Page 20

TWENTY

At 11:55 a.m., Gray answered his office phone. “Chief Ward.”

“Can you meet a friend of mine tonight?” The female voice on the other end of the line was filled with urgency.

The words were a code. The undercover agent in Neeson had information he needed to send out, but he didn’t feel safe using any of his electronic resources or any of the normal methods.

Since Gray had been aware of him, he’d only used this method once before. And knowing what Gray now knew, the timing lined up with the week when Meredith helped that young woman escape from Neeson. He suspected that things got so hot that the undercover agent hadn’t dared take any risks.

Which begged the question, what was happening in Neeson now? He wanted to know, but he didn’t ask. “I’ll be there.”

“Thank you.” Faith sounded stressed in a way he hadn’t heard before.

“Anything else I can do?”

“You can hide him if he needs out?”

“Yes.”

“I don’t want to lose him to these people. He’s determined to stick it out, but—”

“I’ll make sure he knows it’s safe to come in from the cold.”

“Okay.”

“I’ll call you tonight with an update.”

A light blinked at him from his office phone. It was the one that told him Glenda wanted to talk to him. He disconnected the call and hit the intercom button. “Yes?”

“Dr. Quinn to see you.”

Finally. He wasn’t ashamed of the way his hands went damp in anticipation. “Send her in.”

Twenty seconds later, Meredith stood at his door, phone in hand. “I planned to return this earlier. But I had an emergency—”

“Lucy told me.”

Meredith’s brow crinkled. “It’s not like her to talk about patients—”

“Oh, she didn’t. Not specifically. She said you had an emergency first thing and that it threw your whole morning off. And then Aunt Minnie told me you were behind by two patients.” He held up two fingers the way Aunt Minnie had.

Meredith’s shoulders dropped. “Yeah. It’s been busy.” She stepped in and put the phone on his desk, then took three steps back. “Anyway, here’s your phone. And, um...” She pointed to the paperbush blossoms in the bud vase on his desk. “Thank you for the flowers. I’ll return the vase to Landry.”

Her words hurt, but he didn’t think she’d meant for them to. “The vase is yours, Meredith. I got it for you.”

“Oh.”

Was she surprised? Pleased? He wanted to think she was, but he wasn’t sure.

“Well, it’s perfect for the blossoms. Thank you.” She nodded, turned, and all but ran from his presence.

He stared after her. That could have gone better.

But it could have gone worse.

Meredith Quinn spoke to him. She didn’t yell. She said thank you. He looked out his window in time to see Meredith, Aunt Minnie, and Lucy walking up the street.

Meredith usually let Aunt Minnie choose where she wanted to go for lunch, and she typically chose pizza or the coffee shop because they made a mean grilled cheese. He watched as the women paused to admire a puppy, then continued on until they went into Mountain Brew.

He’d been debating what his next step would be in his win-Meredith-over plans. But thinking about coffee and Meredith’s love for all creamers and milks and toppings and syrups, he had a flash of inspiration. Unfortunately, it would have to wait until tomorrow.

Tonight, he had to go talk to an undercover agent.

Nine hours later, he stood hidden in the woods surrounding Gossamer Falls. The public parking area at the trailhead held seven cars. When Gray finished meeting with the agent he was here to see, he’d have to bust up the party.

He recognized two of the cars. Those kids’ parents would not be pleased to know that their children were continuing the tradition of bringing their dates to the falls for some late-night canoodling.

He smiled at the memory of Granny Quinn using that word when she told him that each generation thought they were on to something new, but that John Quinn Sr. had taken her for a moonlight walk at the falls when he was courting her.

He’d been sure she was kidding. Papa Quinn had pastored a Gossamer Falls church for decades.

“You young people think you’re the only ones who know anything about romance. You look at us old people and assume we’re clueless.” She’d tsked at him. “How do you think you got here in the first place? Hmm?”

Papa Quinn had walked by as she said that, and the look that passed between them wasn’t what anyone would call sultry or steamy, but it was intimate and powerful. The kind of look a man shared with the woman he’d chosen not once, but over and over again, and the one he would continue to choose until death parted them.

“Catherine, don’t embarrass the boy.” Papa Quinn winked at her, then turned his attention to Gray. “What my bride failed to mention is that the moonlight walk was her idea.” He waggled his eyebrows, and Gray couldn’t decide if he was amused or horrified.

“Oh, you rascal.” Granny blushed. She actually blushed! And when the laughter faded, the conversation shifted to other matters.

The memory of those two warmed Gray as he waited, his rear freezing into ice as he rested on a large boulder. What would it be like to share a lifetime of memories with a woman? To flirt and laugh and tease about the shenanigans you got up to in your youth and then transition seamlessly into gloating about the accomplishments of your grandchildren?

He wanted that.

A figure emerged to his left. Gray glanced in that direction only long enough to confirm that the man was alone and not under duress. After that, he kept his focus straight ahead. He knew little about the undercover agent. He wasn’t even sure if the name they’d given him was his real name. On the off chance that it was , Gray made a point to never use it. He wouldn’t do anything to risk the man’s life.

They were far enough away from the waterfall that his hearing wasn’t compromised, and his visitor made no effort to disguise his movements. Gray heard him take a spot on the rock behind him.

“Sorry I’m late.” The gruff voice was low. “I made a few laps around. Based on what I saw, no one out here will disturb us.”

Tonight, there was a group near the water. They’d brought speakers and were slow dancing by the river. Gray hadn’t no ticed anyone doing anything inappropriate, but the night was still young. He’d chase them out before anything went too far. “Agreed.”

To his left, he saw the man drop a stack of papers on the rock. Gray scooped them up, folded them, and tucked them in his jacket. “Do you need out?”

“No.”

“She’s worried about you.”

“She worries about everyone. You tell her I’m fine and remind her that I know what I’m doing. I’ve been in here too long to be yanked out now. It will mess up everything.”

“I’ll tell her.”

“I learned something this week that might blow the case wide open.”

“I’m listening.”

“There used to be a lot of meth in this area. Still is. But there aren’t as many cooking it as there used to be. A few of the more enterprising have teamed up with groups out of Atlanta. They bring it up here and distribute it. They also, at times, provide a safe place for individuals who are too valuable to lose but are in danger of being scooped up by the police in larger cities.”

“It’s easy to hide here.”

“It can be. Yes. But some of them, they chafe at the restrictions of small-town life.”

“Voluntary house arrest beats prison any day.” Gray shifted on the boulder.

“Sure. But these men...”

Gray wondered what this man had witnessed in Neeson that put that tone of absolute loathing in his voice.

“They’re proud. Used to having people do what they want. But the local crime lords aren’t interested in bowing and scraping. They figure it’s an equitable arrangement.”

“How many are in hiding right now?”

“Two. Brothers. These two take evil to a whole new level. I wouldn’t trust them to watch a ferret, much less let them anywhere near my wife and kids.”

“You have a wife and kids?” The question came out before Gray could stop it.

“Are you kidding? You think I’d be doing this if I had a wife and kids at home? No. But the men in Neeson do. They have wives, kids, grandkids. They dote on them. Some of them I genuinely believe adore them. Others not so much. But even the ones who aren’t obviously protective of their families won’t let them anywhere near our current guests.”

There was a long pause before he continued. “It’s messed up, man. Sometimes I can’t figure out if these men are like this because they’ve done too many drugs over the years, or maybe they drank too much moonshine at an early age? Maybe they’re just evil. I don’t know. But at least one family is in debt to our guests in a way that means they’ve been providing for them. And I don’t just mean food and water.”

Gray wanted to throw something, punch something, or maybe shoot something. What he didn’t want was to hear the details. He braced himself for what was coming.

“They’ve brought in at least three girls from out of state. One of them died the first night. The other two died last week. I didn’t know anything about it until yesterday.” Anger burned so bright from the agent behind him, Gray could imagine that he would show up as a bonfire on a heat scan. “I didn’t know.”

The last words were a whisper.

“I’ve been swimming in filth with the minnows, trying to hook the sharks, but you need to tell our mutual friend that I won’t sit by and let this happen again. If I find out about it in time, I will do something. And it might get me killed.”

Gray let the weight of the words settle on his shoulders. “Respect.”

“I don’t deserve it. I’ve been beating my head against walls for months. Trying to infiltrate without rousing suspicion. Then Steven Pierce went and blew everything up. It’s good you moved him. They’ll try to kill him before it goes to court. If his mama doesn’t shut up, they might kill her too.”

“Why?” Gray didn’t understand what they would gain from taking out Pierce. “He tried to kill someone. There’s so much evidence that it’s the definition of an open-and-shut case. What’s the point?”

“They’re afraid of what he might know. And they’re angry about the attention his mom’s constant grandstanding is bringing to the drug issues in the area. They’re convinced it will make state, federal, or other law enforcement take notice.”

“It already has.”

“Yeah, but they don’t know that.”

“What do you want me to do? How can I help?” Gray would do anything he could.

“Those papers I gave you have everything I know and everything I suspect. There’s also a letter to my mama, in case I don’t make it. I wrote one before I went under. But this one’s updated.”

“Let me get you out now. We have enough to—”

“No. We don’t. They have lawyers of their own. They’ve covered their tracks. And they have the law-abiding citizens terrified. These folks know they’re up to no good, but I don’t imagine that they know how bad it is. Most of the time, the people in Neeson just live their lives. Going to work, going to school, going to church, mowing the grass, buying groceries. They know there’s shady stuff happening at Johnstone’s. I think most of them know Kirby is dirty. But they assume if they mind their manners, the dirt won’t rub off on them.”

“It always rubs off.”

“Yep.”

“What can you tell me about this wedding?”

“From what I know, the wedding itself is legit. The bride and groom are young and they’re so in love. The problem isn’t them. The problem is that Johnstone won’t be there. He’s taking his wife to the Caribbean for their anniversary. My money’s on him using it as a business trip while she gets some plastic surgery, but that remains to be seen.”

Gray almost turned around to look at the agent. “Don’t take this the wrong way, but how is Johnstone not being there a problem? From where I sit, that seems like a good thing.”

“Oh, it is for the bride and groom. But I have a bad feeling that I can’t shake. And I’ve learned to trust my gut. When Johnstone leaves, he’ll put Ledbetter in charge. Trust me on this, if Ledbetter ever takes over completely, Neeson won’t be safe for anyone. For now, I’m more worried about some of the young bucks thinking this would be the ideal time to take out Ledbetter. Get rid of Trace, and there’s room for a new number two in town.”

“I appreciate the tips, but I still don’t see why it’s important for me to be at that wedding.”

“Simple. Your dentist girl is going to be there. She can’t be there alone. They haven’t given up.”

“Wait, you sent that warning because of her? Because you don’t want her there alone?”

“I did.”

Gray went cold. “What have you heard?”

“It hit the fan last week. That attempted hit-and-run? Not random. I assume you know that.”

“Oh, I know.”

“Wiser heads understand that to mess with a Quinn would bring fire and brimstone down on them. They won’t touch her. They might harass her, but no harm would come to her.”

“Well, somebody is gunning for her.”

“Young bucks who want to prove themselves. And when I say young, I don’t mean teens. I mean twenties and thirties. Old enough to know better but still dumb as rocks.”

“I appreciate the warning. She’s already promised to stay out of Neeson unless someone is with her. And I’ve got my officers keeping an eye on her. Her brother’s tracking her phone. We know where she is at all times. But she’s determined to do the flowers for that wedding. Couldn’t talk her out of it, so I’m her plus-one.”

“These idiots are opportunists. I don’t see them coming after her with you around.”

“Will you be at the wedding?”

“I’ll be nearby if I can. The kids getting married are good kids. They don’t deserve drama.”

Gray didn’t try to hide his amusement. “I don’t know you, but I didn’t expect you to be a romantic.”

“Man, the only way I survive is to keep believing there’s some good in the world.”

“I hear you.” Police work, even in small towns, could destroy a man’s soul. Undercover work? That was brutal. “I’ll do my best to be sure you can keep on believing.”

“Appreciate it. I’m gone.” Gray heard him take a few steps, then pause. “Hey, not my place to say, really, but don’t be too hard on the kids tonight. They’re young and stupid, but they aren’t messing people up or doing drugs.”

Gray kept his words in mind as he walked into sight, and in the dim light of the small lanterns they’d set up, he watched the teenagers pale under his gaze. “There’s a sign at the trailhead that says this place is closed after dark,” he called out. “I suggest you head on back home.”

The place was empty of everyone but him within two minutes. But Gray couldn’t shake the sense that someone was out there. Watching. Maybe listening. He’d scanned his car and checked his clothes for listening and tracking devices before he left the office. He didn’t want to put the undercover agent in any more danger than he was already in by accidentally giving him away.

Gray walked into the trees and waited another thirty minutes. None of the kids returned. And no one came after him.

Had someone been out there and slipped away? Would tonight’s meeting end the life of the agent who was trying to take down the criminals in Neeson?

He drove back to his office and studied the documents the undercover cop had given him.

He’d pass them along to Faith tomorrow and hope that everything would come to a head soon. There’d been too much death. It needed to stop.