Desolation Point

by Lisa Phillips

  Ellie watched him leave.

  “What do you think?” He held out his hand and helped her to her feet.

  She sighed. “I think he should have done this years ago. Before it got this bad.”

  “Twenty-twenty hindsight?”

  “I don’t have that luxury,” she said. “I’m in the middle of this, and it’s happening now.”

  She said goodbye to her father and made sure the sheriff had someone watching his room. In the end, her boss promised to take care of it himself. Drew watched the disagreement war across her face.

  As soon as they left the front doors of the hospital, he called Mark and asked for someone federal to come stand as protection over Will Maxwell. Turned out he knew of an agent on assignment in the area. A man Drew knew as well, from the Northwest Counter Terrorism Taskforce. Mark was going to have the guy—a US marshal, Salvador Alvarez—head over now, since nothing was happening on his other case.

  When he told her, the look on Ellie’s face was far more rewarding than the cost of him calling in another favor.

  Would this be over before he ran out?

  She sat with her eyes closed while he drove. Thankfully his swollen knee was on the left, so he could still drive. It was wrapped. The damage wasn’t permanent. Like Ellie, he would heal.

  Could the town say the same thing?

  He pulled up across the other side of the street where Barb lived, able to see the house but not so close she’d see them if she looked out the window. Night air moved the trees. They swayed back and forth, shifting leaves down the middle of the street like a child’s game where balls collide against each other.

  The sheriff’s department receptionist owned a white compact car. It was parked in the driveway. Had this been any other job, he’d have snuck over there and felt the hood to see how long she’d been home. Then he would creep around the house to get a look inside to see what she was up to.

  Working with Ellie wasn’t a chore. He had to work within the boundaries of the law either way. But there were definitely fewer restrictions on him—or at least that was the understanding he had with Mark’s boss.

  Ellie’s soft snores filled the cab. He glanced over for a second. She didn’t look comfortable, but sleep was healing. He wasn’t going to wake her up. At least, he hadn’t planned on it.

  Until he saw movement.

  Drew squeezed her knee and turned on the engine. She came awake along with the car. They could follow a certain distance, but eventually they’d be seen and they’d have to switch to pursuing Barb on foot.

  Ellie shifted in her seat and let out a moan.

  “Sorry.” He didn’t like that she was hurting.

  “What is it?”

  He waited until Barb turned the corner, and then he pulled out. She’d been glancing around. Scurrying on her black shoes along the sidewalk like she didn’t want to be seen.

  “She’s on the move. And she wants to keep it a secret.”

  “Going to meet someone?”

  Drew said, “Let’s follow her and find out.”

  Chapter 14

  Ellie’s heart squeezed as they drove after her. Actually, it felt more like it did a flip in her chest. How could Barb betray them all this way? How could she willingly work with whoever was intimidating people? It was possible she’d been pressured. Coerced into helping them by spying on the sheriff’s department she’d faithfully served for almost as long as Ellie had been alive.

  Yes, that had to be it.

  Drew said, “He could be mistaken.”

  “If he is,” Ellie said, “then we should never have left my father at the hospital. Not even for one second, and not even with the protection he has.”

  “They don’t have everyone on their payroll.” Drew turned a corner, the truck crawling. Keeping a good distance behind Barb. “That isn’t possible. You and I would both have realized something was wrong long before this if that were the case.”

  His voice was as dark as the cab of the truck. He’d turned the headlights off. A natural move, as though he was accustomed to this kind of clandestine operation. Which of course, he was. Ellie was the one out of her element.

  Not much call for surveillance in such a small town. The receptionist’s murder was the only one they’d had in Malvern County in nearly six years—and it had been ruled a suicide.

  She wanted to go into the office and pull up case files for all the deaths in the county over that amount of time. See if there were any inconsistencies, any “accidental” rulings that could be anything but. Maybe the sheriff had been covering for them this whole time.

  And her father’s part in it all? She wanted to believe Drew’s father hadn’t chosen to leave him. But if that was the truth of what had happened, then that meant her own father had suppressed evidence. Betrayed the oath he’d sworn to uphold the law.

  Drew turned a corner, still following Barb. She was striding down the sidewalk at a pretty fast clip. She had told Ellie many times about her morning power walks. This wasn’t what Ellie had been thinking of. It was after midnight, so technically she supposed it was “morning.”

  How long could they go before Barb heard the car and they had to pass her to convince her they weren’t following? Maybe she was focused and wouldn’t notice. But even that wouldn’t last much longer.

  “So you think the sheriff is in on this?”

  Ellie bit her lip. “I don’t think it’s all or nothing.” She remembered her dad’s words about gray areas. She’d have condemned any of them—all of them—for taking part in any bit of it, but she didn’t know the facts. She didn’t know what had been done to them. The ways they had suffered.

  She’d thought she was alone in her pain. Instead, the truth was that every one of them had been suffering. Ellie had been so blinded by her own problems, that she hadn’t seen it. She’d probably been a horrible friend and knew she’d been a horrible daughter. It was a wonder any of them had given her any kind of acceptance or love. She certainly hadn’t deserved it.

  She fought through the cloud to say, “I would be more worried about my dad if he hadn’t mentioned the sheriff before I did. He’s the one who told us Burgess was being leaned on. Forced to comply, or at least stay quiet. And if I hadn’t given my dad my backup weapon.”

  Drew’s head whipped around. “You gave a man on pain meds a loaded gun?”

  “It’s his.” Obviously she’d given it to him. He needed to protect himself when she couldn’t be there. She said, “What?”

  Drew pushed out a heavy breath and went to say something but hesitated and pulled out his phone instead. “Text,” he said. “My guy Alvarez is there. The sheriff left when he showed up. After he checked the guy’s credentials.”

  Ellie’s eyes were on Barb but she nodded, wondering where the sheriff left to go to. Back to the office? Or somewhere else…like the same place he’d effectively sent them. To where Barb was headed.

  His foot tapped the brake, and he pulled to the curb. “She turned a corner.”

  Whether this was a trap or not, did it matter? Either way, they would get answers. Her dad would be safe. This would be done. Frustration welled up in her. “Let’s go.”

  He laid a hand on her arm. “We can’t rush. We have to follow her in a way she doesn’t see us.”

  “And you’re the pro at this?” Maybe she hadn’t given him any indication that she knew how to follow. Or that she could do it as well as she led.

  “Ellie.”

  “Go.” This was important. She wasn’t going to do something that messed things up. “I’ll be right behind you.”

  He shut the door on his side quietly. Ellie pulled back right before she slammed it and did the same. She slid her weapon from its holster and checked it. Loaded. Safety on.

  Drew glanced once at her, and they crossed the street. His steps were almost silent. She felt like a trainee officer behind him, even though she had years of service under her belt. That was the difference between a small county sheriff’s depa
rtment and federal agencies. Private security and investigations, and local crime. Big city problems bled through here. But it was different.

  She wanted to thank him for coming. For being here with her, supporting her in a way no one else was doing. Or had ever done.

  And maybe that was because she’d never let them. She hadn’t even let God comfort her. She’d just gotten angry and walked away from everything she’d believed. Everything she had leaned on after her mother died. What she’d given up after college. Faith was like this on-again/off-again thing she couldn’t seem to get traction on.

  They raced to catch up.

  At the end of the alley, Barb turned the corner toward the elementary school.

  This time of night the place would be locked. Was that where she was going, or was Barb headed somewhere else? Cold moved through her as she contemplated—again—the idea this was a trap. At the end of the day, though, she’d rather it was her and Drew than anyone else in danger. They made a good team. A great team, actually.

  Whatever happened tonight, they would face it together.

  He slowed at the end of the alley and put his back to the wall, then turned to look around the corner. She watched him until she was sure he’d absorbed everything, then took a second to say, “Thank you.”

  He didn’t move. Didn’t turn to acknowledge her words. Just said, “You’re welcome,” in a low voice. Soft with the comfort of knowing they were together. Neither of them wanting to do this alone. “She’s going into the school.” He scanned all directions.

  Ellie checked the alley behind them. “We’re clear to follow?”

  “She has a key.”

  And when she let go of the door to walk down the hallway, Barb was going to let it click shut behind her. The door would be locked again. There would be no way into the school without breaking a window or door in, and setting off some kind of alarm.

  Drew evidently realized the same thing—they’d both gone to school here. He dashed out and raced for the school.

  Ellie lifted her weapon and scanned. She would provide cover, since he was completely exposed out there running for the entrance Barb had used.

  She saw no one.

  Drew grabbed the door at the last second, before it closed. He stood beside it with his hand between the door and the frame.

  She hoped Barb didn’t look back. Or go back to check and see if the door had properly latched.

  For the first time in a long time, Ellie prayed.

  . . .

  They walked the halls of the elementary school together. Ready to face the threat together. Drew knew she felt it too. Why else would she have thanked him, except for the fact they were both here? He’d never had a partner before. This kind of support felt nice.

  Only, would it feel like this if it were anyone else here with him? Drew wasn’t sure it would.

  Still, his thoughts roiled. Better than acknowledging how much it hurt to run.

  It had occurred to him that her father may have simply felt guilty for his involvement in what happened to Drew’s dad. Or what he’d done. Murder or suicide, Will Maxwell felt the impact of the death of one of the citizens of Malvern County. And possibly his culpability—to whatever extent that reached.

  He’d helped Drew that night out of guilt, probably. Maybe that was the only reason he’d done it. Sure, Drew’s life had been better as a result. Infinitely better, in fact, after he’d gone to live with Eric and Alma. If he was given the opportunity, Drew would thank the man for arranging it. So he had to face the fact that it was a good thing. Despite the reason behind it.

  Realizing the man hadn’t done it just to help, but also because he’d caused it in part…

  Drew blew out a breath and forced his mind to focus on what was happening right now; Barb and the school. A meeting. A trap. Either way, he needed his full attention on this and not on a conversation he could have later.

  He took a breath, feeling the restrictions of the protective vest he wore. After Ellie had been shot, he’d put his on. She’d switched hers out for another he had, a spare that was far too big for her, but she’d cinched it all the way tight. Once a vest had been impacted with a bullet, it lost its efficacy. A fact, but a sober one that meant one of them had been shot already today.

  God, protect us. Keep us safe so we can unravel this.

  He’d prayed many times during operations. Sometimes God was the only “good” he got to talk to, mired in the dark underbelly of society most people never saw. It hardly surprised him that even his home town had a shadowy side—people manipulating others for their own gain.

  Help us bring it all to light.

  That was his job. To wade into the darkness, grab hold of it and haul it back out to face the light. He had skills. He had training. He had experience. But it was God who brought the victory every time. It was God who shored up the places he was weak and gave him the grace to facilitate justice in the world.

  Barb had disappeared into the gym, one that doubled as a lunchroom. This was a small school despite it being the only one in the county. Kids were bussed in from all over Malvern to come here. And they never even knew that this place, which should be safe for them to come and learn, was being used for something entirely more sinister.

  The realization moved through him at the same time Ellie tapped his shoulder. He stepped to the side with her, and he saw what she meant. The classroom. When the divider was open, it was the stage in the auditorium. When the divider was closed, it was a classroom.

  They snuck in. It was pitch black except for a security light, high on the wall. The exit sign at the other end. Without that, he’d have tripped over a chair. And that pile of books.

  Ellie shifted between two music stands, turning sideways. The way she moved was like a dance. He could have watched her all day. But that attraction wasn’t going to help here. And neither would it aid in his resolve.

  Though, if he were honest, that was rapidly disintegrating. He wanted her in his life. Partners. The full, God-given, realization of what that meant.

  Another conversation for later, considering where they were—and the fact he’d hesitated to bring a woman into the life he lived. On the road for weeks on end. Constant danger. Keeping secrets because he’d signed non-disclosure agreements.

  They crept to the divider, a partition that could be slid back. Probably the same one that had hung here back when he and Ellie went to school.

  Ellie knelt at the side, all the way to the left, and peered through the gap between the divider and the wall. Drew looked above her, shifting his weight to take the pressure off his screaming knee. The floor in the auditorium was four feet below the stage and stretched out to the basketball hoop at the other end.

  In the center, a group of people were gathered. They were too far away for Drew to hear what was being said, but given the gesturing, he’d say there was some dissension in the group. One man wasn’t happy. Barb tried to reassure him, but he shook his head. Wouldn’t listen. Deputy Coughlan stood at the edge of the gathering, arms crossed.

  He could hear each intake of Ellie’s breath, along with his own as they watched. Waited. But then she wasn’t just breathing. She gasped. Her whisper hit his ears. “Laney.”

  Drew found her among the group. Ellie’s best friend was here, among the six people gathered.

  She was one of them.

  Drew could hardly believe it. He reached down and set his hand on her shoulder. There was nothing he could say, not without being heard. She’d already risked their lives whispering her friend’s name.

  The door at the end flung open.

  He squeezed Ellie’s shoulder and then let go. Laney. Barb. The other three, apart from the sheriff’s deputy, were men of differing ages, but he couldn’t be sure who they were. The biggest realization was that the sheriff wasn’t among them.

  Two more men entered, rough looking guys. Could be the two men with the truck who’d been paid to hurt Ellie, but he’d thought they were in custody. They drag
ged another man between them. He hung limp in their grasp, and Drew thought he might have caught blood dripping on the floor.

  They let go of him in the center of the group, and the man hit the floor. He groaned.

  Still alive, then.

  More arguing began, some loud enough he could hear the words echo to them.

  “…to do!”

  “…out of control!”

  Laney and Barb were about as happy as the men. Drew tried to gauge who was in charge from their body language, but couldn’t tell. Maybe the man to the left. Older, wearing a suit. Or was it just the arrogance in his bearing that made Drew think that? He couldn’t be sure.

  Neither could he be sure who the guy was. He knew what the mayor looked like and didn’t think he was here. He’d never met the rest—the bank manager and other county employees who Laney, of all people, had suggested as candidates. He didn’t know what they looked like. Maybe Ellie could ID the players here.

  Things weren’t going the way the group wanted them to. Too much attention being drawn to them? Too much heat from Ellie that they hadn’t dealt with. She wasn’t going to accept being silenced.

  Laney knew that.

  And if she’d told them, their only conclusion would be that Ellie had to be silenced permanently.

  The suited guy strode to the downed man and used a grip on his hair to lift the man’s head. Simon Mills. He was here, and he’d been beaten before he was dragged in. His hands were bound, not that he looked to be in any position to put up a fight.

  Whatever agreement the conman had drawn up with this group, they weren’t satisfied. Maybe he’d taken steps to double cross them, rob them. That kind of stuff happened when someone got into business with a person whose livelihood came from defrauding people. Deceiving them.

  He wouldn’t be doing that much longer.

  The suited man drew a gun from the back of his belt and shot Simon Mills.