Her Duty Bound Defender, page 13
Voices drew closer. The beagle’s ears perked up. Bennett lifted the binoculars. A pair of hikers passed on the path above, oblivious to him and Spike. Once they were out of sight, Bennett looped the binocular cord over his neck, letting them hang there. He donned latex gloves and opened the box.
Tiny amounts of familiar white crystals—fentanyl—littered the bottom, along with a folded piece of paper and a thick wad of cash. He lifted it, flipping through and counting. Mostly hundreds. The drugs were gone. Stolen? Moved? If so, why leave behind the money? Bennett carefully unfolded the paper. Messy script, indicative of a man’s handwriting, centered the document.
I’m sorry, N.
To you and the baby. I got in over my head and they know I want out. If anything happens to me, the dealer after me is Roderick Jones and his henchmen.
I love you,
T
Beneath the letter, Ted had scrawled Ecclesiastes 12:14. Bennett grew up going to church but hadn’t memorized his Bible that well. He’d have to follow up later.
Thunder rolled in the distance, and Bennett surveyed the darkening sky as rain clouds slowly stirred overhead. A soft breeze passed over him and a chill slithered down his back. Roderick Jones was a local criminal, a most-wanted celebrity. All the Denver metro area and surrounding law enforcement agencies kept Jones on their radar. Taking him down was akin to lassoing the golden goose.
Like one of those Plinko games, the pieces started falling into place. Ted had tried hiding the drugs, though his motive remained unclear. Either he’d intended to go to the police with the information, or he foolishly believed he’d outsmart Jones. He’d underestimated his enemy, and he’d paid with his life.
If Bennett didn’t stop Jones, Ted’s mistakes would cost Naomi and the baby’s lives, too.
He used his cell phone to capture a picture of the note.
A rustling got his attention, and he looked up. Another roll of thunder warned of the impending storm.
Bennett returned the contents to the box and closed the lid, then placed it inside a plastic evidence bag along with his gloves, ensuring the fentanyl didn’t contaminate his supplies. He sealed the bag before securing it inside his backpack, then added his trowel. Not wanting to waste a single second with the possibility of getting caught in the storm, he determined to call Selena on the way to DPD. He’d have to stop there first to drop off and log the evidence.
“Sorry, Spike, but you have to give me your taco.”
With a few more quick squeaks, Spike relinquished the soggy toy into Bennett’s hand. He tucked it into his pants pocket.
They hiked up from the ledge and started through the deep, forested trees to the hiking path. Bennett’s new goal expanded. Not only would he take down the RMK, but he would finally get Roderick Jones and his cronies.
First, he’d have to break Naomi’s heart with news of her deceased husband’s deeds.
That elevated his blood pressure more than a hundred gunfights.
They’d reached a thicketed area when Spike stopped and barked, tail and hackles raised.
What had sent the beagle into a frenzy?
Bennett turned just as a slam to the back of his head thrust him into darkness.
* * *
Four hours had passed since Bennett’s departure. Naomi’s gaze flitted to the clock on the mantel. “Should we be worried that Bennett hasn’t called yet?”
“No. The commute to Golden with traffic is lengthy by itself,” Selena replied. “If he’s hiking the area, that’ll take time.”
“But it’s nearly dark out.”
“Naomi.” Selena’s one-word admonition had her slinking into the kitchen, desperate to busy herself.
Naomi grabbed a dishrag and wiped the counter, mulling over the situation. She had no right to feel the strange emotions she did for Bennett. They’d just met. He’d planned to arrest her for being a serial killer. Yet she couldn’t deny her concern for his safety and well-being. She’d lost Ted in those mountains. She couldn’t bear to lose someone else she cared for.
She continued her contemplations while wiping down every inch of the small room when Selena’s cell phone rang.
“Is it Bennett?” Naomi hurried to sit beside her.
“Yes.”
Naomi leaned closer, making no attempt to hide her efforts to eavesdrop.
“Hey, what did you find?” Selena listened for several seconds, brow furrowing. “What? Are you or Spike injured?”
Naomi strained to hear. “What happened?”
“I think you should call for an ambulance, Bennett. Sounds like he hit you hard.” Selena shook her head. “Fine, but I disagree.”
“What’s wrong?” Naomi blurted, heart racing.
“Bennett has an update for us.” Selena set the device on the table between them and pressed the speakerphone option. “Go ahead.”
“Can you hear me?” Bennett asked.
“What’s wrong?” Naomi blurted. “Are you hurt?”
“I’ll explain when I get there,” Bennett responded. “Spike and I are fine.”
“Now,” Selena mumbled.
Naomi leaned closer to the phone. “Please tell me what happened.”
“We’re getting ready to leave Beaver Brook Trail.”
“You’ve been there all this time?” Naomi asked.
“Yeah, our trip had a minor detour when someone attacked me. Before you flip out, I’m fine. Just a hard knock upside my head.”
“At least you didn’t hurt anything important,” Selena teased, though Naomi noticed the worry in her green irises.
“Anyway—” Bennett dragged out the word for emphasis “—the best I can tell, I was out for about five minutes. It was long enough for the perp to get away,” he grunted. “Apparently, Spike’s barking got the attention of a hiker. He rushed to help us. Thankfully, the assailant didn’t hurt Spike.”
“Go straight to the hospital,” Naomi blurted.
“Seriously, I’m fine. I need to tell you what we found.”
Several seconds passed without another word. Naomi inched closer to the phone. Were they still connected?
“Now’s not the time for suspense, Ford,” Selena remarked.
“I had a nosy passerby when I first arrived. I didn’t think much of it at the time, though looking back, he hesitated a little too long and asked questions about Spike and I.” Bennett exhaled into the receiver. “Spike found a metal box buried near where Ted died.”
“What was inside?” Naomi blinked, unsure what the discovery had to do with her. “I’m confused.”
“About a hundred thousand dollars cash—smaller bills—and a handwritten letter addressed to you,” Bennett replied. “I’m texting Selena a picture of it. It’s faded and might be hard to read. Whoever attacked me took the box.”
“I could see them stealing the money, but why the letter?” Selena asked.
“It wasn’t a random mugging. Someone followed me here, anticipating that I’d look for it and would find it with Spike’s help. They’ll be disappointed, though.”
“Why?” Naomi asked.
“There were remnants of fentanyl, same cut as what I found in your van, Naomi,” Bennett explained. “That’s how Spike triggered on it to begin with. I think Ted buried the box and removed the drugs. I believe the money was intended for you.”
“I’m struggling to grasp all of this,” Naomi said. “Where would Ted get that kind of money?” Though even as she spoke the words, she knew the answer.
“The find adds to our suspicions that Ted was dealing,” Bennett explained.
“It’s a lot to absorb,” Selena replied.
“Not sure I can handle much more,” Naomi said.
Selena frowned. “I’m sorry you had to find out this way.”
“Naomi, normally I would show this to you privately,” Bennett said. “Because the information is imperative for us to work the case, I felt it was best to read it aloud. Selena must hear it, too.”
Naomi inhaled a fortifying breath, bracing herself for what it would say. “How bad is it?”
“Selena, can you open the picture for Naomi?”
She raised the phone and swiped at the screen, gently placing it in Naomi’s palm. A compassion she hadn’t seen before in the deputy’s face nearly undid her.
With a deep breath for courage, Naomi adjusted the device. Immediately, she recognized Ted’s familiar scrawl. Like a voice from the grave, his words stretched out to her. Naomi’s eyes welled with tears, blurring her vision.
“Naomi, does the handwriting look like Ted’s?” Bennett asked.
“Yes.” Her voice cracked.
Selena reached over and offered a light touch to Naomi’s shoulder as she read the letter aloud. When she finished, silence hung in the air.
Naomi pressed her fingers against her trembling lips, trying to remember the scripture Ted had referenced at the bottom of his letter, and came up blank.
Selena swiped at her phone. “For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil.”
“Hmm,” Bennett said. “Confession?”
“Maybe. Roderick Jones!” Selena’s enthusiasm confused Naomi.
“Who is that?”
“A big-time drug dealer,” Bennett advised. “Someone I’ve chased most of my career. He’s got long arms with a wide reach and escapes conviction.”
“He’s also extremely dangerous. No wonder you’ve been running for your lives,” Selena added, cringing at the harsh reply. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to put it that bluntly.”
“But why come after me?”
“That’s harder to explain. Ted must’ve moved the drugs that were in the box. I can’t yet rationalize why. Unless it’s the fentanyl from inside your van,” Bennett clarified.
Naomi placed Selena’s phone on the coffee table.
“Surely, Jones is aware you confiscated the drugs,” Selena commented.
“Right. Or there are more that Ted hid somewhere else,” Bennett said. “Naomi, can you think of any place we should consider?”
“He stayed at our storefront a few times, but that’s nothing more than a tiny cube of an office.”
Selena paced beside her. “Where did he live after moving out?”
Humiliation swarmed over Naomi. “I don’t know. I tried to give him room, hoping that would help him find whatever space he searched for. I was so naive.”
“No, you trusted your husband and took him at his word,” Selena said.
“Keep brainstorming,” Bennett said. “Jones wouldn’t love losing his money, but it’s not enough for him to come after you, Naomi. It’s minnows in his ocean of crime.”
“Ted intended to do something with the drugs he hid,” Selena surmised. “Sell them?”
“Negative. His reasoning isn’t clear, but maybe he planned to hand them over to the authorities. If Jones figured out he’d lost Ted’s devotion, he’d take whatever means necessary to eliminate him,” Bennett explained. “Ted’s death wasn’t an accident. He premeditatedly buried this box. It took time and planning to find the right place. Jones or his henchmen probably followed or traced Ted to the location. If he refused to give up the information, they may have tortured him, then thrown him off the cliff.”
Naomi’s stomach roiled at the images. “I’m not sure if I’m angry that he was involved in such a mess or confused why he didn’t go straight to the authorities. Worse, why not come to me and tell me the truth? We could’ve worked through it together,” Naomi said. “But why are Jones and his cronies still coming after me?”
“Jones’s henchmen may have thought Ted told you where he’d hidden the drugs or that you knew of Ted’s plan,” Selena replied.
“So why wait six months after his death?”
“In line with Selena’s rationale, they’ve probably watched you for a while. Which means they’ve watched me watching you, so they had to be careful and tread wisely,” Bennett explained. “They figured—as we had—that if they gave you space and let you take the lead, you’d show them what they wanted. Your predictable schedule baffled them. You weren’t buying expensive things or acting any differently than you had since before Ted’s death. They waited to see what you’d do.” Bennett’s voice grew softer. “When you went to Peter’s ranch, it was outside of your normal routine.”
“They assumed I had the drugs with me, or that I’d hidden them on the property or in my van,” Naomi concluded. “Is the stress getting to me, or is that logical?”
“You’re reasoning like a cop.” Selena patted her hand. “It makes sense.”
“I still don’t understand why or how Ted got involved in this.” Naomi sighed.
“You mentioned his concerns about finances,” Bennett began. “If he connected with Jones or any of his low-life cronies, they probably promised Ted he’d bring in more money than he’d ever make in the tour business.”
Naomi bristled. Was he seriously justifying Ted’s crimes?
“Drugs lure lots of unsuspecting people into a world beyond their control,” Selena agreed. “They make tiny compromises, and before they know it, they’re in deep.”
“Selena is dead-on accurate. I’ve watched it happen many times in my career, Naomi. Money is that lying voice that promises things it can never deliver.” Bennett’s comment spoke of experience, along with a deeper knowledge she couldn’t quite put her finger on.
With countless thoughts bouncing around in her head, she could scarcely think straight.
“Worse, once Ted was in Jones’s inner circle, there was no way out,” Bennett expounded. “Jones isn’t someone you want to mess with. I’m sure Ted feared for his life and yours. He was coming to a dead end—sorry, no pun intended.”
“Or he hid them in advance, then Jones and his henchmen demanded the return. They take him back to the site, but Ted is uncertain where he buried them. Or he lied,” Selena offered. “Maybe he tried running, they pursued, and he fell. That’s still not an accident, though.”
“Yes, that’s plausible, too. Whatever the case, they’re responsible for Ted’s death. I intend to add that to their long list of accumulating charges,” Bennett said. “It’s pure speculation, since we don’t have evidence of what happened that day. Ted hiding the fentanyl says to me he was trying to get out of the mess he’d gotten into.”
“Wow.” Naomi put her head in her hands, trying to contain the absurd amount of information. “This is a living nightmare of a true crime show. Whose life looks like this?”
“It’s a lot to process,” Bennett said. “Ted clearly wanted you to have the note and the money. Obviously, something stopped him from telling you where it was, but he must’ve regretted his actions.”
Was that a comfort? “What happens now?”
“We work on the case,” Selena replied. “You rest and deliver a healthy baby.”
“While we keep you safe,” Bennett answered. “I need to stop at Denver PD, so I’ll update the rest of the team from there. It’ll take me a while, but I’ll be back ASAP.”
“Roger that.” Selena exhaled. “I’ll type up the details in the case file.”
“See you soon.” Bennett disconnected.
Naomi jumped to her feet and paced the small living room, catching the attention of Scout and Spike. The dogs both sat in sphinx poses, watching her. “Excuse me.”
She walked to the bathroom, desperate for a few moments alone to process the mess of her life. She closed the door and stood with her hands flat on the countertop and studied her reflection in the mirror.
Every single part of her marriage with Ted floated in an abyss of unexplained questions. Naomi wept as the sting of betrayal infiltrated her heart. While she’d planned a future for their baby, in a loving home where she’d dedicated herself to being a wife and mother, Ted had looked her in the eye and deceived her. Not just once, but over the course of months, years maybe—so many times that she wondered if he’d ever told the truth.
ELEVEN
After praying, peace had settled over Naomi. God would take care of her.
She returned to the living room, where Selena worked on her laptop. “Hanging in there?”
“Yes. I had a good cry. At least this time it’s not just hormones.” Naomi crossed her arms. “Once Jones gets the drugs Ted hid, he’ll kill me.”
“We won’t let that happen.”
“Someone attacked Bennett!” Naomi snapped. “If they got to him, how will you protect me?”
“The MCK9 task force is good. We’ll get justice for Ted and for you. I can’t promise when, but we won’t stop until you’re safe.”
“I appreciate it, but I’m also enough of a realist to accept that Jones has eluded capture all this time for a reason.”
To her credit, Selena didn’t argue.
Images of someone shoving Ted off a cliff ratcheted her pulse.
Naomi walked to the dining room and sat down. Placing both elbows on the tabletop, she steepled her fingers. “Selena, I’m aware your team can’t protect me indefinitely.”
“Correct, as much as I hate to agree.”
“I need practical advice on where to go from here. Do I move away, change my name? How do I protect myself and my baby?”
“Let’s take one step at a time. If we’re forced to consider other options, we’ll deal with it then.”
Naomi stared at the table’s pattern.
How clueless was she to miss Ted’s transgressions? The man she’d married wouldn’t use or deal drugs. What changed?
Images of Ted’s desperate state of mind brought on a wave of sorrow over Naomi. She couldn’t help but pity him. If he’d let her into his troubled world, things could’ve been different.
Naomi bowed her head. “Lord, I don’t know what to do with all of this. It’s too much of a weight for me to bear by myself.”
