Finding Sheila

by Anne Hagan

  “What have you got?”

  “It’s an ongoing investigation, Todd. Let’s just say, I’ve just been where I have a hunch Sheila was and I’m headed to where she may be hiding now.” She bid him goodbye and hung up before he could say anything else.

  Am I being too brash? She kept driving, following her GPS from Brady Lake, across the northern suburbs of Akron, to the Coventry residence in the wealthy suburb of Bath.

  It was all for naught. No one was there, the place locked up tight. Mel’s knock brought only the response of a rather large sounding dog to the door.

  Chapter 18 - CYA

  “Why are we wasting our time here if Crane isn’t coming?” the Mayor of Zanesville prodded Todd Bell.

  “She’s working the case, as we speak. We need to give her some time, is all.”

  “Buy her some time, don’t you mean? This is going to come back to bite us all.”

  Andrea took it all in, listening not speaking. The DA would do that, if he felt a need. Mel hadn’t done anything illegal. The plan had backfired. If they knew the details, they would see that. All the due diligence in the world wouldn’t have uncovered the plot in this one.

  “We’ve got to cover all our…our bases, folks,” Commissioner Randolf was saying. “If she can’t find Sheila Ford, we’re going to need to make sure we’re all protected from the firestorm the public is going to rain down on the Sheriff’s Department.”

  That’s it; cover your ass, Andrea thought.

  Her boss, Devon Willis made a show of clearing his throat, then jumped into the discussion as soon as all eyes turned to him. “You are aware that the disappearance of Ford, is a federal investigation, correct?” He watched as a few heads bobbed around the conference table. “Sheriff Crane can only do so much. This is in the hands of the FBI and I’m quite sure they will find Ms. Ford. As long as Sheriff Crane followed established protocol for deputization, she’s not in any legal jeopardy, other than in the court of public opinion.”

  “She deputized her wife, Devon,” Fallon Randolf reminded him.

  “Yes; her wife who is a recently retired federal agent for Customs and Immigration, a woman who is responsible for breaking up one of the largest smuggling operations ever in this country, resulting in multiple arrests and multiple convictions.”

  Andrea hid her smile. She knew Mel wouldn’t have wanted his defense, she would have held her own, but she was happy to see Devon play the voice of reason and try to placate the group. Her mirth was short lived.

  Mel strode into the room. “I don’t know what you are all talking about and I don’t care. I’ve been on the road all day, chasing little scraps of information in this case. The FBI has nothing.” She made a chopping motion with her hand. “Nada. I’ve known Sheila Ford for all of my adult life and more. I’m going to help them find her or I’m going to find her myself, whatever it takes. If I can’t get this resolved quickly, with a minimum of egg on our collective faces, I’ll take off my badge. You can all work on getting someone else elected to be your Sheriff.”

  Bell spoke up, “That’s not what we want…that’s not…”

  She focused on him. “And you of all people know damn well, I never really wanted to be Sheriff to begin with.”

  As Mel strode back out of the room, Andrea’s chest tightened in fear for her friend.

  Chapter 19 - Stakeout

  Wednesday Morning, November 25th

  Green Hills, Tennessee

  The Supra wasn’t a top of the line model. It was new though. She stared at the silver car sitting there in the parking garage, gleaming even in the low morning light. At base price, it was still a $40,000 car.

  She’d done an extensive records search. Theo wasn’t married. No known children. That eliminated some expenses Dana well knew, but she wondered how he was affording a tony condo and such a nice car on a paramedic’s salary. The county auditor’s records showed he’d mortgaged $180,000 for the condo. His payment has to be $1,500 a month, easy.

  She slunk down low in the seat. She hated stakeouts in broad daylight and full light was fast approaching. She would have figured he’d have been on the way to work long before now, if he always worked the day shift. I should have found a way to get his damn schedule!

  Only a few hours before, she’d been burning the midnight oil, digging into his past. His family was spread all over the state, his mother and father divorced, no wealth between them to speak of. He had two siblings, both far from Nashville. He hadn’t grown up in the city, that much she knew. A sister, Erica, still lived in the little town where he’d been born, Lanier. She hadn’t been able to trace his brother’s whereabouts.

  He’d been in nursing school. He dropped out. Did he run out of money? Where’s the money coming from, now? How do I follow the money?

  She slid upright again, put the window down and edged through it so she could see over the concrete half wall, down to Theo’s condo unit. Still quiet down there. She pulled back in, wondering if she should stay put or just go.

  You’ve got no other options for suspects. Someone knew where the ambulance was going to stop. She rubbed at her temples and thought about Caleb. He’d seemed so young and still wet behind the ears. But, he was the only one in control that day. Maybe I picked the wrong man to tail, after all.

  Chapter 20 - Prodigal Daughter

  Wednesday Morning, November 25th

  Zanesville, Ohio

  Holly’s voice came over the intercom, “Sheriff, Jennifer Coventry’s on line two.”

  Mel thanked her and stabbed a finger at the lit line. “Jennifer, Sheriff Crane. I’ve been trying to reach you for several days.”

  “I…I was away. I left my phone at home. I just got your messages. That, and one from my pastor saying you’ve been poking around the church, looking for me. What’s going on? Is this about my mother’s transfer? Is she okay?”

  Is she serious? Mel tried to gage her tone of voice but there was a lot of noise in the background. She tapped a button on the base unit of the phone to start recording the call. “Where are you right now?”

  “What do you mean, where am I?”

  “It sounds like you’re driving. Are you on the way here?”

  “Why would I be coming there? Is my mother on her way there?”

  Okay, that sounded sincere. “No, she’s not on her way here; not to my knowledge.”

  “Then why have you been calling me and looking for me? Are you going to tell me what’s going on?”

  “It’s best that we speak in person.” You, me and the FBI…just you and the FBI…You and somebody in federal law enforcement… “Where can we meet up?”

  “We can’t. Not right now, anyway.”

  “Why not?”

  “You do realize tomorrow is Thanksgiving, don’t you? I’m on my way, with my family, to visit with our extended family for the holiday.”

  “And where will you be doing that?”

  “We won’t be back until late Sunday night or sometime Monday. Why can’t you just tell me what this is about? You’ve really got me worried.”

  “What about your children? Don’t they have to be back in school Monday?”

  “They’re home schooled, Sheriff. The world is they’re classroom, but that’s beside the point. We’re getting off track and it’s wearing on my patience. If you won’t tell me what this is about, then it will just have to wait until Monday. Have a nice Thanksgiving.”

  “Just a second. Don’t hang up. I promise, give me a minute to grab some paperwork and I’ll be right back with you.” Mel punched the mute button, laid the handset down and scrubbed her hands through her hair as she thought about what to do. It’s the FBI’s case…she’s out of the loop until at least Monday. Should I? Shouldn’t I? Realizing Coventry could be going anywhere and be out of the net for several more days, she decided it was time to act, FBI or no FBI.

  She checked to make sure their conversation was still being recorded, then plunged ahead. “I’m back, Mrs. Coventry. Thank yo
u for your patience.”

  “Sure. Please enlighten me.”

  “First, are you driving?”

  “No. Of course not. My husband is.”

  Of course. “Good. We actually, we being the county, working with the State of Tennessee, got transportation and a release for Sheila - for your mother - very quickly. She was released to a county deputy’s custody late last week.” No need to throw Dana under yet another bus.

  “Are you serious? Where is she? Why wasn’t I informed?”

  Mel shook her head. Sounds sincere…hate doing this over the phone.

  “I wasn’t expecting anything to happen so quickly. I…I went on that church retreat to clear my head and get my mind in the right place to deal with…with having a mother that’s now an invalid. I admit, we’ve had other issues in the past. I was attempting to work those out for myself and accept the future. Are you telling me she’s already in Ohio?”

  Mel felt skepticism creeping into her thoughts. “You do realize, your mother would still be a prisoner, don’t you?”

  “Yes, of course.”

  “She would have been jailed in the county and under county care. There wouldn’t have been a lot you would have had to do for her or even been able to do for her beyond visiting her.”

  “Why are you talking about her in the past tense?” Jennifer’s voice became shrill. “What’s happened to her?” To her husband, she directed, “Pull over! Stop this car!”

  “Mrs. Coventry, please calm down. We need to have a rational conversation.” She listened as Coventry relayed some more instructions to her spouse and took a couple of deep breaths. Mel heard a car door slam.

  “Are you settled a little now?” Mel asked.

  “As I can be. I’ve stepped out of the car. I’ve got a feeling what you’re about to tell me about their grandmother, my children don’t need to overhear.”

  “On Thursday, your mother was released from the Women’s Prison into Muskingum County custody. An ambulance was sent to the prison to pick her and the deputy up. During a rest stop, your mother either escaped from custody or…or she was kidnapped.”

  “What?”

  “I said…”

  “I heard what you said! I…I just can’t believe it! You lost my mother?”

  This was a mistake. “There’s a manhunt out to find her, Mrs. Coventry, across several states. The FBI is doing everything they can to find her, as expeditiously as possible. You’ll be needed to make a formal statement.”

  “For what purpose? You honestly don’t think I had something to do with it? I…I didn’t even know she was…was being moved. I was on a retreat…leaving for a retreat when all of that was going on for goodness sake. What could I possibly tell them?”

  Mel covered the handset and sighed.

  “This is probably all some mix up with Tennessee,” Coventry was saying.

  “I assure you, it’s not a mix up.”

  “I. Want. Her. Found. Whatever it takes.”

  “Will you give a statement to the FBI?”

  “Am I a suspect?”

  “No…Well, I honestly don’t know. That’s not my call. That’s up to the FBI.”

  “Then it can wait until after the holiday. This trip has been planned for some time. I won’t disappoint these kids. You find my mother and you keep me posted. I’ll be in touch with you when we return home.” With that, she hung up.

  Mel sat back hard. She sounded so sincere that she didn’t know what was going on and then I tell her what’s happened and nothing changes…nothing. Her mother be damned. On with the trip!

  Chapter 21 - Friends

  The day before Thanksgiving, the halls of justice were practically empty. Mel wandered along in search of the DA. He wasn’t been in his office. Eventually, she found Andrea, instead.

  “Sheriff, what brings you by here?”

  “I was looking for Devon.”

  Andrea snorted and then excused herself. “Sorry. He’s long gone. He’ll be back Monday. Something I can help you with? I’ve got the weekend duty.” She waved her hand at a seat and Mel took it.

  “Why were you at that meeting last night?”

  “Devon thought we should both be there. Frankly, I felt for you. They were trying to…to railroad you.”

  “Todd Bell is a royal pain, but his head is in the right place. The rest of them all have aspirations to bigger things…higher offices. In their eyes, this makes them look bad.”

  “Any progress?”

  “That’s what I wanted to talk to Devon about. Jennifer Coventry, Sheila Ford’s daughter returned my call this morning. I’ve been chasing around after her since this all went down. She was the catalyst that got this all started.”

  “And?”

  “And, I couldn’t get her to come talk to me or to go and talk to the FBI. She claims no knowledge of her mother’s release or of her disappearance.” Andrea started to say something, but Mel held up a hand to stop her. “I know, I shouldn’t have said anything over the phone. It’s all recorded. When you hear it, I think you’ll understand my dilemma.”

  “What does the FBI say?”

  “Who knows. I sent them the audio file. Not much else I could do.”

  “So, it’s out of your hands now.”

  Mel bobbed her head a couple of times. “I guess.”

  “What did you want Devon to do?”

  “I…I’m just afraid the FBI is going to hear that audio and think of it as just one more dead end. I can see them not even bothering to try and track Coventry down until after Thanksgiving. As for hunting for Ford, I’m not getting the feeling of any sense of urgency there; not from the local crew. Yes, they want her found, but I don’t think it’s with the same level of fervor as say finding a serial killer or something like that.”

  “You…we…we don’t have jurisdiction to do anything. It’s the FBI’s case, and even if it wasn’t, she - Coventry - she’s not from this county, correct?”

  “Right.”

  “But?” Andrea motioned for her to go on.

  “But, she’s also not from where she is now. Terry Ford, the husband Sheila killed, wasn’t her father or her brother’s father; her supposedly estranged brother. They were both out of high school by the time Sheila married him. They didn’t move to Ohio with him and their mom. Jennifer went to school at Ohio State and stayed in Columbus. When she graduated, she got married and moved to the Akron area. Davis stayed where he was in Virginia, at least for a while. A cousin I spoke with says he’s estranged from the family to this day, whereabouts unknown.”

  “And you want our office to use a little leverage to help you find the two kids?”

  “Them, other family members…Someone knows where she is. The FBI seems to be concentrating on Tennessee and, to a lesser extent, here in Ohio. I don’t think they know where all to look. I’m pretty sure they know nothing about Sheila’s son, Davis Perrott. Hell, my mom didn’t know about him, and she knows everything about everybody. Oh, and for the record, I didn’t tell her about him.”

  Andrea nodded, thinking. Finally, she said, “It’s a little unorthodox, but there’s no harm in doing some digging. We turn everything of value we find over to the FBI though, okay, or no help? This office can’t be seen as trying to obstruct justice or step on any toes.”

  “Agreed.”

  The Deputy DA smiled. “You’re a straight shooter Crane. I know you’re all about the job and not about either personal glory or covering your own behind. You’re a good Sheriff.”

  Mel felt a little bit of kinship toward the slightly younger Deputy DA. “I’ll tell you something that Bell knows, and my wife knows and that’s it.”

  “Your secret is safe with me.”

  “I’m counting on that.” She drew in a deep breath. “I liked being a street cop. A sergeant. Being a lieutenant, not so much, but looking back... Like I said at that meeting last night, I never wanted to be the County Sheriff in the first place. I sort of inherited the job and then ran to retain the offi
ce against my better judgment. Now it’s coming back to bite me and I’m regretting the decision.”

  “You’d go back to the street, given the choice.”

  Mel nodded. “With no hesitation.”

  “Since we’re playing true confessions, I admit, I looked into your background and the history of the department during the Owen Lafferty murder case. I also went a lot deeper. I’ve got to say, your opponent in the special election would not have been good for the department. You were then, and you continue to be the best option to lead the department.”

  Mel shook her head. “There are some great people over there across the way that could do what I do, probably better.”

  Andrea shrugged. Procedurally? Maybe. And, you do have some good deputies but you’re really the best choice for Sheriff by a long shot, no pun intended. It’s not just about the law for you. You have empathy for people too.”

  Empathy, maybe. I’m not always the best judge of character. How much do you know about the lead up to the special election?”

  Andrea admitted she hadn’t dug that deep.

  Mel filled her in on the corrupt detective within her own ranks. “I should have seen that coming. A better observer of human nature and a better all-around investigator would have. I didn’t,” she finished.

  “I’m not so sure you’re seeing the bigger picture, here. Your opponent was corrupt, just like the Sheriff you followed behind was, and your opponent corrupted one of her detectives. Besides, don’t sell yourself short. You’ve got good people in Harding and Mason and they’re going to go a long way, but only with you guiding them. They still have a lot to learn.”

  Mel sat back, an incredulous look on her face. “I’m…I’m amazed you know so much.”

  “That’s because I don’t have a life. It all revolves around work and, now, around avoiding Sally Loring.” The both chuckled at that but sobered quickly.

  “Okay, so,” Andrea said, “I’ll do what I can to get officials in Virginia to cooperate. I have some roots there.”