Dogs Don't Lie Page 18

  “There are two groups?” My frown deepened, brain processing the information and taking a big jump. “Do they know about each other?”

  “You are quick, Doctor Collins.” His brown eyes narrowed, and he grinned. “And no, Johnson doesn’t know about the setup at the other places.”

  “Does Ben know anything?”

  “He does now. After you took Detective Jacobson and Sergeant Blake to the two properties, we knew it was time to bring in all local law enforcement before it got out of hand.” Agent Davis paused and listened. Motioning me forward, we hurried away from the road and down through the forest. “I’ve got a vehicle parked on an old spur road about a mile from here.”

  Questions spun in my mind, competing to be voiced first. “What’s going on at the two barns? Who killed Mr. Smith? Where is Alexander Whedon?”

  Agent Davis stopped and looked back at me. He shook his head. “Let’s get on the road. And just know I probably won’t be able to answer everything.”

  One mile turned into two, and after almost an hour of hiking in silence through the dense trees and tangled undergrowth, we made it to a narrow dirt road. He stopped while still concealed at the edge of the forest, the road in front of us. With his arm held out to his side, he said, “Stay here.” He slipped away, quietly blending into shadows, limbs, and branches.

  I knew that standing there made me an easier target, so I sat and covered my head with the hood of my sweatshirt again. Scooting back against an overhang of brush, I didn’t feel as exposed. I glanced at my watch and moaned. Gracie and Sam must be frantic. I checked for a signal on my phone. Nothing. My stomach growled. I really needed a cupcake. No. A bacon cheeseburger and then a cupcake. Chocolate. With sprinkles. But first I wanted answers.

  The low rumble of an engine approached from the left. Agent Davis was in a tiny beat-up old truck, the same truck I’d seen outside my house on two separate occasions. He skidded to a stop and motioned me to get in.

  Guess I wasn’t hidden as well as I thought. I scrambled out from my cover and opened the door. It didn’t squeak, squeal, or protest in any way. Even if the truck looked like a wreck, it was probably in better shape than mine.

  Davis pulled his credentials and badge from a pocket and showed me, and then pointed to the seat-belt clip buried under a stack of clothes. “I don’t get passengers very often. Just push that stuff onto the floor.”

  After I studied his creds, I nodded.

  He tucked the case back in his pocket, put the truck in gear, and continued straight ahead.

  “The road is behind us—that way.” I pointed back.

  “We’ll have to take a different route.” He glanced at me and frowned. “You aren’t out of this yet. We aren’t, that is. I really don’t want them seeing me with you.”

  “What are you going to do?”

  “I think I can get you dropped off close to town and make it back without too many questions. I’ll just say I thought I was onto something and kept going.”

  “But I gestured to my friends I’d meet up with them down the road while you were questioning them.” I wiped my hand across my forehead. “I should have been there a long time ago.”

  “Probably not a good plan.” The expression crossing his face did little to encourage me. “We should have service in about ten minutes. You can try and contact them.”

  “What if your friends run across mine again?”

  “Yeah.” He shifted up a gear. “Okay. Hang on. This is going to get rough.”

  I kept checking my phone. I’d already been gone almost two hours. “I’ve got a signal.”

  “The main road is just ahead.” He drove another fifty yards, turned the wheel, and skidded onto the gravel.

  Punching in Gracie’s number, I waited while it rang.

  “Where are you?” Gracie screamed. “Do you know how long it’s been?”

  “Gracie. Stop talking. Where are you?”

  “About fifteen miles down from where we left you, almost to the turnoff to the paved road. Someone followed us out, making sure we left. Didn’t think it was a good idea to come back. We kept trying to call you, but you didn’t answer.”

  “Okay. Good. Stay there. I’m on my way.”

  “Now don’t get mad. We didn’t know what else to do. Ben’s here. We called him. He’s with Craig and another officer. They left a few minutes ago to come looking for you.”

  I glanced at Agent Davis. “Did you hear that?”

  He nodded and shifted into another gear. “We’ve gotta make this quick.”

  “Kallie, who are you talking to? Who’s with you? Are you in trouble?”

  “Just stay there. I’ll—Gotta go.” I stuffed my phone away.

  Red and blue lights flashing, a line of vehicles raced up the road.

  Agent Davis pulled over, stopped, and turned off the engine.

  Three sheriff’s SUVs skidded to a stop in front of us. Ben, Craig, and a third officer I didn’t know crouched behind open doors, their weapons drawn.

  “Driver,” Ben shouted. “Keep your hands in sight. Reach through the window and open the door.”

  “Just do exactly what they tell you.” Agent Davis nodded at me and then did as instructed until he was outside and in handcuffs.

  Ben ran to my side and yanked the door open. “Are you okay?”

  “I’m fine.” I scrambled out, looking at Agent Davis. “He’s undercover DEA. Well, he was until I ruined everything.”

  “What?” Ben looked at Craig and the other officer. “Stay here.”

  Gesturing with a nod, Agent Davis directed Craig to a pocket inside his jacket.

  Craig patted the area before reaching in and pulling out a badge and credentials.

  I couldn’t hear what was said, but in less than a minute, Craig removed the cuffs.

  Ben motioned me over and held out his hand. “Give me your phone.”

  I pulled it out of my pocket but didn’t hand it to him. “Why?”

  “I think I can fix this,” Agent Davis said. “If I tell them I circled back after finding nothing and found the phone in the brush where we first heard it, where your friends were parked, I can make a case that one of them panicked when they heard voices and dropped it.” He looked around. “But we have to hurry.” He glanced at the three response SUVs, their lights off now. “No offense, but I don’t want to be seen with you guys.”

  I handed Agent Davis my phone. “But if they know me, my name is in the information.”

  “Already planned for that. You may not want to watch this.” He dropped the phone and stomped it with his boot heel. “Oops. Didn’t see it among all that undergrowth.”

  My voice squeaked out a little moan.

  Wincing, Craig said, “Sorry, Doc.”

  I cleared my throat. “No. It’s fine. It could’ve been worse.” I looked at Agent Davis. “Thank you. Be careful. And again, I am so sorry.”

  “It’s okay. Like I said, I got a lot of valuable information following your leads. This operation will be over in another day or two because of it. And just because R and A knows who you are, doesn’t mean you stopped them from continuing their criminal behavior. They weren’t scared of you, just interested—mostly in what you could do. You know ... the animal communication.” Agent Davis tipped his head and returned to his truck.

  My mind jumped into high gear, and I stared at Ben. “What was R and A doing? And how did the DEA follow my leads?”

  “Never mind, Kallie. Let it go.” Ben shook his head and turned toward the vehicles. Glancing over his shoulder, he waited for me to follow. “I’ll take you into town. Stevens contacted Gracie and Sam. Told them to head home and that you’d talk to them later.”

  Grateful, but at the same time dreading the hour-long trip to Medford with Ben and a litany of I-told-you-so speeches, I buckled into the front seat. />
  After ten minutes of Ben not saying anything, I couldn’t take it anymore and blurted, “Go ahead. Yell at me. I know I messed up. I should’ve listened to you.”

  Ben sighed. “Yes. But you’re punishing yourself better than I ever could.”

  I leaned my head against the cool glass of the window and watched the view outside sail past. “I’m sorry, Ben.”

  “You’re forgiven. Even my boss just shrugged it off. As he said, we did get you involved. And you did help.” He stared at me. His green eyes were bright, and a slight grin lifted the corners of his lips. “Just promise me no more Kinsey-type missions. Leave the detective work to me.”

  “I promise.” I sighed and managed a half-hearted smile. With a sudden jolt, I sat up straight, my head filled with questions. “But can you tell me anything? I mean, after all this I’d like to know at least some of what was going on.”

  Chuckling, Ben turned onto a paved road. “You probably know as much as I do right now. If you can wait a couple more days, we’re debriefing with the DEA. I’ll tell you what I can.”

  I connected with Gracie and Sam later that evening.

  Sam burst through my door and wrapped me in a tight hug. She let go, glared, and shouted, “What were you thinking? Did you see those guys? Kallie, if I wasn’t so glad to see you, I’d … I’d … Well, I don’t know what I’d do, but you wouldn’t like it.” Pushing past me, she continued. “Next time, listen to me.” She glanced at Gracie. “Both of you.” Dropping her bag on the counter, she fished out her phone. “Pizza? Garlic chicken ranch? And you’d better have ice cream.”

  “And chocolate sauce,” Gracie added.

  We ate. I talked. I cried. We laughed. I felt better. Friends. I am so blessed.

  Chapter 25

  I spent the next day with my mom at Dani’s house, helping decorate the nursery for twin boys. I didn’t say much about what had happened and neither of them asked. The conversation centered on the babies and that was fine with me.

  My beaming dad met us in the entry when I dropped Mom off. He held the newspaper toward her. “Look at this, honey.”

  I read over her shoulder.

  DEA CRACKS DOWN ON DRUG RING

  With the help of local law enforcement, the DEA broke a year-long investigation into a case of fraud, drugs, transport of drugs, and illegal transfer of properties in southern Oregon and northern California. When our reporter asked lead Agent Michael Davis about the case, he smiled, shrugged, and commented, “Dogs don’t lie.”

  There was more, but I’d read enough. It seemed I’d helped and now the Adamses and all the other families would get their properties back.

  Mom looked at me, a tear slipping down her cheek. “That was because of you, wasn’t it? ‘Dogs don’t lie’?”

  “Yeah, Mom.”

  “Oh, Kallie. I’m so sorry.” She hugged me, hard. “Can you ever forgive me?”

  Dad joined her. “We’re so proud of you.” He gazed at me with so much love and then grinned. “You know, it’s not just grandma’s red hair and freckles you inherited.” His smile grew. “Remind me to tell you the stories your mom told me about your grandma and some of the exploits she got involved in.”

  Mom playfully swiped at his arm and laughed. “Don’t you dare. You’ll only encourage her.”

  My new phone vibrated, and the ringtone I’d assigned to Ben—the Star Wars Cantina music—echoed against the walls.

  Shaking her head, Mom walked toward the kitchen. “I don’t know why you insist on those annoying things. Why can’t you—?” She stopped, looked back at me, and smiled. “Just turn it down a little. Okay, sweetie?”

  I nodded. “I will.” I tapped answer and walked into the living room. “Hi, Ben.”

  “Hi. Just want to let you know—”

  “I just saw the paper.”

  “Already?”

  “Already.”

  “Oh. Well. Okay. Do you want to meet for lunch tomorrow? I’ll answer your questions, I mean, if I can.”

  “Sounds good. Where?”

  “You pick. I trust your choice, Kallie.”

  “Oh, Padawan, are you sure?” I chuckled.

  “I am. I’ll pick you up at one.”

  “See you then.”

  I took Ben to my favorite seafood place, and we ordered the coconut prawns. Yup, no bacon.

  After talking a sip of Pepsi, I asked, “So what was R and A up to?”

  “I think you and Tara figured that out. They—Mr. Johnson and, in the beginning Mr. Smith—were buying up property, or scamming people out of it, in hopes that the feds would lighten up on the marijuana laws soon.”

  Leaning across the table, I whispered, “Did he, Mr. Johnson, have any inside information? Like, is this about to happen?”

  Ben shrugged. “DEA said no, but …”

  “But?”

  He shrugged again. “Now, what was going on at the barns … Well that’s another story.”

  “You’re changing the subject.” I frowned.

  “Do you want to know or not?”

  “Yes. Go on.”

  “Johnson had no idea what was happening.” Ben shook his head. “And I don’t think he would’ve been very happy if he had. Some of the crews decided to start a little side business of transporting drugs hidden inside plaster molds.”

  I glanced out the window. “The shoeboxes … Did they hold the molds?” My attention back on Ben, I watched him.

  “Yes and no. They brought the powder in the boxes, mixed it with water, and put the wet plaster back in with a bag of whatever they were shipping that day buried inside. When it hardened, they thought they had the perfect transport medium.” He chuckled. “A well-trained dog can smell through almost anything. DEA was onto the scheme right away but let them continue their business, the drugs ending up in the hands of undercover officers all over California and Oregon. DEA’s real target was R and A.”

  I barely had his answer, when more questions formed. “So was it Mr. Smith buried in Eagle Point?”

  Ben watched an older couple walk past. “Yes. It was like Ella showed you—a mistake. Rollins, the man with Johnson that day, didn’t mean to kill Smith—just scare him. Seems Rollins has gone missing, too. Not sure if he panicked and ran or what. Davis and his team are sure they’ll have him in custody soon, or at least know where he is. Everyone else involved in both criminal enterprises is in custody.” He nodded. “And according to Davis, they’re all talking.”

  “Alexander Whedon and his family?”

  “DEA has them. They’ve had him since he disappeared last year. He wasn’t involved with the scam and started asking questions that would get him hurt. His family knew where he was and stayed in the house so the kids could go to school and have a somewhat normal life until the investigation was over. The DEA felt they should leave after you found the crime scene and gun behind their house.” Ben dipped a coconut prawn in pineapple sauce. “He—Whedon—agreed to testify against Smith and Johnson.” He glanced at me and grinned. “And, no, that’s not their real names, but I think you already figured that out. DEA’s involvement is why the department stopped working on the case and dropped the investigation into R and A. We didn’t know about Smith until you found out from the receptionist that he hadn’t been seen in months. And, oh … By the way, her name is Marie. She’s the one that called you at work and left the mysterious note after you’d been to their office. She wanted to tell you it was closing. DEA stepped in and sent her and a friend, an Ernestine Wilson, on a two-week vacation to Hawaii.” He grinned, his green eyes bright. “Seems she’d won a trip from some contest.”

  I chuckled and nodded. “The gossipy one. They should have a great time.”

  “So who was telling on me to the DEA?”

  Ben didn’t say anything.

  Staring at him, I sat back and nodded. �
�It was Craig, wasn’t it? That’s why Tara said what she did about not sharing my information with everyone. Only, she didn’t know who Craig was reporting to.”

  Ben glanced out the window. “This was an undercover operation with only a select few at the sheriff’s department knowing all the details. I really can’t say any more, Kallie.” His attention back on me, he said, “Officer Carter showed great insight during this whole assignment. I wouldn’t be surprised if she gets a promotion and an opportunity to take the detective exams.”

  “Awesome.” My frown returned. “Who broke into the Whedons’s? And why?”

  “That was Johnson looking for Ariel and Ella. He got mad and broke things when he couldn’t find them or the family.” Ben glanced sideways at me, a smile lifting his lips. “Guess he doesn’t know much about animals.” He took in a deep breath, the humor fading from his face. “Anyway, when he heard on the news about you and what you could do, he wasn’t taking any chances.”

  Shivering, I crossed my arms.

  “Yeah.” Ben nodded. “I’m glad we found them first.”

  “Speaking of Ariel and Ella, what happens to them now?”

  Ben tapped his finger on the table and stared at me. “I was kinda hoping you’d keep them. That way I could visit them. I mean, if that’s okay.”

  “Yes.” Heat filled my cheeks and I smiled. “It is. That way I can teach you how to communicate with them.”

  He reached across the table and shook my hand. “It’s a deal.” And this time, the contact was not fleeting.

  The End

  Well, for now, anyway.