“You can say there was an accident,” Owen said, “and that we are currently investigating, the usual spiel.”
“Do you want me to mention that someone was killed?”
“Just say possible fatality.”
“Dale is going to ask me what’s going on. What do you want me to say?”
“Tell him the truth, but make it clear that the information doesn’t leave his office, or I will arrest him for impeding a federal investigation,” T.J. replied.
“Got it.” I turned to leave.
“Lizzie.”
“Yes?”
“Be careful. Debra is still out there, and she knows we still want her.”
“Maybe she’ll just leave town now that Vinnie is dead.”
T.J. shook his head. “I don’t think so.”
I smiled and left. I didn’t think so, either, but I wasn’t going to say it out loud.
Chapter 26
Thirty minutes later, I was sitting in the office with Dale and Jake. I told them everything that had happened last night and this morning. “She dropped a car on the guy?” Dale said incredulously.
“Someone dropped a car on him,” I corrected him. “We don’t know for sure it was Debra.”
“What does your gut instinct tell you?” Jake said.
“That it was her.”
Dale was furiously writing things down on a yellow legal pad. “Do we know for sure he was the one that torched your truck last night?”
I nodded. “He left a note nailed to Mother’s front door. He wanted me to know he was watching me.”
“I guess you don’t have to worry about that anymore,” Jake replied.
“What about Debra?” Dale asked.
“What about her?”
“Is the FBI going to step up the search for her now?”
“T.J. requested a K-9 unit while we were out there. Whoever dropped the car on Vinnie managed to get away without us seeing or hearing them. Considering how much dust was stirred up when the Cadillac hit the ground, making a clean getaway was possible.”
“This is going to make a great story on the front page,” Dale said.
“You can’t use most of that, you know,” I told him.
“What?!”
“We can say there was an accident at the junkyard with a possible fatality, but that’s it. They still have to catch her. The less that is said, the better, although I don’t think it really matters. She knows there’s no way Vinnie survived that.”
“Maybe they don’t want the word to get out in case Greco has someone else down here,” Jake said.
I hadn’t thought of that, and the possibility made me a bit nauseous. “T.J. is sending someone to my house to check for bugs and video equipment. If they find anything, that would explain how Vinnie knew I left the house last night.”
My phone rang at that moment. “Hello?”
“Are you alone?” Debra said.
“Not exactly,” I replied, looking at Jake and Dale.
“Get somewhere private and call me back.” She hung up.
“Would you excuse me a minute? I need to make a call,” I said, standing up.
“Everything ok?” Jake said, looking at me with concern in his eyes.
“Can I talk to you in the hall for a moment?”
“Sure.”
He followed me out and closed the door behind him. “What’s wrong?”
“Call T.J. right now, tell him to put a trace on this number. Debra just called; she wants me to call her right back.”
He wrote down the number I gave him. “I’ll take care of it.”
I hurried through the newsroom, out the front door and around the corner to T.J.’s car. Sitting down on the driver’s side, I tossed my purse in the passenger’s seat and hit redial on my phone. “Ok, I’m alone.”
“Sorry about the scene at the junkyard. I didn’t know you were going to be there.”
“You dropped the car on Vinnie?”
“I thought it was the quickest way to end his involvement.”
“Rather effective. I’m glad I’m not the one who has to clean up the mess.”
“I agree with you on that one. What are the Feds doing?”
I bit my lip, trying to decide what to do. “Looking for you.”
“Good luck to them.”
“Do you think Greco is going to send someone else after you?”
“Oh, I can pretty much guarantee that,” she replied, “which is why I need to get out of here as soon as possible.”
“You’ve got the money. Just go. What are you waiting for?”
“I’ve got a couple of loose ends to tie up first.”
I felt a chill go through me. “What loose ends?”
“Don’t worry. I don’t plan on killing anyone else.”
I breathed a sigh of relief. “The longer you stick around, the more likely they are going to find you.”
“I’ll be gone by tonight,” she said.
“So why call me?”
“I left something on your kitchen table…”
“You broke into my house again?”
“…it’s my will.”
“Oh.”
“I also left something for T.J., but don’t give it to him until tomorrow.”
I heard barking in the background. “Where are you?”
“They are better than I thought,” she said. “Gotta go. Take care, Lizzie.”
“Wait!” I said, but all I got in response was a loud click. I quickly called T.J. “Were you able to get a trace on the call?”
“She’s at the Johnson place. Ray Don was right,” he said. “Hopkins and his team are heading out there. I need to get something out of my car. Where are you?”
“Still at the newspaper office.”
“I’ll be there in a few minutes. Stay put.” He hung up.
I chewed my lip, lost in thought. The Johnson farm was on a dead end dirt road; Johnson Creek ran behind it. If she tried to make a break for it, she’d probably stick close to the creek to throw the dogs off. Several other scenarios ran through my mind as I sat there. A tap on the window made me jump. I opened the door and got out to find Jake standing there.
“Everything ok?” he asked.
“Yes. T.J. said they were able to trace the call. He’s on his way here to get his equipment.”
“Where is she?”
“The Johnson farm,” I said.
He put his hands on my forearms. “Are you sure you’re ok? You seem distracted.”
“Just thinking.”
“Uh-oh,” he said, dropping his hands to his side. “I don’t like the sound of that. You aren’t planning on doing something stupid, are you?”
“Of course not!”
He stared at me. “I don’t believe you.”
“What don’t you believe?” T.J. said as he got out of Owen’s car.
“Nothing,” I quickly said.
He looked at both of us. “Uh-huh. Do you have the keys, Lizzie?”
“In my purse. I’ll get them.” I walked around to the passenger’s side, opened the door and searched the side pocket for the keys. “Here you go.”
“Thanks,” he said, taking them from me. “I’m going to take the car. Do you think you can get a ride home?”
“I’ll take her,” Jake said.
“Great. Go home and stay there, do you hear me? Don’t go anywhere until you hear from me.”
“I do have a meeting with Trixie later,” I lied.
“Fine, but after that, go home. I’ll call you later.”
“Be careful, T.J. Please.”
He smiled. “I will, I promise,” he said, taking my hand and gently squeezing it.
I watched them drive off. “You don’t have a meeting with Trixie, do you?” Jake said.
“Of course not.”
“You’re going to do something stupid, aren’t you?”
“No.”
Ok, so I lied.
I was planning to do something stupid.
Did you expect me to stay home and do nothing?
Chapter 27
Against his better judgment, Jake dropped me off at the Gentlemen’s Club. I got out and hurried inside before he could stop me or ask any more questions. Two of Trixie’s waitresses, Brittany Springer and Josie Carter, were stocking the bar. “Hey, Lizzie,” Brittany said, “how ya doing?”
“Just fine,” I replied. “How are Junior and the kids?”
“Great!” she smiled. “Brice just lost his first tooth, and Willa is learning how to ride a bike.”
“Wow, they are growing up so fast! Is Trixie in the back?”
“Yeah, she’s in her office,” Brittany said. “Go on back.”
I went down the hallway and knocked on the door. “Come in.” Trixie smiled as I walked in. “Oh good, you’re here. I just know I’m going to get an explanation about this strange text I just got from Jake. He asked me if we had a meeting scheduled for this afternoon.”
“What did you say?”
“I said yes, of course.”
I breathed a sigh of relief as I sat down in a chair. “Thanks.”
“What are best friends for? Now are you going to tell me why I just lied to him?”
“The less you know, the more you can deny later. May I please borrow your car?”
“You do realize that makes absolutely no sense whatsoever?”
“The car?”
She took her keys and tossed them to me. “Are you going to do something that will require me to visit you in the hospital later?”
“Not planning on going there. Once was enough.”
“Actually, it was twice.”
“Didn’t we agree that it was only one time?”
“Well, yeah, but I thought about it and realized we forgot the time when Debra blew up Hopkins’ truck and your mother’s car.”
“I chose to forget that one. Mother still gives me a hard time about her car.” I looked at my watch. “I have got to go.”
Trixie stood up, walked around her desk and stood in front of me. “Don’t do anything stupid, Lizzie.”
I gave her a hug. “I don’t plan to, I promise.”
I don’t think she believed me.
Ten minutes later, I parked in my driveway. Going inside, I went to the kitchen first. There were two legal size envelopes on the table. My name was on one, T.J.’s was on the other one. As tempted as I was to open them, I had more pressing concerns at the moment.
I went to my bedroom, and found my lockbox open on the bed. My heart dropped. I took out my phone and sent a quick message to T.J.: She has the Sig Sauer.
She could hide anywhere on the Johnson property and pick them off one at a time when they got close enough to her.
I bit my lip as I paced the floor. If I went out there, I’d only be in the way. The Johnson farm was surrounded by woods. The FBI would use their dogs to track her.
But I had something they didn’t have.
I had Babe. That may not seem like much, but Debra had been in my house just a short time ago. Babe could pick up her scent and track her. That gave us a head start on the FBI. How often do you get the jump on the FBI? I was going to use it to my advantage. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that this wasn’t going to end well.
Chapter 28
I brought Babe inside. She immediately started sniffing around; she knew someone had been in the house. The trail led through the kitchen, into the bedroom, back down the hallway, the kitchen and out the back door. I grabbed my purse, Babe’s leash and the keys off the table.
She took me through the side gate and around to the front of the house, but she lost the trail in the driveway. I knew where to go from there.
Thirty minutes later, Babe and I arrived at the Johnson farm. There were government cars and trucks parked everywhere. I parked behind T.J.’s car in the driveway, and let Babe out. She started sniffing around before heading toward the barn as I draped my purse over my shoulder. I shuddered; I still remembered what happened the last time I was in a barn.
There was a door open on the side facing the road, and Babe went inside. I cautiously followed her. As I walked in, I saw Hopkins on the ground. Looking around, I walked over, knelt down beside him, and checked for a pulse. When I touched him, he moaned and opened his eyes. “Oh, thank God it’s you and not her,” he said.
“Who?”
“Your aunt.”
“Are you hurt?” I said as he struggled to sit up.
“Just a headache where she whacked me in the head.”
I felt for a lump, and found it on the right side behind his ear. He winced when I touched it. “It’s not too big.”
“Help me up.” I stood up, grabbed his hand and pulled him to his feet. “Whoa,” he said, swaying a bit, “just a wee bit dizzy.”
I led him outside, leaning him against T.J.’s car. “Where is everyone?”
He pointed toward the woods. “Most of them are back there. One group followed the creek to the east, the other group went west.” He noticed Babe sniffing around. “What’s with the dog?”
“Debra was at my house before she came here. Babe has her scent; she should be able to follow it here.”
He started to shake his head, but stopped. “Don’t even think about it, Crenshaw. It’s too dangerous.”
“I don’t want to see anyone get hurt or killed.”
“Including your aunt?”
“Including her.”
“How do I know you aren’t going to help her escape?”
“Are you serious?”
“You’re family. You’ve made your feelings perfectly clear. Wasn’t it you who said you weren’t going to help us catch her?”
“Things have changed. T.J. says you need her alive. I just want to make sure that no one gets trigger happy.”
“Lizzie,” Hopkins said, putting a hand on my shoulder, “sometimes it doesn’t always work out the way we want it to. Kil…people like your aunt, when they are cornered, don’t always give us a choice. Sometimes the only choice we have is to take them out.”
“But if there is a way to keep that from happening, wouldn’t you try?”
“Of course, but you should be prepared for all eventualities.”
I looked at Babe, who was moving toward the woods. “Then I suggest you tell them that there is only one outcome here.”
When I caught up with Babe, I attached her leash to her collar. I didn’t want her running off, just in case someone had an itchy trigger finger. She kept heading toward the creek, which worried me because I was afraid she’d lose the scent in the water. But she kept going, straight through the water and up the other side. What I was afraid of came true: she couldn’t pick up the scent.
Sighing, I looked up at the woods. There were about 10 acres of trees here, and she could be anywhere. So what would I do if I was trying to hide from the cops? I looked back over my shoulder.
I’d circle back and hide in the barn.
Tugging on Babe’s leash, I turned around and walked back. It took ten minutes to get back to Trixie’s car. She was going to be mad at me for putting a wet dog in there, but I didn’t want Babe running around loose. As I closed the car door, I noticed Hopkins wasn’t where I left him. Crap.
I slowly started walking around the barn, checking for other doors. On the side facing the creek, I saw another entrance. Looking around, I grabbed a couple of sturdy branches, jamming them against the door. I hoped they would, at the least, prevent her from escaping out that door. If she tried to come in that way, we’d hear her and be ready.
What I should have been worried about was who was already in the barn.
Hey, I can’t think of everything!
Chapter 29
“I wondered when you were going to show up,” Debra said as I walked into the barn. Hopkins was on the ground again, not moving. “I didn’t kill him. Just gave him another headache.”
“He’s not going to appreciate that when he wakes up,” I pointed out.
&n
bsp; She shrugged. “Not my problem.”
“How did you know I would come here?”
“I was watching you from the loft.”
“I see.”
“You can come closer; I don’t bite.”
I moved further into the barn, stopping by Hopkins. “Bit of a mess you’ve got yourself in.”
“I’ve been in worse.”
“How are you planning to get out of this one?”
“You’re going to give me your car keys, I’m going to leave you tied up to one of these support beams, and then I’ll leave town.”
“You do have another option, you know.”
“Give myself up?” She shook her head. “Not a viable option for a person like me. Do you know how long I would last in jail? I wouldn’t survive the first night.”
“There is witness protection…”
“Do you really think they are going to put me in witness protection? Fat chance. They are going to use me to get what they want, drop me in a deep hole, and forget about me.”
“You don’t know that.”
“She’s right,” someone said from behind me. I turned around to see T.J. standing there. His gun was pointing straight at Debra.
“Thomas Jefferson, always a pleasure to see you,” Debra said.
“How many times have I asked you not to call me that?”
“Apparently not enough.”
“Lizzie, move over here and get behind me,” he said.
Debra pointed her gun at me. “Don’t even think about it.” She turned to her left just a little bit, and shot T.J.
“What are you doing?” I yelled at her as he fell to the ground. “He wasn’t going to shoot you!” I dropped to the ground next to him. There was a red stain on his right shoulder, and it was growing bigger. “I’m sorry,” I whispered as I pressed down on the wound to slow the bleeding.
“It’s ok,” he grunted.
“Throw his gun over here, Lizzie,” Debra said. I hesitated for a minute, looking at T.J. He shook his head. “Don’t do anything stupid. Just slide it over here.”
I felt around in the dried hay, finally locating it near his knee. Without looking, I slid it backwards to her. “You should go now, if that is what you are going to do. They would have heard that shot.”
“She won’t make it two feet,” T.J. replied. “The building is already surrounded.”
5 Death Catches A Killer Page 8