“Fuck!” Evan looked at his watch and tried to calculate how long it’d take Frank to get there. “We need to move. I don’t know if he has a motor on that boat.” They escorted Ruby out of his office and locked the door. Evan told John to let him know immediately if anything came in regarding Judge Bishop or Frank Smith. He shook his phone to let John know how to reach him. Since Harley was found within the town limits, it was his jurisdiction so he notified his officers of the situation. “No lights or sirens. If you see them, keep your distance and don’t rile anyone up. Block the road leading to the spot Harley Youngener was found.” Next he notified the Sheriff because his former deputy was under suspicion of the murder, and he’d worked with Judge Bishop for over thirty years. The Sheriff might be able to calm flaring tempers if needed. Ben was sending texts like crazy when his phone rang.
“Stevens.” Ben listened for several minutes before he said anything. “You got descriptions of the men?” There was a brief silence. “Get statements from the neighbors and get a sketch artist out there. Let’s find those men.” When he disconnected the call he said, “A couple of the neighbors saw two men leave the boathouse last night. It doesn’t sound like Judge Bishop roughed him up.”
“I would’ve been surprised. Harland’s big, but Frank is bigger and younger,” Evan replied not taking his eyes off the road.
They turned off the main road and saw a couple officers blocking the road to the swamp. As Evan pulled closer he asked, “Y’all seen or heard anything?”
“We heard some yellin’, so Rodney went a little closer,” one of the officers said.
“Okay. There’ll be some state agents coming and Sheriff Cahill. Please let them down, but tell them to proceed quietly and with caution.” The officers nodded as Evan slowly followed the road. A few yards in he heard a voice, but couldn’t make out what was said because the frogs were loud and hampered his ability to hear. As they crept around the curve they saw Rodney’s car, but he was nowhere in sight so they kept moving. The frogs grew louder, but so did the occasional voice. Evan stopped when he saw Harley’s old Camaro with the trunk popped open. Ben had his handgun already drawn, and Evan took his rifle as they eased out of the car. They guided their doors closed so there wouldn’t be noise. Before they cleared the car, Rodney walked over in a hunched position.
“Frank is on his knees tied to a stump. He looks like he’s been in a fight, but I don’t know if the Judge did it or not,” he whispered.
Evan and Rodney went to their right while Ben moved to his left behind Harley’s car. There was something stuffed in Frank’s mouth, but he kept trying to yell while the Judge threw a rope with a noose tied in the end over a tree branch. Evan took in the whole picture, assessing what was happening and what direction this could take. He noticed the branch was dead, and it’d break under Frank’s body weight. The Judge turned to Frank and removed the sock from his mouth. “Who’s laughing now, Frank?” He moved to put the noose around Frank’s neck and pulled out a tape recorder where Frank couldn’t see. “You killed my boy!” Frank pulled against the rope and the Judge pulled on the other end. Frank’s neck and arms were stretched as far as they could go.
Evan couldn’t let this go any further. “Judge!”
“Who’s there?”
Evan walked out with his rifle in one hand, but his arms were extended so both his rifle and side arm could be seen. “Judge, you can’t do this.”
“The hell I can’t! Your state boy isn’t getting the job done. See, I found him. He sure didn’t.”
“Judge, I need you to listen to me. You came to me for help, so let me help you.”
“I don’t need your help anymore.”
“You know as well as I do if he confesses under duress, he’ll get away with it. Ben wants this by the book so he gets jail time, Judge. No one has gotten hurt, so let’s put the rope down before this goes too far. I know he came here voluntarily; so kidnapping isn’t an issue right now. If you keep him here, though, it could be a problem.”
“Did you know my boy had this noose in his trunk? Were they going to hang him?”
“I don’t know why it was back there, but Mitchell and Sheriff Cahill saw it the day he trespassed. Mitchell thought it was to hang up the steer. You don’t think this is what Harley would want, do you?” The more they talked, the closer Evan moved to them. “Ben is behind Harley’s car. Frank is leaving here in handcuffs.” The rope slacked, and Frank’s neck was more relaxed.
“He killed my boy, Evan. He needs to pay.”
“He will, Judge. I’ll make sure of it.”
“I wanted to hurt him like he hurt Harley. That’s the punishment he deserves.”
With his last statement, Evan was beside the Judge taking the rope from his hands. “I know.” He saw Ben and Rodney move closer as he guided the Judge to his car. A group of men approached as Ben brought Frank from the stump while Rodney pulled down the rope and rolled it up. When he brought it to Evan, he quietly told Rodney there were evidence bags in his trunk.
Ben released Frank to a couple of his agents while the Sheriff and Evan stayed back with the Judge. Evan wanted to give them time to get Frank through processing and in an interrogation room before the Judge arrived. After a few minutes Evan said, “You know I’ve got to take you in for attempted murder.”
“I know. Why didn’t you just shoot me when I put the noose around his neck?”
“Because I know you’re hurting and you need help. Plus, you knew that limb was dead and just wanted to scare him. You’re not a killer, Judge.”
“I wanted to be today.”
“But you didn’t. There are extenuating circumstances, and we’re gonna get you the help you need.” Ben and Sheriff Cahill both agreed. “Sheriff, if you wanna be there when they question Frank, you may wanna head out. We’ve got this.” Evan cuffed the Judge with his hands in front and read him his rights as he put him in the back of Rodney’s car. Jimmy was in position to tow the Camaro out as the state lab guys were already moving over the area. Evan and Ben waited to make sure no one needed them before they left.
As they drove into town Ben said, “With the evidence we’ve gotten from Curtis, Frank won’t have to confess. It’d make it easier, but not necessary.”
“That’s good. Have y’all found anything to connect him to the other picture and emails?”
“No, they’ve gone through his computer and phone. We haven’t found a camera. I don’t think he’s your guy for those.”
“What’s his personal car?”
“An old jeep. Why?”
“He doesn’t have a motorcycle registered?”
“No, man, just the jeep.”
“Dammit. I wanted to tell her it was over.” Evan’s hands tightened on the steering wheel until his knuckles were white.
“I know. We’ll catch the guy. He’ll slip up.”
“Let’s hope he does soon. What about the counterfeit bills?”
“Secret Service is joining us on that one.”
“I might know someone who’ll work as an informant from inside the bank.”
Ben looked at Evan before his phone rang. “Riverton. Hey, Marcus. What do you have for me? They were from where? What does Ft. Gordon have to do with ATF? Shit. Keep me in the loop. I’ll see what I can find out here. Thanks.”
“What was that about?”
“The person that got the ATF picture is from Ft. Gordon. They house a lot of national security and intelligence information. He’d definitely know how to extract what he wanted.”
“If this shit keeps up, I may have to move here.” Ben looked at Evan with furrowed brows. “I don’t want to do that.”
With a cocky grin Evan said, “You’re gonna get pulled in anyway.”
COMING SPRING 2018
ANOTHER RIVERTON CROSSING STORY:
UNEXPECTED GUEST
FLIP THE PAGE FOR THE PLAYLIST FOR UNFINISHED BUSINESS
PLAYLIST
“Who’s Cheatin’ Who”
; by Alan Jackson
“The Legend of Whooley Swamp”
by The Charlie Daniels Band
“Long Haired Country Boy”
by The Charlie Daniels Band
“Simple Man”
by Charlie Daniels
“Harper Valley P.T.A.”
by Jeannie C. Riley
“Back In Black”
by AC/DC
“Get Me Some Of That”
by Thomas Rhett
“Carolina”
by Parmalee
“Seein’ Red”
by Dustin Lynch
“Black Betty”
by Ram Jam
“The Fighter”
by Keith Urban (featuring Carrie Underwood)
“Sexual Healing”
by Marvin Gaye
“Let’s Get It On”
by Marvin Gaye
Unfinished Business Page 27