by Kim McMahill
A smile eased across Frank’s lips, assuring Devyn she was on the right track. “Tell me why. What’s the motivation?”
“Money, you dumb bitch. It’s always about money.”
His words were laced with pure evil, even when uttered through a pain-filled hiss. The tone nearly made her flinch, even though her career had put her up close and personal with some pretty nasty characters. Devyn shook off the uncomfortable feeling the man gave her and focused. She wanted to speed the process by inflicting some physical pressure, but she wasn’t sure Frank would survive much more, so she resisted the urge to shove her thumb in the bullet hole in his leg.
“Who do you work for?” she demanded.
“I don’t know.”
Devyn suspected a grain of truth in the answer, but also knew if he had been involved in the three other incidents, he had to have some theory by now.
“Is it Janice Green?”
His laugh was cruel, but cost him, sending him into coughing spasms. Devyn feared she was losing him, so she pressed on.
“Tell me about Janice.”
“She’s a ghost, one of many. I’m sure she has disappeared, and you’ll never find her.”
As they already figured, Janice was a major player, and Frank all but confirmed she wasn’t working alone.
“Let’s put it this way. Who is ultimately holding the checkbook?” Devyn grabbed him by the collar of his coat and lifted his torso off the floor enough to make him clench his teeth in pain and gasp for breath.
His breathing became more labored. Devyn eased him back to the floor, not wanting him to pass out or die before she got answers.
“You screwed up here,” she stated matter-of-factly. “If you don’t die of these injuries, your employer will kill you for nonperformance of your duties and for knowing too much. If you tell me who you work for, we can protect you.”
“You can’t protect me. No one can. Coterie has powerful friends in very high places.”
His words were so faint and slurred Devyn wasn’t sure she heard correctly. “What or who is Coterie?”
“It doesn’t matter. You’ll never bring it down,” he whispered, before slipping into unconsciousness.
“Where’s the ambulance and paramedics?” Devyn demanded, knowing medical help wouldn’t arrive in time.
“Not close enough,” Gage replied.
Devyn sat next to Frank, or whoever he was, for several minutes, willing him to open his eyes until she could no longer see a rise or fall in his chest. One of the deputies nudged her out of the way and started CPR. She knew it was futile but didn’t argue with the officer, who was just doing his job.
Nick’s hand on her shoulder brought her out of her dark thoughts. The FBI would now be involved in the investigation, but she still had a lot of unanswered questions. She hesitantly turned her back on the best lead she had and followed Nick outside to where Gage was issuing orders to the rest of his officers.
“I suppose I have Deputy Carlson to thank for killing my only link to tying a number of related crimes together?”
“Actually, most of the damage to Frank, along with the guy who fell in the doorway, is courtesy of Grace Talbot,” Gage said, motioning to the blood smear and chalk outline half in the kitchen and half on the front porch. “Apparently, she hit this guy with both barrels as he busted down the door and took aim at Deputy Carlson’s back. She winged Frank in the leg. Carlson tackled him, but Frank didn’t cooperate. When he managed to get on top of Carlson, she hit Frank over the head with a fireplace poker.”
“If I wasn’t so disappointed about losing my first solid lead, I’d think this woman might just be my new best friend. Where is she?”
“In the garage, but take it easy on her. She’s been through a lot, needless to say. Her uncle, the man who raised her after her parents abandoned her, is still in the hospital and is facing a long recovery.”
Devyn sent Nick with the sheriff to be briefed and get a good look at the rest of the crime scene. Walking toward the outside entrance, she encountered an older man, skin weathered from a life led predominantly in the outdoors, leaning against the porch railing, staring at the burnt-out rig. His rough gray beard and well-worn clothes indicated he was not law enforcement.
“Devyn Nash, FBI,” she stated as she stood eye to eye with the rugged man. “Are you the neighbor?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“I need to ask you a few questions, so don’t leave.”
He nodded and continued his scrutiny of the destruction around him.
The first thing Devyn saw upon entering the garage was a blond woman in a tall, handsome man’s embrace. She had to assume this was Grace Talbot and Deputy Carlson and he, like her impressionable partner, had apparently been taken in by the damsel in distress, not that this damsel couldn’t hold her own in a crisis, as proven by the body count.
“Special Agent Devyn Nash.” She flipped out her badge toward Grace. “You killed my only lead.”
“Whoa. It’s been a tough night here,” Logan interjected.
“It’s okay,” Grace replied. “What do you mean ‘lead?’ Do you know these men?”
“Not personally, but the pharmaceutical and medical research industries have experienced a number of incidents over the last few years that have been classified as accidents. This is the first time we’ve found a link proving these incidents are definitely not unfortunate mishaps. Your colleague, Kathleen Parker, was run off the road. We got the investigator to confess to falsifying the report and well, clearly no one can call what happened here an accident. We’re dealing with something huge here, and it would have been extremely helpful to get some answers.”
Grace’s mind ran through events of the past few years. Anytime something happened in her field, she was interested and took note.
“Are you talking about GenTech, Polk, and Smith and Brown?”
Devyn nodded.
“You don’t believe those where accidents like reported in the press?”
“Never bought any of it, and now I have something solid to convince my superiors that the FBI needs to take over from the various local law enforcement agencies. When the incidents occurred, I was ordered to stay out of it, the investigations were local law enforcement issues, and according to them, no crimes were committed.”
Grace looked up at Logan, and their eyes met. She could feel his body, standing close behind her, tense, yet still a wall of support.
“If the men who came here are working for some powerful entity, syndicate, or some organized crime group, then Grace is still in danger,” Logan stated.
Before Devyn could answer, Grace cut in. “Maybe not. Charlotte’s weight leveled off about a week or so ago, and Moss noticed other subtle changes. In the short time I’ve been here the symptoms have gotten worse. Could be stress, but I suspect the product that is no doubt the reason behind this tragedy is seriously flawed. Hugh Miller and Janice Green will be forced to axe the project once and for all if we find evidence the supplement could have dangerous and potentially fatal side effects. Once the information gets out, nobody will care about the formula. A lot of people may have died for nothing.”
“Fatal?” Devyn asked, not sure she heard correctly.
“Yes. The supplement formula, derived in part from genetically modified enzymes, may have interfered with the absorption of Vitamin E and Selenium to the point where the level of oxidation in muscle fibers is causing degeneration of the heart muscle. I’ve taken blood and tissue samples, but I need to find someone I can trust to do the blood toxicology and analyze the tissue samples.
“Depending on the results, there are a few more tests I need to run in order to be one hundred percent positive, but there isn’t much time. A myopathy of this type can result in sudden death, and it’s possible there could be permanent damage. If results are positive, Charlotte’s chances of survival are slim without immediate action.” Grace choked out the last sentence as her eyes focused on Charlotte.
“Janice
Green isn’t who she claims to be. She’s been linked to the other companies which encountered ‘accidents’ over the past few years, and she has conveniently disappeared. On a positive note, we’ve located Dr. Clark. He’s safe and on his way back to Salt Lake, and apparently a bit more of a scrapper than we all gave him credit for. Can he analyze the samples?”
Grace thought she was done crying, but the news Stephen was safe broke her resolve. She turned into Logan’s arms and wept. He held her, stroking her hair and whispering words of comfort.
After several minutes, Grace composed herself and turned around to find a man, who looked like he had just stepped off the cover of a men’s fashion magazine watching her with a sympathetic expression on his face.
“Special Agent Nick Melonis,” he said, offering his hand.
Grace took the outstretched hand, “I’m sorry. I was just so relieved to hear Stephen is okay, and it seems like everything is driving me to tears lately. He’s been like a father to me. The last time we heard from him, he was so scared. He was sure Kathleen had been murdered, but he didn’t know who to trust, so he ran. To answer your question, yes, he can run all the tests, but I need to get the blood and tissue samples to him as soon as possible.”
“Are we done here, Nick?” Devyn asked.
“The sheriff did a great job documenting every detail, and he’ll send us the crime scene report as soon as he gets to a computer. He’s good. No wonder you’re so fond of him. I can’t find anything he missed. I interviewed the two injured snowmobile riders, and I agree with the sheriff’s assessment they don’t have any idea who they were working for. They were hired by Frank, or whoever he is, so I doubt they can lead us any closer to who’s really behind this, and I doubt they’ll be of any help whatsoever. The ambulances are here, and the EMTs are loading up the bodies as we speak.”
The grisly image made Grace feel faint. Logan’s arm tightened around her, offering support.
“Sorry, Ms. Talbot, you probably didn’t need to hear that,” Nick replied with a sheepish look on his face.
“Well then, Grace, if you’ll get me the samples, Nick and I will hit the road. Dr. Clark should be in Salt Lake by the time we arrive. We’ll have him briefed so he’s ready to get to work the moment we hand off the blood and tissue samples.”
Grace was thankful for the distraction from the images Agent Melonis put in her head. She retrieved the samples she had already prepared, secured them in a case specially designed for the transport of fragile biological specimens, and jotted down instructions for what she wanted analyzed and tested. Handing the case to Agent Nash, she instinctively nuzzled up to Logan’s side, relishing the comfort of his strong arm around her. She placed her arm around his waist, looping her thumb through his belt loop in a subconscious, possessive gesture.
“We’ll be in contact with you through the sheriff’s office the second Dr. Clark has the results.”
“Tell Stephen I’m okay, and that I love him, and we’ll see each other soon.”
“Will do. Oh, and one more thing, have you ever heard of Coterie?”
Grace wrinkled her brow. “No, doesn’t sound familiar. What does that have to do with anything?”
“That’s what I’d like to find out,” Devyn replied as she left Grace and Logan in the garage.
Devyn and Nick finished questioning Don Matthews and then joined Sheriff Harris on the front porch.
“Is there anything else you need, Devyn, before I start releasing people?” Gage asked.
“No, Nick said everything is in order, not that I had any doubts. I’ve yet to work with anyone as thorough as you, Gage. You’ve spoiled me.”
Nick cleared his throat, drawing Devyn’s attention.
“Sorry, my fragile ego partner, I meant no one other than my current partner.”
Gage’s laugh was deep and rich. “Too bad it took something like this to get you back to Wyoming. I’ve missed your wit.”
“Seriously?” Nick questioned. “Never mind, we need to get on the road, and a debate over Devyn’s sense of humor would take more time than we have. Anyway, it was nice to meet you, Sheriff. We’ll be in touch. Devyn, I’ll be waiting in the vehicle.”
After Nick was out of earshot, Gage chuckled. “They finally found one that can stand up to you, huh? Or, is there something going on here?”
“With Nick? Please, it’s going to take a stronger man than Nick for me to willingly give up my freedom. How about you? Has some nice lady with a fresh apple pie wormed her way into your heart yet?”
“Not very fond of apples. I’m more of a beef jerky kind of guy. Besides, I’m still waiting for you to mellow.”
“Stranger things have happened,” Devyn said as she winked at the sheriff and headed toward the vehicle, trying to keep a smile from her lips.
Devyn was relieved when she saw Nick sitting behind the wheel, buckled up and ready to get going. She was too exhausted to even think about driving or to argue about it.
“I still haven’t gotten the feeling back in my rear from the last ten hours on the road, but I guess we don’t have much choice,” Devyn stated as she slid into the passenger seat.
As they pulled onto the highway, Devyn glanced over at her partner. “What are you grinning about?” she asked wearily.
“Did you notice the lovely Ms. Talbot claiming her territory? I’d say she’s one grateful woman. To think that could have been me if only you would have driven a little faster while I slept.”
Devyn wanted to slug him, but she decided it would require too much energy. However, she couldn’t hold in her amusement. “You’re impossible,” she stated as she rested her head on the back of the seat, closed her eyes, and immediately fell asleep with a smile on her lips.
Chapter Forty-Five
When Grace arrived at the Matthews place, she put up no resistance when Doris hugged her, led her to the guest bath, turned on the shower, and left her with a robe and towels. Grace tried to push the horrors of the past evening from her mind, but the images were too vivid and too fresh to block out.
She stood under the steaming spray, hoping to wash away the stench of death and force the chill from her body. Scrubbing frantically at the dried blood under her fingernails, Grace tried not to think of whose it might be. It didn’t really matter. What was done was done, but not over. She doubted the enemy, whoever that might be, could reorganize so quickly, but the thought of bringing danger to the neighbors niggled at the corner of her thoughts. Her job had brought enough death and destruction for a lifetime.
As the water began to cool, she stepped out and wrapped the cotton robe snugly around her body. Wiping the condensation from the mirror, she gazed at her reflection for several minutes. Dark circles underlined her eyes and scratches marred her cheeks, but she was alive and physically unharmed.
Would she be able to live with what happened?
A timid knock on the door made her look away.
“Yes?”
“I’ve put a change of clothes on the bed in the guest room. I think we’re close enough in size they should work. Let me know if you need anything else, and feel free to use the phone in the bedroom. We have unlimited long distance. Take your time, but when you’re ready, come to the kitchen, and we’ll get some warm food in your stomach.”
“Doris,” Grace paused, her palm on the closed door between them, not sure what to say. She hadn’t spoken to the woman in years. They had never had issues with each other, but both had supported the men in their lives throughout the feud by keeping their distance from each other. “I can’t tell you how grateful I am for everything you and Don did tonight.”
“Don’t think another thing about it. I’m just glad you’re safe. The sun’s up. It’s a new day.”
Grace waited until she heard Doris’s footsteps recede, and then quickly made her way to the guest room. She couldn’t help but tear up when she spotted the number to the hospital next to the phone. Sitting cross-legged on the bed, she punched in the number and waited until
she heard her uncle’s voice.
“How are you doing, Moss?”
“Better now that I’ve heard your voice. I’ve been worried, and not hearing from you has been tough.”
“I’m sorry, but I’m fine.”
“The doctor’s gonna let me out of here tomorrow. I can’t wait to see you. I miss you and our hearty breakfasts. Thinking about your cooking has given me something to really look forward to once I get sprung from this joint. I really hate being confined to a hospital bed and feeling like an invalid, not that I’ll be of much use to you for a while.”
“That’s wonderful news.”
Grace wondered if she should tell him the truth or if there was any way she could repair the house enough in time to bring him home. She didn’t want him to see all the boarded-up windows, bullet holes, broken doors, and blood stains. And, as much as she wanted Moss to be able to spend his first night out of the hospital in his own bed, she wasn’t sure how she felt about going back into the house.
“Are you okay, Grace?”
She had only spoken several sentences, but clearly Moss had detected something. She had never been able to hide anything from him, so generally she didn’t even try.
“There’s been a little damage to the house.”
“Manmade?”
“It’s a long story, and I don’t want you to worry. I’m okay, and so are all the animals.”
“You’re all that really matters, but are you in the clear? There’s still an officer outside my door.”
“I think so, but I’ll know for sure in about twenty-four hours. Charlotte is declining fast. If my suspicions are verified, someone really jumped the gun, and all the tragedy has been for nothing. Not that anything or any amount of money justifies what has been done and what has been lost.”
“I’m sorry, Grace.”
“Moss, I’m not going back. I can’t. Dr. Clark is fine, but I don’t want to ever be responsible for bringing something this horrible to the doorstep of my friends, family, and neighbors again. I’m not sure I can put this behind me.”