“Dad, we need a cuss jar for you to put money in when you cuss. God doesn’t like it!”
“Okay young lady, but you have to put money in when you get smart with Mom or me. Deal?”
“Deal!”
Sam thought for a minute and said, “That cat reminded me that Jack killed one that first night when we got in the cabin. I first thought it was a baby crying, but Jack went down in the basement and the crying stopped. He said that he hit it with a baseball bat and threw it out the window.”
Grumpy swore under his breath and said, “Was it a meow like a cat or sniffling and whining like a baby?”
“Dad, I thought it sounded like a baby, but one with a deeper voice. What’s the difference?”
“Oh, none, I was just passing time while we drove home."
This scared Grumpy. He knew it wasn’t a cat. Did Jack have two hostages and killed one?
***
The next day after dropping Sam off at school, Grumpy was out in the barn looking at his old truck when the phone rang. It was Greg from CHFS.
“Bill, could you meet me for lunch? I need to discuss something with you in private.”
“I’d be glad to. How about the diner across the street?”
“No, but how about the one out on Main and 21st street? It’s out of the way, but I like the food.”
“Okay, I’ll meet you at noon.”
Grumpy had a bad feeling about this. He was worried that Greg was behaving strangely. He went into the house and filled Mary in on the conversation.
“I’m not sure what’s going on, but I don’t think it is normal child welfare business. I’ll go with an open mind expecting the best and prepare for the worst.”
Bill left home an hour early to be cautious. He drove the old truck over to the meeting place and waited in the truck until he saw Greg pull into the parking lot. Just as he got out of the car, he saw a man and woman drive up behind Greg and go into the restaurant. They looked just like someone who was tailing a suspect. Grumpy thought that they weren’t cops, so these must be bad guys.
He went into the restaurant and saw Greg sitting at the back of the room. He noticed that the suspicious couple was just about 15 feet away. He ducked into the restroom and wrote a note telling Greg not to say anything that they could hear. He also asked Greg to write the topic down on the paper and slide it to him.
He left the restroom, walked up to the table, shook Greg’s hand and passed him the note in the handshake. Greg covertly scanned the message and started a line of chitchat about Sam. He excused himself to go to the restroom and wrote a brief note to Grumpy. The message said, ‘I am getting pressure to take Sam away from you due to the press conference and that you taught her to shoot. This smells like Collins Sr. is putting pressure on Frankfort to get back at you or to shut you up.’
Greg got back to the table just as the food arrived and passed the message on to Grumpy. They ate their meal and continued to chat while they ate lunch. The message confirmed Grumpy’s fears. He had poked the bear.
“Bill, thanks for meeting me for lunch and I am glad Sam is doing so well. Have a great day.”
“Same to you and I’ll see you next month.”
They shook hands and left the dinner. Grumpy pulled away from the curb and pulled away slowly to see if the car followed one of them. The SUV left before Greg and headed to the interstate towards Louisville. Grumpy started wondering about the sheriff’s house blowing up. He called Joe Richards, a Sargent in the KSP, and asked if he could meet with him away from the KSP headquarters. He knew Joe through Sheriff Andy and wanted to question him about Andy’s death.
“Joe, this is Bill Jones, I need to talk with you about Andy’s death. Can you meet me away from the office today?”
“Hello Bill, I sure can meet with the most famous guy from Newton. That was an impressive TV appearance. How about a late lunch at the Country BBQ out on Highway 1326 west. How does 1:30 sound?”
“Sounds good. I know the place and will see you there.”
Grumpy hadn’t been able to finish his other lunch due to the way they had to communicate so he was ready for the best barbeque in this neck of the woods.
***
Sam finally saw Kathy during 3rd period math gave her a big hug and said, “This is the first day in my life that I actually kinda like school. I don’t feel like such a loser anymore. It’s not just the new clothes. I can’t put my finger on it, but perhaps it’s the first time that I feel good about myself.”
“People always tried to like you, but you pushed them away. You pushed me away at first, but I kept after you and bribed you with some jelly sandwiches.”
They both laughed and had to shut up as class started.
Sam and Kathy ate lunch by themselves then went to the gym and got off to the side to talk.
“I know that you are afraid of Jack’s dad, but we have to stop him.”
“Sam, I don’t see what we can do that would stop him and put him in jail. I really don’t want him finding out that we have been snooping in his business.”
“I don’t mean following him around or confronting him. I plan to do most of the work on the internet. I want to start with searching for anything odd or different about Jack and see where that takes us. How hard can this be? We see crimes solved all the time on TV. Let’s look into it and figure out how to prove he is guilty.”
“The news said that they found nineteen bodies. Do you think there are more dead girls?”
“I don’t know, but I wonder if there could be more to this. We know Jack didn’t work, had a lot of drugs and received big lumps of money from time to time. I guess that he was selling drugs or involved in some kind of crime. I forgot, Dad told Mom that some of the bodies have been in the ground for 20 – 25 years and that Jack couldn’t have buried them.”
“You said Mom and Dad; you really like the Jones don’t you?”
“Yes, Kathy, They’re uptight, but I can tell they mean the best for me.”
***
Grumpy was sitting at a table when Joe walked up to the table, shook Grumpy’s hand and sat down. The waitress came over to the table and they both ordered a full rack of baby back ribs.
“Bill, I hear that this place is famous from Cincinnati to St. Louis for these ribs. They are almost as famous as you are.”
“Fame only lasts for about 15 minutes.”
“Bill, what were you thinking by throwing those accusations out at Jack Collins, Sr.? He’s going to be the next Governor of Kentucky and President if he has his way.”
“Joe, I don’t know you well, but Andy told me that I could trust you and you were an honest cop.”
“Honest yes, dumb also because I would have done the same thing if I had the info that you have. This forces the state Attorney general and Bullitt County prosecutor to open a case and investigate Collins. We all know that he is dirty, but never figured him to be a pedophile and murderer. You know that if this is true, he will do anything to shut you up.”
“Like he shut Andy up?”
“Do you know anything or just guessing?”
“Just guessing, but here is what I know. The other day Greg down at CHFS asked for a private meeting with me out on the edge of town at a dinner. I saw a man and woman who I’ll bet were following him in a black SUV and then sit beside us in an almost empty restaurant. We had to pass notes like schoolgirls. Greg is getting heat from Frankfort to take Sam away from us. When we left, they didn’t follow either one of us. Later, Sam told me that when she got to that cabin she thought that she heard a baby crying. Jack went down to the basement and told her that he killed a cat and threw it out the basement window. Was a dead cat found at the crime scene? Was I followed here?"
“Very interesting stuff and you weren’t followed here, but I was. See the guy in the brown shirt. I had him follow you and another friend followed me just to see how serious this is getting. I was followed by a black SUV that high tailed it when they made the tail just before arriving here. T
hey don’t know about the meeting with you. I think that they are following me because I performed some internet searches on Collins Sr. right after Andy’s death."
“Well, that answers that question.”
“What question?"
“Should I be concerned about my family’s safety?”
“Bill, these guys are pros and I think Andy and I had a run in with them. Give me a description of those two.”
Grumpy told him about the man and woman and gave him the license plate number.
“Bill, I won’t pull any punches, these two are dangerous and may have been involved with the sheriff’s death. You need to be careful making accusations against powerful people. If you shut up and don’t do any investigation, you will probably safe. Do you have an alarm on your house? Is it cell or land line?”
“Joe, I hear you, but this guy is going to get away with murder if we don’t stop him. I will back off and downplay my comments if anything comes up.”
“Bill, let the law handle this. I can’t name names, but there are people in high positions that are looking into Collins, but they want an ironclad case. We don’t want him to be spooked and start covering up before we get a chance to pin some of his crimes on him. Now cell or land line?”
“Cell and on a backup battery. If these are pros, they might get into the house anyway. I can handle myself, but I don’t want Mary and Sam hurt.”
“Bill, do you have the skills to install some sensors, cameras and trip wires around your house?”
“Joe, I ran a maintenance department; I can install anything. Why?”
“You don’t want to have a bunch of installation people all over the place or leave a trail that can be searched on the internet. I’ll put you in contact with a friend who is a security expert. He will direct you to the right equipment and how to install the gear. This won’t be cheap. My guess is just south of ten grand.”
“I have some money put away that will more than take care of this project. Thanks. I should have thought of doing this myself.”
“Not a problem. Bill, are you armed? Do you know how to shoot and are you prepared to kill if necessary?
“Joe, I have a concealed carry permit and I always carry a pistol. I just upgraded from my .380 to my .45 Cal. 1911. I’ve never had to shoot anyone, but no one is going to mess with my family. I can hit what I shoot at and know that I own that bullet when it leaves my gun.”
“Do you have a couple of short barreled shotguns and an AR?”
“Yes, why?”
“I’d keep a shotgun with a bandolier full of ammo in your truck and the AR and shotgun handy at home in case they do attempt to break in your house. Load up with 00 Buckshot. It will take 10 – 15 minutes for the police to get to your house. If you can scare them off or hold out for about ten minutes, they will run when they hear the sirens.”
“Yeah, I carry a 1911 because it’s weighs less than a cop and doesn’t take ten minutes to arrive.”
“I hear you.”
“Rick Fellows will call you this afternoon about security. Do what he says and you will be much safer.”
***
Classes were done for the day and Sam walked out of 6th period to go stand at the curb until Bill drove up to take her home. She heard a voice behind her and turned to see a handsome red headed young man standing in front of her.
“Sam, do you remember me? I’m Jeff Stone and I live a few houses down from the Jones. I have 3rd period Math with you.”
“Yes, I know you. What do you want?”
Sam was wary of this boy because she didn’t trust men at all after years of abuse from several of her Mom’s drugged out boyfriends and then the experience with Jack made her hate men in general. Bill was the only man that she felt safe with or trusted.
Jeff replied, “I’ve always thought you seemed pretty cool. I was wondering if you wanted to hang out with me sometime?”
Sam replied, “I don’t need any friends,” and walked to the truck and got in with Grumpy.
“Well hello to you too. What’s on your mind and why the big frown on your face? Did school not go well?”
“No school was alright. It’s that read head from down the road. He wants to hang out with me.”
Grumpy thought for a minute and said, “And what’s wrong with this picture? I’d think that a good looking boy like Jeff would make a good friend.”
“I don’t trust men. They’re not worth it.”
“Darling, you don’t have to date him or marry him. Can’t you try to be his friend? You can always back away if you don’t like him, can't you? All men aren’t like Jack. Some are rude and ignorant, but not mean. Most are good people that would never harm anyone. Only a few are like Jack.”
“I want to believe that, but I’m still scared.”
“Give it some time, but you should consider being Jeff’s friend."
✼ ✼ ✼
✼
Chapter 21
Grumpy’s cell phone rang, he answered and heard, “This is Rick, Joe sent me. Do you have time to talk?”
“Yes and thanks for calling. Can we set up a meeting?”
“Yes, how does now sound?”
Grumpy thought for a minute and said, “You must be close by.”
“Bill, I have three men at each of your doors. They picked your locks and could walk in if they wanted to. Let’s talk. May I come in?”
“Certainly.”
Grumpy barely got the words out when his front door opened and a man dressed in black with night vision equipment walked into his living room followed by another man dressed the same.
“Bill, I’m Rick and this is Jimmy. Please show Jimmy your PC’s, laptops, tablets and cell phones. He will handle cyber security while the rest of my team handles physical security.”
“Joe thought that I would have to do the work on the quiet. How do you know that the bad guys aren’t watching?
“My men have swept the area around your house for miles. No one is watching your house at this time.”
“What do I need to do?”
“Well, first to do this work in one night will be fifteen thousand. Sorry for being higher than Joe prepared you for, but when I heard the situation, I thought it would be terrible if you got killed during the next week while you quietly installed the gear.”
“You are one hell of a salesman. Fifteen thousand is good for me. Can y’all actually get it all done tonight?”
“Yes.”
Grumpy introduced Rick to Mary and Sam and explained that he wanted to install a security system to make sure that Sam felt safe and he wanted to make sure that no one could get into their house again. Rick gave them a crash course in how to conduct themselves and recognize danger. He then explained how they were installing several layers of security that should give them advanced notice of anyone within the boundaries of their property. There would be cameras with monitors and recording equipment. There would also be floodlights and outside alarms that could wake the dead.
Mary asked, “That’s nice that the system will tell us that someone is out there, but what keeps them from breaking in quickly and leaving just as quickly?”
Rick replied, “All doors and windows will have alarms and extra locks installed. Yes, they can break windows, but alarms will have already gone off before they get to your windows. I can install bulletproof glass, but it will cost an arm and a leg for a house.”
Grumpy replied, “Mary, this is a security system to warn us about intruders before they get into the house. It doesn’t stop them. It will scare off burglars and thieves. I will protect you.”
Rick then switched to the cyber-security, “Jimmy has placed software that can tell you if anyone is trying to hack into any of your computers and cell phones. Bill, give this cell phone to Sam. It will serve as an emergency call device as well as keeping you in contact with Sam.”
Sam said, “But, I want a real cell phone! I don’t want one that looks like Grandma carries it.”
Rick sm
iled and pulled an iPhone out of his pocket and said, “Bill, for a few dollars more.”
The men worked through the night and all were gone except Rick when Grumpy got up at 5:00 a.m. Rick trained Grumpy how to use the surveillance and alarm system for maximum protection. They were done by 7:00 a.m. and had breakfast with Mary and Sam.
After breakfast Mary asked, “Rick, we don’t have a storm shelter. Could a shelter double as a safe room?”
Rick looked over at Grumpy and said, “That’s a great idea but Bill wanted to keep the work secret. It would be hard to keep a major project like that secret.”
“Come out on the porch with me.”
They went out on the porch and Mary moved a couple of chairs and a rug to expose a steel hatch.
“Rick, there is a built-in cistern under the porch. The walls and ceiling are over six inches thick and the room is as big as a small bedroom. The basement wall could be cut through and a steel door installed with very little effort. You’d just have to sneak the door into the house.”
Grumpy said, “I remember the cistern. Let’s go to the basement.”
They went down the stairs, examined the wall for a few minutes and went back to the porch. Rick removed the locking screw and lifted the cover to see a cobweb filled room. He shined his flashlight around and said, “Mary you are brilliant. I can sell you a door for about a thousand, cut the doorway and install the door for about another thousand.”
Mary quickly replied, “Let me pay for the entire project from my own money. Having the security and a storm shelter will make me feel much safer.”
Rick looked over at Bill for approval.
“Don't look at me, she’s paying the bills.”
Mary said, “Bill, Sam and I are going to town to buy some supplies for the storm shelter. We will look like we are just purchasing the weeks' groceries.”
The door arrived the next night along with a team to install it into the basement wall. The crew cut through the wall and found it to be eight inches thick and solid concrete. Mary and Sam cleaned the room while the door was being installed and tried to stay out of the crew’s way. The door was one inch of solid steel with a locking mechanism similar to that of a safe except the lock was on the inside. The door was balanced so well that a gentle push would open or close it.
Grumpy, Sam and Sammy: A Murder Mystery and Thriller Page 13