A Promise to Protect (Logan Point Book #2): A Novel (26 page)

“This it?” Wade asked.

“Yep. Get out real slow and follow my lead.”

Truck doors slammed, and the sound of walking rustled over the phone. Then dead silence. Had he lost contact? What if someone had been behind Ben’s truck and made them?

“Where is he?”

Ben relaxed at Wade’s question.

“Yonder.”

Where was yonder? Sweat popped out on Ben’s face. He uncapped a bottle of water and took a long draw.

“Smokey, this here is that friend I was telling you about. That the dog you got to sell?”

Ben could imagine Smokey sizing Wade up.

“If Lester says you’re okay . . .” Ben’s phone crackled, and his heart nearly jumped out of his chest as he lost contact again. He’d give it one minute, and then he was on his way in.

A minute passed, and he licked his dry lips and put his truck in gear.

“You got a handsome dog there, Smokey. You say his name is Bo?”

Wade’s voice came across the airwaves, and Ben almost fell back against the seat.
Don
’t scare me like that, Wade.
He must’ve bent over to pet the dog and lost reception.

“What’s your asking price?”

“Ain’t got but one price.” Smokey’s voice was soft with a steel undercurrent. “Four.”

Four thousand dollars. Wade didn’t have that kind of money on him. The sheriff’s office didn’t have that kind of money. Period.

“Before I spend that much money, I want to see what he can do.”

Now Wade was pushing it. Why didn’t Smokey or Lester respond? There had to be a way to get a camera on Wade before the next meeting. He had to see what was going on. If there was another meeting.

“What do you think, Smokey?” Lester’s gravelly voice asked the question.

Smokey didn’t answer.
Don’t push it
, Wade.

Lester spoke up again. “We got that big fight next week.”

“I’ll think on it. Let you know.”

“I have the money,” Wade said.

“Like I said, I’ll think on it.”

The sound of walking again. They must be leaving. Lester’s old rattletrap fired up, confirming his hunch. A few minutes later, he heard Lester’s voice.

“Too rich for your blood, Dep-u-ty?”

“I got the money. You didn’t expect me to pay that much for a dog and not see what it can do, did you?”

“Naw, guess not. Maybe you’ll get an invite next week.”

“Where’s it going to be?”

“Who knows. You get the invite, I’ll take you.”

Ben glanced at the GPS. He had to move. He pulled his truck onto the highway and sped toward town. He had to hand it to Wade. He’d carried the meeting off, and he might even get an invitation to what sounded like the annual biggie. Time to call another meeting in Memphis.

B
en hung up after talking with U.S. Marshal Luke Donovan and turned to Wade. “They want to meet at eight. We’ll go in separate vehicles this time—you might be under surveillance, so watch your back.”

Wade adjusted the ball cap on his head. “You don’t have to worry about that. I’ve heard what they do to people they catch infiltrating their rings.”

“Well, for the record, I still don’t like what you’re doing.”

“I ain’t too happy about it either, but somebody has to stop these pigs. You can’t do it—you’re too straight up to make it believable.” He grinned. “That’s where my good-ole-boy reputation comes in handy. Lester and Smokey didn’t have any trouble taking the bait.”

“Just be careful.” Ben stood. “I’m going to Maxwell Industries to talk to Billy Wayne’s brother. Want to tag along?”

“I think I’ll run by and check on my mom.” Wade stopped at the door. “Oh, and tell Marisa thanks for taking her those tea cakes. She enjoyed the visit.”

Ben nodded. “Mom said she enjoyed it too.”

Fifteen minutes later, Ben scanned the parking lot at Maxwell, not seeing Ian’s black SUV. But he did see Danny’s. The Maxwell boys had different tastes, but either vehicle would probably cost more than Ben’s yearly salary. Tiffany Davis was on the telephone
when he walked into the reception area. He flashed a quick smile when she held up her finger.

“Yes, Ian will be back around three, I believe he said. I’ll give him your message.” She hung the phone up. “Sheriff, what can I do for you today?”

“I wondered if I could speak with Junior Gresham for a few minutes.”

She made a few clicks on her computer. “Is he in trouble?”

“No. Just a few questions.”

“Well, you’re in luck. He’s working the loading dock today. Do you know how to get there?”

“I’ll show him.” Danny Maxwell’s voice came from behind Ben.

He turned around. It’d been awhile since he’d talked one-on-one with Danny. They just didn’t run in the same circles. And there’d been that high school athletic rivalry that ended simply because they’d taken different directions for college. The most he’d seen of Danny was a couple of years ago when he came to church with Livy’s cousin. Then she’d left for the mission field in Mexico, and Danny sort of disappeared. Maybe it was time to put the past behind them. He held out his hand. “Good to see you, Danny.”

“You too, Ben.”

Danny’s grip was firm, the calluses on his palms surprising Ben. But then, judging from the circumference of Danny’s biceps, he probably acquired his rough hands from lifting weights.

“Follow me. The loading dock is this way.” Danny walked past Ben toward the back of the plant.

“Have you heard from Bailey?” Ben asked when he caught up with him.

“A letter every now and then.” Danny’s clipped words warned Ben away from the subject. He pushed open the door that led outside to the loading dock and looked around. “Anybody seen Junior?”

One of the workers pointed toward another building. “He’s in the receiver building.”

They turned and headed toward a white metal building. “How well did you know Billy Wayne?” asked Ben.

“Well enough. He couldn’t be beat when it came to computers.” Danny unlocked the door.

Ben followed him inside the building, and it locked shut behind them. Several tables with the dark gray lower receivers awaited stamping with serial numbers. “Where do you add the trigger?”

“During assembly in another building. This is our most secure building—wouldn’t do for one of these receivers to get in the wrong hands before they were stamped with a serial number.”

“Yeah. My dad had an email a few months ago from a sheriff in Texas about an assault rifle without serial numbers. It was found after a shoot-out with drug dealers.”

Danny shook his head. “No serial number, no paper trail to a manufacturer or distributor.”

“I know.” Ben took a copy of the ticket from his back pocket and handed it to Danny. “Do you know if this is Billy Wayne?”

Danny stopped and examined the photo. “Hard to tell, but Junior should be able to tell you.”

He nodded toward a stocky man in his midtwenties loading the receivers into boxes. “Junior, take a break. Sheriff here wants to talk to you.”

Junior Gresham took his time getting to them. He stopped three feet from Ben and planted his feet as he slowly removed his heavy work gloves. “I already told your deputy everything I know about Billy Wayne.”

Ben handed him the photo. “Is this your brother?”

“Which one? I got three. Sorry, make that two now.”

Heat flushed through Ben. “Billy Wayne.” Junior glanced at the paper and handed it back to Ben. “Maybe. Looks like his cycle, and I’ve seen him in that Spiderman suit.” He took a round tin
from his back pocket and opened it, then tucked a pinch of tobacco into the right side of his bottom lip. “Yep. Pretty sure it’s him—he wouldn’t let nobody touch that new Kawasaki of his.”

Ben masked his disappointment. If this was indeed Billy Wayne on the photo ticket, then he didn’t kill Tony—he couldn’t be two places at the same time. He could have been the one who ransacked Tony’s house, though. But why? None of this made sense.

“Thanks,” he said. He turned to Danny. “You too. I’ll find my way out.”

“No problem. I’ll walk back with you.”

Silence walked with them, hanging heavy, like the humid air as they made their way back to the main plant. “Uh, do you ever hear from Bailey?” Danny asked.

“Through my sister. They’re tight. I think she received a letter last week.”

Danny nodded, his lips pressed in a thin line. “Did she say anything about coming home?”

Ben shrugged. “I don’t know. I can ask.”

“No, don’t do that. I’m thinking about making a trip down to Mexico soon. I’ll check on her then.”

“I don’t mind asking, just let me know.” When they reached the parking lot, Ben glanced around for Ian’s SUV, but it still hadn’t returned. He wanted to ask him about Tony’s replacement, Geoffrey Franks. “Do you know where I might find your cousin?”

Danny’s mouth twitched. “I think I overheard him making arrangements with my father’s cook for a picnic. Then he called Dr. Somerall.”

Ian took Leigh on a picnic? “I thought Ian was engaged.”

This time Danny laughed out loud. “Not as of a couple weeks ago, and I haven’t seen the woman yet who will get him to the altar. Ian is all about the chase. And apparently he’s after the doc now. That bother you?”

“No, why should it?” Danny still knew how to get under his skin.

“I don’t know, maybe because you seem to have an interest in the doc as well? You probably don’t have anything to worry about with Ian, though.”

Ben snapped a curt nod. “Thanks for your help today.”

“Anytime, Sheriff. And I’ll let Ian know you were looking for him.”

Halfway to his truck, Ben stopped and turned around. Danny hadn’t moved. “You may be able to answer my question. This Geoffrey Franks that took Tony’s place—what can you tell me about him?”

“Not much. He’s worked here since he was seventeen. Ian can probably give you more information, since he deals with the employees. I do know he’s Junior Gresham’s first cousin—his mother is Jonas’s sister. And he worked in the office with Tony ever since he got out of college, about four years ago. But if you’re thinking he killed Tony, you’re off base. Geoffrey would be too squeamish for that. He doesn’t even hunt.”

Ben nodded his thanks and walked to his truck. He needed a fresh brain to pick. Livy. Maybe they could get together tonight after the meeting with the FBI and U.S. Marshals. He sighed. He was pretty sure the gun they found at Gresham’s would not match the bullet, and Detective Olivia Reynolds was not going to be happy about this latest development, either.

For that matter, neither was Ben.

S
aturday morning Ben went through a mental list of deputies who could escort Leigh to TJ’s late-afternoon ball game. Most were off duty and spending time with their families. Wade and Andre were coaching the team . . . maybe one of them. No. They both would be distracted. Maybe she didn’t even need an escort. Nothing had happened in the past week. Maybe whoever was wreaking havoc on Logan Point had lost interest. Yeah, and maybe it would snow in August.

Face it. It was his responsibility. He didn’t need to add additional work on his deputies. He dialed her number, his heart quickening when she answered.

“Thought I’d let you know what time I’d be there to escort you to the game.”

“That’s not necessary. Ian is taking me.” Her cool, professional tone raked his nerves like squeaky chalk. First a picnic, now he was taking Leigh and TJ to the ball game? The muscle in his jaw twitched, and he eased the pressure on his molars. “He doesn’t have the train—”

“He has plenty of training—I’ve seen his self-defense certificates, and he has a permit to carry a gun. Not that I think he’ll need it.”

“Well, I’ll be around anyway.”

“Ben, don’t bother.”

“I’ll see you there.”

The sun dipped below the horizon as Ben leaned against the bed of his truck. What little breeze there’d been died a long time ago, and sweat dripped down his face. From his position behind the center field fence, he could keep an eye on traffic in and out of the park as well as on Leigh.

He directed his gaze away from Ian and Leigh on the front row of the bleachers, past Sarah, who sat apart from them, to the mound as TJ shook his head at the catcher’s signal. The home team trailed by one run. Only two more outs and Andre’s team would take their last bat and try to score. He glanced toward the dugout where Martin cheered on his team. He’d recovered sufficiently from the snakebite to suit up, but not to play. Wade paced the sidelines, yelling encouragement while Andre motioned for one of the other boys to take a few warm-up pitches.

“Stee-rike!” The umpire clenched his right fist.

TJ had a good arm. Ben needed to caution Andre about letting him overuse it. TJ threw a change of pace, and the hitter popped the ball up. The runner on first stayed put as one of the twins got under the ball and caught it. Two outs, one to go. TJ wound up once more and let the ball fly again.
Crack.
Uh-oh. Ben recognized that sound. He held his breath as the ball sailed to the center field fence. Home run. His heart broke for TJ as Andre headed out to the mound.

They talked, and Ben knew TJ was asking his coach to leave him in the game. Finally Andre nodded and walked back to the dugout. TJ rolled his shoulders and kicked the mound, then turned to the next batter. Five pitches later, he struck him out, and the home team came up to bat three runs behind just as the night-lights flooded the field.

If he were coaching . . . Ben caught himself. He wasn’t coaching. But maybe he could. How hard would it be? If they won this game, he could give them a few pointers, show the boys how to tighten up their double play . . . teach TJ how to throw a slider or how to tell if a runner was going—

No.

What if he had a panic attack in the middle of a practice? His mouth went dry just thinking about it, and he stepped toward the cab of the truck, half tempted to leave. But he couldn’t as long as Leigh was here. Maybe he’d patrol the area. Check on the carnival that had set up at the edge of the park. Be useful.

With one last look at the ball field and a check to see if Leigh was okay, Ben strode toward the walking trail and picnic area. It gratified him to see families picnicking, enjoying time together. He trekked on to the carnival, just to let his presence be known, nodding at one or two of the carnies.

One of them threw up a hand. “Howdy, Sheriff. Reckon how much longer before the ball games end?”

A tattooed snake started at the man’s wrist and wrapped around his arm, the tail ending at his shoulder. Ben could remember when the carnie would’ve been one of the sideshows.

“Probably in the next half hour,” Ben said. Very few of the rides were engaged. “Then you ought to have plenty of customers.”

Near the entrance, an ice cream truck pulled in and parked. Rich’s Ice Cream. Rich had been in business when Ben was a kid. In fact, the van looked like the same one Rich drove all those years ago. A long-haired, pimply-face teenager stepped out of the side door. Rich was scraping the bottom of the barrel to hire this guy. As he raised the awning, Ben nodded to him. “Should be a big crowd in here soon.”

The driver gave him a blank stare, and Ben noticed the ear buds. He waved and walked back toward the ball fields. The boys’ game should be wrapping up soon. As he neared the field, yelling and
cheers met him. Maybe the boys had scored, and he picked up his pace.

“Come on, TJ, you can do it!” Leigh’s voice rose over the crowd.

Ben positioned himself where he could see. The bases were loaded, and TJ was up to bat. Ben glanced at the scoreboard. They were still three runs behind with two outs. The game rode on TJ’s shoulders. Adrenaline surged through Ben’s veins. He knew how the boy felt.

“Get the bat off your shoulder,” he muttered.

Almost as if TJ heard him, he lifted the bat, waiting for the pitch.

“Stee-rike one!”

TJ stepped away from the batter’s box and looked at his bat. Then he stepped back into the box and tapped the bat against home plate. Finally he lifted it and waited, poised to swing. The ball came in low and fast.

“Stee-rike two!”

Ben’s heart faltered.
Come on, TJ.
Keep your eye on the ball. Be ready for a
change of pace.
Evidently TJ expected it as well, because he planted his feet wide. Sure enough, the ball sailed lazily toward the plate. At the right second, TJ swung, and the bat connected with the ball with a solid
thwack
.

Ben followed the arc of the ball over the fence.
Yes!
He pumped the air with his fist as pandemonium erupted on the field and in the stands. The boys whooped and pounded TJ. The team was going to the State playoffs in September. With a grin stretching his mouth, Ben turned to see Leigh’s reaction, and his smile faded as she and Ian hugged each other.

This thing with Ian was starting to look serious, and regret tugged at his heart. But what had he expected? Well, he hadn’t expected her to fall into Ian’s arms so soon.
God, just one more chance with her
. . .
He shook the thought off and trotted over to congratulate Andre and the team. Then he could leave Leigh in Andre’s or Wade’s care.

He grabbed his deputy’s hand. “Great game, Andre.”

His deputy’s smile stretched almost from ear to ear. “They did good.”

Behind Ben, a cell phone rang, and he turned around just as Ian answered it. Leigh had left his side and was talking to TJ at the dugout.

“I’ll be right there,” Ian said and slid the phone in his pocket then looked around for Leigh.

“She’s probably not ready to leave,” Ben said, pointing toward the dugout. When Ian frowned, Ben said, “I couldn’t help but overhear. Feel free to go and take care of whatever the problem is. I’ll make sure Leigh gets home all right.”

A slow flush crept up Ian’s neck. “You may be right, but I think I’ll check and see.”

Ben followed as Ian walked toward Leigh. After Ian spoke to her, her brows creased in a frown. He moved closer. “I can take you home, if you want to stay.”

The frown deepened.

“Or one of my deputies, if you’d rather.”

“I’m truly sorry, Leigh,” Ian said. “But Uncle Phillip wants to see me
now
.”

She patted his arm. “I understand. I think I will stay a little longer, celebrate with the boys. I can always ride home with Sarah,” she said with a pointed glance at Ben.

“I’ll check with you as soon as the meeting with my uncle is over. If you’re still here, I’ll swing by and pick you up.”

Leigh nodded her agreement, and for a second, Ben thought that Ian was going to kiss her, but Leigh forestalled the action by stepping back. Maybe she wasn’t as interested as Ian was. Hope beat in his heart.

“Mom!” TJ pulled at Leigh’s hand. “Everybody is going to the carnival. Can I go?
Please?
”

Leigh looked from TJ to Josh and Jacob at his side, their eyes
pleading with her to say yes. “Oh, okay. But don’t get too far ahead of me.”

Her words were lost as they took off running. Waving to Ian, she hurried to catch them, and Ben fell into step beside her.

“You don’t have to stay,” she said. “Andre’s here, Wade too.”

“I know. But Andre and Wade have their hands full with the rest of the team.”

Leigh looked around. “No, they don’t. Most of the boys’ parents are here. Look, there’s Emily.” She waved, and his sister waved back.

“Well, I’ll feel better if I stay.”

She shot him an odd look and shrugged. “Suit yourself.”

TJ returned, asking for money to buy tickets for the rides just as Sarah joined them.

“Twenty dollars,” Leigh said. “Choose wisely because that’s all you get.”

“Here’s ten more.” Sarah pulled a bill from her purse.

Leigh shook her head. “You’re spoiling him.”

“I know.” Sarah looked pleased with herself.

Ben laughed as TJ ran off again to find the twins. “How about you two? Care to ride something?”

Leigh looked at him as though he’d lost his mind. “Hardly.”

“What? Are you scared?”

“No. I just don’t want to ride anything.”

“Oh, go ahead,” Sarah said. “Ride the Ferris wheel.”

Leigh glanced toward the towering wheel, and for a second her eyes lit up before a mask slid in place. “No.”

“Chicken.” He took her hand. ”Come on. You too,” he said to Sarah.

Sarah waved him off. “No, sir. I’ll leave that to you young people. I’ll watch TJ.”

Leigh held back as he pulled her toward the Ferris wheel.

TJ appeared beside them. “Are you going to ride, Mom?”

“Yeah, Doc! Are you?” One of the twins echoed TJ’s question.

“No!”

“Yes,” Ben said, overriding her. He tamped down the whisper in his heart that this wasn’t a good idea.

“Come on, Mom, you can do it!” TJ grabbed her other hand and helped Ben pull her toward the line.

With a red face, Leigh gave up. “Okay. Okay.”

As the attendant snapped the bar in place, Leigh decided she’d lost her mind, agreeing to go on this ride. Next to her Ben sat entirely too close. The seat jerked as the wheel moved, and they were lifted a few feet off the ground. It stopped for more riders, moving them higher, until finally all the seats were full. Her stomach tickled as they made the rise to the top. One of her favorite memories was rocking at the top of the world with her father beside her. At least it seemed like the top of the world in her six-year-old mind. At the bottom, she waved to Sarah, who was talking to the attendant.

“Now aren’t you glad you agreed?” Ben said.

She gave him a smile for an answer. The wheel made several revolutions then stopped at the top, rocking them back and forth in the seat. They were above the lights, and stars twinkled in the black sky. She could ride this contraption all night.

“My daddy used to take me to the fairgrounds in Memphis, and we’d ride that big old Ferris wheel as long as I wanted to.”

“I don’t remember your dad.”

“You never met him. When he died, we moved to Logan Point to live with my grandparents.” His death was her fault, at least according to her mother.

“Did he have a heart attack?”

“Car accident coming to pick me up at school. He’d forgotten me and was in a hurry.” Forgotten. The story of her life. She picked out a star and focused on it. “The janitor found me outside, waiting in
the dark. He called the principal, the principal called my dad, and in his haste, my dad ran a stop sign, and someone T-boned him.” The star seemed to dim. “My mom never forgave me.”

“Surely you’re mistaken. It wasn’t your fault.”

“You didn’t know my mom. She never wanted me, anyway.”

“Leigh, every kid thinks that at one time or another. I’m sure your parents loved you very much.”