by Crissy Sharp
Jason turned to Officer Carlson. “Yes, they’re permits, but we don’t know why.”
“He stole them from City Hall,” Lotty jumped in. “They’re the building permits for every home in Strawberry Estates.”
“Hmm,” Officer Carlson said as he jotted notes on his writing pad.
He asked several more questions, most of which Lotty had no answer for, before asking her to write an official statement. As she finished, Officer Netley joined them. He and Jason began talking quietly about things that made no sense to her: wells, toxicity, and something called chromium six.
“Why would he put filters on? He wouldn’t try to poison people and then try to filter out the poison,” Officer Netley said. “Those are expensive filters. He had to have spent thousands.”
Jason shook his head and mumbled something quietly.
Since when had he and Jason become buddies? She’d ask Jason about it later and have him explain all this stuff about filters when she wasn’t so exhausted. She covered her face with her hands trying to hide an enormous yawn, but left her face buried for several seconds, enjoying the break from the flashing lights and busyness that surrounded her. When she slid her hands down, a pair of watchful eyes burned the side of her face. A slight turn of her head left her staring directly into Doll’s hawk-like gaze.
Lotty held Doll’s stare and slowly rose from her comfortable seat in the back of the car. She handed Aiden to Jason and walked straight to where Doll was sitting next to an ambulance, arm wrapped in white bandages.
“Well,” Doll huffed, “It’s about time, Charlotte.”
Lotty dug her fists into her palms, reminding herself that Doll had just been shot.
“I kept telling myself to let you be until you wanted to talk,” Doll continued. “After all, you’re probably feeling guilty about all the lies.” She nodded toward her arm and her face contorted in pain. “The lies that got me shot. Still I didn’t think it would take you quite so long to come talk to me.”
Lotty shook her head and sighed. “I thought I could do this right now, but I can’t.” She turned to walk away.
“Can’t do what? Tell me that I was right? That your marriage is a sham? I knew all along, Charlotte. I just didn’t know your husband was mixed up with criminals.”
Lotty let out a forced laugh. “Mom, you have absolutely no idea.”
“Then tell me.” Doll looked desperate as she grabbed Lotty’s arm.
“What are you even doing here? Why were you in our house tonight?” Lotty yelled. What did it matter if everyone around her knew she was angry? It was too hard always pretending everything was okay.
“I wanted to make sure you were okay,” Doll yelled back. She wiped a tear away and lowered her voice. “I’ve been calling you for days. I called Trinity to ask where you were and she said you hadn’t been home, that your chicken had been destroying the neighborhood.” She looked down. “You never go anywhere so I decided to come check things out for myself. You are still my baby, after all.”
Lotty rubbed her throbbing temples and sat on the back bumper of the ambulance. “Look, Mom, there’s been a lot going on in our neighborhood. I still don’t understand it, but I can promise you that it’s not Jason’s doing. The only thing he’s done is try to keep the boys and me safe.” She wrapped her arms around herself. “I’m truly sorry you got caught in the middle of it. I wanted to rip that guy’s face off when he shot you in the arm. That being said, you have no right to come here and call me a liar and tell me Jason is a criminal.”
Doll’s eyebrows furrowed.
“Jason and I have had a few...” she trailed off trying to think of the right word, “uh, enlightening conversations over the past few days.”
“So, you’re going to—,” Doll began, a hopeful light in her eyes, but Lotty stopped her.
“No, Mom, I’m not going to leave him. We’re not separating and I’m not leaving Montana. That’s what you were going to say, right? You’re hoping our marriage is hard enough that we’ll call it quits, but even with all your meddling and trying to destroy it, our marriage is not the problem. Jason didn’t hurt me. You did.” Doll’s eyes widened until her eyebrows disappeared under her bangs. “You watched me suffer, listened to me cry, and pretended Jason was the one at fault. You sent him to Phoenix and acted like he must not care about me to have left. Then, to top it off, you continued your messed-up game when he came to Santa Barbara and made him think I didn’t care about him. Who does that? What mother does that?” Lotty’s voice was an octave above normal, a shriek. Everyone around them was silent, listening to her outburst.
“I—I was trying to do what was best for you, even if you had to experience a little pain. You wouldn’t listen to your father and I, and you were throwing your life away. A life we worked hard to ensure would be a success. Marriage is a difficult thing, but monumentally more difficult if you choose the wrong person.”
“I didn’t choose the wrong person!” Lotty yelled. “Why can’t you understand that and—”
“Marriage is difficult.” Jason’s calm voice interrupted as he approached the two women and wrapped his arm around Lotty. “So is raising children, getting a degree, building a career, exercising...” Uh, where was he going with this? Lotty raised her eyebrow and he continued. “And every other meaningful thing in life. Things that offer a worthwhile reward don’t just fall perfectly into your lap. They take work. Marriage isn’t about finding the perfect person. It’s about tackling the challenges together and coming out stronger.”
Jason tightened his arm around Lotty, and Doll’s eyes narrowed. “I’m tired. What room should I take?”
Lotty shook her head and wiped back tears. Her emotions were on a serious rollercoaster ride tonight. She’d been so mad at Doll. That was replaced with elation while Jason spoke. Now the anger returned. “Mom, I’m not ready for you to stay with us.”
“What does that even mean, Charlotte?”
“I mean I know you were doing what you thought was best for me, but that doesn’t fix the fact that I’m still incredibly hurt.”
“You’re going to throw me out in the middle of the night, with a bullet hole in my arm nonetheless?”
Lotty took a deep breath, tired of being manipulated. “No, I’m not. You should probably be in a hospital tonight and we can find other arrangements after that.” Lotty looked to the paramedic, motioning for him to second what she’d said.
“Uh, yes, Ma’am, you’ll need to be monitored for at least twenty-four hours,” the paramedic offered.
“Okay, Mom, I hope you can get some sleep and your arm won’t bother you too much. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
“I cannot believe what I’m hearing. I get shot...,” Doll began her rant. Jason helped Lotty up and motioned to the cop car where both boys were now asleep. Doll continued, but her voice faded as they moved toward the boys. “And I’m not satisfied with you telling me there’s ‘something up in your neighborhood.’ I need answers...”
Jason held Ty while Lotty grabbed Aiden. “I’ll get the hens and the van after I get you guys home,” Jason said. “And then I’ll destroy every last camera in our house.” They walked past all the flashing lights, away from the chaos and toward their home.
“So, I’m difficult, huh?” Lotty asked, as they approached the front door.
“The perfect amount of difficult,” Jason answered with a smile, grabbing Lotty’s free hand in his.
Chapter 29
Jason rolled over, away from the sun shining through the windows. He opened one eye just enough to make sure Lotty was still next to him. Her long, dark hair spilled over her pillow, glistening as the sun danced across it. He opened both eyes and had to suppress a laugh when he saw her mouth, completely agape. It seemed the perfect contrast; angelic meets overworked, exhausted mother.
Her eyes opened and she looked around before taking a deep breath and moving closer to Jason.
He wrapped his arms around her.
“Were you
staring at me?” she asked. “And why were you grinning like that?”
Jason laughed and squeezed tighter. “Because you were drooling.”
“I was not. I don’t drool.”
“Yes, you were. Puddles.”
She buried her face in his neck. “You’re such a liar.”
He laughed. “Maybe.” He kissed her cheek. “I just like watching you. It’s been a long time since I woke up with you next to me in this bed.”
The ring of the doorbell startled them both. Jason jumped up and jogged toward the window. He separated the blinds and saw Cade’s truck in the driveway.
“Who is it?”
“I think it’s Cade,” he answered. “I’ll go check.” He moved to the front door, unlocked the deadbolt, and opened the large iron door. Cade, hair disheveled and eyes red, stood on the porch.
“I figured you were still in jail,” Jason said, motioning for him to come inside. If someone had told him a few weeks ago that he’d be inviting Cade Warner into his home, he’d never have believed it.
Cade gave a sad laugh and shook his head as he walked passed Jason.
“Didn’t you steal documents from City Hall? How did you get out?”
“Apparently they don’t know anything about City Hall. They came after me because they found evidence that I was behind the grave robberies.”
Jason sat on the sofa and waited for Cade to follow. “What evidence?” he asked.
“Well, there was a shovel with my finger prints on it at the cemetery in Kalispell and one of my work trucks had hair belonging to one of the bodies in the bed,” Cade said, running his hand through his hair before sitting down.
“So, how did you get out, exactly?” Jason asked.
“Brent told them he planted the shovel and the hair so now I’m free.”
Jason rubbed his eyelids. “I don’t get it. Why is he admitting to everything? And the more obvious question; why did he plant it in the first place?”
“I’m not sure why he set me up. Maybe I was an easy scapegoat.” Cade leaned closer to Jason and lowered his voice. “But I think I might know why he orchestrated all the crime in Strawberry Estates.”
“Okay,” Jason answered when Cade paused.
“He kept going on and on about how scary the neighborhood was getting. He told anybody who would listen that he was thinking of moving. He talked about the great land in Idaho where he and Nikki might move.”
Jason nodded, recalling several similar conversations with Brent. “He kept talking about how the values of our homes were dropping by the day.”
“Right,” Cade agreed. “He wanted all of us to be scared of this neighborhood.”
“Yeah, I guess so.” Jason stood and paced back and forth in front of the coffee table. “Why? What would he gain from that?”
“Jay O’Brien and I own some land west of your neighborhood. It’s fairly flat and butts right up to the lake, making it the perfect site for homes. We’ve been talking about subdividing and building on it for years. It’s small, only big enough for four homes, but we finally started moving forward on it this year. Part of that meant we needed to pay for soil and water testing.” Cade stared at Jason like that should mean something to him. “There were major problems with both. We were told the area was not suitable for construction, which seemed impossible since it’s right next to this neighborhood.”
“That is strange. So, that’s why you guys think this neighborhood is toxic?”
“We don’t just think it’s toxic. It is toxic. Jay ran a bunch of tests on the soil and water. There are many problems, but the worst is the presence of deadly chemicals like cyanide and chromium six. They have to have been there for years. I believe Brent is somehow linked to the problem and now he’s trying to cover it up.”
“How does scaring the residents cover it up?”
“He’s trying to get them to leave. No one is going to notice poison in the drinking water if everyone’s too scared of the neighborhood to live here.”
This theory created more questions than it answered.
“Uh, hi, Cade,” Lotty said, peeking her head into the room. Cade smiled at Lotty, and for the first time in months, Jason didn’t feel jealous, didn’t wonder if maybe Lotty regretted marrying him.
“I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation.” Lotty sat in the large chair by the window, tucking her feet underneath her. “Though that may have been because I was hiding on the stairs trying to listen. You guys talk in annoyingly quiet voices sometimes.” She smiled and Jason’s heart constricted. He longed to wrap his arms around her again. She continued, “Anyway, I think Cade is on to something about Brent wanting everyone out and it all somehow ties into the permits.”
The permits. He’d completely forgotten about those.
“What permits?” Cade asked.
“Brent had the building permits for every home in Strawberry Lake Estates,” Lotty explained. “They were in a file cabinet that Nikki gave me and Brent has been trying to find them for months. Last night he was going crazy trying to find them. That’s why he held a gun on Aiden.”
Cade’s eyes widened. “On Aiden?”
Lotty nodded and explained all that had happened the previous night with the cameras watching their house, the permits Brent wanted, and him turning into a madman.
“And he also put the filters on all the wells,” Cade said when she was done.
“So, what if there was something on those permits that showed the soil and water were bad?”
Cade shook his head. “No, they never could have gotten permits if the soil and water were bad. There’s something else going on.”
“Why don’t you talk to Brent?” Lotty asked, eyes fixed on Jason.
He shook his head. He didn’t ever want to see Brent again, and he especially didn’t want to talk to him. He’d knocked his wife out and held a gun on his one-year-old. If he ever saw Brent again, he was afraid of what he’d do to that man. “What good will that do?” He asked.
“I don’t know. He’s always liked you. Maybe he’ll say something to you that he wouldn’t say to the cops.”
“Fake Brent liked me, not criminal mastermind Brent.”
“You never know,” Cade said. “Maybe Fake Brent is the real Brent and the criminal Brent is the fake Brent.”
Jason raised his eyebrows. “I don’t even know what you just said, but I’ll think about talking to him. Just not now.”
“I’m going to check on Nikki and then the boys and I are going to go visit Mom,” Lotty said. You could come with us.” She raised an eyebrow. “I’m sure she’d be thrilled to talk to you about getting shot and about your affiliation with criminals.”
Touché. Jason shook his head. “I would, but I’ll be busy talking to my best friend, Brent.”
Lotty nodded and laughed.
Cade stood. “I’m going to take off. Please call me if he says anything interesting.” He offered Jason his hand.
Jason shook it. “Thanks, Cade. We’ll let you know.”
After Cade left and Lotty shut the door, she smiled at Jason.
“What?”
“I’ve never seen you two interact without snide remarks and glaring.”
“That’s not true.”
Lotty turned her head to the side and Jason pulled her close. She rose onto her tiptoes and kissed him. All too soon, she pulled back. “Okay, I’m going to get the boys ready and head over to Nikki’s. I’ll see you after you talk to Brent.”
Jason inwardly groaned. “Great,” he said with a fake smile as he headed up the stairs to change out of his sweat pants.
He made his way toward the police station, which was on the front of the town’s small jail. After checking in, he sat on a green, metal bench for nearly thirty minutes, his nervousness growing. With each passing minute, he fidgeted more. He found a collection of old gum stuck to the side of the bench and counted all the floor tiles he could see (384), before a uniformed guard motioned for him. He followed the guard
into a room with three tables. Brent sat at the one in the middle, looking down.
Jason sat across from him in silence, waiting for Brent to look up, but Brent’s eyes stayed locked on his own lap. The anger Jason expected to feel wasn’t there. The miserable, crumpled man in front of him demanded pity. Nothing else. Jason continued staring at him. It was hard to accept that this man had held a gun on Aiden twelve hours ago. He still seemed like his best friend and neighbor, albeit a bit of a sad, defeated mess. It felt like Jason should try to cheer him up by talking about sports or cars, or invite him to grab some lunch together at Wild Wyatt’s.
The silence was too much. Jason pointed at Brent’s torso. “How’s, uh, your wound? Does it hurt pretty bad?”
Brent looked up and stared at Jason for several seconds before answering. “Yeah, it hurts.”
Jason nodded. “Shouldn’t you be in the hospital?”
“I was,” Brent answered gruffly.
“Okay,” Jason answered, glancing at his watch for the third time in two minutes. Lotty and Cade were wrong. Brent wasn’t going to talk. “Well I’m going to take off,” Jason said, pushing back from the table.
“Wait, Jason.” Jason turned to face him again as Brent fidgeted with his collar. “I, I need you to do something.”
“You’ve got to be kidding me.”
Brent continued as if he hadn’t heard Jason. “Please watch out for Nik and the kids. I don’t want them to get hurt.”
“I think it’s a little late for that. They’re hurt, Brent. You hurt them.”
Brent looked directly at Jason. “Please. Just make sure they’re okay. This was supposed to help them, to make sure they were safe.”
Jason sat down again. “How was any of this going to make sure they were safe?”
Brent was silent again.
“We’re back to this, huh? Why were you trying to scare everyone out of Strawberry Lake Estates?”
Brent leaned closer. “To avoid this happening.”
“What do you mean? And why did you pin it on Cade?”
Brent sighed. “He was an easy target and he always had his nose in everything." He rubbed his temples and whispered, “Jason, this is so much more than you realize. I’m just a pawn in a huge game.”