Next of Kin

by Sharon Sala

  Hank eyed Beth curiously, wondering what she was running from and at the same time conscious that he had a big responsibility on his hands.

  “Say, honey…if you want to go freshen up and buy you some snacks or something to drink to take with you, do it now. If you get tired, you can sack out in my bunk.”

  “You won’t be stopping anywhere along the way?”

  Hank shook his head. “No. It’s a short hop from here to Oklahoma City. Barring any problems, about a four-hour drive. If we’re lucky, we’ll be there before midnight.”

  Ike slammed his office phone down on his desk and then strode to the windows overlooking the Hollywood hills. The news he’d just received wasn’t what he’d wanted to hear. According to his man in the P.D., the witness had disappeared. The Feds had lost her, and the cops didn’t know where she was, either.

  Then he started to breathe a little easier. She was running. She didn’t want to testify against him. It would seem that the failed attempts to kill her hadn’t been a total bust. They’d scared her enough to change her mind about fulfilling her civic duty.

  As he looked down, he recognized Adam’s limo pulling up at the curb and frowned. The last thing Adam had told him this morning was that he was flying to Vegas. It would seem his plans had changed.

  He watched Adam get out, then slam the door. From the set of his shoulders, Ike could tell that he was mad. He wondered who’d crossed him, then wondered if the man was still alive.

  Ike stepped back from the window and went to the wet bar, poured himself a drink, then sat down and waited for Adam to arrive. He would find out soon enough what had set him off. In the meantime, he felt the need to celebrate Beth Venable’s absence.

  Adam Pappas was wavering between rage and shock. He’d gotten word from a reliable source that his father might know more than he was saying about his mother’s death. He didn’t know what to think or how to react, and knew his father well enough to know he wouldn’t get jack shit out of him if he went in mad. But he was mad, and he didn’t know how to hide it. By the time he got to Ike’s office, his personal pep talk had gone out the window. He strode past Ike’s secretary without speaking, and didn’t even bother to knock as he strode into the room with his chin up and his shoulders back.

  Ike ignored his son’s attitude as he stood up and went over to greet him. “Hey, I thought you were going to Vegas.”

  Adam didn’t stop moving until he was in Ike’s face. When he asked the question, he needed to be close, so he would know if his father was lying.

  “What the fuck do you know about Mom’s murder that you haven’t told me?”

  Ike blinked.

  Adam swung a fist.

  Ike blocked it on reflex, then grabbed Adam’s wrist. “What the hell is the matter with you?”

  Adam was so mad he was shaking. “I want the truth. You know something you haven’t told me about Mom’s murder.”

  Ike channeled shock into indignation as he jabbed a finger into Adam’s chest. “Have you lost your mind? If I knew anything solid, the situation would already have been resolved. You should know that.”

  “That’s not what I heard.”

  Ike sneered, then hammered his fist against his own chest. “So, little big man…you think you’ve got better information than me? You can’t be that stupid!”

  Adam was off balance. He’d been so sure.

  “I don’t know what to believe,” he muttered.

  Ike needed this confrontation to be over now. He rarely pulled rank on his own son, but this was one of those times when Adam needed to be reminded who was boss.

  He put a finger in Adam’s face. “You get your ass to Vegas like you planned, and quit thinking you can push me around. You’re not big enough, strong enough or tough enough to take me on. You get that?”

  Adam glared. He didn’t like being talked down to, but he didn’t have anything but suspicion. Pissed at being called out, he jabbed a finger in his father’s chest.

  “I may not be the big dog…yet. But if I find out you’re lying to me, you’re not going to like what happens.”

  He left as abruptly as he’d entered, once again slamming the door to punctuate his ire.

  Five

  The Feds were still looking at Ike as their prime suspect. If he’d found out what she’d done, that she’d contacted them, then he had a motive. All they had to do was prove it. Couple that with Beth Venable’s eyewitness testimony—if they could just find her before Pappas did—and they could nail him to the proverbial cross.

  The forensic team had found traces of Ike’s DNA on the dress Lorena had been wearing when she died. The federal prosecutor assigned to the case, a man named Ashton Caine, knew a good lawyer could make mincemeat of that. Especially since Ike was in and out of the apartment all the time. But the more evidence they could stack against Pappas, the stronger their case became. What they needed most, though, was Beth Venable. They’d had her, but they’d lost her. It was a royal fuckup all the way around.

  Beth’s ride with Hank Wilson was uneventful, for which she was truly grateful. After the gabfest with Rob, Hank’s lack of conversation was a blessing. She went to sleep listening to the chatter on his CB radio and woke up in the dark, hours later, with a sense of relief at knowing she was that much closer to her uncle Will.

  Hank heard her stirring. “Hey there.”

  Beth stretched, wincing as her sore knee bumped the back of the sleeping compartment, then mumbled a hello as she climbed out of the bunk and scooted into the passenger seat.

  It was pitch-black outside, but as far as she could tell they were still on the interstate. She would have given anything for a toothbrush, a shower and change of clothes, but she settled for a breath mint she found in her purse.

  “Where are we?”

  He pointed to a faint glow of lights against the night sky in the distance. “You’re looking at the Oklahoma City skyline. Will is already there and waiting for us at a Love’s country store outside of the city.”

  “Thank God.”

  Hank glanced at her but didn’t comment. Whatever was going on with her was none of his business. Within fifteen minutes he pointed again.

  “That’s our exit. See that bright yellow quick stop with the big red sign? That’s where we’re heading.”

  After all she’d endured during the past week, and then the drama of traveling cross-country with total strangers, just knowing she was about to see a familiar face undid her. Her vision blurred as Hank’s big rig swerved off I-40 onto the exit road, then slowed even more as he turned into the parking lot.

  “There he is,” Hank said, pointing toward a well-lit area where a half-dozen trucks were parked.

  Breath caught in the back of Beth’s throat as she watched her uncle climbing down from the cab of his semi. He’d gotten grayer since she’d seen him last, but he was still a tall, rangy man with a craggy face. He looked so much like her father that it hurt her heart—but then, all the Venables looked enough alike that it was impossible to mistake their lineage.

  She started to shake.

  Hank eyed the tension on her face and resisted the urge to hug her.

  “I don’t know what’s going on with you, girl, but you got good people behind you and you’re gonna be all right.”

  Then he hit the air brakes. The familiar squeal was her signal to grab her purse as Will walked toward them. When the truck finally rolled to a stop, he climbed up on the passenger side and opened the door.

  She fell out into his arms.

  “I got you, honey,” Will said, as he held her close. “You’re safe now…you’re safe.”

  She burst into sobs and buried her face against his chest.

  The Feds had no idea what had happened to Beth Venable. Despite all the digging they’d done into her background, there was no action on any of her credit cards. They’d confiscated her cell phone and laptop, and even though she could have accessed the laptop from another location, all activity had ended the night of
Sarah Steinman’s murder.

  Her parents were dead, and since she was a freelance illustrator, she had no boss or working buddies to talk to about her daily habits. Still, despite all their investigations, none of their sources had been able to verify if Pappas had ever gotten his hands on her or not.

  The pressure to find her was weighing heavily on Agent Ames, and he was dreading the day ahead of him as he drove in to work. As he stopped for a red light, his cell phone began to ring. He answered absently.

  “This is Ames.”

  “Agent Ames, this is Beth Venable.”

  He was so startled, his foot nearly slipped off the brake.

  “Beth! Thank God you’re alive! Where are you?”

  Beth leaned against her uncle’s chest for moral support. His arms encircled her. Finally she was safe—safe enough to unload her fear and anger.

  “Yes, I’m still alive, no thanks to you people. As for where I am, you don’t need to know.”

  “Listen, Miss Venable, you don’t understand what—”

  Beth was through listening as she angrily interrupted. “Oh, I understand perfectly. You want my testimony, but you nearly got me killed. Twice! Frankly, I don’t trust your agency anymore. In fact, I don’t trust the LAPD or the FBI. Both your agencies obviously employ someone who sold me out to Pappas or none of this would have happened to me.”

  “Now, see here. You—”

  “You have no room for indignation on anyone’s behalf but mine. The LAPD knew about the call from Sarah’s apartment and she wound up dead. Then you ‘big boys’ take over, swagger into Sarah’s apartment and sweep me away to a ‘safe house,’ where I nearly got killed. So you moved me to a second one, then a third. Out of curiosity, how many died there?”

  Ames sighed. “Okay, I’m hearing you. So why the call?”

  “To let you know that I will still testify. But I won’t show my face in L.A. again until Pappas has been arrested and is in the courtroom on trial. I don’t suppose he’s been arrested and a date has been set for a hearing or a trial or whatever you people call it?”

  “Not yet.”

  “Then when you give me a date, I’ll be there. Until then, you can pretend I’m dead.”

  “But how can I contact you to let you know?”

  “You can’t. I’ll call you again to check in. In the meantime, make something happen.”

  Will laid a hand on Beth’s shoulder as she dropped the phone back in her purse.

  “Feel better, darlin’?”

  Her shoulders slumped. “I wish I could forget that all this has happened, but I can’t. I didn’t want them to think I ran out on them, and I don’t want Sarah’s killer to get away with murder. I just want to stay alive until they get their act together.”

  He frowned. “Were you happy in L.A.?”

  She shrugged. “I wasn’t unhappy.”

  “Did you have anyone special?”

  Ryal Walker’s face slid through her mind; then she cast it out, just like he’d forgotten her ten years earlier.

  “If you mean, was I dating, then the answer is no. Never met anyone there I felt like spending that much time with.”

  “Just asking,” Will said, as he eyed her purse. “I’m guessing you don’t have a change of clothes in that bag you’re carrying.”

  She shook her head.

  “No problem. We can fix that. I’ve been waiting for you to get here to eat. How about we chow down, and then we find ourselves an all-night Walmart and get you some clothes?”

  “And a place to take a shower?”

  “I think we can make that happen.”

  Beth threw her arms around her uncle’s neck. “Thank you, Uncle Will. Thank you.”

  “You don’t need to thank me, darlin’. That’s what family is for.”

  Ryal had called a meeting of the Walker clan, and they’d come by the dozens, spilling out of his house and into the front yard, sitting beneath shade trees and on the tailgates of their pickup trucks. Once he filled them in on what was happening to Annie Walker’s girl and how the Feds had nearly gotten her killed, whatever lingering feelings they had about how Annie’s betrayal had split the two families down the middle, the hard feelings of the past were suddenly gone.

  The mere mention of the federal government was all it took to rouse them to indignation on her behalf. There were generations of people in Appalachia who didn’t have any use for the Feds, and they didn’t have to be told twice how important it was to stick to total secrecy. They all offered to assist in any way, should Ryal send out a call for help.

  In the end, it was his mother who suggested the perfect hiding place: the mountain cabin where she and her brothers and sisters had been raised. Her father had passed away a little over a year ago, but everything was still as he’d left it. The family used it now and then if they were hunting that high up, so the basic comforts, though very simple, were still available.

  Ryal’s brothers, James and Quinn, volunteered to go up early, clean it and stock it with food, and get the power turned back on. Satisfied that he’d done what needed to be done, Ryal settled in to wait.

  The next night Lou Venable called as Ryal was getting out of the shower. He ran to answer, dripping water as he went.

  “Hello?”

  “Ryal, it’s me. Will and Beth are due in late tomorrow, probably after dark. He wants to know if you could pick her up at the foot of the mountain where the county road meets the highway and bring her up to me.”

  Even though Ryal was soaking wet and naked, he feared the shiver that ran through his body had nothing to do with being chilled. How was it going to be, seeing Beth again after all these years? Then he realized Lou was still speaking and made himself focus.

  “It may seem selfish, but I haven’t seen her in ten years, and I want one night with her before you hide her away.”

  “That’s not selfish at all, ma’am, and you know I’ll do it.”

  “I thank you. I wouldn’t ask, ’cept Will can’t drive his big rig up the mountain on this danged narrow road.”

  “You give me a call and let me know what time. I’ll be around all day tomorrow. Sleep well, Granny Lou.”

  “I’ll sleep when I know my girl is out of danger.”

  “Yes, ma’am,” Ryal said, and disconnected, but Lou’s vow had gotten under his skin.

  Now he couldn’t sleep, either. Every time he closed his eyes, he found himself reliving their love affair, from the first time he’d kissed her to the first time they’d made love, right up to the day she and her family disappeared.

  He finally fell into a fitful sleep, but by the time dawn broke, he was already up and hard at work. He’d always found the best way to make time pass was to stay busy, and if he was going to be gone for an undetermined amount of time, the more work he got done before he left, the better.

  He waited all day for that call from Lou—the call that was going to change his world—and it came as he was cleaning up his supper dishes.

  Ryal’s cell phone was on the counter. He was rinsing off a plate when it began to ring. When he saw it was from Lou Venable, he ran to answer.

  “Hey, Lou.”

  “Will just called. He said they should reach the turn-off in about an hour and a half. Can you still go get her?”

  Her voice was shaking. He could tell how unnerved she was by the danger her granddaughter was in. She had already buried Beth’s parents. He could only imagine the thoughts running through her mind.

  “Yes, ma’am. Don’t you worry. I’ll be there waiting, and as soon as Will drops her off, I’ll bring her right up.”

  Lou started to cry. “I can’t thank you enough, Ryal. I remember what the two of you were once, and I’m sorry as I can be if this is difficult. But this isn’t about us, or our families, or what once was. This is about Bethie and keeping her alive, and I want this night with her. It’s been ten years since I’ve seen her sweet face.”

  Ryal sighed. There was nothing to be said that would make a d
ifference to the past. Then he heard her blow her nose, and when she spoke again, that matter-of-fact tone was back in her voice.

  “I’ll see you soon.”

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  He grabbed a jacket and headed for his truck. Better to be too early than have them wait on him. After all the turmoil Beth Venable had been going through, he didn’t want to be the one to put another measure of fear in her heart.

  Storm clouds had been gathering in the Kentucky sky all afternoon. By the time it got dark, Will and Beth could see intermittent flashes of lightning in the distance.

  “We’re driving right into that rain,” Will said.

  Beth looked nervous. After the day and a half they’d been on the road together, she couldn’t bear to think of a delay. She was beyond thankful for everything that had been done on her behalf, but she would hold no regrets if she never rode in another big rig as long as she lived.

  However, it wasn’t just the weather that was making her anxious. When Will finally told her it would be Ryal who was going to take her into hiding, her heart sank. He’d let her go once, and now he was the one who was going to help hide her? Why did life always have to be so hard?

  “If it starts raining before we get there, will the weather keep Ryal from driving down the mountain?”

  “No, honey. Remember, us mountain people don’t have fancy cars, and we’re used to driving in all kinds of weather. The road up the mountain isn’t paved, but it’s a good gravel road. If I know Ryal, he’ll be waiting when we get there.”

  Beth frowned. “What’s his wi—his family going to think about him going off somewhere to babysit me through this mess?”

  Will frowned. “It’s not babysitting. This is a matter of keeping you alive, Bethie. Anyway, Ryal never married.”

  She eyed Will briefly, then looked away. Everyone knew what they’d once been to each other, but no one knew that, in her heart, at least some of the love she’d had for him was still there. He’d broken her heart, but she had never been able to hate him. She knew facing him now, when she was at her most vulnerable, wasn’t going to be easy.