Chapter 12
In the middle of all the commotion, a loud, piercing whistle came through the room, and everyone turned to see Erin standing there with her hands on her hips. She looked at everyone in the room, and one by one, they became quiet.
“I want to be her when I grow up,” Agent Wilson said, and slapped a hand over her mouth when she realized she spoke that out loud. She also felt her cheeks heat when all eyes turned toward her, embarrassed because Erin was probably twenty years her junior.
She smiled and gave a small nod to her. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be, but I want to address why everyone is not agreeing to Myrna helping the FBI.” She looked around the room again, and her eyes landed on Pedro.
“I understand how you must feel, I feel the same way, but think of this.”
“What?” Pedro asked after she went silent for several minutes. He even crossed his arms over his chest and glared at Erin.
“Two things. One, what if Myrna helps out, and the FBI is able to get the people who beat her, stole her horse, stole her medication, and anything else they have done to others, have them arrested, tried, and put where they belong, behind bars.”
“Second thing, what if she doesn’t help, and the information the FBI has now isn’t enough to make an arrest?
That would leave Myrna vulnerable and be left looking over her shoulder for the rest of their life, or until they are caught.
Who else will they target and hurt, or possibly kill until they are taken down? ”
“Shit,” Pedro said with a heavy sigh. He unfolded his arms and scrubbed his face.
He reached out and took Myrna’s hand in his.
“I know we’ve had a rough couple of weeks, but I don’t want you to leave.
” He shook his head when she started to speak.
“I’m not saying you shouldn’t do it, I’m saying that I don’t like it.
” He sighed in relief when she gripped his hand.
“Thank you,” Myrna said, and while still holding his hand, she turned to look at Agent Wilson.
“What can you tell us?”
“What can you tell me about your interactions with Officer Mosher? When did you first meet her, what did she say or do, and did she visit you in the hospital after Randy beat you enough to put you there.”
“She wasn’t any help at all. She acted either bored about my story, or like she didn’t believe me.
The only good piece of advice she gave me was to install cameras.
I did, but I didn’t tell anyone about them.
” She rubbed her forehead and released a frustrated sigh.
“When she came to take my statement, I ignored her, and looked at her partner.”
“Why?”
“She refused to look at me, and her first words out of her mouth was that I damaged myself. I looked at her partner and told him to get Mosher out of my room, otherwise I wouldn’t be talking to the police. Well, not exactly that.”
“What exactly did you say?”
“I told the partner, I forget his name now, but I told him if he didn’t get that bitch, my exact words, out of my hospital room, then I would call the State Police.
Basically, I told them they were a piece of shit law enforcement agency that should have been there for me by taking my statement when I first reported the abuse, and that it wasn’t right that they, Mosher specifically, victim blamed me. ”
“What did the partner do?” Agent Wilson asked as she looked up from taking notes.
“They both left my hospital room.” Myrna sighed and looked at Pedro when he made a sound, but she squeezed his hand in reassurance, before she turned back to Agent Wilson.
“It wasn’t until after visiting hours that the partner showed up again.
He wasn’t in uniform, and he stood beside my bed so that he could watch the room.
He didn’t say it in exact words, but he implied that Officer Mosher wouldn’t be helping me.
He asked for my statement, then told me it might be better to contact the State police. ”
“Did you?”
“No, somehow my phone came up missing. At least that’s what the nurses told me, and they refused to allow me to use any other phone.”
“Did you ever get it back?”
“No. I ended up purchasing a pay as you go phone, and when I reached out to the State police, they acted like I was lying and didn’t send anyone to come take my statement.”
During her entire statement Yvonne had been watching her, hoping her facial expression didn’t give anything away.
“What happened next?”
“When I returned from the hospital, I realized Sally was gone, I looked at the camera feed, saw that both Randy and Gus Godwin had taken her, and I took the drive as proof of his horse thievery, and went to reclaim my horse.” She looked around, and then back at the agent.
“What?”
“The papers were in the floorboards, so I don’t know if you found them or not, but Sally, my horse has a tattoo in her lip. She is registered, and I have the papers to prove it. If you didn’t find them, then my cousin, Sheriff Jim Faulkner, has a copy of them.”
“We found them,” Yvonne said. She settled back and looked at everyone looking at her.
“Thank you for talking with me. In the course of what we’ve uncovered so far, it seems like Officer Mosher is aiding and abetting the Godwin’s.
During our investigation, some unsavory practices from their business have come to light.
I can’t reveal what, but I can say that people that needed to be involved in investigating these practices ignored them. ”
“Officer Mosher?”
“Yes, I don’t know if your people found out, but Mosher is related to the Godwin’s. Second cousin, I believe. I know Duane mentioned that she and her sister used to date them, but unless they are into incest, that is untrue. They are related by blood, family.”
“Question,” Pedro said as he studied the agent.
“What’s that?”
“Do you think Mosher is a willing participant in the bad Godwin is doing, a pawn, or being forced?”
“No clue, that’s one of the reasons I want to take Myrna back with me.”
“What’s the other?”
“When my people and I were gathering Myrna’s things—I was in charge of getting her things—Officer Mosher showed up four times in the time we were there.
At first, she tried to kick us off the property, then she tried to tell me that the warrant wasn’t legal because we didn’t clear it by her or her office first.”
“But she’s just a peon in the police force. From my understanding, she’s a patrol officer, not even a detective or anything.”
“You are correct. I don’t know, because she refused to answer my questions, if she’s been checking out your place, or if she was being nosy.
She even had the audacity to pull me over when I was driving your vehicle.
She tried to tell me that I was under arrest for grand theft auto.
Again, I pulled my badge and told her that I outranked her.
She tried to get into a pissing contest with me, but I called her superior, handed her my phone, and watched her turn fifteen different colors, with sickly green being the last one.
She hung up, handed my phone back, and walked away.
I don’t know if she realized that I had two SUVs full of agents with me.
One in front, one in back, and they had pulled over also. ”
“Question!” someone called out.
“What’s that?”
“Do you suspect that this officer put some sort of tracking device on Myrna’s vehicle? Will we have to look out for some unwanted guests? Not that we can’t handle then, I’m just asking if it’s possible. You said that Mosher was basically stalking you when you were gathering some of Myrna’s things.”
“Damn, I never thought of that,” Yvonne said, and looked up when the two other agents with her hurried outside, along with a couple of other men. No one said a word, but they all rose to refill their coffee, and stretch.
“Nothing,” a man said as they returned, and everyone breathed in relief.
“What do you want me to do?” Myrna asked quietly after everyone settled.
Yvonne stood, and looked out at everyone, making sure they saw her, and she could see everyone. However, when she started talking, she looked directly at Myrna.
“First, a question. Will you ever return to your home?”
Before she answered Erin, Naomi, and Cole all reassured her that she had a place to live at New Double for as long as she wanted it.
Myrna turned to look at Yvonne. “No, I probably should return to gather the rest of my things, along with Sally’s, then put it on the market. I own it.”
“Okay, so I’m proposing that you return, do what you have to, and we’ve already put up surveillance cameras that record, and the live feed is shot to our office.
It’s not monitored unless someone calls us.
As I said, I’m proposing you return, pack up your home, and come back here.
I’m thinking no longer than a month. We’re still digging, and we hope by your return it will escalate things so we can make arrests.
Once that’s done, then you won’t have to return until their trial.
I’ll make sure the DA does phone interviews with you, stating the danger you may be in. ”
“What about the danger when she returns?” Pedro asked bluntly.
“She will have two agents there. One of them will be a female agent that hasn’t been there yet, so Officer Mosher won’t recognize her.
She’s seen me several times and knows I’m FBI.
I don’t want to tip her hand. The cover we’ve come up with so far is that Myrna and this agent are friends from back in the day, the friend is new to the area, and looking Myrna up.
” She paused and saw several heads nod. She also saw the disapproval on the face of the man who was the most verbal in his rejections of her ideas.
She knew if she won him over, then Myrna would be on board, and they could catch the bad guys.
Before she could say anything, Erin spoke, “Pedro, it seems like you’re opposed to having Myrna go. Would you be okay with her helping the FBI out if you went with her?”
She waited, then continued, “As her personal bodyguard?”
“I can’t leave,” Pedro said sadly. “I just got here a month ago, and I have a job to do.”
Erin nodded, then turned to look at two people. “Naomi, Cole, how many buyers do you have on the books in the next month?”
“None,” both of them said.
“Last time I talked with anyone,” Naomi said as she stood so everyone could hear and see her.
“Was six months ago. As you all know, the potential buyers won’t even schedule a meeting at New Double until they have at least six months of stats to look at.
The last person I talked to it was left for us to contact them when we had it.
” She shrugged, then looked directly at Pedro.
“If you want to go with Myrna, you have my permission.”
“What about Cocoa and Sally?”
“I’ll take care of them,” Ann said as she stood. “I’ve been spending time with them, and it won’t be anything more to add them. Besides, since the twelve moved to the track, it’s been slower, two more won’t be any hardship.”
“We’ll be fine,” Faith said as she stood. “We have a routine down now, and I’m sure there are people from Broken that can come over and help Scott.”
“I can,” a woman said as she stood up, and several people looked at her with frowns. “I’m Opal Morris don’t let the missing arm fool you. I know horses, and I can saddle one with no problems.”
“I just don’t want to put anyone out.”
“Pedro,” Faith said as she stood and stared directly at him.
“Be real here, if you don’t go with Myrna, you’re going to be miserable, and you might not be able to do your job correctly if your mind is on what’s happening to her.
I would just as soon let you go with her to make sure she’s safe, than you mess up with the horses.
” She shook her head and held up her hand.
“Not that you would hurt any animal, let alone a horse, but face it, you’ve been like a lion with a thorn in his paw for the last week or two.
I don’t know what changed, but I don’t want you around the horses if you’re going to be distracted by worrying about Myrna. ”
Before Pedro could respond, Cole, Erin, and Naomi turned to him. “It’s settled,” Erin said with finality. “You’ll leave with Myrna and do whatever you need to in order to keep her safe.” She looked at Agent Wilson. “Is that okay with you?”
“Fine, as long as Ms. Trenton agrees to return to her home, and we can set up the Godwin’s to come to her, everything should be fine. I don’t have any problem with Pedro coming along.”
Pedro looked at Myrna and asked for everyone to hear him, “Are you okay with me coming along for the ride?”
“As long as you help me pack up my house, I don’t have a problem with you tagging along.”
“Perfect, do you think you can be ready to leave here by noon tomorrow?”
Shay called out, “We have boxes you can take back with you.” Everyone laughed, and as they called it a night, Erin headed toward the FBI agents, inviting them to join her and Reid in the main house.
They all went in different directions, and Pedro kept his hand on Myrna’s knee as he drove them back to their place at the bunktel.
They had left her vehicle at Erin’s Way, just in case a tracker had been put on it.
She’d only gathered the suitcases, her purse, and other items the FBI had gathered for her.