Shadow of Death (25 page)

“Do you know where the money is?”

“Nope. I haven't got a clue. It looks like a key to a storage unit, but it would be like finding a needle in a haystack with all the places around Columbus.” Troy told Lloyd about Donald Nugent, Will and DJ Rio. “I didn't know Cheryl had started talking to Don again. He had a longtime crush on her and I think he felt slighted when I came into the picture. We used to hang out with him and his second wife, but he stopped coming around after they split up. Cheryl probably reconnected with him to feed him the same story she told me about the two of you having an affair so it would seem real when she went missing. I know Don. He can be a jerk sometimes, but I don't think he's dirty, though. Maybe there's a way we can test him in order to know for sure, but I really think he's just doing his job. I don't know anything about the other guys you mentioned. Cheryl and I have been divorced for over seven years. I'm sure there may be a lot of people in her life I don't know about.”

Troy informed Lloyd of the issues he'd been having with Cheryl the last couple of years. “It was eerie the things she knew about me. I really do think there was a bug in that toy car.”

“It could have been. If that Will guy is working with them, he could have also planted something in your phone while you had it in the locker room at the gym. Who knows what kind of gadgets Cheryl got from the agency. I bet they also had eyes on you.”

Troy decided to take a chance and share with Lloyd the diary he discovered from Cheryl's bedroom last night. He sat quietly while Lloyd skimmed through it.

“Wow! Looks like she pulled an Amy Dunne on you. Well, at least she tried.”

“Who?”

“Have you ever read the novel
Gone Girl
by Gillian Flynn?”

“No. Novels aren't my thing,” Troy responded, looking at all of Lloyd's weapon creations. Lloyd didn't strike him as a reader.

“Aw, that was a good book. Basically, this lady wanted to frame her husband for murder so she created this fake diary describing how she was scared of him and detailing his abusive behavior. She set him up real good. It was brilliant! They're making a movie out of it this fall and—”

“Can we get back to the real world, please? This is my life, not some fictional story.”

“My bad.” Lloyd finished flipping through Cheryl's fairytale. “It's a good thing you found this before the cops. Personally, I'd suggest that you destroy it. You can't give it back at this point and there's nothing useful in it. We know Cheryl's dead, so it's not like she can re-create it. Your best bet is to pretend like it never existed.”

Troy nodded in agreement.

“Why don't you get cleaned up? I have fresh towels and some things in the bathroom that will fit you. While you're getting yourself together, I'll take care of this.”

“No!” Troy quickly snatched the diary from Lloyd for much of the same reason he couldn't release it to Larry. “I'll do it.”

“Okay. Suit yourself. I'm starving. I'll whip us up some sandwiches while you freshen up.”

Troy made his way to the bathroom with his mind spinning in a thousand directions as all the events from the day collided in his head. He didn't recognize the reflection of the individual staring back at him in the mirror. No longer chasing killers, that person was accused of being one of them and he was scared. No, terrified of what the outcome would be if things didn't work out in his favor. What if he didn't get to see his children grow up? Nate's first high school basketball game? Ean and Ebony's graduation? Ebony walking down the aisle? Angrily, Troy ripped out the pages of Cheryl's diary, tearing them into tiny pieces and flushing them down the toilet in handfuls. When he was satisfied that nothing would come back up, he finally took the much needed shower.

The water washed away his funk, not his fear. In fact, his level of anxiety had heightened and paranoia set in. What if this whole thing with Lloyd had been a setup? For all Troy knew Lloyd could be in on this scheme and the plan all along was to get him out here in the middle of nowhere to kill him as well. He left the water running and stepped out of the shower. With the towel wrapped around his waist and his gun in hand, Troy cracked open the bathroom door. He observed Lloyd sitting on the sofa with his feet on the coffee table eating a sandwich and flipping through the television.

Troy shut the door and leaned against it.
Lord, give me wisdom,
he prayed. He didn't trust himself or his instincts and, at the moment, Lloyd was all he had. But really, who was this dude!?! That night he and Cheryl met at Starbucks, she'd told him her husband had died. Now, in light of how erratic her behavior had been these last couple of years toward him, he questioned everything she told him, including the part about him being her first.
“At the time you broke up with Cheryl, she was pregnant.”
Troy wasn't ready to deal with the weight of that revelation. He hurriedly slipped on the clothes Lloyd had laid out for him and joined his new friend in the living room.

“You're just in time,” Lloyd announced and nodded for Troy to focus on the television.

“There's been a break in the disappearance and murder case of former federal agent Cheryl Hunter. Last week, we reported that Hunter had gone missing and that an unidentified Columbus police officer had been linked to her disappearance. We have since learned that the body found late last night at Alum Creek State Park in Delaware, Ohio is that of the forty-six-year-old and that one of CPD's own has become the prime
suspect in this murder investigation. Our cameras were there as investi
gators searched the vehicle of Detective Troy Evans at a local area gym after receiving an anonymous tip. Inside the back of his SUV, officers found a bloody knife, which they suspect may be the weapon that was used on Hunter. Witnesses say that Evans had been inside the gym at the time police initially arrived, but he escaped authorities with the help of a Caucasian man who led him through an emergency exit and the two took off in a black vehicle. Unfortunately, the man cannot clearly be identified by the security cameras outside the front of the building. We spoke with an employee who arrived at the gym as everything was unfolding. Shay Donovan did not want to appear on camera, but she said that she had a hard time believing any of this because Detective Evans is her friend and is a good guy who kept to himself anytime he was at the gym. Others had similar sentiments, but police say this ‘good guy' is
a murderer. If you have any idea regarding the whereabouts of Troy Evans
or who his mysterious accomplice may be, please contact the Columbus Police Department at 614-555-TIPS. Evans, who led the investigation of the Bible Butcher case two years ago, is considered to be armed and dangerous and should not be approached. If you see him, please contact the police immediately.

“Looks like you're involved in a real-life scandal. Where's Olivia Pope when you need her, right?”

“Who?”

Lloyd sighed. “Never mind. We need to figure out your next move. First, let me ask you, are you considering turning yourself in?”

Troy pondered the question. By surrendering, his fate would be left in the hands of the justice system…the very system he worked for, believed in. Yet, Troy could not bring himself to leave his future, or the future of his family, in the hands of his comrades who were already convinced of his guilt. He needed to be on the outside so he could work the case and clear his name. Thus, his response to Lloyd was “no.”

“Good. I think that'll make Chyanne nervous because she knows while you're out, you'll be looking for answers and she'll stay hidden. I'm sure she intended to leave town after cashing in the insurance policy. She's in for a startling surprise when she learns it's been canceled. If we can somehow make her think you have it, it may draw her out in public.”

Troy had the same thought coupled with a grave concern. “I don't want to put my family in harm's way. I need to warn my wife so she can get somewhere safe.” Thanks to Lloyd, Troy had no way to call Natalie and he hadn't memorized any of the numbers programmed in his phone. When he remembered that he could access his contacts online, he told Lloyd who rejected the idea.

“That's not wise. Your accounts will be monitored. I'll get a message to your wife for you. They'll be safe tonight for sure. Too many cops will be crawling around and probably even watching your place.”

There was no way Troy would leave the security of Natalie and their children in the hands of a man he didn't know. He was determined to get a message to Natalie and he figured out exactly how to do it.

W
hen Natalie received Troy's text telling her not to worry, it increased her level of anxiety even more. She tried contacting him back, but he did not respond to any of her texts, and her calls were going straight to voicemail. When an army of officers swarmed her place demanding to know where her husband was and shoving a warrant in her face allowing them to search the premises, she knew something had gone terribly wrong.

Natalie watched in horror as officers went room-by-room through her family's things. She and the children were ordered to remain in one place and there was nothing she could do while they, including Nate, screamed and clung to her for dear life. The officers' presence had scared them. Natalie also wanted to cry and would have if she wasn't forced to be the adult in the situation. Her babies needed her to remain composed. She tried as best as she could to calm them and placate Nate who, like the police, wanted his daddy whom Natalie had been told had an arrest warrant out on him for murder.

“Ma'am. We're going to need you to come to the station and answer a few questions,” one officer said to her. “We can have someone sit with them.”

“Whatever you need to ask me, you can do it here. I'm not leaving and no one is taking my kids.” Thanks to her husband, Natalie wasn't ignorant of the law. She knew she wasn't obligated to go with them unless she was under arrest. The officer tried intimidation tactics, telling her that Troy was a fugitive and if she was helping him, losing her children would be the least of her concerns. When Natalie didn't waver from her position, he walked away to speak with another officer. It didn't take a high IQ to know that they were discussing her. They kept looking back and as confident as Natalie tried to appear, she was petrified. With hands trembling like she suffered from some kind of nervous disorder, Natalie called the only person she could think of:
Richard.
When he didn't answer, the tears she had held back broke through. She pulled her children in closer to her so she could wipe her face without Nate seeing.

From the living room window, Natalie could see Ann and other neighbors lining the street. A television crew was also present. That's when it hit Natalie—the nightmare she thought she was privately experiencing was being broadcast for the entire city to witness. And when she pulled up the local news app on her iPhone, she understood why her husband had sent such a cryptic message and the extent of how wrong his trip to the gym had gone.

Natalie read and reread the story trying to piece together the situation as best as she could. Did Troy ever confront Will? Who was the Caucasian man helping him? How'd the knife get in his truck? Did she really believe Troy was innocent? She didn't know the answers to the other questions, but when it came to her husband being a killer, Natalie would not make the same mistake she had when she confronted him about the affair. She would take Troy at his word.

When he'd come home from the police station, she hadn't been sure. Had he admitted guilt, it would not have changed a thing about her feelings for Troy. Though no advocate for homicide, Natalie would have understood how her husband could have been driven to such a brink of insanity after all Cheryl had put him,
them,
through. The police could say all they wanted, but in her heart, she knew why her husband ran. It wasn't because he was guilty; it was because he was going to work this murder investigation like she'd witnessed him do so many others.

“Mommy, where's Daddy?” Nate's emotions had calmed down, but not his curiosity. The twins still gripped her with fear.

“Honey, Daddy's working.”

“When is he comin' home?” he asked in a whiny voice.

“I don't know, sweetheart. But, we can always pray that it won't be long.”

Bless his heart, Nate shut his eyes so tight that it had to hurt and he started saying a child-like prayer for his daddy to come home “right now.” As much as Natalie wanted to echo her son's words, it would take a little more time. Thus, she prayed for Troy's safety, wisdom, and revelation. For good measure, she added that she'd like to have him home by their anniversary, which was in five days!

“Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to leave the property. We're conducting official police business.” Natalie heard one of the officers say.

“I'm also here in an official capacity and I need to see Mrs. Coleman. I'm sure you won't break the law by denying her representation, will you?” came the response from a voice that Natalie recognized and yet was confused by.

“RJ?”

“Hey, Natalie. Lisa and Chandler are outside in the car. We knew they wouldn't let us all in. Hey, Nate, give me a high-five, man.”

Nate reluctantly obliged the inopportune request and when RJ lifted his hand, Natalie saw the message he'd written for her.

Troy sent me to get you.

She nodded though RJ's note sparked more questions that she wouldn't dare ask at the moment.

“You guys are coming over our house tonight. I'm going to stay right here until after they finish, and then Lisa will come in and help you pack whatever you need.”