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

by Teresa Greene

  “Can I help you young lady?”

  “Yes, ma’am. My name is Lacy Reynolds. I’m looking for Billy Graves.”

  “I’m sorry, dear, he moved out yesterday.” She clutched the shawl over her shoulders as if she were cold. “Do come in, dear. My old bones can’t take the chill.”

  What chill thought Lacy? It was a gorgeous, warm afternoon. But then the lady didn’t weigh a hundred pounds. Her paper thin skin was splotched with age spots. “You can call me Lib. That’s what all my friends call me. What friends I have left.” Lib opened the door wider and waved her in.

  Lacy turned and gestured she wouldn’t be long at Dylan now leaning against his hideous car with his arms crossed. She requested they take her new jeep but he wouldn’t consent. Said he feared Collins knew what she drove. He nodded that he would be waiting for her when she came out. She felt he didn’t care much for babysitting her all day. He probably preferred apprehending gang members and murderers. At least that was more exciting than driving around Miss Lacy.

  That morning he waited outside of the college while she assisted with fitting four year old Bobby Maring with his new prosthetic leg. The design and mechanics were perfect. It only took him a couple of hours and he felt comfortable with walking and was even able to run a short distance. Both Bobby and his family were excited since other prosthetic limbs had not been the right fit and he had stubbornly refused to wear them. What she enjoyed the most, his family wasn’t charged since it was research and through the college.

  The condo was full of throws and what-knots. Lib must love to crochet because there were brightly colored throws draped over the back of the sofa, the chair, and folded over the arms. The room smelled of medicine and mildew. The windows needed to be opened wide and the fresh air allowed in. Pictures of children were on every wall. Lacy crossed the room and peered at all the round happy faces of the three, little blond haired girls. “Are these your grandchildren?”

  “Great-grandchildren.”

  “They are lovely.”

  “Yes, they are. I love when they come to visit, which isn’t very often.” Lacy knew she needed to rush the conversation along. She felt guilty for keeping Dylan waiting.

  “Do you have Billy Graves’ new address?”

  “Please sit.” Lacy sat on the faded gray sofa and placed her purse in her lap. “Can I get you anything? Maybe some tea or cookies.”

  “No, thank you, I’m fine. I’m in a bit of a hurry.” Lacy felt a little nauseous. Perhaps it was the stuffy room.

  “Oh, yes, Mr. Graves’ address.” Lib sat next to her propping her cane against the sofa before reaching for the address book on the coffee table. “I think I have it here somewhere.” She flipped through some pages until she found the address. “Here it is.”

  Lacy reached to take the address from her, but she pulled it away before she could take it. Lib sent her a narrowed look. “Is Mr. Graves a family member?”

  At the moment she wanted that address more than anything else in the world. But then she couldn’t very well tell Lib the real reason she was looking for him. The poor woman would think she was crazy. Josh would be able to get it for her, but that would take more time. She chewed on her bottom lip for a second. With a quaking heart, she lied. “He was a friend of my father. I need to ask him some questions.”

  That seemed to appease Lib. She handed Lacy the address. Reaching into her purse, Lacy took out her notepad and jotted down the address. At least he didn’t move across country. Charlotte was not that far away. She handed the paper containing the address back to Lib. “Can you tell me anything about Mr. Graves? How well do you know him?”

  “Not very well. He pretty much kept to himself. The only reason he gave me his address is if he received any packages he asked that I send them to him, but he told me not to give it to anyone.” Arthritis had afflicted her hands and they were twisted and drawn. She rubbed them together proving they were in pain. Lacy wondered how she had managed to crochet all the afghans.

  “Did he ever have visitors? Maybe his family visited.”

  “No, I think he was all alone. His mother died five years ago. I think that was the last of his family.”

  “Did you know his mother?”

  Her wrinkles creased when she smiled. “Yes, a kind lady.” She leaned closer to Lacy. “While Billy wasn’t very sociable, she was more outgoing. Many days we sat on the bench under the maple out front and talked. The woman lived to be ninety-nine. He took care of her to the very end. Refused to put her in a home.”

  Lacy stood. “I need to get going.”

  Lib regarded her with interest. “I guess you don’t want to keep your young man waiting.”

  “He’s not my young man. He’s just a friend.” Lacy opened the door, turned and looked at Lib. “Thanks for your time.”

  Dylan opened the passenger side door and Lacy slipped into the seat. He closed the door and hurried to the driver’s side. “Did you find out anything?”

  “I have the address of Billy Graves.” Of course he was curious, but he didn’t ask any more questions. She didn’t know how much Josh had told him. Didn’t know how he explained her strange request to go to 109 Market Street. She felt awkward in his presence. The way he looked at her was unnerving. Those unusual gray eyes seemed to follow her every move when she was in his presence.

  From that point on she would wait until Grant or Josh could escort her to Charlotte in search of Billy Graves. She prayed Randal Collins would be apprehended soon so she didn’t have to have an armed escort every time she left the house. She would rather handle meeting with Billy Graves without someone standing watch.

  ****

  Josh opened the door to the living quarters of the barn to find Grant sitting on the weight bench staring out into space. Loud music swept through the room. Josh shouted so Grant could hear him over Tina Turner singing ‘Rollin on a River’. “What’s up?”

  His eyes held temper and violence. “I’m tired of sitting here waiting for Collins to strike. You need to do something. I can’t sleep, I can’t work, I can’t concentrate. I have just about reached the limit of my tolerance. We’re prisoners in our own home.”

  Josh turned the volume down on the stereo before he opened the refrigerator and grabbed a beer. “Do you want one?”

  “No thank you, but I’ll take a water.” Grant wiped the sweat off his face with a towel that was on his lap. Every time something was bothering him, he took that frustration out by lifting weights. He had a set of abs and arms that could easily get him a gig on ‘Magic Mike’.

  Josh handed him a bottle of water. He twisted off the cap and took a swallow.

  “I may have a lead.”

  Grant’s eyes deepened with interest. “Do you know where Collins is hiding out?”

  Josh took a sip of beer from the bottle. “Don’t go getting your hopes up. It’s just a hunch. I’ve been doing a little digging into Collins’ past. I looked up a girlfriend from high school by the name of Tina Callicutt. She said Collins’ best friend was Travis Kane. Tina swears they were selling drugs at school.”

  “Were they ever arrested?” Excitement in his voice, Grant stood, took several gulps of water.

  “Only Collins. He was arrested when he was sixteen for selling marijuana to an undercover officer. It took some digging to find the arrest record. Matthew Collins was able to get it expunged.”

  “Why wasn’t Travis Kane arrested?” His voice quickened. “How did he avoid arrest?

  “Ms. Callicutt says he was a silent partner. She said Collins did all the leg work and Kane kept in the shadows. She described him as an introvert. Never played sports or joined any clubs, the total opposite of Collins.” Josh caught himself running a nervous hand through his hair. Just the thought of catching Collins and his partner had him salivating. But then he didn’t want to get too cocky. It was possible Collins and Kane had not continued their friendship. He had not been able to find any evidence connecting the two men besides rumors and gossip. Co
uld be he was grasping at straws.

  Grant’s eyes narrowed and his jaw tightened. “What do you know about Kane?”

  “Not much. He has a house on the Neuse River in Raleigh. He’s lived there since he graduated from high school. Didn’t go to college, didn’t get a job, or anything. Yet he lives in a very fluent neighborhood. While the house he lives in is modest, he has two boats, two jet skies, and drives a Jaguar.”

  Rolling his aching muscles, Grant asked, “Where does his money come from?”

  “I have no idea. He has never filed tax returns. He’s never been married, nor does he seem to have a girlfriend. Doesn’t use Face Book or any other form of social media. Right after I talked to Tina Callicutt I sent Agent Bauer to stake out his place. The house next door is empty so he set up surveillance equipment inside. Hopefully, he’ll get evidence Collins is hiding out at Kane’s house.” Josh picked at an imaginary piece of lent on his jeans. “I faxed a picture of Kane’s yearbook picture to Pastor Hancock. He’s going to run it out to Kathy so she can see if he was the man she saw at The Red Diamond. I have a gut feeling Kane is our guy.”

  “A gut feeling is your best guide.” Grant slapped Josh on the back. “Great job, Josh, I think you’re onto something here.” Thrilled with the prospect of apprehending Collins, he spun around and headed for the door. “I’ll get a shower and we can go talk to Kane.”

  “No!” Josh’s voice went up a notch. “You have to stay out of this, Grant. This is FBI business.”

  Tension oozed from Grant. He placed his hands on his hips and glared at him. “I know how the FBI works. Surveillance takes too long. By the time you have the evidence you need, Collins could be in the wind again. Or worse, he could kill someone. I’m not taking that chance.”

  “You have a heavy burden to carry. No one knows that more than I do. Stay here and protect your family. Give me a couple days to watch the house. Maybe Collins is staying with Kane.”

  Grant stood there mulishly refusing to give in. “I’m going to Kane’s house to speak with him. You can come with me or I’ll go alone.”

  “I can have you arrested for impeding an investigation. I have poured my heart and soul and almost my life into this case and I’ll not let you ruin it for me.”

  Bitterness in his voice, Grant replied, “I’m tired of looking over my shoulder. Tired of carrying a pistol everywhere I go. I don’t feel safe because I never know when Collins might kill someone I am responsible for.” This isn’t about your career, brother. Randal Collins is the poster-boy for the ten most wanted men in the U.S. I’ll not stand back twiddling my fingers while he gets away.

  Josh’s mouth went dry, his skin grew hot. “None of this is about my career. It is about my responsibility. I’m an officer of the law and I will follow procedure. Taking you to interrogate a suspect is not going to happen.”

  Angry eyes latched onto Josh. “Two days. I’ll give you two days and then I’m going to find Collins myself.” He turned and stormed out the door.

  The way he said it gave Josh a cold feeling. He’d have to hurry the investigation along. A lot was at stake. Damn, his brother was stubborn, but if he were in his shoes he might feel the same way. Collins hated Grant. The man was evil enough to use someone his brother loved to get his revenge. Everyone associated with Grant was in danger. He wanted to cause Grant pain.

  ****

  Josh stepped into his living room to find Lacy sitting on the sofa with her computer in her lap. “Doing homework?”

  She rolled her eyes. “Schoolwork, homework, I’m always doing some kind of work.”

  “Where’s Beth?”

  “She’s in the bedroom. She said she needed a power nap.” Lacy sat her computer on the coffee table and rubbed her eyes. “Beth couldn’t hardly hold her head up she was so tired.”

  It looked like Beth wasn’t the only person that was tired. Lacy had dark circles under her eyes. He sat next to Lacy on the sofa. “I’ll cook dinner tonight and let you and Beth have a break.”

  She propped her feet on the sofa and wrapped her arms around her legs. She rested her chin on her knees. “Your mom invited us to eat with them tonight. She’s cooking spaghetti.”

  He couldn’t tear his eyes away. Lacy was one of the most beautiful women he had ever laid eyes upon. She could make millions modeling and yet she chose to devote her life to helping people. A lot of her time was devoted to children without limbs. Most parents couldn’t afford to pay, so Lacy and her team never asked for money. They did the work through the college as research. “Mom makes awesome spaghetti. You’re in for a treat.”

  “I’ve missed all this family stuff. It’s been nice having the time at home.” She leaned over and placed her head on his shoulder.

  “I kind of like this family stuff too.” It amazed him how this family had also wormed their way into his heart. He couldn’t imagine living anywhere but here with them. Now he understood what Grant felt.

  “Have you had any luck finding Billy Graves?”

  “I’m afraid not. He moved again and this time he didn’t leave a forwarding address. I’m beginning to believe the owner of the consignment store contacted him and told him the FBI was looking for him.” She tucked her hair behind her ear. “Something’s got him panicked. Don’t worry about finding him, Josh. You have enough on your plate. Find Randal Collins so I can return to school. While the time at home is nice, I have responsibilities.”

  “Did Hilda haunt you out of the house?”

  Lacy rolled her eyes. “Hard to concentrate when she’s constantly whispering in my ear. Funny she doesn’t bother me here in the pool house. Guess it’s because daddy had the pool house built.”

  “Move in here with us. Beth will be happy to spend more time with you. Mama moved into the living area of the barn. Take the spare bedroom.”

  “Are you sure I won’t be in the way? I don’t want to be a third wheel.”

  Josh kissed her on the cheek. “We’re happy to have you.” The bedrooms were side by side. He and Beth would have to turn the music up loud when they had sex so Lacy wouldn’t be able to hear them.

  Juan opened the door and stormed inside without knocking. “Pastor Hancock’s on the phone with Grant. He’s got some news about the photo of Travis Kane you sent to Miss Lassiter.”

  Both Josh and Lacy bolted off the sofa and followed Juan. All three entered the kitchen to find Grant on the phone. Anxious to know if Kane was their man, Josh shifted on his feet as he waited. Grant handed him his phone. He placed the phone to his ear and asked, “What did Kathy say? Did she recognize the photo?”

  “She couldn’t say positively it is the man she saw at The Red Diamond, but it is possible. The hair color and style are the same.”

  Disappointed, Josh ended the call. It wasn’t the news he had hoped for. He wanted to hear with absolute certainty Travis Kane was the man she saw at The Red Diamond; the mysterious partner of Randal Collins.”

  “By your expression I guess it wasn’t good news.”

  “No.” Josh knew if he didn’t give Grant something, he’d take the law into his own hands. The two day deadline was up.

  “Let’s go outside.” Since Josh was about to break the law, he didn’t want Juan or Lacy to hear what he was about to say. Also tired of waiting, he was ready to take some chances. They stepped out onto the back porch. It was getting late and the huge orange sun was just setting over the trees. In another hour it would be dark. “I’m going to call Judge Clinton and tell him Kathy Lassiter positively identified Travis Kane as the man she saw at The Red Diamond. He’ll give us a search warrant. Just maybe we can find enough evidence to prove he is guilty of something. You ready to go talk to Travis Kane?”

  “Aren’t you afraid you’ll get in trouble?”

  “I’m ready to get something started. The longer this stretches out, the less likely we are of arresting Collins. Dylan has been staking Kane’s place out for three days. The only activity is Kane driving to the grocery store for cigarettes. He
’s wearing a cap each time and Dylan hasn’t been able to get a decent picture.” Josh cupped his hands behind his back and rocked back on his heels. “Travis Kane is not likely to make a mistake. If we put the screws to him, maybe he’ll slip up.”

  Josh tapped in a number. “Agent Jacobs, meet me outside of Travis Kane’s house.”

  “Yes, I’m leaving now.” Josh closed the flip phone. “Let’s go. I’ll call Uncle Tate and Judge Clinton on the way.”

  “I’ll get my pistol.”

  A little nervous, he wished he could convince Grant to stay behind. If they did come face to face with Collins, his brother would probably kill him. Then there would be a lot of questions to answer. The answers could end Josh’s career and possibly his brother’s freedom. He hoped he didn’t live to regret letting Grant get involved with the case.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Josh and Grant parked on the far side of the house where Agent Dylan Bauer was staking out Kane’s house so their car would not be visible. Josh knocked on the door. Dylan opened the door and stepped back to let them in. An air mattress covered with sheets was in the corner and several loaf bread bags, potato chip bags, and water bottles filled the trashcan. It was evident Dylan had not left in the three days he had been watching the house. When given an assignment, he took it very seriously.

  Uncle Tate was already there peering through the high powered camera on the tripod in front of the picture window. “Any activity?”

  Uncle Tate stepped away from the camera. “Someone is in the backyard. Same build of Collins, but he is wearing a cap and I can’t get a good look at his face.”

  Agent Bauer replied, “The man comes out several times a day for fresh air. I haven’t gotten any decent shots of him because he’s always wearing that damn cap pulled low leaving his face in shadow. After they went to bed last night I decided to walk the perimeter of the house. The man’s got surveillance cameras everywhere. I got too close and set off his alarm. The place lit up like a Christmas tree.”