Bone Deep (25 page)

“An accident,” she murmured, then looked away. She sat in the passenger seat, her arms still hugged protectively over her chest. Those long, toned legs crossed making him think of how they’d felt squeezed around his waist.

Bad timing, pal
. Bad idea. Only a selfish prick would take a woman on the edge of breaking in a damned bathroom.
You’re an asshole, Phillips
.

“You’re not going with me,” he reminded her. “It’s too risky.”

“You can’t stop me.”

Their disagreement died a natural death in light of the somber business taking place in the road ahead. Trapped in traffic several vehicles back from the accident, Paul could just make out a small blue sports car. Looked as if it had left the asphalt and hit a power pole.

The tow truck’s wench whined. Slowly, but surely the small blue sports car was dragged from the deep ditch by its rear end. The truck pulled forward, hauling the damaged vehicle behind it. Paul surveyed the crippled car. The hair on the back of his neck stood on end. The damage to the front end of the vehicle was extensive. Not a full frontal collision, but one of the offset kind that killed more often than not. The condition of the vehicle combined with the silent ambulance spelled DOA.

Jill made a frantic sound in her throat... a painful mewling. He followed her gaze back to the car and then he saw it too. The vanity plate, remarkably still intact.

K-E-L-L-Y was scrawled in bold pink letters on a pale blue background.

Kelly Neil
.

He didn’t have to ask one of the officers what happened as they were allowed to roll slowly by. Paul sensed the answer deep in his gut. He also understood there was just one outcome.

Kelly Neil was dead.

Just like Jill would be if she pursued this—whatever the hell it was—any further.

“That’s it,” he said, his tone hard, every muscle in his body rigid with fury. “I’m taking you, your mother, and your sister to safety.”

To his surprise, Jill turned to him and said, “I know just the place.”

~*~

It took less than half an hour to check her sister out of the psychiatric ward of Paradise General. One brief telephone call to the doctor on record and Kate was free to go with any member of the immediate family willing to sign for responsibility. The chief had no doubt paved the way already, hoping to facilitate Jill’s departure from his jurisdiction.

Too upset by the useless and tragic deaths of the Neil sisters, Jill hadn’t even thought of bringing clothes. The ones Kate had arrived in at the hospital had been seized as evidence. Paul picked up a Paradise tee and lounge pants at the hospital gift store for the trip home.

Jill intended to see that her mother and sister were safely tucked away before she and Paul did what had to be done. Whether he liked it or not, she was going with him to Connie’s townhouse. She would help end this and bring these bastards down or die trying.

Her throat parched at the idea. She hoped no one else had to die. She stole a glance at the driver. Especially not him. Paul Phillips had suffered enough already. She now saw the other side of all those ugly headlines she’d read about him. Understood the pain he’d endured. He deserved a better life. Jill had brought him here, dragged him into the middle of that same kind of agony. She didn’t want this to cost him anymore than it already had.

Kate sat quietly in the back seat as they drove through town, eventually turning onto Washington Street. If any part of the passing landscape struck a chord with her, she didn’t make a sound.

When they arrived at the house, Claire met them at the door. “What’s going on?” Her attention settled on Kate. “Katie, honey, it’s good to have you home.”

Kate merely looked at her mother as if aware she was being spoken to but incapable of understanding why or forming a response.

Claire took charge of Kate immediately, settling her on the sofa in the family room where she could watch television. The nurses had said that Kate preferred the television on, but the sound muted. Claire quickly attended to that detail. Then she moved back into the entry hall where Jill and Paul still argued about who was doing what.

“Why wasn’t I consulted before you signed your sister out of the hospital? I wanted to speak with the doctor before making a final—”

“There’s no time,” Jill cut her off. She wasn’t having this discussion with her mother. “Kelly Neil is dead.”

Claire frowned, clearly confused. “What are you talking about? Her sister is—”

“She called me this morning.” A dull ache pierced deeper into Jill’s heart. “Right after the chief left this morning, remember?”

Claire’s confusion visibly deepened. “I remember a call.”

Jill’s patience snapped. “It was her. She told us about the evidence against MedTech that Connie was hiding. The evidence that got her killed.”

There was no missing the subtle shift in Claire’s posture, the way she averted her gaze. She was hiding something. And she was on the edge... on the verge of telling all. Jill’s pulse reacted to the bloom of hope in her chest.

“But Arvel said—”

“The chief lied.” If the local police could be trusted they wouldn’t be having this conversation. But no one could be trusted…no one but Paul. “Chief Dotson lied about everything, Mother.
Everything
.”

Paul opted to keep his mouth shut. Worked for Jill. She had this.

Claire shook her head. “That’s ridiculous. Why don’t you let this madness go? Let them close the case so we can get on with our lives!”

Wasn’t she listening? “Your grandson is alive. He’s out there somewhere and I intend to find him. I also intend to know what MedTech and LifeCycle have been doing to the people in this town and in the surrounding communities.” Walking away was out of the question. “I won’t let them get away with this. I will find the evidence I need and then I’ll take it to the proper authorities.”

“Jill, you must know how foolish this all sounds.” Her mother laughed nervously. “We’ve known Arvel Dotson our whole lives. He’s not a bad person.”

“Isn’t he?” Jill countered, livid now. “Tell me the truth, Mother. You know at least some of what’s going on here. Why are you hiding it from me? It almost cost us our lives once. Connie and Kelly are dead because of it. How many more have to die before you tell the truth?”

A deafening silence echoed for what felt like an eternity.

Claire conceded first. “I... I’m sure I don’t know what you mean.”

Enough! Jill took her mother by the shoulders and forced her to meet her gaze. “I know about Benford Chemical. The births and deaths... the experiments and tampering with genetics. What I need to know now is who and why.”

Claire moved her head side to side. “I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she insisted but all conviction had deserted her tone as well as her expression.

“What’s it going to take?” Jill pushed harder, fury overriding any softer emotions that tried to intrude. “They’ll kill me if I don’t stop digging and I won’t stop until I have the answers. Are you willing to stand back and let that happen?” Jill threw her arms up in exasperation. “Why not just do it yourself?”

She saw the change in her mother’s eyes. Watched the scale tip to in their favor. A helpless sound issued from Claire’s throat, then she broke. She sobbed hysterically. Jill hugged her mother close and cried with her.

When Claire had collected the scattered pieces of her composure, she seemed to stiffen her spine. “We should sit down. This is going to take a while.”

Gathered around the family room, Kate’s attention still glued to the television screen, Claire Ellington began her story. “When we discovered what Charles Benford had done and that nearly everyone had been affected, rendered sterile...” She shook her head, dabbed at her eyes with a tissue. “We were devastated.”

After a moment, she continued, “Your father was the DA back then. He was the first to find out and he wanted to pursue criminal charges against Benford. Austin Hammersly was the chief of police and he agreed. Arvel was the ranking deputy. He was ready to do whatever everyone else wanted. Ken Wade was in the middle of a senatorial race. He couldn’t be of much help, but offered to do what he could monetarily. The next thing I knew Benford was dead. Murdered.”

“Do you know who murdered him?” Paul asked the first hard question. The answer to which could carry criminal charges.

Jill sat on the edge of her seat, scarcely able to breathe.

Claire nodded, her hands twisted together. “You have to understand, the federal authorities had decided to cut Benford a deal if he spilled the beans on some of his more high powered associates who were doing even dirtier business.”

“That’s the feds,” Paul noted, “always looking for the angle that makes their job easier.”

“Your father and the others were justifiably upset. We all were.” She dabbed at the tears in her eyes again, then took a big breath. “So, before the federal authorities could whisk Benford away, Austin Hammersly, Arvel Dotson and some of your father’s other friends tried him in a mock trial. Your father attempted to stop them but they wouldn’t listen. They found Benford guilty and after getting drunk enough they executed him. Your father wasn’t involved but he kept their secret by looking the other way. He and the others insisted the old chemical plant was to remain standing as a reminder of how much carelessness and indifference could cost.”

Too stunned to speak, Jill kept quiet.

Claire searched her eyes, a plea in her own. “Your father was a good man, Jillian, this was his one and only transgression in a lifetime of goodness.”

Jill moistened her lips and blinked back tears. “Please,” she said softly, “go on. I need to hear it all.”

Claire cleared her throat. “About two months later, your father and Hammersly were approached by executives from MedTech and LifeCycle. I’ll never forget that night. They were all here.” She frowned, looked around the room as if remembering. “Except for Ken. He’d been traveling about in his pursuit for the senate. He was the only one who wasn’t in on the final deal.”

She folded her hands in her lap, visibly struggled to keep them still. “Anyway, the three men, uppity-ups from MedTech and LifeCycle, came to dinner. They outlined a beautiful plan for restoring everyone’s ability to produce offspring. They wanted to build their first major facilities here and their primary goal during the first ten years would be to ensure the fertility of those affected.” She fell silent for a moment. “It sounded so good at the time. Like a second chance—a gift—straight from God. They would offer twice as many jobs as Benford Chemical. The town would prosper in more ways than one. We didn’t know it was all about money... all about a ruthless science and technology race.”

“But we look so much alike.” Jill shook her head. This made no sense. “How can you have been sterile?”

“Your father was sterile. I simply stopped ovulating,” Claire explained. “But I had still had viable eggs.”

Jill fought another onslaught of emotions at hearing that news. Thank God.

“It was all just perfect for more than twenty years.” Claire shook her head in long overdue defeat. “Paradise thrived, becoming a landmark of both beauty and tranquility.” Her gaze settled back on Jill. “Seven years ago your father found out about those awful experiments they’d been doing. He also found a link between our new saviors and old Charles Benford. A link that led him to believe we’d been setup to be more receptive to MedTech and LifeCycle. That none of what transpired was by chance.”

Jill’s heart sank. Dear God. It was true. She and Paul had discussed this very scenario. At the time it felt too surreal…something out of a bad science fiction movie.

Claire shrugged, a weary gesture. “Your father didn’t say how he discovered the information, but it was just awful.” She shuddered. “He couldn’t believe we’d been fooled so badly by those awful people. Hammersly and Dotson didn’t want to rock the boat. Life had been too good. But your father was having none of it. He was the judge by then and could make big trouble.” She frowned. “The senator wasn’t in on that part either, I don’t think.” She dismissed him with the wave of a hand. “He was gone so much with his political career I doubt he’s aware even now just how bad things got.”

“What did Father do?” Jill asked, her voice small and fragile. She could hardly bear the idea of what she knew in the deepest recesses of her soul was coming next.

“Why the same thing you’ve been doing, he butted heads with them. Tried to make them see that he wouldn’t stand for what they were doing to his town. The Judge, as you know, thought of Paradise as his town.”

“What happened?” Jill demanded. She had to hear it all.

Claire’s shoulders sagged and she closed her eyes to the painful memories. “He didn’t get to do anything. They killed him.”

Jill grabbed the arm of the sofa and steadied herself. Before she could gather her wits, Paul was at her side, sliding in close, draping a strong arm around her shoulders, giving her the strength to continue listening to the unthinkable. No matter that she had suspected that was the case, she hadn’t been adequately prepared.

“They claimed it was a heart attack,” Claire said bitterly, “but I knew better. They killed him, just like they killed anyone else who ever got in their way. I don’t know exactly how because I didn’t dare order an autopsy. But I know they did it.”

“You’re sure about all this?” Jill needed to know everything. To discover her father had known and was possibly murdered had fury and outrage lashing through her.

“Why do you think I’ve spent the last seven years locked up in this house?” She pressed her fingers over her mouth for a long moment before going on. “I was scared to death I would say or do something wrong and then I’d be killed too. I hoped if I stayed in the house, didn’t go anywhere and didn’t talk to anyone, I’d be safe. That way I’d be here to make sure you and your sister were safe from what we’d done.” She looked longingly at Jill now. “That’s why I did all within my power to discourage your visits. I was afraid for you. Afraid you’d figure out something was wrong. I didn’t even want to call you back here for this, but I knew you’d come anyway as soon as you heard.”