The Hero (12 page)

“There’s no one in the henhouse!”

Charlotte stepped toward Jacob. “But they would never leave,” she said. “Not Reese—this is her home. This has been her home for eight years! And Mariah is close to having her baby—where would they go?”

Laine braved his wrath. “Jacob, are there any vehicles missing? Mariah’s too pregnant to get far on foot. Shall we go looking for them?”

“I’ll take care of this,” he blustered, stomping around the room. “Get the children downstairs right now!”

And four women scrambled to do as he ordered.

Laine knew exactly who would be missing, but their lives depended on her ability to be convincing and helpful.

Tears ran down Laine’s cheeks and she twisted her hands. “Jacob, Reese and Mark and Mariah aren’t here.”

He let out a roar, picked up a plate from the table and threw it against the wall. Little Liam in the high chair began to cry and Laine rushed to pick him up. This broke Laine’s heart; he was the baby of the house and she desperately wanted to get him on the other side of that fence. She just cried harder as she thought about this.

“Did you betray us, Laine?”

“Me?”
she asked on a choked sob. “Why would I do that? If I wanted to leave and knew the way, wouldn’t I go? Jacob, they can’t have gone far—let’s look for them. I’ll help. We’ll all help.”

“There’s a conspiracy here,” he thundered. “And when I find it, you’ll be sorry!”

Laine just held the toddler against her, weeping.

But when he turned to leave, she sent daggers at him through the narrow slits of her eyes. If she’d had a weapon at that moment, he might be dead.

A half hour later the men—all four of them, armed—left the compound in three big dark SUVs. Suddenly they were all gone, leaving the women and children behind.

It had taken Laine nine months to be picked up by Jacob. Her assignment was to infiltrate the commune and learn the extent of his fraudulent activities. As well, she was to look for evidence of kidnapping, human trafficking, antigovernment activities and custodial interference. What they
hadn’t
known, going in, was that Jacob had developed a large and sophisticated marijuana grow-op. Once Laine had learned the extent of this operation the commune was placed under constant surveillance. At that point her job shifted from investigation to rescue. She had to find a way to get the women and children out before a warrant was served. Crazy Jacob, who said he’d die before facing off with the government, might just kill all of them rather than surrender to authority. This could become another Waco or Ruby Ridge if it wasn’t handled with finesse and intelligence.

Laine was FBI. Deep cover. And in grave danger.

* * *

Devon felt tickling on her face and opened one eye. Mercy grinned at her. “Mama, you spended the night.”

She opened the other eye. Jenny was sitting next to Mercy, both little girls on their knees, giggling at her.

Oh, my,
she thought.
This is embarrassing.
“I just wanted to kiss you good-night and I must have fallen asleep right here,” she said, trying to get her bearings. She sat up. Someone had covered her with a blanket and she still wore last night’s dress. Beautiful. “Where’s your daddy, Jenny?”

“He told us to wake you up. He’s making clown pancakes.”

“Wonderful,” she said. She pulled herself up, visited the bathroom, rinsed her mouth and headed to the kitchen. Will was standing on a stool, stirring the pancake batter. The girls were already sitting at the table eating their breakfasts. Scott, still wearing those plaid pajama bottoms and a T-shirt, was flipping pancakes.

“Well, good morning,” he said with a smile.

“I’m very embarrassed,” she said.

“No need. You were out like a light so I just went to bed.” He lifted a handsome brow. “I trust you slept well?”

She chuckled to herself. “Oh, yeah. Just like old times. Wrapped around a couple of little girls.”

“Can I interest you in a couple of pancakes?” he asked.

“Sure. That’s awfully nice of you, after I disrupted your sleep in the middle of the night.”

“Nah, not that serious. I was just reading.”

“Where’s Gabriella?”

“Sleeping in. I have no idea when Charlie brought her home, but it must have been very late. Sunday is her day off unless I have something going on. I’m on call for Bandon E.R. today and if they call, I’ll need her. She usually spends Sundays studying or with Charlie.”

“You could just call me,” she said.

He leaned toward her. “How’m I gonna do that, Devon?” he asked.

“Right. No phone. I’m going to have to take care of that. Maybe I should take the kids down to the beach, let them see the flower arch, play in the water a little bit. I’d be happy to do that. In fact, it’s the least I can do.”

He flipped a clown pancake onto her plate and she thought,
This is so normal. I’ve longed for normal for five years. A few kids, a nice guy in the kitchen, a regular house, work, family...the usual kind of family.
She laughed and said, “So, you call this a clown, huh?”

“My best effort,” he said.

“It kind of looks like a...squirrel.” She cut off what appeared to be the tail, popping it in her mouth. “Now it looks more like a clown...or a hamster.”

When breakfast was over, Devon took care of the cleanup and loaded the dishes in the dishwasher. Then she drove home with Mercy and they changed into clothes for the beach before heading to the marina to meet Scott and his kids. Will and Jenny were toting a mesh bag full of beach toys. “You sure you’re up to this?” he asked. “I was called to Bandon. I could be a couple of hours.”

“I can handle the three of them, no problem. But I can’t get them all home. I just have the one booster seat.”

“We can trade cars,” he suggested. “Just put Mercy’s seat in my car. I’ll take your truck.”

“Perfect. Now be gentle with her—she belongs to Rawley and he restored her.”

The transfer was made and Scott said, “Gabriella is at home, standing by, in case I get stuck at the E.R.”

But Devon was leaning into his beautiful new vehicle. She was smelling the car. “Wow. I might just take this baby out for a little spin. Is this new?”

“Pretty new, yeah. You’re going to have to drum up some business for me at the clinic so I can pay for it.”

“What a great car. I’ve never in my life had a new car....” She removed the key to the truck off her key ring and handed it to Scott.

“Someday, Devon,” he said. “Probably not while you’re working for the tightwad doctor, but someday.” He took the truck key from her. “This seems to be working out well. Kids and all.”

“Kids and all,” she said.

With three little kids in tow, she grabbed up the towels, the sunscreen and toys. They went about halfway down the beach before they stopped. Devon spread out their towels and slathered their wiggly, excited little bodies with sunscreen. She laughed at their excitement and told them, “Water’s edge, only. No farther than your knees!”

This was Devon’s comfort zone—she loved children, especially at this age. She found them precious, hilarious, brilliant, trusting. They could also be very bad, but she’d never wondered what to do—Aunt Mary had had the patience of Job and had taught her well.

They had all played in the water and the sand for about an hour when someone plunked down beside her and she turned to see Spencer sitting next to her.

“Good morning,” he said.

“What are you doing here?”

He pointed to the dock. “Austin wants to take out one of the boards and if someone isn’t close by to watch him, he gets out too far. He wants to be like Landon—taking that board all the way out to the mouth of the bay. And he’s fighting us on the life jacket issue.” He nodded toward the littler kids. “The doctor’s kids?”

“Yes, he’s on call and I volunteered to babysit,” she said.

“Listen, about last night...”

She laughed in spite of herself. “Regrets, Spencer?”

“If I offended you, I’m sorry. If I didn’t offend you, when can we get together?”

A huff of laughter escaped her. “While I’m flattered beyond reason, maybe we should talk....”

“About?”

“About how it might be way too soon for you to think about relationships. Your wife has been gone how long?”

“Not long and yet, a long, long time. And I think you should be aware—I seem to have a drinking problem.”

She tilted her head. He hadn’t seemed the least bit drunk last night. “Oh?”

“Yes.” He circled his knees with his arms. “Apparently if I drink three beers I’ll do any damn thing I please. Whether or not it’s a good idea.”

“I see,” she said, laughing. “So this
is
about regrets....”

He sighed. “I can be more suave. You should try me.”

She turned toward him. “Spencer, you seem to be a very nice guy, but I warn you—I’m painfully out of practice at this. And it’s possible you’re just lonely.”

He turned toward her. “Devon, my wife was a wonderful woman. I didn’t deserve her. That’s a fact. And she battled cancer for almost four years. She had brief periods of respite, but every time the cancer would come back harder. Stronger. We fought it together till the end. Was I lonely? Yes, absolutely. If I could’ve taken it on for her I would have. In the end I was glad she could give up the fight—it was terrible for her.”

Devon was quiet for a long moment. Finally she said, “You must miss her so much.”

“Of course. But that’s not why I danced with you. That’s not why I kissed you.”

“Then why?”

His eyes darkened; his brows hooded them. “I wanted to. That simple. I really, really wanted to.”

Oh. My.

“Listen,” Devon said. “We should probably put our energy into a friendship. I think maybe we both have a great deal to overcome.”

“I know I do,” he said. Then he stood suddenly, whistled and shouted to Austin. “Too far! Get back here!” Then he sat down again. “I really don’t know much about you. We’ll work on that friendship thing and maybe...” He shrugged. “Maybe you’ll tell me about it one of these days.”

“Tell you what?”

“Where you really came from. Who Mercy’s father is. What you’re worried about. Your friends can’t help you unless they understand.”

Uncomfortable, she looked away. Just briefly. But it was long enough for her to catch sight of a black SUV with darkly tinted windows driving down the road from 101 to the bar. She gasped. She covered her mouth and then checked the little kids—they were playing at the edge of the bay not fifteen feet away, digging deep holes and filling their buckets with wet sand. She looked back at the car. And she started to tremble.

“What?” Spencer asked. “What is it?”

She gripped his wrist. “Oh, no,” she said. “Oh, God...”

“You’re afraid of that car.”

“I have to go.... I have to—”

“Are they here for you? Looking for you?”

“I have to...” She stood. “I have to...”

“Stop,” he said. “Just stay right here. Sit down and don’t move. I’ll go see who they are, what they want. Don’t run—just keep an eye on the kids and Austin.”

“I know who they are,” she said, her face white as chalk. “I know what they want.”

“Then know this. You’re safe when you’re with me.”

Ten

S
pencer whistled at Austin, giving him instructions to stay close to the dock, and telling him he’d be right back. Then he took the stairs two at a time to the bar, entering from the deck just as a man entered from the opposite door that led from the parking lot. Cooper was not in sight, probably busy with his family the day after his wedding, and Rawley was behind the bar. He sat down on a stool at the bar.

The man wore jeans and boots and a light blue denim long-sleeved shirt, although it was summer. His sleeves were rolled up to his elbows and his hands and forearms bore a few thin scars, what you would expect from a farmer or rancher.

“Help you?” Rawley asked.

“Yes, sir. I’m looking for a woman, sir. She’s kind of tall. Blonde. Around thirty-five or so. She’d have a seven-year-old boy and a pregnant girl with her.”

Rawley frowned and shook his head. “She got a name?”

“Reese,” he said. “Boy’s name is Mark, her son. She has her sister with her and the girl is due to have a baby real soon. They’re missing and I’m out trying to track her down....”

“Missing from where?” Spencer asked.

The man didn’t answer immediately. “Near Myrtle Creek. Farm near Myrtle Creek.”

“You family?” Rawley asked.

He shrugged. “More or less. I’ve known her a long time. I work the farm and we’re all...worried.”

“What’s she driving?” Rawley asked.

He shook his head. “She didn’t take a car. I think she got picked up.”

“Got a number we can call if we see her around?”

“You haven’t seen them, then?” he asked.

“Hasn’t been anyone new around here in a long time. My cousin was here last year, going through a divorce, ye see, but she’s gone back to Texas. Anyway, she’s way over thirty-five. You worried they been snatched?”

“We’re worried in general.”

“You talked to police?” Rawley asked.

“It’s family business,” he said. “If you haven’t seen her, I’ll just...”

“Wanna leave that number? How long they been gone?” Rawley pressed.

“It’s just been a day or two, but there’s no reason they should go anywhere. Especially without saying where they were going. It’s a mystery.”

“I’ll be glad to keep an eye out—I’m in this town ever day. And this here guy—he’s in town ever day. You’ll watch for her, eh?” he said, looking at Spencer.

“Of course. Yes.”

“Now. That number?” He pushed an order pad and pencil toward the man and watched while he wrote down numbers. “Anything turns up, I’ll give you a call, Mr....”

“Johnson,” he said. “Name’s Johnson.”

“Thing about this place, Mr. Johnson—it’s real small. One main street, no apartments for rent, no jobs—most folks are either fishermen, local workers or they hold jobs out of town. There ain’t nothing going on.... I been here for years. A couple of women and a kid come here, it’s real obvious. We got tourists, mostly for the beach. And I watch over the beach. If your people pass through, I’m bound to notice.”

“Thank you, sir,” he said politely. “Appreciate it.”

Seconds after the door closed, Rawley looked out the back door and Spencer went out to the deck. He was hoping Devon wasn’t watching the black SUV—that might tip them off. But she sat on the sand, ball cap pulled down, watching the children and Austin, who paddled by them, remained very close to the shore.
Good girl,
he thought.

Rawley came back behind the bar and wrote down some letters and numbers—license plate. Then he looked at Spencer with piercing eyes. “Devon tell you about herself?” he asked.

Spencer shook his head. “That first morning, when you brought her here, I heard you and her talking. I’ve never said a word to anyone.”

Rawley shook his head. “That’s them. From that camp. She’s gotta tell Mac now. And Cooper. We can’t keep ’em safe if we don’t know what or who to keep ’em safe from.”

Spencer stood up. “Rawley, let me talk to her. We were just getting around to that when the SUV turned up. She got so scared. I didn’t think she’d stay upright.”

* * *

Devon held her breath and concentrated on the kids, refusing to turn around and look back at the bar. Because of the surf, she wouldn’t be able to hear if the SUV departed. Her heart was in her throat; she was afraid as she sat there that Jacob and his men might be sneaking up on her.

She heard a familiar whistle, then Spencer’s yell. “Hey, Austin! I’m back.” And then he was sitting beside her again. “It’s okay,” he said. “He’s gone, whoever he was. He said his name was Johnson, but I have my doubts.”

“How old was he?” she asked.

“Mid-thirties, maybe. He’s looking for someone named Reese.”

She gasped. “She has a son!”

Spencer nodded. “He said she’d be with a boy and a pregnant girl.”

She gasped again. They were getting out—one or two or three at a time. But what of Laine? Was she just helping people to leave and then staying behind? And what about the other women? Laine wondered if any of the others would leave of their own volition.

But were they safe? Would she ever see them again?

“Is he the one you ran from? Johnson?” Spencer asked.

In spite of herself, she gave a laugh. “No, he works for Jacob, the leader of The Fellowship, a farming commune where I spent the past few years. He didn’t mention me? They’re not wondering where I’ve gone?”

“He didn’t mention you,” Spencer confirmed. “It’s possible you’ve been gone so long, they assume you’re far away. But what are the chances they’ll see you somewhere?”

“Pretty slim, I’d guess,” she said. “When I first arrived, there were more than twenty of us. Lately they’ve been...leaving,” she said.

“The men had some freedom—they left in those big black SUVs all the time. The women went only to the Farmers’ Market or the produce stand where we sold what we grew. Everything we needed from tampons to clothing was brought to us. I think it was Reese who made the shopping lists—she tended to run things, whether she was asked to or not. She was the eldest woman there.” She blinked. “Are you sure he’s gone? That man?”

“I think Rawley got rid of him pretty good. He was convincing—said he’d been in this town and on this beach every day and hadn’t seen any women and children that didn’t belong here. He said there weren’t any jobs or apartments or anything here—a newcomer sticks out—especially a kid or a pregnant woman. He asked for a phone number to call in case one turned up and then he got the license plate.”

“That Rawley,” she said. “We should never underestimate him.”

“There’s something about him all right...he sure doesn’t look or act like the clever dude he really is.” He draped an arm over her shoulders. “I think you’re safe. I don’t think you have to hide from those people. Just keep your eyes open, all right?” He touched the bill of her cap. “The hat is probably a good idea.”

Mercy was suddenly in her lap, whining. Sandy, hungry, cranky. Devon laughed. “A little beach goes a long way—I better get these kids home. I feel lunch and naps coming on. Talk about an interesting morning.”

On the way home Devon thought about what had happened and was reminded of the promise she had made to Scott—that if anything suspicious or noteworthy turned up regarding her past life, she would speak to the deputy.

Devon took the kids to Scott’s house and moments after she arrived, he was home. She briefly explained what had happened and asked if he would mind looking after Mercy for a while. She then called and made arrangements to meet Mac McCain at his office in town. Scott offered to go with her and have Gabriella mind the children instead, but she wanted to do this on her own. Because she was terrified.

Mac was already at the sheriff’s office when she arrived, but he was not dressed in uniform. He wore a short-sleeved knit shirt with his jeans and seemed to have been busy working on some paperwork. He looked up when she walked in and put down his pen. He stood. He gave her a nod. “Devon,” he said.

Devon was shaking as she said, “Thank you for letting me interrupt your day off. I have a few things I think you should know about.”

He gestured toward a chair that faced his desk. “Are you afraid of me?”

She gave a weak nod. “I don’t think I’ve done anything wrong. At least, not knowingly. But if I’m arrested or sent to jail, away from my baby, my life is over.”

“Let’s hear what you have to say before we start worrying about worst case scenarios. How about that?”

She took a breath. “Well, it started about five years ago, after I had a run of real bad luck in the job market...” She tried watching his features and expression as she recounted the events up to this morning, when the car appeared. The telling took an hour. Mac asked a few questions.
Were you held against your will?
Were you told you would be punished for leaving or attempting to leave?
Did you tend
,
grow or distribute illegal controlled substance?
Are there weapons in the compound?
Were there statements to the effect there would be danger to anyone who shared the secrets of the commune?

“Well, I did help gather and mix chicken manure for his men to use in the gardens and by then I knew what was in the warehouses.”

He gave her a wan smile. “Do you know what they did with it?”

“I know what he claimed to do with it—he said it was medicinal and used in healing, but he didn’t have a permit because he staunchly refuses to have any dealings with the government. By the time he said that it was all medicinal, I knew it was a lie. We lived a rich life in that commune—we had everything we needed. We women didn’t have cars or televisions or computers or jewelry, but Jacob had a house of his own, a private residence across the river. I’ve been there. He has everything a man could want.”

“Were you sexually abused?” he asked.

And she looked down into her lap. “No. He never forced anyone, to my knowledge. He seduced. He promised to share his personal utopia and care for us forever. I hadn’t been there long before I was pregnant and it was then that I realized all the children there—all tended by all the women—were Jacob’s children. He must’ve thought he was Warren Jeffs with a pot garden.”

“Did he engage in sexual activity with underage girls?”

Again she shook her head. “Everyone was over eighteen, at least during the four years I was there. I tried to leave, but he wouldn’t allow it.”

“How did he prevent you from leaving?”

“Besides a lock on the gate and a couple of men who carried guns? He said Mercy was his daughter and I couldn’t take her. The guns were downplayed—everyone claimed they were for protection from government thugs and wildlife. And I was afraid if I took my daughter and ran, we might be shot.”

“Are you afraid for your safety now, Devon?”

“Well, yes, I am. I don’t know that I have reason to be—no one has threatened me. I’ve been here for more than a month and no one has come looking for me. They seem to be looking for Reese, her son and Mariah, but maybe they decided to just let me go. The woman who suggested I run said that if things got scary, I should tell the authorities about the gardens. I know she wasn’t talking about the tomatoes....”

He sat a bit taller in his chair. “What woman was that?”

“She was with us about six months, I think. Her name was Laine.” Tears came to her eyes. “I loved her. I loved Laine. I loved Reese, too. Reese delivered Mercy. She was so good to me.”

He was quiet for a moment. He leaned forward, folding his hands on the top of his desk. “I’m going to tell my boss about this, of course. And that property isn’t in my jurisdiction, so my boss will very likely talk to someone in that county. But I haven’t heard anything here today that creates a legal problem for you. I have no reason to arrest you. But if it turns out you have valuable testimony, I think I can get protective housing.”

Her eyes grew wide. “Like secret witness stuff?”

He gave her a lopsided grin. “Like that, yes. If you need it. And I wouldn’t be surprised if someone from the sheriff’s department or another agency wanted to hear what you have to say. If that becomes necessary, we’ll be very quiet and careful about it. Have you discussed this with anyone else?”

“Rawley. A little bit. He took one look at me and knew where I was from. I’m not his cousin. He picked me up along the road and gave me a place to stay when I first left the commune. I also gave Dr. Grant a few details when I first started working for him.” She shook her head. “I have a job now. I really thought my life was getting back on the rails.”

“I think things are moving in the right direction for you,” he said. “Let’s stay calm. I have ways of learning whether Jacob and your old community are being looked at by law enforcement....”

“I have no idea what you can do,” she admitted.

He grinned. “It’s spooky sometimes. Devon, the very second you think you’re unsafe or suspicious or feeling jittery, I need you to call me and let me know. Don’t run, please—that will only make things worse. Our offices are next door to each other. We see each other almost every day as it is. We’ll check in all the time. Just go about your business, keep a sharp eye, I’ll let you know if I learn something. Now it’s time to let the police do their job.”