The Road to Justice/Sins of the Son combo pack - A John Fowler Novel (John Fowler (Books 1 & 2)) (22 page)

“
Amy, you want to be a teacher. Tom, you want to be a doctor.  Colt, you want to be an accountant, and Leroy.
”
 
Veronica smiled as she looked at Leroy. 
“
Leroy, do you think an amusement park for kids would hire someone that was
involved with a questionable death?
”
 
Veronica looked around at all of them. 
“
Do any of you think the profession you want to be in would?
”
 
She let the question hang in the air. 
“
Look, as long as we don
’
t talk, no one will ever know.  I know David
’
s and Beth
’
s mother won
’
t talk.  She won
’
t go to the police because she
’
s afraid she
’
ll be arrested for neglect.
”
 
Veronica looked around at the group; she could see the agreement growing on their faces.  She had to bring it home.  She was proud of herself for leading the group exactly where she needed them to be. 
She was especially happy with herself because she knew her father would be so proud.

 
“
I hate to even mention this, but Beth was trying to rape me . . .
“
 
Veronica
started a fake sob to gain a little sympathy.  She collected herself and continued. 
“
Apparently she made her brother follow her to help if needed.  There is no telling what those two deviants would have done to me if Jason hadn
’
t saved me.  They would have ravaged me, and then . . .
”
 
She
gave a shudder. 
“
And then for all I know they may have thrown me through that shaft.
”

Veronica looked over the group.  If she couldn
’
t become the
f
irst
l
ady, then she had no doubt she could be a great trial lawyer.  No one could out argue her. 

“
Does anyone disagree with anything I
’
ve said here?
”
 
She looked around and they all shook their head
s
.  They didn
’
t like it, but she had convinced
t
h
e
m. 
“
Ok, here
’
s what
’
s going to happen.  To protect everyone
,
all of your parents are going to be transferred back to the original s
tate you
came from.
”
 
Jason looked crestfallen.  Veronica put her hand on his knee.  He raised his head and looked into her eyes.  Veronica talked very softly. 
“
Jason
,
please understand this kills me.  We have to do it though; it
’
s to protect your future.  It
’
s to protect all of us.  We have to forget about each other.  Once we each move away, do not contact me ever again.
”
 
The group looked shocked. 
“
I know this seems harsh, but I plan to be a public figure one day, and I don
’
t want to go through the constant questions of what happened to me today.  It would be too hard.  I don
’
t think I could take the constant questions.  Nothing happened to me today, but the press will try to sensationalize it.  I don
’
t want to be one of those people who are connected to something when I was never actually raped.  Do you understand?
”

Everyone nodded.  Veronica knew they were still in shock and this was the best time to get everyone to agree.  Veronica stood up and hugged each of them.  The group began to break up and leave.  Jason lingered until everyone left.  He tried to approach Veronica, but she simply shook her head no, and pointed toward the exit.  Jason nodded and walked away.

For the most part, that was the last time Veronica ever saw them alive again.  She stayed away from the group over the next few weeks as the transfer orders for the group
’
s parents took place.  Veronica
’
s father announced that he was moving his family back to Virginia a few days after the last parent was transferred.  The day Veronica got in t
he car to leave Kentucky
was the last day anyone ever called her by that name.  On that day, Lisa was born.

Lisa looked up at the clock.  An hour had passed.  She hadn
’
t thought about that day for over twenty-five years.  She could never forgive Bet
h and David for costing her a sh
ot at the presidency.  There was no way she could ever run with what had happened.  Lisa felt secure the identity that was built for her was fool proof, but she didn
’
t want to chance it.  She was afraid nothing would hold up to the scrutiny of the media if she were to have run
for the nation
’
s highest office
.  She knew her only chance was to be the
f
irst
l
ady.  She had hopes of being Secretary of State someday, but anything more than that was now impossible.  She was so angry at the George siblings for destroying her dreams.  She sent an instant message for Agent McDonald to come to her office immediately.

A few minutes later there was a knock on the door and Agent McDonald entered.  Lisa knew she couldn
’
t personally get too involved with the FBI or someone would start to wonder why she was involved.  She needed Luke to take care of this for her.  She had to stress that to Agent McDonald.  When Luke entered, Lisa walked to the door and locked it.  Agent McDonald stood
there frozen like a statue. 
Lisa walked up beside him and ran her hand down his arm.

“
Luke,
”
Lisa purred. 
“
I need you to get Agent Fowler off of this case.  If I understand right, Bruce Cosby turned it down.  Maybe you need to talk to
Senator Cosby
.  I can
’
t believe a father wouldn
’
t want to see his son succeed.
”

Luke swallowed nervously,
“
Mrs . . .
“
 
Lisa
cut him off.

“
Luke,
call
me Lisa, or when we
’
re alone, Silk.
”
 
Lisa smiled at Luke seductively.

“
Lisa
. . . I talked to Agent Cosby, and if I understand him right, he and his father don
’
t get along.
”
 
Lisa moved from Luke
’
s shoulder to stand right in front of him.
Lisa straightened Luke
’
s tie and then raised her eyebrows twice, very quickly.  She mocked at undoing Luke
’
s tie.  Luke thought he might pass out. 
If anyone were to walk in . . .

“
Let me guess,
”
Lisa inquired. 
“
Bruce wants Daddy to approve, right?
”
 
Luke nodded. 
“
Then talk to
Senator Cosby
, and if that doesn
’
t work . . . maybe do something that would help Bruce impress Daddy.  I
’
ll make sure nothing happens to you if you take care of this
.  D
o we understand each other
,
Luke?
”

Luke nodded.  He knew exactly what he could do.  He would get
Senator Cosby
to help him with Bruce. If
Senator Cosby
wouldn
’
t assist Luke with Bruce,
then
Luke would
“
kidnap
”
the
senator
.   Not for real.  He would take the
senator
without Jeremiah knowing it was Luke.  Luke could use a mask or something to disguise his identity from the
senator
.  Luke would feed Bruce the information of where the
senator
was so Bruce could
“
rescue
”
him.  Luke looked Lisa up and down.  Lisa winked at him and waved him away.  As Luke left, he wondered how far
“
Silk
”
was willing to go.

Kentucky

Chapter 54

John was sitting beside the cave entrance.  He was sick to his stomach.  If all of this was true
. . . he looked up at Brother Jim.

“
Jim
,
let me run through this from start to finish
to make
sure I completely understand.
”
 
Jim nodded. 
“
Jason Sparks,
Beth
George,
and David George were born and raised here in this town.  Archibald Industries came here, and Lisa Staples moved here when her father, The Archibald Staples, moved to the community. 
Archibald brings several people
from other plants
whose
children include Tom, Amy, Leroy, and Colt; the four people killed at Jason Sparks
’
funeral.  Veronica Staples starts to try and
“
save
”
Beth George
,
in her eyes
,
by making Beth the girl who beat the odds of a single, possibly drunk and drug addled parent from rural Kentucky.
”
 
Jim nodded, John continued. 
“
The last time anyone ever saw Beth was when she came to you to tell you she was gay.  She told you she
was going to meet Veronica.  T
here has never been any follow up by the police
,
when you talked to them
,
except that they told you Mrs. George stated her two children went to live with their father
s
.  Two weeks after you last s
aw
Beth, the parents of the four murdered mourners move
d
back to their home state
s
.  Then Archibald leaves Kentucky and the next thing you know, Veronica Staples has disappeared from all public record and Lisa has taken her place.
”
 
John stopped, exhausted.

“
John, you got it, sadly, that is it exactly,
”
said Brother Jim.  John shook his head.  He had stepped in it, and it stank high to heaven.  They both stared at the cave
entrance.  Brother Jim looked at the flashlights John had been carrying.  John sighed and nodded his head.  He handed Brother Jim a flashlight and they started inside.  Brother Jim stopped at each branch within the cave
rn
and looked for markings.  John smiled; it was like something out of a Mark Twain novel.  They followed the markings and entered a large room.  Inside the large room, John looked around with his flashlight
.  He
saw torches in the wall and a stone that resembled a throne.  He continued to look and noticed a
n old rotted wooden barrier; o
ne side was broken.  John looked over the side with his flashlight.  He called Brother Jim over and they both shined their flashlight
s
down the hole.  John lowered his head.  He was pretty sure he could see a skull sticking up out of what looked to be a shallow pool.  Brother Jim was on one knee. 

“
John
,
is that . . .
”
Brother Jim tried to ask.  John nodded.

“
I only saw one
.
Jim, did you see another?
”
 
John asked.  Jim shook his head no.  John swung his flashlight around.  He was trying to see if there was a trail to the broken boards.  He got up and walked toward the back of the cave, looking for anything.  He p
ulled out his spray, and moistened
the broken boards.  He sprayed around the ground and worked his way back o
ut until he ran out of the chemicals
.  He put on the special glasses and did find some flecks of blood where the boards were b
roken, but not the amount he ex
pected.  He kept using his light
as he walked
away from the hole, and found a small pool abou
t thirty feet away from the mine shaft
.  John nodded, and turned to Brother Jim.