'Til Death (A Rebel Ridge Novel)

by Sharon Sala

  “Oh, my God! I can’t believe this! I wanted this to be over, but I didn’t think it would end this way.”

  “Yeah, me, either. Were you asleep?”

  “Barely. I’m glad you called. I will definitely sleep easier tonight.”

  “Good. And on a different subject, I want you to know that today was the best day I’ve had since we were in high school.”

  Meg leaned back against the pillows and closed her eyes. “Me, too, Linc. I’ve spent a long time waiting to feel like this again. Regardless of why you’re here, I’m so glad you came home.”

  “So am I, honey. Sleep well. I’ll call you tomorrow after I finish working on the Thurgoods’ porch.”

  She giggled. “Watch out for Jewel. She’ll be looking over your shoulder through the whole event.”

  “Oh, great. Thanks for the warning.”

  “It’s what you get for being such a good guy.”

  “Love you, Meggie.”

  “Love you, too.”

  * * *

  It was nearly eleven in the morning before Linc finished repairing the back stoop at Elvis and Jewel Thurgood’s home. The entire morning had been something of a trial, measuring and cutting the lumber while, true to Meg’s warning, Jewel Thurgood butted in on a regular basis, making sure Linc was doing it to suit her. Aunt Tildy finally coerced Jewel back into the house under the pretense that it was too cold for her to be outside. The quiet afterward was broken only by the sound of hammer and saw. Now it was just him and Elvis.

  The old fellow was leaning against the house out of the wind, quietly watching Linc work, but Linc could see the intelligence in his thoughtful gaze. He was of the opinion that Elvis Thurgood wasn’t as diddly as he pretended to be.

  Finally Linc drove in the last nail, then stepped back to eye the job.

  “What do you think, Mr. Thurgood? Look okay to you?”

  “Yes. You did a right fine job,” the old man said. “We sure appreciate it.”

  “I’m happy to help,” Linc said.

  Elvis Thurgood paused, then put his hands in his pockets and cleared his throat.

  “I knew your daddy. He was a right nice guy. All he ever did was brag about you. I never did think you were guilty.”

  Linc was touched by the simple statement. “Thank you. At the time, it felt like everybody on Rebel Ridge believed I was the devil.”

  Elvis shook his head. “Not those of us who knew Marcus Fox. Good luck to you. Watch your back.”

  “That I will,” Linc said. The two men shook hands, and the conversation ended.

  Linc dropped Tildy at her house and headed home with one of her apple pies for his trouble, but he wasn’t thinking about the past. He was thinking about Meg and what he hoped would be their future.

  As he came around a curve he saw the mail carrier pulled over at a trio of mailboxes and remembered Meg telling him her brother James carried the mail. To his surprise, James saw him and waved.

  Linc smiled and waved back. He was still smiling when he stopped at his own mailbox. He pulled out a large padded mailer, saw the return address on the package and realized the transcript from the trial had finally arrived.

  He’d been in such deep mourning for his father that his memories of the entire event were pretty vague. The only clear recollection he had was of the jury foreman reading the verdict that had brought an immediate end to his youth.

  A few icy snowflakes fell on his windshield as he pulled up to his place and parked. It was the perfect day to spend some time indoors.

  He had the fire going and was making fresh coffee when his cell phone rang. A quick glance at the caller ID made him frown. It was the sheriff. So far, most of his calls had been grudging. He wondered what the hell was wrong now.

  “Hello?”

  “Lincoln, this is Marlow. I need to fill you in on something.”

  “I’m listening.”

  “I just got a document from a lawyer in Lexington. It’s a notarized confession from Wesley Duggan stating that he lied about you during your trial, and that everything he testified to was not something he had witnessed, but that it was something he’d been told to say by the woman with whom he’d been having an affair. He also said that he would testify in court that he lied and take the consequences for perjury.”

  Linc was stunned. “I can’t believe it.”

  “That’s not all. The lawyer wrote an accompanying letter stating that when Duggan confronted the woman, who is now his wife, she didn’t deny it.”

  Linc’s heart was pounding so hard he could barely think. “Legally, what does this mean?”

  “I’m not a lawyer, but I’d say you’re well on your way to having a reason to reopen the case.”

  “Son of a—”

  Marlow sighed. “Yeah. Look. I just want you to know that I’m willing to do my part. I’m going to go through all the reports that are on file and see if I can find any loose ends that would point to someone else.”

  “I have a starting place for you,” Linc said.

  “Like what?”

  “This won’t mean anything to you, because you didn’t know the family dynamic at the time. However, Fagan White was the one who called in the fire, and according to one of the reports I got from you, his brothers, Wendell and Prince, were two of the first people on the scene.”

  “What’s unusual about that? Their sister lived there.”

  “Yes, but she wasn’t there. She had gone to a family funeral overnight, and they knew it. See, Dad didn’t like Lucy’s brothers, and they didn’t like him, so there is no reason they should have even been there. And there’s something else, something I remembered after I went back to my old home the other day.”

  “What was that?”

  “That evening, when I drove up at the house and saw it burning, I was so freaked out and thinking about my dad that I didn’t have time to process this. Then, after the explosion knocked me out, I guess I forgot about it. But the bottom line is that when I got out of my truck that night, I heard a dog barking all crazy in the woods right behind me. It was barking like a dog might bark when it’s tied up and then sees something that freaks it out, you know? Our closest neighbor was over five miles away. Hunters up here don’t let their dogs run free, and we didn’t have any dogs.”

  “Yeah, so?”

  “So right after I heard the dog, I heard some man yelling at it to ‘shut the hell up,’ and then the house exploded.”

  “Are you sure that’s not something you just imagined?” Marlow asked.

  “As sure as I am that I didn’t kill my father.”

  “Well, Wendell is dead, and now it appears Prince is, too, so talking to them about it is out of the question.”

  “I saw that on the news last night. Have they found the body yet?”

  “No, not yet. And you know that river. The body could wash miles downstream before it’s found, if ever. We don’t even know for sure when the truck went in the water, just when Fagan last saw his brother.”

  “At least you still have Fagan to talk to. I don’t know if she told you or not, but he showed up at Meg’s the other night while I was there.”

  Marlow frowned. “I didn’t know anything about that. What did he want?”

  “It was weird. He started out by apologizing for what Prince did to her, and then he gave Meg some story about wanting to buy land from her ex, Bobby Lewis, for years and said Lewis finally sent word that he’d sell a part of it, but Fagan didn’t get the message, Prince did. He says Prince stepped in and went to see Lewis in prison. Supposedly he was to ask Meg about a parcel of land, but Fagan doesn’t know why he tormented her instead. Fagan claims that when he found out about the message from Lewis, he went to see him, but the warden wouldn’t let him in because Lewis was too sick.”

  “But why bother Meg about this?” Marlow asked.

  “It seems that the land Bobby is willing to sell is where he buried his favorite hunting dog, and Fagan wanted Meg to tell him where that was so he co
uld see it before he made an offer.”

  “Did she tell him?”

  “No. She told him she didn’t know anything about that, and that it must have happened after they were divorced. When he tried to push her about it, I made my appearance. He disappeared pretty fast after that.”

  “So Meg didn’t know?”

  “Meg knows, but she didn’t tell him because she said Fagan was lying about Bobby wanting to sell. She said Bobby couldn’t sell that land, because it doesn’t belong to just him. It belongs to all the Lewis kids, so Claude and Jane would have to agree to it, too.”

  Marlow sighed. “Son of a bitch. Those people just don’t go away, do they? I’m gonna have to find out what’s going on with them and that land. It doesn’t even make sense that Lewis would have anything to do with them, unless he’s making amends or something. He killed their brother, for God’s sake. Meg’s been through enough with all of them, Bobby and the White boys both.”

  “What are you going to do?” Linc asked.

  “I think I’ll be paying Bobby Lewis a visit myself, just to see what he has to say about all that. As for this letter, the lawyer says a certified copy was sent to the district attorney, but you need one, too. I’ll make a copy for you and drop it in the mail.

  “Thank you.”

  “Don’t thank me. Thank Wesley Duggan. He’s the one who spilled the beans.”

  “Yeah, I guess I should,” Linc said. “Thanks for letting me know.”

  After Marlow disconnected, Linc looked up the number of the Ford dealership. The phone rang a couple of times, and then a young woman answered.

  “Duggan Ford Lincoln Mercury. How may I direct your call?”

  “I need to speak to Wes Duggan.”

  “I’m sorry, sir. Mr. Duggan is in the hospital. Can someone else help you?”

  Linc frowned. “In the hospital? What happened? Did he have a heart attack?”

  “No, sir. He was shot last night by an assailant. He’s in intensive care.”

  “At the hospital in Mount Sterling?”

  “No, sir. They life-flighted him to Lexington.”

  “Do they know who shot him?”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “What about his wife? Was she injured, too?” Linc asked.

  “Mr. Duggan was staying in the motel across the street when he was shot. We were told this morning that his wife was assaulted in her home earlier in the evening. I think you need to speak to the police for further information.”

  Linc hung up, too shocked to think. He wanted to know the details of what had happened to Lucy, but he knew the cops wouldn’t tell him anything. And then he thought of Marlow and called him right back.

  The sheriff answered on the third ring.

  “This is Marlow.”

  “I just called Mount Sterling to talk to Wes Duggan and was told he was shot last night at the motel where he’d been staying and taken to Lexington on a life-flight. He’s in intensive care. Lucy was supposedly assaulted at about the same time in her home. It’s pretty suspicious to me that he spills his guts about her and then he gets shot. I’m curious as to the severity of her assault. Can you find out details and share?”

  “I’ll make some calls and let you know.”

  Linc disconnected. Talk about going from high to low in record time. He didn’t know how this would impact Wes’s confession, or if it would even stand up in court now without him physically present. He felt a moment of defeat, then shook it off. He was far from done with this or with Lucy. Whether he could prove it or not, he knew she was behind his conviction and maybe the attack on Wes, too.

  * * *

  Meg felt somewhat guilty to be happy a man was dead, but if ever a person had been wasting air, it was Prince White. At least she could be thankful that he wouldn’t be bothering her anymore. She’d called her mother and broken the news, then talked for almost an hour before they’d finally hung up.

  She’d been going through the items she was planning to take to the craft show in Lexington, making sure she had everything she would need laid out. The last thing to do would be drawing cash out of her account so she could make change at her booth. And then her phone rang.

  “Hello.”

  “It’s me. Are you busy?”

  She frowned at the tone of Linc’s voice. “Nothing I can’t stop. What’s wrong?”

  “Can I come over?”

  “Of course.”

  “I’ll be right there.”

  “You’re scaring me, Linc.”

  “No. It’s not that. I’ll tell you when I get there.”

  When the line went dead in her ear, she headed for the living room and stood at the window, watching for his truck. Within a few minutes Honey was on her feet, looking down the road, and Meg knew he must be coming up the drive. When he pulled up in the yard Honey barked, but her tail was wagging as she went out to meet him. Meg watched him stop to pet the dog and then head toward the house. Even when he got close enough that she could see his face, she couldn’t read his expression.

  She went outside, met Linc on the top step and kissed him soundly. His cheeks were cold, but his lips were warm. And he was still in one piece, which was a plus.

  “Two warm welcomes. A man couldn’t ask for more,” he said gruffly.

  They walked into the house together; then he shed his coat and hat and turned to face her.

  “Sorry for being so mysterious, but I can’t decide whether to laugh or cry.”

  “Sit with me,” she said as she made her way to the sofa.

  Linc sat down beside her. “The good news first. Got a phone call from Marlow. Wesley Duggan confessed to his lawyer to lying on the stand. Admitted it was Lucy who told him what to say. His lawyer sent Marlow a notarized confession, along with the statement from Duggan that if this went back to court, he was willing to testify and take the consequences for perjury.”

  Meg gasped. “Linc! That’s wonderful!”

  He shrugged. “The bad news is that he was shot last night at the motel where he’s been staying. Apparently he and Lucy have been living apart, probably since I paid them that little visit. Remember I told you I had the impression that he’d believed what he’d testified to? I guess he went back and confronted her, and it hit the fan. Anyway, they life-flighted him to Lexington. He’s in intensive care, and I don’t know anything about his condition.”

  She was stunned. “Dear Lord...what does that do to his confession? Did they arrest Lucy?”

  “Hardly. My impression is she’s trying to cover her ass by claiming she was assaulted in her home. Supposedly the cops were at her house taking the report when Wes was gunned down.”

  Meg stood abruptly, then began to pace. “That’s pretty convenient. Do you have any idea how severe her injuries were? Did she give any description of the man who did it?”

  “I don’t know anything about that. Marlow is following up.”

  “Hang on a minute,” she said, and strode out of the room. She came back carrying a notepad and sat back down beside him. “I hope you don’t mind, but I roped Quinn into helping with that list you wanted. I kept running into walls online, and without going through all the newspapers in the state for that time period, which would probably take me months, this was the quickest route. With Quinn’s job as a ranger, he has access to databases that a civilian wouldn’t. And I want you to know he was happy to help, and he said he won’t mention a thing about where you’re going with the information.”

  Once again Linc was taken off guard by her family. “No, I don’t mind. I’m just surprised he was willing to help.”

  She smiled. “My family loves me, therefore whoever I love is fine with them.”

  He wrapped his arms around her. “Thank you for believing, Meg.”

  She gave him a quick kiss.

  “You’re welcome,” she said, and handed him the pad. “I knew you. It was easy. So this is what’s listed on the police books as unsolved thefts with large amounts of money still missing.�
�

  Linc glanced at the list and smiled. “Woman...you amaze me. You are still my best backup.”

  She smiled. “This is a little more serious than the tests we studied for together.”

  “It’s all relative. At the time, those were just as important,” he said, starting to go through the list. “I think we can mark this one off. Over a half-million dollars still missing from a Brinks armored truck robbery in Louisville. If they’d stolen that kind of money, they wouldn’t have had the sense to hide it.”

  “I thought the same thing, but you wanted all the big ones. This is one I thought looked promising.” She pointed.

  Linc eyed the info she’d indicated. “A hundred-and-thirty-two thousand still missing from a bank heist in Louisville. Considering Wendell was alive then, I think they could have pulled off something like that and gotten away with it.”

  “But how would it play into your dad’s murder?”

  He shrugged. “I’m not sure, but them coming into big money only a couple of weeks before he was killed seems too coincidental to ignore.”

  “What are you going to do with this information?”

  “Ask Marlow for more help. If he can get details of the robberies, something might show up that I’m not seeing.”

  He set the list aside, smiled and pulled her into his lap.

  She put her arms around his neck and kissed the side of his cheek, then his ear, then his lips.

  “It’s almost noon. I have a casserole in the oven. Do you have time to stay and eat?”

  “Yes, gratefully, and after I eat, I’m going to take this list down to Marlow. The sooner he gets on this, the better. And he might have some info for me on Lucy, too.”

  “Why don’t you use my laptop and see what you can find out from the Louisville papers? Do a Google search for the bank, theft and Louisville, and see what pops up? We can take that info to Marlow, too.”

  “We?”

  Meg nodded. “I’m in this with you, Linc. You don’t need to stand alone anymore.”

  He couldn’t speak. He just wrapped her in his arms and held her.