The Divine Rights compound was just off Rock Ranch Road. The same opening they’d taken last time between two large oak trees was still there, and Jane held on as Reid maneuvered the four-wheeler.
They meandered through groves and thick brush heady with the scent of wildflowers, through heavy forest, and across small streams until they broke into the large clearing occupied by cabins, barns, and the meeting house. It appeared very much unchanged from what they’d seen several weeks earlier.
Several women peered at them as they approached, and Jane saw a young woman who could have been her twin, right down to the short stature. The fatigue and defeat in the woman’s hazel eyes broke her heart.
If not for her dad’s intervention, that could have been Jane.
From the shadows a man emerged who looked enough like her dad to be his twin, right down to his bushy white brows and muscular build. The four-wheeler rolled to a stop, but Jane couldn’t make her muscles move to dismount. She was too gobsmacked by her uncle’s appearance.
Edward Hardy might have been an inch or two shorter than her dad, but even the shape of his ears was the same. He wore a red plaid shirt under overalls that tucked into muddy boots. Gazing into his hazel eyes made her shiver. The hostility glaring back at her was terrifying.
She forced her limbs to move and stepped off the four-wheeler. “You must be Edward Hardy. I’m your niece, Jane.” She smiled toward the young woman who had to be her cousin, Edward’s daughter.
“Josie, get inside,” Edward barked, and the young woman scurried away. “Where’s your daddy?”
Even his voice sounded like her father’s. Jane moved closer to Reid. “He doesn’t know I’m here.”
Watching his stony expression was like staring at a granite statue. No emotion, no life, and certainly no fondness for her. Maybe they shouldn’t have come here. The last thing she wanted was to put Reid’s life in danger.
“What do you want?” Edward slid his gaze over her. “Do you remember me?”
“No.” She couldn’t reveal what her mother had told her. This man might be searching for Kim as well as Gabriel. “Did you know Gabriel is in Pelican Harbor?”
The pipe in his pocket nearly fell out, and Edward shoved it back into place. “Who do you think let him go there? I run this place, not Gabriel.”
Dislike for his arrogance was hard to hide. “What do you want from me, from my mom?”
“Nothing. That’s Gabriel’s bailiwick. I’ll let him deal with you and your mother. You never answered my question. What are you doing here?”
“I’d heard you might be here, and I was curious to meet family I didn’t know about.”
“If your father didn’t tell you about me, who did?” Edward challenged.
She should have thought about what to say before she spoke. “Is my grandfather still alive?”
“No. Your dad betraying us took a toll on him, and he had a stroke a few months later. You’re lucky he’s dead. He would have taken a horse whip to you for poking your nose into our business. And don’t even mention your father and his desertion.”
“Dad was in his twenties. He had a right to lead the life he wanted.”
“Doesn’t matter. Family is family, and your dad betrayed us. Someday he’ll answer for it.” Her uncle pointed a finger at her. “Get off my property and go back to Fairhope. You never should have come. You and your dad are dead to me and mine.”
She wanted to argue, to ask more questions, but she saw the way several armed men drew closer. Without a word she swung around and walked back to the four-wheeler with Reid close behind. He started the vehicle and drove back the way they’d come. She didn’t breathe easily until they were back on the road and a mile from the compound.
Reid pulled over and braked at a stop sign, then killed the engine. “You okay? A lot of hostility aimed at you back there.”
“At least we know Edward’s still alive. He’s a wily one though and didn’t reveal any reasons why he’d sent Gabriel to Pelican Harbor. He sure hates Dad.”
“Maybe when you tell Charles you were here, he’ll talk about it.”
“And maybe pigs will fly.”
“Good point.” Reid nodded. “We can try.”
She checked her phone. “Have you heard from Will? All this has made me worry. I kept thinking about what would happen to him if my uncle shot us both.”
“A sunny thought.” Reid smiled and pulled out his phone. “No texts. I’ll give him a call and put it on speakerphone.”
“Dad.”
Reid’s eyes widened. “What’s wrong?”
Jane edged closer to hear.
Will drew in a shaky breath. “It’s Lauren. She showed up here. I was fishing off the pier in our yard, and she grabbed the pole out of my hand. She was mad, madder than I’d ever seen her. She was yelling about how you owed her money and that she never wanted your illegitimate brat. She was scary.”
“I’m sorry, Will. She might have gotten the divorce papers, and it sent her over the edge. I should have warned you not to be at the house at all.”
“S-She slapped me. And she was waving some papers, so yeah, that was probably it. She tried to slap me a second time, and I caught her by the wrist. She fell backward into the water when she jerked away. I tried to help her out of the water, but she cursed at me and told me to leave her alone. I was so upset that I ran off so I didn’t have to listen to her anymore. But maybe I should go out and make sure she’s okay. Her car is still in the driveway.”
Jane frowned, and a chill worked its way down her back. “Why didn’t you call us right away?”
“I wanted to calm down first. And it’s only been a few minutes.”
Will’s voice held a tremor, and their big, strapping son wouldn’t want anyone to hear him crying. Lauren’s words had to have hurt.
Reid glanced at Jane for her advice and mouthed, What should we do? before answering.
Jane leaned forward. “Call the station and tell the dispatcher what you told us. Say you’re afraid to go out and look. Officer Brown will probably be the responding officer, and he’ll take good care of you. If she’s irrational, I don’t want her assaulting you again. She might be out there waiting for you to show up. Is the door locked?”
“Y-Yes.”
“We’re going to hang up now so you can call. Call us back after you talk to the dispatcher.”
“Thanks, Mom. I-I’m a little scared of her.”
“It’s going to be okay. Call right now.”
“Okay, bye.”
When the screen went blank, she pointed toward town. “We need to get home right away. I don’t like the sound of this. And what was he doing at home anyway? He was supposed to be staying with Dad.”
Reid nodded. “He likes fishing. Maybe Charles dropped him off for a bit.”
“We’ll figure that out later. You drive, and I’ll see if we can get a flight out today.”
While Reid accelerated away from the stop sign, she checked to see if there was an earlier flight. “Nothing tonight. We’ll have to take our original morning flight.”
At least it left at six, but the wait would be excruciating.
She could put the time to use. She placed a call to the district FBI office to inquire about Divine Rights. The agent she spoke to said the group knew the FBI was watching them and had kept out of trouble. For now.
“I don’t think they’ll be bothering us.” She told Reid what she’d learned. “They aren’t going to want to bring any attention to themselves.”
Which was fine by her.
* * *
Jane paced the carpet of her hotel suite. Reid stood at the sliding glass door, looking out at the lights of town. From down below somewhere, the smell of pizza wafted up toward them. The little town bustled with summer visitors.
Reid turned back toward her. “I don’t understand why Will hasn’t called back.”
“Dispatch would have kept him on the phone since he was afraid of being attacked again. And he might be with them down at the water, showing them where the confrontation took place.”
“He’s never without that phone. It’s part of his arm.”
“They wouldn’t let him answer a call if they’re interviewing him.”
A dozen scenarios raced through her head. Will cuffed and taken to jail. Lauren’s body forever lost and Will under suspicion for the rest of his life. Calculating stares around town.
“You’re worried. I can hear it in your voice.”
She gave a jerky nod. “Okay, fine. I’m worried something has happened to her. And that our son will immediately be implicated because of the argument.”
“Like in maybe she’s dead?” His voice rose and horror spiked in his eyes.
“The thought crossed my mind. I would have expected her to stomp off to her car and drive off. Why didn’t she?”
The first people the police considered for guilt were those closest to the victim. In this case it would be Reid and Will. Maybe even Jane herself. She was the other woman. The thought was beyond distasteful. They all had something to gain from her death.
This long silence felt ominous and wrong.
Her phone’s ring stopped her from admitting her worst fear. She quickly answered the call. “Jackson, what’s going on there?”
“We found Lauren Dixon’s car, but there’s no sign of her, Chief. Your son told us she fell into the river, but other than a wet spot on the pier, there’s no sign of the altercation.”
“How’s Will doing?”
“A little distraught. He keeps saying it’s all his fault.”
“It wasn’t,” she said sharply. “She assaulted him, and when he tried to stop her from hitting him, she jerked away and fell.”
“So he said, Chief.”
In spite of Jackson’s affable tone, Jane inwardly cringed at the hint of doubt in his voice. This could go very badly if Lauren was found dead.
“When are you getting back?”
“Tomorrow by noon. We leave at six in the morning. We couldn’t get a flight out tonight.”
“What should I do with Will?”
“Take him to my dad’s, please. Have you heard from my father?”
“No, ma’am. I tried to call him, but he didn’t pick up. I left a message.”
“He’s bad about leaving his phone when he’s in the bunker. I’ll try to call him, but Will has a key. Just take him back and make sure he’s okay.”
“Will do. Safe travels.”
“Thanks.” Jane ended the call and told Reid what she’d learned.
“Lauren could be dead. Several gators inhabit the river by my house. What happens if her body is never found? Is Will in trouble?”
She wanted to reassure Reid, but she couldn’t mislead him. “Maybe. A case could be made that he should have made sure she was out of the water before he left her. The blame for her fall could be placed on him.”
“He’s just a kid!”
She didn’t want to mention all the kids she’d seen over the years who’d been tried as adults. Will didn’t have a mean bone in his body, but the law could trap the unsuspecting. “I’ll make sure his rights are protected.”
“If she’s never found . . .”
She nodded. “Lots of suspicion will fall on all of us. And she disappeared once before. What if she’s doing it again? This might be more of her manipulation.”
“What would she have to gain by this?”
“Money for her to turn up and prove she’s alive. Or maybe she’ll just sit back and laugh at the trouble Will’s in. She could even plant false evidence. I don’t trust her.”
“Neither do I.” He looked a little green. “You really think she’d do this on purpose?” He ran his hand over the stubble on his head. “What am I saying? Of course she would. It’s her normal behavior. She wouldn’t think twice about throwing us into quicksand. Even Will. He said she was acting crazy and saying she’d never wanted him.”
“She’s an evil woman.”
“Should he lawyer up now?”
“It might be wise. You call Scott while I throw my things in the suitcase. Is your room all packed up?”
He pointed to his suitcase. “Yep. We’ll get some sleep and head for the airport in plenty of time.”
“Maybe we should just go to the airport.”
He shook his head. “I want you to be able to stretch out for a few hours. We only have carry-on luggage so we can take the shuttle to the airport at four and be okay. Maybe you can at least close your eyes for a few hours.”
She didn’t think she would sleep a wink. This could ruin Will’s life, even if he wasn’t charged. A cloud of suspicion would hover over him once word of the altercation got out.
She should be in Pelican Harbor overseeing all this. Her lack of control was driving her crazy, but she forced herself to walk out onto the balcony and pray. This was out of her hands, but it wasn’t out of God’s.