Burden of Proof

by DiAnn Mills

  Jason trembled with fury. Normally he handled life with patience, but not when it came to his daughter and parents. “This could be part of a plan to nail me with a murder rap, but why involve Isabella? Willis has me in enough trouble without nabbing her.”

  Except forcing Jason to talk by snatching Isabella sounded like Willis.

  “Son, how have you made Willis mad? Did he shoot Russell?”

  Jason had already dragged his parents into this swamp. When Willis wanted something, he made sure he wrapped his hands around it. No matter who was hurt in the process. “It’s hard for me to believe he’d arrange for his brother-in-law to be killed and leave his sister a widow.” Anger tightened its grip, and he pushed it away. “Willis has excellent marksmanship. He couldn’t have been the shooter unless the two shots were intended to throw off the investigation.”

  “Think about his actions as a deputy and sheriff,” Dad said. “He’s capable of anything. How many times have you and I talked about reporting him?”

  “While he played the role of head deacon? Sang solos at church?” Jason needed to stop asking questions and find answers. “I’m trying to figure out how to proceed.”

  “I heard Willis tell his men, ‘Don’t kill Jason. I want him to stand trial for Russell’s murder.’”

  “He won’t kill me and risk an investigation from another source. My guess is the order was for your benefit so you’d tell him where to find me.” Jason believed Willis wanted him alive, but vengeance walked the line of hate.

  “Son, you’ve gone quiet on me.”

  “Sorry. We can expose him, and you’ve wanted to pursue it for a long time. I’ve been a coward. I’m finished ignoring Willis. He declared war with his lies, and I’m ready.”

  “We can locate a reputable lawyer to get a conviction and give him a permanent home behind bars. Sweet Briar needs a sheriff who honors the law. I’m going to do a little legwork and talk to Kevin.”

  “No, Dad. Find me a lawyer. Prayer would help too. I’ll handle the rest. Do you have time to check on the construction crew? They’re working on a house near the post office. The foreman can handle everything.”

  “Edwardo?”

  “Yes. He’s a good man.” Jason paused to clear his head. “The men need to be reassured of their paychecks.”

  “Will do, and I’ll get the neighbor kid to feed and water your cattle and dog. I’d bring Fluffy here, but with your mom’s allergies—”

  “He’ll be fine. The least of my worries right now. Glad you have the foresight to take care of my place. Make the arrangements until this is settled.” He winced at the pain in his head. “Also, I need a huge favor. For Isabella’s and your sake, I’d like for you and Mom to take a vacation beginning today.”

  “No, Son. I’m not a runner. We will help you fight this battle.”

  “All right, Dad.” Jason ended the call and closed his eyes.

  11

  APRIL STARTLED, a pounding at the door causing her to jerk on the rope tying her to Jason.

  “Open the door, Jason. This is Sheriff Willis Lennox.”

  Jason bolted from the bed, pulling her with him, seemingly alert. He grabbed her weapon from atop the TV, sticking it in his waistband.

  “Jason, I know you’re in there with Isabella and the FBI agent. I’m alone—let’s talk this out. Get you a clean slate. You know how to unravel the charges against you.”

  The voice sounded like the man who’d called Jason earlier. The sheriff had made unusual claims earlier and now. Distrust marched across her mind, and she questioned the integrity of Sheriff Willis Lennox.

  Jason untied her. Her moment of rectifying a criminal’s behavior had arrived. But whom should she believe? She moved to the window facing the outside. She slipped her fingers behind the threadbare drape and peeked through. A man built like a linebacker dressed in a sheriff’s uniform had his right hand wrapped around his holstered gun. No one appeared to be with him, and no other cars were in the motel’s parking lot. She turned to Jason and whispered, “I don’t see anyone else.” A thought squeezed into her brain. “How did he learn you were here?”

  “He has eyes and ears everywhere.”

  “Now, Jason.” Willis pounded on the door.

  Jason motioned for April to take Isabella, and she lifted the baby from the bed. April darted to a corner away from the door.

  “How do I know you’re not going to blow my head off?” Jason said.

  “If I had backup, this door would have been knocked off its hinges. You’d be dead, and I wouldn’t have my information.”

  “What information?”

  “Use your head. Tell me where Billie and Zack are hiding, and I’ll make this go away.”

  April clutched Isabella to her chest. Had Jason spoken the truth? “Sheriff Lennox, this is Special Agent April Ramos. If you open fire, you risk shooting a baby,” she said. “There’s a better way to resolve this.”

  A sardonic laugh met her.

  Jason wrestled with opening the motel door and facing the consequences outside. Someone might get hurt, maybe killed, and as much as he detested Willis, he didn’t want him dead. Confronting him had merit, especially when April had already heard enough from Willis to possibly have the FBI investigate him. Jason needed questions answered too. But Isabella and April needed to be out of harm’s way. If his life ended in the next few minutes, Mom and Dad would raise his daughter with Christian values, just as they’d done with him.

  He nodded at April to show he was in control. “Take Isabella into the bathroom. Stay with her.” Holding his daughter tugged at his heart. It could be the last time if Willis put a bullet in him, but her safety depended on the next few moments.

  “Jason,” she whispered, “I’ll put Isabella in the bathroom, but if I’m not here with you, I can’t help.”

  He peered into her eyes. No hostility or deception. “You’re taking care of my most treasured possession. That’s all I ask. Both of you get into the bathtub.”

  “All right.” As she made her way to the bathroom, April gave him a troubled look, one he couldn’t read. Neither did he have time to ask.

  A dull ache persisted at the top of his skull, and the smell of hair color still clung to the air. He couldn’t do this without divine help, and he hoped he was making the right decision. “Willis, I’m ready to talk.”

  “You and I have unfinished business. Let’s start by getting the law off your tail.”

  “How, since half the state’s looking for me?”

  “I’ll make it happen. Even thought about you surrendering to me down at the church after we come to an agreement. I’ll admit to a mistake. The drama looks good for both of us.”

  “Who killed Russell?”

  “Not me. But I know who did.”

  “Who?”

  “You tell me where my wife and son are and maybe we can work something out.”

  “Where’s the evidence showing I had nothing to do with Russell’s death?”

  “Depends if I get what I came for. A deal works two ways. I’m giving you thirty seconds to open this door before I blow off the lock. Think about never seeing your daughter again and her facing the shame of having a murderer for a father.”

  “If I’m in jail, you’ll be no better off than you are now.”

  “I’ll go after your family until I get mine back. I still win.”

  Willis had him cornered. “Leave your gun on the ground outside.”

  “I’m betting you have one too.”

  “I’m not getting involved in a shoot-out.” He glanced toward the bathroom and prayed a bullet wouldn’t sail through the wall and hurt Isabella or April. “We’re grown men, Willis.”

  “I can’t leave my weapon here—what happens if someone walks by?”

  “Then put it in your patrol car.”

  “Your thirty seconds are ticking away. I can have backup here in less than ten minutes.”

  Jason swung open the door. Willis’s gun hung at his side, and Ja
son refused to lose sight of it. “Keep your hands away from your weapon.”

  The sheriff’s right hand inched toward it. “You know I always get what I want. Carrie swore out a statement. Nothing looks good for you.”

  Jason pulled his Beretta. “Get any closer to your gun, and you won’t have any fingers left. Hands in the air. Now.”

  Willis obliged and grinned, showing all his capped teeth. He tipped his hat and stepped inside the small room. A bag of peanuts stuck out from his shirt pocket. “Thanks for the invite. Glad you came to your senses.” He eyed him through narrow gray slits, with the same arrogance that had pushed their high school football team to number one three years in a row. The same arrogance used to bully folks into doing what he demanded.

  Jason closed the door. “I’m listening.”

  “When I’m ready.” He peered around. “Where’s Isabella? Poor thing has a loser for a daddy. But I give you credit for finding her. And where’s the FBI agent?”

  “I locked her and Isabella in the bathroom.”

  “Where’s her gun?”

  “I have it.”

  “You know I have clout in this county. What I say goes. Two weeks ago, I made you a fair offer with a warning. Only one thing is on my mind—how to find Billie and Zack.”

  “Which warning are you talking about? The note in my mailbox about keeping my eyes on Isabella? Or the talk we had at my office where I give you information about Billie, about which I have no clue, and you’ll stop trying to ruin my reputation?”

  “You stuck your nose into my business.”

  “And you killed your brother-in-law to scare me into telling you their whereabouts. Had my parents held at gunpoint and my daughter kidnapped. Low move, even for you.”

  His brows narrowed. “I told you I had nothing to do with Russell’s death. But we can work this out and go on with our lives.”

  “If Billie wants to contact you, she knows how.”

  “I’ll find ’em.” He growled his words like a predator. “The thing is I’m not a patient man. I want my wife and son back home.”

  “Why? To black Billie’s eyes and break Zack’s other arm? Invest in a punching bag.”

  “Nobody takes what’s mine and gets away with it. Trust me, every minute you delay gives the law time to find you.”

  “And I’m telling you I have no idea where they are.”

  “Sitting in jail has a way of loosening a man’s tongue.” He paused as if silence might change Jason’s mind. “If I can track you down, others will too. They might not be as generous. This is your last chance to go free and keep your family alive.”

  Jason thought of Isabella. All the things he wanted to do with her and for her—all the things Lily had written down in her journal, the important life-changing events for his daughter. “Willis, whether I’m sitting in jail or walking free, I can’t tell you what I don’t know.”

  “I’ll sweeten the deal with cash,” Willis said. “How does $15,000 sound?”

  Giving in to Willis switched on a green light for him to continue bullying folks like he’d done for years. But Jason loved his daughter more than life, and truth right alongside her.

  “Is this a cash deal?” Jason said.

  “The money’s in my trunk.”

  As if Jason might consider the offer. He pointed to the bed. “Have a seat in my office, and we’ll write this up. You’ll drop the charges. Call off your dogs. Right?”

  “Sure. It’ll take me all of five minutes.”

  “One question here, Willis—why was Russell killed?”

  “He made the mistake of marrying my sister.”

  12

  APRIL STRAINED TO HEAR the conversation, but all she heard were the sounds of a scuffle. The springs on the bed squeaked. Still nothing from Jason or Willis. What was going on? She practiced the art of controlling her temper. Hostage negotiation required it. In turn, she expected every member of law enforcement to abide by the regulations in place to protect the innocent and ensure justice reigned. She’d witnessed distorted interpretations in the past, designed to reshape facts for selfish motives, but County Sheriff Willis Lennox’s methods went against every procedure manual she’d read.

  Everything Jason claimed manifested itself in a crooked sheriff. Jason’s story held credibility. April thought she might burst with fury, tossing her negotiation skills, as well as her patience and understanding, down the toilet. In the cramped bathtub behind a moldy shower curtain, she patted Isabella’s back and told herself to calm down. The baby girl caused a surge of protectiveness to swell in April’s heart. Something had changed within her. She’d taken a new stand in this inconceivable situation.

  “April, I could use a little help.” Jason’s breathless voice moved her into action.

  She crawled out of the tub with Isabella and opened the bathroom door. Willis lay on the bed facedown and cuffed. “How did you get the upper hand?”

  “I don’t know.” He sighed. “Not sure if it was desperation or a God thing. Or both.”

  She looked at the beefy man, his sunglasses resting on his receding hairline. “You must be Sheriff Willis Lennox.” She pasted on a smile and joined Jason. “I’d shake your hand, but I see you’re indisposed. That was quite an interesting conversation between you and Jason, one the FBI will value. Glad I heard every word.” Too bad Jason had taken her cell phone—she’d have recorded the whole thing. Another fact slammed against her mind. “You intended to kill all of us.”

  He snorted. “Your testimony against mine, and you two look real cozy holed up in a motel room.” He nodded at the messy bed.

  Willis was the worst spineless coward she’d ever met. “How do you justify helping a man by breaking the law? Really? He gives you what you want, and you exonerate him for a murder he claims he didn’t commit?”

  Willis ignored her and twisted his head at Jason. “Do we have a deal? You’re running out of time.”

  “I don’t advise this,” April said. “He’s breaking one law after another. You have rights.”

  “I have no choice.”

  April shook her head. “He’ll find a way to kill you.”

  Jason touched her arm and mouthed, “I’m not making a deal.”

  April heard engine sounds and looked out the window. “Two patrol cars are driving in.”

  “On time too,” Willis said. “No way out of this, Jason. You and your lady friend are dead. Isabella might get hit too.”

  Jason grabbed him by the throat. April tugged at his shoulder one-handedly and nearly dropped Isabella in an effort to pull him off Willis. “Jason, he wins if you do this. You’ll never be able to prove his crimes.”

  But he couldn’t seem to stop.

  She gripped harder. “You’re a good man. This isn’t you.”

  He shook off his hold on Willis and clenched his fists before stepping back. “What do you suggest?” he said to April.

  “Let me call the FBI. I heard every word and will do everything in my power to help you and put this jerk away.”

  “Call the FBI,” Willis said. “You can use my phone.”

  “I suggest you keep your mouth shut,” April said to Willis. No wonder Jason lost his temper.

  Jason appeared to regain control. He took another step back. “I promise you’ll face murder charges even if I die trying.”

  “And you will. My people are in places you’d never think to look.”

  Jason turned to her. “I need for you to get Isabella away from here.” He kissed his daughter and leaned into April’s ear. “Please make sure the FBI learns the truth.”

  “I will.” For a moment, her heart took a dive. She willed away a strange attraction that had her spellbound . . . and confused.

  “Delay things outside for as long as you can,” he whispered. “Then take Isabella to Vicki and Ted Snyder in Sweet Briar. Talk them into leaving town.”

  He trusted her with his daughter, his reason for breathing. She grabbed the diaper bag. He tucked her Glock inside.
He still had his Beretta.

  He opened the door wide enough for the deputies to hear. “Hold your fire. This is Jason Snyder. I’m releasing FBI Agent Ramos and my daughter so Willis and I can talk.” He moved aside for April to leave, and she walked into the afternoon sunlight to see that two deputies had their weapons drawn.

  She shivered. Jason could very well sacrifice his life for Isabella . . . and her. How would she handle two deaths in one day? “Stand down,” she said. “None of you wants to shoot an innocent baby and a federal officer.”

  The deputies holstered their guns. One walked her way. “ID please.” His name tag read Kevin Viner. Jason’s friend. She dug through her purse while balancing Isabella on her hip. He examined her ID and returned it. “What’s the situation inside?” he said.

  “As Mr. Snyder said, Sheriff Lennox and Jason are talking.”

  “Is Jason surrendering?”

  “It appears so,” she said. “Sheriff Lennox knows him well.”

  “Are you taking Isabella to his folks?” Deputy Viner said.

  None of his business. “I’ll see to the welfare of the baby when Sheriff Lennox and Jason are finished discussing their terms. While we’re waiting, I need a phone to contact Houston FBI.”

  “We have this handled without involving the FBI.” Deputy Viner had the impassive expression working for him.

  “Are you refusing a federal officer the use of a phone?” April held her ground, realizing that if Jason succeeded in getting away, she’d technically be an accomplice. Yet nothing she’d heard from or about Sheriff Lennox had given her cause to believe he was interested in upholding the law. Not only had he threatened Jason and her but an innocent child. What made him think the law didn’t affect him? Never had she chosen to believe a fugitive over law enforcement.

  The rules girl had burned the playbook.

  Deputy Viner handed her his phone. “My concern was not denying you the phone but letting you know we have this case handled without FBI involvement.”

  She pressed in Simon’s number and walked away from the deputies. “This is April.”