Undercover Justice

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Undercover Justice Page 5

by Laura DeLanoy


  “Today?” Jed asked slowly backing out of the room, “I have to get back to school, it’s my first day. I don’t want them to get the wrong idea.”

  “Hold it right there, Greyson, they are supposed to get the wrong idea. This will fit perfectly into your tough guy persona. If there is a crime being committed, you have to seem like you are the perfect fit for their organization.”

  Knowing what the Lieutenant said was true, and all part of the original plan, Jed resigned himself to the fact that he had a hard day of training ahead of him. Maybe while he was doing all that “training” he could come up with a suitable excuse to give the group as to why he didn’t return to school today.

  “Look, dad’s home,” Kent said, as he pulled his bright red Chevy Camaro into our driveway.

  On our sixteenth birthday, our parents gave us each a new car. Kent got the Camaro and I got a brand new Ford Escape! Does that seem fair? I still ask myself that every day when Kent insists we take his car to school, because it is much cooler. I know my parents mean well, and are trying to protect me, but the Escape would not have been my first choice. Kent is huge, and well, a guy. I am well… a girl and being short I think my parents still view me as little. To them, an Escape is a much safer choice for their little girl.

  Looking up our tree-lined drive toward the house, I saw my dad’s large black BMW parked near the garage of our three-story plantation style home. The house has been in our family for four generations. It truly is beautiful, I thought admiring the flowering apple trees that lined the quarter mile long drive, and the wide white pillared porch that travel the length of the house.

  I groaned. Seeing my dad home early, reminded me that we had a dinner to attend tonight.

  Looking over at me Kent gave me a funny look. “You are usually excited to go to the Country Club for dinner.”

  “Not today,” I grumbled.

  “I heard what happened with Tyler Gordon. He probably won’t be there tonight, so you don’t have to worry.”

  “Thanks, but if you heard about it, than other people probably did to.”

  “I see your point,” he teased flashing me a grin.

  Smacking him with my handbag, I climbed out and walked toward the backyard. My parents loved gardening. They have been planning and plotting this year’s vegetable garden, whenever they had a spare moment. Hoping to talk them out of going to whatever dinner was scheduled for tonight; I thought I might as well go look for them now.

  Walking into the backyard, I saw my parents standing arm in arm admiring the dirt in the vegetable garden. It looked like my dad had just gotten done tilling the ground with the rotatiller. Shaking my head and smiling, I walked over to them. They were the only ones I knew who could look at freshly tilled black dirt and find it beautiful.

  “Hi Mom, Hi Dad!” Giving them both a hug, I quickly voiced my thoughts on dinner.

  “Now, Nora,” my mom began, before she got a look at my eye.

  “What happened to your eye?” she exclaimed.

  “I wasn’t paying attention and a stray football bounced off my eye. I’m fine, it doesn’t even hurt anymore. Do we have to go tonight?”

  I knew there was no getting out of it. “You know it is important that we attend every function. We are a prominent part of this community and need to act like it. That means showing our support for Judge Freeman and his retirement. He has been a long time friend of your father’s and it is only right that we attend.”

  “I know,” I said, “I just don’t feel like going out tonight.”

  “Cheer up,” my dad said hopefully, “Maybe that Gordon boy will be there. Now that is a nice family. ”

  Inwardly groaning, I said as casually as I could, “I don’t care if he’s there, dad. I’m not really that into him anymore,” My dad thought that because he now played golf with Tyler’s dad every Monday night, that Tyler must be as great as his father was.

  “Why not, did something happen?” my dad demanded. “I am sure it was just a misunderstanding. You have been hinting that you might go to prom with him. I think he would be good for you. Maybe tonight you will be able to work out whatever happened between you two.”

  Me fix it? How was I going to do that, when he was probably taking another girl instead? I didn’t realize that my dad liked him so much. If he really knew Tyler, I don’t think he would approve quite so much.

  “You better go get ready dear,” my mother said dusting off her hands. “We all better. Right Jack?”

  Agreeing, he turned my mother around, keeping her arm still linked with his, and strolled back up to the house, pausing every now and then to admire a new bloom in their vast flower beds as they went.

  Following them in, I headed up to my room and flopped down on my bed. What was I going to do? I could either refuse to go and hide in my room like a coward, or I could get up, find a great dress and go have a nice time. Deciding I needed a little help in the confidence department, I closed my eyes and prayed: Dear Lord, you have been so kind and gracious to me. Please continue to give me the courage and the strength to be the woman you want me to me. Help me hold my head up high and to be a witness to your unfailing grace. Also, Lord, I want to ask for your guidance with someone new you brought into my life. Jed Greyson. I like him Lord. Please show me how to get to know him better that would be pleasing to you. If it is your will. In your name I pray. Amen.

  Feeling better and more assured of myself, I rolled off my bed and opened my closet door and started sorting through all my dresses.

  Finding a peach colored form flattering dress with opened shoulders and long flowing sleeves, I pulled it out. The color matched my skin tone flawlessly and the material was very comfortable. I always get many complements when I wear it.

  I applied myself to my makeup and hair and was ready in a reasonable amount of time. Coming out of my bedroom, I met Kent in the hallway coming out of his.

  “You look good, sis.”

  “Thanks, you too.” Kent did look nice tonight in his tailor made suit.

  “Do you think the Mayor will be there?”

  “Probably, it is an election year, so he must keep up appearances.”

  “Maybe we can ask him more questions about the conference rooms.”

  “That’s a good idea, maybe if he’s distracted, we can get him to admit room 35 is one of his private rooms.”

  Hearing Mom and Dad walking into the foyer below, I whispered to Kent, “Let’s keep the incident to ourselves for now, we don’t want Mom and Dad worrying about us.”

  Nodding, Kent bounced down the stairs saying, “We’re ready. Let’s go, I’m starving.”

  It took about fifteen minutes to get to the Pine Hill Country Club. It was on the other side of town. It sat on two hundred acres of rolling tree filled land, with a 36-hole golf course, tennis courts, racket ball, a swimming pool and exercise room, a full banquet center, a five star restaurant, and a sports bar. Only the wealthiest and oldest families were allowed membership. It was pretty snobbish, come to think of it.

  As we pulled up to the light near the high school, we could see Jed climbing out of a police car that was parked next to his motorcycle.

  “There’s the new boy at school. His name is Jed. He’s in our social studies group, for the end of the year project,” I told my parents.

  They both turned and stared at Jed, who was talking to the officer who had his back to us. All of a sudden, we saw the officer grab Jed, spin him around, and throw him up against the car.

  Aghast we stared open mouthed until the light turned green and my Dad drove away.

  “That was a student?” my mother asked horrified.

  “He looks too old to be a student,” my dad said. “He looks like a trouble maker; you both stay away from him.”

  Looking at Kent, I was horrified to see him nodding his agreement. They both usually had a more forgiving and understanding attitude. The Jed I met today was nice, well mannered and did not at all seem like the kind of guy who was in tr
ouble with the law. I just couldn’t believe it. I won’t believe it, until he tells me otherwise. Tomorrow, I am going to ask him face to face to explain it. I am sure he has a perfectly reasonable explanation.

  I told myself, I was just giving him the benefit of the doubt. It wasn’t because I thought he was cute. It wasn’t. Really.

  Pushing away from Mike, Jed grunted. “Great! Did you see the expression on their faces? Now they think I am some kind of hoodlum.”

  Mike shrugged, his palms facing up. “Hey man, how was I to know they would be passing by right at the same moment you told me I couldn’t frisk a pig. I took that as a challenge.”

  Wiping his hand over his face, Jed asked, “What am I going to tell Nora?”

  “Nora? Who’s Nora? Wait; don’t tell me, she’s some chick you have the hots for. I thought you said you didn’t meet any. How is it that you already know the girl’s name and are worried about what she is going to think?”

  “Shut up, Parker,” Jed said, pushing him back.

  “You struck an officer!” Mike said, jumping up and down. “Wait until I tell Lieutenant Davis on you.”

  “Oh, Puhleese,” Jed said rolling his eyes. He climbed on his bike. “Try not to hit me as you back out.”

  “That was one time in the academy. A guy backs into one little bitty traffic cone and his buddy doesn’t let him forget it.”

  Grinning, Jed revved the bike’s engine. “See you later,” he yelled over the noise. Backing out, he headed through town, and then followed the main highway until it made a bend towards the county’s capital city of River Junction. Turning off onto a small dirt road, he followed the curving, tree-lined road, two miles, until he came to a driveway lined with big old white pines. This farm had been his grandfather’s and his dad’s before him, and so on as far back as Jed could determine. The farm was now Jed’s. His granddad had passed away three months ago leaving it to Jed. Jed was his only grandchild. Jed’s parents had died in a plane crash when Jed was nine. He had been raised by his granddad ever since.

  The farm sat on over three hundred acres. It was in an area were the price of real estate even in today’s recession was high. Jed’s granddad had constantly turned down investors. No amount of money would be enough to sell a part of his family’s history and legacy. Jed felt the same way. His granddad had worked hard, keeping the farm running and providing a stable family life for Jed.

  Back in the eighties, oil and gas were discovered in the northwest corner and as a result Jed was set for life. He didn’t have to worry about money. His job as a police officer was out of a sense of wanting to do something to make a difference. The farm ran itself. The small herd of horses his granddad and Jed had kept were for breeding and selling. A live-in stable hand and a long time housekeeper kept the farm running and watched after Jed. Betty had been his grandfather’s housekeeper ever since Jed was a boy. She has practically raised him. He was glad that she was still there to come home to. It would be a very lonely life, if not for her and her husband Skip, who ran the stables.

  Not many people in the area knew about the grandeur of the Greyson Farm and the grandson who had inherited it. Hosea Greyson had kept to himself, preferring horses to people. He has also lived frugally, a life habit Jed had picked up. In truth, he could buy and sell half the county if he wanted. He had no intention of ever doing so.

  Pulling the bike to a stop, he set the kickstand with his steel-toed boot and swung his leg over the bike.

  “I thought I’d find you here,” he said.

  Walking down the porch steps toward Jed, his youngest cousin on his mother’s side said. “I wasn’t sure if you recognized me. It’s been a couple years.”

  “Almost eight years to be exact,” Jed said, taking off his leather gloves.

  “You already graduated from high school, so what are you doing there? I heard you went to the police academy.”

  “Yep, I’ve been a deputy for almost a year now. You’re too young for high school so what are you doing there.”

  Oliver Hendricks shrugged, “I’m fifteen, even if I didn’t skip ahead in school, I would still be in high school. You just didn’t know I went to Pine Hill did you?”

  “I didn’t know that your mom and dad moved up here,” Jed acknowledged. “If I did, my partner would have gone in, instead of me.”

  “So you’re like what… undercover?”

  At Jed’s nod, Ollie exclaimed, “I figured it must be something like that. That’s so cool man.”

  “Yeah, tell that to the parents of those three missing kids. I was sent in to investigate their disappearances.”

  “Hey, I heard that Mark Mason was missing. He’s in our science club.”

  “You know him?” Jed asked surprised.

  “Kind of,” Ollie replied, “He was a loner that never hung out much. Very smart and wanted everyone to know it.”

  “Do you remember if he mentioned anything the day before he disappeared?”

  “No, why?”

  “He was the kid we saw getting beat up in room 35.”

  Ollie nodded, “I didn’t get a good look at his face, but I thought he looked familiar. I was too busy watching the two other men.”

  “Did you recognize anyone else?”

  “No, not really. They seemed familiar, but I couldn’t place where I have seen them before. I need to get back, Mom will be looking for me,” Ollie said standing his bike up.

  “Your rode your bike here?”

  “I’m not old enough for my license remember,” Ollie said with a grin.

  “Come on, I’ll get the truck and you can throw your bike in the back.”

  “Thanks, man.”

  So far so good, dinner was going quite smoothly. I haven’t noticed the Gordon’s yet, so maybe we can finish up and sneak out before they get here.

  As I finished my fresh Caesar salad and chicken tortilla soup, I set the dishes aside and sat back to wait for our main course. Feeling a nudge on my knee, I looked over at Kent, who was gesturing over to the door with his head. Following his subtle nodding, I looked over and saw the Mayor talking quietly to Judge Freeman. When the Mayor shook the Judge’s hand and left the room, I realized that this might be our only chance to question the Mayor again. Quickly excusing ourselves from the table, Kent and I hurried out the door after the Mayor. Seeing the Mayor approaching his black sedan, I called out, “Good evening Mayor Greenly, do you mind if we ask you a quick question for our class project?”

  The Mayor hesitated and then turned around with a fake smile plastered on his face. “I only have a minute. I’m very busy. Please make this quick.”

  “I hope you have a question,” Kent said under his breath as we hurried over.

  “Um… right,” I frantically thought of a way to ask the Mayor about room 35, without seeming too obvious.

  “Hello sir, I was wondering if you could tell us about the courtyard outside your private conference rooms. I noticed that it was particularly beautiful and thought to ask you if you ever used it. You are so lucky to have three rooms that look out on to it, so that you can enjoy the plants whenever you are in a meeting.”

  “I am too busy at meetings to be daydreaming about plants outside,” he said in an annoyed voice.

  “Oh, so your private rooms aren’t off the courtyard? Maybe I mixed those up with the public ones, when we took the tour today.”

  “No, my three do face the courtyard,” he sounded like he was fast losing his patience with me.

  Quickly I followed with, “Then why did you tell us today that room 35 wasn’t one of your private meeting rooms, when it is clearly off the courtyard.”

  A stunned looked appeared on his face, quickly replaced by anger and annoyance.

  “You must have misheard me. Good Night,” he said quickly climbing into his car and immediately pulling out his cell phone.

  “Well, he looked guilty,” Kent said was we watched him pull away. “We better get back in to our table, before Mom and Dad wonder where we
have been.”

  As we walked through the door, a waiter handed me a sealed white envelope and said, “Miss Barton, a gentleman just handed this to me and insisted that I deliver it to you immediately.”

  Curious, I wasn’t sure if I should open it now, or wait until we got back to our table. I glanced over to where the Gordon’s were just being seated. Tyler didn’t appear to be waiting to see if I opened his note. Who else could have sent it?

  Following my line of sight, Kent asked, “Do you think it’s from Gordon?”

  “I don’t know who else it would be from. Should I open it now?” I asked hesitantly.

  “You might as well, or Mom and Dad are going to ask about it,” Kent pointed out.

  Just in case it was something private and I wouldn’t want to share it with my parents, I decided to open it. Walking back into the hallway, I sat on the small bench next to the coat rack. Carefully prying open the flap, I pulled out the single sheet of paper. Opening it up, I gasp.

  Someone had typed, ‘Forget about Room 35. Tell your friends. Or you’ll be sorry. Don’t go to the police.’

  Showing it to Kent, I said, “Quick, let’s find that waiter.”

  Jumping up, we quickly walked inside the dining room and scanned the room. “Do you see him?”

  “No,” Kent said, “Let’s check the kitchen.”

  When no waiter fitting that description was in the kitchen, we tried outside.

  “He just disappeared. How could he just leave his job like that?”

  Kent gave me a strange look. “What?” I demanded.

  “He probably doesn’t work here,” Kent explained.

  “Oh”

  Suddenly, I felt a little scared. Up until today, my only worry had been about prom. Now it scared me to think that someone went through all the trouble to pretend to be a waiter just to scare us away from asking more questions about what we saw.

  Heading back to our table, I worked at making my face seem casual. Since we had agreed not to share anything with our parents, I didn’t want them to notice anything wrong. They tend to get over protective sometimes. At least I still had an appetite. I was scared, but not that scared.

 

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