by Paty Jager
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It took a lot of fancy talking and concessions from Hawke and Ms. Rutledge, but they’d agreed to having Tonya call Bayle. She would tell him if he brought her twenty-thousand dollars she’d disappear and not tell anyone how she knew he’d paid Sheridan to kill White. She’d also promised to hand White’s research papers over to him.
Hawke also had to call Evelyn Gaines and ask her not to approach Bayle or let any whispers of the story she was writing about the contaminated water leak out. They needed the information to lynch Bayle. She was more than happy to sit on the story if it meant the man would get what he deserved.
Mathews and Hawke drove to the commune. They found Tonya working in the garden.
She smiled and walked toward them. “I forgot how fulfilling it was to work with dirt.”
“You look rested.” Hawke peered over her head. “How many are here?”
“About twenty. They kind of come and go throughout the day, so I’m not sure.” She led them over to a bucket of water with a ladle for drinking. “I like it here, but I’d like to go home. Have you locked Bayle up yet?”
Mathews shook his head. “That’s why we’re here. We need your help.”
She put the ladle down and stared at them. “How?”
“We, meaning us and the prosecuting attorney, would like you to call Bayle and tell him you want him to bring you twenty-thousand dollars. You’ll promise to disappear and not tell anyone you know he paid Sheridan to kill White and you will give him White’s research papers.”
She glanced back and forth between them. “You have all this information?”
“We know he had a meeting with Sheridan before you broke White out. He had to know what you were doing in order to get Sheridan sent to find him and kill him. But I think Sheridan was supposed to blame the killing on you, and he decided to try and get more money out of Bayle, which is what got him killed. Again, this is only speculation.” Hawke studied the woman. Why was she hesitating to do something she’d wanted all along?
“And Felix’s papers?” Her hands twisted together in a wringing motion.
“You know we have them. A friend of yours at the newspaper, Evelyn Gaines, is picking up the story. She’s holding it until we can get Bayle to come here to see you. We’ll be here to grab him when he pays you to keep you quiet. You’ll have a packet of copies of White’s research.”
Mathews stepped forward and put a hand on her arm. “We also have evidence that might prove he did kill your parents.”
Her head snapped up. “What did you find?”
“The original police report saying your parents’ car was sideswiped by a blue car. There are flecks of the blue paint in evidence. The prosecuting attorney is having it analyzed to see if it matches the type of car Bayle was driving that night.” Mathews dropped his hand. “We’ve done all this work for you. Will you help us catch Bayle?”
She nodded her head. “What do I need to do?”
Hawke pulled out a one-time use phone they’d brought with them and the list of demands.
Chapter Thirty-six
Hawke, a technician, and Ms. Rutledge sat in the state police van hidden in the trees behind the main house at the commune. Everyone but Tonya had been evacuated. Several troopers and county detectives were dressed in everyday clothes, meandering around the place as if doing jobs and enjoying themselves. There were listening devices and cameras in every room in the main house.
Tonya had sounded believable when she’d called Bayle on his private number, that Evelyn’s sister had given them. Bayle had said he’d meet her at three in the afternoon. She’d told him not to bring any of his bodyguards or she wouldn’t see him.
It was two. An hour until the man was to arrive, but they had wanted everyone in place to not alarm him if he sent someone to check things out before he arrived.
“You’re sure she’s going to be able to pull this off?” Rutledge asked Hawke again.
“She is very good at lying to people.” Something that nagged at him. She had done a lot of lying for a newspaper reporter trying to get a story. As far as he knew the legitimate ones, didn’t lie.
A voice in their headphones said, “There’s a car approaching. It’s stopping. A man in the back seat is getting out.”
“Someone make sure he doesn’t get to the main house,” Ms. Rutledge replied.
“Copy.”
“The car is proceeding. Looks like there is someone driving and someone in the passenger seat.” The voice added.
They’d also set-up a camera in a tree that gave them a view of where the car would park. The car came into view.
“I only see one person in the car,” Ms. Rutledge said. “Did it stop?”
“Someone is hiding. Probably going to sneak out once Bayle is in the house,” Hawke said.
“Make sure that man is contained,” the attorney said.
“Copy,” came another voice.
Bayle stepped out of the driver’s side of the vehicle with a backpack. It looked like he’d brought the money. Or at least made an effort to look like he did. Hawke wasn’t sure if the man would actually pay Tonya or try to kill her given the men he’d brought with him.
A couple of the undercover police waved at Bayle and continued hoeing and working in the garden patch.
A woman walked around the side of the house with a basket of laundry. “Welcome,” she said, smiling.
Bayle smiled back and continued up the steps to the front porch.
There was a woman detective in the house with Tonya. Hawke focused his attention to the two women as Bayle knocked on the front door.
The detective stepped into the kitchen. Tonya walked to the front door.
The door opened and Bayle stood for a moment staring at Tonya. “Ti—.”
“Get in and shut the door,” she cut him off.
He did as he was told and faced her. “You have the research papers?” His question wasn’t demanding, more inquisitive. As if he didn’t believe she had the incriminating file.
“Do you have the money?”
“How do I know you won’t show up in six months or a year and shake me down again? Because you apparently can’t be bought off.” He had the backpack slung over a shoulder.
Hawke was getting a lump in his gut. Something was off.
“You want me to sign a paper saying I won’t tell people how you had Sean kill Felix, then you paid someone to kill Sean.”
Hawke noticed the slightest rise of her eyebrow. Almost as if she was challenging Bayle. But what was she challenging him about?
Bayle dropped the pack down off his shoulder and shoved a finger at Tonya. “That’s why I thought the voice sounded familiar. You’re shaking me down to get paid twice.”
That’s when it clicked. Hawke couldn’t sit still.
“What’s wrong?” Ms. Rutledge asked.
“She killed Sheridan. I knew it but couldn’t figure it out.” Hawke wanted to arrest her, but knew he only had circumstantial evidence. What he couldn’t figure out was why she went along with this sting.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about. Show me the money and I’ll get the research papers.” She motioned to the backpack.
Bayle listened as if he expected his bodyguards to rush up the steps outside. When nothing happened, he unzipped the top of the pack and slid his hand in, instead of pulling the top back.
“No!” Hawke said as the man brought a gun out of the pack.
The detective in the kitchen shoved open the door, but before she could say “Police, drop the gun,” a shot rang out.
Hawke was shoving out of the van and charging toward the house. Everyone had headed to the house at a run at the sound of the shot.
He rushed through the open door and was surprised to see Tonya standing. It was Bayle wiggling on the ground whimpering. Tonya had a small caliber pistol in her hand.
Mathews ran over and took the weapon from her. Hawke moved behind her, cuffing her.
“What a
re you doing?” Mathews asked.
“She more or less admitted to killing Sheridan.” Hawke said, handing the woman over to one of the county detectives. “Hold her to stand trial in Wallowa County for the death of Sean Sheridan.”
Ms. Rutledge picked up the backpack and smiled. She pulled back the top and revealed stacks of one-hundred-dollar bills. Bayle had planned to pay her off. That was pretty good evidence that he wanted to keep his hiring Sheridan, the contaminated water, and the incarceration and killing of White out of the news.
Hawke pulled out his phone and dialed Evelyn Gaines. “You can run with your story. If you meet me for dinner, I’ll give you another story.”
Mathews stood in the middle of the living room with him. Everyone else had left, including the prosecuting attorney. “I can’t believe she killed Sheridan,” Mathews said.
“All of her lies were eating at me. You know what I think?” Hawke headed for the door.
“What?” Mathews trailed behind him.
“I think she has been trying a very long time to bring down Bayle.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because when we told her about the evidence yesterday, she didn’t act overjoyed or say she knew it all along. She only said she’d call Bayle. She wanted revenge on him, for something other than her parents. And when she opened the door, Bayle had a jolt of recognition. He started to call her something other than Tonya.” Hawke replayed the moment in his mind. “Ti. Tina! I bet Tonya worked at the Gentleman’s Club as Tina. Twila said Sheridan had asked about a Tina when he was in the club. He might have recognized her and that’s why he didn’t kill her with White.”
“Want to get a beer?” Mathews asked as they walked through the trees to where Hawke had parked his pickup with Dog.
“I have a dinner date. I’ll drop you off at your vehicle, have dinner, and head back to the county. I need to check in with my sergeant and take care of my horses.”
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Hawke and Dani were walking the path that ran from the side of Charlie’s Hunting Lodge around through the trees and came out by the shower house behind the lodge.
“It’s been a month since you tied up that business over in Idaho,” Dani said. “Can you talk about it now?”
He’d arrived that afternoon to spend the night and take Kitree out with him to spend a week with his mom.
“Yeah. Turns out the woman newspaper reporter we thought was on the side of good, was using us to bring down the man who not only killed her parents in a car accident but also canned her from a job she had to try and get information on him. She was legitimately trying to help the young man wrongly incarcerated by Bayle. She did all the planning to break the man out and get information to bring Bayle down. Only Bayle had other plans for the young man and sent a hitman after him. A man who couldn’t stop boasting. It turns out he knew the newspaper woman from when she’d danced at Bayle’s strip joint. But when he told her how much he’d received for killing the young man and how he had plans to use that against Bayle to get more money to set him up for life, she made him think she wouldn’t tell anyone and they’d go off together.” Hawke plucked new growth off a pine tree. “She in turn killed Sheridan. She wanted Bayle dead rather than just discredited and in jail.”
“No ‘hell hath no fury like a woman scorned’,” Dani quoted.
Hawke laughed. “Tell me about it! I don’t plan on ever making a woman that mad at me.”
She studied him a moment. “What about your ex-wife?”
“She got over her mad when her brother stole from her. But she still believes I shouldn’t have turned family in.” He sighed. “I can’t help it if I believe in justice.”
Dani wrapped an arm around his and leaned her head on his shoulder. “That’s one of the things I like about you.”
Hawke’s heart pounded in his chest. He could get real used to having this woman make his world seem right.
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Special Acknowledgements
I’d like to thank the Oregon State Police Fish and Wildlife division for allowing me to ride along with an officer to learn all the ins and outs of the job. Special thanks also go out to the Ada County Sheriff’s Office and Mercedes Christesen.
Author Comments
While this book is set in Wallowa County, Oregon, I have changed the town names to old forgotten towns that were in the county at one time. I also took the liberty of changing the towns up and populating the county with my own characters, none of which are in anyway a representation of anyone who is or has ever lived in Wallowa County. Other than the towns, I have tried to use the real names of all the geographical locations.
This book also has southern Idaho as the area that Hawke is working in. The towns were all kept the same, but any references to the characters in the area in the Idaho State Police, Ada County Sheriff’s Office, Boise City Police, and the Idaho Search and Rescue are all people and events made up by me. There is no correlation to anything factual.
Thank you for reading book four in the Gabriel Hawke Novels.
Continue investigating and tracking with Hawke as his series continues. If you missed his other books they are:
Murder of Ravens
Book 1
ISBN 978-1-947983-82-3
Mouse Trail Ends
Book 2
ISBN 978-1-947983-96-0
Rattlesnake Brother
Book 3
ISBN 978-1-950387-06-9
While you’re waiting for the next Hawke book, check out my Shandra Higheagle Mystery series.
Paty
About the Author
Paty Jager grew up in Wallowa County and has always been amazed by its beauty, history, and ruralness. After doing a ride-along with a Fish and Wildlife State Trooper in Wallowa County, she knew this was where she had to set the Gabriel Hawke series.
Paty is an award-winning author of 43 novels of murder mystery and western romance. All her work has Western or Native American elements in them along with hints of humor and engaging characters. She and her husband raise alfalfa hay in rural eastern Oregon. Riding horses and battling rattlesnakes, she not only writes the western lifestyle, she lives it.
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Thank you for purchasing this Windtree Press publication. For other books of the heart, please visit our website at www.windtreepress.com.
For questions or more information contact us at [email protected].
Windtree Press
www.windtreepress.com
Hillsboro, OR 97124
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