Deadly Secrets

The sun slowly rises in the clear blue sky. Birds chirp happily in the trees all around him. Jeff continues to trudge up his walkway, every muscle throbbing in pain. The four-mile walk felt like a thousand. I used to jog more than that, he thinks.

He looks over to find Julie's van isn't in the drive. She must've read my text and left. I better call and explain; otherwise, she'll worry herself to death. He pulls his phone from his pocket and then remembers it's dead. I'll have to call her later. He plods up the remaining steps. Tossing his keys on the table, he heads upstairs. Jeff hears shuffling behind him. He turns to find a gorilla of a man with a bat in his hands.

Jeff wakes a short time later to find he's tied to a kitchen chair. Two burly men are on either side.

"Hi, Jeffy baby." the first man says.

"Who are you, and how did you get into my house?" he asks, trying to break free.

"The better question is, what did I do to your wife and kids?

Jeff jumps to his feet. The restraints pull him down. With fire in his eyes, he grits his teeth and says, "You better not have hurt my girls."

"Relax, Jeffy baby, your daughters are fine, at least they are for now."

"And Julie?"

"She tried to stab me with a knife. So I had to teach her a lesson."

"What did you do to her? What?" Jeff yells, rising to his feet again.

"You better calm your ass down before you and your girls get it too."

Suppressing the anger boiling inside him, Jeff fearfully asks, "What do you want from me? What? What do I have to do to make you go away?"

"Just keep doing what you're doing, and your family will be alright."

Aggravated, Jeff tugs on his restraints. "So you're going to terrorize my girls until I pay my debt?"

"That's the whole idea."

"I'll do whatever he wants. Just please let my girls go."

The man shakes his head. "No can do, Jeffy baby. You, on the other hand, can go but know one screw-up, and your family is dead."

***

Joe steps into the squad room to find his two detectives working hard at their desks. I'm not late, am I? He glances at the clock and sees it's not quite 7:30. "Why are you guys here so early?" He questions, walking toward their desks.

Rachel glances up from her computer."Neither of us could sleep after everything that went down yesterday. So I'm looking into Financials. Jerry is doing a statewide search on blue coupes."

"Speaking of coupes, I saw one parked down my dirt road on my way in." He glanced at Rachel and added, "It's probably stolen since the license plates were gone. He hands Jerry his notebook. Here's the VIN."

"I'll get right on it, boss."

"Stolen, did you say?" Rachel smiles.

"Yeah, well, don't let it go to your head, newbie.

"I'll show you, newbie. I will solve this case and put you two to shame again."

"You got lucky the last two times."

Leaning back in her chair, Rachel crosses her arms. " Luck, hell, that was pure skill."

Joe rolls his eyes."Yeah, yeah "

Jerry chuckles.

Grabbing her jacket, Rachel springs out of her chair.

"Where are you off to in such a hurry?" Joe asks.

"I'm following a possible lead."

"It doesn't have anything to do with Anderson's finances, does it?"

Rachel smiles and says, "Maybe."

"Keep me posted."

"I will."She meets the captain at the door. " Morning, sir, '' she says, rushing past.

"Where is she off to in such a hurry?"

"She's following a lead, so she says."

"I hope you guys have better luck today."

Joe runs his fingers through his thinning hair. "Me too, sir, me too."

"Hey, boss, the coupe you saw belongs to an elderly lady in Brunswick, NY."

"Well, call her and see what she has to say."

"Yes, boss." Dialing the number, Jerry waits for her to pick up. "Hello, Ms. Chadwick. No, no, I'm not trying to sell you anything. Yes, ma'am, I understand. I get a lot of those calls too. My name is Jerry Bower, and I'm with the Berryville police. No, ma'am, I'm not asking for a donation. I'm calling about your blue coup. You sold it two months ago. Do you know who you sold it to? I see. Yes, I understand. Do you have his picture on your security camera? Could you send that to me, please? Yes, I'll wait. A few minutes later, his phone dings. I just got it. Thank you so much. Hanging up the phone, he opens the text. He turns to Joe and says, our suspect bought her car two months ago, so I'm going to run his photo through facial recognition and see what I find." Tapping a few keys, Jerry turns toward Joe and says, "Jeffery Donalson's name just came up.' he scrolls down. "According to our records, he doesn't have a single conviction. Not even a measly parking ticket."

" Bring him in any way."

"Yes, boss." Grabbing his jacket, he heads toward the door.

Jerry decides to visit Mr. Donaldson's office first since it's the closest and it is a weekday.

"Can I help you?" the receptionist asks as the officer approaches her desk.

"Yes, my name is Jerry Bower. I'm with the Berryville Police Department." He flashes his badge.

"How can I help you, officer?"

"I'd like to speak to Mr. Donaldson, please."

"I'm sorry, sir, but he's not in the office today. Can another associate help you?"

"What time will he be back?"

"Monday morning, If you care to leave a message, I'll make sure he gets it when he calls."

"It'll be easier if I stop by his house."

***

Mrs. Anderson glances toward the door when the bell rings. "Sorry, we're closed." Pushing a loose strand of hair off her face, she dips her rag in the sudsy bucket again.

Rachel glances over to find she's standing at the far side of the room."It's Detective Webb; I have a few follow-up questions for you." She says, glancing around. "It looks like you're about to get the place cleaned up."

"The building inspector said we can still open the cafe. I'm trying to get the place ready by tomorrow. Saturday is our busiest day, you know."

Rachel watches as she scrubs the table again.

She looks up and says, "It's a shame this had to happen now, after all the money we put into this place." The owner moves to the next table. Rachel follows. "You have a few questions for me?"

"Did you think of anyone who'd want to hurt you?" Rachel begins, pulling a notebook from her pocket.

"No, and neither can my husband."

Rachel takes a quick peek around. "Is he here because I need to talk to him too?"

"He's taking care of a few personal matters and won't be back until late tonight."

He's probably paying the blackmailer what he owes or trying to work out another deal. "You seemed nervous when I spoke to him, like you were afraid he'd say too much."

" I assure you, officer, my concern was about our business, not what he'd say."

"So, your grabbing his arm wasn't a warning?"

"No, of course not." She scrubs the table again, looks up, and says, "If I did grab his arm, it was for reassurance, nothing more."

"You do realize concealing evidence is a crime, and If I find out you know something, I could arrest you for obstruction."

"I assure you, officer, I don't know anything more than what I've told you. Now, if you don't mind, I have work to do." She throws her sponge into the bucket. The water splashes onto the floor. "Damn it." She plops down in the booth, on the verge of tears.

"Tell me about the twenty-five hundred dollar withdrawals each month?"

Grabbing a rag, she sops up the mess. "They're to pay our contractor."

"What's the name?"

"Smith, George Smith, he owns Smith Construction. She turns and says, "He wouldn't have anything to do with this. Why should he when we've paid him in full?"

"Has anyone threatened to harm you?"

"No." She anxiously glances around.

"We can protect you if someone is."

"How many times do I have to say it? No one is threatening us, and I don't know who set the damn fire or why." She tosses the sponge into the bucket again.

Rachel lays her card on the table. "Call me when you're ready to talk."