“Very true. I’m here to ask you to help me.”
“I can’t. Chuck is about to be elected President. He’s saying you just made everything up because he wouldn’t hire you. If I help you, Matt could lose his job. The people around here love Chuck. We would be pariahs in our home.”
“What about you, Martha?”
She shook her head. “I…there’s nothing I can do.”
“That’s not what I’m asking, Martha. You know I’m telling the truth, don’t you? You know the real Charles Whitman. The one no one else knows.”
“Nobody believes you. They’re saying you’re making the whole thing up. Even that Shanley lady.”
“Well you know that’s not true, Martha. You know I was thrown off a cliff and almost died. I spent months and months in rehab learning how to walk again. You know I was held against my will for months.”
“I know you were hurt, and you were found. But as Matt says, you could’ve jumped off the cliff yourself. Faked your disappearance. Then wrote that book just so you could ruin Chuck’s chances of being elected. And so you can make money. Get famous. Everybody wants to be famous nowadays.”
“You don’t really believe that, do you, Martha?”
She shook her head and backed away from them. “I don’t know what to believe. I just know you need to get out of here. If people around here realize who you are, they might hurt you. You should leave. Even Matt is infuriated with you.”
“Martha. I saw something in your eyes that day. When I came in here, and we were talking about Charles Whitman. You may speak the party line like everyone else around here. About what a good guy he is. But I think you know something else about him, don’t you? I think you know the evil that lives inside him.”
She held up a hand as if to stop Raven’s words. “I said I don’t know anything.”
“You can say it all you want but that won’t change the reality. Will it, Martha?”
Martha’s lips quivered. “It was so long ago. It doesn’t matter now. And it was all my fault. I shouldn’t have—”
“It wasn’t your fault and it matters, Martha.” Raven’s voice was quiet. She hadn’t been sure about her suspicions but now she was. “But I’m not going to tell anyone about that…about you. That’s your secret to keep. What I want you to do is help me find the barn I was held in. It was an old rickety barn. Not the beautiful barn at his house.”
Martha’s hand flew to her mouth as she gasped.
“I have to find that barn, Martha. I left proof in it. I can prove I was in that building, but first I need to know where it is.”
The door opened. Matthew walked in. His face turned red as he stared at Raven. “You have a lot of nerve showing up here, little lady. All those ugly accusations about Chuck. He’s a good man. I can’t believe I liked you. That I trusted you.”
“He’s not a good man, Sheriff. He’s a monster. And I have to try to stop him. No, I will stop him.” She turned back to Martha who was wiping away tears.
“Look what you’ve done. You’ve upset Martha. You need to leave. Now.”
“I’m not the one who upset her, Sheriff. I came here to ask you to do your job. You told me that you wouldn’t stop until you found the monster who kidnapped me and tried to kill me. Well, I remembered who did those things to me. Now it’s time for you to keep your promise.”
“I promised that when I thought you were honest. Not a liar.”
“I’m not a liar, Sheriff. And you know that. You saw my broken body. You saw what he did to me.”
“What someone did to you. Not Chuck. He’s a good man. I’m not even sure if any of that even happened to you. You might have faked all of it. I’m closing my investigation. As of now.”
“You know that’s not true. You know I didn’t make it up. You can’t really believe I threw myself off a cliff. Or that I burnt myself like that. You saw the burn marks on my body. Nobody does that to themselves for any reason.”
“Seems a little crazy to me, but there’s all kind of crazy in this world. People love to be celebrities nowadays. I wouldn’t put it past you that you did this whole thing so you could get famous.”
“If that were true, why wouldn’t I have used my name on the book?”
He stared at her. “Well…I’m not sure, but I know Chuck wouldn’t have done the things you’re saying.”
“I have proof. I left proof in that barn. But I have to find the barn.”
“What sort of proof?”
“I found a nail, and I scratched my name on the wooden windowsill. My name is in that barn. If you really think I made the whole thing up, then let’s go find that barn. And either way, it will prove whether I’m lying or telling the truth.”
He stared at her. He was thinking about it. She pushed on. “You said you’ve known Charles Whitman most of your life. Has he always lived in that fine house with that beautiful barn? Or is there another barn? A rickety, old wooden barn.”
She saw the flicker of recognition in his eyes.
Would he tell the truth, or would he protect the monster?
52
Martha walked out from behind the counter and touched her husband’s arm. “You’ll never be able to forgive yourself, Matt, if you don’t try to at least prove or disprove what she’s saying.”
“I don’t need her to prove that Chuck’s a good guy. We know that.”
“He may not be the man you think he is,” Her voice shook.
He turned toward his wife. “What are you saying, Martha?”
“I’m saying take her out to the old barn. Give her the chance to prove she’s not lying.”
He stared at the woman he loved. “If that’s what you want.”
“That’s what I want.”
“Let’s go.” He motioned at Raven and then as if just noticing Hunter asked, “Who are you?”
“I’m with her. I’m Deputy Hunter from the Holmes County Sheriff’s Department in Ohio but in full disclosure I’m not here in an official capacity. I’m here as Raven’s friend.”
“Whatever. Let’s go.” He looked at Martha. “Are you coming with us?”
She shook her head. “Someone has to stay. It might as well be me.”
The sheriff walked toward the door but then went back to Martha. His arms went around her, and he whispered in her ear. She nodded and smiled. He turned and walked out with Hunter following behind.
Raven said, “I’ll be right behind you. In a minute.”
The two men walked out.
Raven turned back to Martha. “Are you OK?”
“I’m fine, dear. You go now. Go prove it for both of us.” Her eyes filled with tears. “I’m sorry. I...I...really didn’t know. I thought what he did to me was my fault. If I’d thought he was the one who hurt you, I would have…have stopped him.”
“We’ll stop him now. He’s not hurting anyone else.” She hugged her. “Thank you for your help. And don’t worry, your secret is safe with me.”
When she got to the car, Hunter was already in the back, so she got in the front.
Matthew glared at her. “What’d you say to Martha? Did you upset her even more?”
“I thanked her for believing in me.”
“Yeah, I guess I wasn’t too nice before. Sorry. This whole thing has been a shock to me. To all of us.”
“So are you saying you believe me?”
“I know someone hurt you. I know you didn’t make that up. I just think you’re mistaken about who. That’s all. But let’s get out to that barn. Let’s see what you can prove.”
“Fair enough. So where are we going?”
“Chuck didn’t grow up in the house where he lives now. He built that place about twenty years ago when he got married. The house he grew up in is long gone. It burned down, but the some of the outbuildings are still there. It was never sold after his parents died in it.”
“They died in the fire?”
“Yep.”
“What caused the fire?”
“Why?
Are you going to accuse him of that too?”
“What other buildings?” Hunter asked from the back seat.
“Two barns and a silo.”
“Maybe we should get a search warrant first.” Hunter said from the backseat. “We don’t want the evidence thrown out.”
“Not necessary.” The sheriff looked over at Raven. “He doesn’t actually own it. His sister did but she donated it to the county a few months ago. It’s going to become the Whitman Conservation Center and Park. At least that was the plan. Before.”
That stopped the conversation.
His sister. Gracie had mentioned it after she did the title search. At the time, none of them thought it was significant. Apparently, they were wrong.
The sheriff turned onto Route 9, the same road Whitman’s current house was on. A few minutes later he made a right turn, and they bumped down a long lane. Her gaze took in the area. Nothing looked familiar. But that wasn’t too surprising. She’d never seen anything outside of the room that was her prison. Wherever the house had been, it wasn’t there now. Only a field and grass.
The sheriff pulled up to the larger barn. “Here we go. So where’s this proof you claim is here?”
“I don’t know which building I was in. But I’ll know when I see inside them. I scratched my name on a wooden windowsill and the date. The last one I remembered anyway.”
Hunter took hold of her hand.
She wondered if he noticed that she was shaking. He squeezed her hand as they walked inside the larger of the two barns. They walked from one end to the other. She peered inside the smaller rooms. “This isn’t the place.”
“Yeah, that’s what I figured.” The sheriff said. “I know Chuck isn’t capable of the things you’re accusing him of.”
They left the larger barn and headed toward the smaller building.
A motor broke the silence.
“What’s that?” Hunter asked.
Sounded like a golf cart.
Raven’s world turned wavy. She’d been in a golf cart the night he’d tried to kill her, but God had protected her then, and He would protect her now. She took a deep breath and the world came back in focus.
Charles Whitman pulled up in front of the barn, blocking their way. He stepped out of the golf cart. “What are you doing here, Matt? And with her? You need to arrest her.”
“She claims there’s proof here that you kidnapped her, Chuck.”
“That’s ridiculous and you know it. Besides, this is private property. You have no right to be here. You need to leave, Sheriff. And you need to do your job and take her in custody. I’ll call my security detail to come for her.” He pulled out a phone.
“I’ll arrest her after I check out her claims.”
Charles Whitman stepped in front of them, blocking them from the entrance. “This is private property. Please leave.”
“I’m not doing that. And you don’t own this property. Your sister donated it to the county a few months ago, so I have a right to go in without your permission. She wanted it to be a surprise for you. A park named after you.”
Charles Whitman’s eyes bulged.
“Now step out of the way.”
He didn’t move, so they walked around him. The moment she walked inside, her world turned wavy and a wave of nausea hit her. She grabbed Hunter’s arm. “This is the place.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yeah, we had a fight over here. I tried to hit him with the rake, but he grabbed it from me and started hitting me with it. I passed out and when I woke up, I was in a golf cart. He drove me somewhere and threw me off the cliff.” She stopped walking and pointed in the small room. “There. That’s the room. That’s where he chained me up. Like a dog.”
“So where’s this supposed proof?” Matthew Borden didn’t sound nearly as confident as he had at the station.
“In there. Look at the window. You’ll see my name scratched in the wood on the sill.”
The sheriff walked over.
Hunter did the same, pulling out his camera as he did. He started snapping pictures without saying a word.
Matthew looked at her. “It’s there. Your name and the date. I can’t believe this. It’s true. All of it.”
“You did it, Raven. You proved he’s your monster.” Hunter said. “I’m so proud of you.”
Charles Whitman charged into the room and stared at the windowsill. “It’s a lie. All of it’s a lie. She sneaked down here earlier and put her name there. She’s crazy.”
“Sorry, Chuck.” The sheriff walked toward him. “You have the right to remain silent. Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law. You have the right to an attorney. If you cannot afford an attorney, one will be provided for you. Do you understand the rights I have just read to you? With these rights in mind, do you wish to speak to me?”
“It’s a lie. It’s a lie. I’m going to be the next President of the United States. You can’t do this to me.”
The sheriff looked at Raven. “I’ll call the State Crime lab. You said your DNA will be on this.”
“I spit on it. And not just there. On every wall. I put spit all over the place. I knew I was going to die. I wanted to leave proof that I was here. Proof that he was a monster.”
The sheriff pulled out his phone.
“You can’t believe this woman. She’s just a vindictive, celebrity-seeking narcissist, Matt. You know how reporters are.”
“I’ve told you your rights. Now put your hands behind your back, Chuck. Please don’t make this harder than it has to be.”
“Don’t you talk to me about my rights. I’m Senator Charles Whitman. I’m going to be the next President of the United States. You can’t arrest me. You have no right. Get off my land.” He ran out of the room.
The sheriff chased after him.
Whitman picked up a red gas can. “You’ve got no proof.” He started splashing gas around the building.
“Stop it, Chuck. It’s over.”
“It’s not over. I’ll pay you a lot of money. We’ll get rid of them, and no one has to ever know they were even here.”
“I’d know.” Matthew Borden pulled out the handcuffs from his belt. “Now put your hands behind your back.”
Charles Whitman pulled out a lighter.
Matthew lunged at him, but it was too late.
Whitman dropped the lit lighter on the floor where he’d poured gasoline only moments before. The blaze whooshed as the fire met the gasoline.
“Call 911.” Matthew yelled at no one in particular.
Raven looked at Hunter. He was already calling. She looked around. There. A water spigot. Rushing to it, she turned on the water and grabbed the hose. In the few seconds it took to get back to the fire, she couldn’t believe how it had grown. She started spraying.
“Here give it to me,” Matthew yelled.
“No. You help get him in handcuffs.” The fire was spreading. This couldn’t happen. She wouldn’t let this place burn down. It was her proof. She kept spraying as Hunter ran to help the sheriff. As Matt attempted to put Charles in cuffs, a fight ensued.
She kept spraying.
Hunter pulled Whitman off the Sheriff. With both of them working together, they got the cuffs on him.
Fire truck sirens sounded in the distance.
But it was OK. The fire was out, though still smoldering. It hadn’t gone into her room. The evidence was safe.
“I started recording on my phone and now have evidence he tried to bribe Matt, too.” Hunter took the hose out of her hand and brought her into the circle of his arms. “It’s over, sweetheart. It’s over.”
53
“Oh, my. Oh, my.” Lydia looked over at Raven. “I can’t believe all you went through. You poor thing. No wonder you’re afraid of the dark.”
“That bone fragment from your leg that the forensic team found in the barn was the clincher,” Hunter said. “Before that, everything could be discounted because your car’s license plate was seen on
Whitman’s security cameras when you went to his house that day you went to look. There were a few people who thought you might have planted evidence then.”
“She would never do that!” Amanda was indignant.
“I know that,” Hunter’s arm tightened around Raven’s shoulders. “But others didn’t. When they found that bone and did the forensics on it, that’s when the police finally believed her. It was impossible for her to have planted it. Plus, she was already healed by the time anyone saw her near the place. And she wasn’t in any shape to plant evidence before that. My phone recording of Whitman trying to bribe Matt at the barn also helped.”
They were in Raven’s living room. Gracie, Amanda, and Todd. And of course, Hunter.
They’d watched the special on Charles Whitman, III’s crimes and his arrest together, and were now watching the primary results.
“I was afraid of the dark, Lydia, but I think that will be a thing of the past.” Raven addressed her friend’s concern. “The night of my party, I was sitting in my closet. I was so afraid. Of everything. But when I turned to some verses in the Bible, peace came over me. It’s been better since then.”
“A peace that defies human understanding.” Gracie said. “I know I have that peace too. It makes no sense, but God is God. And He keeps His promises.”
“Amen,” Hunter said.
“I’m surprised, you’re not in New York at some fancy TV station,” Amanda said. “Now that you’re so famous. The woman who survived.”
“They asked me to, but I really don’t want that kind of life. I want the life I have here in Charm, Ohio. This is exactly where I want to be.”
“What about our bakery?” Lydia asked.
“We’re opening that bakery, and you’re going to teach me how to make these delicious cookies and cakes. Not to mention that chocolate cream pie.” Raven picked up another cookie. “But for the next few weeks, I’ll be busy writing my new book. Once it’s done, I’ll be ready to bake these amazing cookies.”
“Yeah, I’ll believe that when I see it, sis.”
“Me, too.” Todd chimed in. “I’ve had your cooking.”
Jane Doe Page 21
