The Beginning (Whispering Pines Book 1)
Page 39
Chapter 20
Max Pary, sitting behind the secretary’s desk at the Beaver Dam project office, watched patiently as Thompson paced back and forth. When he could stand it no more, he snapped, “Would you sit down, Thompson? You are driving me nuts.”
Thompson plopped down in a chair and said, “Well I don’t like this. Why bring the Sheriff into the picture? Are you sure he can be trusted?”
“Shut up, Thompson.” Pary growled. “I don’t pay you to think. I know what I’m doing.”
A car pulled into the parking lot. Thompson jumped to the window and peered out. “It’s Brooks. He’s here.”
A moment later Walt Brooks stormed into the office, glared at Thompson, and then turned to Pary. “We just talked last night, Max. What do you want this time?”
Pary motioned for him to sit but Walt shook his head. “I’m not going to be here but a second. I have work to do. Now you talk fast or I’m going to...”
Brooks stopped cold when he saw the change in expression on Pary’s face. Pary leaned forward and said, “Walt? I got a call from a Judge in Macon this afternoon. The court restraining order is back and we can’t close the gates on the project. Blake Squires proved his partnership in the land deal with Veal.”
Brooks shrugged. “So? What has that got to do with me?”
“It has everything to do with you, Walt. I’m going to tell you how we will handle this new situation. Got it?”
Brooks threw his hands into the air and cried, “You don’t give me orders, Pary. I told you that last night.”
Max pointed at a chair and growled, “You will sit down...shut up... and do as I tell you. Do you understand me, Walt? I think it’s time you heard what’s been going on here for the past few weeks.”
Brooks plopped into a chair and Pary started talking. Fifteen minutes later, Brooks jumped to his feet and glared across the desk at Max Pary. He slammed his fist down and shouted, “Pary? What have you done? You think I can cover for you on a murder rap as wide open as this?”
Pary waved a hand in the air. “Matt Veal was going to stop the whole project so I had to get him out of the picture.”
Brooks’ eyes bulged in disbelief. He opened his mouth to speak but the words would not come. “Walt? Don’t try bucking my family. Let’s not forget who paid those hospital bills when your mother was sick and died. You’d be bankrupt right now otherwise.”
Brooks’ eyes lost some of their fire. He whimpered, “I can’t protect you, Max. I’ll have to explain too many loose ends if the state were to come in and investigate. I just can’t pull rabbits out of a hat.”
Pary sat back in disgust. “Walt? I’ve owned you for a long time and you don’t even know it. You owe me and in more ways than you realize. I need your help and I need it now or the whole world is going to blow up in our faces.”
Brooks laughed. “I owe you? Are you sure about that? I might owe your Aunt a great deal but I don’t even think she would go along with what you’ve done already.”
Pary leaned forward in his chair, “Walt? I have information about you and that girl you caught hitch hiking through town last year.”
Brooks’ eyes came up suddenly and his face paled. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
Pary grinned, “You didn’t think anybody knew? Oh, but I know. I can take you to Harlow road where, about fifty feet into the swamp, there’s a shallow grave and in that grave is the body of a runaway girl from Florida. You killed her, Walt. You raped her and then choked her to death. “
Brooks, a look of desperation on his face, said nothing. Pary played the ace up his sleeve. He added, “I know Walt. A witness came to me for money. It was blackmail and Anderson pushed him into the chipper one morning just a few weeks ago.”
Brooks was stunned. “Do what? He was pushed? Thompson and Anderson said that was an accident.”
Max grinned widely. “That’s the way it was intended to look. Now, you are going to help me get rid of Chuck Veal and his friends, including that ex-deputy of yours, Bill Jacobs. You help us out here and I’ll be sure nobody else has any accidents or finds out about your taste for rape and murder.”
Brooks felt the walls caving in around him. He thought his secret was safe including all the pay offs for allowing the airplane loads of narcotics to land at the county airport.
“I’m a generous man, Walt. I’ve taken care of the one witness that could get you the chair. If you don’t believe it then let’s go take a little ride and I’ll show you. I’ve kept quiet while you’ve taken money under the table on other matters as well.”
Brooks whispered, “Do we have to kill them all?”
Pary nodded. “I see no way out of it. Blake Squires could wreck the whole thing with those papers he sent to the judge. I played innocent when the judge called this afternoon. I told him I had no idea Squires was a partner. I told him that I hadn’t seen any land records on the matter that included Blake Squires.”
Brooks nodded. Pary went on, “Now where did he get those papers? I took his copies from his office and I had Matt’s safe hidden. One of those jerks must have figured out we had switched the safe and somehow they found it. Chuck, I will assume, would have known the combination.”
Brooks was shocked. “How do you know this?”
Pary smiled. “I’ve got connections around town, Walt, and the people who owe me and keep me out of the dark.”
Brooks shuddered. “I can’t understand why they have to be killed. Why not just Squires?”
Pary said slowly, “Chuck Veal knows too much and his lady friend is a witness. Jacobs is a troublemaker so we can’t leave him plundering about. They all have to go. I’ve taken care of the first one, Chuck Veal, already. He will be dead before the night is over, I promise you.”
“What about the others?” Brooks asked weakly.
“You will take care of Squires and Jacobs for me.”
“I can’t do that. How could I get away with killing somebody like Jacobs? He’s a lawman, Max.”
Pary leaned back and said, “Let me tell you all about the regrettable incident that is going to happen at the jail tonight during a breakout.”
Brooks stammered, “Why there at the jail? My deputies‑ how can I...”
Pary interrupted. “Most of your deputies, Brooks, work for me. I had to have it that way.”
Brooks snapped, “You’ve had me watched for a long time, haven’t you?”
Pary grinned slyly.