Oracle Rising, page 26
part #1 of The Phoenix Files Series
“Doc, I need a favor.”
“I’m a little busy, Sheriff.”
“The FBI actually needs it. It’s part of the process of this investigation.”
“Oh, okay. What is it?”
“My DNA is on file. Run it against the dead girls’ attacker. They want proof that I’m not the serial rapist,” he said, barely able to spit it out.
There was silence. “Oh, okay. Just give me a second.”
Rhett didn't hang up. Instead, he crossed his big meaty arms across his chest and waited.
Nate hated putting him through all this. Only, he didn't have a whole lot of choices.
A few minutes passed.
“Sheriff? Are you there?”
“Yeah, Doc. What do you have?”
“I’ve got both samples here. You are excluded from being a match.”
“One hundred percent?”
“Yes.”
“Thank you.”
Rhett hung up the phone. “Is that good enough? Do you want me to take a polygraph too? Want me to sign over my first born if I ever have one?”
“That’s fine. Don’t be angry. This is our job.”
“I am angry. I’m a good man—despite what you heard. I’m not pissed that you suspect me or believed the gossip. I’m angry that you think I could hurt a woman. That’s not me, gentlemen.”
“We also were told that your secretary was trying to get in your pants.”
He didn't even flinch.
“She did at every given chance, but I can explain that. She was barely twenty two. She was trying to get into everyone’s pants. Maybe she wanted my attention, because Crosspointe doesn’t have a whole hell of a lot of bachelors, but I like to think I can control myself. I took Juliett out, and I managed not to assault, molest, or do anything to her. If I was the killer, you handed me the prize. He knows there’s a woman seeing what he’s doing, and you told me.”
They were well aware.
“Yet, she’s still alive. I didn't do anything inappropriate. I’m a gentleman. I’m still being one now, even though you two have come into my town and made me feel like I’m less than human by listening to two bit gossip.”
“We’re sorry.”
“Don’t judge a book by its cover. I’m not some beast. I’m actually very easy going. You have to be when working with the FBI.”
They got the picture.
“Am I cleared, or do you want to continue?” he asked.
“You're clear. Would you like to help us out today with the interviews?”
He opened his desk drawer. “Yes, I would, but before you shoot me, I’m going to reach in to get my gun. Try not to think I’m going to do anything stupid. I’d like to leave my office in my boots, not a body bag.”
“We’re sorry. You have to know we hated doing this.”
He didn't say a word.
“We’ll clear this up.”
He didn't care. If other people thought he was capable of doing that to women, his career as sheriff was probably over after his next term.
He would be tried in the court of public opinion.
They all knew it.
“I want to help because this is my home. While I’m sheriff, I took an oath. I’ll keep Juliett safe. She deserves to have someone care about her for a change.”
They knew he was smitten.
Both Nate and Luke could hear it in his voice.
“Where are we heading first?” he asked, snapping his holster to his belt loop.
“We were told that Mandy Ryan had a sexual relationship with someone in your town.”
“Well, it wasn’t me.”
“We know.”
“Who?”
“Reverend William Clay. He was getting up close and personal instead of counseling her.”
“That’s going to piss most of this town off. Half the residents go to that church to worship. The other half will want to lynch him if he’s involved.”
“Well, that’s why you’re with us. You’re the local law. You get to keep the peace.”
Great.
That was just the shit mess he wanted to deal with.
His day sucked and didn't look like it was going to get much better.
* * * O R A C L E * * *
Juliett’s Cabin
Maura was working the files, trying to find anything she could on the women, their lives, or their acquaintances. It wasn’t going well. She was on social media, digging for dirt.
The ladies were clean.
Yes, they had some questionable posts, but neither mentioned where they were heading the nights they died. So, it looked like Maura had to find something else to get them a lead.
As she sat there, staring at the screen, she had to wonder. Did the women get abducted from somewhere, or were they at home?
She knew she never left their home without her cell, yet she didn't see anything on the list of items found burned with the women. In fact, the fire department went through the house, and they didn't find anything that looked like melted electronics.
Nowhere.
So, unless deputy fire chief Trent Calvin was incompetent, that had to mean one thing.
They didn't burn in the fires.
Maura got to work. She traced, tracked, and searched using their personal information. What she found was that both phones were still active.
If they burned, they wouldn’t be.
Cross checking the home locations with the pinging on the phones’ GPS, she found a location.
It was NOWHERE near the fires.
This had to be something.
If they were lucky, the killer threw the phones in his trunk and forgot about them. Maybe he liked souvenirs.
Maybe he was a total idiot.
Either way, it was about to work in their favor.
They were about to recover something that might get them a clue.
Maura was excited.
She picked up the phone and made the call. She knew two Feds who would be just as excited too.
* * * O R A C L E * * *
Saint Paul
of the Lost Sheep
When they arrived, the priest was in the vestibule refilling the offering envelopes. As soon as he saw the sheriff, heading his way, he smiled.
“Rhett! I didn't think I’d see you back here at church. It’s been a long time, son.”
“Yes, sir. I’m not here to talk about my soul. I’m here because we have to have a little discussion.” He introduced the two agents with him.
“Gentlemen.”
“Sir, we need to talk about your relationship with a parishioner.”
“Who?”
“Miss Mandy Ryan.”
There was a telltale flinch.
Nate saw it.
Luke saw it.
Even Rhett caught it. Then he sighed.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”
“How long were you having sex with her?” Nate asked, going there. Someone had to, so why not risk God’s wrath by insulting a priest in a holy place?
He liked to live on the edge.
“I didn’t.”
“We have a witness that says you did,” Nate stated. It was total BS, and only hearsay, but he needed answers.
“She came on to me. I made a mistake, so I asked God’s forgiveness, and I moved on.”
“What’s the penance for sleeping with a parishioner?” Luke asked.
“I don’t like your tone.”
“We don’t like that the girl is dead. That’s a much bigger issue, and if it gets out…”
He looked worried.
“Father, come clean with them,” Rhett said. “They aren’t here to catch you up in this mess. They need to figure out who killed her.”
He stared at them. “It wasn’t me. I don’t murder women. That’s a sin.”
Neither man spoke. They were going to let the sheriff handle this mess. It was his town, and he had to run it.
“You need to be honest. Lying is also a sin.”
“I didn't do it,” he stated. “I’m sure I have an alibi.”
“Where were you?” Luke asked, rattling off the TOD for Mandy and Caitlyn—just in case.”
He struggled with Mandy’s alibi, but he had one for the second victim.
He wasn’t in the clear quite yet.
“We’re going to have to check it out,” Rhett stated. “I hope you understand.”
Father William Clay wasn’t happy.
They could tell.
“Just do it quietly. I can lose my post here.”
Nate laughed. “Yeah, because we’re here to keep you in a job. That’s not happening. If it gets out, it gets out.”
The man looked like he was going to start swinging. They’d save him the embarrassment of being hauled out of there in cuffs.
It was time for them to head out.
“Have a good night, Father,” Luke said.
Outside, Rhett didn't say a word.
“Did that upset you?” Nate asked.
“Not in the way you’d think. He was being sleazy. That pisses me off. I’m not angry that you were hard on him. I’m a cop. I like to believe that comes first.”
Yeah, unless Juliett was in trouble.
Rhett already knew he’d do anything to save her.
As Nate was about to make a comment, his phone began ringing.
“What is it, Maura?”
He listened.
“Really?”
“Yeah, we’ll meet you there.”
When he hung up, both men were staring at him.
“Is she okay?” asked Luke.
“Yeah, she found something.”
Rhett was curious. “What?”
“We assumed that the girls’ possessions were in their homes when the fire happened. Maura double checked, and their cell phones weren’t.”
“How do you know?” Rhett asked.
“She tracked them. They’re still on. Our killer must have taken them, and he didn't shut them off. We have to hurry though. The batteries might die at any minute.”
Luke grinned. “That’s my girl. She’s thorough.”
Yeah, she certainly was, and she may have just found them something they could use to find a killer.
Nate had to hope that the phones were in someone’s car. Then, they could call this case over.
“Let’s head there. Sheriff, follow us. She’s texting me the coordinates.”
“Works for me,” he said, heading to his truck. What he really wanted was to get this day over. He wanted to see Juliett in the worst way.
He needed some peace.
It appeared that she was the only one who could give it to him.
* * * O R A C L E * * *
Woods
Location from GPS
When they arrived at the location, Maura was just pulling up. She was smiling and looked like the cat who swallowed the canary.
“You tracked it here?” Rhett asked, getting that sick feeling in the pit of his stomach. He knew these woods like the back of his hand.
“Yeah, it’s not far into the trees. I can find the phones for you.” Maura glanced down at her military watch and began pacing out the coordinates. This was her thing.
It was going to be a cake walk.
Rhett tried to explain something, but no one was listening. They were heading into the trees, like there was a pot of gold at the end of the scavenger hunt.
Rhett followed, not sure what to think. A part of him wanted to freak out, but he kept his fingers crossed.
As they headed deeper into the trees, there was a feeling of dread coming over him.
Maybe that wasn’t quite accurate.
He wanted to be sick.
His gut was knotting up.
Nate kept close to his team as they headed deeper into the lush greenery.
His gun was pulled, and so was Luke’s. They were ready for just about anything—including if the killer were to jump out at them.
“I first hoped that the killer had the phones in his car, but we might actually find a house. There are cabins all around here,” she offered.
Rhett was well aware.
As they moved into the clearing, it looked like some sort of campsite.
“Someone’s been here,” Luke said, scanning the area for any sign that they might still be there.
“I got it!” Maura said, grinning. She was digging in a campfire. “Our killer isn't too smart,” she offered.
When she pulled the charred bags from the old fire, she was grinning. “He tried to burn them, but he wasn’t aware that real leather, that’s been treated—like in a hand bag—is a bitch to burn. The more expensive the bag, the more flame retardant it is. The joke’s on him.”
Nate pulled on a pair of gloves to retrieve the evidence. Granted they didn't have DNA, but they might have fingerprints.
Anything would help.
“It’s ironic that he wanted to burn this but failed. He’s pretty good with fire.”
When he reached into each bag, he retrieved two cell phones. They were on, and neither was damaged.
“We got the phones!”
Luke was still looking around. “Where the hell is this place? I can’t get my bearings.”
Rhett spoke up, “The lake is about one hundred feet through there. Lots of people fish there.”
Luke was all about fishing, but this whole area looked like dense thicket. How the hell could they find their way through it?
“How do you even know that?” he asked. “I feel like I’m in the middle of the Amazon.”
It was time to come clean.
“If you go that way about five hundred feet, you’ll find a cabin. If you go three miles that way, you’ll find the one you are all staying in. This thicket is in the center of everything.”
Yeah, that wasn’t the only thing that appeared to be in the middle of a shit mess.
“Really?” Nate asked, getting excited. They might have the killer targeted. This could mean locking him down and getting out of there. He had a ring to buy, and a girl to marry.
“Yeah. And I know the owner personally.”
They were all getting jazzed. This was a good thing.
“Who is it?” Maura asked, getting a plan together in her head. It looked like they were going to be making a visit to an unsuspecting person.
“Me. This is my land.”
Hell…
Chapter FIFTEEN
No one spoke.
What could you say to that?
Sheriff Rhett Longfellow had one hell of a problem on his hands.
Someone was trying to make him look bad. No, they were trying to make him look like a killer.
The only thing he had going for him was that he’d had the men test his DNA. Obviously, the killer didn't think he’d get the chance.
“Who would want to implicate you?” Nate asked.
“I don’t know.”
Maura interjected. “How do we know it’s not him?” she asked. “This is his land, he’s got personal relationships with the victims, and now he’s cozied up to the one woman who’s seen the killer in action. How do we know for certain that he’s not getting ready to kill her?”
Rhett didn't get angry.
He was a cop.
If the shoe was on the other foot, he’d be asking them the same questions. He had to admit, he looked bad.
Real bad.
“It’s not him,” stated Luke.
When Maura looked like she was about to object, he cut her off.
“He’s a cop. He’s not going to ditch damning evidence in his own back yard. He’s going to make sure the phones are off, destroyed, or burned. It’s second nature when you work in law enforcement.”
She didn't like it.
This was getting dangerous.
If this man was the target…Avalon could be hurt. She knew she was there to help them save people like herself, but let’s face it…
The woman was their top priority. If anything happened to Avalon, they didn't have a team.
There was no mission.
There was no job.
She was the center of it all.
“Thanks for not believing I could do this,” Rhett stated. “I really don’t have it in me, but obviously, someone thinks I do.”
Nate patted him on the back.
“It’s too pretty of a package for us. Luke and I have seen thousands of crime scenes, and chased so many killers. They don’t hide evidence in their back yards. Not once have we found someone who was guilty doing that. Yes, they might lead us to the evidence, claiming they found it, but they never leave it tied to them. This was a shitty setup.”
“Babe, he’s right. Thousands of cases and it’s never happened. This screams setup. The sheriff isn’t a dumb man, but he’s not a criminal mastermind either.”
“I won’t take that as an insult,” Rhett stated.
Maura had to trust them. “Okay, but we need to be objective. Should he be left around Juliett? If this killer is focused on him, and she’s near him…that’s just plain careless on our behalf. He’s obviously tied to this somehow,” she began, noticing his face, “not as the killer, but a piece to the puzzle. Letting Juliett be near him is painting a bull’s-eye on her head.”
Nate had to agree.
There were times when you had to hurt people to save people, and this was one of them. As boss, he had to do the deed.
He turned to face the sheriff. “You can’t see her tonight. You have to get as far from her as possible. If she’s around you, she’s in danger.”
“But…”
He cut him off. “You said you cared about her. Then save her by keeping the focus off her. This maniac hasn’t seen her in his head. Had he, she’d be dead. For now, you have to back off. If he wants to hurt you, who do you think he’ll go for?”
“Juliett.”
“Exactly.”
“I’d stand in front of her,” he stated. “I’d do anything to keep her safe. I really care about her.” Rhett could feel her slipping through his fingers. He could still taste her against his lips, feel her in her arms, and he knew he was losing that.
