Undercover Justice (12 page)

“How is the case going?” Skip asked seriously. “I heard on the news that the body of one of the missing boys had been found today.”

“Yes, he was badly beaten and then dumped in the park. Things are not looking good for the other two missing boys.”

“That’s tough, Son, but I know that the Good Lord has giving you a smart head on those shoulders, you’ll figure it out.”

“Thanks Skip, if not for you, I don’t know where I would be, but it sure wouldn’t be a cop.”

Jed had been a troublemaker, starting in middle school all the way through high school. He had a juvenile record for some stupid stuff. Skip and his grandfather had sat Jed down his senior year of high school, and laid down the law. He either shaped up or they would do it for him.

He had taken one look at his grandfather’s disappointed face, and decided then and there that he was going to make his grandfather proud. In his younger years, his grandfather had been on the Detroit police force. Jed figured the best way to make him proud, was to follow in his footsteps, so he enrolled in the Police academy right after graduation. He’d never forget the pride in his grandfather’s eyes when Jed graduated top of his class and went to work for the county sheriff’s department.

“You go enjoy your ride,” Skip said, as Jed finished tightening the cinch. “I’ll finish in here and then meet you back at the house.”

Leading Saber out of the barn, Jed called over his shoulder, “Betty said to tell you dinner will be ready in an hour.”

“See you then,” Skip waved. They both knew that you didn’t keep Betty waiting once dinner was ready. You were either at the table, or you didn’t eat.

Turning Saber down the path towards the north end of the farm, Jed sat back and allowed his thoughts to ramble as the fresh spring air gently blew through the maple trees. The blossoms from the apple trees and the honey locusts combined to make a rich sweet fragrance that spread across the valley.

The Greyson farm was divided by a small river that wound through the forest and pastures. Jed rode towards the small bridge that had been built by a Greyson almost a hundred years ago. He rode toward the sweet scent, content to get lost in the small orchard for a while.

Thoughts of Nora kept pulling at Jed. No matter how hard he tried to resist falling for her, he knew that something about her kept calling to him. Her glorious long auburn hair always smelled so good. Almost like the honeysuckle Jed realized. That’s why riding through here reminded him of Nora.

She was graduating soon and probably going off to some prestigious university far away. What would she want with a rookie cop, trying to run the family farm? She obviously came from money, not just rich, but old money elegance, something that Jed definitely lacked.

Sure, Jed was now probably one of the wealthiest men in the county, but he was content with his bike and his horse. Wealth and status meant nothing to him.

Glancing at his watch, Jed realized that almost forty minutes had past. If he wanted to get Saber brushed down, and still make it to the table, he had better get moving.

As they were just finishing the meal, Jed’s cell phone rang. Pulling it out of his pocket, Jed looked at the number. Ollie. Excusing himself, Jed quickly walked into his office and took the call, “What did you find out?”

“Jed,” Ollie began excitedly, “They want me to sell them one of my old term papers. If I bring it to them tonight at the abandoned mill, they will give me a bonus. I think that is what Mark was doing to make money,” Ollie said talking fast.

“Hold on a minute Ollie, you are talking too fast. You are absolutely not going to meet them anywhere. What happened to e-mail anyway? There is no reason to meet them. Don’t go, do you hear me?” Jed said almost at a yell.

“This could be our big chance, Jed,” Ollie rushed, “I think we should go for it.”

Jed did yell this time, “Absolutely not, it’s too dangerous! Ollie? Ollie?” Jed swore and hung up the phone. Grabbing his leather jacket off the hook, he yelled to Skip and Betty that he had to go out because of the case, and jumped on his motorcycle. Ollie was going to wish that he had never gone when Jed got through with him.

Speeding, Jed flew down the county road towards Pine Hill. The old mill was located at the opposite side of town just north of the park. It was going to take at least fifteen minutes to get there and that was with speeding. Knowing Ollie, he had probably waited until he was supposed to meet them, before calling Jed. He knew Jed would try to talk him out of it.

As Jed turned unto the old mill road, he scanned the area for signs of Ollie or anyone else. Over by the entrance to the park sat a black four-wheel drive pickup. The windows were darkened and it was still running. When they heard Jed’s bike, the truck took off down the gravel road into the park. Spotting Ollie’s bicycle lying in the weeds near the mill, Jed stopped his bike and walked over. He didn’t stand a chance chasing that truck through the pothole ridden two-track on his motorcycle.

The way the bike seat was tilted up enough for Jed to see a folded piece of paper taped underneath it. Ripping it off, Jed opened it and found Ollie’s had quickly scribbled a note. It had a hastily drawn symbol of the open book and said, “If I’m not here, don’t worry, I’ll be fine.”

What did that mean? Did those guys have Ollie? Where was he? Did he leave? Maybe he saw something… Jed was just grasping at straws. If Ollie was in any way near the people involved in this, then he was in immediate danger. Calling it in to the station, he learned that everyone connected to the case had gone home already. They would send out the first available officer. Jed told them to wait a few minutes until he called them back. He was going to check things out first.

Jumping back on his motorcycle, Jed decided to see if Ollie had contacted any other members of their group. The question was, where were they?

Today was our prom committee meeting at the country club. Even though prom was less than two weeks away, I wasn’t that excited. I was glad that Charlotte had agreed to go with Gabby and me tonight, because Vanessa and Shelby were going to be there. I was not in the mood to deal with them.

It was a beautiful afternoon so we had agreed to meet on the veranda for an early dinner and to talk over our plans.  Kent dropped us off; ever since the attack at the mall, he was nervous to let us go by ourselves. I have to admit that I was kind of glad. I don’t scare easily, but that man gave me the creeps.

Kent was going to go for a jog around the large pond, almost a lake really, that was next to the main clubhouse. That way, he could keep his eyes on us most of the time. I wasn’t sure what he expected to be able to do when he was across the lake, but it made him feel better, so I didn’t say anything.

Turning my attention back to the group, I realized that everyone was looking at me expectantly.

“Sorry, I missed that, what?”

“We were wondering if you could go in and get the packet of information from the event coordinator.”

“Oh, of course,” I said excusing myself. I had been the one dealing with her from the beginning. I guess I should have grabbed that before I sat down.

Walking into the main office, I asked the receptionist if Sandi was in.

“She just left, but she said to tell you the packet is sitting on her desk and to go on in and grab it.”

“Thanks,” I said. My family has been a member of this country club for so long, that most of the staff have known me since I was a little girl.

Walking down the familiar hallway, I was surprised to see Mayor Greenly coming out of the president’s office as I passed by.

“Good evening, Mayor Greenly,” I said politely.

Guilt was written all over his face, but he quickly recovered and said, “Miss Barton.”

Why did the Mayor always look guilty whenever I was around? Strange, I thought, shaking my head.

The event coordinator had left her door open, so I walked into her neatly kept office and found the folder sitting right on her desk like she said it would be.

As I left, I noticed that Mayor Greenly hadn’t shut the president’s door behind him when he left, and I could see into his office. Nobody was in there. Looking up and down the hall, I saw that I was the only one here. I had only been in her office a few seconds, not enough time for someone else to walk away. That means that the Mayor had been in there by himself. Doing what? I was curious.

Turning back from the door, I started to walk away and then stopped. Should I go in there? What if there was a clue? Glancing around, I decided to do it; the door was left wide open anyway. It wasn’t as if I were breaking and entering. Well ok, just entering.

This was one office that I had never been into. The previous president died of old age recently and a new one, as far as I knew, hadn’t been elected. Walking in, I could tell that nothing looked like it had been removed. There were a lot of old lanyards depicting the Pine Hill Country Club insignia hung on the walls. Many books lined the shelves and one whole wall was filled with filing cabinets.

What does the president of a country club have to file? I wondered. From what I understood, it was more of a social title than an actual functioning job position.

What did the Mayor want in here? Walking quickly in case someone came by, I headed over to the desk. I didn’t see anything that jumped out at me. Looking around I saw a small corner of paper caught in the drawer of a filing cabinet. Pulling on it, the corner ripped off, I quickly stuffed it in my pocket. Had the Mayor been getting something out of the filing cabinet?

Hearing footsteps in the hall, my stomach dropped. Someone was coming. How was I going to explain being in here? I looked around frantically for someplace to hide, but saw nothing. The desk didn’t have a front on it; even the potted plants were too small. My heart was pounding so hard, I thought I was going to pass out.

“Nora?” a soft voice whispered.

Charlotte. Thank goodness! I took a deep gasping breath, trying to calm myself down.

“In here,” I said quietly.

Charlotte peeked around the corner. “What are you doing in there?”

“Shhh... I saw the Mayor leave this room and the door was open, so I went in to investigate.”

“Did you find anything?”

“Maybe,” I said remembering the scrap of paper in my pocket. “Let’s get out of here.”

I was almost to the door, when Charlotte gasped and said, “Look!” Pointing to a lanyard on the wall, she took a step closer.

Following her gaze, I saw an old looking lanyard with the same symbol we found in room 35. Shocked, I didn’t know what to do. Luckily Charlotte was thinking clearly. She quickly whipped out her cell phone and took a picture of it.

“Good thinking,” I told her backing out of the room. “Now we can show it to Jed. And Ollie and Kent of course,” I added quickly.

“Ah Huh,” she said with a grin as we walked back down the hall. “I am sure they were at the front of your mind.”

So relieved to get out of there without being caught, I laughed and said, “You caught me. Ok, I’ll admit that I may have a small crush on him. But don’t you dare tell Kent, or I’ll tell him that you have a crush on him.”

“That’s ok; I think he kind of already knows,” Charlotte said dreamily.

Smiling, I said, “Let’s hurry up with this dinner and meeting so we can go tell the guys.”

Luckily there was a soup and salad buffet tonight so we didn’t have to wait long for food.

After everyone had finished eating, I opened the folder and we got down to business. The menu had to be finalized and the decorations decided.

As Jed pulled up the driveway to the Barton’s home, a man was just getting out of a car. Jed cut the roar of his motorcycle. This must be Kent and Nora’s dad. He headed toward the man, throwing his booted, jean-clad leg over his bike.

“Good afternoon sir,” Jed said with a smile holding out his hand in greeting, “Jedediah Greyson, Nora and I are in the same project group at school. I was wondering if you could tell me if she was home. There is something that I need to discuss with her.”

Ignoring Jed’s hand, the man glared at Jed before saying, “No, I can’t. Why don’t you wait to see her in class tomorrow?”

Why the rude attitude? Mentally backtracking for something he had said that would have offended him, Jed couldn’t come up with anything. Her dad had said … her?

Kicking himself, Jed hurriedly said, “I mean Kent and
Nora are in my group. Is either of them here?”

The screen door slammed shut, just as a feminine voice asked, “Who is it Jack?”

Coming down the walk was a very small petite woman with brilliant auburn hair porcelain skin and a warm smile. She was beautiful. Nora’s resemblance to her was remarkable. It was obvious that she must be Nora’s mother.

Giving her his best smile, Jed reached around Mr. Barton and introduced himself.

“It is a pleasure to meet you. I am Rachael Barton and this is my husband Jack,” she said, taking Jed’s hand. She recognized him from when they passed the high school the other day. She decided to give him the benefit of the doubt.

“The pleasure is mine ma’am,” Jed said stepping back. Her husband was still glaring at him.

“Jack!” She said, slapping the poor guy on the chest. “Snap out of it. That isn’t how you treat our guests.”

“He’s not a guest. He is here asking where Nora is.”

“And Kent,” Jed quickly injected.

Giving Jed a knowing smile, Mrs. Barton nodded. “Nora had a meeting at the country club tonight and Kent drove her over there. You may be able to find them there.”

“Thank you ma’am,” Jed said. Making his excuses, Jed made a quick exit. Mr. Barton wasn’t that welcoming. Although, he didn’t look too happy that Jed was leaving either.

“Rachael, if I had wanted that boy to know where they were I would have told him,” Jack said.

Putting her hands on her hips, she demanded, “What has he done to deserve that attitude. I’m surprised at you Jack Barton. You need to give people the benefit of the doubt. Besides, he is no more a boy than you are and he’s very polite.”

“Well?” she demanded when he remained silent.

“He asked for Nora,” Jack said meekly.

Rolling her eyes, Rachael said, “And you asked for me, once.”

“That’s what I’m afraid of,” Jack said under his breath, as he headed up to the house.

Chapter 10

That didn’t go so well, Jed thought, heading for the country club. Mrs. Barton seemed real nice. She reminded him a lot of Nora. Mr. Barton however hated his guts. Kind of like Kent. They were pretty protective of Nora. That was a good thing as far as Jed was concerned. Not only was he going to have to work hard to show Nora that he was the good guy, but also her family.

Parking next to Kent’s red Camaro, Jed shut off his bike and strode through the main entrance. He had never actually been in here. Looking around, it looked like he pictured old money would look, very extravagant and formal, a place where his jeans and leather jacket stood out. He had received numerous cards in the mail inviting him as the Greyson heir, to have a tour and to consider a membership. It was just not something that he would ever be interested in.

Walking up to the front desk, he knew he was in for a hard time, when the receptionist looked down her nose at him.

“Excuse me sir, but jeans and...and leather are not appropriate dress for dinner.

Sighing, “Yes, ma’am. Please excuse my clothes; I’m actually here looking for Kent or Nora Barton. I was told that they would be here.”

“I’m sorry, but I can’t give out that information. Even if they were, you are not a member, so you are not allowed back there.”

Thanks, lady, Jed thought, you just let me know that they are back there. Now, the question is, back where?

“It’s very important that I speak with one of them.”

“I’m sorry, but you need to leave.”

“Look here lady…”

“Stan! A little help here!” She yelled, presumably to the security man.

A big guy with a neck the size of a ham came around the corner, and he was not smiling.

“Can I see some id, please sir?”

With a idea quickly forming, Jed reluctantly pulled out his wallet.

“Jedediah Greyson ma’am,” he said, offering it to the secretary instead of the security agent.

Her eyes lit up with recognition. “Greyson? As in Hosea’s grandson?”

“Yes, Ma’am”

“Well, why didn’t you say so? We have been trying to get a Greyson in here for years. The Barton’s you said?” she inquired, suddenly gracious.

“Please,” Jed said flashing his most charming smile.

“Well,” she started, looking down at his clothes obviously displeased, “it is highly improper that I let you in dressed like that. But I will make an exception in your case, in the future please come properly attired.”

Jed nodded. There won’t be a next time, trust me, he thought.

Pointing through the dining room to a set of double doors that led out onto the veranda, “You will find Nora out there with the prom committee, tonight is their meeting. Kent is around here somewhere, maybe Nora will know.”

Thanking her, Jed strode through the dining room to the veranda. He could feel heads turning all through the main dining room as he went. He was glad it was still early, so it wasn’t full. Talk about feeling like a freak. Mentally rolling his eyes, he opened the door and went out.

He could hear female laughter before he could see them. The veranda seemed to wrap around the side of the building and into the front. It must overlook the pond he saw as he pulled up.

Turning the corner, he was just in time to hear Vanessa ask Nora, “Nora, have you gotten Tyler to ask you to prom yet?” as she snickered.

Nora turned a bright red color, clearly embarrassed, “Umm.. “

Unexplainably jealous, Jed cleared his throat. All of a sudden, he had a dozen pairs of female eyes locked on him.

“Jed! Honey! How good of you to come!” Vanessa said jumping up from her seat and rushing over to grab onto his arm. Annoyed, he decided to stop this once and for all.

I stared at Jed. What was he doing here? Of course he just witnessed Vanessa making it clear to everyone that I didn’t have a date for prom. She made it sound as if I had to coerce someone into taking me. To make matters worse, she was all over him. Jealousy was quick to block out all coherent thought. It felt like whenever I was around Jed I was either embarrassed or jealous. I know that jealousy is a sin, and I tried to take a deep breath and relax. I don’t even have a claim on him for pete’s sake.

Gently but firmly he removed Vanessa’s hand from his arm and walked around the tables toward me. Squirming in my seat, I felt my heart start racing. Another common occurrence when Jed was around.

“Hi, sweetheart,” he said leaning down to kiss my cheek. “Can I see you for a minute?” Not waiting for my answer he grabbed my hand, and pulled me up out of my seat. With his arm around my waist, he walked us over to the railing. Then he leaned in close and whispered, “I need to talk to you and Charlotte for a minute. Is Kent here? Ollie is missing.”

I gasp. I didn’t have a good feeling about this.

Jed wrapped his other arm around me and drawing me close, said huskily, “I sure am glad to see you. You look beautiful.”

He was going to kiss me, I could tell. It was all I had thought about since today at school. The thought of the other girls watching, and of someone from the club seeing us and telling my parents, never crossed my mind as I felt his warm breath against my face. Just as his lips touched mine, we were interrupted by Kent.

“What do you think you’re doing Greyson!” Kent demanded, from out of nowhere.

Sighing, Jed brushed a kiss across my forehead and turned.

“What does it look like Barton?”

Someone, I am pretty sure it was Charlotte, snickered.

Stomping my foot, I walked over to Kent, I was mad. He was always embarrassing me in front of Jed and now most of the popular girls in school.

“Kent Barton, you mind your own business,” I demanded, poking him on the chest.

Hearing Jed chuckle, I whipped my head around. Now I was downright mortified. Everyone was staring at us. I am sure they had heard everything. Why did I seem to forget what was going on, whenever I got too close to Jed.

“And you!” I said mortified, pointing at him, “You stop laughing!”

Jed wiped the smile off his face quickly. He reached down and tried to grab my hand. He must have sensed that I was embarrassed.

In another of my not so brilliant moves, I tried to pull my hand back, but he was holding on to it firmly. I gave my hand a big tug trying to snatch it back and being a gentleman, Jed let go and I accidently slapped Kent in the chest with my flailing hand. Cringing, I sent Kent an apologetic grin as I felt my face heating up.

Sensing a scene, Charlotte quickly said good bye, gathered up our stuff and said,” Let’s take this discussion somewhere else.”

Grateful, I turned and walked with my head up, down the back stairs and onto the well manicured lawn toward the parking lot. Inwardly I could feel all the eyes of the other girls. I am sure I made a huge spectacle of myself. Vanessa’s eyes were practically boring into my back. I’m sure she was not happy to be dismissed by Jed, because of me.

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Charlotte take hold of Kent’s arm as he started after me.

Silently thanking her, I marched toward the Camaro. I sensed Jed beside me, before he said anything.

“Nora wait.”

“Are you going to embarrass me again?” I said still walking.

“Nora,” he said grabbing my arm and pulling me to a stop.

“I didn’t mean to embarrass you. I just found it so cute that you were mad at Kent for interrupting us. That was what that foot stomping was all about, wasn’t it?” he said with a grin.

“As if you’ll ever know,” I said still in a huff. It was hard to stay mad when he looked so gorgeous standing there.

Still grinning rakishly, he said,”Trust me Nora, that’s all I think about lately. I promise you.”

“I’m not supposed to get involved with you, you know,” I said honestly. What he said made me feel warm inside. He did look especially handsome standing there in the parking lot with the setting sun, shining his part of his face. It brought out the copper tone of his skin making his skin look golden and warm. The other side of his face was cast in shadows and gave him a dark dangerous appearance.

It struck me as ironic, that it so closely resembled how I felt about Jed. Part of me was drawn to him and the way he made me feel inside, while the other part was a little scared of him at the same time. I was still a little skeptical that someone like him, would be interested in me.