognized Kevin’s number.

  “April, we have a problem,” Kevin said. “Willis had Ted brought in as a person of interest and accomplice in Russell’s murder. I’m at the Snyder house with two other deputies, looking for a weapon—the murder weapon—to keep him behind bars.”

  “Willis is an idiot. Does he think conjuring up evidence exonerates his actions?” April chewed on her fury. “Tell me what you know.”

  “Hold on.” Kevin muffled his conversation. She counted to five before he returned to the line. “They’ve found an S&W. It fires the same caliber as the bullet used to kill Russell.”

  She glanced at Jason. His presence at the sheriff’s office could erupt more than false charges against Ted. “I’m on my way. Stall the others until I get there.”

  38

  JASON LISTENED TO APRIL explain Kevin’s call. His heart thumped like a racehorse’s.

  “I’ll handle getting your dad out of jail,” she said.

  “I’m going with you.” Anger topped his words. He heard it. He owned it. “Willis has stabbed my family for the last time.”

  “Let me handle this. The anger only works against you. Plus, you’re exhausted. It’s nearly 2 a.m.”

  “You have no clue what I’m feeling.”

  “I see a man who lost his temper yesterday and nearly killed Willis. You’re heading in the same direction tonight.”

  Willis hadn’t given up pushing him into a corner. Left to Jason, he’d give Willis a dose of his own trash.

  “I have no idea what this is like for you. I’m on your side. The FBI is too. But if you l
ose your temper, Willis gains it all.”

  When had he allowed anger to take over his life? Since the note left in his mailbox about keeping an eye on Isabella, he’d breathed fury and fear. No, before that . . . since Lily’s death.

  “Jason?”

  He let out a slow breath before speaking. “I don’t recognize myself. For the past year, I’ve pushed myself to keep the business running and be a good dad. I thought the anger came from the grieving process, and maybe some of it does. I have to harness it instead of stuffing it until I explode. Put the slow burning of my soul where I can deal with it logically.”

  She touched his arm. “You’re a man of faith. Use it.”

  “God hasn’t sheltered me from life’s ugliness,” he said. “I’ve always heard adversity causes spiritual growth. But I’m not growing closer to God. Just the opposite.”

  “If Lily were here, what would she say?”

  He stared out into the black countryside. She’d tell him to pray. Revenge against Willis wasn’t his call. Not now. Not ever. “Get my dad out of jail.” He heard the frustration in his own voice. God, help me rely on Your wisdom, not mine. “Slap your cuffs on him and drive him to a safe house.”

  “I’ll do my best.”

  The tenderness in her voice didn’t go unnoticed. He clasped his hand over hers, still touching his arm. “I’m not always a self-centered, desperate man. When this is over, I’d like to show you the better man.”

  “You already have.”

  Words of gratitude burned in his throat, and he smiled despite the disconcerting circumstances. “Maybe so.”

  “Do you mind hiding out one more night? I’ll contact you as soon as I have your dad’s arrest resolved.”

  “No problem.”

  April’s doubts about Kevin swung like a pendulum. Granted, he’d taken a few risks to protect Jason. Claimed to be on their side and requested the FBI tuck his family away. Informed her about Ted’s arrest. Told her about finding the gun. She wanted to trust him, but he always seemed to be at the right place at the right time. Or the wrong place at the wrong time. Coincidence?