Deadly Deception (SCVC Taskforce) (17 page)

Blatant, aggressive, violent brainwashing did not exist inside Heaven’s Gate Farm any more than it had inside Mount Royal. The people here
wanted
to be here. Why couldn’t that ever be enough for the men leading them? Why did cult leaders commit crimes, knowing the government would have to intervene and stop them?

Innocent children sat inside the room. The girl next to Ronni one of them.

Whatever happens in the next few days, I can’t let them get hurt.

Chapter Nineteen

The evening was hot, the dry air tainted with the smells of lavender and sweaty bodies.

Thomas waited at the back of the room for the meeting to end. After Adam was done—thank God—they’d sung a couple of hymns. A guy had strummed a guitar while Melly played piano. A final prayer was offered, and the group was dismissed.

Two hours. Two fucking long hours he’d had to sit on a hard church pew. His ass was killing him.

Better than quarantine, he reminded himself, although the room he’d been shown to wasn’t that bad. A single bed, nightstand, lamp, and plenty of bibles and study guides. One of the guides written by none other than Adam Karsni.

“Memorize it,” Jacob had said, tossing him the tract. He’d shown Thomas to the room in the men’s quarters and stripped him of his phone, keys, and pocket change. “This is your new way of life.”

Thomas had thumbed through it, tossed it on the bed. Dysfunctional religious leader with a definite narcissistic personality—the label fit. Adam seemed to be able to empathize with others, but still believed he was the end all and be all. In person, he exuded a childlike manner…not innocent, but untainted by the world and driven by an inner force. He wouldn’t last a day on the streets, and yet his authenticity and determination carried him far in
this
world.

After the service, Jacob had demanded Thomas return immediately to his room in the men’s quarters. Ignoring him, Thomas tried to catch Ronni’s eye. He just needed to make eye contact to reassure himself she was okay. He’d sensed he was being watched by Jacob and a few others during the past two hours, so tried not to stare at her. Hard not to. His attention had been constantly drawn to her. She’d calmed her crazy hair a bit, but it hung belligerently above her elegant neck, calling attention to her tantalizing skin, the neat outline of her gorgeous shoulders.

Taste…he wanted another taste of her luscious lips. Wanted to trail his mouth down that neck and over those shoulders.

Ronni was currently surrounded by a group of people Adam had called forward.
Survivors.
The word drifted in the stale evening air.

Of Wrightsville?

One by one, they vigorously shook hands with Ronni, some even hugging her. Every once in a while she disappeared among them. There was laughter and a few tears as women embraced her.

A survivors’ meeting. Had Ronni been prepared for that?

She seemed at ease. Almost glad to see the others. Adam had an arm around her waist, doting on her like a normal younger brother, proud of his older sister. What was he up to?

The guy is seriously messed up
.

But the way to stay close to Ronni was to get close to Adam. Thomas had a plan.

Jacob approached. “Find your way back to the men’s quarters. Now.”

At the front of the room, Ronni turned and scanned faces. Looking for him?

“I need to speak to Adam,” Thomas said.

Jacob stepped in front of him, blocking his view of Ronni. “Everyone wants to talk to Adam. He doesn’t have time for you today.”

He might not see Ronni again until tomorrow. Shifting, he moved around Jacob so he could keep her in his sight. Her gaze, still roaming the crowd, met his. She was beaming.

The image brought to mind his mother and all the times she’d walked out of a movie theater with that same look on her face. Whimsical, daydreaming happiness. All the movies they saw together—just her and Thomas—they had intentionally lost themselves in a fictional world where the good guys trumped the bad guys and love conquered all.

Not entirely different from the world Adam was handing his followers.

Thinking about his partner enjoying herself in this crowd made Thomas’s skin crawl. He had the urge to shake her out of it. How could she fall so easily for this crap?

“It’s about the tractor,” Thomas said to Jacob. He started walking toward the front, ignoring the man’s demands to stop.

Thomas did an imitation of his run through the airport, dodging people as he went after his prey. The only thing different was that this time he was being pursued as well.

Jacob was no slouch, his previous military training evident. Avoiding him was difficult, but Jacob apparently didn’t want to create a scene. He stayed two steps behind Thomas and almost caught him at the front pew, but Thomas jumped the pew and landed behind Adam, brushing his hand across Ronni’s hip as he went.

But Jacob was smart. He’d signaled another man near the stage, and the guy—a regular behemoth—grabbed Thomas by the back of his shirt. “Not today, young man.”

Ronni sighed, pinched the bridge of her nose. The light left her eyes as she came to his rescue. “He means no harm.”

Adam shook his head in irritation. “Escort him back to his room, Ralph.”

Getting close to Adam meant gaining his trust. Thomas needed to prove himself useful instead. “I can fix the tractor. Get you back in business in an hour or two, tops.”

Adam looked doubtful. “Is that so? You don’t even know what’s wrong with it.”

No, he didn’t, and this could backfire on him big time. He shook off Wreck-It Ralph’s grip and exuded total confidence anyway. “I’m a bit of a gearhead. I can probably fix the oven as well.”

Silence. An exchange of guarded expressions. Adam glanced at Ronni, saw her pleading eyes and considered the offer. “I’ll allow you two hours. If the tractor is not fixed, return to your room. Ralph and Elias will show you where the tools and such are.”

Melly jumped in. “What about the oven?”

“If he fixes the tractor,” Adam said. “He can look at the oven tomorrow.”

Ronni gave Thomas a sly smile. Yep, he was brownnosing and she knew it. Adam probably knew it, too, but it was no skin off Adam’s back if Thomas failed.

God, he hoped he could pull it off. What the fuck did he know about tractors?

He winked at Ronni—false bravado—then followed Ralph outside.

The tractor was where it had crapped out by the fence. Ralph led him into a tool shed. Another man—Dr. Elias Elgin, the one Ronni had told them about—joined them. Elias wore overalls with oil and mud stains on them—not exactly medical profession attire, but after a couple words from Ralph, Elgin nodded and pointed Thomas to a wall of tools. Ralph crossed his arms over his broad chest. Together, he and the doctor waited.

A test. “I need to see the engine before I know what tools I’ll need.”

Without waiting for them, Thomas headed for the tractor. The red monstrosity stared belligerently back at him.
An engine’s an engine
. He’d seen and worked on a few diesels in Iraq, under fire even. How hard could it be to fix a simple agricultural tractor on a warm day in Southern California?

Heaving a giant sigh, Thomas put a hand on the tractor’s side. Bowing his head, he did his version of a prayer. “Help me out, here, ol’ girl. I need it.”

“Let me show you around,” Adam said, leading Ronni out of the meeting room.

The air outside was humid, but a slight breeze cooled her skin. Better than the airless room inside.

A few people followed them, some stopping Adam and asking a question or reporting in on something about the farm. A few more introducing themselves to her and shaking her hand. Some matched their pictures in her binder. Others were harder to place. Adam was patient and good natured with everyone, and while he was distracted, Ronni took the opportunity to look around and find Thomas.

The tractor was in the same spot it had been when they’d arrived, a cultivator attached at the rear. Thomas kneeled on one side of the engine, sleeves rolled up, and hands buried deep inside the beast. Ralph and Dr. Elgin stood watching him, and although she was too far away to hear what he was saying, she could see he was talking as he worked.

As people drifted away from her and Adam, some of them gathered around the tractor, watching and listening. Women stood in groups, whispering to each other and giggling behind their hands. A few men, also grouped together, stood with arms crossed, shooting irritated glances at the women, but soon they, too, lightened up and laughed at whatever running commentary Thomas was spouting.

Grease covered his arms and the new shirt she’d made him buy for his FBI agent persona was a mess. An interesting dichotomy, this man. One minute he could fit the stereotype of a homeless person and the next he would be Boy Scout wholesome.

Where would that last kiss have led if we hadn’t been interrupted?

More important, when could she kiss him again?

Not any time soon, if they stayed separated. Melanie had told her about the separate men’s and women’s quarters, and since Ronni was staying in the main house with Adam and Thomas was in quarantine, she wouldn’t see him, except apparently at bible studies.

But if he could revive the tractor and oven…maybe, just maybe, Adam would find him useful enough to let him out of quarantine.

A few days…that’s all we need to find the guns, uncover Adam’s plan.

If
there was a plan against the government. It had only been a few hours, but Ronni had so far seen nothing to implicate snipers, guns, teargas, or any other evidence.

Adam touched her elbow. “Shall we?”

As they broke away, Ronni noticed Jacob following a discreet distance behind them. A bodyguard? Did Adam not trust her yet?

“Big place,” she said. The coonhound trailed behind them, too, sniffing at various things along the ground. “Sounds like the organic farm is doing well.”

“It’s been two years since I bought the place from Melanie’s stepfather. He was ready to retire, tired of trying to run the place on his own. Everything was in shambles. The citrus trees were dying. Wildflowers were taking over the pasture. The house needed major repairs.” He smiled. “I saw past all of that, knowing it could be a grand place again. It was my little piece of heaven. My first real home.”

He led her to field of lavender. Bees buzzed on the blooming flowers that had not yet been cut. Ronni bent down, ran her hand over the leaves of the nearest plant, sniffed. The enticing smell calmed her nerves. “It’s very peaceful.”

“I put all of my savings into restoring one section at a time. Friends and fellow believers began trickling in, many bringing skills I didn’t possess. Every member of the community works hard. We exist on a slim profit margin, but as you heard, it’s growing.”

“Do all of them have outside jobs like Melanie?”

“No.” He walked toward the orchard. The sky was clear and bright blue above the tree tops. “Melanie is an exception.”

“Why?”

He stopped under an orange tree and plucked an orange from a low hanging branch. Digging a fingernail into the rind, he peeled it. “Melanie can handle the outside pressures of running her salon and still manage the farm’s organic business. She’s our contact for the produce and gifts we supply to retailers. She has connections that need to be fostered, and many of those connections pass through her hair salon.”

Potential converts as well.

Jacob was nowhere to be seen, but she could feel his presence. “Who takes cares of the bees? The honey on my bread this afternoon was delicious.”

“Mysterious and dangerous little creatures, bees.” Adam handed her a slice of orange and slipped a second into his mouth and chewed. “Very industrious. Sometimes feared. They need special handling, a beekeeper who understands them.”

Beekeeper, cult leader. Another similarity.

Adam handed her another slice of orange. The fruit was flavorful and sweet. “One of our members and his wife were backyard beekeepers in Los Angeles before moving to the farm. You met them at the bible study. Lance and Kristine? Their daughter, Paige, sat next to you.”

Aha. “She’s a beautiful child.”
And not my niece
. There was some comfort in that. Kristine had been polite but reserved. Lance had been gruff, but Ronni had sensed it was more toward Adam than her.

“They arrived last year, and their hive has become a crucial part of our success. The bees pollinate the herbs and fruit trees, produce honey, and keep our ecosystem in balance without the use of chemicals or fertilizers.”

Adam led her out of the orchard and began a tour of the buildings. The first was a single story, rectangular structure that housed the men’s quarters. Single rooms with single beds. A kitchen and a rec room. Everything was simple and conservative, except in the rec room. A giant flat screen dominated one wall. An assortment of computers ran alongside the opposite wall. In the center, a pool table sat, balls racked and ready. Off to the side was a foosball table.

“Quite the bachelor pad,” Ronni commented.

“The men get restless,” was Adam’s reply.