Paradise Ranch (Jack and Ashley detective series Book 2)

by R. D. Sherrill

  “The trucker,” the officer said, pointing toward the gate that they had run through earlier.

  Jack walked a few steps before he saw it – Gary Lutz’s battered truck was blocking the gate.

  “Gary!” Ashley said as she came to Jack’s side.

  “He was here when we arrived to go in,” the officer said. “He said you had ordered us to hold position. He insisted, even though we had heard no such order. He refused to move his truck from in front of the gate.”

  Jack used Ashley to steady himself as they walked up to the gate where the remains of Gary’s truck were parked. Knowing he had given no such order and that Gary had no reason to expect them to return to Paradise that night, Jack was dumbfounded.

  “You two are a sight for sore eyes!” Gary said as he pulled away from the officers who had been holding him. “We figured you were goners!”

  “What are you doing?” Jack said, vaguely recalling him from earlier in the evening.

  “Why, helping him,” Gary said, gesturing back to-ward the gate.

  “Earl!” Ashley called out.

  “I found him running from the airfield,” Gary explained as they walked toward the gate where Earl was standing, talking to several residents of Paradise Ranch and a couple of federal officers. “Earl told me what had happened and said we had to get out here to prevent something bad from happening. I took him at his word.”

  “Gary, you did good,” Jack said, patting him on the shoulder. “You did real good.”

  With that, Jack collapsed onto Gary - unconscious.

  EPILOGUE

  One month later

  Jack navigated the car to the Paradise Ranch gates on a cloudless Arizona afternoon. Ashley lightly touched him on the shoulder and pointed ahead.

  “Looks like there’s been some changes since our last visit,” Ashley said, nodding to the new arch that spanned the entrance to the compound.

  “Welcome to Paradise Ranch,” Jack read aloud, nodding his head. “Sounds like a kinder, gentler version of your friendly, neighborhood cultist compound.”

  “Adding the word welcome is a good touch,” Ashley agreed as the gates swung open when they approached. “Maybe they’re trying to be more open now.”

  “They were leading the national news for three consecutive days after everything blew up,” Jack noted, referring to the small army of media that came to the gates of Paradise Ranch and downtown New Hope, searching for the inside scoop about what had happened.

  Jack slowed as he passed under the arch, ready to check-in at the guard shack as he always had before. He was waved through by the guards who both sported friendly smiles, seeming more like greeters than gate keepers.

  “You notice something else?” Jack asked through his smile as he waved to the guards as he passed by.

  “Yeah. No guns,” Ashley observed as she also waved back to the gate keepers. “This really is the kinder, gentler Paradise Ranch, isn’t it?”

  “Looks can be deceiving,” Jack replied as he motored on toward the middle of the compound. “I was blown up the last time I was here so I think I’ll with-hold final judgment until all the evidence is in. You’ll pardon me if I don’t have the same wide-eyed wonder as you do, honey. Plus, remember, we are here for a reason. This isn’t a social call.”

  They continued into the main boulevard of the com-pound and were again surprised, this time by the reaction. Weeks before, they had been greeted by suspicious looks and harsh gazes by the residents. Today, they were greeted by waves and pleasant smiles. It was like night and day.

  “Would you look at that,” Jack whistled. “It’s like Mayberry in here. “

  Jack pulled onto the square and was met with a road block just past the main assembly hall, blocking the north end of the downtown area, the part where the furniture factory stood. He pulled into a spot in front of the administrative building. Behind the temporary fencing that split downtown in half, a bee-hive of activity was going on with work crews working atop a newly constructed building.

  “The furniture factory,” Ashley noted as they stepped out of the vehicle. “They’re rebuilding it.”

  The factory had been flattened by the fire. It had spread from the finishing area, which was obliterated by the explosion and blaze, taking most of both buildings to the ground. They had seen only aerial pictures of the devastation and the factory looked like a burned out crater from the air, like a black scar in the middle of the sea of green.

  “You mean have rebuilt it,” Jack marveled as he surveyed the work site. “It looks like it’s almost done in only a few weeks. That has to be some kind of record. It’s …”

  “A miracle I believe is the word you’re looking for, Agent Looper,” a voice came from behind them. “This whole place is a miracle, if you don’t mind me tooting my own horn.”

  “Earl!” Jack said as he turned around and saw the red-haired man beaming at him. “It’s looking good around here.”

  Jack walked over to Earl and extended his hand. It was the first time he had seen him since the night of the explosion.

  “I want to thank you,” Jack said as he gave Earl a firm handshake. “I understand if it weren’t for you, I wouldn’t have made it out of the fire. I owe you one.”

  “You risked your life to rescue me. Plus, if it weren’t for you, I would have been dead on the tarmac at the airport with a bullet in my head,” Earl said. “I figure that makes us even.”

  “I suppose,” Jack agreed, rubbing his head. “I’ll have to take your word for it. I don’t remember a whole lot about that night.”

  “How are you doing, anyway?” Earl said with concern as he still clasped Jack’s outstretched hand. “You took a pretty bad blow.”

  “Well, other than the piercing headaches, sporadic double vision and the fact I forget how to get to the corner store from my house once in a while, I’m doing pretty good, thanks for asking,” Jack replied.

  “It was a pretty severe concussion,” Ashley offered. “We think the tank hit him during the explosion.”

  “But, the metal tank shielded me from the direct blast so that’s probably the only reason I’m here today,” Jack added, rubbing his forehead which still sported a noticeable knot. “That’s how the brothers Grimm survived the blast too. As soon as I aimed my gun to set off the explosion, they ran for cover behind the tank.”

  “Good thing he has a hard head,” Ashley quipped, getting a harsh look from Jack.

  “I didn’t think anyone could have survived that explosion,” Earl admitted. “I was in the back stairwell when everything blew up and the metal door buckled from the blast.”

  “Why did you come looking for us then?” Ashley wondered. “Why didn’t you just get out and save your-self?”

  Earl scratched his head. “Actually, I was about to run for the outside when I heard you calling out for Jack. I couldn’t just leave you.”

  “Thank goodness you didn’t leave,” Ashley said. “There’s no way I would have found the way out through the smoke. Plus, I could barely move Jack. He was dead weight.”

  “Watch with the weight jokes there, sugar,” Jack cautioned, looking at her over the top of his dark sun-glasses. “I am the ideal weight and height for a healthy American male.”

  Ashley rolled her eyes. “Whatever.”

  “So, about the factory,” Jack said, changing gears. “This is some kind of modern marvel or something. I’ve never seen a building go up so fast.”

  “It’s a testament to teamwork. Having a common goal and achieving it, and, of course, the Grace of God,” Earl grinned proudly as he nodded to the work site. “We have worked around the clock for weeks, clearing out the charred remains of the old factory and raising the new one.”

  “You’ve done it all on your own?” Ashley asked.

  “Every bit of it,” Earl replied. “While Elijah was making millions, some of those legitimately with the furniture business, he didn’t spend one plug nickel on insurance. We’re on our own. We have to have the
factory open for Paradise to survive. It’s our only income now.”

  “I suppose that’s been quite a bill,” Jack pointed out.

  “Millions,” Earl shot back. “Mainly in replacing machinery since we did most of the building work our-selves. It could have been worse though if it weren’t for a lot of brave men and women who put their lives on the line by charging into the burning factory to save a lot of the equipment while the others fought the fire and kept the entire town from burning to the ground. I can’t begin to tell you how proud I am of them.”

  “Did most of them stay after what happened and everything came to light?” Ashley wondered, realizing the incident led the national news the morning after, making Paradise Ranch a household word for a couple of weeks. “I’m sure it had to leave lots of folks disillusioned here.”

  “We only had ten leave,” Earl replied. “But, we’ve had ten others replace them already and we have more applying to come, even with our future in question. They are coming on faith. God has prospered us, even in a time of adversity. Elijah may have used Paradise for a cover for his illegal dealings but he accidentally created something special. It just goes to prove that good can overcome evil.”

  Jack stepped over and gazed into the activity inside the temporary fencing as they talked, webbing his fingers through the orange plastic.

  “Just an observation,” Jack said. “I’m noticing a lot of high-dollar machinery in there. How are y’all getting the money for that, seeing as there was no insurance?”

  Earl cleared his throat, surprised by Jack’s question. “Um, well, the Ranch did have some money in its ac-counts, outside what Elijah had spirited away.”

  “No. It didn’t,” Jack corrected as he continued watching the work. “Our records show the Ranch ac-counts were empty. Elijah had apparently emptied them out as he was getting ready to leave. He was going to leave you folks high and dry.”

  Earl remained silent. He had been called on his mistruth.

  “So, Earl,” Jack said as he turned around and looked him in the eye. “Where’d the money for all this come from?”

  Earl’s smile was now gone. He swallowed hard. “I knew you weren’t just here for a visit.”

  Jack shook his head. “I’m afraid not, Earl. We’re here in an official capacity.”

  “Well, Elijah is gone. His illegal operation is destroyed. And, from what I understand, the Mexican cartel has been scattered,” Earl pointed out. “What more could there be?”

  “It seems Elijah had some rather sizeable off-shore accounts,” Jack began, still holding his gaze on Earl. “We’re talking about millions of dollars.”

  Earl furrowed his brow and looked pensively around as Jack spoke.

  “Our people were able to trace the accounts,” Jack continued. “But, wouldn’t you know it; just a day after all this went down, the money just up and disappeared.”

  “Disappeared?” Earl repeated.

  “Disappeared. Evaporated. Went bye-bye. Gone without a trace,” Jack clarified. “Wouldn’t you consider that odd? We know it wasn’t Elijah or the sheriff be-cause they are getting their just desserts in the next life.”

  “That is odd,” Earl agreed, again clearing his throat. “So, what’s this have to do with me, I mean, Paradise Ranch?”

  “Earl Joseph Kincaid,” Jack stated Earl’s full name. “That is you, I believe. You did two years in federal detention eight years ago. It seems you were pretty adept at hacking. You actually hacked into some pretty major corporations. Made quite a haul before you got caught. Not bad for a second-level programmer.”

  Earl glared at Jack. “We’ve all done things we aren’t proud of. I can’t change the past. I can only try to do better in the future and that’s what I’m doing now here in Paradise.”

  “And that you have,” Jack agreed as he looked at the progress on the factory. “And, may I say, they made a great decision in naming you as Elijah’s successor. You seem to be a good man with the best interests of the people here at heart.”

  “I am,” Earl agreed. “I not only want us to survive, but I want Paradise to thrive and grow.”

  “How badly?” Jack asked. “To what ends would you go?”

  “I risked my life for Paradise,” Earl shot back defensively. “I could have looked the other way when I found out about Elijah’s money-making enterprise. They expected, just because I had a history with the law, that I’d jump right in with them.”

  “Why didn’t you?” Jack wondered.

  “Because it was wrong,” Earl replied. “I came here a changed man. It was a perversion of what Paradise was about. It disgusted me. Made me sick to my stomach how they were using all of us. I couldn’t just stand idly by and watch their blasphemous actions. I had to do something.”

  “So you contacted authorities.” Ashley said.

  “Yes. Indirectly,” Earl said. “And, when they sent her here, I tried to help the best I could, you know, so Elijah could be stopped. Of course, it didn’t end up the way I hoped. I didn’t want anyone to get hurt.”

  “They were dangerous men,” Jack said, referring to Elijah, Sheriff Tubbs and the Mexican cartel. “You were trying to do the right thing. Her death wasn’t your fault.”

  “I suppose not,” Earl agreed. “But still, I feel responsible.”

  “She didn’t realize the connection between Elijah and Tubbs,” Jack revealed.

  “None of us did,” Earl interjected. “Not even here at Paradise.”

  “Well, she made the mistake with passing information to the sheriff, believing it would be forwarded on to the DEA,” Jack said gravely. “She trusted the wrong person.”

  Jack and Earl paused, looking at each other silently for a moment.

  “What’s your question, Agent?” Earl asked with a tone of dread in his voice. “You came out here with something on your mind.”

  “What do you know about the money that disappeared from Elijah’s off-shore accounts?” Jack asked. “And, before you answer, let me point out that you said you had unfinished business to accomplish before we were to come pull you out. Could that unfinished business have something to do with finding out account numbers and passwords? After all, you were one of the trusted ones and you are pretty skilled at hacking.”

  “There were twelve of us who knew what was going on, not counting Elijah and Tubbs. He called us his disciples because we were trusted with the secret – well, everything except knowing Elijah and the sheriff were brothers. They kept that to themselves,” Earl confessed. “At this point, the others are either dead or in jail now. I’m the only one left.”

  “We already know that,” Jack said, doggedly holding onto his question. “I’m asking about the off-shore accounts.”

  “That money really belongs to the people of Paradise Ranch, you know,” Earl defended. “That money was made off the backs of the people here who worked hard every day to make Paradise Furniture one of the best brands in the world. They couldn’t help it if they were being duped by a man they trusted. It was the people who built Paradise, not Elijah.”

  “That’s not what I asked,” Jack pressed. “I’m asking what you know about the money from the off-short ac-counts.”

  Earl’s eyes danced from side to side as he avoided eye contact with Jack. “What if I knew? What then?”

  “That would be a federal crime,” Jack declared. “Tampering with evidence and grand theft are a couple of charges that come to mind. A man could end up serving ten years in federal prison for something like that.”

  Earl stood silently for a moment, the wheels turning in his head.

  “In that case, I don’t know a thing,” Earl replied, his eyes scanning the agent, watching for a reaction.

  Jack and Ashley both looked at one another and then back to Earl.

  “Under penalty of perjury - seeing as you’re talking to a federal agent - you’re saying, for the record, that you know nothing about the whereabouts of the money from Elijah’s off-shore accounts,” Jack said, holding
Earl’s gaze. “Is that your final answer?”

  “I haven’t a clue where it went,” Earl said.

  The new Paradise leader swallowed hard, refusing to break eye contact with the agent.

  “Okay,” Jack spoke up. “You’re a man of the cloth now, so who am I to question your word.”

  Earl’s jaw dropped.

  “How about you, Agent? Are you satisfied?” Jack asked Ashley with a twinkle in his eye.

  “Um, I suppose so,” Ashley stuttered, surprised by her partner’s readiness to take Earl’s word.

  “It must have been some shady organized crime syndicate that accessed his accounts,” Jack snapped his fingers. “Elijah did marry himself to a lot of underworld figures.”

  Earl cocked his head in confusion at Jack’s sudden about-face, but kept his mouth shut.

  “Well, I guess that’s all. I can finish my report now,” Jack said as he reached out and slapped Earl on the shoulder. “We better get going. You still have a lot of work to do. Best of luck here.”

  “Yes,” Earl gulped. “Luck.”

  “Thanks again for saving my life,” Jack added as he headed for the vehicle.

  “Yeah,” Earl said. “It was my pleasure.”

  Jack paused just before getting behind the wheel and looked back at Earl.

  “Let’s say you did know something about the money – which you don’t,” Jack began. “That money would all be used for the people here, not for personal gain, right?”

  “If we did have access to the money – which we don’t – then yes, it would belong to the people,” Earl replied. “It would be used for the exclusive benefit of Paradise, to make this a better place to live.”

  “Good enough for me,” Jack winked at Earl. “If you ever find out anything about where the money went, just give us a call. Ya hear?”

  “I’ll be sure to do that,” Earl said.

  Jack and Ashley traveled without a word to the gate, again getting a friendly wave from the guards before they pulled onto the highway, heading back toward New Hope.