Sage and I got into my car while Barbara disappeared down the side of the building. “Where’s she going?”
“Don’t worry about her; I’d worry about yourself if I were you,” Sage replied, getting into the back seat behind me.
“What happened to the meek woman I met last week?”
“Pretty good act, wasn’t it? I’ve had lots of practice. When you play dumb, people are more inclined to say things around you they normally wouldn’t say. I learned a lot of interesting things that way. For instance, a certain dinner meeting with Edward Winthrop one night. It’s a shame Sims didn’t finish the job. I would be with my kids in Florida right now.”
“Gee, I’ll try harder to die next time.”
“Oh, you won’t have to try next time. I’ll make sure of it this time. It takes a woman to do the job right, doesn’t it?”
Barbara got into the front passenger seat. “Let’s go.”
I drove to the end of the street and turned right. Glancing down the alley, I noticed flames coming from a dumpster, and I slammed on the brakes. “Did you start a fire?”
“Just a small one,” she said. “It shouldn’t go any further than the bin. It will be just enough to keep the cops and the fire department busy.”
“You don’t know that for sure,” I said angrily. “People’s lives are tied up in those businesses back there. I’m one of them.”
“Oh, get off it,” Sage scoffed. “I know for a fact you’re loaded. If it burns down, you can afford to rebuild.”
“But other people can’t!”
Barbara shoved her gun against my right side. “I’d worry about bleeding to death before the night is over, not your precious paper burning down. Now drive over to Jake’s house.”
I started to slow down as I came to the corner of Elm and Main. I noticed T.J.’s truck sitting at the stop sign to my left. Making a snap decision, I floored it and ran the sign, hoping he would see us. “What are you doing?” Sage said. “Didn’t we tell you not to do anything stupid?”
“I figured you didn’t want to be anywhere near the area when the sirens went off, so I thought I’d better hurry.”
“Good idea, but don’t do anything else stupid, got it?” Barbara told me.
I didn’t say anything, just kept driving. I looked in my side mirror, and noticed T.J. had turned off his lights and was following me at a safe distance. I just prayed he knew where I was going.
Ten minutes later, I parked in front of Jake’s house. “This place looks like a dump,” Sage said as we got out. “He lives here?”
“He bought the place from my former boss,” I told them. “He likes the simplicity.”
“And yet, he still drives that flashy car of his,” Barbara said, shaking her head. “I think you’ve warped his mind with all this small town living.”
“He came from a small town, Barbara,” I said, unlocking the front door. “Or have you forgotten that?”
“I’ve been trying to forget it for years,” she snapped.
I turned on a couple of lamps as we went inside. “Can I get you something to eat or drink?”
“What is this, Texas hospitality?” Sage said, flopping down on the couch.
“It’s the way I was raised. Forget I asked,” I replied, heading toward the kitchen.
“Where do you think you’re going?” Barbara said.
“You two might not be hungry or thirsty, but I am. If you’re worried about me running out the back door, come with me.” I shook my head. “Paranoid much?”
“Stop worrying about your stomach and call that agent,” she told me. “We’re booked on the midnight flight out of here.”
“Really?” I opened the fridge and grabbed some water. “You’re expecting everything to go according to plan then, I take it?”
“Of course. Why wouldn’t it?” She reached over and grabbed the water from me.
“Please, help yourself.” I took another bottle out. “Just what exactly is your plan once they get over here?”
“Well, we’ll shoot you and the agent, then we’ll make it look like Ethan killed the two of you, and then himself.”
I took a drink of water. “Not the most original plan I’ve ever heard, but effective, I suppose.”
“I’m so glad you approve,” Barbara said sarcastically.
“What about Edward?”
“What about him?”
“Well, surely you have something in mind for him,” I said. “Surely you haven’t been waiting to get revenge on just Ethan. I mean, all these years, Edward’s been covering for him.”
Barbara looked at her watch. “Well, right about now, Kassandra and Edward should be nice and cozy in a hotel room in Dallas. They’re having a nice dinner with some brandy. Soon, he’ll start complaining of chest pains, and then…”
“Then?”
“He’ll be dead before the paramedics can get there to save his life.”
“You wish,” a male voice said. We turned around to find Edward standing there pointing Sage’s gun at us. “You are such a fool, Marie.”
“It’s Barbara now.”
“Marie, Barbara, who cares?” he said. “Drop your gun, please.”
“Where’s Sage?”
“She’s a bit tied up at the moment.”
“And Kassandra?”
“On her way to the morgue. Must have been something she drank.”
Was it just me, or was this the most cold-blooded, callous group of people on the face of the Earth? “Edward, nice to see you.”
“Ms. Crenshaw, I didn’t really expect to see you again at all. But once I found out what these three and Dillard were up to, well, I just had to change their plans up a bit.”
“I appreciate you coming to my rescue.”
He laughed. “My dear girl, whatever gave you that idea?”
My heart sank. “Well, if you aren’t here to save me, then what are you here for?”
“Well, I do have to agree with part of her plan. You’re going to call Hopkins and get him to bring Ethan over here.”
“And after that?”
“We’ll play it by ear.”
I didn’t believe him for a minute. “I see. And you’re very sure I’m going to go along with this because why?”
“Because if you don’t, I’ll go back out there and shoot Sage. You wouldn’t want her children to be motherless, now would you?”
“Wow, emotional blackmail. Why am I not surprised?” I took my phone out of my bag and called Hopkins. “It’s Lizzie.”
“Why aren’t you here yet? I expected you ten minutes ago.”
“Um…I heard from Maddie. She said that she overheard a woman talking on her phone, saying that she knew we were setting up a sting at my house. I think you should bring Ethan over to Jake’s house.”
“I don’t know. Have you talked to T.J. about this yet?”
“No, I haven’t. I thought I should call you first. If they know what’s going on, then the whole thing is a bust, anyway. And I don’t want to spend another night with Ethan in my house.”
“But Jake’s house may be the first place they look for him.”
“Well, you could always tie him to a tree and hope to draw them out.”
“Huh? What are you talking about?”
“You heard me. If we tie him to a tree, put his car out front, then it will draw their attention. It might be a great way to catch them offguard, before the whole thing blows up in our face.”
Hopkins didn’t say anything for a minute. “You’ve got a problem, don’t you?”
“Yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying.”
“Gotcha. Will you be fine for a few more minutes?”
“So I’ll see you in about twenty minutes?”
“Sooner than that, Lizzie, I promise. Hang tight,” he told me before he hung up.
“Okay, they’ll be here in about twenty minutes. That will give you time to get set up for your ambush, or whatever you’ve got planned.”
“What w
as all that business with tying Ethan to a tree?” Barbara asked.
“I figured if I gave him a ridiculous option, he’d realize it was better to bring him here. It worked, didn’t it?”
Now I just hoped I would still be alive when the calvary arrived.
Chapter 41
Five minutes later, Barbara was tied up on the couch next to Sage, and I was tied to a kitchen chair in the middle of the living room. Edward placed Barbara’s gun on the coffee table. “Don’t you think Hopkins is going to get a wee bit suspicious if he sees me like this as he walks in?” I asked him.
“He’ll be dead before he can ask you what’s going on,” Edward said confidentally.
“What about me?”
“Well, let’s hope you don’t get hit by a stray bullet.”
“And Ethan?”
“Oh, he’s going to go with me,” he replied. “We’re going to have a long overdue father/son talk on our way to the airport.”
“You’re not going to kill him?”
“Of course not! He’s my son. I’m just going to make sure that he leaves the country and stays far away so he can’t testify against me. One of those countries that doesn’t have an extradition treaty with the U.S.”
“And how long do you think he’ll stay away?”
“As long as I tell him to, especially if he wants to inherit anything when I die.”
“So, in other words, I’ve saved the idiot’s life.”
Edward laughed. “Well, that’s one way to look at it.”
I sighed and shook my head.
Suddenly, the lights went out. Edward looked out the window. “It looks like the whole neighborhood has lost power,” he said.
“Someone must have run into a transformer. You know how these small town hicks are,” I replied, glancing at Barbara.
“Doesn’t Jake have a back up generator or something?”
“Not that I know of,” I said. “But then again, he’s not around here much.”
There was a knock at the front door. Edward signaled for us to be quiet. Another knock. “Power company. Anybody home?”
“Answer him,” Edward said quietly.
“Yes, I’m here.”
“Power company, ma’am. We were working on one of the lines a few blocks away, and one of our trucks backed into a transformer. It looks like the power is going to be out for a while.”
“I appreciate you letting me know.”
“Could you come to the door, ma’am?”
Edward shook his head. “I’m afraid not. When the lights went out, I was in the shower. I’m not decent.”
“I understand, ma’am. We might have to climb the pole behind your house to check the lines, but I promise we’ll have the power back on as soon as possible.”
“I appreciate that very much.”
“Good night, ma’am.”
“Good night.”
“Well done, Ms. Crenshaw,” Edward said after a couple of minutes.
“You’re welcome.”
Suddenly, the front and back doors burst open at the same time. Edward hid behind my chair, and pointed his gun at the front door. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Barbara free her hands from the ropes. She jumped up, grabbed her gun off the coffee table where Edward put it, moved in front of me, knelt down, and pointed the gun at the back door. Talk about being a sitting duck.
“Now, gentlemen, if you come any closer, one or both of us will shoot, which will cause you to instinctively fire back. Chances are, you’ll hit one or both of us, but you’ll also hit Ms. Crenshaw. I’m very sure you don’t want that to happen. I strongly suggest that you back out of here, and close the doors as you go.”
“Mr. Winthrop, you know that’s not going to happen,” T.J. said from behind me. “Why don’t you just make things easier for everyone? You and Ms. Stephenson need to put down your weapons and stand up.”
“Where’s Ethan?” Barbara demanded.
“He’s outside,” Hopkins replied.
“Get him in here.”
“Not a chance,” he told her.
Barbara put her gun in my ribs. “It’s either her or him. What’s it going to be?” she said, cocking the gun.
I saw Hopkins look at me, and then over the top of my head. “Greene, bring Winthrop closer.”
“Why?” Owen’s voice came from behind Hopkins.
“Someone wants to talk to him. Just bring him close enough that he’s within shouting distance. Put a flak jacket on him, too.”
“Are you sure about this?”
“Just do it, Owen!” T.J. yelled.
It seemed to take forever, but it was only two minutes. “All right, we’re in position,” Owen said.
“Son?” Edward called out.
“Father, what are you doing?” Ethan said. “Have you gone crazy?”
“That’s a fine thing to say to me,” Edward snapped, “considering you’re the one who’s planning to testify against me.”
“They didn’t give me much of a choice,” Ethan replied.
“That’s not what I was told. They offered you the chance of immunity, and you grabbed it. Dillard said you didn’t even hesitate.”
“Well, considering they were planning to charge me with being in on the money laundering with you, as well as a few other charges, I thought it was in my best interests to watch out for myself. Isn’t that what you’ve always taught me, Father? To look out for number one?”
“And in this case, that was me, not you.”
“So I changed my priorities,” Ethan said.
“After all I’ve done for you over the years.”
“Done for me?” Ethan retorted. “What have you done for me? You’ve let people think I killed Jessica Mangrove for the last eighteen years. But we both know that’s not true, don’t we, Father?”
“What’s he talking about?” Barbara said to Edward.
“Ignore him,” Edward said.
“He means,” I said, “that Ruthdale Simpkins told Jake and I that on the night Jessica was murdered, Ethan was in her classroom doing some make up work. There’s no way he could have killed her.” I looked at Edward. “We believe it was Edward that did it.”
“Is this true?” Barbara said.
Edward shrugged. “She came to me that night, saying she was pregnant. She was planning on having the baby, and she wanted Ethan to support the little bastard. There was no way I was going to allow his mistake to ruin his life. So, I strangled her, and had Sims get rid of the body. Obviously, he didn’t do a very good job.”
“But Ethan…” she said.
“Was totally innocent, at least of that crime,” he said.
“All these years,” she said incredulously, shaking her head, “I’ve been blaming Ethan for her death. I’ve followed him from city to city, slowly planning my revenge. I was going to kill him tonight.”
“No one told you to obsess about this,” Edward said. “You should have just let it go, and moved on with your life.”
“I didn’t because I wanted whoever killed her to pay for what they had done to her.”
“Barbara,” T.J. said quietly, “he just confessed in front of a police officer and a federal agent. Jessica’s death is still an open case, so he will be prosecuted for it.”
She started shaking her head. “He’ll do what, twenty years? Do they even have any evidence linking him to her murder?”
“That I don’t know, ma’am. That’s a question for the prosecuting attorney,” he said.
Hopkins inched forward just a little bit. “Don’t think about it, Agent Hopkins,” Edward warned him, “just stay right where you are. Sheriff Greene, is my son in handcuffs?”
“No, sir, he is not.”
“Then kindly hand him your weapon, or I will blow Agent Hopkins’ head off.”
“I don’t want a gun,” Ethan said.
“I’m not asking you, I’m telling you to take his weapon.”
“Over my dead body,” Owen said.
“It will b
e over Ms Crenshaw’s dead body if you don’t do it,” Edward said.
“Father, I’m telling you, I’m not going to take his gun. You need to stop this right now.”
“You always were a wuss, Ethan.”
“No, I’m just not as cutthroat in business and life like you.”
As they continued arguing, Hopkins looked at me, and jerked his head slightly to his left. I gave him a quick nod, and waited. Glancing at Barbara, I noticed she wasn’t pointed her gun in T.J.’s direction anymore. She was pointing it at Edward. “Um, Barbara, what are you doing?”
“I came here tonight, determined to kill the man responsible for destroying my family. You heard him; he admitted what he did. I’m going to kill him.”
“If you do that, then you’re no better than he is,” I said.
“I don’t care.”
“Have you ever killed someone before, Barbara?” She shook her head. “I have. I didn’t want to do it. I begged her to give up, but she was pointing a gun at myself, Deputy Roosevelt, and Agent Hopkins. She didn’t give me a choice, so I killed her. She was a member of my family.”
“That sounds rough.”
“I live with it every day. It’s not a pleasant thing. But there’s a difference between what I did and what you want to do,” I said. “I did it to save our lives. You want to do it for revenge. You’re not doing it to protect yourself, and that’s murder. You’ll be no better than he is.”
“I killed to protect my family,” Edward said.
“You did it because you’re a self-centered jerk,” Sage said from the couch.
“Shut up, Sage, you’re not helping,” I told her.
Hopkins looked over his shoulder before turning back toward me. He nodded and raised his Glock. I leaned over to the right, and then threw my body to the left, wincing as I hit the floor hard. My movement caused Edward and Barbara to fall backwards as T.J. and Hopkins rushed forward. I saw Owen’s large frame fill the doorway as the first shot rang out, and he went flying backwards out of sight. Hopkins threw himself on top of me as Garth took Owen’s place. I couldn’t tell who was doing the shooting, or what they were shooting at. I heard someone cry out, but I had no idea who it was. A few more shots went off, and my ears started to ring from the sound. My left arm was starting to go numb from all the weight being put on it.
Death Vetoes The Chairman (Lizzie Crenshaw Mysteries Book 7) Page 32