“It’s fine. I just want answers.”
“So do I,” he states as he steps out of the car.
As we walk up to the front door, my heart starts to race a little bit. It’s one thing for me to have confronted him on a hunch about the paternity of my children, but for Ryan to be here, it seems so much more official and final. Will he talk because Ryan is a cop? Is he guilty or involved in Ralph’s death? I can’t believe he is, it’s not something I would have ever thought he’d be capable of doing, that’s for sure. Ryan knocks on the front door, pulling me out of my thoughts.
“Coming,” Grant yells from inside. He swings the door open, toothbrush hanging out of his mouth; he smiles when he sees me, but quickly sobers when he spots Ryan. “Jud, Chief Jacobs, what’re you doing here?”
“I’d like to ask you a few questions, Mr. McMann.”
He opens the door wider. “Uh, sure. I’ll just ...” He holds up his toothbrush and disappears into the hall. He comes back out moments later. “What’s going on?”
Ryan clears his throat. “I have reason to believe that you’re involved in some illegal dealings with Richard Lyon.”
“No, no way. I’d never mess with him. Everyone knows he’s crooked.”
“That doesn’t stop people from ‘borrowing’ money from him,” Ryan says.
“How did you lose your car? The truth this time,” I ask.
Grant stares at me. “You think I’m wrapped up in this, too?”
“I have for a while. I’ve talked to you about gambling before, but you’ve never been honest with me. I think you got in over your head and couldn’t pay up. I think you lost more than you bargained for. I think you lost more than any of us bargained for.” My temper is starting to rise, but I try desperately to keep it in check.
He jumps to his feet. “Just what exactly are you accusing me of, Judson?”
“I’m not accusing you of anything … yet. I just want to know what you have going on with Lyon and how long it’s been going on?”
“Nothing! I have nothing going on with that man. I hate him and everything he stands for.”
Ryan clears his throat. “Then why the reaction when you saw him the other day?”
Grant stares at him for a moment then says, “I took his daughter out and never called her back. I didn’t know who she was until after. He wasn’t happy that I took her on a date.”
“Why would he care?” I ask.
“He … he just doesn’t like me.” Grant finally sits back down on the chair across from where Ryan and I sit on the couch.
“Why? I thought you said you didn’t have anything going on with him.”
Grant worries his bottom lip between his teeth. “I … I don’t. He just doesn’t like me. Calls me an idiot.”
“How does he even know who you are to not like you?” Ryan asks skeptically.
“I go to Lyon’s all the time. We used to go before the accident, you remember, don’t you, Judson? He was there all the time.”
I nod. That was true. “Yeah, but I don’t ever remember him giving you a hard time. He always stopped to talk when he saw us, but it was never hostile.”
Ryan takes over. “Did you help Colby Jack kill and move Ralph Clark’s body to Judson’s land?” His question startles me.
“What? No, of course I didn’t. I never even met this Colby in person. I just know who he is from the club. I’d never kill anyone.”
“What about help move a dead body?”
Grant stares at Ryan in disbelief. “You’re way off. I didn’t do any of that.”
Ryan pulls out a paper from a file he carried in with us. “Who does this look like to you?”
Grant stares at it a few moments. “Me, I guess.”
“You were identified as the man who helped dump the body.”
“Chief Jacobs, I swear to you that I had nothing to do with moving that body. When was this, anyway?”
“It happened between midnight and two am Sunday morning.”
“It couldn’t have been me. I have an alibi. I was out of town. I went to visit my parents. I didn’t get back until Monday morning.”
“I’ll need their names and number?”
“Yes, of course. This wasn’t me. I swear to you.” He quickly writes his parents’ names and phone numbers on the back of the photocopy of the sketch that does look eerily like him.
“That’s all the questions I have right now, unless Judson has anything?”
“I want you to tell me why you lied about being the biological father of my kids.”
“That again? Jud, man it’s not me. Those kids look just like Shannon and her family. You know that.”
“Looked, you said look.”
He grimaces. “You know what I mean.” I nod my head. I find myself talking about them in the present myself sometimes.
“I wish you’d give up on that. I don’t know why you got that DNA thing, but it’s not me, man.” I nod my head, but I’m not satisfied.
“I’m going to confirm your whereabouts, but don’t leave the area until I tell you to,” Ryan tells him.
“Yes, sir.”
“I’ll talk to you later,” I tell him before we walk out of his front door.
“You believe any of that?” Ryan asks me as we climb into the car. I pause, staring at him for a moment.
“Not a word. Well, except for being at his parents. I don’t think he’d have anything to do with Ralph, but as far as knowing Lyon and my kids. Yeah, I think he’s lying.”
“I thought so, too. He was too nervous and kept looking down. I don’t know if there’s much more I’ll be able to do legally, but I think he is connected to Lyon at the very least.”
“He’s probably gambling. If he admits it to you, then he gets himself into trouble with the law and Lyon.”
We chat a little, but nothing of consequence. It’s good to hang out with him and just shoot the breeze. It reminds me of our youth, we really were great friends, but the more we talk, the more I can’t stop thinking about Grant. His reactions, the way he fidgeted, his nervousness. It wasn’t like him. I think Grant and I need to have a little chat one on one. Ryan drops me off. I hop in my truck and head to Oak Grove Elementary School. I hate to bother Laney here, but I need to see her. I park and go straight to the office. The receptionist looks up a little startled.
“May I help you?”
“Yeah, I need to speak to Miss Jacobs.”
“Oh, okay. I think she’s on lunch. Just a moment.” She picks up a phone and dials the number, then waits. “Hey, is Laney in there? … Oh, good. Tell her she has a visitor in the office. Thanks.” She hangs up and turns to me. “You’re in luck, she’s on her lunch. She’ll be up in a few.”
“Thank you.”
Laney appears less than two minutes later. She smiles widely. “Hey, what’re you doing here?” I pull her into my arms and hug her. “You okay?” she asks, looking up at me.
I shake my head. “Is there somewhere we can talk?”
“Uh, sure. Carol, is the conference room open?”
“Yeah, go ahead. No one is schedule in there today.”
“Thanks.” She grabs my hand and pulls me inside. “Not that I’m not incredibly happy to see you, but why are you here?”
I run my hands over my hair and pull her back into my arms. This is the most contact we’ve had since I agreed to try, but right now I’m so stressed, that I can’t think. The very thought that Grant had something to do with my family’s death is driving me crazy.
“I just needed to hold you for a minute. I … missed you.”
“I missed you too. I’m not on at the bar tonight. I can come over.”
“Yeah, okay, but it might be a little late. I’m going to Brantsville.”
She looks up at me confused. “I thought you said you were going this morning, did something happen?”
“I went with Ryan, but I’m going to talk to Grant alone. I think he knows more than he told Ryan today.”
“D
on’t do anything rash.”
“I won’t.” I cup her face in my hand and stroke her cheek with my thumb. I don’t even think about it, I just do it, I lean forward and press my lips to hers. It’s just a simple kiss, but it’s so much more than I ever imagined. “Thank you.”
“Why are you thanking me?” She giggles. “I should thank you; that was some kiss.”
I smile. “Thank you for not giving up on me and for being my little pest.”
She slaps me playfully. “I’ll always be here for you. You know us redheads never give up. It’s our motto.”
I laugh. “I believe it. I’ll text you on my way home. You’ll come over?”
“I’ll be there.”
I kiss her once more before I head back out to my truck and to Brantsville once more. I arrive late afternoon, so I head to the office, only to find that Grant’s not there. By chance I go back to his house, figuring maybe he called in sick or just decided to take the day off. His car is parked out front so I know he’s there. With a heavy heart, I go to confront my once best friend and partner. I knock several times on the door but when there’s no answer I decide to try the back yard. He is lying on a lounge chair surrounded by empty beer cans and a bottle of liquor.
“Grant.”
“Go away, Judson.”
I walk over and sit on the chair beside him. “Tell me what’s going on.”
“Nothing. Haven’t you ever just needed to get drunk in the middle of the day?”
“Of course I have. I’ve done it many times, but it didn’t solve anything.”
He huffs. “Nothing will fix the mess I’ve made of my life.”
I swallow hard and my heart speeds up as I open and shut my mouth several times before the words can finally come out. “What did you do?”
His head lulls to the side. “I killed the only person I ever loved. I killed my child. I ruined everything.”
“Who?”
His eyes meet mine. “Shannon and Jayden.”
My eyes shut, willing my temper to remain in check. “I don’t understand.”
Grant leans forward resting his elbows on his knees and folding his hands together. He doesn’t look up as he speaks. “The paternity test was accurate. It never got to you because it was mailed to me. I don’t know what this mix up was or why you got it after all this time. The day you guys had your treatment at the fertility clinic, Shannon and I slept together. It wasn’t the first time, but we made sure we never did it around the time you’d go for a fertility treatment. She wanted the baby to be yours. After so many failures, she was so terrified the treatment would fail again. I couldn’t stand to see her so upset all the time. I was able to talk her into not using protection before you guys went in for the procedure. I wanted to give her an extra chance at conceiving. She wanted a baby so badly. She cried all the time. I just wanted to help her and essentially you. When she found out she was pregnant, she was so excited, she came to me right away, but the excitement waned when she thought about you, and how the baby might not be yours. She was so afraid, so was I. It was the stupidest thing I’d ever done, but I couldn’t regret it, because Josie and Jayden are … were my world.”
My breaths became a staccato beat in my chest as I mull over his words. I wasn’t even concerned that he slept with my wife or that he fathered my children. The only thing that kept repeating in my head was him saying that he killed his child, not his children.
“Where is Josie?”
Grant sighs, looking up to me finally. His eyes are glassy with unshed tears. “He has her.”
My mind is a cacophony of thoughts. I can’t even focus long enough to fixate on one, but finally I’m able to ask, “Who is he?”
Grant doesn’t answer, but sits up and grabs his phone, taps a few things then hands it to me. Staring back at me is a photo of a little girl at least eight or nine, with blonde curly hair and bright blue eyes. She looks the same and so different. Tears fall down my face and onto the screen.
“She’s okay,” he whispers and that’s all it takes for me to lose it.
How dare he hide my daughter from me for almost four years! How dare he do that to me or her? I don’t care if her DNA is his, she’s my daughter. Hate surges through me. He’s supposed to be my best friend. How dare he screw with my life, with Josie’s life? Before I even give it a thought, I rear back and punch him as hard as I can in the face. He doesn’t fight back as I wail on him. I punch him for all the pain and hurt he’s caused me and my daughter. When all the energy drains out of me, I fall back on my butt panting.
“How could you do this?” I yell.
He groans, spitting blood onto the patio. “You’ll never know how sorry I am.”
He doesn’t even try to get up off the concrete where he fell after my first hit, blood pours from his nose and mouth, but he just lies there.
“Where is she?”
“She was placed by a private adoption agency with a family. They’re planning to adopt her. I’ve tried to get her back, but he’s made it impossible for me. He is in total absolute control. I can’t do anything without him threatening her life or yours. I’m so tired, Jud. I don’t know what to do any more.”
“Who’s he? Is it Richard Lyon?”
“Lyon is just an errand boy. The person over him is the one who has her. I don’t know who that is. I swear to you I don’t.”
“Did you kill Ralph?”
“No. I mean that. I had nothing to do with Ralph. I was at my parents’ house. I’m being set up.”
“Why on my land?” My anger is under control now, but I’m still on edge. I could seriously kill him right now.
Grant finally gets up off the ground. He wipes his mouth and nose on his shirt. “They wanted me to do something for them. Take money and run it through the business. I couldn’t do that anymore, Clay controls all the books. He’d accused me of stealing that three-thousand you thought was a mistake in the program. He was right; I did do that. I moved it over to my account and then erased all trace of it. I owed them fifty thousand dollars. The almost three grand tied them over, but when we were on that trip, they decided it wasn’t enough and they wanted the rest by nine that night and if I didn’t, they were going to take the kids.”
“The fire was on purpose?” I ask mortified. Everything Ryan had a hunch on was true.
He shakes his head. “No, not at first. They were just going to take the kids, but Shannon fought them. They knocked her out, but in the process someone knocked over a drink. It shorted out the outlet and sparked a fire. Those lamps Shannon had, made it worse. The guys barely got out with Josie before the house started to come down. That’s all I know.”
“So you don’t know where my daughter is now?”
“They only send me pictures of her and tell me she’s safe, but you can see in the pictures she never looks happy. I don’t know what they told her about you and why you never came for her, but they say she doesn’t remember the fire. I guess she was knocked out or something. It’s not like they are that forthcoming with me.”
I have no words. I can’t even begin to process this. My Josie is still alive. She’s alone and who knows what she believes, but somewhere she’s alive. I won’t rest until I find her.
“Get up.”
“Why?”
“I’m taking you to Ryan. You’ll tell him everything you’ve just told me and then I’m going to find my daughter. And yes, she is MY daughter, Grant. I don’t care if she has your DNA, she is mine.”
I drag Grant through his house and over to my truck where I shove him inside. I take off back to Oak Grove, but it’s going to be too late to see Ryan tonight. We’ll have to crash at my house, but first thing in the morning we’re going straight to the station. I don’t care if Grant rots in jail for the rest of his life, I want my baby back.
Chapter Thirteen
Ryan
“Shayla!” I call from the bedroom closet.
“Yeah?” she says from behind me. I turn around sharply. “What
in the world are you doing?”
I look down at my hands, which are digging in the drawer in front of me, and chuckle at myself. “I can’t find my badge. I had it last night. I thought I set it on the dresser.”
Putting her hand on my back she says, “It’s in the kitchen hanging on the hook, where you always put it.” She looks at me strangely.
“Really? I looked a few minutes ago and didn’t see it.”
I shake my head and run my fingers through my hair. I guess the stress from this case is starting to take its toll on me. I take a deep breath trying to settle my brain down so I can focus. Shayla steps closer to me wrapping her arms around my waist and resting her head against my chest.
“You okay?”
I nod. “Yeah, this case is just getting to me. There’s so much that’s unknown and I’m not...” I pause, pinching my eyes shut, not wanting to admit that I’m having trouble solving it.
“You’ll figure it out.”
She smiles up at me and then runs her fingers through my hair, pushing it back out of my face. She looks at me with so much concern it’s unnerving, but at the same time the love that shines in her eyes is so full, I can’t help but kiss her. I rest my forehead on hers as I calm myself down. This case has sparked the dormant FBI agent inside me. I love and hate how I feel right now. It’s something I never thought I’d have to be faced with after moving to Oak Grove. Shayla once asked me if I’d regret my choice, I don’t, but this case is proving to me that I do miss that life; the excitement and sheer terror that comes with investigating something so big. I’m brought out of my inner musing by Shayla’s soft words.
“I have to work overnight.”
I frown at her. “Why?”
She pulls away and begins getting out her clothes, throwing them into a duffle bag. “We have a doctor on vacation in the ER, another called in sick, so they asked me to pull a double. I’ll be home tomorrow evening.”
“That’s three shifts, not a double.”
She shrugs her shoulders. “I’ll be okay. I’ve done it before.”
“Yes, but that’s not really conducive for us trying to have another baby.”
Penance (Oak Grove Suspense Book 2) Page 14