by V. B. Tenery
“I’m confident he fired the shot that hit Chris, although we have no proof since the rifle was destroyed.”
Davis nodded. “Chris’s evacuation of the homes in that area saved a lot of lives. He deserves a medal.”
“You’re absolutely right, Miles. And Doug Anderson is preparing to do just that, as we speak,” Matt laughed. “If I know Mayor Hall, he’ll claim it was his idea. Chris just carried out his instructions.”
“There are still a lot of unanswered questions. With Eden dead, there is no way to determine how deeply she was involved,” Turner said.
Matt shrugged, feeling more relaxed than he’d felt since returning from his honeymoon. “Had she survived, she would have been charged as an accessory. But it’s a moot point now. Only she would have benefited from the murders. Stephen Russell believes he was supposed to be killed the night his parents were murdered. The emergency call from his patient may have saved his life. As for Bauer, he had no reason to kill any of those people, although I think he probably enjoyed it. He was a warped individual.”
“Did we ever find a reason for the empty briefcase?” Cole asked.
Davis shook his head. “It’s only conjecture on my part, but I think Bauer destroyed the attaché contents to get rid of the custody papers and maybe Art’s notes of what his testimony would be. Perhaps Bauer didn’t want to leave any evidence that might point to Eden.”
Turner shook her head. “You know, I don’t understand how someone like Eden Russell can fall that far. She had looks, money, intelligence, yet she did something so monumentally stupid it defies description. How could she think for a minute she could get away with four murders? I’m glad her boys have a stable life with their father.”
“That is the only good thing to come out of this mess,” Matt said. “However, you left out one item in your list of her attributes,” Matt said, and passed out copies of the report to each of them. “Arrogance, or, as it’s also known, pride. It’s the first deadly sin.”
Christensen Memorial Park
Twin Falls, Texas
Wind flapped and tugged at Matt’s overcoat as he and the small group of mourners trekked through a gusty, fine mist to the gravesite. Except for Matt, and the lone media crew, there were only five people in attendance at the double funeral for Eden Russell and James Bauer, Judith Bittermann, Claire and Taylor Davenport, Winston Seymour, and Amy Bauer.
The family opted for a graveside service, and the pastor’s words were short and simple. He could hardly extoll the virtues of the deceased.
The minister recited the familiar words of The Lord’s Prayer, “Our Father, which art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name . . .” and the caskets was lowered into the ground.
Matt met Judith under the covered awning provided by the memorial park. He sat down beside her, took her hands in his, and said the only thing he could say. There were no words suited to this occasion. “I’m sorry, Judge.”
She patted his hand. “You know, it’s inconceivable that the child I watched grow up is largely responsible for such heinous acts. I hope my sister didn’t realize before she died that Eden sent Jim there to kill her and Art. It would have been worse for her than dying. They gave that girl everything she ever wanted, loved her unconditionally, despite her treatment of them. It’s just so...so wrong.”
“You never suspected she might be involved?” he asked.
It seemed she started to shake her head, but then stopped. Her words came out as a gentle exhale. “Yes, I think we all suspected, but it was so extraordinary. We couldn’t believe it and ignored our intuition, even knowing that Eden’s reactions to everyday events were always a little off. Anytime anyone offended her, no matter how trivial, she never forgave them. I should have told you that early on. Perhaps we might have avoided how this tragedy ended.”
“It’s no good blaming yourself, Judge. Hindsight is a wonderful thing. We can learn from it, but it doesn’t change the past. Unfortunately, there are no crystal balls around when we need one.”
She turned her head away, and Matt understood she tried to hide the tears welling in her eyes.
Taylor walked over and put her arms around the judge. Judith wiped her eyes and smiled. “Matt, Taylor is coming to live with me. She felt she would be more comfortable in my home than with Claire, and I love having her. She’ll be a breath of fresh air in my life.”
The young girl’s eyes were clear, but sad, as she gazed up at Matt, and she sounded much too old for her twelve years. “Thank you, Chief. You did what you promised. You caught my parents’ killer.”
“I don’t deserve the credit, Taylor. More people than you could possibly know were involved in bringing Jim Bauer and your sister to justice. And one good man was seriously injured.”
“Taylor and I sent him flowers and a card. I’m so sorry he got caught up in this tragedy,” Judith said, and smiled. “Taylor convinced me that our lives would not be complete without Sugar, and the Connellys graciously agreed to give her back.”
Matt gave Judith and Taylor one last hug, pushed his hands into his overcoat pockets, and strolled back down the hill to his car.
So much pain. Such a senseless waste.
He looked up at the overcast sky, but he didn’t ask ‘Why, Lord’. He knew there was no answer.
CHAPTER 24
Twin Falls Memorial Hospital
Twin Falls, Texas
A week later, Matt held Sara’s hand as they entered Chris Hunter’s room on the hospital’s fourth floor. The small area was filled with flowers of every description, as well as Matt’s other three detectives.
Chris sat up in bed, his left shoulder heavily bandaged, holding court with a huge grin on his face.
Sara crossed the room, leaned over, and kissed his cheek. “I owe you one, Chris.”
Chris beamed up at her. “You might need to do that again, my shoulder hurts.”
Sara came back and kissed both cheeks.
The wounded detective put his one good arm behind his head and heaved a deep sigh.
“Have you seen the newspapers?” Matt asked.
Chris grinned. “No, I’ve been busy fighting off the attention of all the nurses.”
Matt passed Chris the newspaper he’d brought with him. “You made the front page. You’re a bona fide hero, my friend.”
Cole Allen stood against the wall near the bedside, and chuckled. “Mrs. Foley, less you think Chris was trying to save your life, I must tell you he knocked you down to take the pie away from you.”
Davis chortled and bumped knuckles with Cole.
“Go ahead and yuk it up you two,” Chris gloated. “I’m getting kisses from beautiful women. And while you guys are dodging bullets and chasing killers, I’m going to be soaking up rays on a Florida beach.”
Lucy Turner winked at Chris. “That’s right. These guys are just jealous of your good looks and sparkling personality, not to mention all the attention you’re getting.”
Chris nodded and his brow creased in twin furrows. “Yeah, but it was a waste of a beautiful pie.”
Sara laughed, “I’ll bring you as many pies as you can eat, Chris.”
Davis walked over and took Chris’s hand with a firm squeeze, his face suddenly solemn. “Guess we’d better get back on the desk, keep the city safe.” He cleared his throat. “It will be a lot harder without you, bud.”
The three detectives filed out, with handshakes and a hug from Lucy Turner.
Matt stood beside the bed. “You know, Chris, you don’t have to retire. I’ll find a spot for you. I’m looking for someone in IAD, as one of the guys is leaving in April. You’d be a big asset there.”
“I appreciate that, Chief, but the doc says this arm is only gonna be about fifty percent. I’ve always heard you know when it’s time to pull the pin. And, for me, it’s time.” He laughed. “I can get a tan while I turn my wife’s hair white and harass my kids until they move away for good. But, if I get bored after a few months, I reserve the right to change my mind.”
“Any time you’re ready, just let me know. And, Chris, if you ever need anything, anything at all, you know where to find me. I owe you a debt I can never repay.”
Twin Falls Police Station
Twin Falls, Texas
Matt glanced up when Ben Stein rapped on the open door of Matt’s office. “You wanted to see me, Chief?”
“I did. Come in and have a seat.” Matt reached for a folder on his desk while Stein settled into a chair. “You know Chris Hunter isn’t coming back, right?”
Ben nodded. “He’s going to be missed.”
“That he will,” Matt said. “His retirement leaves us short one detective. Would you be interested in the position?”
Stein’s eyes widened. “Yes, of course I would. I didn’t think you would consider me because of Lucy . . . uh . . . we . . .”
Matt held up his hand. “I know, and I gave it a lot of thought before I decided to offer you the job. I finally decided that you and Lucy were adult enough to handle it. So don’t make me regret my decision. You will be partnered with Davis. He recommended you for the job.”
“I’m flattered, Chief. I don’t know what to say except, when do I start?”
“Next Monday,” Matt said and passed him a gold shield. “This belonged to Chris. Make him proud.”
Stein rose and shook Matt’s hand. The new detective stopped in the doorway. “I will. Thanks, Chief, and you won’t be sorry.”
The Foley Residence
Twin Falls, Texas
Matt poured a cup of coffee and stepped out on the deck to join Sara and the kids. Bright rays of sunlight met him as he joined his family, who were taking full advantage of the early-spring-like day.
Sara sat in a recliner, reading the small brown book in her hand.
“Good novel?” he asked.
She looked up and turned the front cover towards him, revealing the title, The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom. “My favorite book on faith and miracles. I try to read it once a year to remind myself that, no matter how bad things get, and whether we feel His presence or not, God is always there.”
He leaned back in the chair, wanting to capture this day in his thoughts, reminding himself he had everything in life he’d ever wanted, a woman he adored, who could match him in strength of character and force of purpose. He loved her humor and intelligence, her warmth, her passion for life and those she loved. She was the second chance he didn’t deserve.
He had been blessed with children who were smart and, above all, kind, despite the trials they’d endured.
It frightened him a little. But he wasn’t looking for things to worry about. God wanted him to live by faith, and he was good with that.
The doorbell rang, and he rose reluctantly, not wanting to have this rare family day interrupted. “I’ll get it.”
A solemn-faced man stood in the doorway. He was medium height, with light brown hair worn a little long. Steel rimmed glasses covered his brown eyes. “Chief Foley, my name is John Landers.”
It took Matt a moment to put the name together with a memory, and then he knew why the man had come.
“Come in, Mr. Landers. I’ve got coffee in the kitchen.”
“Please, call me ‘John’.”
“Okay, John. I’m Matt.”
Matt handed him a cup of coffee, and they stood in the kitchen and watched Matt’s family through the window.
And Matt recounted for John Landers the last thirty minutes of his wife’s life.
THANKS . . .
Thank you so much for reading Downfall. I hope you enjoyed the experience. My objective is to write suspense novels that will engage your mind in the lives of the characters and solving the mystery. I write novels that I would like to read, absent of violence, brutality, and erotic content, but with shining characters, settings, and exciting plots readers can’t put down. It is my sincere hope that my reader come away feeling delighted with the reading experience—honoring God in the process.
If you enjoyed this novel please do me a favor and go to Amazon and leave an honest review at: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00YG5J9AW
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I’d also like to ask that if you find any errors or typos that you contact me directly at my email address: [email protected]
Even though all my novels are edited by others, we are all only human and mistakes occur. It is my goal to produce the most perfect product possible.
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Newsletter Invitation
My Thank You gift to you . . . a Free copy of
Broken Vows
Prequel to the Matt Foley Series
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OTHER BOOKS BY V. B. TENERY
BROKEN VOWS
A Prequel to
The Matt Foley/Sara Bradford Series
A Novella
Attorney Josh Bradford can resist anything but temptation. A serial
philanderer who, despite his failings, is still deeply in love with his wife.
He has vowed to change, but when his most recent lover is murdered, he and Sara find themselves at the top of the authorities list of suspects.
The murder is his wakeup call . . . his only hope . . . that the police will find the killer before his marriage and career are shattered beyond repair.
http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01557SABS
WORKS OF DARKNESS
Book 1 in the Matt Foley/Sara Bradford Series
Book 1
Some secrets just won’t stay buried.
A construction site provides a horrific discovery when a worker uncovers the skeleton of a small child wrapped in a sleeping bag. Police Chief Matt Foley soon links the murder to another cold case, the hit-and-run death of Attorney Josh Bradford.
The long-suppressed memory of the young victim’s childhood friend, Sara Bradford may hold the key to both crimes. But Matt has mixed emotions about Sara—his prime suspect in her husband’s murder.
Matt soon discovers the twenty-five-year-old mystery has the power to stretch across decades to kill again.
Purchase WORKS OF DARKNESS on Amazon
THEN THERE WERE NONE
Matt Foley/Sara Bradford Series
Book 2
Mass murder doesn’t happen in Matt Foley’s town . . . it doesn’t happen to his friends. Someone is going to pay.
Disturbing crime scenes are nothing new to the Twin Falls Police Chief. But this one is different. The victims are friends. In their Tudor mansion just inside the city limits, a family is dead—husband, wife, two kids, and the family cook.
The killer made one mistake. He left a survivor.
The husband is one of the big three in the microchip industry. The family lived a quiet modest life. It doesn’t make sense.
Until . . .
Purchase THEN THERE WERE NONE on Amazon
DOWNFALL
Matt Foley/Sara Bradford Series
Book 3
Police Chief Matt Foley has a new bride and the most complex case of his career.
A prominent couple prepares to retire, when an assassin’s bullets retires them permanently. And he doesn’t stop there.
As the investigation pushes forward, layers of deceit, greed, and bitterness are peeled away, and two families, connected by marriage and murder, face the exposure of their darkest secrets. It’s just another case until Matt finds his wife caught in the killer’s crosshairs.
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00YG5J9AW
MISSING
Matt Foley/Sara Bradford Series
Book 4
A shadowy figure from his past seeks vengeance in its simplest form. A life for a perceived injustice.
The ex-convict-father of Matt’s children has re-emerged into their lives.
While Matt’s life hangs in the balance, Sara Foley is missing on the wrong side of the Mexican border in the clutches of a Mexican drug lord.
Their restoration lies in the hands of an old nemesis.
Coming Winter 2017
DEATHWATCH
WWII Historical Suspense
Finding a killer in the middle of a blitz is murder.
When a cryptanalyst in Britain’s top-secret Code and Cypher School is murdered, alarms sound in the highest echelons of Parliament. Was it merely a lover’s quarrel that ended her life, or was she killed after telling the Germans everything they wanted to know? That’s what MI6 Agent, Commander Grey Hamilton must find out.
He is joined in the chase by an old university friend from Scotland Yard, and a young American genius who has been singled out by the killer as his next victim.
As the Luftwaffe escalates its reign of terror over London, the unlikely team dodges bombs while searching the Underground and London docks knowing failure is not an option. The lives of English soldiers and perhaps the fate of the British Empire itself, is at stake.