Shadows of the Dead, page 17
part #5 of The Soul's Voice Series
Pat answered, “Yes, we are familiar with that.”
Creed’s hands clutched together on her lap, “We’ll have to start collecting social security…” A few seconds passed in silence and she added, “Are we under arrest?”
Jane regarded her for a moment then said, “No, you’re not.”
“Cuz now JB’s dead we’re heading out.” Rez jerked a thumb over his shoulder.
“Really?” Pat said, “Where to?”
His shoulders lifted then dropped, “We don’t know.”
“The church will take over this place.” Creed added, “We just want to leave.”
“Okay, well,” Jane stood and gave Pat and Jordan a look, “Don’t go anywhere yet, we’d like to have a look around first.” She motioned to Pat, “Since we have a full SIT coming…” She noted the confused looks on the Jacobs’s faces and clarified, “Scene Investigation Team.” She turned back to Pat, “Why don’t you make sure someone brings us dinner too?”
“Uh…” Rez waved a hand, “Are we gonna be here that long?”
Jane shrugged. “We’ll see.” She looked at Jordan, “Let’s go have a look in that trailer.”
“I’ll stay here.” Pat smiled at Creed. “I’d like to have a tour of the house?”
Jane and Jordan exited via the kitchen door, headed for Ziphron’s trailer. “He founded a billion dollar church,” Jordan said, “but he lived in this trailer, for years…”
Jane mounted the steps and opened the door. “Do you believe their line about only having an allowance for upkeep?” She said, keeping her raspy voice low.
Jordan followed her inside. “I don’t know. They’re not living in the lap of luxury out here. If Ziphron has millions hidden away in an offshore account...” She shrugged again. “Why live like this?”
Jane turned to her, circling her temple with a rigid index finger. “Uh, cuz’ he was crazy?” They both stood, hands on hips and gazed down at the still fragrant urine stain on the floor. “Pat really can’t handle stuff like this.”
“She seemed okay at the autopsy.”
“Oh, you didn’t see her in the car on the way over here.” Jane shook her head, “I thought for sure she was gonna puke.” She inclined her head in the direction of the house. “What about those two? The old folks with the hippie names?”
Jordan chuckled and headed for the bedroom, “They look like they’re in their seventies and they’re driving a truck that has to be at least six years old: true believers who became guardians of the founder...” She stopped and stood in the doorway of Ziphron’s bedroom, wondering if this was the room Catherine saw in her dream. She pulled her phone and took some pictures of the room and the bed then returned to the living area to photograph the antique map with colored pushpins, computer and revelator gauge.
Jane followed suit, using her phone to take pictures of the interior, then donned gloves she pulled from her jacket pocket to investigate the bathroom and kitchen.
Per Catherine’s instructions, Jordan removed the hard drive from Ziphron’s computer and slipped it in an evidence bag she pulled from her jacket pocket. Jane was watching her. “Catherine told me to be sure and snag this for her,” she said, “is that okay?”
Jane snorted. “We would have sent it to her anyway.”
Jordan scanned the room again, “I need to confiscate the caretakers’ devices too.”
Creed had taken Pat down the hall to the master bedroom first. Pat kept the conversation light as she wandered around the room, looking out the windows.
“Nice view…” she said, “better than seeing city smog day after day.” Creed was unresponsive and she turned to her, “But I imagine it can also be quite monotonous, year after year…” Creed was still silent. “Okay,” she smiled, “what’s next?”
Creed led her to another bedroom and opened the door. The room had a bed and a bureau.
“And who sleeps in here?”
“Rez snores,” Creed shrugged. “Sometimes I do.”
Pat nodded, opening the closet and drawers on the bureau. Both were devoid of any belongings. “It’s odd there’s nothing in here…”
Creed shrugged again, “We came out here with very little. Been that way our whole lives, really. We’ve never been into stuff.”
“You joined the church when?”
Creed smiled for the first time since Pat arrived. “Oh, I was young, I attended a talk JB was giving and became a member as soon as he formed the church… I met Rez at that talk…”
Pat’s smile was genuine, “Love at first sight, huh?”
The elder woman blushed, “It sure was.”
Pat left the room and when she opened the next door down the hall her eyes opened wide in surprise.”And what’s this?” She asked.
Creed followed her inside. “We call this the Archive Room. We keep all JB’s writings in here.”
Pat’s nose wrinkled at the musty smell, noting the stacked file boxes that ringed the room. “Did he write all this just in the years he’s been here?”
“No, we came with some of them. All the files are dated.”
While Creed spoke, Pat walked over to a desk and chair that stood in the closest corner. A stack of folders sat on the desktop and she opened the topmost file and flipped through the pages, her eyes quickly scanning the contents, Interesting…
Jane and Jordan returned to the house. Rez and Creed were sitting with Pat at the kitchen table and Jordan took the fourth chair. “I’ll need all your electronic devices.” She sat with her hands folded on the tabletop. “Phones, laptops, tablets, computers…”
“Oh, we don’t have a computer.” Creed pulled her purse back onto the table. “But we do have a laptop and a tablet…” She pulled a cel phone from her bag, “And this phone.” She handed it to Jordan, “I’ll get the others from our bags.”
Jordan followed her to the luggage by the front door. “Is that all you’re taking?”
“Yep.” Said Rez, “If we can have that checkbook back we’ll have enough for another phone.”
“You can always get your devices back.” Jordan assured him. “They’ll be returned to you when we’re done having a look at them.” She handed him her business card, “Just contact us with a shipping address.”
He took it and shrugged, “Okay.”
Creed handed Jordan the laptop and tablet. “This was handy for the news… but I miss real newspapers.”
Jordan looked back at Jane, “I have no objections to giving them the checkbook.” She said. “I’ll be right back.” She left to pack the Jacobs’s devices and Ziphron’s hard drive in her briefbag in the car.
Jane inhaled and exhaled loudly through her nose. “Yeah, we have no reason to hang onto that either.”
Pat handed Creed the checkbook and gave Jane a look, “I made a photographic record of the account and register while you were out.”
Jane turned to the Jacobs and handed Creed her business card, “Okay… it’s getting pretty dark, you can go, but we would appreciate being able to contact you if we need to talk to you again. So send us your contact information as soon as you can; new phone numbers, address… as soon as you get them...”
Pat held up her hand, “I got their email addresses ad license numbers.”
Jane’s smile was humorless. “Do not make us look for you. If we have to go through that I will be very cranky.”
Rez was quick to nod. “Yes, absolutely, we’re gonna spend the night in town and we’ll let you know where we decide to go as soon as we figure that out.”
“We’ve had enough of living here.” Creed said quietly and Rez joined her at the front door. Together they picked up their bags and exited the house, nodding to the deputy who still stood guard.
Jordan joined Pat and Jane on the porch and they watched as Rez opened the truck door for Creed and she paused, turning to look at the house, trailer and the surrounding hills once last time. Jordan’s heart suddenly ached for Catherine when he saw how tenderly Mr. Jacobs held his wife’s hand when she swiped a tear from her cheek with the other. Mrs. Jacobs climbed in to the truck and her husband closed the door then circled around to climb in the driver’s side.
He started the engine and looked at her. “Do you still have it?” He said quietly.
“It’s in my bra.” She murmured, indicating the burner phone with the offshore account links and passwords.
He put the truck in gear and drove slowly down the long driveway. “We can get an early start in the morning.”
“And go were?”
“Like I said, anywhere we want.” Careful not take his eyes from the road, he reached for her hand and pulled it to his lips for a kiss.
Creed’s eyes brimmed with tears and she sniffed loudly. “Okay.”
When he pulled the pick up onto the deserted road he stopped. “One last look?” He asked.
“The last one, yes,” Creed gave his hand a squeeze, “I won’t need to see this place ever again.”
The three federal agents returned to the kitchen table and sat wearily. A long moment passed and Jane stood, “I’m gonna let the deputy out there go.” When she returned she sat with her arms folded across her chest. “Seriously,” she rolled her eyes to Pat, “they better bring dinner.”
Pat folded her own arms across her chest, “I told them.”
Jordan suppressed a yawn but still smiled at Pat and Jane’s banter while she texted the pilot of the FBI’s private jet that she was heading back for the return flight.
“So… regarding Doctor Cargill…” Pat said, “I agree with the coroner he was overusing that drug to control Ziphron for his caretakers’ sake and otherwise meant no harm. Beyond that I doubt he had anything to do with the murder of Darius Ziphron.”
“I disagree.” Jane said. “He said he was a loyal church member and loyal to Ziphron. He lives alone; he has no alibi for the day Darius was murdered. He looks old and harmless, why wouldn’t Darius have met with him under some bullshit pretense?”
They looked at Jordan who shrugged, returning her phone to her jacket pocket. “It’s as good a guess as any right now.”
Another long moment passed in silence until Jane asked her, “So, heading back?”
“Yeah...” Jordan stood. “I hope your team can find… something.”
“I doubt it,” Jane snorted dismissively, “and even though we are obligated to be super thorough I’ll probably still catch some crap about use of valuable resources.”
Pat held up a hand, “Actually, one of the bedrooms is filled with file boxes with what Creed said are writings by the great JB Ziphron.” She shrugged, “There could be useful information in there.”
“Yeah…” Jane dragged the word out, “for criminal acts committed by a dead man.”
Jordan looked out the living room window as she made her way to the door. “Your team is arriving.”
The trio exited the house and Jane greeted the investigation team leader while Pat followed Jordan to her rental. She took off her jacket and tossed it over her briefbag on the passenger seat. “We’ll give you the lowdown on the hard drive and their other devices as soon as Catherine checks them out.”
“I know.” Pat said.
“You’ll keep in touch and let us know if you find anything here that conveniently solves our homicide?”
Pat grinned. “Of course.”
Jane was surrounded by agents clad in windbreakers with FBI FORENSICS emblazoned on their backs and she emerged from the group as it disbanded to begin their work and headed in their direction. “They brought a search warrant based on fraud and inurement violations so they’re gonna check the land for buried money… or gold, I suppose, under the house… the trailer… They’ll be here all night.” She looked at Pat, “So we’ll be here all night too.” She added sarcastically.
Pat snickered and they turned to watch two trucks with enormous light arrays designed to light large outdoor areas drive up the long driveway.
“Oh good.” Pat said, trying to sound upbeat. “They’ll need those.”
Teddy Johnson shifted in the driver’s seat and adjusted the heavy semiautomatic on his hip. A decorated ex-Navy Seal, when he left the military he was hired to head the security division for the Church of Universal Transcendence when Martin Thomas first came to power. But he had no head for management and his role soon evolved to serving as personal bodyguard and enforcer to the CEO, Martin Thomas.
Always uncomfortable in Teddy’s presence, Errol Fuller sat next to him in the car, perfectly still, in spite of the sharp pain in his hip from the gun that sat wedged between him and the car seat. Errol was an ex-FBI IT specialist. He was recruited to head the security division after Teddy stepped aside but his IT background eventually earned him a different mission; to keep a digital eye on Frank Nesser when he was a contractor and after he became CFO. But as time passed Martin Thomas increasingly expected him to assist Teddy in carrying out his orders of violent retribution against his enemies. Errol resented playing second fiddle to Teddy as just another enforcer for Thomas. He preferred the peace and quiet of an office cubicle where he could just stare at code all day. He often wondered what his parents would think of him now; taking pictures of the church members Teddy beat up for Thomas. I almost wish the money wasn’t so good, he lamented, or I’d quit this job.
They drove in silence on a lone stretch of highway and Errol jumped when they passed a car headed in the opposite direction and Teddy suddenly yelled.
“Shit! That’s the marshal on Darius’s case!” He braked and pulled a u-turn on the dirt median.
Errol braced a hand against the dashboard. “Are you sure?”
“Yeah! I saw her on the security footage from SAT COM.” Teddy pulled back onto the highway and floored the accelerator.
The color drained from Errol’s face. “What are you doing?”
“If she got the account info from them at the ranch already this will be our only chance to get it back.”
“What if she doesn’t have it?”
“Then we go get it from the Jacobs.”
Errol’s mind raced and he nervously licked his lips, remembering Thomas’s orders. “But… so… we’re gonna kill this marshal, regardless.”
Teddy scowled and shook his head, “Yes, Errol! Don’t be a pussy.”
Jordan drove south on highway 101. The sun had set and she tried to enjoy the view of the Santa Lucia Mountains she would have to cross again to get back to the San Luis Obispo Regional Airport. Her eyes flicked to the rear view mirror, taking note of the car driving fast behind her. She judged it would overtake her within seconds and was glad there was a passing lane. She instinctively eased her foot from the accelerator and watched the speeding car with mild interest; of the very few cars she had seen on this stretch of road, most drove well over the speed limit.
When Teddy got the car to within feet of Jordan’s he suddenly braked and pulled his right front fender in close to her left rear fender. He had to match her speed before touching the other vehicle and pushing it into a spin.
The other car braked hard behind her and Jordan knew immediately what was coming next. She floored the accelerator but the car connected with her fender and pushed. She felt her rental start to spin out to the left and she turned the steering wheel to the right, countering the direction of the spin and managed to straighten her vehicle. She was rapidly approaching the base of the mountain range on a deserted highway; This’ll get ugly fast; I need to stop this... now.
Teddy growled in frustration when the pit maneuver failed and this time he rammed the car harder, striking it closer to the rear wheel and when the car began to turn he rammed it hard broadside before Jordan could use any evasive defensive tactic. He accelerated hard then hit the brakes, watching as Jordan’s car skidded off the road and down an embankment and into a grove of trees.
Jordan continued to steer defensively but the weight of the car carried it off the road and she kept her eyes on the direction the car was going, praying it would land between the trees she was headed for and not directly into one. The car flew down the steep embankment, through and over low bushes. The front right fender impacted against a tree, spinning the car so it continued down the embankment backwards, the brush finally slowing its decent until it stopped.
It was dark and Jordan turned off the engine and headlights just as the airbag explosively deployed, hitting the side of her face.
“Goddammit.” She muttered and unbuckling her seatbelt, pulled her weapon and tried to open the driver’s door. The car was wedged in the brush and she turned in the seat and pushed with her booted feet, forcing it partially open. She sat up to reverse her position and slide out when a bullet blew a hole in the windshield, burying itself in the headrest inches from her head. She closed her eyes and ducked against the gunshot and spray of glass shards and pushed herself from the car and into the brush. She could hear muffled voices, males, at least two, and it was clear they were sliding their way down the embankment to finish the job. She intended to crawl away through and under the brush but heard at least one of them suddenly slide bodily into the hood of her rental.
“Fuck, watch it!”
She heard the low utterance and pointing her gun, fired two rounds in that direction.
“SON OF A BITCH!”
Jordan held herself completely still, weapon held at the ready. She heard shoes scrambling on the dirt and crackling branches as her attackers retreated.
Teddy held a hand tightly against the side of his neck, grateful the engine was still running in the car. Errol barely got into the passenger side when Teddy slammed the car into drive and drove back onto the highway, executing another u-turn.
“Call Cargill, tell him we’ll be coming by for his services in a while.”
Errol nodded and shakily pulled out his phone, willing his hands to stop shaking. “How bad is it?”
“It’s not that deep and it didn’t hit the carotid.” He said, feeling blood ooze from between his fingers and run down his neck. “Cargill should be able to manage a few stitches. First we’re gonna stop by the ranch and hope to fuck they still have the info we need. Have security in the L.A. office bring us another car and have this one transported out in a trailer.”
