Chapter 27
Brynn wasn’t alone in her ransom ware attack, but it didn’t make her feel any better. What was happening in this community? First Josh was still in jail for manslaughter, Wes was still in jail for murder, after being shot, and now this. Some hacker had been trying to get money from Brynn and her friends and neighbors.
She hadn’t been in Shenandoah Springs a year yet. Shortly after she moved here, her friend Nancy died and odd things started happening to her. Now this. Becky had urged her to move then, and Brynn was certain she’d want her to move now. But she couldn’t imagine another place to go where land was as cheap. She wouldn’t leave her girls—or her dream. Her ex-fiancé would love to hear of her failure and she was bound and determined to succeed.
This was supposed to be their place, but he’d cheated on her and she told him to pack his bags. She’d never forget the sneer on his face: “You think you can do it alone? Well, you can’t.”
“That remains to be seen,” she said out loud in her bedroom. She was lying in her bed, there from the exhaustion of the morning. Just lying down helped. Her eyelids felt heavy, and she drifted off to sleep.
* * *
She awakened to voices downstairs. She untangled herself from her quilts and sat up, rubbing her eyes, yawning. Who was here?
She marched downstairs and saw Schuyler and Willow sitting with her sister drinking tea and eating the last of the blackberry breakfast bread.
“There she is!” Becky said.
“Still alive, I see,” Schuyler said.
“Yeah,” Brynn muttered, sitting down at the table.
“Good news,” Willow said. “Josh is home!”
Brynn grinned. “This is good news. What happened?”
“Well, they found a problem with the tractor. He really did lose control of it, but it wasn’t his fault. There’s going to be a huge lawsuit.”
“I can imagine. What on earth could happen to a tractor like that? It’s so sophisticated. The sales guy was telling me how slick and techie tractors are now.”
“That’s the problem,” Willow said. “The computer inside of it. Something to do with the Wi-Fi signal—”
“It was sonar signals,” Schuyler said.
“Okay. But he lost control and was able to prove it.”
Brynn’s brain felt a bit cottony, but she now considered technology the big bad wolf. She wanted to change the subject. “How is the fair?”
“Rained out today.”
“What?” Brynn said.
“You slept through the storm, but it was a doozie. It’s still raining.”
“Yeah, there’s no electricity in half the county. The fair is down. I’m kind of glad. It’s not been a good year,” Willow said.
“No,” Brynn said. “I suppose next year there will have to be more security.”
“That would be a good thing, but I doubt it will happen.”
“After Wes getting shot, you’d think they would tighten it,” Becky said.
They all agreed.
“Speaking of Wes . . . has he gotten out of jail while I was asleep?”
“I’ve not seen him or his family,” Becky replied.
“Well, let’s hope it means they are off celebrating his freedom,” Willow said.
“Yes,” Brynn said. But she thought it odd that he wouldn’t have at least stopped by. After all, she was his employer—and friend.
“How’s your head?” Schuyler asked.
“Getting better. It’s not aching now and that’s a good thing. But my brain isn’t working one hundred percent yet. You know? Sometimes it takes a while.... Unfortunately, I’ve a lot of figuring out to do. It’s frustrating.”
“Figuring out?” Schuyler sad. “What are you talking about? We’ve got everything covered.”
“I’m trying to figure out who killed Donny.”
Silence engulfed the room.
“Why?” Schuyler finally said. “The police are on it, right?”
“I’m not so sure.” She relayed the information about Wes and his credit card. “I don’t think they’re really investigating this. It’s like they want justice but are willing to pin the blame on an innocent man because on the surface it looks like he did it. They should have checked his credit card and everything. But no. His dad investigated and found it all. It’s troubling.”
“I agree they should have investigated more thoroughly,” Schuyler said. “But they don’t really have a lot of resources. That’s no excuse, though.” She paused. “So what ideas do you have in that aching head of yours?”
“Nothing makes much sense, unfortunately. There’s Chelsea. Everything keeps coming back to her.”
“A sixteen-year-old girl?” Willow said.
“She’s the common denominator—Rad dated her, Donny dated her, and Evan dated her. Could it be a coincidence?” Brynn answered. “Also, she was dating a carnie guy with a record for attempted murder.”
“Would you like some tea?” Becky asked her as everybody sat mulling all of it over.
“Yes, but I’d also like some justice,” Brynn said.
“Tea and justice!” Willow said, and held up her cup.
“To tea and justice,” Schuyler said.
* * *
They were on their second cup of tea when the front door opened. Becky stood. “What?”
Wes, Max, and their father walked into the room and the women all rushed Wes.
“Whoa! I’ve only been gone two days!” He laughed.
“How are you doing?” Brynn asked.
“What was it like?” Schuyler asked,
“Are you still under suspicion?” Willow asked.
“What was the food like?” Becky asked.
“Give me a break! All in due time,” he said.
His dad put his arm around him. “He needs some rest. We’re taking him back to the guest house. But he wanted to stop here first.”
“He didn’t sleep much in jail,” Max said.
“Guys, I’m standing right here and can speak for myself.” He turned to the women. “Yes, I’m tired and am going home to rest. But I plan to be back to work tomorrow, Brynn.”
“If you need to take another day, it would be fine.”
“No, I think it’s best I keep busy. But thank you.”
He looked like he’d aged ten years. Brynn was certain it was weariness. The jail in Shenandoah Springs was not like a maximum-security prison.
But it wasn’t simply the weakness from not sleeping, but probably the weight of being accused of murder. Brynn’s frustration burned. She needed to help him out more. This concussion needed to go away.
She moved in and hugged him. “Go and get rested up. But if you need another day, it’s fine, too.”
“Go ahead over, boys. I want to talk with Brynn,” Nathaniel said.
Wes and Max took their leave.
“Please have a seat,” Brynn said. “Would you like some tea?”
“I want my boy to come home,” Nathaniel said.
Willow started clearing the dishes. Schuyler leaned forward. And Becky sat, stunned.
Brynn’s heart dropped. “I totally get that. I never wanted any problems for him. You know that.”
He nodded. “I do. But there’s no guarantee of his safety here.”
“Is there a guarantee in Boston?” Schuyler said.
“Of course not, but he’s not so singled out there, if you know what I mean.”
“We’re not all racist,” she said.
“Of course not,” Brynn replied.
“Not you-all, certainly.” Nathaniel took a deep breath. “But he’s being threatened, arrested, accused of murder. This is serious stuff. You can’t deny there’s a strong racist element in this valley.”
“He’s right,” Willow said as she walked back into the room. If any of them understood racism, it would be her. “It’s not something I talk about often, but my family and I have had problems, too, through the years.”
“I’m sorry to hear that,” Nathaniel said.
Brynn was shocked. She had no idea.
“Every person who’s not white has had some kind of experience.” Willow sat down. “It’s not just this area. But there’s fewer brown-skinned people here, so it seems like it’s this area. There are racists everywhere.”
Brynn set her teacup down. “We’d considered that Wes is being framed. Do you think it’s racism?”
“I have no idea. It could be. I thought he was being framed, too. Whoever is using his credit card.”
“Why didn’t they cancel the card?” Becky asked.
“They’re trying to track him down with it. The last I heard, the police are on to something. But the crook is messing with them, almost like he realizes he’s being watched. There was a charge in Staunton and then fifteen minutes later in Culpeper. That can’t be. He’s wily.”
Brynn, once again, was disturbed by the online stuff. All of her personal information was online. Between this and the attack on her computer, she was beginning to consider deleting everything and doing things the old-fashioned way. Her head hurt when she thought about it. It seems like it would take a lot of work to disengage herself and her business.
“So his card is being charged?” Schuyler said.
“Yes, but the police will take care of the expenses.”
“That’s something anyway,” Becky said.
Schuyler leaned forward. “They know someone had his card. The card that paid for the gun. So why don’t they absolve him of all this?”
“It’s not easy. They have to follow the law. If the evidence says one thing they have to follow up on it. That’s all. And of course, they don’t know if Wes is a partner with this person,” Nathaniel explained.
“I hadn’t thought of that,” Brynn said. “But what we need to do is take the matter into our own hands. We’ve led the police in the right directions so far. We can continue. You discovered his credit card was being used. I told them about the ex-con carnie.”
“He had an alibi,” Nathaniel said. “But I’m not sure there’s anything much else to be done here. I agree there’s not much in the way of police resources and any help we could give them would benefit my son. But where to start?”
“I think we start with Chelsea,” Brynn said. “I’d like to talk with her. But I can’t imagine how to approach her without her being suspicious.”
“The sixteen-year-old?” Schuyler waved her off.
“Yes, I agree,” Nathaniel said. “She’s too young to be brought into this.”
“Everything leads back to her, though,” Becky said.
There was an awkward pause.
“I think you’re right,” Willow said. “Chelsea has something to do with this.”
“She is sixteen. A beauty queen . . . likes boys. How can we lure her here and question her?” Brynn said.
“I don’t think you should do this.” Nathaniel stood. “She’s a child.”
“She’s sixteen, but she’s no child,” Willow said. “Believe me.”
“Okay then,” Schuyler said. “Let’s ask her to tea to discuss something.... Brynn, you need a spokesperson? A pretty young woman to represent your brand?”
“That’s a great idea!”
As Brynn thought it over, this was definitely something she could do. She didn’t have to hire her. She could question her and then decide against it. It would help to get a sense of her personality. Why would such a young woman be involved with all these men—two of whom had been killed? One by her father, albeit accidentally.