Authors: Rayven T. Hill
“We will,” Hank said. “Thank you.”
Overstone dropped his elbows on the armrest and rested his chin on a tightened fist. “Wouldn’t it be better to find out who did this rather than making ridiculous accusations?”
“They’re only questions, sir,” King said. “Not accusations.”
Overstone glared at King, his nostrils flaring. “They sound like accusations to me. Next you’ll be accusing me of shooting my own wife.”
“Did you?”
Niles bolted to his feet and stared down at King. “I think we’re done here.”
King looked up at the angry man. “Mr. Overstone,” he said calmly, “Jake Lincoln had your business card with him. Did you give it to him?”
“He could’ve picked it up at the office. I have no idea how he got it.”
King continued, “He had written your wife’s name and phone number on the back.”
Overstone crossed his arms. “You’ll have to ask him about that.”
The angry man stepped back as King rose to his feet and said, “I will. Thank you for your time.”
Hank stood and offered his hand. Overstone refused the gesture and continued to glare at the cops.
Hank turned to leave, following King from the room. He didn’t like making pointed accusations, but he had watched the man during his verbal exchange with King, and Hank was convinced Overstone was telling the truth.
“The man’s under a lot of stress,” Hank said to his partner when they were out of Overstone’s earshot. “Did you really have to be so hard on him?”
“He’ll get over it,” King said with a chuckle. “Soon as we find out what’s going on and make an arrest, we’ll be his best buddies.” King looked at Hank. “Besides, I’m not sure the man’s totally innocent. I think he knows something.”
“Look, King,” Hank said. “If he hired Jake to shoot his wife, why would he identify him in the photo?”
King shrugged. “Who knows? Maybe to cover himself. Felt he had to identify him. A lot of people know the Lincolns. Jake’s involved in this, and if it came out Overstone was lying about knowing Jake, who knows what else he’s lying about?”
Hank sighed and shook his head. “King, that doesn’t even make any sense.”
“Makes sense to me,” King said. He touched Hank’s arm and came to a stop.
Hank turned to face King and waited for the cop to continue.
“What if the Overstones cooked up some scheme together to rob the bank, and they hired Jake to do it?”
Hank couldn’t help but laugh. “That’s the dumbest theory I’ve ever heard.”
King chuckled and continued down the hallway. “Yeah, I guess it is kinda dumb.”
But other than the obvious, Hank had no theories that made any sense, either. He had to give his partner credit for trying.
Tuesday, 4:24 p.m.
JAKE PACED BACK AND forth by the edge of the river, anxious to get out of there and do whatever he could to find out who’d set him up. But he had to wait for Sammy to return.
He spun around and glanced up the embankment toward the sound of a ringing bell. It was the old-fashioned kind from a bicycle, and Jake grinned to see Sammy easing a bike down the steep grade toward him.
Jake’s grin turned to a frown as Sammy approached, still ringing the bell and chuckling.
“It’s all I could get,” Sammy said, coming to a stop beside Jake. “Sorry about the color.”
“It’s a girl’s bike.”
Sammy shrugged. “It’s not really pink. More of a burnt purple.”
“It’s pink, Sammy.”
“I think that’s the least of your worries. Hey, if people are looking at your bike, they won’t be looking at you.”
Jake laughed. “It’ll do. Thanks, Sammy.”
“And that’s not all,” Sammy said. He pushed down the kickstand and reached into his pocket. He pulled out a small bundle of bills and handed it to Jake. “Told you Mrs. Pew was amazing. She lent me a hundred bucks, no questions asked.”
“How’d you manage that?” Jake asked, taking the bills and thumbing through the twenties.
“I put in the odd day there. Just helping out. Been doing it for a long time.” He pointed a stern finger at Jake. “But you gotta pay her back when this is all over.”
“With interest,” Jake said.
“And there’s more,” Sammy said, popping up the lid of a yellow basket attached to the rear of the bike. He pulled out a plastic bag. “Here’s your duds. They should fit.”
“I hope they’re not girls’ clothes.”
“How’d you know?” Sammy said, finger-combing his bushy beard. “What better way for a man to hide than by wearing a dress?”
Jake frowned and opened the bag, then grinned and pulled out an extra-large pair of faded blue jeans and a black t-shirt, complete with a belt and baseball cap. He held up the pants. “They look like a perfect fit.”
Sammy cocked a thumb over his shoulder. “You can change in my castle.”
“I’m not that modest,” Jake said, kicking off his shoes. He stripped off what was left of the jumpsuit, tossed it aside, and pulled on the jeans. He tightened up the belt, donned the loose-fitting t-shirt, and put his shoes back on.
“You look great,” Sammy said. “You’re better dressed than me, now.” He reached back into the basket and removed a package. “It’s a burner phone,” Sammy said, handing the bag to Jake. “Thought you might wanna call your wife.” He pointed to the phone. “I got Mrs. Pew to activate it for me. She had to do it online.”
“You’ve thought of everything, Sammy. I don’t know what to say.”
Sammy shrugged. “Don’t say anything. Just catch the guy who set you up.”
“I’m gonna need your help with it, but I don’t have much to tell you. All I know is someone tried to kill Merrilla Overstone, and it wasn’t me.”
Sammy pushed up his cap and scratched his head. “That doesn’t give me a lot to work with.”
“Give me a minute,” Jake said. He fiddled with the phone a moment and then dialed Annie’s cell number.
“It’s me,” he said when Annie answered.
Annie breathed out a long sigh of relief. “Am I glad to hear from you. I had no idea what’s going on.”
“I’m okay,” Jake said. “I’m at Sammy’s. He set me up with some clothes, a bicycle, and a burner phone.”
“Hank was here,” Annie said, then paused before continuing. “They searched the house.”
“I have nothing to hide.”
“Jake, listen to me,” Annie said. “Whoever set you up did a thorough job. Someone planted money in the garage and King found it. Hank thinks it’s from the bank robbery.”
“The bank robbery?” Jake said in confusion. “What does that have to do with all this?”
“It’s all tied together somehow. Merrilla Overstone works at the bank that was robbed.”
Jake’s mouth dropped open. Now it was starting to make some sense. Merrilla Overstone worked at the bank and might’ve seen the robber’s face. The thief had tried to kill her to cover himself. “And they think I robbed the bank,” Jake said in a flat voice.
“That’s where the evidence points.”
“Was there no video?”
“The robber wore a mask most of the time. The brief shot of his face isn’t clear enough to ID him.”
“And now I’m wanted for murder as well,” Jake said.
“Yes,” Annie said. “But I can read Hank. Though he’s doing whatever he can to find you, I can tell his heart’s not in it.”
“Do you think I should turn myself in?” Jake asked, not convinced it was a good idea.
“I’d like to think truth will win out in the end,” Annie said. “But I’m not so sure. There’s more.”
“More?”
“Hank said there were no photos on the camera. He thinks you lied to him.”
This was getting worse and worse all the time. Had Jake been the victim of a carefully arranged plan? Or was it possible Merrilla Overstone had told the shooter the house was being watched, and then he’d used Jake as a convenient scapegoat?
Jake knew there were pictures on the camera; he remembered swiping through them. Who could’ve erased them? It had to have been the guy who came into the house. Or were there others involved?
“Jake, the worst part is Mrs. Overstone said it was you who shot her,” Annie continued.
“She was delusional when I found her,” Jake said, then hesitated before asking, “I hope you don’t believe any of this?”
“Not a word,” Annie said.
“How is she? Did the ambulance get there in time?”
“Last I heard, she was fine.”
That was good news. Though she’d IDed Jake as the shooter, she might see things differently if she survived. His fate appeared to be in the hands of others.
“We have to meet,” Jake said.
“I don’t have a vehicle. The police impounded it, and the garage is sealed off. They won’t let me take the Firebird. Give me your number, and I’ll call you when I can get access to some transportation.”
Jake gave Annie the number and then hung up. He had to think this through.
Sammy stood with his hands in his pockets, his usual happy face now grim. “Bad news?” he asked.
Jake nodded. He filled Sammy in on what Annie had told him. “Now we know what we’re looking for. If you can get any information on who robbed the Commerce Bank or planted the money in my garage, it’ll help a lot.”
Sammy cocked his head. “Any idea what the guy looks like?”
“Nope. I didn’t see his face. But he was fairly large and muscular, and he was wearing sloppy clothes and a ragged baseball cap. And he had short hair.”
“I’ll ask around,” Sammy said. “And I’ll get everyone I know on it. These kinds of people like to talk. They brag to their buddies about what they’ve done.” He shrugged. “I’m betting somebody knows something.”
“Just get me a name,” Jake said. “One name. That’s all I need.”
“I’ll get right on it,” Sammy said, waving toward his castle. “You’re welcome to stay here tonight. I could always use the company.”
“I’ll let you know,” Jake said.
Sammy turned away and strode up the bank. “You know where I live,” he called over his shoulder. “Check back with me tonight or tomorrow morning, and I’ll let you know if I found out anything useful.”
Jake watched his homeless friend disappear in the distance, then sat on the rock and considered his current situation. And there didn’t seem like much he could do at the moment.
He really wanted to talk to Merrilla Overstone, but he’d never get close to her. Niles Overstone would be the next best thing, but there was no doubt he’d be at the hospital, and Jake would have no safe access to him, either.
Until he had a lead to follow, Annie would have to be his eyes and ears. If Hank was as uncertain about Jake’s guilt as Annie supposed he was, then the cop could be counted on to consider the evidence with an open mind.
Hopefully, Hank would keep Annie informed of any developments. If not, she’d find a way to get it out of him.
Jake was looking forward to meeting with his wife. He didn’t want to put her in danger or make her appear culpable, but unless Sammy found out something he could run with, Annie was his only hope.
Tuesday, 5:45 p.m.
ANNIE KNEW JAKE was quite capable of taking care of himself in just about any situation, but the circumstances they found themselves in now were way beyond anything they’d ever expected. Jake’s freedom was at stake, and the stability of their family was Annie’s chief concern.
Matty had no indication anything unusual was going on, and Annie had hoped to keep it that way. But unfortunately, it didn’t look like this muddle was going to get sorted out anytime soon. Jake wouldn’t be home tonight, and Annie struggled to come up with something she could tell her son.
But right now, she had to arrange to meet Jake somewhere. She needed a vehicle and a babysitter.
Chrissy, Annie’s friend from next door, was always willing to watch Matty whenever she was available, and Annie had hoped to borrow her car, as well.
But Chrissy would be out for the evening, so there went the babysitter and the transportation.
That left her with only one option.
Her mother.
Annie bit the bullet and made the call she was dreading. Yes, her mother was quite willing to watch Matty for the evening, and she promised to be there just after eight. Annie had hoped for an earlier time, but her mother was at work, claiming the place would fall apart if she weren’t there to keep it together.
Not that her mother needed the job. Annie’s father owned a small trucking company, doing mainly local deliveries, and her mother’s part-time job at a hair salon only served to fill her otherwise idle days. Annie’s father didn’t complain, and Annie suspected he was a happier man when his wife was out of the house.
Annie had some time to spare and some things to do. She assumed Jake would be hungry—he just about always was—so she put together a stack of sandwiches and leftover chicken along with some fresh fruit. She’d give him whatever spare cash she could come up with as well, and it would be enough to keep him going for the time being.
She went into the office, spun her chair over to the filing cabinet, and sat down. She leafed through their prior cases, looking for anyone who might be out for revenge and had decided framing Jake for murder was the best way to get back at them.
After several minutes, she gave up. She couldn’t find even the remotest connection to the Commerce Bank or to the Overstones. All of the really bad guys they’d helped track down were either dead or in prison. Unless any of the people involved in their noncriminal cases were nuttier than she thought, it seemed too extreme to suspect any of them would go to such lengths for retaliation.
The question she was faced with wasn’t only who, but why. She decided it wasn’t revenge. If anyone was so inclined, there were much easier ways to settle a score.
Merrilla Overstone was the key to unraveling the mystery. If Annie could only talk to her …
Other than the victim, what else did she have to go on?
She pulled open her desk drawer and removed a magnifying glass and a small flashlight. She tested the batteries. There was lots of juice.
Grabbing her keyring from her handbag, she took the items and went out the front door. She went along the front of the house, then up a path to the side of the garage, and crouched down in front of an entrance door crisscrossed with yellow crime scene tape. Flicking on the flashlight, she examined the lock through the magnifying glass.