Grafted into Deceit

by Sherri Wilson Johnson

  Ginger joined her on the porch, gun drawn. “Because somebody doesn’t want the marijuana found. They’ve got a lot of money invested in this crop. Stand back. Do you give me permission to open the lock?”

  Marina stepped behind Ginger. “Absolutely. Do whatever you have to.” She needed to find out if marijuana was indeed growing in there. If so, she couldn’t wait to find out who was behind this outrageous violation of every relationship rule she’d ever known. “Wait! Should we take a photo of the lock or call Steven or something?”

  Ginger backed away and sighed, seeming irritated that Marina was slowing down her discovery. “Take a picture with your phone. Then stand back.”

  Pulling her phone from her pocket, Marina snapped a picture of the lock. At least her phone was good for something around here. She covered her ears with her hands.

  Ginger shot the lock off the door then reached for the doorknob. “We need to be cautious. Whoever is growing the drugs may have sensors in here that’ll go off when we enter. They also may not have worn gloves or wiped away their fingerprints, so we can’t destroy the integrity of any evidence.”

  Marina swallowed hard to push down the knot of doubt which formed in her throat. “I’m scared, Ginger. I should call Steven before we go in.”

  Ginger holstered her gun and wiped the sweat off her upper lip. “Okay.”

  Marina slouched. “We’ll have to go back to the office and use the landline unless your cell or radio works. Mine doesn’t work out here.”

  Ginger pulled her phone from her pocket and examined the screen. “No bars. But my two-way will work.”

  Marina paced and kicked at the dirt as Ginger radioed for help. The birds and squirrels sought shelter in their nests.

  “What do you mean you’re at Acres and Fields?” Steven’s voice bellowed through the radio.

  Marina’s heart danced, and relief washed over her although the anger in Steven’s tone reverberated through the air. Her protector was okay, he was concerned about her, and he’d be there soon.

  “You were supposed to take the witness home. How is she?”

  Ginger rubbed her forehead. “She’s secure. She’s right here beside me. I brought her here to check on an order which wasn’t delivered according to her business partner.”

  “You should’ve called us first. Steele, you could have walked into a trap.”

  “I’m sorry, Detective. I didn’t think.”

  “That’s right. You didn’t think. Don’t leave her side until I get there.”

  “Yes, sir.” Ginger ended the conversation with the detective and motioned for Marina to follow her. “Let’s get back into the woods and hide in case someone comes.”

  Marina found her refuge on the leaf-covered ground behind an oak tree that must have been standing for at least a century. Soon the police would surround the house, and Steven would have the answers he’d been searching for over the last few months.

  His victory meant defeat for Marina, but she didn’t care. She’d rejoice for him. If anyone deserved a triumph, he did. Besides, the lies and betrayal had to stop. She’d rather have everything exposed and be without a company than to hide behind the denial she’d been in since Friday.

  Maybe once the case was closed, they could spend time together and explore their obvious connection. The connection went beyond Mark. It went beyond this case.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Marina monitored the clock on her phone as Ginger kept watch on the house from the edge of the woods. In the five minutes since Ginger had contacted the authorities, ice replaced Marina’s blood in her veins. If the police took another ten or fifteen minutes to arrive, she’d be frozen from fear and the betrayal.

  Who’d betrayed her? Iris? Mack? Their employees? Had Mack fooled Iris and then made her transfer the money to an account he could use to fund his operation? Marina pressed against the tree and slid to the ground, too weary to stand any longer.

  A tree branch snapped in the woods on the other side of the house. She drew her legs to her chest and held her breath. Ginger, gun drawn, placed her index finger over her lips to signal Marina to remain silent. Then she signaled for her to stay put and pointed to the ground. Ginger was going to investigate even though Steven told her not to leave her.

  Marina hugged her legs tighter against her chest and squeezed her eyes shut. Her scattered thoughts prevented her from praying. They wouldn’t have made sense to God anyway. Instead, she whispered, “Jesus, Jesus, Jesus.” She could say no more.

  She waited like a rabbit caught in a snare for another couple of minutes until fire ants of terror crawled through her entire body. Where was Ginger? Something must be wrong. She’d been killed or knocked out and wasn’t coming back for her.

  And where was Steven? Why were they taking so long to get there?

  She looked both ways and darted for the porch. Would she ever get there? Even though her lungs burned and she almost collapsed, she reached the house without crashing to the ground, breaking her ankle, or being shot by someone. Leaning against the door until she could breathe, she surveyed her surroundings and made sure no one pursued her. Channeling all her strength, she flung the door open with closed eyes, ran inside and then slammed the door shut behind her.

  The heat threatened to melt her skin off, and the foul odor gagged her provoking the worst heaving she’d ever experienced. When she opened her eyes, bright lights glared back at her. Row after row of aluminum rolling benches with marijuana plants growing in them filled the inside of Greenhouse X. Water tanks sat underneath each bench with tubes flowing to each plant tray. Oscillating fans hung from the ceiling and distributed circulation to all the crops.

  Acres and Fields Nursery was home to a sophisticated marijuana operation.

  Marina spotted a cordless phone on the wall beside the door and snatched it off the hook then moved closer to the benches to verify her suspicions. She didn’t know much about illegal drugs, but this was marijuana, without a doubt.

  She’d call Iris to find out the truth or to warn her, but her first responsibility was calling Steven. Taking a step back from the plants so as not to damage any of the evidence, she fell to her knees on the floor in front of the rolling benches. Unable to grasp the truth of what she’d discovered, she rested her forehead against the cold edge of a bench.

  No longer would she let these people take advantage of her. They wouldn’t win.

  She slipped her cell phone out of her pocket and retrieved Steven’s number. With the little bit of strength she had left, she dialed him from the cordless phone. Although choked by her tears and imprisoned by a constricted throat, Marina managed to blurt out what she’d found as soon as he answered her call. “I found the marijuana.”

  “Marina? Are you sure?”

  She directed her gaze upward to the plants and coughed in disgust. “Oh, I’m sure.”

  “Where are you and Ginger now?”

  “Ginger went into the woods when we heard a strange sound. I ran into the old abandoned house for safety. That’s when I found the drugs.”

  “The greenhouse is an old abandoned house?”

  “Yes, the guy who owned the property before me used to live here. Where are you?”

  “We just pulled into the property. Where’s the house?”

  “It’s all the way in the—hello? Steven? Steven!” The line went dead. Marina hit the redial button, but the call went straight to his voicemail. His cell must have lost reception. She dropped the phone, and it tumbled to the ground.

  She screamed and allowed herself to release the tears she’d held in for hours. Then instead of relenting to the insanity, she pulled up off the floor and drew in a few quick breaths. Flipping off the lights, she limped on her now throbbing ankle through what used to be the living room toward the back of the house to the kitchen. Sunlight filtering in through the skylights that had been cut into the ceiling prevented her from hiding all the way, but at least without the lights, she had the advantage.

  Exh
austion and anxiety fought for Marina’s sanity. Could she keep battling them? She had no choice. She had to prepare for whatever waited outside that door. If she survived, she’d have to prove to the police she didn’t authorize those shipments of marijuana or its growth. Going to jail for trafficking drugs was not an option nor was taking the fall for something Mack or Iris had done.

  Iris might not know anything about the marijuana, though. Mack could be responsible for that. But still, Iris had betrayed her.

  Marina wrapped her arms around her legs for security and rocked. This must be punishment for living her life as she wanted, for not taking time out of her schedule to go to church. God was bringing her business—and her along with it—to its knees.

  “God, what do you expect from me? I’m not perfect, but I’m innocent in this situation.” She closed her eyes and covered her face with her hands, beyond full capacity to deal with anything else. Abandoned, victimized, and struggling to believe this would ever end, she cried out, “God, I need you to rescue me. If you care about me, save me!”

  ***

  Steven and John each exited the vehicle with guns drawn. They rejoined each other on the sidewalk to the office of Acres and Fields Nursery. Officer Steele’s gray Mazda sat in the parking space closest to the door, empty.

  Steven stepped up to the front door, pulled on it, and scowled when it opened. Marina should’ve locked the door. She’d forgotten one of the most important rules of safety. He groaned. She should be home right now and not here.

  Once inside, he and John inched their way across the sunlit lobby. “Her office is back here.”

  “You think she’s in here? They were in one of the greenhouses.” John slid down the left side of the hallway while Steven slid his way down the right side.

  Steven nodded. “Yeah, but she could have come back here to wait for us.” The offices were empty. “Next stop, the greenhouses.”

  “They didn’t say which one, right?”

  “No, but Marina said something about being in an abandoned house all the way in the something, so I assume she means all the way in the back of the property. It’d make sense the drugs would be hidden away.” He located the back door and popped it open with caution. The cool afternoon air took his breath away.

  He and John pressed their bodies against the building and assessed their surroundings. Steven took a step away from the wall and flinched when a man lunged at him from around the side of the building and slammed into him. His gun spiraled out of his hand, and he scrambled to retrieve it. When the man rammed him in his wounded shoulder, Steven sunk to his knees with a whimper, but not before he recognized the mountainous Mack Jarvis as his attacker.

  John hollered, “Freeze,” but Jarvis bolted behind one of the pallets of mulch and took off for the woods.

  Steven doubled over in agony. “That was Jarvis, Iris’s husband. Go after him!”

  John pivoted toward him. “You’re okay?”

  He waved him away. “Yes, just go! I’ll find Marina and Ginger.”

  Steven pushed to his feet and squeezed his eyes shut. The pain in his shoulder sucked the breath out of his lungs, but it wouldn’t keep him from finding the women. Their lives could be in peril right now, and every minute counted.

  His thoughts spun out of control. Jarvis was supposed to be out of town with Iris. If he was here, Iris must be too. Although he couldn’t yet guarantee Jarvis knew of the marijuana, his suspicions had been right all along that he at least was protecting someone. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have come after him.

  Steven kept his gun drawn and never let his gaze linger on one spot for more than a few seconds. He stomped through the gravel parking lot in the back of the building to the greenhouse area. Gravel pathways led deeper into the property. He should find the women by following one of these.

  Making his way through the maze of greenhouses took him several minutes, and when he spotted the worn path into the woods, he leaned back and directed his gaze to the cloudless November sky. “Thank you, Lord, for leading me safely this far. Now please help me find Marina.”

  Although his shoulder burned like the gunshot was fresh, he ignored the pain and focused his energy on traversing the path to whatever waited in the woods. Gunfire rang out, and he pulled his two-way out of his pocket.

  “John, you okay?”

  Thirty seconds crawled by without an answer. Had John lost his life because Steven had been too weak and injured to go after the lying Jarvis?

  “John, answer me!”

  Finally, the silence broke. “I’ve apprehended Jarvis. He admitted to being the passenger in the truck. Won’t admit to being the shooter or connected to the drugs,” John answered with labored breathing.

  “Good job! I’m coming up on an abandoned house right now. By the smell of things, we’ve hit the jackpot. I’ll report in a few.”

  Steven jammed the two-way into his pocket, gripped his gun, and inched toward the building ready to defend Marina if someone had already gotten to her.

  Steven twisted the knob and pushed the door open while remaining out of the trajectory of any potential in route bullets. The stench of marijuana burned his nostrils, and the heat from inside drove beads of sweat out of his pores. The lights were out, but the building appeared to have sufficient illumination via the skylights in the roof. He eased his way through the open doorway and flattened against the wall until his vision acclimated to the change in light.

  “Steven?”

  His heartbeat quickened. “Marina?”

  “Is that you?” Her small voice trembled like a child’s.

  “It’s me. Where are you?”

  Before he could focus all his attention on his surroundings, Marina smashed into him, grabbed his face, and kissed first one of his cheeks and then the other in obvious desperation.

  Without hesitation and with impassioned energy, he captured her mouth with his then seized her waist with confidence almost like his arms had spent the last ten years holding her. She reciprocated his kisses as he drew her even closer to him. If he never had to let her go, there’d be no protest from him.

  Too quick for his liking, a breathless Marina released his mouth, wrapped her arms around his neck, and squeezed until they almost lost their balance and fell to the floor. “Thank you for coming.”

  He holstered his gun and took her head in his hands. He examined every inch of her face for injury. “I said I would.” Finding no lacerations, he caressed her cheeks with his thumbs.

  “I know, but I thought whoever Ginger went after would get to me before you found me. When the door flew open, it sucked out the last bit of my security. I’m so glad it was you.”

  “Me too.” He let his hands fall to his sides and blew out a breath of relief. “Did Ginger come back?”

  “No.”

  “I told her not to leave you.” He tugged his two-way out of his pocket and pressed the call button. “John, I found Marina. Officer Steele isn’t here. We’re in the old house covered with ivy and overgrown trees at the end of the path behind the greenhouses.”

  He pulled his gaze from Marina’s sweat-and-tear-stained face and surveyed the space. “There’s a complete manufacturing operation going on in here.”

  “I’ll send backup to your location. They arrived at the nursery a few minutes ago. I’ll look for Steele.”

  Steven scowled at Marina. “Why are you here?”

  “Iris asked me to check on an order that didn’t get delivered Saturday. But I checked, and it did.” She veiled her eyes with her left hand. “The company said they never called about their order.”

  Steven squinted. “What company was it?”

  “Jackson Florist.”

  “Jackson Florist? That’s the florist who sent the flowers to you at the hospital.” He punched his left palm with his right fist and gritted his teeth.

  Marina shuddered and shoved her hair out of her face. “It’s all connected, isn’t it?”

  “I’m afraid so.”

 
She placed her hand on his right shoulder. “Steven, you’re bleeding.”

  He turned his head and raised his arm, so he could see the injury. “Yeah, your buddy Jarvis slammed into me, and I’m guessing it reopened my wound.”

  “Mack?” Marina’s eyes filled with tears.

  A vice imprisoned Steven’s heart. He never wanted her to cry again.

  She continued, “He’s back in town? And he’s behind all this?”

  “Looks like it. John apprehended him. Let’s sit and rest a minute, okay?” He kicked the door shut and led her to a shadowy area in the corner. They lowered their weary bodies to the hardwood floor and waited for the officers. He rubbed the back of his neck and fought the impulse to take her into his arms again.

  Marina squeezed her hands together. “I feel awful for Iris. I bet Mack forced her to transfer that money.”

  “I understand you hope she’s not involved, but it looks like she is.”

  Marina chewed on her bottom lip and avoided his gaze. “She told me she has a gambling addiction, and that’s why she transferred the money. She’s probably lying to protect Mack.”

  “Gambling? When did she tell you this?”

  Marina raised her gaze to meet his, locking their thoughts together. “Yesterday, I think. She begged me not to tell you. Said it had nothing to do with whatever was going on.”

  Steven’s face warmed. “Well, no matter why she did it, she still stole money from your company, and she needs to be prosecuted.”

  Marina scrubbed her face with her hands and moaned. “She needs help not prosecution.”

  He shook his head and turned from her. This stubborn woman with a heart as big as Stone Mountain was still in denial.

  “What did I say?” She grabbed his arm and forced him to look at her.

  “You’re still not going to help me, are you?”

  She jumped to her feet and backed away. “Help you? Don’t you have all the evidence you need now?”