by ANDREA SMITH
“I sure will Millie.”
Dalton took one last look around the motel room to make sure everything he’d brought with him, and stuff he’d acquired since living in Briar County had been packed in a suitcase or boxed up. He’d already settled his bill with the manager. Just as he was getting ready to leave, there was a tap on his door.
When he opened it, he was face to face with Elroy Driscoll. “You’re leaving without even saying goodbye?” Elroy asked with a slight grin.
“I was gonna stop by on my way out of town, Elroy,” Dalton replied with a wink.
“Like hell you were,” Elroy said with a chuckle. “I know why you didn’t stop but it doesn’t matter, because I told you way back that I would pay you back the money you gave me to keep Duel McCoy from evicting Ida and me.”
“Look, Elroy,” Dalton replied, “You helped me more than enough to cover that money. Plus, you’ve kept my secret from the rest of the town, which means a lot. You and Courtney are about the only two people in the county I trust without hesitation.”
“Dalton, please take the money, son. I helped you because I knew you would do the right thing and rid this town of the evil that’s plagued it and you did just that. I won’t take ‘no’ as an answer,” the older man said, holding out a wad of bills.
Dalton reluctantly took the wad, shoving it into the pocket of his jacket. “Thanks, Elroy. You and Ida take care now. Stay safe.”
They shook hands and Dalton watched as Elroy got into his truck, waving to him as he pulled out of the motel parking lot.
Once in his truck and on the road, he was singing along to a country tune when his cell phone rang. He hit the button on the steering wheel to answer the call on speaker.
“Dalton,” Jack Reynard said, “been meaning to call you. This is long overdue, but I want to personally thank you for bringing the situation in Briar County to closure. I know you’ve not received the credit you deserve, but you do understand that since you weren’t technically ---”
“On the payroll,” Dalton interrupted, “Yeah, yeah I get it Jack. It’s no big deal.”
“Well, it is to me,” Jack responded. “I’ve made some calls. I think I can get you back into the D.E.A. There’s some openings in Oklahoma and Nebraska. I personally know the division managers and they’re nothing like that idiot Munson you got stuck with in Columbus. I’d be happy to give you a stellar recommendation, that is, if you’re interested.”
“I appreciate that Jack, but I’m not all that bothered by the lack of recognition. Kind of like being off the radar knowing that I can wash my hands of the Briar County shit. I won’t be called to testify as I’m not a material witness to any of the crimes. They’ve got the DNA from Duel’s boot, the smoking burn barrel containing what’s left of Billy Ray Jensen, the forged quitclaim deed, the stash of drugs, and before it’s over, I’m betting they’ll indict the horse veterinarian out of Lexington. With the Forensic Accounting and Information Technology team, the two burned out Suburbans found buried in the woods at the boys’ property in Pebbles, the digital files uncovered from Billy Ray’s surveillance camera, I’d say they’ve got what they need. I don’t really want to be a part of the D.E.A. again.”
There was a momentary pause in the conversation. Finally Jack spoke up. “What will you do now, Dalton? You’ve got good skills and intuition. I’d hate to see it not used in your career path.”
Dalton chuckled. “No worries on that, Jack. I’m headed to Douglas, Arizona.”
“What the hell is in Douglas, Arizona, Edwards?”
“A job I think I can really sink my teeth into, Jack. Under the Department of Homeland Security. A law enforcement position.”
“Are you serious?” Jack asked, his voice laced with a bit of shock if not disbelief. “You’re going to be an I.C.E. agent?”
“Why not?” Dalton replied with a chuckle. “Our incoming Prez has made a strong commitment to securing our borders, and enforcing laws that haven’t been enforced for generations. After what I experienced in one small town in one state in rural America, I can only surmise the extent of this epidemic nationwide. Seriously, Jack, it boggles my fucking mind.”
There was another pause, and then Jack spoke up. “Good Luck, Edwards. I think you’ve made the right decision. Keep in touch though, will you?”
“Will do, Jack.”
THE END
From the Author
I was inspired to write this fictional story based on actual events which occurred in a neighboring county in April of 2016.
In researching Mexican cartels, drug smuggling, the various types of drugs, clearly it appears that opioids and methamphetamine are at the top of the list.
Here are some of the statistics I gathered:
In the past ten years, deaths from drug overdoses have increased by fifty percent.
Drug trafficking from Mexico through Arizona has the largest impact, with a total of 3.9 million pounds of marijuana and cocaine over the past three years.
Although Asia and the Middle East were the largest producers of heroin, 39% of heroin identified by DEA signature programs originated from Mexico, making the southwest border the source for many heroin overdoses west of the Mississippi River.
Increased drug trafficking in the U.S. has led to an epidemic level of overdoses, surpassing car accidents and firearms as the leading cause of injury and death among Americans. Drug abuse is ending too many lives, too soon.
In 2010, the FBI released a statement detailing the southwestern border and Mexico’s involvement in the illicit drug trade within the United States. At the time, Mexico was the No. 1 foreign supplier of marijuana. While Mexico produces no cocaine, the cartels do move Colombian cocaine through South and Central America into the U.S. through Mexico.
Mexico continues to be the primary supplier of heroin to the United States; 91 percent of seized heroin examined by the Drug Enforcement Administration in 2017 was determined to have originated in Mexico. Poppy cultivation and heroin production in Mexico continue to threaten the United States. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that in 2017, 47,600 Americans, or 130 people per day, died of opioid involved overdoses and 15,482 of those deaths involved heroin.
Source: https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/new-annual-data-released-white-house-office-national-drug-control-policy-shows-poppy-cultivation-potential-heroin-production-remain-record-high-levels-mexico/
Author’s Note
On April 22, 2016, in a rural area of Southern, Ohio, a shocking story hit the news, breaking into the regularly scheduled programming on most of the Cincinnati television stations.
For me, it was just another weekday morning, my television tuned to CNN while I worked on my in-process novel, and listened to the political pundits dissect and spin Donald Trump’s latest comments.
I received a text message from a friend and neighbor down the road at around 10:30 am, asking if I’d heard about eight people being found murdered over in Pike County. I had not.
A few minutes later, I switched channels from CNN to one of the Cincinnati stations, and noted that all three were running on-the-scene reporting from near one of the four crime scenes in Pike County.
This was of interest to me because Pike County borders the county where I live.
So, that morning, once I’d turned over to a Cincinnati television station, I watched as the on-site reporter talked to a minister who knew the family. Although the names of the victims had not been made public, Pastor Phil Fulton of Union Hill Church let the name “Rhoden” slip during his interview with the television reporter.
Minutes later, the same reporter was interviewing one of the Pike County deputies with respect to how the authorities had received news of the massacre that morning. This particular deputy had stated the department had been in the process of getting [search] warrants for the main compound, when word came in that there had
been bodies discovered.
Aside from that one and only reference made to impending warrants being in process for that residence, it was never mentioned again.
Strange it seems now. Very strange.
Schools in an adjoining county were put on lock down, as law enforcement from several adjoining counties were dispatched for a manhunt in Pike County. The only problem was they were clueless as to who or whom they were hunting.
Another thing that struck me as being strange was just how quickly Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine got involved as spokesman overseeing the investigation, along with the appearance of Ohio’s BCI (Bureau of Criminal Investigation) on the scene.
The fact that almost no information was being given out regarding the victims, causes of death, while the whole murder-suicide theory was still being tossed as a possibility among newscasters, served to make the quick dispatch of BCI investigators to the tiny community of Piketon, Ohio seemed more than puzzling.
Within the next several days, rumors, suppositions and speculation suffocated and minimized the slivers of facts dribbling out of the investigation. Talk of a Facebook threat by another teenager against the 16 year old male victim, pertaining to some jealousy over a $3000 derby car being at the center of the threat. This was pretty quickly dispelled by the Attorney General as being the motive.
News of the Pike County execution-style massacre was now making top stories on the national news networks such as CNN, MSNBC, and Fox News Channel. I watched as Shepherd Smith expressed sincere shock at the purported brutality of the murders, leaving only a four-day old infant, a six month old baby, and a three year-old toddler as sole survivors of the mayhem that transpired in four separate murder locations within ‘the ridge’ as the area is called by the locals.
So finally, the names of the victims, their ages, and causes of death are released.
At about the time the names of the eight victims were released, a Cincinnati-based businessman by the name of Jeff Ruby offered up a $25,000 reward leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or persons responsible for the murders.
On April 28, 2016, Cincinnati-based businessman Jeff Ruby withdrew his $25,000 reward for the arrest and convictions of those responsible for the massacre. In a statement on Twitter, Ruby said “with recent complex criminal developments in the Pike County case, we are withdrawing our reward and involvement.”
Yeah, as soon as the term, ‘Mexican cartel’ repeatedly surfaced as a likely candidate behind the murders, Ruby distanced himself quickly with an “Oh, hell no!” attitude.
But seriously, can you blame him?
As facts seeped out confirming what many in the area and nationwide suspected, that being drugs were involved, the case and investigation took on a more complex tone.
And the rumors abounded before that in my neck of the woods.
It appeared robbery, be it cash or product, wasn’t in the mix for finding a motive in this horrendous crime. In fact, the next rumor surfacing was that one of the bodies, a male, was found with $48,000 in his pocket. Definitely rules out robbery, along with the facts seeping out that none of the murder scenes showed evidence of forced entry. As a matter of fact, one of the residences housed two pit bulls who wouldn’t think twice about tearing the hide off intruders it was said.
During one interview with the sister-in-law who was the first to come onto the crime scene at the main compound commented that the two pit bulls had been left outside which was unusual, along with the fact that the door to the house was locked when she arrived, which was also not standard practice at the residence. As it turned out, there was a news report stating that one of the male victims did in fact have piles of cash scattered around the lower half of his body when found.
I started writing this book back in 2016, but back-burnered it to write more romantic fiction as that was my niche in self-publishing. But as a couple of years passed, the Pike County Murders continued to grab the news with bits and pieces of developing stories and updates. It was just too tempting to ignore.
As of this writing, arrests have been made and trials are on the horizon. Motives are blurry and to some extent, not believable in my humble opinion. Maybe the truth in totality will never be known.
In more recent months:
July 2019, Pike County Sheriff Charles Reader was suspended as a result of a June 2019 indictment pertaining to sixteen counts of criminal charges related to his office.
February 21, 2020: Suspended Pike County Sheriff Charles Reader was indicted on additional charges by a grand jury Friday.
Reader, who has been sheriff since 2015, remains free on his own recognizance following a 16-count indictment last year.
This indictment replaces his original indictment from June 2019.
Reader now faces 18 counts including a more serious felony of engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity. It carries a prison sentence of 2 to 8 years and another count of theft in office.
He also was indicted on seven counts of conflict of interest, five counts of theft in office, two counts of theft, two counts of tampering with evidence and securing writing by deception.
He’s facing 11 felonies and seven misdemeanor charges for being accused of requesting or accepting various loans from county employees and vendors.
So there you have it folks. Perhaps someday justice will be duly served in Pike County, Ohio. There are those who cry out from their graves to see justice done.
About The Author
I’m a born storyteller, no lie. And if you’re a reader who enjoys twists and turns, non-cookie cutter fiction, some characters to love, and some to hate, then I’m your cuppa. I refuse to be a one-trick pony. It’s just too damn boring . . . and predictable. I’m unpredictable as a human being, so it stands to reason my fiction follows suit.
Some of my books are suspense mixed with steamy sex. Some are New Adult Romance with steamy scenes, some are fantasy suspense, MM, MMF, YA Suspense, YA/NA Romance Serials that aren’t steamy, but make your belly tingle just the same.
My characters: alpha millionaires, virgin coeds, MC bikers, FBI agents, Mafioso, girls from the sticks, girls from privilege. How about ghosts who refuse to cross over? Or the boy next door? I’ve got them all from college jocks meeting nerdy chicks, to stepfathers and stepdaughters that are wicked or innocent. I’ve done it all and the best part? You’ll feel them, understand them, hurt with them, love or hate them, but they WILL touch you. Each and every one, I promise. Even the twisted preacher and the whore from West Virginia! They will all touch you in some way.
So, go on in. They’re all waiting---for YOU!
VISIT MY WEBSITE:
www.andreasmithauthor.com/
Sign up for my newsletter and you’re guaranteed a freebie each month!
Here is a listing of her published fiction to date:
Baby Series
(Contemporary Romance/Suspense)
These Books should be read in order:
Maybe Baby (Book 1)
Baby Love (Book 2)
Be My Baby (Book 3)
Baby Come Back (Novella) (Book 3.5)
G-Man Series
(Contemporary Romance/Suspense)
These Books do not have to be read in order, but they are most enjoyable if done so.
Diamond Girl (Book 1)
Love Plus One (Book 2)
Night Moves (Book 3)
G-Men Holiday Wrap (Novella) (Book 4)
Taz (G-Man Book 5)
Walk of Shame (Book 6)
Dude Interrupted (Book 7)
Men Series (MMF)
These Men
My Men (Sequel)
Beyond Series
(Contemporary Steamy Romance w/paranormal edge)
Broken Promise
Broken Dreams
Forbidden Series
(New Adult- Taboo)
Need to be read in order.
Loving Jesse (Book 1)<
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Forever Jesse (Book 2)
M/M Romance
Black Balled (Co-Authored with Eva LeNoir)
Guns Blazing (Spin-Off from Black Balled)
Hard Edit (Book 2 after Black Balled)
Tangled Hearts: Evermore Series
NA Romance Saga (4 novellas; need to be read in order)
Crushed (Book 1)
Claimed (Book 2)
Paparazzi (Book 3)
Star F*cking (Book 4)
YA/NA Suspense (Stand Alone)
The Preacher
Teen/YA Fiction - Stand Alone
Must Love Dogs
BBW Romantic Comedy (Stand Alone)
All of Me
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