Missed You In Church: A Hunter Jones Mystery

by Charlotte Moore

  Sam was asleep on the sofa when Hunter said, “Sam, wake up. This news is from Herman County. Isn’t that where they found Rocker Barstow’s body?”

  Sam sat straight up.

  The picture and sound was confusing, helicopters overhead, sirens blaring, voices shouting. Then the announcer filled one-half of the screen and began talking.

  “Sheriff Thompson Carter has just informed us that 41 arrests were made and over two dozen dogs rescued in a remote rural area of Herman County where a large-scale dogfight was under way, along with illegal betting. Helicopters were used to locate the dogfighting area, and arrests were made as those involved in the activity tried to flee the area.

  “The Georgia Bureau of Investigation was involved with the sting, which follows a three-month investigation of a dog fighting ring operating in north Florida and south Georgia, according to a press release just issued by the GBI, and now, in further breaking news, the City of Albany has issued a notice that restrictions on watering lawns…”

  Sam sighed and leaned back on the sofa.

  “Thompson Carter has got a lot on his plate,” he said. “He didn’t even mention that dog fighting investigation when I was down there. I wonder if it was anywhere near the area we were in.”

  “What will happen to the dogs?” Hunter asked.

  “Some of them will have to be put down,” Sam said. “Some will get veterinary treatment and maybe go to the local shelters or to foster homes. Sometimes they get adopted.”

  “Aww,” Hunter said. “Poor pups.”

  “And don’t even think about it,” Sam said. “We’re not going to take one of them.”

  Miranda Bremmer Montgomery leaned her head on Chad’s shoulder. She had ducked into a gas station restroom just off I-75 and made a quick change to the one pair of jeans she had in her suitcase, topped them with a sequined pink knit shell, and slipped on her favorite sandals. The wedding gown was in the back seat of Chad’s car, where she hoped it would be safe until one of his brothers picked up the car at the airport and returned it to Macon.

  They were at the Atlanta airport with three hours to wait for their flight, but she didn’t care, but she didn’t care. She felt like herself again. She felt safe.

  CHAPTER 29

  SAM’S CELL PHONE RANG JUST AS they were sitting down to breakfast on Sunday morning.

  “Sam, this is Thompson Carter from Herman County. Sorry to call you on a Sunday.”

  “No problem,” Sam said. “And congratulations. Sounded on the news like y’all had quite a bust down there yesterday.”

  “That’s why I’m calling you,” Carter said, “Do you know a Sonny Taylor? He says he’s talked to you before about Rocker Barstow.”

  “That’s right,” Sam said. “He and another guy from Sumter County were Barstow’s alibis for the Bremmer murder. Why? Don’t tell me he got caught in the dog fight bust?”

  “Yep, and he sure doesn’t want to stay in jail any longer than he has to. He says he’s got some information both of us might want to have on Rocker Barstow if we can cut a deal for him and let him leave the area.”

  “Is this about Noreen Bremmer’s murder?” Sam asked.

  “I don’t know about that part,” Carter said. “All he’s said is he knows who shot Rocker Barstow, but he said he’s got something to clear up with you, too. He says he lied to you before, and you’ll want to know what he’s got to tell you. Anyway, the District Attorney is rounding up of his assistants to come down here, and we’ve got Taylor set up with a lawyer.

  “I’ll be there,” Sam said. “What time works for the rest of you?”

  “Well, I don’t miss church for folks who spend time at dog fights,” Taylor said, “and my wife cooks a fine Sunday dinner, so how about 3 p.m. Does that work for you?”

  Ten minutes later, Jeremy Hayes reached sleepily for his cell phone and checked he caller ID.

  “It’s the D.A.,” he said to Taneesha who was awake and holding her new ring up so the sunlight would hit the diamond.

  “Better answer,” she said. “You’re still on his payroll.”

  “If he’s calling on Sunday,” Jeremy said. “He wants me to do something today, and I wanted to be with you so we can tell your family together. “

  We can do that tonight,” she said. “I’ll just stay home and smile over my secret all day. I’m not taking this ring off.”

  Jeremy answered the phone.

  Sam Bailey and his family were on their way to church a while later, but his mind was hardly on spiritual matters. He had already called Bub Williston to go with him. Skeet had Sunday off with his little girl, and if he left the county, he’d need Taneesha on the job at the courthouse. He still had to call Taneesha, but he’d wait until he got the car parked.

  “I think this may be our break,” he told Hunter. “He told Sheriff Carter he had lied to me, and I’m pretty sure I know what he was lying about.”

  “Who lied?” Bethie asked from the back seat.

  “A bad guy,” Sam said, and concentrated on his driving. Hunter thought to herself that he had to be really excited if he was talking about an investigation in front of Bethie.”

  It could be the break, though. She thought what a relief it would be to everybody, even though Rocker Barstow wasn’t alive to stand trial.

  Jeremy put on coffee, and Taneesha took a look at her cell phone. It was Sam.

  “I know you’re supposed to have the day off, but I have to go to Herman County this afternoon. Skeet’s got a day planned with Madison, and I’d rather take Bub with me than leave him in charge. I’m going to tell the dispatcher to call you if anything needs attention.”

  “I’ll be home all day,” she said. “What’s going on in Herman County.”

  “I think we may have a break in the Bremmer homicide,” he said, sounding excited. “Sonny Taylor got himself arrested in that big dog fighting bust, and he’s saying he knows who killed Rocker Barstow and he has information I need – that he lied to me before.”

  Sam hardly ever sounded excited. It was almost enough to distract Taneesha’s attention from the man in her kitchen and the ring on her finger.

  “Are you going to want to keep your name like your friend Hunter did?” Jeremy asked Taneesha as they were saying goodbye.

  “Of course not,” she said, laughing out loud. “Can you imagine what Mama Rene would say?”

  Sam and Bub made it to Eudora, but they made it just before the courthouse clock struck three.

  A Herman County deputy led them to the detention center, where Sam was surprised to see both T.J. Jackson and Jeremy Hayes waiting. Sonny Taylor’s appointed attorney turned out to be an annoyed and aging local lawyer named Jasper Crowe who was taking his turn at the order of a judge.Two taciturn GBI agents stood a little to the side.

  “I’ve already been talking to him,” Crowe said. “He says he knows who killed that Barstow man whose truck was in the river, but he’s not telling me or anybody unless he gets off on all charges for this dogfighting mess, plus he’s got something he wants to tell the Sheriff, says that he lied about Barstow’s alibi for something else.”

  “We figure there must be something to it,” Sheriff Carter said, “because the dog fighting place is only about a mile from where Barstow’s truck was found.”

  Jeremy spoke up.

  “District Attorney Beale has authorized me to say we won’t prosecute Mr. Taylor on any of the charges related to dog fighting if he’ll testify against Barstow’s murderer and provide Sheriff Bailey with any information he has related to the Noreen Bremmer murder. Arrangements will be made to get him relocated in another state. No witness protection program. Just transportation costs.”

  Sonny Taylor looked exhausted when he was brought into the interview room. He had a scrape on one side of his face, which seemed to have gotten cleaned, but other side of his face was grimy.

  “You got a deal,” Crowe told him. “But you’re on your own once we get you where you want to go. Now just tell th
ese folks what you know. They’re going to make a videotape. They’re expecting you at the trial if there is one, but just in case they need it, they want something on the record. Now I’ve already told you what your rights are, and you know you don’t have to say anything at all, don’t you? And I’m here to advise you.”

  “Yeah, I know,” Taylor said. “I’m going to tell y’all the truth, the whole truth and nothing but. I want to get outta here.”

  “So who killed Barstow?” Sheriff Carter asked.

  “Jimbo Till and his brother. I guess his brother is a Till too. His first name is Willard.”

  “That’s right,” one of the GBI agents said, “James Till and Willard Till. They’re the organizers. They had the one going here on Saturdays and another down closer to Waycross on Sundays, and another in Florida.”

  “Anyway,” Sonny Taylor said. “Barstow was down here Saturday before last, just like me, and he already owed them two about $500 that he couldn’t pay. I told him he oughta just stay home, but I think he got some of the money from the store – not any $500, but some – and he brought one his dogs. The mean one. He had a bunch of stuff in the back, and said he was going to stay with Darla in Alabama after he made some money.”

  He stopped and took a cold drink that the jail warden had brought him.

  “Was Merle Tarver with you?” Sam asked.

  “No, he quit the whole thing a while back,” Sonny said. “Too rough for him. I wish I’d had sense enough to stop.”

  “Go ahead and tell us about Barstow,” Sheriff Carter said.

  “So first thing I know, Rocker getting his dog unchained and lost control of him,and that dog took off running and acting up, and he wound up just about killing one of Jimbo’s best dogs that Jimbo had just taken out. Got him right by the throat. They weren’t even in the pit. Rocker didn’t have any control over his dog, and they couldn’t get him off Jimbo’s dog. I don’t know if the dog died or not, but it was hurt bad, so Jimbo got crazy mad and said he was going to shoot Rocker’s dog, but the dog had run off. Jimbo and Willard ganged up on Rocker, and all I heard was Rocker bein’ a smart mouth, and sayin’ they could have that dog of his instead of the money he owed them, and if they didn’t like that deal, they could have their lawyer call his lawyer.

  “He was just drunk enough to be really stupid,” Sonny went on. “So they go after his dog first and shoot the dog and he takes off runnin’ to where we all had our cars and trucks parked. I saw Willard and Jimbo go after him, so like a fool, I got in my truck and tried to circle around and warn Rocker to get outta there fast, but they got to him before I did.”

  “Did they see you?” Sheriff Carter asked. “It was daylight wasn’t it?”

  “Yeah, it was light. No. I know they didn’t see me or they woulda killed me too. So anyway, I heard two or three shots, and then I got a little closer and saw them throw Rocker into the back of the truck like he was a sack of chicken feed. And then they argued for a minute, and Jimbo got in the driver’s seat of the Rocker’s truck and took off, and then Willard got in another truck, I guess it was his, and followed. I decided I’d leave too, but first I went back and joked around with everybody like there wasn’t anything wrong.”

  He shivered a little.

  “I was scared they were gonna kill me, too,” he said. “I didn’t want them getting any idea that I’d seen anything. Then on the way out, I was almost back to the gravel road when saw the two of ‘em come back in the truck that Willard was in, so I knew right then, they had hid Rocker’s body and his truck somewhere, but I just acted like I didn’t see ‘em and went on home.”

  “It figures out about right,” Sheriff Carter said to the others, “That place in the river isn’t a mile from where the dog fighting was.”

  “So why’d you go back this Saturday?” Sam asked.

  “Well, I’m a whole lot better at bettin’ on dogs than Rocker was,” Sonny said. “I’ve been makin’ some real money. Course, I’m done with that for good.”

  “We got a bullet from Barstow’s autopsy,” Sheriff Carter said to Sam, “and we’ve got both the Till brother’s guns. I was thinking we’d keep Mr. Taylor here until we get a ballistics report, but it sounds about right to me.”

  He glanced at the GBI men, who nodded in unison.

  “Mr. Hayes, you got any questions for Mr. Taylor?” Sheriff Carter asked.

  “Yes,” Jeremy said. “How long have you been coming to these dog fights?”

  “About six months,” Sonny said. “It was Rocker who told me about ‘em. He knew the Till brothers when they were down around Jacksonville, and that gets around to what I wanted to tell Sheriff Taylor, which might as well be on this picture show y’all are making, too.”

  “What’s that?” Sam asked, hoping he was about to close a case.

  “Rocker Barstow didn’t kill his ex-wife,” Sonny said. “He was right down here with me and Merle Tarver, bettin’ on dog fights that Saturday, and you can get a buncha witnesses for that.”

  Sam clenched his fists and his jaw, and Sonny noticed.

  “Look, Sheriff, we didn’t lie about him havin’ an alibi. We just told you it was poker playing ‘cause we couldn’t tell you about the dog fights. The thing is, Rocker didn’t kill that woman, so you oughta be looking for whoever did.”

  “You two sure had the same stories,” T.J. said with a frown.

  “Well, yeah,” Sonny said with a faint grin, “Cause we just used what we were doing the Saturday before, when there was that big storm down this way, and we figured the dogfight would be rained out. Anyway we all agreed that any answers we gave would be about what we remembered from the Saturday before. The thing is we knew he didn’t do it. It wasn’t like we were makin’ an alibi for whoever did kill her.”

  “What about Barstow’s TV set and his clothes that were taken out of his house?” T.J. asked. “You know anything about that?”

  “He had a buncha junk in his back of his truck, along with the dog when he came to the fight. I reckon he was planning to leave. Probly, Willard and Jimbo got the TV if it was any good. I reckon if Rocker was leavin’ town, he just let those other two dogs out.”

  “Why are you telling me the truth now?” Sam asked.

  “To clear his name,” Sonny said, looking a little surprised. “There’s a lot more witnesses than Merle and me to his bein’ here that Saturday and they got no reason now not to tell you. I heard you hadn’t pinned it on anybody else, and I just didn’t think his son ought to go through life thinkin’ his daddy killed his mamma.”

  CHAPTER 30

  AFTER CONVERSATIONS WITH TWO OTHER MEN who had been jailed for dog fighting and seemed to know Rocker Barstow quite well, Sam and Bub headed back to Merchantsville.

  Bub was out of Herman Country before he spoke up.

  “I guess that settles that,” he said.

  Sam, who was lost in his own thoughts, nodded grimly.

  “I guess it does,” he said. “And Rocker Barstow’s not our problem anymore. He didn’t live in our county. He didn’t die in our county and he didn’t shoot his ex-wife in our county.”

  “If you want my opinion, I don’t see Amber Winslow doing it either, “ Bub volunteered.

  “Of course I want your opinion,” Sam said. “Why don’t you think Amber did it?”

  “My little brother went out with her some,” Bub said. “He says she wouldn’t have the nerve, that she talked big, but he thought she was scared to death of Mrs. Bremmer, l don’t mean scared physically, but like she was scared of the high school principal or something. She talked a lot about her behind her back, but he said there was no way she’d have walked into that house and shot that woman.”

  “Skeet says about the same thing.,” Sam said. “Is this Wiley you’re talking about?”

  “Yes Sir. He stopped going out with her because he said he got tired of her havin’ fits when she didn’t get her way, and he didn’t like it that she wanted him to buy stuff for her. Plus, her daddy really made him ner
vous. Old Jared just about went crazy one time when they were parked outside the house. He came right up to Wiley’s car with a shotgun and almost cracked the window with it. Wiley said he was just glad they weren’t really doing anything, or in the back seat, you know – because he thought Jared would have shot him.”

  “That doesn’t surprise me a whole lot,” Sam said. “He strikes me as pretty protective of Amber.”

  “I heard he gave Jack Bremmer a black eye,” Bub said.

  “He did, “ Sam said, “He thought Jack had taken advantage of Amber.”

  “More likely the other way around,” Bub said with a snort of laughter.

  “Well, we’re not getting anywhere with Amber’s doing it anyway,” Sam said. “ We know she had a gun and could have done it that day, but she says she sold the gun to some guy in Atlanta, and my guess is that whether she did or not, we’re never going to see it. Either she threw it in the river or Jared did. There’s nothing in the house to indicate she was ever there.”

  “So what happens?”

  Sam sighed.

  “We keep the case open. We’ll all get together tomorrow and run through all the depositions and talk it through one more time. Sooner or later, though, we’ll have to stop putting so much time on it, and in due time we consider it a cold case. You know, it really could be like a home invasion from somebody who went straight back to the Interstate and headed back to Florida. It might never be solved. That’s what worries me most. Maybe somebody’s already sold that ring in Key West or New Orleans. It was worth something even if it was a fake.”

  They drove on in silence.

  Sam had already agreed not to give a news conference about arrests made in the Rocker Barstow case. It wasn’t his case anymore, and Barstow wasn’t a person of interest in the Noreen Bremmer homicide. Anything more about Rocker’s death come from Sheriff Carter when he was ready to announce it. But, Sam decided, Ben Barstow should certainly be notified that his father didn’t kill his mother, and Jack Bremmer should know how things stood. Sam decided to get that over with first and to do it in person.