Doing Time In Texas, Book 2

by James E Ferrell

  Doing Time in Texas

  ~~~~The Series~~~~

  Book 1:

  Always Have a Plan

  Book 2:

  For Love of Money

  Book 3:

  Every Road Leads to Huntsville

  Written by James E. Ferrell

  Edited by Kathryn H. Clair

  Cover Design by Victoria Gillis

  www.victoriagillis.com

  Copyright 2019 James E. Ferrell. All rights reserved.

  First publication by Grey Ghost Publisher, 19431 Highway 30 #36, Shiro, Texas 77876

  Distributed by Smashwords

  Publisher’s Cataloging-in-Publication Data

  Names: Ferrell, James E., author. | Clair, Kathryn H., editor.

  Title: For love of money / written by James E. Ferrell ; edited by Kathryn H. Clair.

  Series: Doing Time in Texas

  Description: Shiro, TX: Grey Ghost Publisher, 2019.

  Identifiers: LCCN 2019906595| ISBN 978-1-950763-05-4 (Hardcover) | 978-1-950763-02-3 (pbk.) | 978-1-950763-08-5 (ebook)

  Subjects: LCSH Ex-convicts--Fiction. | Organized crime--Illinois--Chicago--Fiction. | Texas--Fiction. | Criminals--Fiction. | Love stories. | Detective and mystery stories. | Suspense fiction. | BISAC FICTION / Christian / Suspense

  Classification: LCC PS3606.E745 F67 2019 | DDC 813.6--dc23

  This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient. If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to your favorite ebook retailer and purchase your own copy. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

  Table of Contents

  Introduction

  C1 - Big News

  C2 - Transitioning

  C3 - The Desert Never Blooms

  C4 - Looking Out for the Little People

  C5 - Chicago East Side

  C6 - A Cold Winter

  C7 - A Long Time Coming

  C8 - End of the Good Life

  C9 - Runny Scared

  C10 - A Cold Bleak Morning

  C11 - A Time to Die

  C12 - No Way Out

  C13 - A Joke Turns Deadly

  C14 - Austin, Texas

  C15 - The Jokester

  C16 - Money Talks

  C17 - The Lull After the Storm

  C18 - The Plan

  C19 - Paranoia

  C20 - For Love of Money

  C21 - Chicago

  C22 - Spring

  C23 - In the Pines

  C24 - Just a Few Close Friends

  C25 - The Devil Gets His Due

  C26 - Night Trips

  C27 - A Change of Heart

  C28 - Birds of a Feather

  C29 - The Ranger Pain

  C30 - Another School Play

  C31 - The Comanche

  C32 - A Different Perspective

  C33 - No Wedding Cake

  C34 - Arraignments

  C35 - Too Good to Be True

  C36 - Day by Day

  C37 - Digging Up the Past

  C38 - Getting Use to the Good Life

  C39 - Trotline Bait

  C40 - The Shipment

  C41 - Unlocking the Past

  C42 - The Tracker

  C43 - Highway 45 Oasis

  C44 - No End to Misery

  C45 - Time to Move

  C46 - Time to Kill

  C47 - Austin Line

  C48 - Four Minus One

  C49 - Fateful Night

  C50 - New Hope

  C51 - A Time to Run

  C52 - Beginning Again

  C53 - Worried Minds

  C54 - Flew the Coop

  C55 - A Glimmer of Understanding

  C56 - What Goes Around

  C57 - The Genesis

  C58 - An Old Acquaintance

  C59 - A New Life

  C60 - The Hunt

  C61 - A Friend to Remember

  C62 - A Long Shot

  Epilogue

  Previews

  C1 - Starting Over

  List of Series Main Characters

  About the Author

  Also by James E. Ferrell

  Introduction

  The years in the Texas penal system had matured Willy Baker in every way, except one. His natural physical strength plus the years of hard work in the penal system had formed him physically into a powerful man but still that never quite satisfied him. There was another strength he had seen in his brother John. John’s strength was a reasoning mental one. John’s point of view always put Willy’s arguments to irrelevance. Prison gave Willy time to think. He decided early on to use his time reading and digesting everything he could think of. Maybe he could develop some of his brother John’s reasoning power. One facet of his nature that had not changed was his willingness to pull pranks, con people and generally put them to shame. Somehow that seemed to elevate his power over others that justified his foolishness. Willy also used his prison time to explore another avenue. That venue was one of revenge; his soul fed from the desire for revenge on those who had wronged him and blurred his reasoning. The problem was that he knew all his woes were of his own making and there was no fix for that hurt he had caused.

  Falling in love was the means by which he met his foolishness face-to-face. Bonnie Wilkerson was a hardcase who had stepped away from a good raising to trudge the sewers of the wild side. She cast aside her godly raising for the pits of rotten fruit the world offered. Willy saw in her a love he could not do without.

  Thomas Taylor would also have a profound impact on Willy’s rehabilitation. Unfortunately, with dire consequences for them both.

  C1 - Big News

  The Houston paper carried a plane crash that became big news when the body of Harlan Williams was found to be one of the deceased. A man well known for his generosity and accomplishments in Texas, Williams would be missed by the business community, the paper stated. Little did the readers know that Harlan Williams was the figment of a shy, but talented, Jesse Rash. Rash was a young man who invented the persona of Harlan Williams. His disguises helped to rescue, Amy Hamilton Anderson, the daughter of Drew Hamilton of Hamilton International from the jaws of certain death. His lust for the unknown took many down the path of the dark side.

  The next morning Judd Smith walked into Ed Week’s garage. The first thing he noticed was a downcast look on Ed Weeks and Thomas Taylor’s faces.

  “What’s wrong with you two now?” Judd asked.

  “Mr. Smith, have you seen the paper this morning?” Thomas asked.

  “No, why? Is there something I need to see?” The front page had two pictures side by side of Harlan and the pilot of the Cactus Flying service identified as Amy Anderson. They had died in a fiery crash. Judd read the entire article then let the paper slide from his hands to the floor. He had been sitting on a stool and for several minutes he just sat there. Slowly he stood and walked to his pickup truck. Judd realized he had lost the person who put everything together. He had never felt a loss like the losing of a friend he so admired. The sadness cut deep into his soul and he almost came to tears. This was totally unexpected and suddenly he hated the thought of continuing the shine operation.

  Word of the plane crash had left Ralph Davis far from sad. All the money in the safety deposit boxes had suddenly become his. In the days after the bank robbery he had argued with Harlan Williams that they should keep the money and forget helping the Smith family. Now he had it all. Every account and business arrangement the bank had with Williams had been moved or sold. Ralph regretted he couldn’t get his hand
s on that money. Oh well, he still had the safety deposit boxes full of cash. All he had to do was remove every record or business dealing Harlan had from the bank records. In essence, he would erase Harlan Williams from the bank history. The owner of the safety deposit boxes would be his dearly departed mother whose name and signature he had on file. Ralph was an only child and had power of attorney in her estate. Her death had been recent and back dating the records would be easy and fool proof. Life was getting sweeter by the day for Ralph and he owed it all to luck and a fiery plane crash.

  C2 - Transitioning

  Aclear blue sky encompassed the heavens at berth 22 along the Corpus Christi dock. Sea water splashed lazily against a long white yacht gently rocking in a soft gulf breeze. This day Roger Spillman became the crew-of-one for the ‘The Genesis.’ He figured he had died and gone to heaven. Roger had landed a job doing what he was best at. It paid better than the ancient freighters he had maneuvered across the oceans in his past. Today he was again a master sailor sailing the seven seas. Spillman’s first and only attempt at smuggling had cost him a year in prison. Now middle aged he was back on the seas piloting one of the greatest yachts he had ever seen. He had one other talent which he loved…he could cook. These talents made him a highly valued prize which Jesse and Amy Rash would soon enjoy.

  In the master bedroom, Amy examined her new wardrobe and combed her newly dyed hair. The clothing transformed her into Amy Rash, wife of Jesse Rash. It had been two weeks since the plane crash. Harlan Williams no longer existed. Jesse Rash was in fact Jesse Rash as his birth certificate stated. The beard and mustache had given him an aristocratic look that had now been replaced by a boyish look and a set of stylish glasses. He so enjoyed not putting on the makeup each morning. Without the facial hair and makeup an overnight transformation had taken place and a new man appeared. He was working out and the pounds of muscle changed his lanky physique for the better. Physically he was sound but mentally he could not leave behind nagging moral problems he had created and could not discuss with anyone. He had left young Thomas Taylor in a dangerous situation, that could possibly get him killed. Judd Smith had been just an ordinary man that under the influence of Harlan Williams had gone over to the dark side. Jesse could not dismiss it and found no way to clear his conscience of guilt.

  The ships intercom crackled bringing him out of his contemplation when the voice of the ship’s captain said, “Jesse, breakfast is ready.”

  “Good, I am starved; Roger, inform Amy we are having breakfast on the fantail this morning.”

  Roger Spillman handed Jesse the Houston paper and directed his new boss to a chair on deck. “Jesse, I’m going to need a deck hand. Someone I can train to be my second in command,” he said.

  “I’m ahead of you on that, Roger. I have just the man in mind.” Flipping the paper open, Jesse read the headlines and for the next few minutes was lost in the story on the front page. Folding the paper, he sighed deeply and scanned the shimmering water of the Gulf. His ship’s captain walked by and Jesse said, “Roger, after breakfast, Amy and I will be on land for a few days cleaning up some business. After we leave today take on provisions and chart a course along the coast of Mexico.” Pointing to a spot on a map they always kept handy, he continued, “Pick us up at this little bay near Cortina. Meet us there a week from today. Then we will cruise the Caribbean. We might as well enjoy this beautiful weather while Amy gets her sea legs.” With breakfast behind them, they stepped from the yacht and Jesse and Amy Rash made their way along the dock.

  “I really like the boat. So, what’s your plan?” Amy asked.

  “I guess I need to come clean about the boat as you call it. Your father gave it to us as a wedding present,” Jesse said.

  “I figured that…I was just waiting to see if you would own up to it. I do like the part about it being a wedding gift,” Amy smiled.

  “I hope he doesn’t mind. I haven’t got time to find him and ask for your hand in marriage,” Jesse remarked.

  “You just keep saying things I like, but you could smile a little this morning. Why so gloomy?” Amy inquired.

  Jesse smiled a broken smile, but he knew his demeanor was putting up a false front. The old nagging in his conscience was back with a vengeance. “I have decided!” Jesse said with determination. “My life of crime will cause a great deal of grief to many people before it plays out. There are people I must try and help get free of the web of sin it has surrounded. First on the list, if you agree, is that we will make this union official this very morning.”

  “You mean like get married…today?” Amy gasped.

  “Yes, that is exactly what I mean. Jesse Rash will start out his new life right,” Jesse declared.

  “Aren’t you supposed to get down on one knee and ask me to marry you?” Amy questioned.

  “I have on these expensive white slacks. Getting down on one knee might mess them up, but yes, I am proposing or maybe begging would be more appropriate after what I’ve put you through,” Jesse confessed.

  “I like begging. It has an ego building connotation for me. Well, let’s get this show on the road. Shall we?” she asked.

  “Good! The first order of business is to keep an appointment this morning with a nice old preacher I befriended a few days ago. He and I have made arrangements to officially change your last name,” Jesse stated.

  “I’m all for that, Jesse. Then we’ve got to go back and get John,” Amy stated.

  Jesse began to grieve in his spirit. ‘Well it can’t wait,’ he thought. A bench next to a bait shop was the only spot he could find to sit her down. He unrolled the paper and looked at her. “Amy, the bad guys must have found the junkyard about the time we left. John had a surprise planned for them. There is nothing left of the place according to this paper. They ran a three-page story on the life of John Hannibal.”

  Amy read the paper, occasionally wiping her eyes. She said, “Jesse, I want to go out there.”

  “Amy, there is nothing left to see!” Jesse stated.

  “I know…but I will not be satisfied unless I do. We need to see and commit to memory the sacrifice John made for us,” she said sadly.

  “Amy, I talked to John and tried to persuade him to come with us. He just wouldn’t come. He said he had been making plans for the visitors for a long time and he needed to welcome them to hell. He knew what I had planned before I told him. John said he would light up the desert for us,” Jesse explained.

  “What does that mean?” Amy questioned.

  “It means all the ordinance, that’s explosives, John had stored up, he rigged to explode in some fashion. According to the Houston and Dallas papers the mob guys looking for us found that out. Now, the preacher is waiting for us in that little church over there,” Jesse said.

  “Okay, but after we get married, I want to drive out to the desert,” Amy said.

  “I kind of figured you would. We will be headed for Mexico, so I guess we can go by and pay our last respects. I hate our first day of marriage will be so sad,” he admitted.

  “It will be a sad day, but that’s what I want to do,” Amy said determinedly.

  C3 - The Desert Never Blooms

  It had been days since John Hannibal had lit up the desert sky. Rusty auto parts, rocks and cacti littered the desert for several hundred yards. Jesse slowed the car as he and Amy passed the junkyard.

  “Pull in and stop, Jesse. I want to look around,” Amy stated.

  “Let me drive by first. There may be someone watching,” Jesse replied.

  “Why do you say that?” Amy questioned.“It’s possible the mob may have someone out here watching the place,” Jesse stated.

  “Don’t you think they believe we died in the plane crash?” Amy asked.

  “Yes, but we must not underestimate them,” Jesse said. The stretch of highway was deserted and so he pulled in and parked the car behind a small rise. Amy sat looking out the side window. Jesse walked around the car and said, “You might as well get out. Lets walk
back to our special place where I proposed to you…the first time.”

  Tears ran down her face and her breast heaved. Jesse was saddened and found himself at a loss for words. The accounts of what had happened in the desert had made headlines for days. John Hannibal had been a glamorous, mystery figure of the past. The paper sensationalized his life. They mixed the great composer’s ability with that of his talents in the military. Two of the dead mobsters were quickly identified as hired killers and speculations ran wild. There was no way to tell how many men were killed in the heated explosions. One forensic expert guessed between four and ten. The heat in John’s adobe had been so intense there was little of the bodies left to identify.

  “Amy, John is gone. His sacrifice gave us a chance at a normal life. We must not jeopardize what he has accomplished for us,” Jesse said gently.

  Standing in the middle of the runway she began to cry. “Goodbye, my gentle sweet friend. Someday we will meet again,” she whispered.

  Jesse considered his sweet wife and her brokenness. He stated, “You and John drew close while I was living the lie. I feel like this could have been avoided if I had not become greedy. Enjoying the mystery of being Harlan Williams, became an obsession for me and I felt I was above the law. Now, I must live with the results of my sins. I remember you and John saying you would meet again. What made you say that?”

  “It came from you,” Amy said.

  “Came from me? I don’t understand,” Jesse said.

  “When you and I landed in the desert that first night, and the morning light revealed we were sitting in a junk yard. I offered that we had landed in hell. Not liking what I was seeing, I suggested a very short tenure in hell. You suggested I read Luke 16 for duration information. It nagged me, and I asked John to show me what you were talking about. It took us an hour to find Luke 16! John and I were biblically illiterate to say the least. We made a lengthy study of Luke 16 concerning the rich man’s stay in hell. We realized there were no round-trip tickets and there were no weekend passes from hell. Bringing me to the desert was providence. God was giving me and John a chance to investigate truth. You were gone all the time, living your new life, so we spent a good part of the day determining if we qualified for any other place than hell. Maybe a small island in the Caribbean or even a stay in Chicago would have been better than hell. Nothing was mentioned in our search of any other accommodations for the sinful.” Amy began to cry, and Jesse felt a pain inside. She had become so much a part of him their emotions were intertwined.