Chapter 33 Be Open To It
BE OPEN TO IT
“Before we get started,” she said. “I’m not staying here with Rory. I know that is what you’re going to say and it’s not happening. But I’ve got an alternative.”
“I don’t like you away from me,” Rory said. “I brought this on you and someone needs to be close by.”
“That’s right,” Clay said. “You did. But my sister isn’t innocent since she’s got to stick her nose into everything.”
“Enough,” she said, holding her hand up. “I don’t want to argue. We know I’ve got more skills than you all when it comes to that. Maybe I don’t want to be alone either, but I don’t like being on the property where I’m not comfortable.”
“If you get too comfortable,” he said, “that is when shit happens.”
“Clay, put cameras in my condo. Or at least on the front door. No one can come in through a window, there are cameras on the building already.”
Rory watched while Ford and Clay looked at each other. “I told you she’d say that,” Ford said.
“There you go. It’s already been brought up. I’m positive you’ve got the ones that were on Meredith’s place.”
“I do,” Clay said. “And can get them set up today. It’s not what I like, but as long as you are both prepared.”
Ford cleared his throat. Rory had another gun and more ammo. He wasn’t going anywhere without one on his ankle. Fuck getting caught with it at this point.
He’d deal with the consequences later if he had to.
But they wouldn’t talk about it in front of Ford and he’d honor it.
“We will be,” Gale said. “It’s not like I’ve got a car, so we’ll have to figure that out.”
“Your brake line was stabbed,” Ford said. “Same as Rory’s. So yeah, not smart there.”
“Now I’m really pissed,” she said, crossing her arms.
“They are getting sloppy,” Rory said.
“Or desperate,” Clay said. “And desperate people do even crazier shit.”
“Let’s just regroup with what we’ve got so far. Clay, Ford said you had something earlier. What is it?”
“Scott Denning’s retirement home is being paid for by kickbacks from the McGregors.”
“You know this for sure?” Rory asked.
“They aren’t making the payments directly, but I talked to Scott’s son and was told that his father’s bank account gets regular deposits and has been for years,” Ford said. “He allowed me access to the account.”
“I had it traced from a buddy of mine. It’s a holding account that ties back to the McGregors but took a few layers to get to. Lots of money coming out of it going places. Ford, you can have a field day with it when the time is right.”
“Oh, I will. Daniel is going to know that too.”
“I would have thought he’d be smarter than that,” Gale said, shaking her head.
“Me too,” he said.
“Maybe they thought no one would look into it,” Ford said. “The holding company is a financial group and Scott’s son said that he just assumed it was investment payouts for his father’s care.”
“Did you tell him what it was?” she asked.
“No. I told him as little as I could, and because his son is out of town and doesn’t seem to have that great of a relationship with his dad, I was able to move forward saying it was part of an ongoing investigation. So going on that information and what Scott said on Tuesday.”
“Which is meaningless,” she said. “He’s got dementia.”
“All true,” Rory said. “But we are trying to tie things in a bow. Daniel definitely had people inside the Sheriff’s Department. Sounds like it was to cover Kane’s ass.”
“Kane was always getting into trouble back then,” Clay said. “He’s got a temper and likes what he likes and doesn’t take no for an answer. Dickhead.”
“Do you think he’s capable of this?” she asked. “Seriously, could he murder someone with his own hands and go about his life as if nothing happened? That’s a whole different level of cold.”
“Anyone can do anything if backed in a corner,” Rory said.
“Second that,” Clay said. “But I’m more inclined to think Daniel or Kane paid someone to do it. The question is the person they paid, are they nervous? Maybe afraid someone isn’t going to cover for them?”
“I’m sorry,” Rory said. “People like that don’t leave trails.”
“Which brings me to John Abdell,” Ford said.
“The guy who owned the old rundown cabin that Rene was drawing?” she asked.
“Yep. I looked into that more. He’d sold the land to Daniel around two years later for well over the appraisal value.”
“Interesting,” she said. “But Daniel had been trying to buy land for a while by the sounds of it. Maybe he felt if he could get enough people to do it, then the rest would fall at under value. It’s a common enough practice.”
“It is,” he said. “But there could be more to it. John moved to an apartment and died there, right? A fall down the stairs?”
“Yes. Another resident found him. The coroner ruled it as accidental.”
“Do you believe that?” she asked.
“I’ve got no reason to doubt it. There was no foul play, but the body was cremated so nothing we can do now. The thing is, McGregors own the apartments.”
“They are worse than shit stains on dirty underwear,” she said. “Can’t get rid of them and even if you throw them out, they are going to show up again on a fresh pair.”
Rory all but spit the water out of his mouth when Gale said that. Ford and Clay both smirked.
“Gale isn’t always a lady,” Clay said.
“So I see. I might have been thinking the same thing,” he said. “So we’ve got Daniel and Kane as the biggest suspects but no proof other than they wanted the trial over with and this behind them to stop disruption to any business dealings they had going on. That’s not enough motive with no proof.”
“No,” Ford said.
“They are both power-hungry dickheads, but that doesn’t mean they are guilty of murder or conspiracy to murder,” Clay said. “As much as I wish otherwise.”
“How about bribery?” she asked.
“I can and will talk to Daniel about the payments to Scott Denning, but since Scott can’t talk for himself, there could be many explanations that Daniel will or can come up with. Including the fact that Kane bought Scott’s house when he went into the nursing home.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Rory asked. Just like Gale said, shit stains everywhere.
“Nope. They don’t own it now. They bought and flipped it, then sold it,” Ford said. “Made a quick seventy thousand in three months and will say it was a business investment or something to that effect.”
“They are good at covering their tracks.”
“Who else could it be?” Gale asked. “It has to be someone tied to them.”
“That’s half the town or more,” Ford said. “Between employees, other business owners, political figures. We could be looking at this all wrong and focusing our energy on them.”
“That’s what I’m trying not to do,” Rory said. “We know they are part of the connection but nothing more. There are no clues as to who tampered with our brake lines other than someone’s foot tread is the same by my rented ranch and the pictures that Rene took.”
“Which means the person is still around. An average foot, a large stride, one that seems lighter on the right than the left,” Clay said.
“How did you find that out?”
“People I know,” Clay said. “So, this person puts more weight on their left foot or leg than right. Nothing noticeable except if you’re looking for it.”
“And we can’t go around asking everyone who knows the McGregors to walk on the sand for us,” she said.
“Not without a warrant and no judge is going to grant that.”
“Back to square one,” she said.
“No,” he said. “We aren’t. We are much closer than we’ve been before. He’s here. He’s in this town and he wants me gone. Gale was a warning for me to leave. They must know we are closing in.”
“And they’re watching,” Clay said. “You moving in with her might piss them off more. That is what I don’t like.”
“You’ll be watching on your phone,” she said. “As much as I hate it, but you will. You’ll know who is near my door at all times, who comes in and out.”
“But that doesn’t mean I can get there fast enough.”
“I can take care of Gale,” Rory said.
“I can take care of myself,” she said. “Don’t you all forget it.”
“No one is talking about Rory’s accident,” Ford said. “I’m not sure if there is a leak in my department, but I’m still working on it.”
“I know it’d kill you if it were there,” she said. “But you have to be open to it.”
“I’m open to everything. It’s you I’m worried about, Gale.”
“Please. I’m tougher than you all think I am. I’ve got this. More now because I’m going to get the fucker who messed with me and my man.”
“Your man?” Clay asked, lifting an eyebrow.
“Oops, let that slip. Sorry, should have said my friend.”
Rory put his arm over Gale’s shoulder. She was sitting next to him on the couch. Ford and Clay in kitchen chairs.
“More than friends.”
She put her head on his shoulder. “I don’t want you to let this weigh on you more. I’m worked up.”
“It’s not. And you wouldn’t be human if you weren’t worked up. Gale, someone is trying to hurt you because of me. Until now I wasn’t sure how much you understood that.”
“Oh, I understand it. The fear is there, but the anger is overriding it. It’s better that way. Right, Clay?”
“I don’t want that for you,” Clay said. “Never. We are all feeling this and not happy about it.”
“And between the four of us, we are going to get our answers.”
“I just hope it’s sooner rather than later,” Rory said. “Because time is running out on my patience.”