by Wendy Davy
James nodded to Gramps and said, “We need to talk, Mr. Connor.”
Mr. Connor? What was going on? And what’s with the suit and tie? If he hadn’t gone to church, why was he dressed like that?
Next, James looked at her. “Miss Connor. Let’s go inside.”
“Miss Connor? Since when do you call me Miss Connor?”
“Inside,” he replied tersely.
They went into the living room in the farmhouse. James and the other man stood opposite Gramps and Victoria.
James pulled out a badge and said, “I’m Special Agent James Montgomery, U.S. Department of Justice. We’re with the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. This is my partner, Special Agent Tyler Bains.” The man James’ referred to held out his own badge.
Goosebumps crept along her arms and down her legs as Victoria asked, “James, what’s going on? Is this some sort of a joke?” Her eyes darted between James and Agent Bains. She searched for some sign that this was a hoax, a charade. From the dead serious look in their expressions, Victoria knew the answer already.
“Cut it out Victoria, you both know why we’re here.” The coldness surrounding James’ words paralyzed her.
Victoria shook her head in confusion. She sat down warily, looking to Gramps for some sort of explanation. She watched Gramps clasp his hands in front of him. He closed his eyes and bowed his head as if in prayer. Victoria said her own quick prayer in silence. What is going on? Please, Lord be with us.
A grandfather clock ticked in the otherwise silent living room. The tension remained evident in each of the agent’s expressions as the silence continued. She felt a deeper apprehension squeeze her in the gut as Gramps looked up and a tear slid down his cheek. She had only witnessed Gramps crying once, when Grandma died. Now she knew in her heart something was dreadfully wrong.
“What is it?” she asked looking first at Gramps, then James and Agent Bains in turn. Her wary eyes traveled from one to the other until James finally spoke. “Martin Connor, Victoria, you are both under arrest for aiding in a moonshining operation, possession of distilled spirits and tax evasion.”
“What?” Utter silence met Victoria’s hoarse plea.
A full minute later, Gramps looked at her and said, “I’m sorry darlin’. I’m so sorry.”
Denial overrode reality, for about thirty seconds. Victoria sat still, hands at her sides frozen in place. Gramp’s apology was as much as an admission of guilt as if he had said, “I did it.”
James stood in front of a chair, facing Victoria, towering over her from a few feet away. The man she had fallen in love with, the man she now knew as only a stranger, glared at her with steely determination. His towering strength commanded her attention.
His eyes held cold contempt in them. His jaw clenched, the muscles became taught across his jaw line. No answers came from his lips. Only his demeanor spoke to her. His stance was one of authority. His easy smile and gorgeous dimples had been replaced with a grim reality. He wasn’t who he had claimed to be.
Victoria stood and moved slowly to the side, backing toward the kitchen as anxiety mounted. She felt as if she were in some weird nightmare where her legs wouldn’t move as she wanted them to. She wanted to run away from the pain enveloping her. But her legs, feeling like melted butter, only moved slowly, begrudgingly. In an instant, her life had once again been turned on its side. Everyone and everything in her sight was a blur. Except him. He had betrayed her. The hurt screamed for release, but all she could do was stare at him in silence.
“I’ve been undercover, Victoria. You’re grandfather has been under investigation since you moved here,” James stated as clearly as if he were speaking to a child. “And so have you.”
Victoria’s mouth couldn’t drop any lower without falling of its hinges. A new level of realization hit her. Betrayal in its deepest form tore at her heart. It all had been a lie. James Montgomery, handyman extraordinaire, the first man to truly capture her heart and give her dreams of the future, turned out to be an undercover federal agent investigating her and Gramps for moonshining, of all things. The absurdity of it left her breathless and astounded. Tears welled in her eyes as she fought to control the overwhelming emotions choking her. Fear, anger, pain and humiliation furiously swirled inside her in uneven quantities. Right now, the pain affected her the most.
Victoria hugged her arms in defense. This couldn’t be happening. “James, I don’t know anything about this.”
“I have evidence that says you do. We can discuss it down at the station.”
“You’re taking us to jail?” Victoria could feel panic rising from deep inside.
“That’s where criminals belong, isn’t it?” He looked at her without remorse, his voice contained no compassion.
The urge to flee could no longer be denied. She walked past James saying, “I need some air.” She went out through the kitchen to the porch and tore off down to the dock.
****
James knew she had nowhere to go. He had her car blocked in. She needed time to think and figure things out. He would give her a few minutes to calm down before he would go get her.
He looked at Connor. “You didn’t seem surprised to see my badge.”
“I had a funny feeling come upon me just the other day. I had a hunch something was up.”
“What gave you this hunch?”
“Well,” Gramps said as he sat slowly on the couch, “It was nothin’ you did, young fella. Don’t go thinking you didn’t do a good job of hiding it. You did. I just have an instinct ‘bout these things. I told Victoria when she first met you that you were a good man. And I still say you are, but I am a bit disappointed that you hurt her so…”
James felt chastised. “I’m doing my job.”
Gramps nodded his head. “Yep, you are son. But let me tell you something. That young lady out there is something special. She doesn’t deserve to be treated and hurt like the way you done hurt her.”
“You should have thought about that before you drug her into this mess.”
“I don’t think you have the full story, son.”
“No, but that’s what you’re for isn’t it?”
****
Victoria sat in the swing on the dock. The breeze had a slight chill to it. Thunder rumbled in the distance. She turned around briefly to look at the sky and the darkening clouds behind her and saw James heading her way. He took long purposeful strides. Turning back around, she nibbled on a fingernail. She needed time to think, to be alone. She needed to call a lawyer. What she didn’t need was to talk to James, the betrayer. She wished she could dive into the water and swim to freedom, but all she could do was sit and wait for James, the super secret federal agent.
“I need to talk to you,” James said as he strode up to her and took the seat beside her as if he belonged there.
Victoria inched away from him. Touching him, even brushing against him and feeling his warmth was too much. “Don’t I need a lawyer before I talk to you?”
“Do you Victoria? It would be better for all of us if you stopped lying.” James turned toward her in the seat.
Pain and confusion pulsed through her in waves. She turned to look in his eyes. “Stop lying? I’m not lying. I don’t know what you’re talking about, James.” After a brief pause, she added, “Agent Montgomery.”
As the wind picked up and the thunder grew closer, the chilly air dropped a few more degrees. Victoria held her arms while a shiver went from her head to her toes.
“No? Then explain to me what you’ve got in your spare bedroom.” His eyes inspected her as if through a microscope.
“What on earth are you talking about?” Exasperation had her lifting her hands high in the air.
“I’ll show you.”
If it weren’t for the angry clouds threatening her safety on the dock, she would have resisted. She needed time alone to think. It had all happened too fast.
James stood and held out his hand to her. “Come with me.” His voice
left no room for question. He held her hand in a firm, almost painful grip all the way to cottage, but said nothing.
She followed him inside, past the kitchen and down the hallway. He stopped at the spare bedroom door and turned to look at her. “Would you care to explain this?” He gestured into the room.
Victoria looked into her spare bedroom. What she saw stunned her. The large area rug had been tossed away revealing a rectangular hole in the middle of the bedroom floor. James had found a trap door in the floor! Victoria stepped into the room to look in the hole. Bags and bags of pure cane sugar filled the large compartment.
“Sugar?” Victoria scanned James’ face for answers.
“Sugar,” James confirmed. “A key ingredient in making moonshine.” He turned to face her in the doorway. “Still deny any knowledge of the moon-shining operation?”
“James, I didn’t know it was there and besides, it’s just sugar. That’s not illegal to have. I don’t understand,” she said quickly, breathlessly.
“Don’t pretend to be ignorant Victoria. You’ve been caught. You have the right to remain silent,” he began reciting her rights.
“No, James. You have to believe me. I didn’t know it was there.”
“I believe the evidence, Victoria. No more games.” He grabbed her arm and led her outside. His firm grip bit into her flesh.
“James, please.” Fear tore through Victoria and terror threatened her. She’d be trapped in a cell. Sweat popped up on her forehead at the thought. She looked up at James as they stopped on the porch. She tried to free herself from his hold, but she couldn’t budge away from him. He believed she was guilty. The hurt from that reality stung her to the core.
Large drops of rain came plummeting down to slap the earth. The thunder quickly followed the lightning now. The storm had arrived and Victoria hardly even noticed.
Humiliation tore through her as he searched her for weapons. His voice was as rough as his movements as he finished reading her the rights and pulled her arm behind her. She heard the clicking of handcuffs bind her wrist, first one, then the next. It happened so fast she didn’t have time to protest. He had confined her with an ease that would have been embarrassing if she hadn’t been in a state of shock.
“Let’s go,” he said gruffly as he led her to a black SUV. He put her in the back seat and reached over her to buckle her in. “Stay put,” he said briskly as he slammed the door. Victoria watched as James disappeared into the farmhouse.
“As if I have a choice,” she muttered. The rain came down in a torrent of cascading water. It pelted the roof of the SUV. Lord, how could this be happening? I’ve done nothing wrong. Please help me make him understand. Her silent pleas to God gave her a semblance of peace. She knew He heard her and listened to her even if no one else did. And He knew the truth. God alone knew the way out of this mess. Please guide me .
Only a few hours ago, everything had been so right. How could she have been so deceived? Lies and betrayal planted a seed of hurt and pain that began to grow inside her as the minutes ticked by. As the shock began to wear off, the pain tumbled her into a new awareness. She had been blindsided by a man she thought she loved. No, a man she knew she loved. Victoria let the tears slide down her cheeks in silent release as she waited.
James led the way out of the farmhouse, followed by Agent Bains who toted Gramps in handcuffs. Agent Bains led Gramps into the seat beside Victoria, then settled into the passenger seat as James climbed into the driver’s seat.
An awkward silence filled the SUV on the ride to the sheriff’s office. If James noticed Victoria’s tear streaked face, he hadn’t commented. Her tide of fear and pain gave way to anger as James maneuvered the vehicle into the dusty, graveled parking lot. She knew it was useless to try to convince him of her innocence. He had made up his mind about her. Maybe long ago, even since the beginning.
Suddenly, she needed to know. “James, did you think I was guilty the whole time?”
“You were always a suspect Victoria,” James said gazing out of the windshield. “Although, for a time, I admit you had me fooled into believing you were innocent,” he said with a sigh. “But, sometimes things aren’t what they seem and people don’t turn out to be who you think they are.” He turned around in his seat to look at her pointedly.
“You would know about that wouldn’t you Agent Montgomery? After all, you are the expert at deception.”
James turned back around in his seat and exited the vehicle. His movements were precise, purposeful. In several long strides he crossed the front of the SUV and opened her door.
After releasing the seatbelt he said briskly, “I know that Sean is your friend, but don’t expect any special treatment. You’re under my jurisdiction. Remember that.”
“You’ve made it clear already James that you’re the boss. No need to elaborate.”
“Just don’t try anything.”
“Like what? I’m not part of anything illegal James. I’ve nothing to hide. Nothing to run from.”
“Let’s go.” James took her elbow firmly and led her into the station as Agent Bains led Gramps in behind them.
Victoria saw Sean first. He sat, perched on the edge of the sheriff’s desk. He looked ready to jump up to her rescue at any given moment. He gave Victoria a sympathetic nod briefly before turning cold eyes on James. She had known Sean long enough to know that he hadn’t taken this intrusion in his town lightly, much less the accusations against her and Gramps. Just the same, he was helpless to intercede. Victoria said nothing to Sean as they walked past him.
Sheriff Randolph held a completely different perspective than Sean did. Victoria had never liked the man, but now, she liked him even less. He moved his wiry body up close to her. His pencil thin mustache did nothing to hide the angry, thin lines of his lips as he said, “I always knew you were trouble. Ever since you broke my boy’s heart, I knew it.” He turned to James. “Anything I can do to help you, let me know. People like these don’t belong in my county,” he said and chucked out a wad of chewing tobacco into a pail. The disgusting liquid hit the pail with a dull thump. The smell of the vile substance brought back horrible memories of the night Eric brought her here so long ago.
James moved to put himself between her and the sheriff. “We are handling it. Just keep doing your job, and we’ll keep doing ours.”
James’ protective gesture didn’t go unnoticed by Victoria. She wondered briefly if some part of him cared for her after all.
James led her to one of two interrogation rooms. After removing the cuffs he left her alone without a word. The coldness left behind in his absence left her shivering from her head to her toes. The room featured stark white walls with smudges of dirt here and there. The two way mirror sat looming to her right. The chairs were about as comfortable as sitting on cold cinder blocks. She had seen rooms like these in movies many times, but seeing them on TV was totally different than experiencing one. She never imagined interrogation rooms smelling like fear. This one did. A mixture of stale sweat and cheap coffee added a nauseating effect to the stifling atmosphere. Placing her head in her hands, she reminded herself she was never alone. She began to recite the Lord’s Prayer to calm her nerves. Panic threatened her in the small confined space, but the soft, familiar words calmed her spirit.
After what seemed like hours, Victoria swallowed the bile rising in her throat and stifled the urge to throw up as the door opened and Gramps shuffled in with James close behind. Relief flowed through her when she saw that Gramps had no handcuffs on. He looked worn down and kept his focus on the floor as he took his seat. When he looked up at her, his gray eyes seemed a little older, with a little less life left in them.
A new surge of anger spiked in Victoria, her blazing eyes hit James and stayed there. He had taken a seat at the end of the table and met her stare dead on. Victoria sat still as stone. She felt Gramps’ eyes on her, but she wouldn’t look away from James, he wouldn’t look away from her. Let the battle begin.
Victori
a held her posture stiff, waiting for a word from James. Anything. Then she would let loose on him. She wanted to blame him for everything that had happened. The betrayal, the unfair accusations, and the sadness reflected in Gramps’ eyes. But he didn’t speak, didn’t move, he just studied her behind an unreadable mask.
Gramps was the first to break the silence. “Darlin’, I’ve got something to tell you.”
Victoria turned to look at Gramps, her guarded eyes softened when they met his. “Gramps, what’s going on?” Tears threatened as she held back her temper. The overwhelming emotions barely held in check.
James asked, “Do you want a lawyer present?”
Gramps spoke before Victoria could answer, “Now James, I already told you while I was in the other room, no lawyer. A man’s got to own up to what he’s done, that’s what I’ll do.”
“Okay.” James stood up to leave. “Victoria, do you want a lawyer?”
“No.” The words harbored an iciness that would have frozen a lesser man in his place. Unfazed, James walked to the door. “Knock when you’re done. I’ll be waiting.”
Victoria sat warily, waiting for Gramps to collect his thoughts. She watched him clasp his hands in front of him. He closed his eyes and bowed his head, as if in prayer. Victoria said her own quick, silent prayer. What is going on? Please, Lord be with us. She felt apprehension squeeze her in the gut as Gramps looked up at her and began to speak.
****
James watched in silence from the other side of the mirror. He felt like an eavesdropper, honing in on someone’s private conversation. But, he had every right to be listening. He took a quick look at the recording device that captured every word they spoke in the next room. More evidence. He should be feeling an intense satisfaction with the assignment well on its way to completion. With the case about to be opened wide and the criminals about to be brought to justice, the thought of going home should have been welcoming to him. Instead, no satisfaction came, only an emptiness. The thought of returning to the small, sparsely furnished apartment no longer held the appeal it used to. There, he would be alone. There, he would no longer see Victoria’s smile or hear her laughter.
