Shadows of the Falls (Twelve Oaks Farm Series Book 2)

by Teresa Greene

  A car swung into the parking lot so fast the tires screeched as it came to a stop. Both Dylan and Stan jogged to Josh’s side. “Where’s Shirley Powers?”

  Josh rubbed his face with his open hands. “Do you see her anywhere?” He needed to gain control of his anger. It wasn’t Dylan’s fault Beth didn’t do as asked. It wasn’t anyone’s fault but his. He should never have told her they were staking out the school.

  Before he could apologize, Uncle Tate hurried from the store. “Someone saw Beth get out of her car and walk up that road.” Everyone turned in the direction he was pointing.

  “Do you know where the road leads?” It was no more than a narrow grass covered road proving it was rarely used.

  “The store owner said it led to the old Wallace home place.”

  “How does he know it was Beth?”

  Uncle Tate answered, “His exact words, red hair, tight skirt, high heels, a real knock out.”

  With a glimmer of hope, Josh shouted, “Let’s mount up and go see where she went.”

  The road was narrow and bumpy. The car dipped and bounced as Josh sped over the dirt road. “Watch out for the. . .” Uncle Tate placed his arms over his face as Josh barreled right through the gate. He didn’t even slow down.

  “I think that was Beth’s jacket tied to the gate.” At least she came this way. They were on the right trail.

  Now the ride was even more unpleasant as they pummeled over the uneven pasture. Uncle Tate placed his hands on the ceiling of the car to keep from hitting his head. Josh felt as if his teeth might fall out from the bone-jarring ride.

  The house came into view. Josh could see two women fighting in the front yard. He held his breath when he saw Shirley Powers swing the shovel at Beth’s head. He couldn’t get out of the car fast enough. By the time he reached Beth, she had Shirley down on the ground pelting her with her fists. Josh grabbed her by the waist and pulled her away. Arms still flaying, she hit Josh on the arm. He wrapped his arms around her holding her in place. “Calm down, Beth.” Her hair was tangled and her lip was bleeding.

  Uncle Tate jerked Shirley Powers to her feet and threw her over the front of her vehicle face first. He pulled her hands behind her and cuffed her. “You’re under arrest for attempted murder. You have the right to remain silent.”

  She struggled against the restraints as he dragged her toward the FBI vehicle by her arm reading her Miranda rights. “Anything you say can and will be used against you in a court of law.”

  Eyes full of rage stared at Beth. “You are a dead woman. All I have to do is put the word out and you’ll die.”

  From behind him he heard Dylan say as he looked at Beth with admiration, “Red heads are crazy.”

  “Shut up, Agent Bauer!” Josh shook Beth several times before he took her in his arms and kissed the top of her head. “You could have been killed. Why didn’t you do as I ordered?”

  Standing in her bare feet, she wiped the blood from her lip with the back of her hand. “You’re not my husband. You can’t tell me what to do.”

  “I’m something. I don’t yet know what I am, but I am something to you.”

  Dylan raised an eyebrow. “Sorry, Josh. I didn’t know she was your woman. I guess I shouldn’t have called her crazy.” With long strides he made his way to the SUV Shirley Powers had tried to make her escape in. Pulling his shirt sleeve over his hand so he wouldn’t taint the evidence, he opened the door and took the keys out of the ignition. Using the clicker, he unlocked the back hatch. Curious, everyone walked to the back of the vehicle. Sleeve still over his hand, Dylan opened the hatch. Inside wrapped in a black sweater was a small, black gun case, ski mask and gloves. “Bet you a million dollars we’ll find a .45 that will match the slugs we pulled out of the crime scene at the bureau. Ballistics will come up with a match.”

  Josh looked at Stan. “Call a forensic team. Get them out here to go through the vehicle.”

  Beth fell against Josh. “I was so scared. I knew if she got to her gun she’d kill me.” Tears pooled in her eyes.

  He took her chin and lifted it. His lips pressed against hers for a gentle kiss. “You didn’t look afraid to me, baby. You were very brave. Still you shouldn’t have followed her.”

  She pressed a hand to her stomach and winced. “What’s wrong? Did she hurt you?”

  “She kicked me in the stomach.”

  Josh raised her stained shirt and examined her stomach. Her breath caught when he pressed his fingers to the ugly black bruise. More than likely it was nothing serious, but he wasn’t about to take any chances. “You need to see a doctor.” He motioned for Dylan. “Take her to the hospital and get her checked out.”

  “It’s nothing but scrapes and bruises.”

  “You might have some internal injuries.”

  “Don’t you think I would know if I had serious injuries? I’m fine.” She pointed toward the garage. “I’m going to see what is in that garage. I didn’t get kicked in the stomach and punched in the face for nothing.” She twined her fingers with his. “Please, Josh.”

  How could he say no to such a pretty face? Her hair was in tangles, her face was dirty, her lip was swollen, and her clothes were stained. Yet, she was the most beautiful woman he had ever met. He touched his fingers to her filthy cheek. “Okay, Beth. You have every right to see what’s inside the garage. You are the person that broke the case.”

  “Let me get my shoes.” It was evident her stomach pained her because she moved slowly to the front porch. He heard her groan when she bent over to retrieve her shoes. She leaned her back against the rough board wall, wiped away the dirt from her feet, and shoved them into her shoes.

  Josh pointed toward the crop of trees at the edge of the field. “Look at the way the grass lays down.” Uncle Tate turned and followed the path with his eyes. “They use the route next to the service station to enter the property and this route to exit and enter with the SUV and Lincoln. One thing you can say about Powers, he is smart.”

  Josh shouted, “Agent Jacobs, see where the road goes!”

  “Yes, sir.” Jacobs jumped into Dylan’s car and followed the bumpy road that cut across the field. Josh watched until the gold Caddy disappeared into the forest.

  Shadowed by Uncle Tate, and Dylan, they made their way to the back of the house. The garage door stood open and in the very back was the black Lincoln. The license plate number began with a Z just like David Lewis had described.

  Uncle Tate slapped Josh on the back. “There is the evidence you have been looking for, son. Guess Mrs. Powers knew we would be looking for the black Lincoln and had a back-up car.”

  “It makes more sense not to use the same car for every hit.”

  Uncle Tate opened a side door leading to the other side of the garage. “You’re not going to believe this.” A loud whistle had them all rushing to see what had him so excited. Stored in the garage was a black and white RV. “That’s how he traveled to the locations. No one would suspect a professional hit man to travel in that old, rusty thing.”

  The RV looked to be about twenty years old. The back fender was completely rusted out. Laughter in his voice, Josh replied, “Best way not to leave a paper trail.” Damn, it felt great to have the evidence they needed to prove Chase Powers was a cold-blooded assassin. A feeling of exhilaration swept through him. There was no telling what evidence they would find. Josh pulled a pair of gloves from his pocket and slipped them on his hands. He opened the door to the RV and stepped inside before motioning Beth to follow.

  Bewildered, Beth stood in awe. The inside of the RV was the complete opposite of the outside. The kitchen area had oak cabinets, granite counter tops, and tile floors. A beautiful built in sitting area lined the other side. It was small but stylish and comfortable.

  “Swanky place. Hell, it’s bigger than my whole house.” Beth twirled around to find Dylan peering through the door. “It’s fancy. The man liked to travel in style.”

  “Whenever you get through in here, come outside.
” He jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “I think I found something.”

  Josh nodded his head. “Okay, Dylan, We’ll be there in a minute.”

  Josh could barely contain his excitement. “This is it, Beth. If I only had the words to describe how I’m feeling right now. We’ve got all the evidence we need. Powers drove to his destination in this RV. He stayed in this instead of getting a hotel room.” He grabbed Beth by the arms and gave her a hard kiss on the lips then pushed her to arm’s length. “We’ve got the evidence we need, Beth” A small knowing smile played on his lips. “The man is going down.”

  Her gaze locked with his. “You did it, Josh. It was your plan that drew Shirley Powers into the open. Your perseverance paid off.”

  “We all did it, honey. We’re part of a team.” He linked fingers with her. “Let’s go see what Dylan has found.”

  Standing out in the field on the other side of the house, Dylan waved them over. A thick piece of plywood was nailed to a huge oak tree. It was riddled with bullet holes where someone had been using it for target practice. Dylan took out his pocketknife and pried out a mangled bullet. He rolled it in his hand. “Looks like a .45 hollow point, same caliber used at the shooting at the bureau. Ballistics can check the striation marks to see if they match.”

  Josh slapped him on the back. “Good work, Dylan.”

  “This is nothing. Wait until you see what else I discovered.” Without waiting for them, Dylan jogged to the edge of the field. He dropped to his knees and waited for them. “I think these are graves.”

  A chill danced along the nape of Josh’s neck as he scanned the expansive fields. Some of the graves were fresh because nothing grew on them. Some of them had been there a while because the dirt had settled and left the ground sunken and uneven.

  Beth let go of his hand and pressed her fingers to her stomach. Pale as a piece of chalk, she looked as if she might faint. “How many are there?”

  “Hard to say. Secrets will soon be revealed.” Dylan stood and swiped at the dirt on his knees. “We’re going to need a lot of help. I think we’re going to be here all night.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Josh opened the door of the interrogation room for Beth to go first. He cupped her elbow to stop her before whispering in her ear, “You don’t mind if I gloat do you?”

  “Gloat all you want. I plan to do some gloating myself. I’m going to enjoy watching you wipe that arrogant look off his face.” She couldn’t wait to tell Chase Powers they had his wife under lock and key. Given all the evidence they found in the garage, he would have no other choice but to tell them everything they wanted to know. Not only would they find out who put the hit on Kathy, but they would find out the other people who had contracted him to kill.

  Even now as she stood staring at him, she couldn’t help but notice the look of superiority on his face. The man thought he was invincible. “These interrogations are getting a bit tiresome.”

  Beth took the chair across from Powers and waited for Josh to sit down next to her before she opened the file in her hand, took out the mug shot of Shirley Powers, and placed it in the center of the table.

  The shock and fury on Powers’ face was worth her busted lip and bruised stomach. Silence continued while he took in his wife’s haggard appearance. Her blond hair was mused and dirty, and her right eye was black. He closed his hands into tight fists.

  “The jig is up. It looks like we have a bargaining chip.” A dazzling smile on his face, Josh continued as Beth placed the picture of the black Lincoln and white SUV in front of Powers. “We have a forensic team on the site as we speak. I can only imagine what other secrets we will uncover from this.” The picture of the RV had him sweating bullets. “The built in generator was a great idea. No campgrounds where you might be recognized. You could pull into any old deserted road and stay the night. I guess you paid cash for the gas because we ran your credit cards and found no charges.”

  Powers nervously tapped his fingers on the table as the noose tightened around his neck.

  “Saw where someone had been digging in the field behind the garage. It looked to me as if someone had been digging graves. How about it, Powers? Have you been burying people on the property?”

  All the color left his face. By his demeanor, Josh had hit the nail right on the head. Powers had disposed of some of his victims in the field behind the garage. “Some people want a body found and some do not. Some people just want a person to disappear. You are one sadistic bastard.”

  “The house had been my great-grandparents’ place.” Powers rubbed his hands over his face. “Fifty acres of secluded land seemed the perfect place to keep the RV and vehicles.”

  “And bury bodies?” The question had him squirming in his chair, but of course he never answered. “Explain the garage.”

  “My construction crew built the garage five years ago. They had no idea why. They are loyal and never ask questions.” Keeping his eyes on his hands, he spread them out on the table. “I pay them well so they do whatever I ask them to do.”

  “Has any of your employees ever helped with the assassinations?”

  His eyes met Josh’s and he shook his head vigorously. “No. I’m telling you the truth. None of my employees are involved.”

  “I’ve heard you lie so many times, I don’t know if I should believe you.” Every muscle in Powers’ body tightened. For once Josh felt he was telling the truth. “I have to admit you were smart using a different route to exit and return with the SUV and Lincoln. Cemetery Road is so remote with little traffic.” Josh tapped his temple. “Very smart.”

  At a loss of what to say, Powers snapped, “What do you want?”

  Beth pushed her notepad across the table. “We want names. We want to know who hired you to assassinate Miss Lassiter. And don’t say you’re innocent. That ship has sailed. If you treasure your wife’s life, leave nothing out.”

  “I want to make a deal. Give Shirley immunity and I’ll tell you everything I know.”

  Beth let out a harsh laugh. “You’ve got to be kidding. She’s as much a monster as you are. Who will believe the PTO president of one of the most prestigious private schools in the state is an assassin.” Beth crossed her arms and leaned back in the chair. “Tell us names or she gets the needle just like you.”

  “She has never killed anyone. I am the assassin. She was just trying to help me.” Tears stood in his eyes. Beth thought how quick a man caved when someone they loved was in danger of going to prison. He should never have involved her with his dirty deeds. People made wrong choices everyday and had to live with the consequences. Now his children would not have a mother or father.

  Josh snapped, “Names!”

  A mulish look in his eyes, Powers tried to stand forgetting he was shackled to the chair. He sat back down hard. “I’ll give you names if you promise Shirley will not get any prison time. She had no part in the assassinations.”

  An ugly laugh emitted from Josh. “She tried to kill Miss Lassiter and Mr. Lewis at the bureau. I’m sure ballistics will prove she was the shooter. We have the gun and so much more. I’m not naïve enough to believe it was the first time she shot at someone.” Josh took a long breath and tried to control his rising temper. “We will find evidence to prove she is also an assassin.”

  Powers’ knowing look conveyed his thoughts. He was going to get the needle for his crimes and chances were Shirley would suffer the same terrible fate. He blinked back tears and cleared his throat. “I’ll give you names.” His voice trembled. Eyes moving to Beth he pleaded, “Ten years. Please, she is the mother of my children. If you put ten years on the table, I’ll tell you everything.”

  In a voice brooking no argument, Beth offered, “Twenty. That’s the deal the District Attorney offered. Take it or leave it. She’ll miss motherhood, but she might have time to play doting grandmother after she’s released. That is if your children ever forgive her for being a cool-blooded killer. Or maybe they know what you do for a living. The family that
murders together stays together.”

  Powers shook his head, jerked at his restraints. “No, my children are completely innocent. They have no idea I am an assassin.” A cry ripped from him. “I love my children. I’d never do anything to jeopardize their safety!” He took a deep breath, let it out slowly. “Shirley killed no one.”

  “We’re still combing through the evidence. Maybe you’d better make that deal before we have enough evidence to prove you’re lying yet again. If I were you, I’d take my attorney’s advice.”

  He fell into silence. Hands over his face, he held the pose for several seconds before he dropped his hands to his lap and replied, “Let me speak to Shirley first. I need to see if she’s okay with the deal.”

  Beth shouldered her purse and rose from the chair. “I’ll leave the pictures so you two can discuss the mountain of evidence we have against you. What’s the saying? A picture is worth a thousand words.”

  Josh added, “Remember, it is enough for your wife to get the needle. We can put her in the car with you when you attempted to kill Miss Lassiter. We also found her fingerprints and personal belongings in the RV.”

  ****

  Nervous, Beth watched from the two-way mirror as Shirley Powers was ushered into the tiny room by a guard. Josh whispered, “Keep your fingers crossed. If everything goes as planned, we’ll know who put the contract out on Kathy in a matter of minutes.”

  With a look of sympathy on his face, Chase never took his eyes off his wife. She looked so out of place in the dreary room. She had combed her hair and gave the appearance of a sweet, gentle person. If Beth didn’t know better, she would think she wasn’t capable of committing violent crimes. She took the chair beside her husband. Her fingers locked hard with his. “Have you talked to your lawyer?”

  Eyes fixed on the two-way mirror, he leaned close to murmur in her ear. Of course he was warning her that they were being watched. The tears welled in her eyes when she peered at the mirror.