Chapter 6

Scott - Chapter 6

Joe looked over the file three times before setting it aside. She was pretty good about seeing things where others couldn't, but this file was so full of holes that she wasn't sure what to see and what not to see. It was difficult to understand most of what was written it in as well. It looked to her like the author of the pages had gone out of his way to scribble more than usual. Tanner cleared his throat when she said nothing for several minutes.

"Do you see it?" Joe told him she did not. "That's right. Because it's not there. Nothing is."

"I don't understand this. You told me to look this file over, and now that I have, you're telling me that it's not there. I'm confused." He laughed and made his way to her desk. "You know that I could hurt you right now, don't you?"

"I know that you love me too much to do that. Besides, Noah adores me and would miss me terribly." She snorted. "You're very good at that now too, the snorting thing. I'm thinking you picked it up from Dad. Or was it Mom? She's pretty good at it too."

"Just show me what it is you think I missed. I'm not saying that I have, but show me." He pulled out the form from the coroner with his notes on it. "That's another thing I had here to ask you. Why are there no actually photos of Mr. Davis when he was killed?"

"The report says that there are some. A total of sixteen, as a matter of fact. But when I asked to see them, they said it was part of an ongoing investigation and they were unable to release them just yet." Joe asked him if he thought they'd taken any at all. "I do. I don't know why they won't hand them over for sure yet, but I know that they took them. Somewhere in the file there is a receipt for them. Someone, and I can't make out the name, has asked for them, and it looks like they've never returned them. Could be why they're not able to let me see them with the file."

Joe picked up the form when he showed her which one. It was a list with the date, the file number, as well as the name of the person who handed them out and the person who received them. She looked up at Tanner when she figured it out.

"Chloe has them." Tanner told her that it wasn't possible. "I'm telling you this is her name. C. Davis. She's made it so it's difficult to read on purpose, I think, so no one would be able to see it was her. And I'm betting if there were cameras there, they were disabled as well. She has them."

"But in order to get them, she would have had to be either an attorney or an investigating officer. I don't believe she's either." Joe thought perhaps Chloe was the latter of the two and told him that. "You think she's a cop? But she was working for the computer place. Why would she…? Holy fuck, Joe. You think she knows everything that is going on at the station and quit?"

"That would be my guess. And the only way we're going to find out is either dig deeper or ask her." Tanner said he thought digging would be easier. "More than likely you're right, but I think asking her will get us a better answer, don't you? She's intense, I get that. More so than I am at times. But there are other times when I think she is as soft as a kitten in her emotions."

Joe thought about Chloe, and some of the things she'd said to her just yesterday. Like how the two officers that had come by the house again were part of the goon squad. She'd asked her what she meant and Chloe had just shrugged. Then last night she'd told Trent that the cops he was talking to could no more be trusted than a snake with a rat. She knew just what was going on at the station, and Joe was pretty sure that she knew who was in charge.

"Do you suppose she'd come here and help us out?" Joe told Tanner that she was on her way over anyway. "You knew before this then."

"No. She's coming over to talk to Sterl about a couple of pieces of furniture at her dad's house. Did you know that she inherited not just his home, but a lot of old furniture and cars?" Tanner said that he knew very little about her. "She's not very forthcoming, yes, but I think that's her personality, not her being rude. I thought she was sort of standoffish, but I'm beginning to think she's just observing everything. I bet she could give you a rundown on any of us that even we might not know about ourselves."

"And that, my dear sister, is just as scary. A cop? I can't believe it. Do you suppose we could talk her into coming and working for the station? Maybe even take the damned thing over? We sure could use a good man in the position." Joe said she'd not push it. "Yeah, she'd tell me no, I'm betting. I think I would as well."

The doorbell rang and Joe leaned back in her seat. It was Chloe and she was alone, Joe knew that. No one else would have rang the bell, because they were family and came and went as they pleased. It would take her a while, she thought, to feel like she could be a member of this family. Trust would have to come first. When she was shown into the room with her and Tanner, Joe knew that something had happened. Trent joined them a few minutes later, after the butler came to ask about refreshments.

"I won't be able to stay long. I have to go to the doctor today." Joe asked her what had happened. "The other day when I was in the shop George hurt me, and Scott wants me to have a follow-up exam done so there is a record. It probably won't hold water, but he made me promise that I would."

"I have something to ask you, Chloe. Well not ask, but…you're a cop, aren't you?" Chloe told Tanner that she wasn't. "Maybe not now, but you were at one time. And you left after the investigation of your dad went cold."

Chloe didn't say anything at first. Joe had a feeling she was testing the waters, so to speak. Or thinking of just how to answer. She'd noticed that about her young new sister-in-law…she thought things out before speaking. It was another good trait to have as a cop.

"I believe that George killed my father when he was drunk or high. And that his dad either knew about it or was just as involved. Or perhaps William did it. I'm no longer sure, only in that they're involved somehow." Whatever Joe had expected, that wasn't it. Before she could ask her how she came to that conclusion, she continued. "I also think that William killed his wife, and her body is either in the building that Flynn Computers is in or around it. I've been working there to see if I can find evidence on either murder. There are clues…not huge ones, but enough to make me believe that he's done something with the—"

"Wait. What? You've been under cover working to find if they murdered two people?" Chloe said that she wasn't. Trent looked at her, then back at Chloe before continuing. "You don't work for the police, or you're not looking for the murderer of two people?"

"I'm not with the police department. What I'm doing, I'm doing on my own. And I don't think that Williams's wife is the first person that he's killed, either. Nor, if this thing escalates the way it looks like it will, that they'll be the last if things continue with your family. Desperate men take desperate and oftentimes stupid actions. I understand that you're taking precautions, but this man has an entire department at his disposal. He'll use them to get back at you. Hard." Joe asked her why she quit then. "They weren't doing anything, and it was getting difficult to work at a place as bad as that place is. Besides, I could look around better if I was not employed there. Like, I could get in and out of the lower level of that place without being seen at night. During the day I could never get to the basement and look around like I wanted without someone seeing me. Not to mention—I don't know if you're aware of this, or perhaps you are—the entire department isn't trustworthy. Not only that, but I think most of them are on someone's payroll. Not just the Flynns'."

"I could help you with that." Chloe shook her head at her. "Let me rephrase that. I know someone that can get in and out of there without ever being seen. And he can tell if there is a body down there as well. Where do you think it is?"

"Under the concrete that is…. You mean a vampire." Joe nodded. "I don't think that will work either. I've taken down some monitors, to read odors and such, and it comes up with nothing. They either buried her very deeply, or they used some sort of chemical to get rid of the body before burying her."

"How sure are you that she's down there?" Instead of answering her, Chloe asked to use her computer. As soon as she put the thumb drive in, Joe thought the woman was smarter than anyone had first thought. And Joe thought her to be brilliant already. "You have all the files on here? What about the pictures of your dad's murder? Do you have those as well?"

If she was surprised by the question, she didn't show it. As she clicked through the separate files, some of them named, others just numbered, Joe wondered what sort of commissioner she'd make for this town. Someone to trust, that was sure, but also a person that would get jobs done. And keep the people here safe. The department, or the lack of it, was hurting them by keeping other businesses from relocating here.

"Yes, I have them. The originals are hidden away. Also another copy of this drive. In the event that something happens to me, all this plus the things that I've been able to collect go to the FBI. Not that I'm saying you guys will hurt me, but I'm not into taking any chances." Trent asked her who she had on the force. "No one is to be trusted in the police department. It's big, this thing that they have going on. They'll do some minor things around town. Look into a robbery. Give out a few tickets. But if you were to look into their backgrounds, any of them, you'd see that not one of them graduated from any academy, nor have any of them registered with any of the state or local fire arm groups. In order to carry their weapons, the police are required to register to do it. Also, there is a great influx of money to and from accounts that some of them have. There are offshore accounts, I'm sure, but I'm not equipped to look for any of those without drawing attention. And for now, I'm just looking, not arresting."

"They're hit men. For organized crime syndicates. Were you aware of that?" Chloe said nothing, but Joe knew that she was aware of it. "All right then, we'll pretend that you answered. Why did William murder his wife? And why do you believe that her body is in the basement of the building?"

Chloe pointed to the computer screen and the four files that were opened. She asked that she open the first one. This file was simply called Deaths. Joe wondered what sort of things this girl had had to do to get all this information, and how long she'd been working on it.

"William's wife's name was Cybil Porter Flynn. She came from an affluent family; only child of a very smart man. They were married about a year after William came to town, and he started tossing money around that he neither had nor would ever have. Then about six years ago she filed for divorce. It really didn't come as a surprise to most people. William was an ass and he didn't care who knew it. Cybil's father hated him. The divorce paperwork has since disappeared, along with her attorney. William has put out there that she ran off with him, and never completed the paperwork because she'd had a change of heart or some bullshit. There was also paperwork that stated that he's not entitled to anything. A pre-nup that he signed when they wed was executed in a way that if anything should happen to her, or to her father, who is also missing, that her husband was to be kicked to the curb. Not her words of course, but close enough." Tanner asked her how she knew this. Using the mouse, she pulled up a copy of not only the pre-nup, but also an addendum to it stating that any children not of her body were to get nothing as well. "I think she did this, early on in their marriage, after a child other than George was born. She would have known about George; he came to visit them off and on through her life, and for the most part, he does refer to her as Mom. But George isn't her child. And the money doesn't belong to either of them. William made sure that this part of his marriage was never brought up in the courts so that no one would be suspicious about why she was gone."

"She had all the money." Chloe nodded. "And this is why she was murdered. To keep the cash flowing for William to live the lifestyle that he'd grown to love."

"Oh yes. But there isn't that much of it left, at least as far as I can find out. He can't sell the house, not for any reason. The contents are pretty much gone too, as he's pawned or sold off most of what he could. George has pretty much snorted most of his part of whatever the two of them have fixed between them up his fucking nose. And if your grandda doesn't know already, the building downtown is behind in their rent, as well as the gas and electric are close to being shut off. William is hurting too. Bad investments are only the tip of the iceberg on the shit that he's done to get him where he is now." Joe asked her how much. "When they wed the estate was worth just over three billion, and making money pretty fast. But there is also the estate of her dad, who came up missing, and he got that as well. I'm not sure how he got them to declare him dead yet, but with the shit going on in this town, who knows? So the two of them had about fifteen to twenty billion in assets and cash. Now? Maybe a million. Probably less than that, but not more."

"Holy fuck." Tanner said it well, Joe thought. When Sterl and James came in the office to join them, they were brought up to speed on things as well. "And she said that there isn't much in the way of money left after all that."

Joe knew that Chloe knew more. Whatever it was, she could find out by searching her mind, but she didn't want to have to do that. They were family, but Joe was pretty sure that Chloe had her reasons for keeping some of what she knew to herself. And she'd bet anything it had to do with the death of her dad. Then it occurred to her.

"Your father knew all this. You think this is why he was killed." Chloe sat down without answering, but Joe thought she was on to something. She looked at the file folders for the drive and saw the file pictures. Without asking, she opened it up and nearly closed it again when she saw the body. "Christ, he wasn't a hit and run at all, was he?"

~*~

Scott moved the empty boxes outside to the dumpster that had been brought in this morning. He'd gotten a lot done since he'd gotten up…more than he had the entire time he'd been working on the house. Even the yard was beginning to take on a better, like someone actually lived here look.

He paused going into the house when he saw someone coming up the drive. Out of the corner of his eye he saw pack coming from the tree line. The cruiser made him a little nervous now after talking to Chloe late into the night last night.

Three men got out of the cruiser. He wondered first of all why they were piled up in the front seat when another cruiser pulled in behind it. Scott told his wolf to be calm, but it was difficult to keep him under control when all he wanted to do was shift and hurt these men.

"Hey there, Scott. Doing some work, are you?" He just nodded, glad for the four wolves that came closer to the house. "I was wondering if you have permits to do any work on the house. I know that you applied for them, I saw that paperwork, but not that a permit was ever issued."

"The contractor has it. He filed and got the paperwork last week." The cop didn't move from the cruiser and the other two cops moved around the yard, as if they were spreading out. The pack stood behind the second one, but out of sight of all of the men. "You only came out here to check on my permits? Seems a long way to go since I don't live in town."

"Yeah well, we have to make sure that you're not out here just building whatever you want. There are rules, you know." Scott nodded and asked him if he was aware of them as well. "You betcha I am. Got a whole list of them right here in my pocket. How about my partner and I have a looksee around your place? Just to make sure that you're up to code."

"No." The cop just grinned at him and put his hand on his weapon. "You take that from your holster, and before you can even pull the trigger you're going to have your throat ripped out."

The low growl from the wolf closest to the cop made him pause. When he turned slowly, Scott could tell the exact moment that he realized he was outnumbered. There were at least a dozen there now, all of them part of the pack that Trent was taking over. It was then that the second cruiser, this one with only two men in it, emptied as well. All the men had their hands on their weapons, but thankfully no one had drawn them as yet.

"You're not being very friendly, Scott. What would happen if word got around that no cops are welcome out here? What would you do if there was an emergency and no one showed up?" Scott waited for him to turn to him before he answered.

"If I have an emergency, I'm pretty sure I'd do a much better job than any of you would in taking care of it. So now that we've established that you're not only not welcome here, but not going to get in my house, you should leave." Scott had a moment of panic when another car pulled into his drive. But when his mom and dad got out of the car, his mom with her phone out recording everything, he wasn't sure if he wanted to hug them or tell them to get to safety. "Now, for the camera this time, I want you to tell me again that I don't have permits, that you think to come into my house, and that you might not come out here if there should be an issue. Go ahead, my mom would just love to post this on her social media page."

Without another word the cop got into his car, and then the others did as well. Scott wasn't stupid enough to think this was over, so he stood as still as he could. Then the cop rolled down his window and spit at him. It was childish and immature, but Scott didn't care so long as they were all gone. As soon as the cruiser was out of sight, he sat down on the ground where he stood. His dad came to him immediately.

"You all right, son?" He nodded but didn't get up. "Your momma and I thought you'd been hurt when we saw them coming up the drive. Would have been here sooner, but turning around in the middle of the road is not as easy as it sounds."

"Dad, don't let the cops find you alone. Not either of you." He said that he'd make sure that they didn't. "I mean, if they pull you over, don't get out of the car, don't roll down the window, and for God's sake, don't let them in your home. They're not happy with us right now."

"I'm thinking this has more to do with my dad's building than we thought, doesn't it?" Scott told him it was much more. "We need to have us a family meeting. You come on into the house now, and your mom and I will gather the troops. It's past time we get things done here."

Within an hour his house was full. He was glad now that he'd taken the time to get some of the boxes out of the way and had rolled the wire out of the house. The contractors were still working on the kitchen—the wiring there had to be replaced and a few other modifications were being done—but for the most part, the rest of the house was coming along. They were waiting on Randal to get there, as school was out for the day, and Noah. Noah had some information for them as well, it seemed, and was waiting for the sun to set a little more before he arrived.

"You thinking he's found out something about that woman, William's wife?" Grandda had been most upset to know that a body might have been buried in his building. His idea had been to go there and dig her up, to give her peace, but Trent said they had to wait. "I'm understanding that the cops aren't worth a hill of beans around here, but that woman has family someplace. They might want to have her home with them."

"We'll get her home, Grandda, but we have to move like this for the time being. First of all, we don't want them running, and secondly, we have to figure out if they did indeed do it and the other murder." Scott hated to bring her dad up at this time, but he looked at Chloe. "Tell them what you told me, honey. Tell them all of it."

"My dad was investigating the disappearance of David Taft. He'd been a friend of his for years, devoted husband to his ailing wife, and a good man all around. He and my dad would hang out together when they could. And he said that he would never believe that David would run off with a married woman, much less Mrs. Flynn." Dad asked Chloe why her in particular. "Dad said she was a first class bitch. Not a nice person at all. She was a smart businesswoman and all, but not nice about it. Dad thought that was what brought them together. While I guess opposites can attract, these two didn't care for each other on a personal level. But she had used him for the divorce proceedings."

"She was leaving William then. That cock and bull story that he told us all about her running off, it's not true." Trent's statement seemed to spark a lot of questions from the rest of them, but Chloe cut them off when she started talking again.

"Cybil and William had been married about four months when she found out about George. He would have been a teenager or so by then, I think. His being around, as well as the birth of another child born after they were married, but who has since died, were the reasons that her will was changed. David had told my dad that he needed a witness to the fact, and he'd gone over to the office to act as one for them. He told me later that while he didn't care for the woman at all, she'd been screwed over royally by William. She changed her will twice more over the course of the next three years, and each time my dad was a witness to it." Grandda asked what she'd changed the other times. "The second time was to make sure that George got nothing of her estate should she die before William did. She even had the stipulation in the will that if William outlived her that he couldn't give any of the money to his son. Or any other illegitimate children of his. If he did so, then he would lose it all. The money was to go to a charity that she'd set up. It wasn't something that most people would think of as a charity, but the way it had been set up, it qualified. The money was to go to kids in college to be able to afford to have nicer things in their rooms when the college wouldn't provide them. Apparently this was a big deal for her."

"The rich and their money." Scott nearly told his dad that he wasn't a poor man either, not by any means, but he continued. "So you know, I got it set up so that my money goes to a grocery store for the rich and stupid. It'll charge nine times whatever the going cost is for something so that them fools will be broke in a week."

"Hush now. You've done no such thing." His mom smacked his dad on the arm as she looked around the room. "We have it set up so that all you boys get it. Not that we're going anywhere for some time, but there it is. Now, child, tell us what else you've been able to find out. And I have to say, I'm very proud of you for gathering this all up. Very brave of you as well."

Scott hadn't told Chloe that she was an immortal as yet. He'd have to talk to her when everyone left. But she seemed to understand what his dad was saying and looked at him with a cocked brow. He just smiled. Christ, he was in love with this woman.

"Anyway.... Then there was the third time she came to have her will changed. At that time David made several copies of it and had her sign each one. My dad was given one, and the others were filed away in David's office." Noelle asked if she had the copy. "Yes. It's with the photographs of my father when he was killed."

"What did it say this time?" Scott was pretty sure that Tanner already knew. When he had gotten here today, he'd come with Joe and Chloe. "And the changes, did her husband know about them?"

"Yes, I'm sure that she made him aware of them this time. She wanted an extra copy for him, to show him what she was up to. It might have been what got her killed." Tanner asked again what it was. "She cut William out of everything. He would have had to leave the house as soon as she was declared dead, given up all the cars, money. Also, and this was what made it so he'd not be able to sell off the house, he'd no longer serve on the boards of her holdings. The company, the one her father started, owns it. And because of her smart thinking, the company is doing well and making all kinds of money that neither William nor George will ever inherit should her body turn up. I think she might have known she wasn't long for this world."

No one said a word for several minutes. Scott had known all this, but to see the realization on his family's faces, the knowledge that someone they knew could be so hideous, was earth shaking. When he looked at Chloe again, he could see what this was costing her, to bring this up over and over again, and he got up to hold her in his arms. Trent was the first to ask after her dad.

"They claimed he was a victim of a hit and run. But it was more than that, we think. He was also mutilated after the fact. I don't think George would have done the damage done to him, nor William. He wasn't one to get his hands dirty if he didn't have to. But the cops took their time with him, even after he was gone." Joe said she had pictures should anyone want to see them. Scott hadn't thought they would, and wasn't surprised when each of them declined. Chloe continued. "There wasn't ever any kind of investigation. No one looked for a car that he'd supposedly pulled over, nor did anyone have any records of the call in that he made before he'd gotten out of his car. His body was found on the roadside, as it says, but when he arrived at the hospital, nothing was consistent with anything like a car hitting him. The coroner at the time apparently didn't think so either, and took the pictures that I now have. I was afraid, and rightly so, that they'd disappear."

"Why do you think he was killed by George?" Chloe pulled away to answer his dad. And when she handed him a file, Scott was glad when she came back to him. As his dad went over the file, Chloe explained.

"Twenty-four hours after my dad was killed, George was sent away on an extended vacation. His car, a little sports number, was also gone. I know that the car was never destroyed or sold. The VIN number would have had to show up somewhere. I think that it's been taken someplace and hidden away. You see in there, the tests that were run? Those are the chips of paint and glass that were found on my dad's body. With them I was able to figure out not just the make of the car headlights, but also the color of the car and what manufacturer used it. It's consistent with the car that is no longer on the Flynn estate." Tanner asked if she knew where the car was now. "No. I wish that I did. I think I've been able to narrow it down to out of state, and that around that time there was a large sum of money paid out. It nearly bankrupted William's account, but four days later half the money was put back in. I think whoever hid the car is now dead and never collected on the entire amount."

"So this person, he was supposed to get rid of the car somehow and then return for his other half? I'm assuming that he didn't trust William either." Chloe smiled at his mom this time. "You've done some amazing work, child. I do hope we can put it to use."

"I will. If the car was taken to a lot to be crushed, the VIN number, as I said, would have to be recorded. Most places won't touch a car without one. Some will, but most know that its trouble if they do. Also, the same if it was sold to someone. Even without any sort of registration on it, it could be gotten by the VIN the same way…apply and hope that nothing shows up. It has to be hidden away so that no one searches for it." She smiled again. "I think, hope really, that when we do find the car that it still has something on it that will connect the dots to the murder of my dad. Not only that, but William and George's part in it."

"So if you have the car, you pretty much have them dead to rights." She said she only had a theory that William or George got rid of it, nothing more. "But what about the paint and glass? Surely that helps."

"Do you let your own sons use your truck or car? And should they have an accident in it, are you going to assume that they did it?" He said they'd damned better well not have an accident, but he understood. "I need to know without a doubt that William and George conspired to cover up the murder of my dad, and that they also killed their wife and mother."

Just as they were being called to dinner—Scott hadn't even realized that it had gotten so late—Noah showed up. And when he spoke, it was with a great deal of sorrow, Scott thought.

"I've gone to the Flynn Computers as asked. And I'm sorry to inform you that there are bodies in the basement. Good call, Chloe. There is lye covering at least two, but perhaps more, including the surrounding area, but there is cause to think that the wife is there. Not where the new concrete has been poured, but to the left. I would bet that the hole was dug to throw someone off, while the body had been put several feet to the left of the stairs." Noah looked at Scott when he continued. "I should like to talk to you when this is finished, if you don't mind. There is a private matter I have in mind for you."